Officer’s Firing Over Use of Force Upheld by Panel
The San Diego Civil Service Commission upheld the firing of a police officer who claimed the Police Department had harassed and discriminated against him.
By a 2-1 vote, the commission upheld the firing of Charles Battle, who was dismissed in March for allegedly using excessive force to arrest a man in connection with an arson fire.
Battle was accused of using his night stick to force the man into the back seat of his police car on Christmas Day, 1984. Battle said the man, who was acting suspiciously near a Tierrasanta car fire, kicked him when he tried to take him into custody. The man didn’t require medical treatment.
Police began an investigation that led to Battle’s firing after a misdemeanor charge of battery on a police officer was dismissed in April, 1985, against the unidentified man.
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