Help for Officer Shepard
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We, a collective who are rallying for this cause, would like to open our case and plea for your help by first giving you a tremendous amount of thanks for giving us your time to hear our plea for your help and visiting our page.
You who are Family, Friends, Colleges, Brothers and Sisters in uniform who serve our great nation in all forms both Law Enforcement and Military and all the strangers who honor us by visiting this page and hearing us out.
Our plea for your help and support is on behalf of our good friend and brother, Adley Shepard, as of November 9th 2016 a former Seattle Police officer. Adley was terminated and relieved of his duties as a peace officer for the Seattle Police Department, in our opinion and in the opinion of many others unfairly and unduly, for an incident that occurred on the night of June 22nd 2014. For those who know Adley are well aware of the circumstances that surround his termination, but for those of you who do not we would like to enlighten you with a summary of the incident.
Before we go into the incident we would like to provide a small background of who Officer Shepard is. Officer Shepard, or known to his close friends simply as "Shep", is a native of Guyana (a small country located in the northeastern part of South America), born in the capitol city of Georgetown. Officer Shepard and his two siblings were raised by his mom, in a single mother household. When Officer Shepard was about eight years old his mother moved him and his siblings to Silver Springs, Maryland, where he would spend his life until college. Officer Shepard attended Shepheard University, where he played football and earned a bachelor of science degree in recreation and specialization in sports. In June of 2000 he joined the United States Army and served until November of 2004. During his time in active duty he served with Alpha Company, 2nd Battalion of the 75th Ranger Regiment and later with Alpha Company, 3rd Battalion, 505 Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 82nd Airborne Division. Also during Officer Shepard's active duty time he served two combat tours in Iraq. In January of 2005 Officer Shepard joined the Seattle Police Department and has served up until his termination.
Officer Shepard is an incredible individual and those who know him can testify to that fact. Officer Shepard is often described as selfless, loyal, honorable, disciplined, genuine and a man of good moral fiber and character. To his peers he is the epitome of a good cop, a cop's cop. It is because of the kind of person he is have we rallied to help him and his family in this time of need.
The incident.
On the night of June 22nd 2014, shortly after 2 a.m., Officer Shepard, as well as other uniformed Seattle Police officers, were dispatched to investigate a report of a domestic violence related disturbance. During the investigation it was determined that probable cause existed for one of the subjects involved in the disturbance for threatening bodily harm to another subject involved. Here in the State of Washington there are mandatory arrest laws in regards to domestic violence related incidents and the circumstances of this incident met the statues of those laws, mandating an arrest. Officer Shepard, as well as the other officers involved, adhered to that mandate and placed the suspect, young woman, into custody.
During the subsequent arrest of the suspect (who was intoxicated, highly agitated, uncooperative and verbally insulting) and after she was placed in handcuffs she assaulted Officer Shepard as he attempted to place her into the back of his patrol vehicle. As Officer Shepard proceeded to place the suspect into the backseat of the police vehicle the suspect refused to enter. Officer Shepard attempted to talk the suspect into getting into the vehicle, but she continued to refuse and contest her arrest. After a failed attempt to convince the suspect into getting into the police vehicle willingly Officer Shepard then physically forced her into the vehicle. The suspect, in her refusal to get into the vehicle, kicked him directly on the face and in the groin in the process. Officer Shepard was immediately stunned by the kick, became momentarily disoriented and then reacted by striking the suspect in the face with a single punch in order to stop any additional strikes and a further assault. The single punch was effective and prevented a further assault not only of Officer Shepard but any additional officers post arrest.
Unfortunately in the act of defending himself the suspect sustained a fractured orbital bone from the strike. This lead the Department to believe the force used was excessive and out of policy and Officer Shepard was placed on administrative leave, pending a further investigation. As a result of the attack on him, Officer Shepard suffered a swollen jaw and a mild concussion.
The incident made media headlines and once it hit the news it didn't take long for the court of public opinion to come out in full swing, charging Officer Shepard guilty before all the facts and circumstances surrounding the case were fully disclosed. The outcry and condemnation by the public was immediate and one day after the incident Officer Shepard was stripped of his gun and of his badge and placed on administrative leave.
