At least three former Oklahoma law enforcement officers have been charged with on-duty sexual assaults and rapes, including an Oklahoma City police officer, a Tulsa County Sheriff's deputy, and an Oklahoma Highway Patrol Trooper. If the allegations against these three men are true, it shows a terrible and disgusting abuse of power and authority by those who are sworn to protect the public.
Despite the rapid succession in which these criminal allegations arose, the alleged acts of these three men are not an indictment of Oklahoma law enforcement as a whole. Many good men and women risk their lives daily in an attempt to preserve law and order and to protect the public safety. When law officers break the laws they are sworn to uphold, it can create distrust against even those good officers who work for the public good.
It can also create an atmosphere in which it becomes even easier to make false allegations against an officer. Remember, not every accusation is true. When it comes to sex crimes, the accused is often considered guilty until proven innocent, when in fact, our law holds that the opposite should be true.
In two of the cases above, the officer is accused of turning off his dash cam during the traffic stop or detention leading to the alleged assault. However, leaving the dash cam on may serve as protection not only for the detainee, but also for the officer making the stop. A case out of New Mexico hows just how easily a person can make a false accusation and just why it is so important for an officer to leave a dash or lapel cam running for his or her own protection.
Albuquerque police officer Jared Frazier pulled over Deanna Griego, 23, on suspicion of drunk driving. Reports say Griego first tried to get chummy with Frazier, saying she was "going to school to be a cop." She then blames her slurred speech on a speech impediment before continually asking Frazier to repeat the instructions for a field sobriety test.
Her attempts to get out of a DUI arrest failed, and Griego was arrested and taken to the police station, where she blew a 0.13 on the breathalyzer.
The woman then told the officer that she needed to use the restroom, and he took off her cuffs and let her go. Frazier says he then heard her in the bathroom asking, "How can I get this officer in trouble?" and remembered that she has slipped her cell phone into her bra during the initial traffic stop.
Frazier says he slightly opened the bathroom door, telling her she was not allowed to be on her phone and that she needed to step out of the restroom. Griego said that he was "violating her rights" by opening the door, but Frazier pointed out that he could not see her and told her again to step out.
Griego then accused him of sexual assault, saying, "[You were] inappropriately touching me while I was waiting in the car," and, "Please don't touch me," as she exited the bathroom.
Frazier reminded the woman that she could say whatever she wanted to, because the entire incident was recorded by his lapel cam, and it was clear there was no sexual assault.
The woman's claims were investigated, and Frazier was cleared of any wrongdoing. The Albuquerque Police Department union released the following statement:
"The desire to frame officers for wrongdoing is a growing issue facing officers every day. We believe that the public should be held accountable for filing false reports against police officers. These incidents can be very damaging to an officer's career, so we hope that this individual and others face appropriate consequences for their malicious actions."
Anyone can be falsely accused of a sex crime, but certain occupations--including law enforcement and teaching--lend themselves to vengeful false allegations. These accusations can destroy a career, but with skillful defense representation, the wrongfully accused can clear their names and restore the reputation a vindictive person tried to destroy.
