C0-12-08

INTERNAL INVESTIGATION ..
SUMMARY SHEET
Com pia i nt Number _
Date of Incident :[uLj \""3 , 2 t(J \_,_L._. _______ _
Type of _ _TRu-rH.flAL:t=>\SS$ - Cs:
. EPo {<:.."'\S
Assigned !nvest,igator <:__u,Jt-
Date Assigned .=r uLv\ :;13
1
:La\ '"2-
Due Date
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Extension
Review Dates _____ _
'?eputy Chief ____ _____
' ?D _Adnrin!Miicsevich/COinfo
Complaint #C0-12-08
Complaint Summary
The complaint received on July 19, 2012 alleges that Officer .. - falsely reported
injuring his right thumb while participating in the Renton Police Department Defensive Tactics
Training at 200 Mill Ave. Son July 13, 2012 at 1600 hours. Officer- reported he i1:ljured
his thumb during the training however Officer reported that prior to-
attending the training she had noticed his injured right thumb and-had told her that he
was going to attend defensive tactics training later that day and he was going to report that he
injured it during that training. Officer- attended the defensive tactics training on July
13th at 1430 hours and did in fact report to the instructors that be injured his right thumb during
one of the training scenarios when his thumb got \Vedged bettveen Officer- holster and
hip. Department and City injury reports detailing the incident were completed and then signed
by Ofiicer- The allegations if proven to be true would constitute a violation of the
Renton Police Department General Orders listed below.
Allegation #l
Violation of General Order 26.1.1 .ll.B Unbecoming Conduct
Unbecoming Conduct- Members of the Police Department shall conduct themselves at
al! times, both on and off duty, in such a manner as to reflect most favorably on the
Department Unbecoming conduct shall include that which brings the Department into
disrepute or reflects discredit upon the individual as a member of the Police Department,
or that which impairs the operation or efficiency of the Department or the individual.
Allegation #2
Violation of General Order 26.1.1.1l.G Fictitious Illness or lnjurv Reports
Fictitious Illness or lniury Reports - Members of the Police Department shaH not feign
illness or injury, falsely report themselves ill or injured, or otherwise deceive, or attempt
to deceive, any official of the Department as to the condition of their health.
Allegation #3
Violation of General Order 26.1.1.11TT Truthfulness
Truthfulness- Upon the order of the Chief of Police, the Chiefs designate, or a superior
officer, members of the Police Department shall fully and truthfully answer all questions
specifically directed, and narrowly relating to the performance of official duties, or
fitness for office, which may be asked of them.
POliCE DEPARTMENT
MEMORANDUM
DATE: July 18, 2012
TO: Kevin Milosevich, Chief of Police
Commander
FROM: Clark Wilcox, Commander Patrol Services Division
SUBJECT: Officer injury claim
During Tuesday July 17, 2012 command staff meeting we were discussing officers whom
were injured or on light duty. One of names mentioned by Commander-was
Officer- who stated he injured his thumb during defensive tactics training,
According to the DT sign up sheet Officer- attended training on July 13, 2012 at
1430 hours.
On Wednesday July 18, 2012 during the Patrol Services Division monthly meeting, 1
mentioned that we have five to seven officers on light duty and lf we had a project for
them to do let me know. It was asked who was all on light duty. I mentioned Rob Ylinen
as one of them who hurt his thumb in DT recently and was corrected by an officer in the
division (unknown which officer) who said you mean .. _ .
Later there was a voice mail message from Sgt-She said that during lunch
with Officer -today, Officer -said that- had hurt his thumb prior to
DT and said he was going to claim it as an injury from DT.I called Officer- and
asked her to tell me what she knew about Officer- injury. Officer-said she
was at a coifislon with Officer Hyett on July 13
1
2012 approximately 1300 hours when
she saw Officer-She mentioned his hands as she saw a bruise and swollen
thumb. Dufing this conversation Officer- said, I have DT today and am going to
say I got hurt !n DT.
As Sgt -said in her phone message, this is inappropriate and misconduct on
-part.
POliCE DEPARTMENT
DATE:
TO:
FROM:
SUBJECT:
Commander Clinej
M E M 0 R A N D U M
July 23, 2012
Commander P. Cline
Commander-
Defensive Tactics Injury Report
The purpose of this memorandum is to inform you of my involvement and
understanding of an incident involving a Police Department member claiming they were
injured while attending Department training. This Department member atlegedly made
the statement they were going to claim the injury happened at training that had not yet
taken place.
On Saturday, July 14th at 0949 Officer sent me an e-mail {attached) stating
Officer C.-had injured his thumb the day before (Friday July 13th) at defensive
tactics {DT} tralning. She stated he had come to work that morning and was unable to
draw his weapon so he left to "seek medical treatment". She then advised she had filled
out the required paperw'Ork and left lt on Melissa Day's desk.
That same day at 1635 Officer- sent another e-mail (attached) stating Officer
-had texted her stating his thumb had been strained and was advised to see a
doctor later in the week.
On Tuesday July 17th at approximately 1500 I called and left a message for Officer
- asking about his status and probable return to work date on his eel! phone.
On Wednesday, July 18th at 1006 I sent an e-mail {attached) to Office-asking if
she could get a hold of Officer-and find out a possible prognosis and how he
was doing.
At approximately 1330 that same day, Commander Wilcox invited me into his office to
iisten to a phone message. The message was from Sergeant--Sergeant
- stated she had lunch with Officer- and had told her Officer-
was injured while attending DT last week. Officer- then told her that she spoke
with Officer -just before the DTtraining and that Officer-told her that he
was going to claim an injury to his thumb happened at the training. Sergeant -
stated she thought Officer- actions were untruthful and unprofessionaL
At 1753 Officer-had responded to my earlier e-maH request (attached) stating
Officer- was still out injured and was not going to be ab!e to see his doctor until
July 23r
0

At 1823 I received a voice mail on my desk phone from Officer ~ e apologized
for the late ca!! as one of his children had turned down his phone. He did not comment
on the injury but stated! could reach him on his cell or home phone.
On Ju!y 19th at 1230 I returned Officer- phone calL 1 asked him what had
happened to hls hand. He said "it was a training accident" and described doing weapon
r e t e ~ t i o n in DT and having his thumb trapped in the gun belt of Officer- Officer
-had spun and twisted his thumb.causing injury to his thumb and wrist. Officer
-then stated he had surgery on his wrist before thl.s happened. I asked when his
last surgery was and he replied "2000". I asked him if the injury hurt his wrist ln addition
to his thumb. He said the incident did re-lnjury his wrist but his thumb was a new injury.
I asked him if his thumb was fine before training and he said "yes''.
At 1235 l reported my conversation to Chief Milosevich and Commander Cline. At this
time I have not heard any updates regarding the incident.
V /r submitted,
Commander-
Date

From:
Sent; ..
To:
Subject:
;;;t 14, 2012 16:35
RE: cringe and swear now.,.

,,.; .. ,;H ''cr 0 !-rl r th'"

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\Nil! advise when 1 have fu!'ther
From:-
Sent: Saturday, July 14, 2012 10:38
To:--
Subject: Re: cringe and swear now ...
Dam. Thanks for the heads u;:> .. Nice work.
Sent: SatJul14 09:49:01 2012
Subject: cringe and swear now ...
