Off-duty misconduct

Off-duty misconduct
2013 NY Slip Op 06085, Appellate Division, First Department

The Appellate Division unanimously affirmed NYC Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly’s dismissal of a police officer found guilty of discharging his weapon “in the direction of his former girlfriend during an altercation” while off-duty. The court said that there was substantial evidence to support the Commissioner’s finding.

In addition, the Appellate Division noted that the officer was also found guilty of the charges that he was “out of residence while on sick report” and provided false information concerning his absence based on his guilty plea to the allegations.

The police officer’s argument that the hearing officer “improperly placed the burden of proof on him” was rejected by the court as the record indicated that Department satisfied its burden of proving that the officer had committed the acts charged and the hearing officer determined that the officer’s testimony did not rebut the Department’s evidence. 

Citing Featherstone v Franco, 95 NY2d 550, the court said that the penalty of termination did not shock its sense of fairness.

The decision is posted on the Internet at:

http://www.nycourts.gov/reporter/3dseries/2013/2013_06085.htm
.