PENDLETON, Ind. — A 30-year Pendleton police officer who faced termination from the town for allegedly letting an impaired driver back behind the wheel was instead allowed to retire Thursday.
The Pendleton Safety Board voted unanimously to accept Mike Moore’s letter of retirement, which he submitted to the board after it had moved last month to terminate him on the request of Police Chief Marc Farrer. Board members said they were just following procedure and their decision was not a reversal of their earlier disciplinary action against Moore.
Farrer brought the case to the board after a review of police cruiser video showed Moore giving field sobriety tests to a man who police said clearly failed. The video obtained by The Herald Bulletin shows a driver who is unsteady on his feet, has difficulty walking a straight line, staggers and at times supports himself on his car.
When no arrest or reports on the stop surfaced, police investigated and alleged that Moore had allowed the man to drive away from the scene, with Moore trailing behind in his squad car.
The driver later admitted he had been abusing prescription painkillers, according to the police investigation.
“I had just cause,” Farrer said after the safety board voted. “They chose to look into his retirement letter.”
Board member Jeanette Isbell said she did not believe the safety board had reversed itself after Moore hired an attorney and resubmitted his retirement request with a formal retirement date.
“We followed the procedure I believe as outlined earlier by our town attorney,” Isbell said.
Town attorney Alex Intermill said reports in The Herald Bulletin saying that Moore had been terminated were “misstatements.” He said the safety board had voted to proceed with termination against Moore, giving him a period of time to request a hearing, which he did.
Neither Moore nor his attorney attended Thursday’s meeting. Moore never appeared at any meetings where action concerning his discipline took place.
Before the board voted, Town Council president Don Henderson turned to Intermill. “There are no criminal activities here,” Henderson said. “There are misjudgments made, very clearly made ... is that the judgment?”
Intermill agreed. He told the board that “the jurisdiction question raised by the retirement of Mike Moore is an important one” not controlled by precedent. He said Moore’s retirement means “the ultimate goal has been achieved,” because he’s off the force.
Moore’s pension and benefits would have been unaffected by either decision. By permitting him to retire in good standing, Moore can continue to carry his firearm and badge, which Farrer returned to him.
Farrer said the decision could set a precedent of a different kind — allowing officers eligible to retire to avoid discipline hearings by submitting a retirement letter, even after the initial termination vote has taken place. He has said it also sullies retirement for officers who have an unblemished record. Moore had been disciplined multiple times.
“My hope is we all have enough pride in our job,” Farrer said, “that we continue to do our job and serve people in the way we’ve always done.”
Henderson said he didn’t see the potential for officers to avoid discipline by retiring. “Only if you have the years invested would we allow you to do that.”
“I think we made the right conclusion,” Henderson said.
Contact Dave Stafford: 648-4250, dave.stafford@heraldbulletin.com
Breaking News
Related Photos
-
Dave Stafford
-
Related Links
Discussion
Embattled Pendleton officer allowed to retire
Safety board votes unanimously to accept letter of retirement
- Breaking News
-
-
Wagging tails replace sad eyes in Westminster ads
Pet lovers won't have to look away anymore when those heart-wrenching TV ads appear during the Westminster dog show — the ones with the pitiful little faces peering out from behind those rusted bars of a cage and wondering "how I ended up in here."
-
Stocks fall at the open as Greek deal is held up
U.S. stocks opened lower Friday after Greece's bailout deal was put on hold, a day after it seemed that the country had satisfied its creditors.
-
AP sources: Obama revamping birth control policy
Retreating in the face of a political uproar, President Barack Obama on Friday will announce that religious employers will not have to cover birth control for their employees after all, The Associated Press has learned. The administration instead will demand that insurance companies will be the ones directly responsible for providing free contraception.
-
Advocates want no weakening of Indiana smoking ban
Anti-smoking advocates aren't happy about an 18-month exemption for bars that's included in a bill for a statewide smoking ban, and said Thursday they are aiming to prevent the proposal from being watered down any more as it moves through the Indiana Legislature.
-
Notre Dame tuition to increase by 3.8 percent
The University of Notre Dame is raising tuition 3.8 percent for undergraduates for 2012-13.
-
No. 23 Hoosiers hurry past Illinois 84-71
Illinois played like a desperate team Thursday night. That didn’t matter to Indiana. Cody Zeller scored 22 points and Victor Oladipo and Christian Watford each had 18, igniting No. 23 Indiana’s late charge to get past the Fighting Illini 84-71.
-
Wind turbine maker bringing jobs to southern Indiana
A manufacturer of small, "micro-wind" turbines has moved into a warehouse that had been unoccupied since one of southern Indiana's largest employers moved out more than a decade ago.
-
Family plucked from Pacific after boat capsizes
Three family members attempting their first voyage across the Pacific in a sailboat were left adrift in rough seas hundreds of miles from land when their mast broke in high winds.
-
Police report human remains in Grant County
Human remains were uncovered by police Thursday morning in Grant County.
-
FBI file: Steve Jobs was considered for government post
FBI background interviews of some people who knew Apple founder Steve Jobs reveal a man so driven by power that he sometimes lost sight of honesty.
- More Breaking News Headlines
-
Wagging tails replace sad eyes in Westminster ads
Denver's Largest-Ever Drug Bust Nets Dozens
Marines: No Punishment for Nazi-like Flag
Vets Look to Translate Military Skills Into Jobs
Expert: Removing LA School's Staff 'Appropriate'
Raw Video: School Bus Burst Into Flames
LA School Reopens Amid Sex Abuse Scandal
$25B Settlement Reached Over Foreclosure Abuses
Pentagon: Allow Women Closer to Front Lines
Obama Gives Education Waivers to 10 States
Giffords Aide to Run for Her Seat
LA School in Sex Abuse Scandal Reopens
Winter Slamming North Asia, Parts of Europe
Syrian Forces Renew Bombardment of Homs
States, Banks Reach Foreclosure-abuse Settlement
Raw Video: Italy's Mount Etna Bursts Into Life
Greeks March; Angry Despite Debt Deal
Raw Video: U.S. Pullout Celebration
Raw Video: Annual Empire State Building Run-Up
Man Killed in Courthouse Shootout
Air Force Airlines: Leaders Get Polished Service
