Cop fired after helping fellow officers in distress

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."

Yahoo News
Houston Chronicle

This story has made me angry, this is his first offense and he was aiding Houston officers in a life or death situation that was happening just off of campus. He didn't even receive a write-up prior to this offense.

Secure

So the officer MAY deserve a letter stating to notify dispatch, which the officer stated he did in fact notify them by cell phone. You don't fire an officer for helping to save the lives of fellow officers. Sounds like the typical scenario, they didn't consider all the facts and fired a hero. I hope he gets an attorney and sues Rice and that another agency offers him a job. And a university is where we put out the countries future leaders, so if this is the way Rice teaches their students, it's no wonder the country is so messed up.

Secure

I saw this on the local news and I think the officer was wrong for several reasons.

1) There are what, 5,400 police officers according to Wikipedia, in HPD that are paid to respond.

2) He was paid to protect Rice students, facility, staff and property, not to mount up and ride over there. Dudley Do-Right/Mighty Mouse thinking works in cartoons but I know you don't go charging in to save the day without proper intel and situational awareness. I don't remember any of the reports saying anything other than officers down and where. How many suspects were they facing? What kind of weapons were they facing (think The North Hollywood shootout)? Was it life critical that the officers have immediate help (no time to organize a response)? Could the situation be decompressed (let the suspects escape for now)?

3) You don't become a police officer unless you want to make a difference and you know going in that you are paid to assume the risk you may not go home.

4) He might be a police officer, at least on paper, like a lot of others. Yes, I categorize jumped up security guards differently because he doesn't have the same risk every day that the HPD officers and Sheriff deputies have to face (every stop, warrant served or contact with the public may be their last). The odds are with the officers because most of the public are not bug _ _ _ _ crazy or rabid anti-authority/anti-establishment. There are still plenty of people out there that respect the officers/deputies and appreciate the job they do.

There is a small chance that he may face an armed person on campus that intends harm during his service career which is why we have officers on campus instead of security guards. Although, I really believe it's to alay public fears post Columbine. I haven't researched it completely but it seems, at least on the news, that they let the local police/deputies/swat do the heavy lifting on campus. I recognize that this is a man power issue for small campus departments because of proper tactics that need to be used. I don't know the man, his level of training or back ground but I can assume, if you don't do or practice close quarter battle, hostage rescue, room combat and other tactics regularly your tactical thinking dulls and you are more likely to become a casualty.

I think he was reacting emotionally. It reminds me of scene in The Day The Earth Stood Still (the original, not the crappy remake) where Tom tells Helen, "You'll feel different when you read about me in the papers".

reply to post by xXxtremelySecure


was the reason he was fired because he left his post (duty area) i hear off duty officers employed as security calling for backup on my scanner but not the other way around ..need more info

reply to post by granpabobby



He is a police officer that heard an officer down call down the street, Rice University officers have frequently assisted Houston PD, he was fired because he didn't inform dispatch until after the incident.

Secure

reply to post by Bramble Iceshimmer


While I understand your view point, I disagree with it. If this officer was closer, and from the news account he arrived first, its irrelevant who he is paid to protect.

Its called mutual aid. While the officer errored big time by failing to advise dispatch of his actions, I dont agree with the decision to terminate him.

There is a saying -
You may know where you are and what you are doing,
God may know where you are and what you are doing,
If Dispatch does not know where you are or what you are doing, you better be on good terms with God.

In incidents like this the area will be swarmed. In some states, like Michigan, they have a special 10 code (at least they did10 years ago when I was there) that initiated a dispatch relay to surrounding counties. Any law enforcement (extra units) will start towards the officer calling the code, regardless of distance and jurisdiction.

There wqas an incident on 131 North, in Kalamazoo MI. The officer was invlved in a shoot out, called the code, and by the time it was over with they had units from grand rapids on scene. Grand Rapids is about an hour north of kazoo doing the speed limit.

In this case, a reprimand would be appropriate, not termination.