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18-405: The Riverside Police Department was founded in 1896 and has grown from a small frontier town police force to a large metropolitan police department with over 409 sworn police employees and 200 civilian employees. A leader in developing officer safety tactics and emergency response approaches, Riverside PD has long provided training materials to police academies and other law enforcement agencies across

36-520: A decision that had been made several weeks before. Toxicological reports subsequently indicated that Miller had been under the influence of the drug gamma-Hydroxybutyric acid (GHB) at the time of the shooting. In January 2002, arbitrator Robert Steinberg of Culver City found that the officers had been wrongly fired and that the decision to terminate their employment constituted an "abuse of administrative discretion". He awarded them full back-pay, but did not order them to be reinstated. In December 2002,

54-469: A drunken driving incident. In 1998, a woman named Tyisha Miller was found by her relatives unconscious and foaming at the mouth in a locked car, with a gun on her lap. Her relatives called 911 and four Riverside Police officers arrived. An officer forced his way into the car and attempted to remove the weapon. The officers claimed that Miller sat up and grabbed the weapon, at which point the officers opened fire, hitting her with at least 12 shots. Later, it

72-454: A possible coverup of the facts. In May 1999, Riverside County District Attorney Grover Trask, said the four police officers involved had probably made an error of judgment, but had committed no crime. This sparked protests from Jesse Jackson and others, and hundreds turned out to demonstrate against the decision not to prosecute, resulting in the arrests of 46 protesters, including activist Al Sharpton and comedian Dick Gregory . In

90-505: Is a temporary leave from a job assignment, with pay and benefits intact. Generally, the term is reserved for employees of non-business institutions such as schools, police, and hospitals. The definition of administrative leave may vary by institution. Individuals may also be eligible for administrative leave for various reasons including: bereavement, jury /court appearances, military leave, internal reviews, and investigations. In academic settings, administrative leaves are provided for

108-482: The Riverside Police Department arrived at the scene within minutes and, informed by family members of the presence of a gun in the car, approached the vehicle with guns drawn. After attempting for several minutes to get a response from Miller, the decision was made to force entry into the vehicle as Miller was in apparent need of immediate medical attention. As one of the officers was attempting to remove

126-722: The United States Department of Justice Civil Rights Division closed the investigation, citing insufficient evidence to prosecute the police officers. A play called Dreamscape , based on this incident, was written by Rickerby Hinds, a faculty member in the Department of Theatre at University of California, Riverside (UCR). The play has been performed around the United States as well as in Poland, Romania, Hungary, and Turkey. Administrative leave Administrative leave

144-704: The Emergency Operations Center. The Field Operations Division includes Patrol, the Traffic Services Bureau, and Vehicular Homicide Unit and is located at the Lincoln Police Station (8181 Lincoln Ave). The Internal Affairs, General Investigations, and Special Investigations offices are located in the Magnolia Police Station (10540 Magnolia Avenue). Tyisha Miller Tyisha Shenee Miller (March 9, 1979 – December 28, 1998)

162-409: The decision to terminate their employment was found to be an "abuse of administrative discretion," though they were not reinstated. In the early morning hours of December 28, 1998, Tyisha Miller, a 19-year-old African American woman from Rubidoux, California , was driving with her 15-year-old friend in her aunt's car when the car's tire went flat. A passing stranger helped them change the tire, but

180-409: The gun, Miller is said to have sat up and grabbed the weapon, at which point the officers opened fire 23 times, hitting Miller with at least 12 bullets, including four in the head. It was later discovered that Miller had not reached for the gun, and may have been unconscious at the time of the shooting. The police later recanted their statement of her reaching for the gun. An investigation of her death

198-644: The leave, employers may investigate the situation before determining an appropriate course of action. Administrative leave does not in itself imply that an employee will be disciplined or that an allegation is credible, which is why pay and benefits are not discontinued. It simply allows the employer to investigate the incident, maintaining the employee's status while at the same time removing them from work, eventually leading to either their return or dismissal. Police officers are routinely placed on administrative leave while being investigated for alleged misconduct, but "nearly always get paid while they're being investigated,

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216-464: The nation. For example, the current method of initiating a traffic stop on a high-risk offender in a moving vehicle, known in law enforcement as a "felony traffic stop", was first put into use by Riverside officers. This safety technique spread throughout the police profession with nearly all law enforcement agencies in the nation utilizing it. In 2010, Sergio G. Diaz was sworn in as the new Chief of Police, replacing former Chief Russ Leach, who left after

234-410: The same purpose as sabbaticals and research/study leaves, i.e., to allow individuals to improve themselves academically and to engage in research to foster their effectiveness as teachers and scholars. An employee may be placed on administrative leave when an allegation of misconduct is made against an employee, either by a co-worker, student, parent, an alleged victim, or a police officer. During

252-516: The spare was also flat, so the man led them to a gas station. The tire would not inflate, and so Miller waited in the car while the man drove her friend home to get assistance from the family. When relatives arrived they found Miller apparently comatose in the locked car, with the engine running and the radio on. She was shaking bodily and foaming at the mouth, and had a .380 semi-automatic pistol in her lap. Unable to wake her, they called 9-1-1 and asked for an ambulance. However, Four officers from

270-446: The wake of these protests, Federal officials announced the formation of a unit of lawyers to investigate and prosecute civil rights violations, and a Federal Department of Justice investigation into Riverside Police Department, to determine if their practices and policies inherently violated civil rights . Following shortly after this announcement, the four officers involved in the incident were fired for "violating department policies",

288-446: Was an African American woman from Rubidoux , California . She was shot and killed by police officers called by family members who could not wake her as she lay unconscious in a car with a gun on her lap. The incident sparked demonstrations against police anti-blackness. The officers involved were fired from Riverside Police Department but did not face prosecution due to insufficient evidence, and were later afforded full back-pay after

306-581: Was not proven that Miller had reached for the gun and it was suggested she may have still been unconscious at the time. The United States Attorney announced an investigation of the shooting; ultimately, the officers were fired but not prosecuted. The RPD is situated in several police buildings. The downtown headquarters building houses the Office of the Chief of Police, Community Services Bureau, Administrative Division (Personnel), Records Bureau, Communications Bureau, and

324-514: Was undertaken and the officers involved, three white and one Hispanic, were placed on administrative leave . They claimed they had acted in self-defense . In January 1999, the United States Attorney announced an investigation of the shooting would be undertaken by the FBI ; at the same time protestors demanded an independent investigation, pointing out racism on the part of the police and

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