Hi. Just wanted to let you know- hurt his thumb in DT yesterday afternoon. At the time of the incident a DT
instructor taped it up. Since training was at the very end of the shift -just road it out the extra 20 minutes. He
arrived this morning and was unable to draw hls gun due to the injury and !eft to seek medica! treatment.
Melissa, the CCMSl form & the Incident Report is completed and on your desk . ! left the Supervisor's Report of
Emp!oyee injury on your desk for review.
Please !et me knotv If either of you need anything further.
POUCE OFFiCER
PATROL OPERATiONS DIVISION
RENTON POUCE DEP!,RTME'-.lT
1055 S. GRADY WAI''
RENTON, WA 98057
425-430-7500
@RFNTONWA ...9Q'::!
1
From:
.Sent:
To:
.. _
18,2012 17:53
Subject:

Hey there, sorr; for the delay i've been in training all day. I left messages with Melissa on Monday Inquiring what his
next step should be. ! had not heard back from her. The latest 1 knew was he was not able to get into his own
doctor until _the I then spoke_ to him and asked what_the had told him. in toid him he
could g1ve h1m a !!ght-dury letter nght now or follow up With his own ooctor m three days. -opted for the three day
fo!!ovl-up, but then discovered on Monday he wasn't able to get an appointment. I told h:m to go back to the first doctor
to get the light duty paperwork, but I have not heard back from him. I wil! try and reach him right now to see what i can
find out.
Sent from my !Phone
Hi-
Was wondering if you could do rne a favor? f left a message for-yesterday checking on his status.
Is there any chance you can find out how he is doing and what if any, prognosis on his thurnb? Tr,,ing to
project staffing leveis and make sure HR is up to date on his paperwork.
!f your busy or out of town, no worries. l wHI keep trying,
Thanks!
-
Commander-
City of Renton - Potice Department
Phone : (425) 430 ...
<imageOOl.jpg>
1
l\ny person who knowingly gives fnlse inforrnation in a claim or
application for industrial insurance benefits shall be gui1ty of a Class
C felony when the claim involves $500 or rnore. If the c1aim involves
less than $500, the person shall be guilty of a gross misdemeanor
(RC\V 51.48 .020).
All parties - Co1nplete in Full
Benefits can be delayed if all requested information is not com.p1etecl
when your claim is filed. Please supply all requested information to
ens.ure timely processing of your claim by your self insured employer
or .its representative.
Renton Police Department
Internal Affairs Investigation
Allegation Summary Officer- C0-12-08
On July 13, 2012 at 1600 hours Renton Police Officer was attending Defensive
Tactics training at 200 Mill Ave. S. During weapons retention training Officer-was practicing
with his partner officer- -reported to the training officers that his right thumb had
become wedged between Officer- holster and hip when officer-twisted away.-
reported that this caused an injury to his right thumb. The injury was reported on a Renton Police
Supervisor's Report of Injury form, Human Resources and Risk Management Supervisor's Incident
report and a City of Renton Self Insured Accident Report (SIF-2), which were completed by OIC-
and signed by Officer-
On July 18, 2012 Sergeant--was notJfied by Officer--that Officer
-thumb was injured prior to the defensive tactics training on July 13, 2012. Sergeant-
indicated that- had told her that she was contacted by Officer-on July 13
1
h at 1300 hours
while on an accident investigation. -indicated that she noticed -thumb was injured and
swollen and mentioned it to him. -said that -then told her that he had defensive tactics .
training later that day and he was going to report that the injury occurred there. Officer -relayed
that information to Sergeant- and she sent a memorandum to Commander Wilcox regarding
the possible untruthful reporting of an injury by Officer-
The allegation of wrongdoing by Officer- includes the General Orders violations listed below:
GO 26.1.1.11.B Unbecoming Conduct
GO 26.1.1.11.G Fictitious Hlness or Injury Reports
GO 26.1.1.11.TT Truthfulness
Renton Police Department
Internal Affairs Investigation
C0-12-08
On July 13, 2012 at 1600 hours Renton Police Officer was attending Defensive
Tactics training at 200 MHI Ave. S. During weapons retention training Officer- was practicing
with his partner officer- -reported to the training officers that his right thumb had
become wedged between Officer- holster and hip when officer .. twisted away. -
reported that this caused an injury to his right thumb. The injury was reported on a Renton Police
Supervisor's Report of Injury form, Human Resources and Risk Management Supervisor's Incident
report and a City of Renton Self fnsured Accident Report (SIF-2), which were completed by OlC ..
and signed by Officer-
On July 13, 2012 Sergeant--was notified by Officer- -that Officer
-thumb was injured prior to the defensive tactics training on July 13, 2012. Sergeant-
indicated that-had told her that she was contacted by Officer-on July 13th at 1300 hours
while on an accident investigation. -indicated that she noticed -thumb was injured and
swollen and mentioned lt to him. -said that -then told her that he had defensive tactics
training later that day and he was going to report that the injury occurred there. Officer--e!ayed
that information to Sergeant- and she sent a memorandum to Commander Wilcox regarding
the possible untruthful reporting of an injury by Officer-
During the course of the internal investigation Chief Milosevich was contacted by Renton Police Guild
President, Officer Craig Sjo!in. Sjo!in told chief Milosevich that after being notified of the investigation
Officer-contacted him and told him that he had actually injured his hand while on a camping trlp
with Officer- Sjolin indicated that-had told him that Officer .. was aware that
-thumb was injured while camping and was also aware that-intended to report it as an
on duty injury.
The allegation of wrongdoing by Officer- includes the Genera! Orders violations listed below:
GO 26.1.1.11.8 Unbecoming Conduct
GO 26.1.1.11.G Fictitious Illness or Injury Reports
GO 26.1.1.11.TT Truthfulness
Commander Paul Cline C0-12-Q8
Finding of Fact
1. is a Renton Police officer and was so employed on July 13, 2012.
2. Officer -is a Renton Pollee Officer and was so employed on Ju!y 13,2012.
3. Officer-and .. attended defensive tactics training on July 31, 2012 at 1430 hours.
4. Officer-reported that he had injured his right thumb during the defensive tactics
training while participating in weapons retention drills.
5. Officer .. was-partner in the weapon retention drl!ls and was aware that-
claimed he had injured his right thumb during the drills.
6. Officer- reported to work the morning of July 14, 2012 and told O!C- that he had
injured his thumb in training the previous day and that he could not draw his weapon due to
the injury.
7. -and -filled out and signed the City of Renton Incident form and the Supervisors
Report of Injury form and listed the injury to his right thumb as occurring during defensive
tactics training on July 13,2012. -also provided -with an l&l injury report form to
be completed by the employee and doctor.
8. No ~ o n any of these forms is there any mention of Officer-injuring his right thumb
prior to defensive tactics training.
9. Officer-was off work on J! leav_e time for a total of 60 hours as a result of the alleged
injury to his right thumb in defensive tactics training.
10. Officer- returned to work with a release for full duty on July 2.5, 2012. The L&l injury
report form was completed and turned in. The form was initialed by Officer-declaring
that the statements on the form were true to the best of his knowledge and belief.
11. The l&llnjury Report form identifies the cause of the injury as "During defensive tactics
(weapon retention) my thumb became wedged between other officer's gun holster & hip as
officer twisted, wrenching my thumb''.
