Officer faces investigation in six cases

Keith Paul

Tuesday, May 8, 2001 | 10:38 a.m.

A Metro Police traffic officer who is facing disciplinary action for misconduct on one sustained complaint also is facing five other pending internal investigations of other complaints, police officials told the Sun.

Officer Glenn Dillard, 29, was transferred to desk duty about two weeks ago as internal affairs detectives investigate the complaints, Deputy Chief Mike Zagorski said Monday.

"It's better right now to have him off the street while these internal investigations are being done," Zagorski said.

Dillard has not been disciplined for the finding of misconduct against him; Metro officials are waiting until all of the cases have been completed, Undersheriff Richard Winget said.

"Basically, all the complaints are on unprofessional attitude or physical aggression with little provocation," Winget said.

Dillard could face termination if found guilty of department violations of misconduct on all complaints.

Department disciplinary guidelines recommend that an officer found guilty of a fourth or fifth offense should be fired. Dillard, who was reached Monday, declined to comment.

One of the pending investigations is based on a 1999 complaint in which Dillard was cleared after an investigation by his supervisor. The case, however, has since been reopened after other complaints and a review of the initial investigation, Winget said.

A misconduct complaint against Dillard involving the alleged mistreatment of a woman during a September traffic stop was sustained. He was accused of physically restraining her during the stop and handcuffing her. He also was accused of pushing her down on the police car, police said.

Last week another woman, Lisa Coatney, filed a federal lawsuit against Metro and Dillard. Coatney alleges that she was assaulted by Dillard and arrested in 1999.

Dillard came to her home after neighbors called police because of an alleged domestic disturbance. Coatney told Dillard she was not injured, and he could not come into the house and "if he wanted to enter her home he would need to get a warrant," according to the lawsuit.

Dillard entered the home, arrested her and "repeatedly slammed the plaintiff against the squad car," the suit says.

Coatney's complaint with internal affairs against Dillard was not sustained at the time, although the case has since been reopened.

In addition, Coatney's attorney, Cal Potter, said his client believed her job as a clerk with the Clark County District Attorney's Office was threatened during a conversation with internal affairs Lt. Kathy O'Conner last week.

Winget said O'Conner denied threatening Coatney and simply called her to talk about her internal affairs complaint. O'Conner could not be reached for comment Monday or today.

Coatney had sent an e-mail to internal affairs to ask whether police would consider reopening her dismissed complaint in light of the other complaints against Dillard. Police reviewed the investigation and found witnesses who should have been interviewed and subsequently reopened the case, Winget said.

Potter said police should have called him and not have contacted Coatney because she has filed a suit against them and is represented by an attorney.

Police maintain they were trying to investigate a complaint initiated by Coatney against an officer who is facing additional allegations.

If an officer faces five current complaints of misconduct, there may have been other residents who could have brought allegations against the officer but never filed them with police, said Diop Kamau, executive director of the Police Complaint Center, a national non-profit organization based in Tallahassee, Fla., that investigates citizen complaints.

"Along the way, citizens probably complained on him and the department failed to deal him or didn't see the warning signs," Kamau said. "I worry that's such a high number (of complaints), that the department has not properly monitored him."