An arbitrator has ruled that the police officer who cut off a detainee’s hair weave should be reinstated with full pay.
Warren Police Officer Bernadette Najor was fired in December for her actions after a video went public.
In the video, 22-year-old Charda Gregory, who had been cooperative after her arrest, is struck across the chest by Najor and shoved into her seat, where other officers put her in restraints and Najor cut out Gregory’s weave.
Police Deputy Commissioner Louis Galasso said, “I read the police report and was stunned at the very bottom line … that stated that this person’s hair was cut off.” He explained that the department felt that firing Najor would send a clear message to the force. He added that the department could change its policy to more clearly prevent such hair-cutting.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LYt-OjRGkak
As for the arbitrator’s decision, the Warren police department has issued this statement, via WXYZ-TV:
The actions taken by the Warren Police Department were appropriate and required. Despite that, this is a nation of laws, and even where we believe that an arbitrator’s decision is plainly wrong, we will follow it. … The City will continue to strive to make this excellent police department even better.