A police detective was fired Tuesday for his role in the arrest of a nurse at Salt Lake City-based University of Utah Hospital who was handcuffed and shoved into a squad car as she was trying to protect an unconscious patient's legal rights, according to The Washington Post.
An internal review by the Salt Lake City Police Department found Detective Jeff Payne's actions toward the nurse on July 26 undermined public trust and violated department policy.
"I am deeply troubled by your lack of sound, professional judgment and your discourteous, disrespectful and unwarranted behavior, which unnecessarily escalated a situation that could and should have been resolved in a manner far different from the course of action you chose to pursue," Chief Mike Brown wrote in a termination letter to Payne that was posted by the Deseret News.
Mr. Payne's watch commander, James Tracy, was also demoted from lieutenant to officer for his role in the incident.
A video from the arresting officer's body camera shows nurse Alex Wubbels, RN, and Mr. Payne in a standoff over whether the officer should be allowed to draw blood from an unconscious patient harmed in a motor vehicle accident. In the video, Ms. Wubbels says hospital policy won't permit the blood draw unless the patient has provided consent, is under arrest or the police have a warrant. In the footage, the detective acknowledges no such requirements have been met, but argues he has the authority to obtain the blood to see if the patient had illicit substances in his body at the time of the crash.
The video shows Mr. Payne accusing the nurse of interfering with a criminal case. Ms. Wubbels consults with hospital officials and repeats the policy back to the officer. Mr. Payne then grabs the nurse, pulls her hands behind her back, handcuffs her and forcibly leads her outside. Ms. Wubbels pleads for help as she is arrested. She was later released without charges.
In a written police report, Mr. Payne said Mr. Tracy told him the nurse was interfering with a police investigation if she did not permit him to obtain the blood sample. In his written report, Mr. Tracy said he believed Mr. Payne had implied consent to obtain the blood sample, according to The Salt Lake Tribune.
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