By Susan Smiley
The Macomb Daily, Mount Clemens, Mich.
WARREN, Mich. — A Warren police officer allegedly caught on video assaulting a prisoner at the city lockup has been terminated.
Matthew Rodriguez, 48, of Southgate, who was charged with assault and public officer willful neglect of duty last week, has been terminated from his employment at the police department effective June 26.
According to Warren Police Commissioner William Dwyer, the decision was reached after a detailed review of Rodriguez’s actions during the processing of a prisoner on June 13 as well as information gathered during an internal investigation.
A video of the incident, which was aired at a June 20 press conference in Dwyer’s office, shows a man believed to be the officer strike the prisoner, slam him against the wall, then take him to the ground. Once on the ground, the officer delivers additional punches and slams the prisoner’s head into the floor.
“Like everybody, I was shocked and appalled when I observed Rodriguez’s actions,” said Dwyer. “These actions were completely unjustified and unprofessional, ultimately resulting in criminal charges against him.”
Rodriguez, who has been on the Warren police force for 14 years, was arraigned in 37th District Court on June 20 and charged with the two misdemeanors. Judge John Chmura set a personal bond of $5,000.
The victim of the attack is a 19-year-old Detroit man who was arrested in connection to a carjacking, according to Dwyer.
Rodriguez was scheduled to have an employment hearing on Friday, June 23, but waived his right to the session last Thursday. Dwyer said at that time that he expected to announce a decision on Rodriguez’s employment status early this week.
“This incident no doubt reflected negatively on every member of this department,” said Dwyer. “A comprehensive internal investigation showed that Rodriguez violated multiple department policies and procedures.
“Given the totality of this incident, the decision to terminate Rodriguez’ employment was clear and obvious.”
___
(c)2023 The Macomb Daily, Mount Clemens, Mich.
Visit The Macomb Daily, Mount Clemens, Mich. at https://www.macombdaily.com/
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.