12. No were on the L&l form is there any mention of a prior recent injury to-thumb that
occurred from a fall while off-duty.
13. Officer--said that she had contact with Officer-on July 13, 2012 at
approximately 1300 while on a traffic collision scene, prior to his defensive tactics training that
was scheduled for 1430 hours.
14. During that contact she noticed obvious injuries on-right arm and also noted that his
right thumb appeared bruised, swollen and injured as well.
15. Officer- said that she asked -about the injuries and specifically about the injury
to his right thumb and-told her at least twice that he was going to report it as being
injured during his defensive tactics training scheduled for later that day.
16. Officer- said -never did tell her how he actually injured his right thumb but she
said he seemed serious about report it as an on duty injury and that he wasn't joking around
but was serious saying, there was no doubt in her mind.
17. Officer said that some time later she !earned that Officer- was on Jl leave time
as a result of injuring his thumb during DTtraining on July 13, 2012.
18. Officer- contacted her supervisor Sergeant -and told her about-
thumb being lnjured prior to the defensive tactics training and the fact that he had told her he
was going to report it as occurring on duty at defensive tactics training.
19. Sergeant-informed Commander Clark Wilcox of what Officer-had to!d her
about- injuries and how they occurred.
20. Commander Wilcox completed a memorandum dated July 18, 2012 detailing the information
he had been to!d about- injured thumb and forwarded it to Chief Milosevich and
Commander-
21. Chief Milosevich forwarded me the information and asked that I begin an investigation into the
incident.
22. Commander- is- nd he contacted-by
phone on July 19, 2012 to inquire about the injury, ensure the appropriate forms were
completed and to see if there was any anticipated return to work date.
23. Commander- completed a memorandum detaillng his contact with Officer-
and the conversation that they had. He provided me with a copy of that memorandum.
24. - reported that-told him that his right thumb was injured in a training accident
during DT training on July 13, 2012. He also said that he had re-injured his right wrist from a
previous surgery but that the injury to his right thumb was a "new injury".- reported
that he asked -if hls thumb was fine before training and said that-said, "yes".
25. I contacted Officer- and advised him that he was the subject of a departmental internal
investigation regarding alleged fraudulent use of leave time and truthfulness.
26. On 07-26-12 I was contacted by Chief Milosevich and he told me that he had been contacted by
Renton Police Guild President Sergeant Sjo!ln about this investigation. Chief Milosevich told me
that Sjo!in had informed him that-contacted him after l had given him his notification
of the internal investigation. Sjolln told Chief Milosevich that-had told him that he had
!lijured his right thumb while camping on his days off just prior to July 13
1
2012 and that he was
concerned about losing his job. Milosevich also told me that Sjolin had indicated that Officer
--and-may have been aware of the fact that-was going to report
the injury as occurring on duty at DT training.
27. I notified Officer -that he was also the subject of an internal investigation.
28. Officer--is on the same Patrol squad as Officer-and was working with him
on July 13, 2012. -said he was in briefing with-on July 13 and also present on a
traffic collision where-had a conversation with Officer- -said he did not
notice any injuries on-but wasn't really !coking at his hands. -also said that
-did not mention any injuries to him during their contacts on July 13, 2012. -
didn't over hear the conversation between -and-at the collision scene.
29. On July 14th, 2012 Officer-saw-at dayshift briefing and noticed that he was not
in uniform. -said that -told him he had injured his thumb in defensive tactics
training on July 13
1
h. -said-showed him his thumb and he noticed lt was
swollen. -said -went home and to his knowledge did not return to work until
July 25
1
". When -returned to work,-asked him how his thumb was and-
gave him a thumbs-up gesture indicating it was better.
30. 1 interviewed Officer ~ n July 27, 2012
31. -told me that he was with Officer-on a camping trip on July 11,2012 and that
while on that trip Officer-feU and injured his right thumb.
32. -said that after returning from the camping trip and prior to attending defensive tactics
training Officer-called him on the phone and asked him to be his partner in OT training
on the 13
1
h. IIIII thought this was "weird" that he did this because-usually partners
with Officer Brunner but thought- asked because he knew his thumb was injured and
he would go easy on him during the training ..
33. -said that Officer-mentioned reporting that the injury to his thumb occurred in
defensive tactics training and claiming l&l but at first he thought he was joking.
34. -said that he partnered with -during OTtraining and during the training-
claimed he injured his right thumb while doing a weapon retention drill with him. -said
immediately after-said he injured his thumb he looked at it and it was swollen but he
found it hard to believe that if it was a new injury that it would swell that quickly.
35. -said that-reported the injury to DT instructor Officer -and that-
taped the thumb.
36. -said he initially thought he might have injured-thumb in DT training but now
he doesn't think he injured it and thinks- reported the injury as occurring at DT training
to claim it as an on duty injury.
37. Officer-indicated that he believes Officer- knew what he was doing was wrong
and a violation of the General Orders.
38. --that it was strange that- had mentioned reporting the injury to his thumb
as happening during DT training and then he did report it occurred there.
39. Officer- said he did not report the fact that he knew- had injured his thurnb off
duty and that-had mentioned claiming it as an on-duty injury to any supervisor
because he initially thought- was joking about reporting lt as an on-duty injury, did not
know what if anything- had told any supervisor about the injury and at first thought he
might have re-injured -thumb in the DT training. ,
40. I interviewed on July 31, 2012.
41. Officer-said he went on a camping trip with Officer- and while on that trip he fell
and hyper-extended his thumb. -said he was able to function at work so he did not
seek any medica! attention and did not report the injury to any supervisor.
42. -said that prior to returning to work on July 13, 2012 he called Officer- and that
he "joked" about it being an l&l injury. -said he made a comment like, "hey if you
hurt it camping it's sick leave, if you hurt it at on-duty or in training then it's l&l.
43. Officer- admits that he told Officer-that he was going to claim the injury to his
thumb occurred at DT training later ln the day but again said he was just joking.
44. -said he asked- to partner with him in the DT training that was scheduled for july
13, 2012 at 1430 because he knew- would take it easy on him.
45. -said he told DT instructors- and-that he hurt his thumb camping but
that he was going to do the scenarios.
46. -said that while doing weapon retention drills in the training his thumb got caught on
-holster and he his right thumb but it was worse than the original injury he
sustained while camping.
47. -told Officer- he injured his thumb in the training drill and Officer- taped his
thumb. -did not participate in any further drills.
48.-did not contact his or any supervisor to report the Injury to hls thumb until 0430 the
following momlng.
49. Following the training- went home since his shift was over.
50. - texted OIC- on July 14, 2012 at about 0430 and told her he had injured his
thumb in defensive tactics training on the 13
111
and didn't know if he could draw his weapon,
51. -showed up for work on July14th but told-he could not draw his weapon due to
the DT injury to his thumb.
52. O!C- completed the City of Renton Incident report, the Supervisor's Report of Injury and
provided- with an l&l packet to fill out and give to a doctor when he received
treatment
53. -did not mention anything to O!C-about injuring his right thumb while camping
on the weekend but listed the injury on the forms as occurring in defensive tactics training on
July 13, 2012,
54. Officer -signed the injury and incident reports and went home on Jlleave time.
55. Officer -eventually saw his doctor, was released to full duty on July 24th, 2012 and
returned to work on his first day of rotation on July 25, 201Z.
