SEATTLE -- A judge has overturned an arbitrator's decision to reinstate a Seattle police officer who punched a handcuffed woman in the face in the back of a patrol car.
The Seattle Police Department fired Officer Adley Shepherd for the 2014 incident, but the city's recent contract with the Seattle Police Guild allowed an arbitration, which ended with Shepherd being reinstated.
Since then, the city has been fighting to keep Shepherd off the force. On Friday, they won that fight in court when King County Superior Court Judge John McHale ruled they were right to fire him.
A joint statement issued by Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan and City Attorney Pete Holmes reads, in part:
“Judge McHale rightly recognized the arbitrator's order for Mr. Shepherd’s reinstatement violated the public policy against excessive use of force in policing. SPD should not be forced to employ an officer whose view of reasonable and necessary force is so immutable and so contrary to SPD’s policies and values."
Officer Shepherd was one of three officers who responded to a domestic violence call June 22, 2014. During the call, a 23-year-old Miyekko Durden-Bosley became combative and was handcuffed.
When Shepard tried to put her into his car, Durden-Bosley kicked him in the face, and he responded by punching her. Durden-Bosley suffered a broken eye socket and concussion.
In June, Shepherd spoke to KCPQ and defended his actions that night.
“It’s an ugly incident, it looks ugly not going to downplay that but it was reasonable and necessary. Police work is a tough job and you know a lot of people get their knowledge of police work or what police work should or could be from TV, they don’t necessarily go through the training,” he said.
Durden-Bosley later settled a lawsuit with the city and Shepherd for $195,000.
