In 2013, a father called police to report that an off-duty officer had struck his teenage son in the face. The officer, Scott Francis, pleaded not guilty. The Clinton Police Department still fired him. @pulitzercenter (1/8) https://bangordailynews.com/2020/12/07/mainefocus/the-sheriff-fired-him-then-the-police-chief-fired-him-each-time-he-kept-his-license-as-a-cop/
It wasn’t the first time Francis had been ousted. The Washington County Sheriff’s Office had fired him three years prior. (2/8) https://bangordailynews.com/2020/12/07/mainefocus/the-sheriff-fired-him-then-the-police-chief-fired-him-each-time-he-kept-his-license-as-a-cop/
A troubling portrait of the officer also existed in civil court, where a judge acknowledged Francis had abused his ex-wife. The history was relevant to another agency that looked into Francis after his arrest: the Maine Criminal Justice Academy. (3/8) https://bangordailynews.com/2020/12/07/mainefocus/the-sheriff-fired-him-then-the-police-chief-fired-him-each-time-he-kept-his-license-as-a-cop/
The academy oversees the certification of all Maine police and corrections officers, who must obtain the credential to work in the state. It can also take that certification away. (4/8) https://bangordailynews.com/2020/12/07/mainefocus/the-sheriff-fired-him-then-the-police-chief-fired-him-each-time-he-kept-his-license-as-a-cop/
Francis’ assault case fell under the academy’s purview because it mainly penalizes officers accused of criminal behavior. (5/8) https://bangordailynews.com/2020/12/07/mainefocus/the-sheriff-fired-him-then-the-police-chief-fired-him-each-time-he-kept-his-license-as-a-cop/
Francis’ broader treatment of others, such as whether he had engaged in conduct unbecoming of a police officer, wasn't a basis for punishment by the academy. It can’t decertify officers for cruelty, moral depravity or human rights’ violations. (6/8) https://bangordailynews.com/2020/12/07/mainefocus/the-sheriff-fired-him-then-the-police-chief-fired-him-each-time-he-kept-his-license-as-a-cop/
After the district attorney dropped the criminal case against Francis, saying it had insufficient evidence to prove it beyond a reasonable doubt, the academy did, too. Francis kept his certification. (7/8) https://bangordailynews.com/2020/12/07/mainefocus/the-sheriff-fired-him-then-the-police-chief-fired-him-each-time-he-kept-his-license-as-a-cop/
Looking back, people questioned whether the academy has enough authority to sanction officers for misconduct that is difficult to prove as a crime but may still betray law enforcement’s code of ethics. (8/8) https://bangordailynews.com/2020/12/07/mainefocus/the-sheriff-fired-him-then-the-police-chief-fired-him-each-time-he-kept-his-license-as-a-cop/
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