Officers Disciplined for May 30 Riot Actions
The Internal Affairs (IA)
investigations revolving around officer actions from
Toledo's May 30 riots have been completed. Officer Melvin
Russell, Officer Jeffery Breeze and Officer Cristopher
Guanilo received departmental discipline for their actions
on May 30, 2020.
Officer Russell was
investigated through Toledo Police's IA Section for
violating department rules: Unnecessary Use of Physical
Control Techniques, Reporting Use of Physical Control
Techniques, and Discourteous Treatment of the Public.
Through investigation, IA found the charges "Sustained,"
meaning the investigation established sufficient evidence to
clearly show that the wrongful act alleged in the complaint
did occur.
Officer Russell received a
75-day suspension and also signed a Last Chance Agreement.
This means that if the officer has another sustained
complaint regarding Unnecessary Use of Physical Control
Techniques, he can be terminated. The Last Chance Agreement
is in effect for five years.
Officer Breeze was
investigated for two separate cases stemming from the unrest
on May 30th. The first case, he was investigated for
violating department rules: Unnecessary Use of Physical
Control Techniques, Reporting Use of Physical Control
Techniques, and Discourteous Treatment of the Public.
In an additional IA case,
Officer Breeze was also investigated for Unnecessary Use of
Physical Control Techniques, Reporting Use of Physical
Control Techniques, and Body-Worn Video Camera System.
For both IA cases, the
charges were "Sustained," meaning the investigation
established sufficient evidence to clearly show that the
wrongful act alleged in the complaint did occur.
Officer Breeze received a
120-day suspension. Officer Breeze has also signed a Last
Chance Agreement meaning that if the officer has another
sustained complaint regarding Unnecessary Use of Force, he
can be terminated. The Last Chance Agreement is in effect
for five years.
Officer Cristopher Guanilo
was investigated for Unnecessary Use of Force Techniques and
Reporting Use of Force Techniques. Both charges were
"Sustained," meaning the investigation established
sufficient evidence to clearly show that the wrongful act
alleged in the complaint did occur. Officer Guanilo received
a Written Reprimand for the sustained complaint of
Unnecessary Use of Force Techniques and he received a
Counseling for the sustained complaint of Reporting Use of
Force Techniques.
Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz
said that this discipline concludes the review that Safety
Director Karen Poore has led during the past seven weeks to
investigate the events that took place on May 30th. He also
thanked citizens for sending photos, videos and statements
to the email address he established.
"The input we received from
the public was invaluable in arriving at the discipline that
was announced today," Mayor Kapszukiewicz said. "We are
fortunate to have an excellent police department in Toledo,
but we know that we can be even better. The unprecedented
system we created to investigate what happened on May 30th -
a system led by Safety Director Poore and fueled by input
from everyday citizens of our community - will help make TPD
better, which is a goal we all share."
Chief Kral stated "Police
legitimacy cannot improve if departments fail at policing
their own. I will ensure that officers are held accountable
when their actions are found to violate department policies,
and I will always support the hundreds of officers that
positively represent Toledo Police."
|