A Florida police officer caught on tape dragging a Black woman into jail has been fired, according to WFLA.
Gregory Damon, a White officer who has served for the Tampa Police Department since 2016 was terminated Tuesday after an internal investigation concluded his actions were inhumane.
Last month, police responded to a call of a woman sleeping outside a local health facility in Tampa. According to police documents, the woman had been warned before about trespassing on the property, so after her second offense, she was arrested after she refused to leave.
Upon arrival at the jail, the woman said she would not get out of the police vehicle and ordered that the officer drag her into the prison. “I want you to drag me!” It was then that Damon grabbed her by the arm and dragged her inside.
“You ain’t hurting me at all,” she told the officer, to which he responded: “You’re fat as f*ck.”
In another surveillance video, two deputies are seen coming out and lifting the woman off the ground after Damon continued to drag her across the floor. She was booked and detained. She was not injured during the incident, authorities say.
When footage surfaced of the incident, officials at the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office contacted Tampa police, which initiated an investigation. Authorities found that he was in violation of numerous departmental policies, including not asking for help from staff. He was subsequently fired.
Tampa Interim Police Chief Lee Bercaw said in a statement that “professionalism is not only expected, it is demanded, in every encounter our officers have with the public, regardless of the arrestee being uncooperative or unpleasant in return. As law enforcement officers, we are held to a higher standard. The actions of one individual should not tarnish the work of the nearly 1,000 officers protecting and serving our city who, on any given day, encounter people who choose to be uncooperative during the arresting and booking process; however, they do not let the actions of that individual deter them from following the policies and procedures put in place for safety. This former officer’s actions were unacceptable and are not tolerated at this department, which is why we acted swiftly in initiating an internal investigation, relieving him of his duties, and ultimately terminating his employment.”
