A Richland Police officer was relieved of his duty and is no longer a patrol officer after a video surfaced.
Chief of Police Adrian Ready shared the news on social media.
On June 4, Chief Ready said it was brought to the attention of the Richland Police Department that a video had begun to circulate about one of its officers in an interaction that was concerning.
There was no date given and no footage could be viewed at the first report of the incident. An investigation began researching body cam video of the previous weekend but we were unable to find any altercation that would justify concern.
The video in question was later viewed in its entirety, and it was found that the incident involved an Officer of the Richland Police Department and a resident of the city of Richland on a Disturbance Call involving a firearm on June 2, 2024.
Chief Ready said the video showed the officer making inappropriate statements and remarks towards the victim of the disturbance call.
The officer did not have his body camera on resulting in no video of the incident before or after the complainant’s video. Therefore, the only account is the brief video that was shown, leaving this as the only evidence to review.
The officer was immediately called in and relieved of duty at which time he resigned from his position as a Patrol Officer for the Richland Police Department.
“As Police Chief, it is with great disappointment that we announce the immediate removal of the officer who made derogatory slurs. This type of language is not only unacceptable, but it also undermines the trust and respect that we work hard to build within our community. We want to make it clear that this behavior will not be tolerated within our department and we are committed to upholding the highest standards of professionalism and integrity.”