56. The L&l form completed by -and the doctor makes no mention of the injury to
-thumb occurring from a fall while camping but only stated it was caused during Dt
training while on duty. -initialed the L&l form on July 14, 2012 as being true to the best
of his knowledge and belief.
57. -was on Jl !eave for 60 hours before returning to work.
58. Officer-had only (1) one hour of sick leave balance and (72} seventy two hours of
personal !eave on June 30, 2012.
59. Officer-said that it is we!! know that-doesn't save up his leave time and he
believes-used the l&l for !eave time.
60. Officer- squad was at or below minimum during his absence on J! leave and Officer
- indicated that they had to borrow and call officers in on overtime to cover o ~
while he was off on Jlleave time.
61. Officer- said that -did tell him he "tweaked" his thumb after they had done the
first scenario during the DT training but that he still wanted to participate in the training. -
said he saw some injuries and stitches on-arm from a prior surgery. -said that
during the training he heard- say "ow" several times and he told him a couple of times
to ''lay off" so as not to injure the thumb. -said after that he heard- say "ow"
loudly one last time and -reported he had injured his right thumb.-said he taped
the thumb and -did not participate in any more scenarios.-said that he probably
shouldn't have let -participate in the scenario training because of his injuries,-said
-didn't tell him he injured his thumb while camping and didn't find that out until after
the reported injury during DT training.
62. Officer-said Officer-spoke to him on July 13th prior to the DT training and
he noticed some injuries on his arm from a surgery. - said-told him that he
had injured his thumb while on a camping trip over their weekend. -said he didn't
know- was scheduled for DT later that day but then saw him there and was aware he
told Officer- he injured his thumb during the scenarios. -did not see the
alleged injury occur.
63. Officer- said he knows that what he did looks bad, but that he did not intend t? falsely
claim that the injury occurred during DT training so he could claim it on L&L
64. When I asked Office- if he was less than truthful when he did not divulge to any
supervisor or on any of the injury forms that his thumb was injured just prior to the DT training
during a fall while camping o f f ~ d u t y he replied, "potentially, but that wasn't my intent".
65. -said he joked about claiming the injury as occurring on duty, that they were poorly
chosen words and in retrospect he jinxed himself.
66. -said he does not recall telling Commander-that he had re-injured his wrist
during the DT training but did remember telling-that the thumb injury was new.
-said he does not recall telling-that his thumb was fine before the DT training
as is documented in-memorandum.
67.-said he does not remember if he told Commander- that he injured his thumb
while camping shortly before the DT training however Commander- indicated that
- never told him his thumb was injured in a fall while on a camping trip just prior to the
DT training and in fact told him his thumb was fine before the training.
68. ! asked Office- if he believed that id someone was claiming an injury had occurred on
duty and that they had just very recently had a prior injury to the same place did he think that
it was important to notify the supervisors of the prior injury and when they filled out the L&l
forms and City Injury forms that they should make mention of that prior injury,- replied,
"generically speaking, yes". -said his injury he received while camping didn't prevent
him from working but when it got injured again in training it was worse and he couldn't work.
-said he didn't want to say that it was a different injury because obviously it happened
to the same area but it was a worse injury. -said he should have divulged that
information saying, "in hindsight, yes I should have",
69. Officer did injure his right thumb while off-duty on a camping trip and did
not report that to any supervisor when he returned to work. He made comments to two
officers indicating that he was going to report the injury as occurring during the DT training
class he was going to attend on July 13,2012. He attended DTtraining on hls first day back to
work after the camping trip and mentioned he had tweaked his right thumb while camping to
one of the instructors. He participated in DTtraining scenarios with Officer -and alleged
that he injured his thumb while doing so. -now says he does not thlnk he injured
-thumb in training. -reported the injury to OlC -Commander-
and on City and L&l injury reports as occurring during DT training but never mentioned to any
of them that his thumb was injured just prior to that training while he was camping. -
was off work on Jl injury leave for 60 hours. -now admits he should have reported the
prior injury to his right thumb to supervisors and on the injury reports he signed. -says
he was only joking when he told other officers that he was going to claim the original injury
occurred on duty so he could claim it as an L&! injury and still contends that he re-in jured hls
thumb during the DT training accident.-said he knows it looks bad that he told other
officers that he was going to report the initial injury as an L&! injury and then he got injured in
training and reported it as an L&l injury but he didn
1
t intent to fraudulently report the injury
and use L&l injury leave time.
Renton Police Department C0-12-08
Investigative Summary
Date 07-19-12
I was contacted by Chief Milosevich and he advised me of a possible General Orders violation involving
Officer-- Chief Milosevich told me that it had come to his attention that Officer-
was currently off duty as the result of an alleged on-duty injury to his left thumb that he reported
receiving while attending Defensive Tactics training on July 13, 2012 at 1430 hours,
Chief Milosevich advised me that he had received a memorandum from Commander Clark Wilcox on
July 18, 2012 that induded the allegation that Officer-did not injure his thumb in defensive
tactics training as he had alleged but that his thumb was actually injured prior to his attending the
training. Wilcox listed the following information in his memorandum to Chief Milosevich.
He had conducted a Patrol Services meeting on July 18, 2012.
During that meeting he covered the Department employees who were out on disability
or light duty.
Included in this !ist was Officer --who was out with an injured thumb that he
had reported occurred during defensive tactics training on July 13, 2012.
Later that day Commander Wilcox received a voice mail from Sergeant-
-told him that she had lunch with Officer -nd that during that lunch
Officer _.ad told her that Officer-had injured his thumb prior to attending
defensive tactics training and told her he was going to claim it as an injury from
Defensive Tactics training. -had told Sergeant- that she was at an
accident scene on July 13th at 1300 (prior to-scheduled DT), when she
contacted-and saw his thumb was swollen and bruised. -said that during
their conversation -told her "I have DT today and am going to say I got hurt in
DT." ~ e p o r t e d this information to Sergeant- who in turn notified
Commander Wilcox. (Wilcox's memorandum to Chief Milosevich is included in this
internal investigation.)
1 obtained copies of the RPD Supervisor's Report of Injury, City of Renton HR and Risk Management
Supervisor's Incident report, Self Insured Accident Report (SIF-2), Renton Police Patrol Daily Roster for
July 13, 2012 and the Defensive Tactics Attendance roster for July 2012. ! included those copies in this
investigation. These forms document that Officer-was working dayshift north at the Renton
Police Department on July 13, 2012, that he attended defensive tactics training on July 13th at 1430
hours, that he reported injuring his right thumb during that training and that he reported and signed the
Employee Injury reports indicating that he injured his right thumb during defensive tactics on July 13
1
h at
1600 hours.
Commander Paul Cline Investigative Summary C0-12-08
I contacted Patrol North Commander -about this investigation. Commande-is
Officer- told me he was going to contact Officer-to confirm
with him how the injury occurred and make sure all the required paperwork was correctly completed.
1600 Commander- contacted me and told me he had spoken on the phone with -and
he confirmed the injury to his right thumb occurred at the defensive tactics training on July 13, 2012 at
approximately 1600 hours and that prior to that his thumb was fine. He further advised that-
was seeking medical attention. l asked-to complete a memorandum documenting his
conversation with -and to forward it to me.
Scheduled days off.
