The punishments handed down to two officers who acted unprofessionally in their handling of two young women whose car drove through an accident scene are appropriate and maybe even lenient.
It is imperative that Toledo Police Chief Michael Troendle establish himself unequivocally on the side of officers who follow proper procedure and do not allow themselves to be ruled by temper.
He has done that in this incident.
In the early-morning Jan. 1 incident after a car they believe drove dangerously through an accident scene, the officers rapidly escalated a tense situation, rushed into a physical confrontation, and in so doing undermined the justice that they were supposed to be carrying out by stopping the car in the first place.
Officer Adam Hobbs was found to have violated police department rules on demeanor and showed unnecessary use of physical control techniques while arresting the car’s passenger.
For the use of physical control charge, he was suspended 10 days without pay, with another 10-day suspension held in abeyance for three years. For the demeanor violation, he received a verbal reprimand.
Officer Ashlyn Pluff violated the department rules on demeanor, the department found. She received a one-day suspension, though it was held in abeyance for three years.
It’s painful to watch the video and listen to one officer say “put your f—ing hands behind your back.” The profanity underscores the officer’s uncalled for anger.
The officers pulled open the car doors and ordered the two women out with not even an attempt at being respectful.
The dashcam video of the early New Years Day stop in central Toledo shows a car driving on an open lane past an accident scene, officers giving chase, and the car pulling over within a reasonable time. Very rapidly the stop turned into a fight.
The women were roughly handled, one was thrown hard to curb and handcuffed.
There is no excuse for the officers’ behavior, and their claims of being afraid of there being a gun are suspicious, given the lack of caution in how they approached the car.
This is a second incident in which Officer Pluff appears to be controlled by her anger rather than the other way around.
Officer Pluff was previously reprimanded for demeanor in the high-profile arrest in July of Oshae Jones, the Olympic bronze medalist from Toledo.
We said in an editorial afterward that, “Officer Pluff ... will find herself looking for a new job if the behavior sanctioned here turns into a pattern.”
Two incidents now in less than a year’s time shows a pattern.
However, the driver and occupant of the car also bear some responsibility for the situation. They did not comply immediately but resisted and fought with the two officers.
Everyone should comply with police commands and avoid escalating these kinds of situations. Certainly, the greater responsibility is on police officers because of the level of power with which they are authorized by the city.
First Published May 18, 2023, 4:00 a.m.
