Officer dismissed for responding to "officer down"

**jmur5074** · 06-07-11, 04:11 PM

It was a Saturday on campus when David Sedmak, a Rice University police officer, heard "Officer down, officer down!" on his scanner: Two members of the Houston Police Department had been shot downtown. Sedmak rushed to the scene to help his fellow officers. But Rice didn't see Sedmak as a hero. Instead, the university fired him, citing "dereliction of duty."
The university said in a statement that its officers often assist other law enforcement agencies when the need arises. But Sedmak erred, it said, by not informing the university police dispatcher about where he was.
"Sedmak left his post when only two other officers were on duty and failed to notify his supervisor of his whereabouts for nearly an hour, which could have endangered the safety of our students and campus," according to the university.

More at the link:

Cop fired after helping fellow officers in distress | The Lookout - Yahoo! News

Unreal. I would imagine he's better off finding a job elsewhere.

**Xiphos** · 06-07-11, 04:47 PM

What do you want to bet he knew if he aired what he was doing he would be told by his supervisor not to go?

The guy knows his priorities and there are many agencies out there who would appreciate his warrior mindset. Fuck Rice.

**Standard Dave** · 06-07-11, 04:50 PM

Things like that have the potential to sour relations between different agencies. He should have updated his dispatcher but shots fired and officers down WTF, I'm glad we don't have so many agencies working in one area and so many bosses all trying to prove who has the biggest one.

**MacLean** · 06-07-11, 04:55 PM

Relations between University Police agencies and their surrounding agencies already suffer from these sorts of political fits.

UW here in Washington sent out a memo saying officers had to disarm on their campus, citing an obscure WAC that applied to students.

The Sheriff at the time sent a copy of the RCW (which always trumps a WAC) and told them "nuh uh."

They actually arrested another City officer for being armed at a ball game. Fail.

(For the record, RCW exempts peace officers from restrictions on carrying weapons on a school property and the WAC applies to students.)

The truly sad part is most of the Officers there are truly great cops - it's an admin/working for lefties issue.

**BigDawg** · 06-07-11, 07:11 PM

Im sure he will have no problem finding a job somewhere better. Wouldnt be a bit surprised if HPD offered him a job.

**creolecop** · 06-07-11, 09:25 PM

Originally Posted by BigDawg

Im sure he will have no problem finding a job somewhere better. Wouldnt be a bit surprised if HPD offered him a job.

That would be AWESOME! Fuck rice, go to a real dept.

**jcsdscott** · 06-07-11, 10:13 PM

I've been lurking on this story on another forum; some guys from the area are saying the issue which they had with him was that not only did he leave but that he didn't let the supervisor know. Still I think it's BS and not a fitting punishment at all.

**srab** · 06-07-11, 10:26 PM

Something in the Rice's statement doesn't jive. Either someone was gunning for him, or the PD administration is full of shit to begin with. I go with the later. Either way the sanction is overkill.

**Pudge** · 06-07-11, 10:47 PM

That's a firing I'd gladly take. Screw them.

Should he have told his dispatch he was going? Yes. Was that the first thing on his mind? Hell no. Write him up and then give him a damn medal.

**Xiphos** · 06-07-11, 10:50 PM

Originally Posted by jcsdscott

I've been lurking on this story on another forum; some guys from the area are saying the issue which they had with him was that not only did he leave but that he didn't let the supervisor know. Still I think it's BS and not a fitting punishment at all.

Because he knew the supervisor would call him off and bring him back.

Originally Posted by srab

Something in the Rice's statement doesn't jive. Either someone was gunning for him, or the PD administration is full of shit to begin with. I go with the later. Either way the sanction is overkill.

The admin is pissed he went and assisted the other jurisdiction. Their reaction by firing him is so telling that he would not have been supported going there to help. I would bet a paycheck he told nobody because he knew they would say no. I'll bet he figured it would be a letter in his file though and that he'd take that to do the right thing.

I really hope he gets picked up by another agency.

**Jks9199** · 06-07-11, 11:22 PM

I'm mostly backing the guy... But I do have a question. How far did he have to go? The "he left two on campus" doesn't hold water to me. What'd have happened had he locked up someone? I doubt Rice has it's own jail/magistrate/etc. Failing to notify is weak... and, unless there's a discipline problem already and you just need an excuse, probably warranted a couple days off at most.

