Former officers, victim’s family question actions by high-ranking Williams PD lieutenant
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 7 ก.พ. 2025
- It was a crisp fall day in Williams, a small city near Flagstaff, when police arrested a man named Brian Lopez for allegedly stealing a can of beer from a local gas station. “I heard a noise that I’ve never heard before. The sound I heard was his cranium, his skull hitting the sidewalk,” said former Williams police officer Nicole White as she described what happened to the man. White made the arrest in the middle of the afternoon on Oct. 20, 2022, not far from Historic Route 66 in downtown Williams, according to police records.
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Amazing to see how quickly this police department punished those raising concerns about excessive force but did nothing to those using excessive force
It's us against them.
Oh no they did do something about those using excessive force. They protected him.
It's a regular occurrence now days only thing that was missing is they usually reward the officer that used excessive force with some sort of medal or special honor to offset the wrong doing.
@@frotobaggins7169They're no different than you silly
@@rhondak7547 Well except for the badge, gun, qualified immunity and the total lack of accountability, yeah.
Police logic: We are holding you accountable for stealing a $3 can of beer, however we are not holding Officer Shortfuse accountable for almost killing a guy.
$3 beer = $300,000 in medical bills.
That sums it up.
They NEVER hold them selves accountable.
They fired the arresting officer and her supervisor who she reported the abuse. Chief got pissed it got reported. Investigators didn't do their job.
@@tomeauburn which is further proof that the unions are the problem. They have gone to bat for some psychos that shouldn't own a gun let alone a gun given to them by the state. Therefore, they could have gotten that officer and her supervisor their jobs back if they wanted to.
“Bound by policy and procedure to stand by my department.” She said the quiet part out loud. The biggest criminal organization.
Therefore, no "good apples" exist. It's a cult.
Exactly! Not bound by LAW. Not to stand by her community. But to protect her department FROM the community.
We already tried the defunding police thing that didn't work dummies
5:21
Police are the biggest criminal gang in the country and you did it to yourselves by continuing to vote in Republican lawmakers at the local level who determine local police chiefs who then remove good cops and promote corrupt cops. If you have not noticed already, there are no good cops left in the US. They all at one stage or another witnessed police brutality, abuse, evidence planting, false police reports, and purgery and have looked away making them just as complicit.
This is where the attorney general needs to step in and charge that cop.
Don't hold your breath...
Like they don't go to the same pdf file parties...
They will not do it. The officers will sue for wrongful termination, win and get there back pay, all while working at another department.
i need a girlfriend
There are other forms of justice.
What happened to the reporting officers is why good police don't last long. The corrupt know the game
Yeah good cops don't last long once all the other cops know they are honest.
They were both fired from Williams PD following this incident.
Yeah where are they working now? Next town over...@@hedgehog0856
Its because the good officers are out numbered, think about that. And the government protects or actively encourages thug cops. Who oversees the training, who covers up for bad cops. This is why government hates 2A.
What were they fired for?
"I am bound by policy and procedure to stand by my department"... there it is folks, they have a policy and procedure for covering up the actions of their fellow officers.
Yeah, notice she did not say her duty was to stand by her community. Rather she says her DUTY is to stand up AGAINST the community and protect her department from that community. They are an army and we are the enemy.
The policy supports loyalty to the Blue Line Gang ahead of all else.
"We investigated ourselves and found we did nothing wrong." This is my shocked face.
That cop should be in jail, he is a murderer in the making. Who will be his next victim.
I bet this ain't the 1st one either!!!
It's not gonna happen. Do you remember the AZ cop that tazed a man in his genitals 14 times and lied on his report? the judge said she felt bad, and he lost his job, so that was enough punishment. zero jail time.
He's probably already gotten away with Murder for all we know
He should, but won't. The system is designed for corruption.
So trite and banal this comment is. "Should" is moot and actionless
Well, why were the 2 female cops fired? Absent clear misconduct, it sure looks to be retaliatory.
Its unwritten policy, always cover the departments ass, no matter what. The decent humans dont last long in this uniform.
Ummm lying!
I had some insight into my local PD in the late 90's early 2000's, it's a gang mentality with them. The chief openly said to us, his officer safety was more important then anything else.
The chief needs to be thrown in prison also.
Smalltown AZ cops go to prison YES but in NM it is a given that almost all of that state's cops are crooked and end up in prison.
