Sacramento Police Officer Justin Shepard Arrested For Alleged Domestic Violence Incident
SACRAMENTO (CBS13) – Another Sacramento police officer has been arrested, with the department saying Friday this individual is accused of domestic violence.
Justin Shepard, 30, has been with the Sacramento Police Department for about three years and was booked into the Sacramento County Main Jail for an alleged incident that occurred a week ago, police said.
According to the department, the incident occurred in the Natomas area while Shepard was off duty. The victim reportedly suffered injuries but did not require hospitalization.
The department said it was notified of the incident on Thursday.
"The Sacramento Police Department does not and never will tolerate criminal behavior from our officers," said Sacramento Police Chief Daniel Hahn. "We demand that our officers uphold the highest legal and ethical standards that are required to serve our community in the critical position of peace officer. We hold our officers to these standards both on and off duty and will continue to work with the victim in this case."
Shepard has been placed on administrative leave and was stripped of his peace officer powers while the investigation continues.
"It's really important for other survivors to see people being held accountable to see that employers take this seriously. To see that people are not given a pass because of the job that they have, explained Beth Hassett, CEO of WEAVE, a non-profit that works with abuse survivors.
Hassett said she believes it is important to determine if the alleged actions are part of a pattern.
"We do know that in most domestic violence relationships, there is a pattern of behavior. It is not a one-incident situation," she explained.
Sacramento police confirmed Friday that Shepard was the same officer involved in a shooting that injured a homeless man's dog at a Safeway in midtown Sacramento in December 2019.
The announcement of Shepard's arrest came just a day after another Sacramento police officer was arrested for two counts of filing a false police report.
"Another one? Another corrupt police?" said Allegra Taylor, founder of Village Advocates of Sacramento.
Taylor, a Sacramento activist, worries that with the officer's positions, there could be other potential victims.
"How many more people that he might have hurt, harmed, in his rage, in his violence," she questioned.
Officer Alexa Palubicki, 26, had also been with the department for three years and was the subject of a months-long investigation.
Her arrest was the product of a 100-page internal investigation. It stemmed from a traffic stop Palubicki made at a gas station that spiraled into allegations of misconduct.