City fires officer accused of stalking
Phoenix Police Chief Jeri Williams last month fired an officer who was accused of stalking a woman and was named in a federal lawsuit that led to a six-figure settlement.
Officer Marcos Rodriguez was fired on Oct. 16, Sgt. Tommy Thompson, a spokesman for the Phoenix Police Department, wrote in an email Monday.
Rodriguez had been under investigation, according to a lawsuit filed in federal court by the woman’s attorney. It’s unclear, however, if Rodriguez will face any criminal charges.
Thompson said he couldn’t discuss the details of the case because “the appellate process is still ongoing.”
After a Phoenix police officer is fired, he or she has the right to appeal the decision to a board, which decides if the officer can get the job back.
Phoenix pays $125,000 to woman
The woman, through her attorney, David W. Dow, filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Phoenix in May, claiming Rodriguez violated her civil rights.
On Oct. 2, the Phoenix City Council approved a $125,000 payout to the woman. Still, the city didn’t admit any wrongdoing.
The lawsuit alleges Rodriguez stopped the woman on Aug. 26, 2018. During the traffic stop, Rodriguez asked for the woman’s number and invited her for coffee. The woman declined the coffee invitation but gave Rodriguez her business card, the lawsuit stated. He began to text her.
At one point, according to the lawsuit, Rodriguez showed up at her house. There he began to make “sexual insinuations” and asked if “she would like for him to kiss her,” the lawsuit alleges.
He also pointed a gun at her ribs as he put his arm around her neck to demonstrate how he would handle someone who tried to disarm him, the lawsuit stated.
Other Phoenix officer firings
Rodriguez is the fifth officer Williams has fired this year.
The other officers were: ❚ Tim Baiardi, who was later convicted of disorderly conduct for slapping a handcuffed man.
❚ Daniel B. Jones, who is currently under criminal investigation. Phoenix police have declined to provide information on the criminal allegations.
❚ Christopher Meyer, the officer in the stop caught on video by the bystander.
❚ Clinton David Swick, who police said violated the department’s social media policy after numerous Facebook posts that were flagged in a national database. Several posts targeted individuals who were Muslim, black and Mexican.
The Phoenix Law Enforcement Association, the union that represents the Police Department’s rankand-file, has said they don’t agree with Williams’ decision to fire Swick and Meyer, the most high-profile firings since Williams was hired as chief in 2016.