Tampa Police Officer Gregory Damon is out of a job after an internal investigation concluded he “Violated Multiple Department Policies” after a video surfaced of him dragging a female arrestee into the Hillsborough County jail.
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The incident happened on November 17 when Officer Damon responded to the Tampa Family Health Center on 22nd Street, referencing a transient sleeping outside on the property and refusing to leave. The woman was previously issued a trespassing warning at the same property a month before, so she was arrested for trespass after warning and transported to the Hillsborough County jail.
When Damon arrived at the Orient Road jail, the woman refused to leave the patrol car parked in the sallyport and walk into central booking. On the body camera video released by Tampa Police, the arrestee can be heard yelling at the officer, “I want you to drag me.”
Damon’s bodycam video shows Damon taking her by the arm and dragging her from the vehicle to the entrance of the booking area, where he buzzed the door, prompting deputies to come to help lift the woman from the ground. Throughout the entire incident, the woman directed obscene language at Damon.
The arrestee was not injured during the incident.
An internal investigation determined that former officer Gregory Damon violated department policies that forbid officers from dragging uncooperative suspects on the ground. https://t.co/dm6kyCD3tn
— CBS4 Miami (@CBSMiami) December 28, 2022
(Raw Story):#Florida cop fired after video shows him dragging woman on concrete floor : A Tampa Police officer was fired on Tuesday after he was caught on video dragging a woman across the ground toward a jail booking room, .. https://t.co/miLeccZJeK
— NewsOnePlace.com (@newsoneplace) December 28, 2022
Florida cop Gregory Damon fired for dragging handcuffed woman into jail https://t.co/Wp4yxOZMlH via @nypost He should sue for wrongful dismisall. What was he supposed to do? Carry her in his arms? This is why crime is rampant. The cops are labeled as the bad guys.
— Lorie Martin (@lorie1917) December 28, 2022
The internal investigation concluded that Damon violated policies related to searching, transporting, and booking prisoners; courtesy to the public; reporting response to resistance; and treatment of persons in custody.
“Professionalism is not only expected, it is demanded, in every encounter our officers have with the public, regardless of the arrestee being uncooperative or unpleasant in return,” said Interim Tampa Police Chief Lee Bercaw. “As law enforcement officers, we are held to a higher standard.”
“This former officer’s actions were unacceptable and are not tolerated at this department, which is why we acted swiftly in initiating an internal investigation, relieving him of his duties, and ultimately terminating his employment,” Bercaw said.
The Tampa police department was made aware of the incident by supervisors at the jail. Damon was relieved of his duties on November 18th once Tampa Police initiated the internal investigation into the incident.
After reviewing the video from the incident and interviewing Damon, officials decided to fire the officer.
Pro Tip: Do not drag arrestees into the booking area. When you have a non-compliant prisoner, call for corrections assistance. They will come out, take care of it, and take a video.
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