TEMPE, Ariz. – For the first time, former Arizona State University police officers have publicly spoken out against their former department, accusing it and the university, of misreporting crime statistics in violation of the Clery Act.
The Clery Act is a federal law that requires colleges and universities to report and publish crime statistics involving their students.
Former ASU police detective Matt Parker said he examined the statistics himself and compared them to the published Clery Act report.
Parker said crimes that are reported to ASU’s administration, but not investigated as crimes, are supposed to be included in the school’s Clery Act data. But he said those reports did not always make it to the police department.
Former Officer William O’Hayer said he was even encouraged to downplay some crimes.
“Maybe lower a felony to a misdemeanor, or something of that nature, yeah,” O’Hayer said. “It’s pretty blatant.”
“That’s the culture there,” former police aide Ben Flynn said. “Just sweep it under the rug — ignore it; it’ll go away.”
“It’s the norm, where they decide what they want to report, what they don’t want to report,” former Sgt. Patrick Murphy said.
Murphy said he was Parker, O’Hayer and Flynn’s supervisor at ASU PD.
All four officers have since left the ASU police force on their own.
They, along with four other officers, are suing the ASU Police Department.
ASU declined to answer questions on camera, but sent a statement that read: “We do not comment on pending litigation, regardless of how unsubstantiated, malicious or meritless it may be.”
The university has filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit.
In 2014 the Department of Education confirmed it was investigating ASU and 55 other schools for possible violations.
Since then ASU has appointed its first full-time Title IX coordinator.
Are you familiar with the ASU Group Sun Devils Against Sexual Assault?
If you are planning to attend or have children planning to attend the Arizona State University it is absolutely a must see for their safety.
https://sundevilsagainstsexualassault.wordpress.com/
I am glad someone had the courage to go public. The word is Chief Thompson looked like he was going to have a stroke when he heard this story was coming out. Hats off to these folks for taking it to them. If you know theses folks they are all solid people who actually give a shit, so send them or their attorneys anything you have on our joke of a command staff! I already did because I’m sick of the lies and the juvenile antics that go unchanged year after year.
I bent the ear of a few of them as well. If there’s ever a chance at fixing the corruption within the ranks of ASUPD leadership the time is now and in court.
I hope these guys have their day in court. It really needs to happen. I’m sure the evidence is damming because our command are idiots.
Thanks to all that have come forward to expose not only ASUPD but the university administrators that perpetuate corruption and denial of major internal problems within the institution of higher education.
They have been sued before. I’m sure they will be sued again, but this one has the potential to really change the third floor of the department for the best. They are so damn corrupt and an embarassment to the profession.
Thompson’s biggest problem is the absence of integrity he’s becoming known for. His second biggest problem is that he got in bed with all of Pickens’s stooge whores in command. They have been dragging him down ever since with two people there undermining him because they want his fucking job. That is the workplace environment of asupd.
It is one of mutual mistrust throughout the department with no limit to scheming, self-aggrandizement, and low morale. Heaven forbid you would need to count on some of these people for backup in a situation gone bad.
He brought this on himself. He lies to everyone like no big deal. How did this guy survive over at Mesa Pd with no ethics?
Thompson only survived at Mesa because he was part of the magic underwear guild. It didn’t hurt that he worked IA either. After screwing over another officer and stealing his wife, he kept her. Perhaps, Mike was pulling a move out of the Warren Jeffs playbook?
Mike screwed over so many people in so many places that Karma is catching up with him like a train that just derailed off of the tracks.
Zero Integrity Thompson!!!
The lies are catching up to him, all the stress of knowing what he’s done and only now realizing the liabilities. Pickens had him convinced there would be no consequences. He needs to go and make room for competent leadership selected from outside this house of ill reput.
How many officers careers has ASUPD ruined? Too many to count. The bogus IAs, the plotting to fail people out of FTO, the lies about honest hard working people, and the BIGGEST embarrassment to the law enforcement community. When they have clique members like Nathiel “I’ll fuck you wife, sister, or girlfriend” Deveney at ALEA teaching officer safety when he got punked on duty more times than Eurkel was stuffed into a locker then you’ll understand why ASUPD will never be a real police department. As an officer I know used to say, “Let me start by saying, we’re not a real police department.” The reason why, piss poor, corrupt, and incompetent management.
Are you serious? The idea an ASU officer would have the same understanding of officer safety as an officer from phx or mesa is a joke. There are no ASUPD war stories to tell and nobody wants to hear all the grossly embellished ones.
I enjoy coming into work and seeing people responsible for hurting this department and profession in a panic. They deserve every bit of it and everyone knows it. They can go fuck themselves. Karma is a bitch. We lost a lot of good people.
You know what’s refreshing to see? People standing up to bullies and exposing them for the frauds they are. Thank you!
Kick ass guys! Kick ass.
Thanks for calling out the command staff that has been playing games with people’s lives for so long.
Many lost their careers or felt compelled to leave ASUPD over the years because of these miscreants.
What Chief Mike Thompson and his command (defendants) don’t realize is that the days of bullying, lying and brazenly committing criminal acts is coming to an end.
Thanks to the brave souls that have put themselves in the line of fire for us.
Regarding ASU’s off-camera canned statement below:
“We do not comment on pending litigation, regardless of how unsubstantiated, malicious or meritless it may be.”
Unsubstantiated, malicious or meritless?! Really, ASU?!
We look forward to the irrefutable evidence being presented in a court of law and a fair and impartial legal system determining the merits of the litigation, not ASU.
Isnt the second half of that sentence a comment on the litigation? They should have left it at the comma….
That entire command needs to be canned with cuts at the Sgt level as well.