The Soddy-Daisy police officer who used a Taser to stun a man who later died was reprimanded by the former police chief for her “inability to perform (her) duties as an officer” before that incident.
The undated letter, contained in Officer Melissa Daniels’ personnel file, states that her attention to detail and job performance had deteriorated to the point that she was inefficient in her job. The letter is signed by Officer Daniels and then-police chief David Loftis.
Officer Daniels’ personnel file contains no further explanation of what prompted Chief Loftis to write the letter.
The officer could not be reached for comment Tuesday. Chief Phillip Hamrick said she took a day off and would not be available.
On Jan. 4, Officer Daniels responded to a disturbance call at 9921 Dayton Pike. The police report stated that 52-year-old Roger Redden would not cooperate with officers and continued to struggle, so he was shot with a stun gun. He went into a coma and died 18 days later.
According to the police department’s policy on Tasers, “trained officers must go through annual retraining courses taught by a certified instructor in order to carry and deploy the Taser Device.” The policy was created June 9, 2008, and expires June 9 this year.
Officer Daniels received Taser training Aug. 13, 2004, through the Cleveland State Police Academy. She was trained again on Jan. 24 and passed the requirement of the Soddy-Daisy Police Department, according to a certificate in her personnel file. Her file does not contain any other Taser training certifications.
Officer Daniels was sworn into the Soddy-Daisy police department March 2, 2007. The reprimand’s letterhead shows that Bob Privett was mayor at the time. Current Mayor Gene Shipley took over in November 2007.
Mr. Privett, now the vice mayor, said he did not know about the reprimand letter in Officer Daniels’ file. He said commission members should have been informed once the reprimand was written.
“I think that all the commission should be made aware once we’ve had and have had complaints on the officer,” he said. “But we shouldn’t be in the decision-making process of the chief’s decision to reprimand.”
Mr. Loftis could not be reached for comment. His resignation as chief took effect Jan. 15.
Officer Daniels previously worked in Red Bank as an officer but quit because she disagreed “with officers being treated bad by ranked officers,” she wrote on her Soddy-Daisy application.
The Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office is continuing its investigation into the stun incident.
Chief Hamrick has said Officer Daniels will not be available for comment because of the pending investigation.
Is that the sound of a steam engine I hear coming up the tracks?
This is a good example of the need for proper sequence of tenses.
You don't mean to write, "The Soddy-Daisy police officer who used a Taser to stun a man who later died was reprimanded by the former police chief for her "inability to perform (her) duties as an officer” before that incident."
You mean, "The Soddy-Daisy police officer who used a Taser to stun a man who later died had been reprimanded by the former police chief for her “inability to perform duties as an officer."
See the difference? The reprimand, and the conduct that led to the reprimand, both preceded the Taser incident. Using the proper sequence of tenses makes that clear.
Although the officer had the training she is still under the microscope for her actions. It is not difficult to get a written reprimand if every action, use of force and trained response is scrutinized. I have had the training necessary to wear and deploy a taser. In the training it is required that each officer be tasered. Believe me, it was an experience I do not wish to repeat. The use of a taser gun can and will de-escalate a situation quickly and without deadly force. With all the hype concerning the use of force, I would much rather see the taser used as any other action or use of force.
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