The Department referred the incident to an outside agency for investigation (Washington State Patrol), and later to county and federal prosecutors for criminal charges. The incident was investigated at all judicial levels, from the city attorney's office all the way, again, to the federal government and all agencies declined to file charges, or could show that Officer Shepard's reaction after being assaulted was criminal. The county prosecutor gave a statement and in the statement it said that the evidence in the case showed that Officer Shepard ACTED PROFESSIONALLY and with RESTRAINT, up until he was KICKED IN THE HEAD. The county prosecutor further stated, "Officer Shepard reacted instantaneously to the kick by the suspect, who was wearing boots."
During the investigation it was also revealed that Officer Shepard followed his training in stopping an assaultive suspect and multiple Use of Force experts testified that not only did Officer Shepard do as he was trained, but that the force he used under the circumstances was reasonable and within Department policy.
The incident was captured via in-car video, was released by the department and is viewable on YouTube if you search Officer Shepard's name.
After almost 29 months of administrative leave the department made their decision and terminated Officer Shepard. That has been 29 months Officer Shepard has been waiting, stressing from the knowledge of not knowing if his future, the future of his family, his livelihood and his means to provide and support his family would be taken from him, all because of the actions of another individual he had no control over.
To add insult to the proverbial injury the charges against the suspect, again who kicked him in the face (a Class C felony in the State of Washington), were almost immediately dropped and a settlement was later paid out to her in her civil suit against the Department, to the amount of $192,000.
Officer Shepard is also the only officer in the history of the Seattle Police Department who has been subjected to administrative leave for such an extended period of time, despite an incident that occurred during his suspension that parallels his incident. During that incident an officer was also assaulted by a handcuffed suspect and that officers also punched the suspect in the face to cease a further assault. That officer was also placed on administrative leave, but was restored to duty in less than a month's time.
We believe Officer Shepard's 29 months on administrative leave alone is unjust and punishment in itself, but to terminate him despite the overwhelming evidence that he reacted in defense of himself is flat out just not right. As a result of Officer Shepard's termination he has not only lost a means to provide for his family, but also the benefits for his family, that includes medical and health care coverage.
Officer Shepard believes he was not given a fair outcome and that the decision for his termination was based more on political factors than moral principles and has decided to fight to get his job back. We, his family and friends, strongly agree wholeheartedly and therefore have created this page to try and help Officer Shepard for not only the long, exhaustive and financially taxing legal battle ahead of him, but to also help lift this burden from his shoulders and share his yoke of tribulation that has fallen on him and his family.
Our Goal
We humbly reach out to you, whomever you may be reading this, to share in this burden and to help us carry this yoke on our brother's back. We ask you for any help you can provide in this difficult time and on through till the end when we reach our ultimate goal of restoring Officer Shepard back to his position as a peace officer. For the issues at hand is not only an issue regarding Officer Shepard, but also an issue that effect all uniformed officers who serve the Seattle Police Department.
We, as well as Officer Shepard and his family, appreciate any donation you can provide, no matter how little. If you cannot provide any assistance of monetary value we ask you to please pray for Officer Shepard and his family and ask others to pray for him as well.
We would also like to ask that you to share Officer Shepard's story with others through your social media network, whether it be Facebook, Twitter, email, text. We would like his story to hit all in the law enforcement and military community, throughout the country. Please help us by telling your friends, family, relatives, co-workers and acquaintances and ask them to also pass on Officer Shepard's story. We have faith and know that together we can overcome and succeed!!
Thank you for your time and your support. We pledge to keep you all updated with all events surrounding Officer Shepard's fight to get his job back. Also, all proceeds from this will go directly to Officer Shepard to mainly help finance his legal battle and also help out with his two young daughter's expenses.
We would like to give a very special thanks to all of our Brothers and Sisters out there in the Law Enforcement and Military community, to include all veterans, and their friends and family who support them as they serve.
