off duty involvement warrant discipline???

[uofmhurdles]

If you are unaware the UofMinnesota was recently the site of a student celebration that turned into a riot following the National Hockey game, i am currently employed through the UofM police department as a security and escort monitor. On sat night i watched the game at a local university bar and then partook in the celebration after the game police came and i, aswell as the crowd around me were hit with pepper spray because the crowd was too large and causing traffic jam, we had been ordered to disperse and i was attempting to get myself and friends out of the situation, i managed to get to a safe distance away and then due to thepolice action people began to throw snowballs bottles and rocks at police officers, neithor did i condone or partake in these actions, i even told many people to drop what they were throwing and to leave the area that they were not helping the situation.
Since i have been talking about the situation with my supervisors and have told about my "involvement" in the activites it is a possiblity that i could face discipinary action because i was in the crowd. Is this right? Because i could not predict that there was going to be a riot on that night i am going to get into trouble? Many people tell me not to worry about it but maybe i should be, i am asking this because i am wondering of any legal action i can take should i get a disciplinary reprimand, i do not think my involvement is enough to warrant action taken against me at my place of work. For one thing i was not even in my security uniform, and i in no way was involved in the rioting. Anyone who has any experience with please help to understand what i can do to ensure my job security for future police departments i will be applying at.
Thank YOu
UofM

[PonchIUP]

Were you charged with anything or did you just tell your supervisor that you were in with the crowd of people? This might be able to clarify things a little bit better. Hope everything works out ok....Good luck and keep your head up!

[uofmhurdles]

No i was not arrested or charged with anything, the program manager is merely using the heresay of the supervisors who he is having put in writing those of us that they heard were involved.

[K9 Police]

Call or IM me (or the GF) when you get a free moment.

K9

[williamssd]

Hurdles,

I would guess that since you are a full-time college student, and a part-time (and non-sworn) UofM security officer that the UofM PD can in no way reprimand you at work because you just so happened to be caught up in the crowd when a bunch of other "stupid" people decided to cause a riot. Your mere presence is not enough for a reprimand.

Now, since I'm a sworn officer in WI, I can -- to a certain degree -- be held liable for my conduct and location even while off-duty, on vacation, in another state, etc. But there are limits to this as well.

The point to keep in mind here is that, as a future LEO, your job is get people rambling. Through their nervous (and often ignorant) rambling you gather evidence and details that possibly incriminate them and gives you your PC to look into things to a higher degree. When your supervisors ask you about the night, your reply should be, "Yes, I was enjoying a night out with friends. I then found myself mixed in with the crowd that was beginning to riot, and my friends and I quickly left the scene." Nothing more need be said.

My advice after rambling on myself ( ;) ) is to not offer loads of extra information. When you do, you begin to look suspicious. This may be why others are hinting at putting some pressure on you. I also advise you to seek the advice of the attorneys that help college students with the legal predicaments. They are usually fairly cheap for minor consultations like this (when I was at UW-Eau Claire, it was $15 for a 15 minute chat -- believe me, it usually doesn't take that long to get good advice and help from the attorneys).

Good luck!

- Steve

[uofmhurdles]

Well i have to meet with the Lt in charge of the security program that I work for on Monday morning and from what i have heard from others who have spoken with him, is that he is planning on firing anyone who works for the program that caused any damage or was maced by officers, which i was but not by any fault of mine i was merely in a crowd of people that was sprayed. I know that if i do get fired from this job i will consult an attorney about this, However i was wondering on how this incident would affect my ability to get a LEO job with any department, my thoughts would be,not very likely. They see that i was fired for being involved in a riot whethor it was true or not would make my chances slim to none no matter how good the rest of my background was. Does anyone have any advice on what i should do when asked about this situation when i apply for police jobs? or any idea of how i might legally handle this since there is no proof that i did any thing illegal at any point in the event or prior to the event. any thoughts or ideas would be helpful,
Thanks
Uofm

[joshp135]

My advice to is you is this...head them off at the pass. I know that university police departments have to work with/through the campus human resources department before taking any sort of action against an employee, so maybe you should go there first and talk to them about it.

Since you were not in a sworn position, you cannot be held liable...but due to hostile emotions, the PD could "write you up" or possibly fire you.

By talking in advance to the HR, maybe you can have some valuable info regarding exactly what they can and can't do.

My bet is that it will blow over with time.

[gbcop]

If your working for an "At Will" agency, yes you could be fired for your actions.... Look at it like this, 1) you were at a bar, and I'm assuming you were drinking 2) you were involved with a crowd that had been ordered to disperse and obviously did not because the level of force jumped up(pepper spray was used).

That in itself just would not look good at all on PAPER. But you did the right thing going immediately to your supervisor. And I would suggest, although might be too late to write a little incident report as to what happened just to try and cover your 6.

but I'm sorry to hear about your situation and I wish you the best and hope everything is still resolved and you keep your current position. And most importantly of all. If you've got more questions ASK your supervisor!! That's why they have their bars/strips. Because, in theory, they are knowledgeable experienced officer's who are there to supervise and guide you in the right direction.

David

[alamo]

It sounds like you are handling things properly by going through the appropriate channels and being upfront about what occurred. I commend you for your honesty.

I realize that this is hindsight, but I can't help wondering one thing: If you were just celebrating, and did not join/participate in the actual rioting, and YOU KNOW that you comitted no offenses, and got the hell out of there, is it even neccessary to make mention of it to your supervisors?

Again- I don't know all of the facts, and someone with more experience in these matters please correct me. I am just curious if it is considered to be dishonest or deliberately witholding info, EVEN IF YOU WERE NOT INVOLVED. Maybe just being there implies involvement, I don't know...

Nonetheless, I wish you the best of luck in resolving this situation, hopefully with a positive outcome.

[uofmhurdles]

Okay just a little clarification, i was at a bar yes but i had lost my license and only had a paper temp one so i could not drink all though my friend did buy me one whethor or not that constitutes drinking is up to you. Another is that it was not even a riot, the police did not have any riot gear on and used pepper spray when the mob of people were merely going to travel up the block rather than disperse, I was standing there with my friends when the mob was hit with pepper spray and since I was in the vicinity, i was hit with it too. As soon as i could get my friends out of there we left. It is also part of the current news controversy that the police department was too quick to use these excessive forces such as pepper spray, which i too think might have been a little premature considering the non-hostile nature of the crowd i was in. Not only that but the Captain who i was supposed to meet with this morning didnot show up and no one at the department could find him. Thanks to everyone with there advice and i too hope this will all blow over,
Thanks
UofM

[uofmhurdles]

Just a little fyi, my captain didnt even show up for my meeting with him and it has been over 2 weeks and i still havent heard anything so i am very relieved,(knock on wood) so i am thinking the whole situation has blown over, whewwww
Thanks all
Uofm