**myers3808** · 06-07-11, 11:58 PM

WTF!!!! you'll be better off somewhere else brother if I call for help like that I am glad to know my fellow brothers will come from another country if needed thats just how it works. To bad Admin. tends to forget where they come from once they are in that higher power. WE ALL GO HOME IN THE END!
GREAT JOB OFFICER SEDMAK.

**SnteevveetnS** · 06-08-11, 12:38 AM

The Chief for the CSU school here has a MOU with Fresno for 1 mile from the edge of the CSU school property (so they can pro-actively patrol the problem areas near the university).

I agree there must be more to this, other than "not notifying his dispatcher" of his location.

An CSU PD officer was 1 mile from the campus when a stolen vehicle pulled out in front of him... light on, no yield, pursuit is on. The pursuit ended about 4 miles from campus... Their Lt was a little confused about how he found a stolen vehicle 1 mile from the campus.. Officer was coming back from the jail on surface streets!

I sure hope if I need help everybody and their g-ma comes!!!

**Ace** · 06-08-11, 01:17 PM

Complete bullshit, something that would likely happen at my dept too though...

**Captain America** · 06-08-11, 02:12 PM

Sounds like Rice PD has a bunch of adminstrators that a) never worked as patrol officers or b) forgot what it is like to be a cop. Either way this decision is total bullshit. If something major happens on Rice's campus , I bet they won't mind having mega Houston officers help them out. OFFICER Sedmak can ride in my unit any day. (Yes , it is a fully marked patrol unit like my officers have.)

**Radar** · 06-08-11, 05:34 PM

Originally Posted by Xiphos

Because he knew the supervisor would call him off and bring him back.

I see both sides. He failed to notify his supervisor and dispatcher, but in my mind that doesn't warrant termination.

I do wonder just how far rice has patrol jurisdiction, and just how far away the officer in distress call was.
Was he closer than responding Houston units? Or was it several miles away?

On the other side of it, it would have been so much better if he had notified dispatch and his supervisor, and they had told him no. I wouldve been on that radio so fast telling them negative I'm closest available and continuing. They can fire me later. Plus it makes for even more ammunition against rice if they knew what he was responding to and told him no.

**Jks9199** · 06-08-11, 09:19 PM

Like I said -- I mostly support the guy. But there are pieces to the story I haven't seen. I frequently listen in on the county that surrounds my small jurisdiction. And I'll absolutely respond to an officer in distress in some areas where I may well be closer than any county unit... but I'm not going to fly from my small jurisdiction halfway across the county unless they're requesting our aid, either.

Should he have been fired? HELL NO! Not for this. At most -- and I'm stressing that this would only apply if there was a lot of problems before -- some days off. His heart was in the right place; it's just maybe his judgement or the manner in which he did it that are problems.

**Pudge** · 06-08-11, 10:00 PM

Originally Posted by myers3808

WTF!!!! you'll be better off somewhere else brother if I call for help like that I am glad to know my fellow brothers will come from another country if needed thats just how it works. To bad Admin. tends to forget where they come from once they are in that higher power. WE ALL GO HOME IN THE END!
GREAT JOB OFFICER SEDMAK.

Yep.

"If something's going down, I'm on the way, we'll work out the who requested whom bullshit later." Sound familiar?

**Xiphos** · 06-08-11, 11:36 PM

This is, at most, a letter in your file. He's responding to an emergency, not a vehicle lockout.

It should also not be lost on anybody here that there were two on duty officers and a supervisor at Rice who couldn't even be bothered to respond to an "Officer Down" call on the radio. The only thing those sorry sacks of shit were worried about is, "Where's Sedmak?"

**HudsonHawk** · 06-09-11, 01:39 AM

Originally Posted by Radar

I do wonder just how far rice has patrol jurisdiction, and just how far away the officer in distress call was.
Was he closer than responding Houston units? Or was it several miles away?

One of the news articles put the shooting at 2121 Main Street. Rice University is listed as 6100 Main Street, a distance of 2.3 miles.