Tuesday, June 19, 2007

Police Beat: Officer Fields Responds;

(Ed.note: The Evansville Observer is covering this police commission with complete audio and selected video. Documents will be shared with my readers as they become available. )

Officer Scott Fields filed his answer to the complaint of Lacy Wourms before the Evansville Police Commission. Here are the highlights:

1) Fields, as the respondent, affirmatively states he followed all applicable policies and procedures to the best of this ability..

2. Fields states that he did not "choose" to take " the unmarked squad at the beginning of the shift, but that this was the only squad available to him for use. Two other marked squads are owned by the department. One of these marked squads was in use at the start of his shift. The other marked squad had a fuel line problem which rendered it unable to keep gas in the tank, making it unable to be used for patrol. Therefore, the Respondent followed the proper procedures in 'choosing" the unmarked squad to use for patrol on the night in question."

3. Fields, as respondent, affirmatively states he "called out as much information as was "safe to do"..."As he was the "Officer in Charge(i.e. the most-senior police office on duty at the time), he found no immediate need to call our a request to dispatch to "contact a supervisor." Simply put, there was not a "supervisor" on duty to "contact" in mid-pursuit."

4) Fields denies seeing "any debris alongside the road when he passed the scene of the crash....He also specifically denies meeting any witness to the crash, and therefore also denies telling such a witness to "get out of here" or being rude to such witness. Upon information and belief, the Respondent also affimatively states that the story of such witness has already been discredited as fabricated by the State Patrol during the investigation of this matter."


After the response by Officer Fields, there is a Motion to Dismiss the Charges against him.