Disciplinary hearing against five Paris police officers to resume Wednesday

City commissioners began a disciplinary hearing Monday for five suspended Paris police officers who face the possibility of being fired because they allegedly spent too much time in a dispatch room rather than on patrols.

“I want them out on the street, patrolling the street,” Chief Rob Williams said during the hearing that was like a trial in the Bourbon County seat.

“Officers being visible out on the street can deter crime,” Willams said. “You can’t deter crime sitting in dispatch.”

But Daniel Whitley, an attorney for the suspended officers, said in an opening statement that Williams sought retaliation because officers did not want to switch from 10-hour shifts to 12-hour shifts.

“They were in Chief Williams’ crosshairs,” Whitley said.

The commission adjourned at 5 p.m. and will reconvene at 9 a.m. Wednesday to hear more from Williams. The five suspended officers also are expected to address the commission.

Allegations were brought against Lt. Jon Luke Humphries, Lt. Robert Puckett and officers James Primm, Kevin Anderson and Abdullah Bholat. A sixth officer, Lt. Michael Dempsey, resigned when he and the other officers were suspended without pay this month.

The allegations against the officers included failure to conform to rules and regulations, insubordination, inefficiency and dereliction of duty. The officers’ honesty also was questioned because Williams alleged their timecards were inaccurate because they weren’t really working, even though they were on duty. The chief brought additional charges against the lieutenants, alleging they had failed to enforce the rules of conduct with officers they were supervising.

Williams has been chief since June 1 and was assistant chief for more than four years before that. He said he began an internal investigation Dec. 11 after a dispatcher-in-training complained about the officers sitting in the room. Williams said he did not want officers in dispatch because it might distract dispatchers from their jobs.

Officers are allowed to eat during breaks and write reports in the dispatch room, but otherwise they should be patrolling, Williams said.

After the initial complaint, Williams reviewed video recordings of the dispatch room from October through December and into January. He said it took him nearly three weeks to review all the recordings.

“Is that an efficient use of your time?” defense attorney Luke Morgan asked during cross-examination.

“Absolutely not,” Williams said. “I wish I could have been doing something else. But it’s something I had to do.”

The four city commissioners watched multiple recordings of the dispatch room that showed the officers entering, leaving and sitting in chairs with their legs propped up on desks.

The recordings indicate that 14 officers, or half the patrol force as of Feb. 1, had violated policies in some way, Williams said. In addition to the six officers who were suspended without pay, two more were reprimanded, he said.

The commissioners also watched video from outside cameras. In one instance, a cruiser was parked and running for eight hours without leaving the lot, Williams said.

He acknowledged there is no written policy that says officers are to stay out of the dispatch room. But he said there is a standing order that they should not be there, and that has been communicated repeatedly over the years.

Noting that Williams had been assistant chief before becoming chief, Morgan asked, “At what point do you take responsibility?”

“I’m trying to take responsibility now,” Williams said.

“ By firing these guys?” Morgan said.

“Yes, sir,” Williams said.

This story was originally published February 22, 2016 at 12:22 PM with the headline "Disciplinary hearing against five Paris police officers to resume Wednesday."