Godbless you all and stay safe.
You who are Family, Friends, Colleges, Brothers and Sisters in uniform who serve our great nation in all forms both Law Enforcement and Military and all the strangers who honor us by visiting this page and hearing us out.
Our plea for your help and support is on behalf of our good friend and brother, Adley Shepard, as of November 9th 2016 a former Seattle Police officer. Adley was terminated and relieved of his duties as a peace officer for the Seattle Police Department, in our opinion and in the opinion of many others unfairly and unduly, for an incident that occurred on the night of June 22nd 2014. For those who know Adley are well aware of the circumstances that surround his termination, but for those of you who do not we would like to enlighten you with a summary of the incident.
Before we go into the incident we would like to provide a small background of who Officer Shepard is. Officer Shepard, or known to his close friends simply as "Shep", is a native of Guyana (a small country located in the northeastern part of South America), born in the capitol city of Georgetown. Officer Shepard and his two siblings were raised by his mom, in a single mother household. When Officer Shepard was about eight years old his mother moved him and his siblings to Silver Springs, Maryland, where he would spend his life until college. Officer Shepard attended Shepheard University, where he played football and earned a bachelor of science degree in recreation and specialization in sports. In June of 2000 he joined the United States Army and served until November of 2004. During his time in active duty he served with Alpha Company, 2nd Battalion of the 75th Ranger Regiment and later with Alpha Company, 3rd Battalion, 505 Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 82nd Airborne Division. Also during Officer Shepard's active duty time he served two combat tours in Iraq. In January of 2005 Officer Shepard joined the Seattle Police Department and has served up until his termination.
Officer Shepard is an incredible individual and those who know him can testify to that fact. Officer Shepard is often described as selfless, loyal, honorable, disciplined, genuine and a man of good moral fiber and character. To his peers he is the epitome of a good cop, a cop's cop. It is because of the kind of person he is have we rallied to help him and his family in this time of need.
The incident.
On the night of June 22nd 2014, shortly after 2 a.m., Officer Shepard, as well as other uniformed Seattle Police officers, were dispatched to investigate a report of a domestic violence related disturbance. During the investigation it was determined that probable cause existed for one of the subjects involved in the disturbance for threatening bodily harm to another subject involved. Here in the State of Washington there are mandatory arrest laws in regards to domestic violence related incidents and the circumstances of this incident met the statues of those laws, mandating an arrest. Officer Shepard, as well as the other officers involved, adhered to that mandate and placed the suspect, young woman, into custody.
During the subsequent arrest of the suspect (who was intoxicated, highly agitated, uncooperative and verbally insulting) and after she was placed in handcuffs she assaulted Officer Shepard as he attempted to place her into the back of his patrol vehicle. As Officer Shepard proceeded to place the suspect into the backseat of the police vehicle the suspect refused to enter. Officer Shepard attempted to talk the suspect into getting into the vehicle, but she continued to refuse and contest her arrest. After a failed attempt to convince the suspect into getting into the police vehicle willingly Officer Shepard then physically forced her into the vehicle. The suspect, in her refusal to get into the vehicle, kicked him directly on the face and in the groin in the process. Officer Shepard was immediately stunned by the kick, became momentarily disoriented and then reacted by striking the suspect in the face with a single punch in order to stop any additional strikes and a further assault. The single punch was effective and prevented a further assault not only of Officer Shepard but any additional officers post arrest.
Unfortunately in the act of defending himself the suspect sustained a fractured orbital bone from the strike. This lead the Department to believe the force used was excessive and out of policy and Officer Shepard was placed on administrative leave, pending a further investigation. As a result of the attack on him, Officer Shepard suffered a swollen jaw and a mild concussion.
The incident made media headlines and once it hit the news it didn't take long for the court of public opinion to come out in full swing, charging Officer Shepard guilty before all the facts and circumstances surrounding the case were fully disclosed. The outcry and condemnation by the public was immediate and one day after the incident Officer Shepard was stripped of his gun and of his badge and placed on administrative leave.
