Remember former St. Ann, Missouri Police Lieutenant Ray Albers? That’s the dude who was filmed pointing his assault rifle at protestors in Ferguson during protests over Michael Brown. The one who said “I’ll fucking kill you,” as he pointed it at protestors? And when he was asked his name, his reply was “Go fuck yourself?” Remember him, the one who was suspended—and later resigned—after video of that performance, available below the fold, went viral? The one who told a Missouri Administrative Hearing Commission looking into his actions, convened last December, that those Ferguson protests had ruined his life? Yeah well, that Commission made its decision a couple of weeks ago and has now released it to the public. According to the Huffington Post, dude did a very, very bad thing:
“ … Albers’ wrongdoing was sufficiently egregious that he can be disciplined by state authorities.
The state Department of Public Safety has cause to discipline Albers for “committing the criminal offenses of assault and harassment” and for “committing an act while on duty involving reckless disregard and moral turpitude,” the commission ruled last month. The Huffington Post obtained a copy of the decision this week after it was cleared for public release.
The Administrative Hearing Commission has the power to find that a police officer can be penalized for crimes even if criminal charges have not been filed.
Since the commission’s role is to determine whether there is cause for discipline, not to dole it out, Albers’ case shifts back to the Department of Public Safety.
The public safety director has the authority to “probate, suspend, or permanently revoke” a peace officer’s license. The department will schedule a disciplinary hearing within 30 days once it receives formal notification of the finalized decision, a spokesman said.”
Remember, its not enough to find fault or guilt for an officer such as Albers; because cops have the ability to hop, skip and jump from department to department, city to city, unless their license as a peace officer has been revoked.
Huffington Post reports that the Commission was “deeply critical” of Albers’ actions, saying that a reasonable officer should have known pointing such a weapon at a crowd while threatening them was a threat to public safety. It also stated that “peace officers” must be held to a high standard.
Yeah, well …