Probe finds police conduct lacking during 2012 Tasering incident

The Davis Police Department on Wednesday released its findings from an internal investigation launched last year after a 20-year-old man was Tasered during a domestic dispute.

Lt. Glenn Glasgow said the probe stemmed from a citizen complaint filed by Tatiana Bush, who along with Jerome Wren was arrested on May 23, 2012, by officers investigating reports of a physical fight in the 2200 block of Glacier Drive.

“The internal investigation focused primarily on the professional conduct of the responding police officers,” Glasgow said in a news release. During a review of audio and video recordings taken at the scene, “it became clear the interactions with Ms. Bush and Mr. Wren did not meet the highest expectations of professional conduct and service that are expected of members of the Davis Police Department.”

Davis’ independent police auditor, Bob Aaronson, also reviewed the incident, Glasgow said.

Glasgow did not disclose whether any officers were disciplined as a result of the investigation, citing personnel privacy issues. However, he did say that “we have taken steps to correct any type of professional conduct we found not in line with the mission statement of the department.”

In a statement released two days after the incident, police said Wren resisted officers who attempted to separate him from Bush, who allegedly inserted herself into the scuffle as police restrained and handcuffed Wren. After being placed in the back seat of a patrol car, Wren reportedly escaped from the cuffs, kicked open a door and punched an officer in the face, setting off another scuffle that led to the use of a Taser.

The Yolo County District Attorney’s Office declined to file charges in the case.

Reached by email Wednesday afternoon, Wren said he disagrees with the Police Department’s assertion that “there was no evidence that bias or the race of any involved person played a part in the handling of this incident.” Both Wren and Bush are African-American.

“There needs to be more dialogue on police/citizen relations, especially citizens of color. This misunderstanding should happen to no one, and it’s important that we re-evaluate why this is even so,” wrote Wren, a UC Davis student. “For me personally, I want open and honest communication. I want to know why I was targeted. I want legitimate explanations.”

Bush, a former Associated Students of UCD senator who served on the task force that investigated the Nov. 18, 2011, pepper-spraying of campus protesters, could not be reached for comment.

— Reach Lauren Keene at lkeene@davisenterprise.net or 530-747-8048. Follow her on Twitter at @laurenkeene