Contacted Commander- and obtained a memorandum detailing his involvement in this
incident. -memorandum confirmed that Officer-had attended DT training on July 13,
2012, had injured his right thumb and re-injured an old wrist injury during the training. -said
that-had described his injury as a "training accident" that occurred during DT training when his
thumb was trapped in the gun belt of Officer- -told-that the accident had
injured his thumb and had re-in jured a prior injury to his wrist. -indicated that-told
him that his thumb was fine prior to the defensive tactics training. I included a copy of Commander
-memorandum in the correspondence section of this investigation.
-told me that Officer- had contacted him and told him he had been released to full duty
as of Wednesday July 24, 2012. I asked -how long- had been off due to the injury to his
thumb and wrist and he gave me the following information.
July 13 -reported an injury to his right thumb that occurred at DT training at 1600 hours (End
of shift, no time loss)
July 14 -reported to work but left on Jl time because he could not draw his weapon due to the
injury to his thumb that he reported occurred at DT on July 13th,
July 15 Off Duty on Jl due to thumb injury.
July 16-18 Regularly scheduled days off.
July 19-21 Off duty on Jl due to thumb injury.
Jufy 25 Scheduled to return to work full duty.
Commander Paul Cline Investigative Summary C0-12-08
Total time loss for J! {on duty injury} 60 hours. Total sick leave balance for- on 06-30-12 was (1)
one hour. Total Personal Leave balance was (72) hours. See attached Te!estaff schedule and Leave
Balance Report.
I completed the questions for Officer interview.
07-24-12
1100 I contacted Officer by phone at her office to notify her that I needed to interview
her as a witness in this investigation. I asked her when she would be able to meet with me for the
interview and we mutually agreed to conduct the interview in my office on 07-245-12 at 1300.
1300 1 met with Officer in my office. l read her the witness officer admonishment and
then interviewed her about her contact with Officer- on 07-13-12. The following is a synopsis of
that recorded interview.
-told me that both she and Officer -were working on 07-13-12
-said she contacted Officer -on a traffic collision scene and had a conversation
with him.
-said that Officer-and Traffic Officer Hyett were also present at the accident
scene.
-told me she and Officer-were in the roadway away from Officer Hyett and
-when they had their discussion and she does not believe Hyett or-could hear
their conversation.
-said she noticed what appeared to be old injuries on Officer-arm and asked
him about them and he told her they were old injuries. -then said she noticed that
-thumb was obviously swollen and bruised. -could not remember if it was his
left or right thumb but did indicate that she was drawn to it because it was obviously injured.
She said she did not notice any injury to hls other thumb. -asked-what had
happened to his thumb and -said he had DT later in the day and was going to report
that it happened there.
-said she thought- was just kidding and asked again what happened to his thumb.
-again reiterated that he was going to report it being injured at DT training later in the
day.
-said the conversation took only about a minute and a half and -never did tell her
how he injured his thumb. -said she was a little surprised at the comment-
made especially since she had been off duty with an injured hand recently.
- toid me that on July 18, 2012 she was attending a Traffic Division meeting and
Commander Wilcox announced the department officers who were out on disabl!lty or light
Commander Pau! Cline Investigative Summary C0-12-08
duty. When -heard that Officer -was off duty as a result of injuring his thumb
during defensive tactics training on July 13th, 2012 she became concerned,
-had lunch with Sergeant-on July 18, 2012 and told her about her conversation
with Officer-on July.13, 2012 at 1300. Sergeant- then relayed that
information to Commander Wilcox.
Officer -told me that she believes that Officer -reported the injury as occurring at
DT training so that it would be covered by the city as an on duty injury. Officer- said
that she has not spoken to -since July 13, 2012.
For a more detailed account of Officer- recorded statement see her transcribed interview
included ln the statements section of this investigation.
On 08-07-12 at 1512 hours I re-contacted Officer-by phone to ask her some followup
questions. I reminded her that the "witness officer admonition" still applied and she acknowledged
that. I asked Officer- if she had specifically noticed the injury to Officer -thumb when
she spoke to him on July 13, 2012 at approx 1300 hours. She told me that she noticed injuries and he
may have shown her his thumb but said that she already had noticed it because it was obviously
injured. I asked Officer- if she felt that Officer- was being serious when he told her
that he was going to report injuring his thumb in defensive tactics training later in the day, or did
she think he was joking around. Officer-told me, "he was serious, no doubt in my mind".
07-2412 I contacted Traffic Officer Ralph Hyett and inquired about his involvement in this incident.
Officer Hyett told me that he was with Officer -on July 13
1
h investigating a traffic collision and
that he saw Officer-at that collision scene. Officer Hyett said he did not overhear any of the
conversation between Officer n d Officer-and that he was never dose enough to
-to notice any injury.to his hand.
07-25-12
Officer-returned to work full duty today and reported to dayshift briefing. -turned in
the appropriate return to duty paperwork.
1300 l contacted Officer -and advised her she was a witness in this investigation. We
mutually agree to conduct her interview today at 1400 hours.
1409 ! conducted a recorded interview with Officer-in my office. The following is a synopsis of
that interview.
Officer-told me that she was working as the North Sector OIC on July 13, 2012 since Sergeant
Summers was on leave time. She said that Officer-was also working that day assigned to the
north sector. -said that she did the brieifing and that Officer- was there and sat approx
10 feet away from her. -said that she did not see any injuries to -hand or thumb but
added that she wasn't looking at his hands and didn't really pay much attention to his condition. She
Commander Paul Cline Investigative Summary
C0-12-0S
said that even if he had an injury on his right hand she might not have noticed it.-did not recall
going to any other calls with-during the day but did remember that he attended defensive
tactics at 1430. ~ a i d that she left early that day and did not see-after his DT training.
- told me that she was contacted via text message by -and he told her that he had injured
his thumb at defensive tactics training and that Officer- had taped it. -said she was
contacted again by -in the early morning hours of Jul14th prior to dayshift briefing. He texted
her telling her that he wasn't sure he could draw his weapon due to the injury to his thumb,-
showed up for dayshift briefing on the 14th and- told him to try to draw his duty weapon from
the holster. -tried to draw his weapon from hls duty holster but told-he couldn't.
- then advised him he could not work in that condition and advised him he needed to use leave
time and see a doctor about the injury. -completed the Supervisors report of injury and the City
Incident form detailing the injury and its reported cause. She also supplied him with an L&l packet for
the doctor to fiH out. - advised me that officer -signed the report of injury and incident
report.
Later that day- sald she texted the location of several walk in medical clinics for -to go to
and have his injury treated. -contacted-later to let him know he had been to a walk in
clinic and was given the option of returning to work on light duty or seeing his regular physician ln a
few days. -chose to see his own doctor but was unable to get in to see him for a few day.
-told me that-was off on Job Injury leave from July 14
111
through the 24th when he was
released by his doctor for full duty. -returned to full duty on July 25th which is the first day of
his (3) three day on duty rotation.
Following my interview with officer_ I contacted her again by phone on 03-01-12 at 1620 hours.
The reason! re-contacted her was to clarify a few points that were in her interview. I advised her that
the "Witness officer admonition" was still applicable and that she was required to answer my
questions truthfully. She acknowledged that she was aware the admonition was still in effect I asked
Officer- her !fat any tlme during her contact with Officer-he had mentioned that he had
injured his thumb prior to attending defensive tactics training on July 13, 2012. I also asked her if
-had told her he injured his right thumb while camping prior to the defensive tactics training
and had re-in jured it in the defensive tactics training class. Officer- told me that Officer
- never mentioned anything about injuring his thumb prior to the defensive tactics training or
injuring it while he was camping and then re-injuring it while in defensive tactics training. -
told me that -only told her that he injured his thumb while participating in defensive tactics
training and that is what she put ln her supervisor's report of injury report.
