San Jose police suspend off-duty work with 49ers amid controversy with moonlighting cop
Source: SJ Mercury News
SAN JOSE -- The San Jose Police Department has barred officers from working for the San Francisco 49ers after an officer who was moonlighting with team security complicated a domestic-violence investigation by going to defensive lineman Ray McDonald's home the night he was arrested.
The decision was announced hours after this newspaper reported Sgt. Sean Pritchard, who was on duty and in uniform when he went to the McDonald home Aug. 31, also visited the home earlier that evening during a birthday party the player was throwing with his teammates.
"Due to the complexities of the investigation, both criminally and administratively, we feel that it is in our best interest to suspend all San Francisco 49er secondary employment related assignments until further notice," Police Chief Larry Esquivel said in a brief statement released Friday afternoon.
Read more: http://www.mercurynews.com/crime-courts/ci_26703276/san-jose-cop-at-center-49er-moonlighting-controversy
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Last edited Sat Oct 11, 2014, 03:50 PM - Edit history (1)
Aug. 31, also visited the home earlier that evening during a birthday party the player was throwing with his teammates...
Pritchard reportedly was called directly by McDonald that night and was already on scene when other officers arrived in response to a 911 call...Pritchard was in uniform at the time, and questions about whether he was there on behalf of the department or the team has spurred an Internal Affairs probe....
Pritchard, a gang-suppression unit supervisor, had already been banned from such work, pending the results of an internal investigation.
If Pritchard has already been banned from moonlighting, I'll be charitable and presume that he attended the birthday party as a guest. However, he most certainly should not have gone back there at MacDonald's request in a official capacity -- it renders Pritchard a material witness. At any rate, Pritchard should most certainly be cooperating with SFPD to the fullest extent of the law.
rocktivity