Arlington officers have lost confidence in police chief, unions say
ARLINGTON, Texas - Two unions representing Arlington police officers said they have lost confidence in their police chief.
More than half the officers in the department signed a petition against Chief Al Jones.
They say it stems from a police shooting of a man believed to be impaired behind the wheel.
Two days after the shooting, the chief announced the officer who killed the driver acted against department rules and fired him.
The officers' unions say the officer was fired too quickly. They presented the petition to the Arlington City Council.
President of Arlington Municipal Patrolmen's Association Chris Ceballos and the Arlington Police Association stood before the city council Tuesday evening with a petition concerning Chief Jones.
Ceballos handed over a sealed petition of 368 signatures stating more than half of Arlington’s officers have lost confidence in the chief.
Both groups believe Chief Jones isn’t following the core principles he laid out when he was hired earlier this year, including transparency and accountability.
"There is at least one incident that has brought some issues for the department for our members," Ceballos said.
As of Tuesday, the only incident Ceballos wants to go public about is Chief Jones’ decision to fire Officer Robert Phillips 48 hours after he shot and killed a suspected drunk driver back in October.
"What actually happened was he was fired on a Friday, and the backup officer who was there on scene with him wasn’t even interviewed until the following Monday," Ceballos said.
MORE: Arlington PD fires officer after deadly police shooting involving DWI suspect
In an effort to be transparent, Chief Jones held a press conference two days after the October fatal shooting to disclose Officer Phillips was no longer with the department after a thorough internal investigation.
The chief said Phillips failed to follow department policy when he fired multiple times at 40-year-old Jesse Fischer’s moving vehicle at the end of slow-speed chase.
"Because I knew I was going to release this video. Without any type of action with it, the community would have been outraged. And that's the last thing I want here in Arlington," the chief said in the October press conference.
On Oct. 20, police received a call Fischer was slumped over at the wheel at an Arlington intersection. It was initially considered a medical call.
Officer Phillips asked Fischer to surrender multiple times, but Fischer ignored the commands and drove off.
Once Fischer hit a dead end at a cul-de-sac, he made a U-turn, and Officer Phillips opened fire.
RELATED: Arlington police fatally shoot suspected drunken driver who allegedly drove toward officer
Several community leaders stood behind the chief in support of his quick firing.
Chief Jones stressed his officer could’ve resorted to other options instead of deadly force.
"It’s not about politics for me," he said. "It’s about right and wrong. It’s about morals."
While the former officer is still waiting on possible criminal charges, both unions didn’t want to comment on whether the shooting itself was justified.
"It’s not my place to decide whether the shooting was good or bad. That’s not what we are here for," Ceballos said. "We are here for the fact that the chief didn’t follow due process."
Ceballos says a thorough investigation was never conducted and believes Chief Jones rushed to judgment.
"The tension is coming from them having to worry about their job. Worry if they are going get due process if they do something wrong," he said.