Two Iowa cops discharged their weapons at a car occupied by two teens on June 2, 2015. DashCam footage, released to the Ottumwa Post, shows the vehicle pursuit that led up to the officer-involved shooting.

*The DashCam videos, related to this incident, contain harsh and explicit language.

The pursuit began when Officer Kathryn Blumhagen misread a license plate. Due to the error, Officer Blumhagen initially believed that the plates did not match the car.

According to Fairfield Police Department’s Pursuit Policy, the pursuit should have never happened.

“Procedure: Vehicle pursuit is justified only when the officer knows he has reasonable grounds to believe the suspect is attempting to evade apprehension and the suspect, if allowed to escape, may present a danger to human life or cause serious injury to other people.”

However, Fairfield Police Chief Dave Thomas stands behind his officers’ decision to pursue the vehicle despite the portions of the pursuit policy The Post quoted during the interview.

“We just didn’t know if there was a felony involved, or what was going on. Public safety is paramount. Quite frankly, [officers] weren’t sure what they had. Every law enforcement office in the country struggles with this, [the officers] were well within our policies. You are reading from one policy and only one policy and our general operating procedures say that these are general guidelines and not strict policies,” said Chief Thomas.

However, the Fairfield Police Department’s Pursuit Policy begins with the following statements.

PURPOSE: To establish guidelines and responsibilities for vehicle pursuits requiring emergency operation of Fairfield Police Department vehicles.

POLICY: Emergency operations of police department vehicles shall be conducted in strict accordance with existing statutes, rules and procedures.

Twice during the pursuit, Officer Kathryn Blumhagen can be heard making remarks to the driver of the vehicle.

The challenges heard on Officer Blumhagen’s DashCam do not seem to be in line with The Fairfield Police Department’s Pursuit Policy.

“When a decision to pursue is made, the safety of all concerned must be considered. The seriousness of the offense must be weighed against the hazards of the health and welfare of citizens who might be affected by the chase. During the pursuit, continuous balancing of the seriousness versus safety is mandatory.”

During a June 11, 2015 interview with Fairfield Police Captain Colin Smith, he described the length of the pursuit.

“The pursuit lasted approximately ten to fifteen minutes and covered roughly twenty miles,” said Cpt. Smith.

According to multiple statements in the Fairfield Police Department’s Pursuit Policy, the breach of the city limits should not have been made.

Boundary Limits: No officer will continue a pursuit initiated by this Department once the pursuit has reached two (2) miles outside the corporate city limits without the specific approval of the supervisor or senior officer. Any pursuit which requires leaving the county shall not be granted unless the crime is of no lesser degree than a felony.”

According to DashCam footage, Chief Thomas and Cpt. Smith, no felony had been committed before the pursuit began. However, Cpt. Smith stated that the pursuit was warranted.

“You have to think of the totality of the circumstances and for the minor traffic offenses that this person was being stopped for there was really no reason for him to run. So, you have to—it is reasonable to assume that they are running for some other reason than they don’t want to get stopped for the plates not matching their vehicle,” said Cpt. Smith.

Before the fleeing vehicle stopped, Sergeant Wall is heard on DashCam recording suggesting that he and Officer Blumhagen “box in” the vehicle. This maneuver was not utilized, but Sgt. Wall when recounting the events, stated that he was about to use the technique before the car lost control.

After the shooting, Sgt. Wall reiterated his intentions of “boxing in’ the vehicle and Officer Blumhagen comments that the maneuver is not allowed.

Below is the Fairfield Police Department’s Policy on “boxing in” fleeing vehicles.

“Offensive Tactics: During the course of a pursuit, deliberate contact between vehicles, forcing the offender into parked cars, ditches, or any other obstacle; boxing in or heading off; ramming; or driving alongside the pursued vehicle while it is in motion shall be prohibited unless such actions are specifically approved by the supervisor. Such tactics may be approved only when the use of deadly force would be authorized.”

Below is a video of the shooting.

Approximately six shots were fired towards the car. In the video below, the officers discuss where the bullets landed.

According to Chief Thomas, the officers were not disciplined for any procedural infractions during the incident.

“Faced with the situation, I believe they responded appropriately and were safe and did a good job in defending themselves,” said Chief Thomas.

In the DashCam video, Officer Blumhagen is seen running while shooting at the vehicle with one hand. Chief Thomas stated that this approach to shooting is a training opportunity.

