WWU police officer fired, county pursues assault charge following incident in January

rewrite this title WWU police officer fired, county pursues assault cost following incident in January
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BELLINGHAM, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – A campus police officer was fired by Western Washington College for allegedly assaulting a suspect throughout an arrest.
College Police Division Chief Katy Potts says two law enforcement officials caught somebody who was attempting to interrupt into certainly one of their personal autos on January 20, 2024.
Whereas the suspect was handcuffed and searched, one of many officers hit the suspect within the face. College Police say the suspect was not a pupil.
Potts says the incident was confirmed by way of physique digital camera and audio recordings.
College Police discovered and requested Bellingham Police to do an inside evaluation earlier than sending it to Mount Vernon Police for a prison investigation. The case was later forwarded to the Whatcom County Prosecutor’s Workplace, which advised Chief Potts on Monday, July 8, that the county shall be pursuing 4th diploma assault costs in opposition to one of many officers.
That officer, recognized as Robert Anderson, was fired on Thursday, July 11, whereas the opposite unnamed officer stays on administrative depart pending the inner evaluation by Bellingham Police.
Chief Potts says officers are obligated to deal with everybody with dignity, respect and restraint, and that officers ought to solely use power when it’s deemed affordable based mostly on the circumstances.
The college is providing no additional touch upon the investigation presently.