Investigation: DPD Officer Was Properly Trained Before Crash
DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - It has been nearly three years since Dallas Police Department motorcycle officer Victor Lozada was killed during a motorcade for (then) presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. Now, the findings of an independent investigation have finally been released.
Lozada was a veteran with the department, but had only graduated from motorcycle training just a month before he crashed and died while escorting Clinton between campaign events in February 2008. Lozada's family filed a lawsuit last year, alleging that he was not properly trained or experienced enough for that sort of assignment.
The family produced a daily evaluation report that was written by Sr. Cpl. Dale Erves, written weeks before Lozada's death. The report said, "I am asking that Sr. Cpl. Lozada's training be extended at least two more week (sic) just to see if he can improve and get his riding together because he has made so many mistakes that it scares me. … I really believe that he needs to complete Phase Two portion of training."
The training officer and Lozada's commanders said that the evaluation report was only meant to be a joke, and that Lozada was later presented with another evaluation that said he had successfully completed his field training.
The City of Dallas hired an outside law firm to investigate the situation. According to that investigation, the negative evaluation was unprofessional and not in accordance with proper training protocol or procedure. It was, however, not an official report and was, in fact, intended to be just a joke made by Erves at Lozada's expense.
The investigation based that news on the other reports Lozada had received, showing that his riding ability was consistently improving. Plus, phony evaluation reports like this are apparently a common prank within the department. However, no other motorcycle officers produced evidence to back that up.