@@hook-x6f I'd debate you about NM LEOs. Far too few of them are held accountable criminally for their actions. Especially in the Albuquerque area. Rio Rancho/Bernalillo are just as bad as Albuquerque.
This so often happens when a chief of police is ( allegedly ) running an illegal private security business. These illegal businesses use our tax payer equipment, desks, lights, telephones, cop man power and in many cases double bill the city and bill the paying customer that needs the private security services. The cop then pays the button nose chief of police a bit something something.. This is called RACKETEERING. 3 OF the criteria for RACKETEERING is hierarchy, intimidation, and fraud. There is no time off for bad cops. To the public it looks like they are on paid vacation, but mostly the cops work this illegal private security business. The only one fooled here is YOU!!!!!! The Chief of police needs a bad cop to work an illegal private security business. It's a kind of brotherhood. " Hay bro we have something on each other", a mutual agreement. Also, most cops drink vodka to sleep at night. An alcoholic cop may have pulled you over and you would never know. Or could you? The big giveaway is the menacing, belligerent, confrontational, aggressive dangerous grainy VODKA VOICE. When you get pulled over , make as little contact with an alcoholic cop. Like any alcoholic, they are dangerous with a license to carry a gun and kill. They will testilie against you and get away with it. You are dealing with a gang with a badge.. Sometimes , with corrupt judges there are many conflicts of interest, but you will never know. Sink your teeth into this and pass it on....And please, learn some law because obviously, the cops follow protocol and not the Constitution.. Get Constitutional Law for dummies or any book. Cops don't have continuing education. Because of the rampant alcoholism, they should be breathalyzed after every incident and before they can start our tax payer police cars.. Many of these guys are void of empathy and murder people without a second thought. We the People need to enforce the Constitutional Law.
Cut down on the obscene amount of tax funds that these cowardly crooked police departments constantly leech on.
If a citizen used that same force on an officer they would be rotting in jail for attempted murder!
That's because the same laws that apply to the public do not apply to law enforcement. That's the way the system is designed.
Wait a second. We're not California yet. If you steal something, this Is what could happen to you, so you maybe shouldn't steal.
One day the people will
One day the people will
Cut down on the obscene amount of tax funds that these cowardly crooked police departments constantly leech on.
A cop can break the law in front of multiple police officers and walk free.
Cut down on the obscene amount of tax funds that these cowardly crooked police departments constantly leech on.
😂😂
She should sue for wrongfully terminating her for knowing the truth!! She followed protocol and was brave enough to stand up for truth and justice!!❤
Sad, but the officer is better off out of the job. Her life would be a living hell within there . The movie "SERPICO" may be dated, but it tells the story very well.
This proves that most cops are not good cops and only the good ones get punished
wtf, that lieutenant is dangerous. lady seems to be experiencing the pain of wanting to be a cop and wanting to be a human. she just admitted that, it's policy to protect the thin blue line and not the public
That is a huge problem. They drive out the honest cops. Retaliation for reporting bad cops is common.
Stew. It's not policy ... it's a choice.
Traumatic events. It is sad officers have age to put w this mentality over the years.
No tears came out when she cried: another blue liar.
Human right…cop not important nor fob, nor policy…humanity, oath to protect, right vs wrong first…constitution first!
"Resisting arrest" should not be a death sentence.
He never resisted, the process IS the punishment.
Black people have been saying this for literal decades.
So much for this woman’s career. Bless her heart for trying to make it right.
This crap is getting out of control, should he have stolen a beer "NO" should it have led to this "NO" qualified immunity is a license to be tyrannical.
Usual suspect
@user-jq1so5vd2i because white folks just steal a little beer, while Chicago is the Sioux nation
Getting rid of qualified immunity would have no effect on this. It doesn't cover excessive use of force anyway. It only covers ACCIDENTAL or INCIDENTAL injury or death. When it's determined that excessive force was used QI is out the window, and criminal charges are filed. QI is still NECESSARY to protect HONEST officers simply doing their jobs, and getting rid of it will only mean that they will STOP doing their job.
A 3$ can of beer. It's getting insane here when we have police committing crimes
AGAINST THE CITIZENS.
Have to pick your battles w mental illness. Was it worth it no.
And the president
Costing more than a $3.00 can of beer . Now that's a real savings .
"It's getting insane here when we have police committing crimes
AGAINST THE CITIZENS" - in other words, any day ending in y.
@@gr33dyglutton I would like to buy a constant . M . I like to buy a vowel . O . I like to buy another constant .N . I like to buy another vowel .E. Beep beep . I like to solve Money ? Yep that's the winner .
As I have written - Revenue generators is what LEO' S have turned into .
Where are the criminal charges for assault? The man is in handcuffs.
The 2 women should be running the place.
Shameful firing those ladies.
THE ARRESTING LADY INITIALLY LIED AND HID WHAT THE VIOLENT THUG PIG DID !! SHE NEEDED TO BE FIRED FOR THAT !!!
No male officer won'ts a female partner, they can't even help in a small physical altercation. No female beat cops let them be detectives.
@ABC15 Arizona, please don't let the Williams P.D. get away with this!!
They wont
Romero needs certificate revoked fired and arrested. Man was in cuffs. Lt overreacted. Chief covering for LT.
Chief goes has no ethics
@@kathycromwell7247 chief is actively covering up a crime
He had no reason to do it. None
This story really highlights so much of what is wrong with policing in this country. Violating citizens civil rights, unwarranted violent behavior , lack of accountability , corruption , retaliation. What an absolute disgrace this lieutenant and chief are!
Yes, This.
It’s almost like the George Floyd murder wasn’t an isolated incident… hmmm.
We investigated ourselves......... yeah we know the outcome
Stern discipline: 1/2 day off on Friday with pay.
I'M SO GLAD TO SEE AN OFFICER WHO IS WILLING TO SPEAK UP.
💙💙*Stay in the fight, Officer White!! We need more Officers like you!! Thank you for doing the right thing and standing up to your Lt.!*💙💙
@4:26 "...bound by policy to stand by my department". Holy $hit, people - do you realize that every cop follows this code, and in a horrendous number of cases will lie, file false reports, and commit any other kind of crime against citizens. ABOLISH QUALIFIED IMMUNITY, and criminalize the decision of any cop to stand aside while another cop is violating a citizen's rights.
The injured man needs to sue with the help of his family.
Sounds expensive.
@@buddygrimfield7954 that's why there are people like the ACLU or other orgs that help
i need a girlfriend too
He Is a mentally ill criminal that needs to be in a home
Why do you want to help a mentally ill criminal and not the public
Brian was not resisting arrest, he was already in hand cuffs when the Lt. threw him to the ground. What he did is, assault.
Brian is a mentally ill criminal who should not be on the streets.
@user-jq1so5vd2i I would even go as far as saying attempted murder - that should be an appropriate charge. The guy was in handcuffs, the female officer was handling the situation really well and had it under control, there was absolute no need for the chief to escalate the situation and throw a handcuffed man to the ground causing serious head injuries. This chief almost killed the guy, what over a three dollar can of beer that he had allegedly stolen. Outrageous!
@user-jq1so5vd2i Yeh, that's exactly what I said, I think you misinterpreted my comment. The police lieutenant handled this situation terribly wrong, I agree with you. I don't know what I said was wrong - this was certainly excessive force - I was never justifying lieutenant's actions. The guy was in handcuffs not resisting arrest and was in compliance with the officers, the lieutenant was just foul.
@user-jq1so5vd2i Thank you for your feedback, I'll try to be concise next time 🤣🤣🤣
I’d label it attempted murder
Thank you for being the officers you are and standing up to this abuse of you and the citizens of this state. Thanks so much.
Coverup!
The lieutenant simply has zero business in any position of authority. Him getting a janitor job with building keys would have me concerned.
Arresting officer describes her Lt's takedown of the handcuffed man as 'violent' - but she won't call it 'excessive'. Hmm...
That’s what you get when you let police investigate themselves.
@@franktownsend410 straight GARBAGE!!
CHIEF AND LIEUTENANT NEED TO BE IN PRISON FOR THESE DISGUSTING & ILLEGAL ASSAULTS...and CONSPIRACY!!!
Policy and procedures force them to lie to families?
Sadly, she would rather lie and deceive and keep her job than to tell the truth and protect a person SHE put in peril. The man was defenseless.
The female officers are hero’s for not putting up with that and fighting for what they belive in and I respect that.
Not all. Men stand up too. Look if you stand up you might not have a job or worse. These cops are heros.
@@movingforwardfco1587 I agree completely 🤌
Now watch them get in trouble and ousted for speaking out. Ive read this book too many times before.
NOT HEROES !! THEY LIED AND COVERED UP WHAT HAPPENED IN THE BEGINNING !!! BACKING THE BLUE = NO INTEGRITY !!!
You have to give them some respect for that because most cops are just going to cover it up. My prediction is that they will be retaliated against.
"We investigated ourselves and cleared ourselves of any wrongdoing. In fact, we're gonna promote our lt for hell of a job he did in order to ensure officer's safety".
Then fire the two whistleblowers, just to make sure our officers remain safe (from public scrutiny!)
Ignorant Coward Tyrant 🐷s
SSDD “Earning the Hate”
Pure cowardice and cruelty against a middle aged man who is clearly impaired, and troubled. "And then they came for me". Lock him up.
Thank you for stepping up and exposing this piece of crap. He needs to be in prison, and this chief needs to be out on his ass. They’ve been cleaning out police forces with corrupt chiefs. Let’s get this ball rolling. Clean this crap up
This needs more publicity...seems like public pressure is the only path to accountability for people like John Romero and his protectors. The citizens of the area should beware and watch that department and it's leadership closely.
This corrupt cop needs to be fired, sued and put in prison
Too little accountability for bad police.
"Bound by policy and procedure to stand by my department" BOUND BY LAW!!
... bound by policy... to stand by ... a supervisor that committed a crime & hurt someone violently for no good reason. Wow... what a "higher standard" & what a way to honor oaths & have INTEGRITY !!!
It'a all propaganda. They are a standing army and we are the enemy.
Let's head over to their social media pages and put the 1st Amendment to work!
"No misconduct", that's like the perfect excuse to cover up a criminal aggravated battery committed by a cop. The department protected the criminal in uniform
how can you protect and serve the community when you are bound to protect police over community.
who got stuck with the bill? (we know who DIDN'T get stuck with the bill, the responsible party). somewhere down the line the taxpayers will pick it up and throw in a nice healthy bonus.
I'm guessing the man will get $250,000. And the officers will be getting around $100,000 each. Good thing we pay taxes!!
The moral of the story is: taxpayers ought not be bootlickers.
Its amazing how easy they can lie, even when its ALL on video. That chief, the lieutenant and the entire review board needs to be fired and sued.
Take the department for everything .
Wow. That female officer was handling his arrest wonderfully, she knew his limitations and knew the crime was not severe and was handling it accordingly. We need more officers like her and her supervisors.
That chief needs to be dismissed and have his pension stripped
All that for a stolen beer
The chief is a criminal thug running a criminal gang inside he police department. He is not concerned with the law, he is concerned that his criminal gang of thugs remains strong and beyond justice.
Great work, ABC15 Arizona. Thanks to your efforts and additional help, the family can achieve monetary relief for damages they are allegedly owed due to the injuries their son sustained. Additionally, the chief and the lieutenant will be separated from the Williams Police Department.
I can see the issue here. You can see the issue here. The journalists can see the issue here.
But the cops can't see the issue here.
The two female officers should file a federal lawsuit in regards to their termination against that corrupt department and chief. And the family of the injured man should file a federal lawsuit against the department for violation of civil rights against a person in custody.
That was an investigation by the chief, he covered for his buddy. They should both be fired. End qualified immunity.
Just file a lawsuit for excessive use of force.
Over a $3 beer. Bastard acted like the fckn beer belonged to him or coming out of his pocket.
Actually, he acted like there are zero consequences for his actions, and he is right, there aren't.
Doesn't matter that it was for a $3 beer. Same thing would apply for an $30k robbery. The guy's cuffed and compliant. No excus3.
@@Lisa-wf1lf Exactly. Theft is theft, and assault is assault
@@Lisa-wf1lf but that's the thing they tried implying that he wasn't compliant.
At the end of the video, the police department refused to do further investigations but decided that the two female cops who reported the crime were to be terminated from their jobs. Two cops fired for reporting the crime of another cop.
Bully and coward Lt. - definitely chief material
This is what happens when cops don’t have the courage to make an arrest even when they witness a crime.
Hope the family seeks specialized legal representation in the upcoming multi million dollar lawsuit against the city.
Shame on you! These crocodile tears make me sick to my stomach! What cowards!!
I am bound my policy to always support my department and bosses....that is the problem right there.
She's such a coward.
Those 2 woman are real heroes ❤ Did you hear how nicely the one who handcuffed him was talking to him? It's so sad they tol on him and they thought it would be taken care of . Its pretty sad when the police are afraid of the police!
This is why there's so many bad cops. The good decent ones get punished and the bad one's don't. Its a job that attracts bullies. They know that, for the most part, even if they get caught doing something wrong worst case scenario they might get a few days paid leave and the can claim qualified immunity. Even if they get fired they just go to the next town or county and carry on like nothing happened. Fortunately, more and more these interactions are caught on camera.
And that's what happens to cops who speak up about wrongdoings by fellow officers.
Where is the AG?
Probably hoping that nobody asks her to investigate this!
Screw the AG the DOJ needs to go after this department too
@@Itsmedicinal They cant, too focused or Trump
@@jim.h or probably hoping that nobody investigates her! LOL, aint no way she could be the AG there and not be knee deep in corruption, given the issues with many precincts there.
Actually the report shown is a self-reported use of force incident by Romero. Romero says he “lost his grip” and that’s why he got away with his crime. Self-reported so he can add in whatever information to keep him from getting in trouble like a child
Romero would've been fired elsewhere for falsifying an official document. In my book, that's a jailable offense. And then there's assault causing great bodily injury.
police: "why do people just outright hate police?"
literally everyone else who is held accountable for their actions: "wait, are you serious?"
The lieutenant is stacking a mid-6-figure pension at this point. Even if he resigns or retires, he will be enjoying a life of leisure and relative luxury.
Romero is nothing but an angry bully. Should be sacked immediately with no pension.
Uncalled for violence brought on by the usual arrogance. This was uncalled for behavior on a regular character in a small town. It seems like the more years of service means less sensitivity.
out of her own mouth, department over the citizens. bullshit.
this is what you get when departments are allowed to investigate themselves.
the entire department should be brought up on charges and disbanded
The chief protects bad apples and fires good apples... That sounds like a rotten tree.
The doj needs to come in and clean house at this PD.
This is why it's so hard to get good officers on any police force. The bad officers from the top-down, we'll push the good officers out. They don't want them on the forse.
"We investigated ourselves and found no wrong doing". LT belongs in prison. Dude had his hands cuffed behind his back and was no threat.
Accountability is reading the policy he didnt care about before? And she got fired for being too decent human for the job? This institution works backwards.
It’s institutional organizational narcissistic abuse on a massive scale abuse can legally be reported including in the Court itself.
She basically said their policy is to lie to the public to cover up the crimes other officers commit.
And cops wonder why no one trusts or respects them anymore.
"I'm bound by policy and procedure to stand by my department." Ohh so that OATH you took means absolutely nothing then? Got it.
Is anybody really surprised at this?
We’ve investigated ourselves and found no wrong doing!
Read: we investigated ourselves with the help of the union and found we did nothing wrong.
Arizona has the worst law enforcement in the nation!!!
always expect the cop is a criminal...
so you know what is coming at you!
Thank you ABC15 Arizona for airing this.
ACAB - In this incident, the TWO GOOD COPS got terminated.
OUTRAGEOUS! Lock Romero up 😡
Okay, the guy stole a single can of beer, shouldn't have. Sounds like he be doing petty theft there for a time. Officer White was IN control, everything was CALM ......UNTIL Romero arrived!!!! A complete W.ANKER😡😡😡
Chief Tad Wygal needs to resign. How can the citizens of Williams Arizona stand for this? John Romero was not even in uniform? Brian‘s family needs to sue John Romero personally if suing the department fails.
How many others have been harmed by this thug with a badge!? And how many other times has he been protected by his department? How many more will be victims to these criminals? The answer to all those questions is A LOT!
Her is the question, who hire the idiot? Who did not do their job, in evaluating him? They should be fired also!
Great reporting
Public servants in leadership positions should not be allowed to decline to speak to the press. Between the victim's lawsuit and the those of the two female officers, this chief is just throwing away the hard-earned tax dollars of the people of Williams.
This is the perfect example why there needs to be more accountability, instead they try and claim nothing can be transparent because....it may endanger their officers. They seem to be the danger