The Department referred the incident to an outside agency for investigation (Washington State Patrol), and later to county and federal prosecutors for criminal charges. The incident was investigated at all judicial levels, from the city attorney's office all the way, again, to the federal government and all agencies declined to file charges, or could show that Officer Shepard's reaction after being assaulted was criminal. The county prosecutor gave a statement and in the statement it said that the evidence in the case showed that Officer Shepard ACTED PROFESSIONALLY and with RESTRAINT, up until he was KICKED IN THE HEAD. The county prosecutor further stated, "Officer Shepard reacted instantaneously to the kick by the suspect, who was wearing boots."
During the investigation it was also revealed that Officer Shepard followed his training in stopping an assaultive suspect and multiple Use of Force experts testified that not only did Officer Shepard do as he was trained, but that the force he used under the circumstances was reasonable and within Department policy.
The incident was captured via in-car video, was released by the department and is viewable on YouTube if you search Officer Shepard's name.
After almost 29 months of administrative leave the department made their decision and terminated Officer Shepard. That has been 29 months Officer Shepard has been waiting, stressing from the knowledge of not knowing if his future, the future of his family, his livelihood and his means to provide and support his family would be taken from him, all because of the actions of another individual he had no control over.
To add insult to the proverbial injury the charges against the suspect, again who kicked him in the face (a Class C felony in the State of Washington), were almost immediately dropped and a settlement was later paid out to her in her civil suit against the Department, to the amount of $192,000.
Officer Shepard is also the only officer in the history of the Seattle Police Department who has been subjected to administrative leave for such an extended period of time, despite an incident that occurred during his suspension that parallels his incident. During that incident an officer was also assaulted by a handcuffed suspect and that officers also punched the suspect in the face to cease a further assault. That officer was also placed on administrative leave, but was restored to duty in less than a month's time.
We believe Officer Shepard's 29 months on administrative leave alone is unjust and punishment in itself, but to terminate him despite the overwhelming evidence that he reacted in defense of himself is flat out just not right. As a result of Officer Shepard's termination he has not only lost a means to provide for his family, but also the benefits for his family, that includes medical and health care coverage.
Officer Shepard believes he was not given a fair outcome and that the decision for his termination was based more on political factors than moral principles and has decided to fight to get his job back. We, his family and friends, strongly agree wholeheartedly and therefore have created this page to try and help Officer Shepard for not only the long, exhaustive and financially taxing legal battle ahead of him, but to also help lift this burden from his shoulders and share his yoke of tribulation that has fallen on him and his family.
Our Goal
We humbly reach out to you, whomever you may be reading this, to share in this burden and to help us carry this yoke on our brother's back. We ask you for any help you can provide in this difficult time and on through till the end when we reach our ultimate goal of restoring Officer Shepard back to his position as a peace officer. For the issues at hand is not only an issue regarding Officer Shepard, but also an issue that effect all uniformed officers who serve the Seattle Police Department.
We, as well as Officer Shepard and his family, appreciate any donation you can provide, no matter how little. If you cannot provide any assistance of monetary value we ask you to please pray for Officer Shepard and his family and ask others to pray for him as well.
We would also like to ask that you to share Officer Shepard's story with others through your social media network, whether it be Facebook, Twitter, email, text. We would like his story to hit all in the law enforcement and military community, throughout the country. Please help us by telling your friends, family, relatives, co-workers and acquaintances and ask them to also pass on Officer Shepard's story. We have faith and know that together we can overcome and succeed!!
Thank you for your time and your support. We pledge to keep you all updated with all events surrounding Officer Shepard's fight to get his job back. Also, all proceeds from this will go directly to Officer Shepard to mainly help finance his legal battle and also help out with his two young daughter's expenses.
We would like to give a very special thanks to all of our Brothers and Sisters out there in the Law Enforcement and Military community, to include all veterans, and their friends and family who support them as they serve.
Godbless you all and stay safe.
Organizer and beneficiary
Jeanine Girello
Organizer
Auburn, WA
Adley Shepherd
Beneficiary
