[MA] Chief Pawlina fired (abused) Officer Bayer for a "troubling pattern" but arbitrator rules he gets his job back

..."Think about the outcry if Craig was a female police officer who was fired over the same thing," said Bayer's lawyer... His record was spotless except for another domestic dispute in 2008 with the same woman, then a girlfriend, whom he's known since 2002...

CHATHAM POLICE OFFICER REINSTATED
Cape Cod Online
By Susan Milton smilton@capecodonline.com
October 14, 2009
[Excerpts] A police officer fired after a domestic dispute will get his job back this week, as well as his seniority, lost wages and overtime. There is no evidence that Chatham police Officer Craig Bayer violated department policies or provided "a shred of just cause for any discipline," arbitrator Marc Greenbaum wrote in his Oct. 8 opinion. The case could raise novel issues, Greenbaum wrote in his 16-page decision, including whether a police officer is really on duty 24-7, especially when he is a crime victim or a victim of domestic violence. Bayer was fired March 3 after he was slapped early the morning of Jan. 31 by a former girlfriend who also forcibly escorted another woman out of Bayer's house, according to the decision. Concerned for his safety and wondering about filing charges, Bayer didn't tell police called to the scene about the assaults on him or the second woman until later that day, the decision states. The delayed report violated department rules, Chief Mark Pawlina said, and he fired Bayer. After losing his job, Bayer, 24, lost his Chatham house when he couldn't earn enough money as a security guard at Cape and Boston hospitals... The decision shows police chiefs "can make wrong and costly decisions and, without some kind of oversight, a grave injustice could have occurred," [union lawyer Patrick] Bryant said... The town will not appeal the ruling... "Think about the outcry if Craig was a female police officer who was fired over the same thing," said Bayer's lawyer, Robert George of Boston... His record was spotless except for another domestic dispute in 2008 with the same woman, then a girlfriend, whom he's known since 2002... When Bayer threatened to report her drunkenness to her parents, she called Chatham police and accused him of assaulting her, the decision said. Bayer was suspended for five days and ordered to seek domestic violence counseling. The woman later recanted, the decision states, and charges against Bayer were dismissed... During the second incident earlier this year, the same woman, drunk and uninvited, entered Bayer's house as he was watching television with a female friend, the decision said. During the incident, Bayer covertly called his mother, who called the police. When officers arrived, the woman warned Bayer that "you better tell them that nothing is wrong," the decision said. To Pawlina, the second domestic incident involving Bayer was evidence of "a troubling pattern," the decision said. [Full article here]
[police officer involved domestic violence law enforcement massachusetts teflon recant]