"written in stone."
Police Officer Accused Of Domestic Abuse On Administrative LeaveMayor's Office Confirms Status Of Pittsburgh Officer
WPXI.com, PA
November 24, 2007
New details were revealed on Saturday on a Target 11 investigation into a domestic abuse case involving a Pittsburgh police officer. The mayor's office told Target 11 Investigator Rick Earle that Bradley Walker is on administrative leave, and that his gun was taken. Walker was arrested at his home in Esplen Wednesday night, and was charged with two counts of simple assault for allegedly hitting his wife and choking his son. Police told Rick Earle on Friday that Walker was still on duty, angering a local women's group. Pittsburgh City Council will take up the policy regarding domestic violence and Pittsburgh Police officers on Tuesday.
Hearing set for Hill District officer in domestic dispute
The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
November 24, 2007
A preliminary hearing is scheduled Tuesday for a city policeman accused of hitting his wife and choking his son during a domestic dispute. Bradley Walker, 41, who is stationed in the Hill District, is charged with two counts of simple assault in the incident, which occurred about 11:30 p.m. Wednesday at his home in Sheraden. His wife suffered a minor cut and swelling on the face where she was hit, according to a Pittsburgh police report. The child was not injured. The criminal complaint states that the couple had been arguing throughout the day over a cell phone. Walker, who was arrested without incident, was arraigned and released on his own recognizance.
This is the chief (left) at the last open meeting on the council president's cop dv policy proposal. I'm almost feeling his pain.Almost.
Leaders are in FRONT.
You CAN'T push a rope.
You MANAGE or you GET managed.
WHO is in charge?
Look for the ROOT CAUSE problem.
They are the little men behind the curtain projecting exaggerated shadows of themselves upon the wall, rustling their leather belts, and using baritone amplified voices to say, the way we do it is
"written in stone."
So what does the initial handling of Officer Bradley Walker's arrest appear to signify from afar? I'm on the other side of the country. And what I'm about to say is only my IMPRESSION:
The police department has made no progress in these six months, and their offer of a policy is a facade, most likely craftily worded to protect themselves from having to take any action against any officer that would jeopardize his career in law enforcement. Mrs. Walker's FACE was CUT and SWOLLEN and Pittsburgh Police LET HIM KEEP HIS GUN AND GO RIGHT BACK ON THE JOB.
What could this proposed policy of theirs possibly say that is genuine?
Fire the brass and toss out the union members on their ass. Whoops. I was daydreaming and typing out loud. REPLACE OR RESTORE LEADERSHIP to the police department. DETHRONE the police union as the monarchy rulers of the city. FACE that this police department is not ready to police itself, and mandate that the Citizen's Police Review Board be included in the process of at LEAST reviewing the policy that will outline how domestic violence situations involving officers will be handled. BUILD into the process automatic outside review of cases, even if that panel - including citizens not connected to city government -has no authority, because there will then at least be record of what has happened.
WITH ALL THE CONTROVERSY OVER THIS PAST HALF YEAR WITH OFFICER-INVOLVED DOMESTIC VIOLENCE ON THE PITTSBURGH PD, THE HANDLING OF WALKER'S CASE GIVES THE CLEAR IMPRESSION THAT PITTSBURGH HAS NO AUTHENTIC OFFER TO FIX - OR AS THEY PUT IT "IMPROVE" HOW OFFICERS ACCUSED OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE ARE HANDLED. IT'S THE SAME AS DAY ONE - ANGRY WOMEN DRAW THE LINE, NOT THE POLICE THEMSELVES. THAT IS SAD NEWS FOR PITTSBURGH. AND IT'S A PERFECT EXAMPLE OF WHY LEAVING THE CITIZEN'S POLICE REVIEW BOARD OUT OF POLICE DV POLICY ARCHITECTURE NEEDS TO BE RECONSIDERED. THE POLICE IN PITTSBURGH ARE NOT READY TO POLICE THEMSELVES, AND THEIR DESIRE TO JUST BE TRUSTED BY THE PUBLIC IS PREMATURE. TRUST TAKES TIME AND RELATIONSHIP. THE INITIAL HANDLING OF OFFICER WALKER SHOWS THAT NOTHING HAS CHANGED.
