The Officer With No Voice
An Articles Published by The Press Enterprise Written Early February 7, 2014 by
“I want you to get back to the business of living. If you want to honor my family, be the best officer you can possibly be.”Not a crooked one, a bought one, one with no heart or patience, be a PEACE OFFICER. . . .
Christopher Jordan Dorner
Police officer
Christopher
Jordan Dorner was a former LAPD police officer and United States Navy
Reserve officer who
was charged in connection with a series of shooting
attacks on police officers and their families from February 3–12, 2013.
- Died: February 12, 2013, Angelus Oaks, CA
- Education: Southern Utah University (2001)
Abuse allegations
On July 28, 2007 Dorner and his training officer, fellow police officer Teresa Evans (now a sergeant), went to the DoubleTree Hotel in San Pedro regarding a mentally ill man, Christopher Gettler, who was causing a disturbance.Two weeks later, Evans gave Dorner a performance review that stated he needed to improve in three areas.The next day Dorner filed a report alleging that Evans had used excessive force in her treatment of Christopher Gettler. Dorner accused Evans of twice kicking Gettler in the face while he was handcuffed and lying on the ground.
An internal review board investigated these claims and listened to the testimony of several witnesses. Christopher Gettler's father, Richard Gettler, testified that after his son had returned home his face was puffy and his son claimed that he was kicked by a police officer.His father didn't report this to the police because the injury was minor and his son was unable to explain why he had been kicked. Christopher Gettler claimed that he had been kicked by a female officer who was "almost black" with dark hair. Evans was described in official documents as white with blond hair.Gettler then partially corrected himself, saying she had light hair.He also thought that his injuries had been caused by a club.Gettler's father said that his son's mental illness prevented him from being a good witness. Gettler has schizophrenia and severe dementia.
Dorner was represented by former Los Angeles police captain Randal Quan and maintained that Evans had kicked Christopher Gettler after handcuffing him.
Three witnesses, including two hotel employees and a port police officer, testified that they did not see Evans kick Christopher Gettler. Evans also denied kicking Christopher Gettler. The port police officer recalled telling Dorner to fix his tie; however, a photograph from the scene showed that Dorner was not wearing a tie.
The board's three members – two LAPD captains and a criminal defense attorney – unanimously ruled against Dorner. They found that his claims lacked credibility and that he was motivated in part by his fear that his training officer would give him a poor evaluation that could end his career.As a result, Dorner's employment was terminated on September 4, 2008.