Gazette Urges Readers to Reserve Judgment on Accused Officer
By Mike Bauman
The arrest last month of a Greeley Police Officer for sexual assault during a traffic stop has shocked the community. However, many sources close to the department are still waiting for something… the proof.
Officer Daniel Shepherd was arrested after command/supervisory staff at the police department investigated claims made by a 19-year-old girl that Officer Shepherd pulled her over, had her exit her vehicle then touched her inappropriately during a pat down. The girl was then released by the officer.
The arrest affidavit seems to show that Officer Shepherd did, indeed, lie to the supervisors investigating the allegation. This lie, while likely damning to the officer’s career, does not constitute guilt on the sexual assault charge.
Consider an alternate, hypothetical, explanation:
An officer is dispatched to a party where one of the party-goers is drunk and causing a disturbance.
Upon arrival, the officer contacts the parties in question and they state they just want the drunk person to leave. The officer, making a poor judgment call, tells the person to leave the party, and maybe even starts their car, stating, “Get out of here.”
A short time later, the officer sees the same person driving very erratically, and, fearing an imminent crash, pulls them over. Now the officer’s in a pickle. He can’t charge this person because he told them to drive. He orders them out of their car, then pats them down before taking them back to his car to find them a ride (both initial actions are common and accepted officer safety practices).
Once in his car, the officer makes a statement like, “What are we going to do about this?” Then tells the person to call someone for a ride.
The next day, the officer gets called to talk to the Sergeants and Lieutenant in charge of Investigations about this incident. He initially denies it (again, bad call) then lawyers up.
We have no idea what might have happened on the night in question. But that’s the point… we don’t know. Neither do you. So before you rush to judgment, consider there might be other explanations.
Tags: By Mike, By Mike Bauman, call, car, charge, Gazette, Greeley Police Officer, idea, Mike, month, officer, Officer Daniel Shepherd, Officer Shepherd, person, proof, Reserve, Rush, show, someone, something
Trackback • Posted by Mike Bauman in Editorial and Opinion category
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Amen. Without the facts, we have nothing but speculations. To damn a good man over a commonly false allegation towards Police Officers is absurd and even disgusting. This officer has protected his country and the citizens of Greeley for years without incident, and yet now that the Greeley Tribune has decided to hang him out to dry, the rest of Greeley follows suit?
The people of Greeley know that Officer Shepherd is a good man, and we patiently await a not-guilty verdict.
Semper Fidelis
Officer Shepherd is arrested for this, yet there are TSA agents all over this country who have been doing the same thing with the sanction of the federal government. When are we going to get fed up enough to do something about it?
This guy is toast. Quitting his job was as good as an admission. Why would he give up his union protection? It kept Hulsey employed despite being fired. GPD might be half way respectable if they let the Chief run it .
There is a crucial point that I think shows there has to be some truth in what the alleged victim is saying.
Let’s assume that the author is correct and officer Shepherd puts himself in an awkward position but in fact NO sexual assault happens. He doesn’t want any trouble so he let’s the alleged victim go and doesn’t report anything.
Explain then why a 19 year old girl who has just gotten out of an MIP and a DUI would trot down to the police station the following day and start fabricating a lie about the officer in question? She was underage with a possible MIP & DUI and the officer let her go. Why would she test fate? Why go say anything at all the following day? She got away with it! The police couldn’t have been the ones to contact her after the fact because officer Shepherd didn’t report anything. She had to contact the police on her own. It doesn’t make any sense for her to go make up a lie for no reason as there would be nothing for her to gain by doing so.
The only reason I see that this girl would be compelled to go to the police station with a basic admission of her own guilt as far as the underage drinking and driving goes (after getting away with it), would be because she had something else that needed to be brought to light.
Besides that what kind of a cop (or anyone for that matter) starts an intoxicated person’s car for them? If someone can’t start their car on their own, you shouldn’t be starting it for them. This alone makes me question officer Shepherd’s ability to be a policeman who is required to make decisions on a daily basis that could potentially affect other peoples lives. There are just too many holes in the story as far as this officer is concerned to simply write them off.
I hope this case goes to trial (then we can all see the facts for ourselves) and if it does go to trail and IF Daniel Shepherd is found guilty, then I hope he pays for his crime the way any other criminal he used to send to prison would.
In response to Grant Yount – I too am a citizen of Greeley and I don’t know that “Officer Shepherd is a good man” speak for yourself but don’t be so presumptuous as to speak for the rest of the city.
I will tell you this!! The GPD are crooks!!!! I was pulled over by this a-holes and they accused me of dui… I told the office I did not have one drink that night or nor have I had one for over a month… But guess what? he could smell that I did indeed have a drink and arrestesed me on the spot… I demanned a road side test but he said nope cant do that… BS….. So I was taken to the station where I did take the test and guess what 0.0000 then I said I want a blood test tooo!!! but those lying sob’s said they dont have anyone on staff who can do that so you will have to wait 2 hours to do it….. finally after all of the bull !@#$ they did to me they released me out on A street at 12:00 am with no ride…They lie they, intimated and they will do anything to get them selves out of trouble…. I take the young ladies word over the peice of !!@#$ cop word any day of the week!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !@#$ the GPD