Notice of complaint related to 2023-0135

OF
GINE
CURRENT
OFFICE OF
POLICE OVERSIGHT
NOTICE OF COMPLAINT
February 17, 2023
ICMS #: 2023-0135
On February 14, 2023, the OPO received a phone complaint.
The complainant alleges: An APD officer came out to assist her with an issue involving
a reckless and dangerous crew removing a tree that hit her house on
The crew
came back on
and illegally cut down a heritage tree that was protected under the
city heritage law. The police later harassed her when she called them to come out and look
at another protected tree that was being cut down without a permit. The responding APD
officer was belligerent and unhelpful. The owner of the house has a previous relationship
with the officer because the house on the property has been broken into multiple times.
The responding officer brought the owner over and she was trying to get her not to file an
insurance claim and basically sexually assaulted her. As the complainant was walking away
the owner grabbed her arm and stroked it in a sexually suggestive manner and then offered
her a massage if she did not file an insurance claim. The officer forcibly opened the
complainant's locked gate. The officer told her she did not have the right to tell the crew
not to cut down the tree. The officer tried to violate her first amendment right and was not
very helpful in filing a police report about the damages that had been caused the previous
day. She asked the officer to investigate. The officer looked at a giant area of her condo
where the paint and tile were damaged and told her there was no way to tell if the tree had
done the damage. Multiple eyewitnesses gave the officer reports about where the tree had
hit the building and also stated that they saw the tree hit the building. The officer did not
write down any of the information that was given to him. The officer treated her like a
criminal. She waved at the officer from the street and the officer told her not to come onto
the property. The officer told her that she did not have the right to tell the crew about the
law concerning the trees. The officer failed to protect the tree and to protect her life. The
crew was unlicensed and not trained to cut down the massive 40ft tall pecan tree. They
were a danger to themselves and to her. They trespassed on her property and tried to cover
up all kinds of damage to her property and ran away when the police responded. There
were SO many crimes that were committed, and the police are not being helpful. Officer
was the officer's name and badge number.
OF
CITY
OFFICE OF
POLICE OVERSIGHT
FOUNDED
NOTICE OF COMPLAINT
This notice of complaint is a request for Internal Affairs to initiate an investigation to
determine if the employee conduct is within compliance of APD policy, Civil Service
Rules, and Municipal Civil Service Rules.