Because of what the board evidently regarded as a loophole, it proposed a new policy that would require officers to confirm the existence of an arrest warrant before stopping a fugitive.
A suspect was mistakenly arrested by Cleveland police officers on an outdated warrantCLEVELAND, Ohio -- The motorist was stopped by police officers, who put him in handcuffs, searched his car and hauled him to another location. The man was a fugitive, the officers told him, and his cellphone was seized.
But in reprimanding Mobley for the improper arrest, the review board absolved him of any wrongdoing for stopping Davy’s car in the first place, noting that there was no rule obligating Cleveland officers to check the status of once-active warrants prior to launching a surveillance operation or conducting a stop.
Lt. Jim O’Malley, the president of the Cleveland police union representing higher-ranking officers, declined to comment on the board’s rulings on Mobley because the case is still an open matter. It will soon be presented to the police chief, who will choose whether to accept the review board’s recommendations.
“I’m hard pressed to find value to say there is a good reason to not check,” he said. “Not unless you want to harass people.”