Officer who arrested professor faces dismissal
PHOENIX — Arizona State University has started termination proceedings against a police officer who was accused by a university professor of wrongful arrest and excessive force last summer.
Officer Stewart Ferrin has been on administrative leave since July after a police dashcam video of the arrest went viral.
Ferrin was notified on Wednesday of ASU's intent to terminate him. His attorney, Mel McDonald, said his client intends to appeal, calling the decision "beyond outrageous."
"He is a good, dedicated cop. ... We will fight it all the way to the end," McDonald said.
Ersula Ore, an assistant professor of English at ASU, pleaded guilty last year to one count resisting arrest.
Ore was arrested on May 20 when she refused to show identification and reportedly kicked Ferrin in the shin after he stopped her for jaywalking in Tempe, according to police records.
Dashcam video of the arrest shows Ore struggling with Ferrin and kicking him in the shin. The footage shows the officer throwing Ore to the ground and telling her he would "slam" her on the hood, records show.
The incident drew nationwide attention. ASU put Ferrin on leave in July just hours after a local civil rights group alleged racial profiling and called for his resignation.
Leaders of the Maricopa County chapter of the National Action Network stood outside a Mesa courthouse to issue a call for action, claiming that the officer used excessive force during the arrest and racially profiled the professor.
McDonald on Wednesday said Ferrin did nothing wrong.
"We will fight this all the way through," the attorney said.
ASU responded with a statement Wednesday that said, "The review of the officer's performance, including his handling of the events of May 20, 2014, has entered the phase in which the department will make a final determination about whether discipline is warranted."