Pittsburgh police officer gets desk job after charges
ReplyDeleteHe's accused to assaulting his wife and son
Pittsburgh Post Gazette, PA
By Jonathan D. Silver, Rich Lord and Milan Simonich
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
A Pittsburgh police officer charged last week with assaulting his wife and son faces a court hearing today and will be put on desk duty when he returns to work.
By confiscating Detective Bradley Walker's service weapon and taking him off the street, police supervisors are for the first time implementing new Pittsburgh Police Bureau protocols for how to handle officer-involved domestic violence allegations.
City officials drafted the policy after months of public wrangling following the June promotion of three officers who had been accused of domestic abuse.
"This incident was treated as a crime from the very beginning," Public Safety Director Michael Huss said yesterday. "I'm very glad that the supervisors took the action they did by seizing the firearm and treating it as a crime."
The arrest of Detective Walker on two misdemeanor counts of simple assault marks the second time in two months a Pittsburgh officer has been charged with a domestic-abuse crime.
In October, city police arrested both Officer Anthony L. Charles and retired officer Tracey R. Williamson for fighting with each other outside the Hilton Pittsburgh, Downtown, during the Policeman's Ball.
Charges were withdrawn against Officer Charles because witnesses said Ms. Williamson was the aggressor, said Mike Manko, a spokesman for the Allegheny County district attorney's office. Ms. Williamson faces a hearing next month.
"It arrives at a very bad time because it just seems like one after another these damn things are happening," said James Malloy, president of the Fraternal Order of Police.
Mr. Malloy said the FOP's only involvement in Detective Walker's case would be to represent him in any disciplinary action that may be filed internally.
Under the new police protocols, a disciplinary report is to be immediately filed against an arrested officer, but the report takes time to work its way up the chain of command and then to the union.
Detective Walker, 41, was arrested early Thursday on charges that he hit his wife, Adrienne, and choked his son, Bradley McCoy, 17. The couple had argued over a cell phone at the family's Chartiers City home late Wednesday.
The argument eventually escalated to violence, Adrienne Walker told police. She said her husband struck her in the face with a backhanded fist and then forced her and their son out. She called police from a neighbor's house.
Investigating officers said Adrienne Walker had a swollen lip and redness on her face. At the urging of a police lieutenant, she obtained a temporary protection order against Detective Walker, Mr. Huss said.
That order expired last night and there was no indication that Adrienne Walker filed for a longer-term PFA. In the emergency petition, Adrienne Walker wrote, "I fear for my life."
Police took Detective Walker's service firearm when they arrested him. The weapon remained at a station house, even after Detective Walker was released on his own recognizance.
Detective Walker works in plainclothes at Zone 2 in the Hill District. He was not scheduled to work Thursday, Friday and Saturday and took vacation days Sunday and yesterday.
Zone 2 Cmdr. George Trosky said Detective Walker will be placed on desk duty upon his return, probably working at the front counter greeting the public among other duties. He will not carry his gun or have arrest powers, Cmdr. Trosky said.
Detective Walker will likely be desk-bound until the completion of an Office of Municipal Investigations review of the incident, Mr. Huss said.
"They're going to move swiftly on the administrative investigation," Mr. Huss said.
Conducted by OMI, it would run concurrent with, and independent from, a criminal investigation, he added. It can result in discipline up to a five-day suspension followed by termination. "We're not going to jump to conclusions," he said.
Police Chief Nathan Harper intends to order Detective Walker to be evaluated by a psychologist to determine whether he is fit for duty, Mr. Huss revealed in an e-mail Saturday about the incident sent to city officials.
"He's restricted to the desk once he comes back, if he comes back," Cmdr. Trosky said. "We have his police equipment in the station here, secured."
Cmdr. Trosky was one of the three officers whose promotions this summer sparked controversy. He was arrested in 1997 for breaking his then-wife's nose, but an assault charge was dropped when she did not appear in court. He was also the subject of a protection-from-abuse order in 1992. That order was withdrawn several months later.
Cmdr. Trosky said it was "business as usual" to be in the position of putting an officer accused of domestic violence on desk duty. He said he was surprised by Detective Walker's arrest.
"He's a great police officer, and I was shocked when they called me and told me that. I never heard of any problems he's had at home or on the job," Cmdr. Trosky said.