I reviewed the injury report forms and L&l SIF form and I noted that there was absolutely no
mention of-thumb being injured prior to defensive tactics training or that it was re-lnjured
in the training. All of the City and department injury reports indicate that the injury to Officer
-right thumb was the result of a training accident during departmental defensive tactics
training and make no mention of his thumb being injured prior to that time in an off-duty fall. All of
the injury report forms are included in this investigation in the reports section and are signed or
initialed by Officer-
Commander Paul Cline Investigative Summary C0-12-08
For a more complete account of Officer- interview see her transcribed statement that is
included in this investigation under the statements section.
1440 I contacted Officer- in Commande-office and advised him that he was the
subject of an internal affairs investigation involving fraudulent use of leave time, conduct unbecoming
and truthfulness. I read him the Pre-Interview Notification, we both signed it and I provided him with
a copy of the form. Commander-was present during the notification.
0920 I was contacted by Chief Milosevich and informed that he had been contacted by Guild
President, Sergeant Craig Sjolin. Sjolin told Chief Milosevich that after l that he was
the subject of an internal investigation on July 25th, -contacted him to discuss the incident
Chief Milosevich told me that Sjo!in told him Officer- had informed him that he was
concerned about losing his job and that the injury to his thumb had occurred while he was off duty
on a camping trip with Officer-and not at defensive tactics as he had reported. Chief
Milosevich told me that it appeared that Officer- was aware of how the injury occurred and
had some knowledge that Officer -was going to report it as on on-duty injury. Chief
Milosevich said that Sjolin had told hlm that Defensive Tactics instructors Officer- and-
- may have also had some !eve! of knowledge that the injury occurred prior to the DT
training on July 13, 2012.
Following my discussion with Chief Milosevich I prepared interview questions for- and Officer
-focusing on both Officers as subjects of this internaL l completed an a !legation summary for
Officer-
1017 I contacted Officer -and interviewed him about his knowledge of this incident. Officer
-told me he is on Sergeant Summers Patrol squad with officer--told me that he
sits one seat away from- in the briefing room and that both of them were working on July 13,
2012 and attended briefing. Officer-said that he did not notice anything unusual about Officer
-that morning and dld not recall seeing any Injuries on officer--said he did not
spedfical!y look at -right hand but added that nothing drew his attention to it either.
Officer- said that at approximately 1300 he responded to a traffic collision with officer-
but again did not notice anything unusual about him including any injuries. -told me that
Traffic Officer's Hyett and- responded to the collision as well and he remembers speaking to
them but did not overhear any conversation between Officer- Following
the collision he recalled Officer-went to defensive Tactics training and did not have any
further contact with him that day.
- said that he was in briefing the next morning July 14th, 2012 and noticed that Officer-
was also there but was not in uniform. He said that Officer-told him that he had injured his
right thumb in defensive tactics training the prior day. -said that-showed him his
thumb and he noticed it was swollen and appeared injured. -said that Officer- went
Commander Paul Cline Investigative Summary C0-12-08
For a more complete account of Officer- interview see her transcribed statement that is
included in this investigation under the statements section.
1440 ! contacted Officer- in Commande-office and advised him that he was the
subject of an internal affairs investigation involving fraudulent use of leave time, conduct unbecoming
and truthfulness. I read him the Pre-Interview Notification, we bo1
a copy of the form. Commander- was present during the
07-26-12
0920 I was contacted by Chief Milosevich and informed that he ha
President, Sergeant Craig Sjo!in. Sjolin to!d Chief Milosevich that a
the subject of an internal investigation on July 25th, -conta
Chief Milosevich told me that Sjolin told him Officer-had
concerned about losing his job and that the injury to his thumb h;
on a camping trip with Officer-and not at defensive tactics
Milosevich told me that it appeared that a wart
had some knowledge that going to report it a
Milosevich said that Sjo!in had told him that Defensive Tactics instr / ___.-
may have a!so had some level of knowledge that the in
training on July 13, 2012.
Following my discussion with Chief Milosevich ! prepared interview questions for- and Officer
-focusing on both Officers as subjects of this internaL I completed an allegation summary for
Officer-
1017 I contacted Officer -and interviewed him about his knowledge of this incident. Officer
-told me he is on Sergeant Summers Patrol squad with officer- -told me that he
sits one seat away from- in the briefing room and that both of them were working on July 13,
2012 and attended briefing. Officer- said that he did not notice anything unusual about Officer
-that morning and did not recall seeing any injuries on officer--said he did not
spedfica!ly look at -right hand but added that nothing drew his attention to it either.
Officer- said that at approximately 1300 he responded to a traffic collision with officer-
but again did not notice anything unusual about him including any injuries. -told me that
Traffic Officer's Hyett and -responded to the collision as well and he remembers speaking to
them but did not overhear any conversation between Officer-and Officer- Following
the collision he rec.a!!ed Officer-went to defensive Tactics training and did not have any
further contact with him that day.
-said that he was ln briefing the next morning July 14fu, 2012 and noticed that Officer-
was also there but was not in uniform. He said that Officer -told him that he had injured his
right thumb in defensive tactics training the prior day. -said that-showed him his
thumb and he notlced it was swollen and appeared injured. -said that Officer -went
Commander Paul Cline Investigative Summary
home following their contact and to his knowledge did not return to work until July 2St
11
, 2012.
-said he did not have any contact with-while he was gone but when he returned to
work on July 25th he asked-how his thumb was and-gave him a "thumbs up'' gesture
indicating it was better.
For a more complete account of Officer- interview see his transcribed statement that is
included in the statements section ofthis investigation.
1630 I contacted Commander Karlewicz and had him join me in a meeting with Officer- !
advised Officer-of the investigation and that he was a subject in the investigation. I read Officer
-the pre-interview notification and we both signed it. ! informed officer-ofthe allegation
of wrong doing and he said he was aware of what I was talking about. ! that l needed to
schedule an interview with him and gave him the option of contacting a Guild representative first. We
agreed to conduct the interview the morning of Friday July 27, 2012 and would determine the exact
time of the interview after he spoke to his Guild Representative and made arrangements to have them
present at the interview.
1100 l interviewed Officer -in my office. Officer accompanied by his Gulld
representative Cathy Citron. The following is a summary of Officer-statement.
Officer- totd me that he recalled the incident involving Officer-reported thumb injury.
-told me that he went on a camping trip wlth Officer-around Juty 11, 2012 and that
during that trip Officer -fell and injured his right thumb. When they returned from the
camping trip he received a phone call from Officer-in which-asked him to be his
defensive tactics training partner on July 13, 2012. -said that this was unusual because he
usually partners with another officer. -told me that during that phone conversation-
told him that he was going to say that he injured his thumb during defensive tactics training and
claim it as an on--duty injury. -said he thought-was joking at first. -said he
attended the defensive tactics training on Ju!y 13, 2012 and that he partnered with Officer-
- said that during the training they practiced a weapons retention drill and during that drill
-claimed he injured his right thumb and subsequently reported that to the DT instructors that
he had injured his thumb during the training. -said that-took off his gloves immediately
following his reported injury and that he noticed that-right thumb was already swollen.
