Over at Cato’s Police Misconduct web site, we have selected the worst case for the month of October.

It was the case from Owasso, Oklahoma.  Officer Michael Denton was charged with excessive force for beating a motorist with the butt of a shotgun.  The reason why this matter is arguably the worst case from last month is because this is the very same officer who was fired for excessive force for elbowing an inmate in the face.  An arbitrator later reversed that dismissal and in February Denton was awarded $280,000 in back-pay.

So it is not just a problem officer here.  The system for getting rid of problem officers seems broken.  If Denton does not go to prison, will he be reinstated again?  We will be watching with interest.

Cato will be hosting a conference on Policing in America on December 1.