Officer fired for drug use

Keith Paul

Tuesday, May 14, 2002 | 9:40 a.m.

A Metro Police academy training officer arrested in February on drug-related charges has been fired from the department, Sheriff Jerry Keller told the Sun Monday.

Keller said he agreed with the recommendation of a pre-termination board that Officer Sean P. Curd, 29, be fired. He made the decision Friday afternoon and Curd was notified the same day.

"Firing an officer is one of the toughest decisions a police executive has to make; however, the facts were present and the circumstances dictated the action in this case," Keller said.

A pre-termination board heard Curd's case last week and recommended the officer be fired. It was the same recommendation made by Curd's superiors after an internal investigation sustained a department charge of use of narcotics or controlled substances.

Curd, an officer for seven years, also faces a November trial in District Court on eight counts of drug possession and one count of being under the influence of drugs. His girlfriend, Amy Winger, was also charged with the drug-related crimes.

"The kid made some mistakes and got himself into a situation he unfortunately couldn't get out of," said Detective David Kallas, executive director of the Police Protective Association, the union for rank-and-file officers. "The hope is he will get the help that he needs."

Curd, who could not be reached for comment, can appeal his firing, but union attorney John Dean Harper said he is not sure if Curd will.

Police searched Curd's Henderson home on Jan. 9 and found suspected cocaine, steroids and ketamine -- an animal sedative dubbed a club drug in recent years. Narcotics detectives arrested Curd Feb. 28 after tests proved the substances were drugs, according to a police report.

Curd tested positive for the chemical components of cocaine in his system, a police report states.

Police believe Curd hid his drug use while teaching new recruits at the academy. Other officers at the academy suspected Curd may have been using drugs and told a supervisor of their suspicions.

When police went to Curd's home on Jan. 9, Curd "was observed to be under the influence of a controlled substance and in a potentially harmful condition," according to the police report. He was taken to University Medical Center, where he was briefly treated and released.

The department randomly drug tests officers in some specialized units such as narcotics, vice and intelligence along with the command staff.

However, Metro officials have started creating a new plan to conduct random drug tests on all officers. The program, which was agreed to in the last contract negotiation with the Police Protective Association, is expected to be in place by the end of the year.