8 Pittsburgh Officers Face Discipline Over 'Procedural Failures' Leading To Jim Rogers' Death
By: KDKA-TV News Staff
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - Eight Pittsburgh officers are facing discipline in the death of Jim Rogers, a man who died after he was tased by police more than two months ago.
An internal Critical Incident Review Board reviewed the evidence and found "a series of procedural failures" contributed to Rogers' death, Pittsburgh police announced Tuesday.
Rogers, 54, died after being tased several times by police when they said he became "non-compliant" during a call for a suspicious person involved in a theft.
The eight officers, including two supervisors, will face "varying levels" of discipline in accordance with the police union's collective bargaining agreement, though the bureau said it can't give details.
WATCH: Pam Surano Reports
The review board is recommending several policy and procedural changes, including requiring EMS personnel to check anyone who is tased and calling supervisors to any use of force incident. Pittsburgh police said they're also requiring officers to become fully certified emergency medical responders.
According to the call logs, the first officer came on the scene in Bloomfield at 10:29 a.m. on Oct. 13 and placed Rogers under arrest at 10:36 a.m. But police didn't begin transporting Rogers until 10:57 a.m., arriving at UPMC Mercy Hospital at 11:13 a.m., some 37 minutes after the arrest.
During the arrest, Rogers can be heard on the tape complaining of being hurt. Though EMS was summoned, it's not clear if he received medical attention on the scene. The dispatcher told the medics that the officers want to be decontaminated from blood from the suspect.
EMS did not transport Rogers. Instead, officers took him in their cruiser, bypassing West Penn Hospital four blocks away. The logs indicate officers planned to take him directly to the county jail, but Rogers went into cardiac arrest en route and they diverted to UPMC Mercy Hospital. They met up with the medics outside the hospital.
READ: B-PEP's Response
"Jim Rogers will serve as a sober reminder of the tremendous responsibility all officers bear when they wear the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police badge," said Chief Scott Schubert in a press release.
"Every resident and visitor to the City of Pittsburgh is owed the highest standard of care when they are in the custody of Pittsburgh Police. In the case of Jim Rogers, we failed our fellow citizen. The disciplinary measures and procedural changes we are announcing today are intended to ensure a tragedy such as this never occurs again in the City of Pittsburgh," said Schubert.
Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto is calling Rogers' death a tragedy.
"It is an absolute tragedy that Jim Rogers lost his life while in Pittsburgh Police custody - a failure of a system that should have protected his life. This critical incident included multiple failures," the mayor said in a statement. "Today's announcement around pending disciplinary action and policy changes is a starting point. We must continue to make reforms in policing and within society to do what we can to make sure this never happens again and that Mr. Rogers' family receives the justice they deserve."
Allegheny County police are still investigating. The results of an autopsy haven't been released.
