Detroit police sergeant who told officer to purposely alter crash report information likely won't lose job
Detroit police chief responds to scanner call quesitons
Chief Todd Bettison told FOX 2 it happened after a patrol officer accidentally backed into something, which means a report must be taken. Bettison is not hiding; he’s addressing it head-on, saying they’re investigating and the parties will be held accountable.
DETROIT (FOX 2) - Though a concerning order heard over a Detroit police scanner last week is still under investigation, Police Chief Todd Bettison said the officer likely won't lose his job.
Early Oct. 16, a sergeant was heard telling an officer to "accidentally change one digit" when entering a driver's license number on a crash report after an officer backed into a pole. Bettison said he has an idea what the sergeant was trying to accomplish when he gave that order.
'Accidentally change one digit': Detroit police investigate instruction sent over scanner
An eye-raising instruction was sent out over the Detroit police scanner overnight Thursday, suggesting an officer intentionally alter information in their report.
What we know:
"He wanted to ensure that, from what I'm being told, that because it was an on-duty record, that it wouldn't go on the officer's driver's record," he said.
Bettison said this was likely done in an attempt to avoid increased insurance rates. Previously, Deputy Chief Mark Bliss told FOX 2 that crash reports, called UD-10s, have a procedure for indicating when a crash is on-duty so it does not harm a driver's record. It is unclear if the officers involved were aware of this.
Detroit police: 'Quite frankly concerned' about officer's controversial scanner call
A deputy chief with Detroit police told FOX 2 that if an officer did switch a number while entering information from a crash report, it would be "completely against our policy."
"His method for trying to accomplish what he was trying to accomplish was wrong," Bettison said.
When asked if the sergeant who gave the order would be fired over it, the chief said, "It would have to be some nefarious intent so, no, I wouldn't say that."
What's next:
The Detroit Police Department's internal affairs office is currently investigating the incident.
"We're digging deep, and we will find out," Bettison said.
In the meantime, the chief said he is working to re-instruct officers on the department's policies.
DPD investigating after officer told to falsify info
The conversation took place at 5:30 a.m. Thursday morning involving Detroit Police Precinct 4 in Southwest Detroit.
The Source: Ths information is from an interview with Detroit Police Chief Todd Bettison and previous stories.