Cop Fired for Assisting “Officer Down” Call

When a cop hears “Officer Down” on his scanner the he usually jumps into action and responds to the call.  That’s what Rice University Police Officer David Sedmak did.  He rushed to the scene to help his fellow officers.  Yet Sedmak made one huge mistake, he forgot to notify his supervisor.  Now instead of being haled as a hero he has been fired!

After Officer Sedmak heard the call on his scanner he left his post at the University.  The university stated that it’s officers often assist other law enforcement agencies.  The problem with Sedmak answering the call was that he failed to tell anyone where he was for almost an hour.  The university thinks his actions could have endangered the safety of the students on campus since there were only two other officers on duty at the time.

Officer Sedmak arrived at the scene to find Officer Fernando Meza shot in the hand and Officer Timothy Moore has been shot in the leg by suspect Jesse Brown.  The suspect was seen at a Greyhound bus station with a pistol and when the officers confronted him they were both shot.  As Officer Sedmak and the other officers closed in the suspect shot and killed himself. 

Officer Sedmak is shocked by his dismissal.  He does not believe he should be let go for assisting an officer in need.  Texas Municipal Police Association’s Kevin Lawrence agrees.  He has been noted as saying “You don’t fire a guy for this unless he’s a chronic disciplinary problem.  You call him in, you counsel him and you put him back out there. If he’s a good cop, he’s a good employee. You use this as a training opportunity.”

Should Officer Sedmak have been fired for his actions? What do you think?