A police officer in Tampa, Florida has been fired following an internal investigation that found he violated departmental policies during an incident on November 17, 2022.
Gregory Damon was found to have violated multiple policies, including Searching, Transporting, and Booking of Prisoners; Courtesy to the Public; Reporting Response to Resistance; Treatment of Persons in Custody; Standard of Conduct; Body Worn Camera; Response to Resistance; and Incompetence.
The incident occurred when Damon was called to the Tampa Family Health Center after receiving a report of a woman sleeping outside the property and refusing to leave. The woman, who had received a warning for trespassing on the same property in October 2022, was arrested for trespassing and transported to jail by Damon. Upon arrival at the jail, the woman refused to exit the patrol vehicle and walk into central booking, instead yelling at Damon to “drag” her. Damon took the woman by the arm and dragged her from the vehicle to the entrance of the jail, where two deputies assisted with lifting her from the ground and beginning the jail intake process. The woman was not injured in the incident, but Damon was found to have made rude and derogatory comments to her, while also failing to follow established procedures for handling uncooperative prisoners.
Tampa Police Department (TPD) revised its policy on handling uncooperative prisoners in 2013 to advise officers that dragging an individual who is uncooperative is never an appropriate practice and that the correct procedure is to request assistance from booking staff. TPD was made aware of Damon’s actions through supervisors at the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, which operates the county detention facilities, and immediately opened an investigation into the incident on November 18. Upon review of surveillance and body-worn camera footage, and an interview with Damon, the decision was made to terminate his employment with the department.