Reno sergeant suspended for deceiving investigators

Single Sign-On: You can use Facebook account to log in to LasVegasSun.com. (We will use your first and last name from your profile.)
Trusted Commenting: Facebook connected users automatically become trusted commenters.

Sunday, July 23, 2000 | 9:40 a.m.

Police Chief Jerry Hoover decided to discipline Sgt. Keith Brown last week after a second internal affairs investigation into the 1999 incident. Brown is a 12-year-veteran and will be allowed to spread the suspension over the rest of the year.

A Reno man complained to the department last August that a group of Special Weapons and Tactics team officers erased his videotape after he recorded his interaction with the officers.

In the original internal affairs investigation, Officer Dave Keller was suspended for 40 hours without pay for violating the department's code of conduct for erasing the tape.

In March, another officer reported that Brown and Detective Amadeo Flores witnessed the erasure then lied about it during the investigation.

Hoover said the allegations against Flores could not be proved. Flores has resigned from the department to attend medical school.