Fairness Questioned with MPD Officers' Discipline

Reported by: Joy Lambert
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Updated: 10/02/2012 1:36 pm
MEMPHIS, TN (abc24.com) - A good cop's worst enemy is a bad cop tarnishing the honor of the badge, and the Memphis Police Department has another officer in trouble with the law.

46-year-old officer Adrian Brown was arrested Thursday night for DUI. The Mississippi Highway Patrol says the veteran officer was off-duty when troopers pulled him over for driving the wrong way down Interstate 55 near Madison, Mississippi.

Officer Brown is the third MPD cop facing an investigation in less than a week.

"Unfortunately being in the spotlight, we're going to be put under a microscope," stated Mike Williams, President of the Memphis Police Association.

On Saturday, Officer Margaret Taylor was arrested after three teen boys say she threatened them; there were no other witnesses. Within hours, she was locked up and held on a $5,000 bond.

But just a few days earlier, Memphis Police refused to even identify Officer Terrance Shaw after investigators say he killed a 15-year-old under circumstances still under investigation. He's not locked up.

On Tuesday, the mayor publicly said the state of the police department was unacceptable, "Obviously something isn't working correctly," he said.

"You have the mayor of the city get on TV and question the policies of the police department and question the ethics of police officers here in the streets," Williams said. "I'm quite sure that has an effect on how the Director, how the DA will look at different incidences and say there's too much of this going on so let's err on the side of caution, we'll lock her up anyway."

Williams adds officers are often unjustly locked up.

"I've always thought it was a double standard for police officers because you're going to have a public cry and rightfully so. We're held to a higher standard, we accepted that when we came on the job. However, we're entitled to due process."

MPD Director Toney Armstrong was out of town and unable to be reached for comment.

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The views expressed here do not necessarily represent those of abc24 News

Frayserboi - 10/4/2012 7:30 AM
0 Votes
That boy, Williams, needs to spend a little time under lock-up.....

DasVo413 - 10/2/2012 4:14 PM
1 Vote
"Unfortunately being in the spotlight, we're going to be put under a microscope," stated Mike Williams, President of the Memphis Police Association. Yes your fine department deserves to be under a microscope! The men and women of your department should be held to a higher standard if they cant stand the heat they need to look for a different job end of subject! To long the MPD has been given a get out of jail free card, The party is now or should be over. Be a COP or look for another job.
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