MINNEAPOLIS
(KMSP) -
The
Minnesota Department of Public Safety has suspended its drug recognition
training program and the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension has launched a
criminal investigation into claims that officers were giving drugs to OccupyMN
protestors and releasing them in downtown Minneapolis.
So
far, Minnesota State Trooper Nick Otterson has been placed on administrative
leave pending an investigation into his conduct during the DRE training, and a
Hutchinson police officer is also being investigated after he was accused of
providing marijuana to a potential subject. The Hutchinson officer is still on
active duty, however.
DPS
said in a statement Wednesday that an officer from another law enforcement
agency allegedly witnessed the activity. The officer, who was also
participating in drug recognition training, reported the incident to the
Minnesota State Patrol.
Minnesota
Public Safety Commissioner Mona Dohman has called for an internal affairs
investigation of the program to determine if any agency policies or procedures
were violated.
"Training
law enforcement officers to detect drug impairment helps to keep our roads
safe, but we need to ensure that all participants follow guidelines and operate
within the law," Dohman said. "I have suspended the drug recognition
evaluator training pending the outcome of these investigations and until we
revisit and review the curriculum for the program."
Last
week, Occupy Minnesota protesters claimed officers picked them up, gave them drugs and watched
them get high. The protesters first made the allegations public in a YouTube
video, saying officers from out-state came to downtown Minneapolis and asked
them to take part in the drug training program.
FOX
9 caught up with one of those protesters at the Occupy protest on Peavey Plaza.
When asked whether the officer supplied him with drugs, Michael Bounds replied,
"Yes."
"They
gave me a quarter of marijuana in exchange for me to tell them what's going on
with Occupy," he said.
On
Wednesday, Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak issued a fiery statement about the
allegations, saying, "I never could've imagined that something like this
could happen in Minneapolis -- or that it could happen without consulting the
mayor and police chief. It's just plain wrong."
When
the allegations first surfaced, agency officials were skeptical of the claims.
"We
haven't found any evidence or any indication any illegal drugs were provided to
anyone," State Patrol Lt. Eric Roeske told FOX 9 last week. "Other
than allegations made in the video, which were not supported by any video
evidence, we did not find anything to substantiate any of those
allegations."
The
drug evaluation and classification (DEC) training program shows officers how to
detect and remove drug-impaired drivers from the road. An officer who completes
this training is certified as a drug recognition evaluator.
Currently
48 states, the District of Columbia, and Canada participate in the DEC program.
Minnesota's
program has been managed by the State Patrol since its inception in 1991. There
are 197 DRE officers in Minnesota representing 92 agencies.
Had enough? Write to the Speaker of the House, U.S. House of Representatives, Washington, DC 20515 and demand federal
hearings into the police problem in America.
Demand mandatory body cameras for cops, one strike rule on abuse, and a
permanent DOJ office on Police
Misconduct.