“Our firearms instructor has looked at [the video] and wants to implement some scenario-based training… We saw no direct policy violations, we did see some indirect training opportunities for firearms training from this experience,” said Chief Thomas.

When specifically asked about the language Officer Blumhagen used towards the juvenile who appeared to be complaint, Chief Thomas admitted it was “unprofessional.”

“We want our officers to stay professional at all times. Unfortunately, being an officer; being human; being a parent; has kind of led to experiences where—it is the same way as being a parent. You don’t want to say profanities to your kids, but sometimes, ‘Please sit down’ doesn’t work in the situation and profanity is used. We address it every time it is used,” said Chief Thomas.

Chief Thomas added that a note, called a Counselling Report, was placed in Officer Blumhagen’s file in response to the language used towards the juvenile.

The officers returned to work on June 10, 2015, after an internal investigation was completed at the Fairfield Police Department. The Division of Criminal Investigation cleared the officers of the shooting, along with the Jefferson County Attorney’s Office and the Van Buren County Attorney’s Office in September 2015. According to Chief Thomas, both county attorney offices looked into the matter because the incident spanned both Jefferson and Van Buren Counties.

The driver of the vehicle, Dakota Murray, 19, pleaded Guilty to Eluding and was sentenced to two years in prison by Judge Crystal Cronk. According to online records, Murray is scheduled to be released July 4, 2016. Once released, Murray will be extradited to Missouri for violation of his parole.

From ottumwaeveningpost.com

400-pound Officer Colin Boone, who in 2013 kicked a man in the head so severely that it exacerbated his seizures

DES MOINES, Iowa — An Iowa police officer was sentenced on Monday to 63 months in prison for kicking an unarmed man in the head at a 2013 traffic stop.

Officer Colin Boone was convicted in March for kicking a restrained man, Orville Hill, who had just survived an automobile crash and was suffering from a seizure when Boone attacked him.

Hill testified in court that Boone, who was 400 pounds at the time, caused serious damage, exacerbating his seizures. Michael Smart, Boone’s defense attorney, originally requested five years of probation, but US District Judge Robert Pratt opted for a harsher sentence in light of Hill’s testimony.

A photograph of Orville Hill which shows some of the injuries sustained by Officer Colin Boone

Smart made a statement attempting to minimize the brutality of his client’s actions. “This case is about less than 15 seconds in a 14-year law enforcement career … Sadly, it is not uncommon in the criminal justice system for a few seconds of poor judgment in an otherwise productive and mostly law-abiding life to carry severe consequences,” Smart wrote in a letter addressing the court.

The trial’s prosecuting attorney, Nicholas Klinefeldt, hopes the sentence will act as a deterrent for future cases of police brutality. Klinefeldt recommended the maximum sentence of of eight years in prison.

“This case wasn’t just about an act of violence, it was about a breach of trust,” said Klinefeldt.

Boone, who has since been fired from the Des Moines police, had been accused of brutality in the past, court records show. The city of Des Moines chose to settle a lawsuit in 2009 after Boone broke a woman’s arm during a stop for an alleged DUI.

DES MOINES, Iowa — The Des Moines County District Attorney’s Office has decided not to file charges against a police officer who shot and killed an innocent, unarmed woman at her home.

Autumn Steele, 34, of Burlington, Iowa, was shot and killed by Officer Jesse Hill the morning after a domestic dispute with her husband. The officer came to the house to “supervise” the situation as she and her husband, Gabriel Steele, prepared to part ways. Neither husband or wife were armed.

Court records show Autumn Steele was arrested the night before with a charge of domestic abuse. Steele was released from jail and informed that she could only return home with a police officer present to retrieve her belongings. Steele returned home with Officer Jesse Hill, the man who would moments later shoot at her dog and miss, killing her instead.

Reports show Gabriel Steele was putting the couple’s 4-year-old son into their vehicle when he and Autumn Steele began arguing. The couple’s dog came from inside the house and started barking. Witnesses at the scene reported that the dog was not acting aggressively, but Officer Jesse Hill chose to escalate the situation by shooting at the dog. The officer could not maintain his balance as he fired his weapon repeatedly, but continued firing even after he fell onto the ground.

The officer missed the dog, but one shot fired by the officer while he was on the ground struck Autumn Steele in the chest. She was eventually taken to the Great River Medical Center where she died from her injuries.

Officer Hill was immediately placed on paid administrative leave following the killing. It is not yet known whether the officer will return to work following the District Attorney’s decision to file no charges against him.

A video of the report is available below: