‘The Mayor’s Nightstick’: Loner Cop Tears His Department Apart
In August 2020, after a summer of rage over police violence, 11 of the 15 members of the police department in Westover, West Virginia, turned on one of their own.
In a letter hand-delivered to the mayor, Cranston “Dave” Johnson, and later shared with the media, the cops boldly declared the city was in danger. “The safety and perception of this City, it’s staff, and it’s [sic] Officers for years, has been threatened and tarnished due to the actions of a singular Officer, Lieutenant Aaron Dalton,” it stated.
Dalton, who joined the Westover Police Department in 2013 after being asked to resign from the nearby Fairmont Police Department in the midst of a racial-profiling lawsuit, was accused of horrific acts. Among other things, his fellow cops wrote that Dalton, who is white, routinely violated the civil rights of citizens, threatened to kill other officers, destroyed evidence, and used “racial profanity” to “incite” residents of color.
“His disregard of, or nonexistent respect for the Badge,” the letter stated, “cannot go on any longer without action.”
According to his fellow cops, the letter was written and distributed because of what many believed to be a lack of accountability that only emboldened the rogue in their midst. “Reports pertaining to Aaron Dalton’s misconduct have been made multiple times and action has not been taken,” they claimed.
The letter did not point fingers at anyone in particular. But interviews with current and former city leaders and residents and a review of a state investigation into alleged misconduct by Dalton suggest he was personally close with the mayor, fueling a perception the cop was protected by him.
more:
http://www.thedailybeast.com/westover-west-virginia-mayor-cranston-dave-johnson-accused-of-protecting-rogue-cop-aaron-dalton?via=newsletter&source=DDMorning
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