A chief of police has criticized the decision to let a drunken army officer keep her job after she peed in a store’s locker room.
Amelia Shearer, 24, had been to a ‘bottomless brunch’ where boundless alcohol is served and then asked to use the restroom after entering an Urban Outfitters store.
When told there was none available, she went to a dressing room and relieved herself, leading to the York shop spending nearly £500 on a deep clean and closing the dressing rooms.
Police have been heavily criticized for letting PC Amelia Shearer, who urinated drunk in Urban Outfitters’ locker room, keep her job
PC Shearer denied the allegation to her colleagues but was discovered by a Middlesbrough Police Disciplinary Board as having lied and tried to hide the truth by altering her story of what had happened.
Allegations of abusive behavior and violations of honesty and integrity were proven.
Still, the officer escaped with a written warning and was allowed to keep her job with the Cleveland Police Department. Ogheneruona Iguyovwe, the independent chairman of the panel, said: “This officer is 24 years old. There is room for her to be rehabilitated, there is room for her to set the record straight and take a new path.”
Yesterday’s controversial decision prompted Cleveland Chief Constable Mark Webster – who said her actions are “incompatible” with the standards of his force – to intervene.
He said he was concerned about the outcome and “legal options” are now being considered. He added: “Officers must uphold the highest standards of conduct and exemplify our values, both on and off duty.
“This officer’s actions are inconsistent with my expectations for those serving in Cleveland and inconsistent with their role, defending other officers with pride and integrity.”
He added: “The Cleveland Police Department of Standards and Ethics is preparing evidence for misconduct hearings. The evidence is heard and a decision is made by a panel chaired by an independent Legally Qualified Chair (LQC).
“The misconduct trial was set up to protect our standards and ensure the public’s trust in the police, so we are concerned about the outcome determined at yesterday’s hearing.”
PC Shearer denied the allegation to her colleagues but was found by a Middlesbrough disciplinary committee to have lied. Pictured: The Urban Outfitters in York where she urinated after a bottomless brunch
The hearing told how PC Shearer and a friend had a bottomless brunch at a bar in less than four hours, drank half a bottle of prosecco and three cocktails, followed by a Jack Daniel’s and Coke at another location before heading to Urban Outfitters.
After the urination incident at the clothing store, an employee radioed his manager and when the officer came out of the locker room, they saw a puddle that smelled like urine on the floor.
PC Shearer hastily left the store, but was later tracked down in town by police.
She denied urinating forcefully, but did acknowledge that she and her friend were “loud and giggling.”
A disciplinary hearing for PC Shearer was held at Riverside Stadium in Middlesbrough (pictured)
She claimed to have only used the changing rooms to adjust her bra, giving a different story to her senior officer when they spoke the next day.
Police accused her of lying about the dressing room incident in subsequent interviews and the panel agreed.
Clevedon Chief Constable Mark Webster doubted the leniency shown and labeled her actions ‘incompatible’ with his force’s standards
Olivia Checa-Dover, who represents the police, told the panel that her findings that she had been dishonest meant she was now “unusable” as an officer. As she lied while being questioned under oath, that should be disclosed to defense attorneys in any future investigation she conducted, the attorney said.
PC Shearer joined in 2019 after a master’s degree in criminal investigation.
In proof, her boss, Inspector Christian Duree, said, “She is exceptionally good with the public.
“Her performance as a probationary agent was excellent.”
City councilor Denise Craghill, who has campaigned for a summit to tackle drunken misconduct in the historic city, said yesterday: ‘This seems to me to be the wrong decision and the wrong message to broadcast.
“I’m all for giving people a second chance, but I don’t think it’s appropriate in this case.”