Detective Walker is a 14-year veteran who worked for several years in narcotics until being removed earlier this year for fighting with a colleague.
Mr. Malloy of the police union confirmed that Detective Walker got into a fight with a fellow detective during an arrest. Both officers, Mr. Malloy said, were accused of unbecoming conduct and transferred out of the unit.
The situation occurred when police were wrestling with a suspect. Detective Walker was accidentally shocked with a Taser by his colleague and grew angry.
"He smacked him, hit him with an open hand," Mr. Malloy said.
Information about the incident was broadcast on the police radio and supervisors responded, Mr. Malloy said, adding that the two detectives are friends and made up later.
Jonathan D. Silver can be reached at jsilver@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1962. Rich Lord can be reached at rlord@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1542. Milan Simonich can be reached at msimonich@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1956.
First published on November 27, 2007 at 12:00 am
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/07331/837021-53.stm
Pittsburgh officer in domestic dispute restricted to desk duty
ReplyDeleteBy Jeremy Boren
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
A city police detective accused of hitting his wife and choking his son during a domestic dispute will be placed on desk duty and won't be allowed to have his service weapon, Public Safety Director Mike Huss said Monday.
Detective Bradley Walker, 41, is charged with two counts of simple assault in connection with an incident Wednesday at his Sheraden home, according to a Pittsburgh police report. Walker's son was not injured, but his wife suffered a minor cut and swelling on her face.
Walker has used vacation time since the incident to avoid going to work, Huss said.
"When he does return, he will be assigned to administrative duty," Huss said. That means he won't be permitted to have his service weapon, and he will perform clerical and administrative tasks only. Walker was assigned to the Hill District police station.
City Council is set to take a preliminary vote Wednesday on stricter rules governing how the police bureau handles officers accused of domestic violence. The rules could prevent accused officers from being promoted.
Huss said Walker's incident could "play into" any possible promotions, but none is planned. Walker has worked for the city since April 1993 and is paid $55,849 a year, city records show.
A criminal complaint states the couple argued all day about a cell phone before the incident.
A preliminary hearing for Walker is scheduled for today in Pittsburgh Municipal Court, Uptown. Huss said the Office of Municipal Investigations began a separate inquiry Friday.
Jeremy Boren can be reached at jboren@tribweb.com or 412-765-2312.
SO --- are Walker's simple assaults officially "domestic violence?" Do these simple assaults go on the record AS domestic violence? Simple assault could be a charge from a bar fight with someone that you don't know... Domestic violence is far more serious than a bar fight because of continued consequences to victims, their families and communities. The harm inflicted is more significant than the harm that occurs between strangers engaged in a bar room brawl and that's why there is specific class of crimes.
ReplyDeletePittsburgh police officer gets desk job after charges
He's accused to assaulting his wife and son
Pittsburgh Post Gazette, PA
By Jonathan D. Silver, Rich Lord and Milan Simonich
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
..."This incident was treated as a crime from the very beginning," Public Safety Director Michael Huss said yesterday. "I'm very glad that the supervisors took the action they did by seizing the firearm and treating it as a crime"... The arrest of Detective Walker on two misdemeanor counts of simple assault marks the second time in two months a Pittsburgh officer has been charged with a domestic-abuse crime...
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/07331/837021-53.stm
Officer accused of assault agrees to anger control class
ReplyDeleteTuesday, November 27, 2007
by Milan Simonich, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
A Pittsburgh police officer accused of assaulting his wife today agreed to enter an anger management program.
If Detective Bradley Walker successfully completes a court-approved program, two counts of simple assault will be withdrawn. The Allegheny County District Attorney's office made the proposal to Det. Walker during a preliminary hearing in Municipal Court today.
The detective will have to report back to the court in January to give an update on his progress.
Det. Walker, 41, of Chartiers City, was arrested Thursday on charges that he hit his wife, Adrienne, and choked his son, Bradley McCoy, 17. The police department confiscated his gun and said he was assigned to desk duty.
Det. Walker had no comment after today's hearing.
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/07331/837131-100.stm?cmpid=latest.xml
Bradly walker is a good man let most people walk in his shoes and deal with the public like he did and you would find out that police work is not that easy on your mental state and sometimes yes you get crazy angry but he is a good cop he saves lives to people.
ReplyDelete