-said the DT instructors were Officers .. - Hassinger and Morgan and that
-told -that he had injured his thumb during the scenario.-aid that Officer ..
taped -thumb following the injury.
-said at first he thought he might have injured-thumb during the DT training but
then indicated he now doesn't think he injured it and thinks-reported the injury as
occurring at the training so it would be an on-duty injury and save leave time. -said it is well
known that-doesn't have much available leave time balance and felt that he may have
claimed the injury on l&l to,
11
USe it for leave". I asked Officer- with the
Commander Paul Cline Investigative Summary C0-12-08
had given him, did he think Officer- knew that what he was doing was wrong and a violation
of department General Orders. Officer .. replied, "yes". Officer- said he did not report
this information to a supervisor because he did not know what if anything Officer-had told
any supervisor about his injury, thought-was joking at first and initially thought he might
have re-in jured-thumb in defensive tactics training.
For a more complete account of Officer- interview see his transcribed statement that is
induded in this investigation.
I reviewed the transcribed statements o r ~ n d -and completed the interview questions
for Officer-
07-28-12 through 07-29-12
Scheduled days off.
07-31-12
l completed the questions for Officer -interview and scheduled to meet him at 1400 to
conduct the interview.
1400 I conducted an interview in my office with Officer- Sergeant Craig Sjo!in sat in on the
interview as -guild representative. The following is a synopsis of that interview.
Officer- said he was working at the Renton Police department on July 13, 2012 and that he and
Officer -attended defensive tactics training at 1430 hours on that date.
1 asked- how he had injured his right thumb and he told me that he had initially hurt it while
camping on his days off. -said he slipped on a ravine and hyper-extended his thumb. He said
that Officer- was present when the injury occurred. -said that he did not seek medical
attention for his thumb at that time. l asked- if he had told Officer -that he was going to
claim the injury to his thumb occurred on-duty at defensive tactics training that he was scheduled for
on July 13t
11
-admitted to having a phone conversation with-priorto returning to
work on July 13t
11
and that during that conversation he "joked" with-about getting l&l for
the injury. -said he made a comment like, "hey you know if you hurt at camping it's sick
leave, if you hurt it at on-duty or in training then it's l&l". -said that where they come from it
is part of their culture to joke about getting L&l but he didn't intend to do it. He said he asked-
to partner with him at the upcoming defensive tactics training on July 13
1
h so he could mitigate the
injury from getting any worse. -said his thumb was sore and painful but he was still able to
function at work with the injury.
-told me that during that training on July 13th he participated in weapon retention scenarios
and that his thumb had become pinned between Officer- holster and gun belt. -said
that as a result of his thumb being pinned and Officer .. twisting away, his right thumb was
injured. He said he reported the injury to DT instructor -and that .. taped his thumb to
Commander Paul C!ine Investigative Summary C0-12-08
support the injury. - told me that he had told Officer- and - that his thumb was
sore prior to the defensive tactics scenarios. -said his shift ended when the training was done
and he went home. He did not report the injury to any supervisor at that time. -told me that
the incident re-in jured his right thumb from the previous injury but added that it was a worse injury.
I asked Officer- If he had told anyone else that his thumb was initially injured while camping.
He told me that Officer- noticed the injury to his thumb and that he had showed it to her.
-affirmed that he had told-that he was going to say the injury happened at defensive
tactics training later that day. -said that he was just joking when he told that to-
-told me he didn't recall telling-how he actually injured his thumb but said he might
have. -said that on his first day back to work (July 13th)after injuring his hand whlle camping he
did not notify any supervisor that he had injured his thumb while camping on his days off. He
attended defensive tactics training on that sam!:? day at 1430 hours and participated ln weapon
retention scenarios. -said his thumb was still slightly swollen but that he could function.
-said that while participating in the DT scenarios he re-in jured his thumb.
- told me that when he came back to work on July 14th after re-injuring his right thumb in DT
training that he reported the injury to his squad OlC .. _ He told her he didn't think he
could draw his weapon because of the injury to his thumb and when he tried to draw his weapon he
couldn't. O!C-told him he could not work that day due to his !imitations and she completed the
Supervisors report of injury and a City of Renton Incident Report form.-told me that he did
not mention the fact that he had injured his thumb while camping prior to the training but only told
- that he had injured his thumb in defensive tactics training the day before. OlC
- issued- an l&l packet to complete and give to the doctor when he saw one. l asked
- if he should have reported that his thumb was injured prior to the DT training when he
reported the injury to-and he said "Yes, in hind sight that's probably what I should have
done". I he told any of the people who treated him for the injury, such as his
doctor, that the injury initially occurred off-duty in a fall and he said that he did not tell them. He
said he did tell them that he hurt his hand in DT training but didn't tell them about injuring it
duty in a fall. -admitted that he probably should have told them that.
-confirmed that he was off work on Job-lnjury time for approx 60 as a result of the injury to his
thumb and also confirmed that he only had (6} six hours of available sick leave balance in his leave
bank but that he had enough Personal leave time to cover it. -had approx (72) seventy-two
hours of personal leave balance available)
-told me that he knows what he did looks very bad but that he did not intend to falsely claim
an on-duty L&! injury. When I asked-f he was totally truthful in this matter, he said yes.
When I asked if he was less than truthful by not divulging the prior off-duty injury to his hand to any
supervisor or on any of the injury forms he responded, "potentially, but that wasn't my intent".
Commander Paul Cline Investigative Summary
-told me that he joked about claiming the injury as an l&l injury and that they were poorly
chosen words. He said in retrospect he jinxed himself because he didn't plan to get hurt and claim
l&l.
1 asked- if he would be surprised to hear that Officer -now believes that he did not hurt
his-hand during the training scenarios,- said that would surprise him,
On August 8, 2012 I conducted a second interview with Officer- to cover a memorandum
completed by Commander- regarding this incident dated July 23, 2012, Commander
-memorandum is included in this investigation in the "Correspondence" section and should
be read prior to reading this second statement by-The following is a synopsis of that follow-
up interview.
1 asked- if he remembered having a phone conversation On July 23, 2012 with Commander
-about his injury that he had alleged occurred during defensive tactics training on July 13th,
2012. -said he did recall having a phone conversation with-around that time.
-said he didn't remember a lot of the conversation but did remember that he told-
that he hurt his thumb In DT training-said he didn't recall telling-that he had re-
injured his wrist but did recall telling him that the thumb was a new injury. -said he didn't
recall-asking him if his thumb was fine before the training and didn't recall telling
-that his thumb was fine before the training. -said he didn't recall mentioning
anything about the thumb injury being new or preexisting.
Officer-told me that he doesn't remember if he told-that he had injured his thumb
while camping prior to the defensive tactics training. -told me that he mentioned that his
thumb was injured before DT training to the instructors Jill and-but that he never told
any supervisor, OIC or doctor that he injured his thumb whi!ecamping prior to attending DT training.
