Pasadena Police Chief’s Decision Regarding 2017 Use of Force Incident
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Pasadena Police Chief John Perez has reached his decision regarding an Internal Affairs review into a 2017 use of force incident involving two PPD officers and Altadena resident Christopher Ballew. Separately, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office declined to file any criminal charges after an independent review.
As with all categorical uses of force, PPD conducts a full and thorough multi-level review of the incident. The PPD review focused on any potential violations of Department policies and applicable laws. Chief Perez determined that two claims against the officers were unfounded, officers were exonerated on a third claim, and a fourth claim was sustained. One of the involved officers failed to turn on his body-worn camera prior to the incident and appropriate disciplinary action has been taken. All of the involved officers continue as members of the Pasadena Police Department. These findings can be made public by PPD as a result of a 2018 state law which requires certain (previously protected) police officer personnel records to be made public, such as the result of this Internal Affairs review.
“Officers from the Pasadena Police Department very rarely use force during the arrests of suspects,” said Perez. “However, when force must be used in an arrest, the Department has policies and protocols in place to review the incidents internally, and, where appropriate, as here, seek an additional and separate review by the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office. While instances of use of force can be difficult to watch, our decisions must be based both on law and Department policies rather than on emotions. We continue to train our officers in de-escalation tactics and appropriate use of force.”
As with all categorical uses of force, PPD conducts a full and thorough multi-level review of the incident. The PPD review focused on any potential violations of Department policies and applicable laws. Chief Perez determined that two claims against the officers were unfounded, officers were exonerated on a third claim, and a fourth claim was sustained. One of the involved officers failed to turn on his body-worn camera prior to the incident and appropriate disciplinary action has been taken. All of the involved officers continue as members of the Pasadena Police Department. These findings can be made public by PPD as a result of a 2018 state law which requires certain (previously protected) police officer personnel records to be made public, such as the result of this Internal Affairs review.
“Officers from the Pasadena Police Department very rarely use force during the arrests of suspects,” said Perez. “However, when force must be used in an arrest, the Department has policies and protocols in place to review the incidents internally, and, where appropriate, as here, seek an additional and separate review by the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office. While instances of use of force can be difficult to watch, our decisions must be based both on law and Department policies rather than on emotions. We continue to train our officers in de-escalation tactics and appropriate use of force.”
