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TPD Investigation Into Christina West Arrest Results In Suspensions

Tallahassee Police Department
A snapshot of video taken during Christina West's DUI arrest

Four Tallahassee Police Officers have been suspended following the results of an internal investigation into a violent DUI arrest in August.

The Tallahassee Police Department’s report says the officers who arrested Christina West complied with the Department’s use of force policies, as they existed at the time. But the report dinged the officers on several other fronts: including failing to get West medical attention, and improper documentation in the original police report on the incident.

The officers and supervisors involved in the case have been suspended without pay from two days to two weeks. In the wake of the case, the Department revised its use of force policies and then-chief Dennis Jones retired. An earlier grand jury investigation into the affair did not recommend criminal charges against the officers, but called on TPD to adhere to its own policies. Lawyers for West, who  suffered a broken cheekbone and bruises during her arrest, have already indicated plans to sue the city. 

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Lynn Hatter is a Florida A&M University graduate with a bachelor’s degree in journalism. Lynn has served as reporter/producer for WFSU since 2007 with education and health care issues as her key coverage areas.  She is an award-winning member of the Capital Press Corps and has participated in the NPR Kaiser Health News Reporting Partnership and NPR Education Initiative. 

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