-also sald that he never reported on any of the City Injury forms or l&l forms that he had
injured his thumb while camping prior to DT training stating, "I don't believe so, no", when l asked
- if he should have divulged that information on the reports of injury he said, "In hindsight,
yes". When 1 asked- if he should have divulged t h ~ t information to the supervisor who was
filling out those forms for hirn,-replied, "ln hindsight, yes". -said that his intent was
not to withhold the information but it was a mistake.
t asked-f he believed that if someone was claiming an injury that occurred on duty and they
had just very recently had a prior injury to the same place did he think that it was important to
notify the supervisor of the prior injury and when they filled out the L&l forms and City Injury forms
that they should make mention of that prior injury? -replied, "Generically speaking, yes"
but continued on to say his injury received while camping didn't prevent him from working but
when it got injured again in DT training it was worse and he couldn't work. -said he didn't
want to say that it was a different injury because obviously it happened to the same area but it was
Commander Paul Cline Investigative Summary C0-12-08
a worse injury because it kept him from work. -ended by saying he should have divulged
that information, saying, "In hindsight, yes I should haven.
For a more detailed account of both of Officer-interviews see his transcribed statements
that are included in this investigation. -statements #1 and #2)

1 contacted Commander -at approximately 1300 hours and interviewed him about his
knowledge of this incident. The following is a synopsis of that interview.
Commander- told me that he became aware that Officer-had allegedly injured his
right thumb in defensive tactics training on July 13, 2012. -told me that he had been advised
by Officer--that-was seeking medical attention for his injury and would be off
duty on Job Injury leave time until-could see a doctor and be released to work. -told
me that on July 18tn he had a conversation wlth Commander Clark Wilcox where he was advised that
prior to-reported injury on Ju!y 1.3, 2012 at 1600 in defensive tactics training, he had spoken
to Officer- -and told her he was going to claim the injury occurred during his upcoming
defensive tactics training. -told me that on July 19, 2012 he spoke to-on the phone.
-said that during that phone conversation- told him that the injury occurred to his
right thumb during defensive tactics training and called it a "training accident". -said that
-told him that he had prior wrist injuries that were aggravated by the defensive tactics injury
but that the injury to hls thumb was a new injury. -said that -did not make any
mention of his thumb being injured prior to the defensive tactics training and when-asked
- if his thumb was fine before the training,- replied "yes".
Commander- reported this conversation with -to both Chief Milosevich and t and he
then completed a memorandum detailing his knowledge and involvement in this incident. I included a
. copy of his memorandum in this investigation under the correspondence section.
For a more detailed account of Commander- interview see his transcribed statement
included in this Investigation.
08-02-12
1000 I contacted Officer obtained a recorded interview from him regarding his
knowledge of this incident.
Officer .. told me that he is a Police Department defensive tactics instructor and that he was
teaching a DT class on July 13, 2012 at 1430 hours. -told me that officers-and-both
attended that training. Officer- said that prior to the scenario portion of the training occurring he
Commander Paul Cline Investigative Summary C0-12-08
noticed that-had stitches in his triceps area. He mentioned that to-and-said
he was fine and could participate in the scenarios. -also said that-said his right thumb
was sore but that it wouldn't keep him from participating in the class. -told me that-
partnered with Officer .. for the scenarios and that during the scenarios he heard -say
ouch on several occasions. -said that he "ouch" loudly on one occasion and
then- reported that he had injured his right thumb during a weapons retention drill. -said
he looked at-right thumb and said it looked as though it was injured and indicated that it
was shaking. -told me that he taped -right thumb after he reported the injury,
Officer- said that-never mentioned why his right thumb was sore prior to the training and
he did not tell him it was injured while camping on his days off ... also said that he didn't know
-had reported the injury as occurring during DT until he heard there was an internal
Investigation going on. Officer- said he never heard from Officer -or anyone else that
-was going to report an injury to his right thumb that he received off duty as occurring during
defensive tactics training. -said looking back he probably shouldn't have let -participate in
DT training because of the stitches in his arm.
Following the recorded interview l called Officer .. and asked him a few follow-up questions. I
advised him the witness admonition was still in effect and he acknowledged that fact I asked .. if
he had seen the injury occur and he said he had not. He said he only heard Officer -say "ouch"
and then his attention was drawn to them. I asked .. if he had instructed all officers to go slow in
the scenarios and he said he had instructed them to only go 20% during the scenarios and that he had
told-and .. to go slow and take it easy because of what-had told him earlier.
08-02-12
1500 ! contacted Officer dvised him that I needed to interview him reference this
investigation. We agreed to meet in my office when he cleared a theft call he was currently on.
1544 I interviewed Officer -in my office on August 2, 2012 at 1544 hours. I read
-his "Witness Officer Admonition" prior to the interview. The following is a synopsis of
Officer-interview.
Officer-told me that on July 13, 2.012 he was working for the Renton Police Department
and he was instructing defensive tactics training. He told me that he was teaching a class at 1430
hours with Officer Hassinger and Officer Morgan. -told me that Officers
-and-were attending that training class and were partnered for the scenarios.
- said he Instructed the class participants to go slow and not do the scenarios at full speed
so they could avoid any injuries. -told me that he had spoken to Officer -earlier in
the day and had noticed injuries from a surgery on his arms and asked about them. -told
me he was aware that-had gone camping on his days off and said that-told him that
he had injured his hand while on the camping trip. -said he next saw -at DTtraining
Commander Paul Cline Investigative Summary C0-12-08
later in the day. -said he didn't pay much attention to -and -while they were
doing the training scenarios because he was working with other officers. He said that Officer-
was working with -and- -told me that he knew-reported injuring his
hand from doing the techniques they were teaching in the c!ass and did not continue with any further
scenarios after that.
-said that he saw -the following day and overheard a conversation between
-and Officer .. _ln which- told- that he injured his hand in defensive
tactics and that he couldn't draw his gun from his duty holster. -said he never heard
-tell-that he had initially hurt his hand/ thumb while he was off-duty camping but just
said it was during defensive tactics training. -said that he never heard anyone say that
-was going to report the injury to his right thumb that he received while camping as occurring
at defensive tactics training. -said he heard a rumor sometime after the incident that there
was an internal investigation going on about-injury and !eave time use.
For a more complete account of Officer-interview see his transcribed statement that is
included in this investigation.
08-0312 through 08-05-12
Scheduled days off.
08-07-12
I reviewed the transcribed statements of Officer- and Commander-for accuracy and
submitted them for final draft.
1512 I contacted Officer -with follow-up questions from her prior interview. l included the
results of that interview in this summary at the end of her prior interview on July 24, 2012.
1545 ! notified Sergeant Summers that I needed to ask Office- a few follow-up questions and
asked him to see if-would be available later today or tomorrow August 8th to be interviewed.
Summers told me that-requested to meet the morning of August 8th so he would have time to
arrange for a Guild representative to accompany him to the interview.
08-08-12
0900 I met with Officer- and Guild representative Montemayor in my office to complete the
interview. I included the results of that interview in the investigative summary at the end of-
prior interview that occurred on July 31, 2012. The recorded interview was transcribed and is included
in this investigation.
1 reviewed Officer-transcribed statement for fin a! draft,
08-09-12
Commander Paul Cline Investigative Summary
I received and reviewed the final transcribed statements from this investigation and submitted them
for final draft.
I completed the "Investigation Summary" and began the "Finding of Fact".
08-10-12
I completed the Finding of Fact and submitted the investigation to Chief Milosevich for review.
Commander Paul Cline Investigative Summary C0-12-08