YAKIMA, Wash. (AP) — Records obtained by the Yakima Herald-Republic (http://bit.ly/vJQTN6 ) show the Yakima police officers suspended for spending more than $400 in tax money on beer for themselves tried to hide their alcohol purchases.
When Yakima City Manager Don Cooper suspended the officers rather than firing them, he said the officers’ actions were likely the result of confusion over the policy rather than intent to violate it.
But a review of police investigative records obtained by the newspaper shows not only had the officers tried to hide the beer purchases, but also why firing them could have been fraught with difficulties.
The investigation files suggest firing the officers would have been difficult given the obscurity of the city’s no-alcohol policy and contradictions in travel, purchasing and reimbursement policies.
