Following a year-long investigation of allegations involving mishandling of evidence, Vancouver Police Chief Cliff Cook fired Cpl. Randy Braaksma on Wednesday.
A police internal affairs investigation found cases in which Braaksma brought drugs, cash and other evidence to his home, including one where he held it there for up to a year, and failed to properly submit evidence in other cases.
A lawyer representing Braaksma, however, said his termination is direct retaliation for speaking up on behalf of former Officer Navin Sharma, who won a $1.65 million discrimination settlement from the city in September 2008.
In a release, police said Braaksma’s most “egregious violation” was a case in which he held seized drugs and evidence in his home for up to a year. As a result of the mishandled evidence, police said, the Clark County Prosecuting Attorney’s office declined to prosecute the original case.
The investigation also concluded that Braaksma held onto cash and drugs taken during an arrest for up to six months, and mishandled evidence in “additional cases.”
“The actions of Cpl. Braaksdocumented in this investigation are completely unacceptable,” Cook said in a news release. “Taking home drug evidence and repeatedly mishandling evidence that could otherwise be used to help take criminals off the street cannot be tolerated in the Vancouver Police Department.”
A 12-year veteran of the police force, who also served seven years with the Clark County Sheriff’s Office, Braaksma was placed on paid administrative leave when the investigation began in February 2009.
He filed a tort claim that month, charging that he faced retaliation for testifying on Sharma’s behalf.
Greg Ferguson, the Vancouver attorney who filed Braaksma’s tort claim and represented Sharma in the discrimination case, called Braaksma’s termination Wednesday an “example of the retaliatory mind-set” at the Vancouver Police Department.
“They’ve decided to look into every move that he’s made over the last couple years and find something that justifies discharge,” Ferguson said.
He said that Braaksma did “make mistakes” in handling the evidence, but said so does every officer with a heavy caseload.
“They’re disregarding the fact the problem is widespread,” Ferguson said. “They’re able to spin conduct whichever way they want to spin it, to make it sound more egregious or not egregious.”
Braaksma may file a grievance with the police union, Vancouver Police Officers Guild President Ryan Martin said. The guild will then go over the investigation and can choose to send the case to an independent arbitrator.
Martin said he was not sure what the investigation would show, but “I can tell you that Randy is a 19-year career veteran. Not once in those 19 years has his integrity been questioned.”
Braaksma may also file a lawsuit — he has up to three years from the date of the tort claim to do so.
Police spokeswoman Kim Kapp declined to give any further details into the internal affairs investigation, citing the former corporal’s potential appeal to an arbitrator.
Kapp was unable to say what Braaksma’s annual salary was or how long most officers remain on leave during internal affairs investigations.
The city has been dealing with several lawsuits dealing with current or former employees. In January, Vancouver paid $125,000 to settle sexual harassment allegations against former Vancouver Police Department officer Jeff Wilken.
Former Vancouver officer Chris Kershaw has filed a lawsuit, and Sgt. David Henderson has filed a tort claim — both men say that they, too, face retribution for their testimony in the Sharma case.
