Officers Charged and Terminated (NR047-23eb)

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Officers Charged and Terminated (NR047-23eb)

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mrdstamp
Los Santos Police Department
Los Santos, San Andreas

News Release

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NR047-23eb
September 28, 2023
Officers Charged and Terminated

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Los Santos: On September 25, an incident occurred in the holding area of the Mission Row Police Station involving two officers and a suspect, where the officers involved were accused of severe misconduct and criminal conduct.

Internal investigators of the Los Santos Police Department's Internal Affairs Division opened an investigation into the matter, an investigation closely overseen by the Chief of Staff and the Chief of Police personally. The results produced by the investigation conducted into the incident were brought to the Deputy Attorney General by the Chief of Police, who conducted an independent review of the incident and collaborated on deliberations surrounding violations of the San Andreas Penal Code with the Los Santos Police Department.

In this incident, the officers in question were found to be in direct violation of both the policies and values set forth by the Los Santos Police Department, and also the San Andreas Penal Code, through their actions of engaging in the act of threatening violence against a suspect, proceeding to inflict this violence on a suspect through a fistfight, and the turning off of a Department-issue body camera in an attempt to conceal the actions that occurred that night.

The involved officers, identified as Police Cadet Anya Nowak and Police Officer I Mateusz Kowalski, in collaboration with the Office of the Attorney General, have been charged with GM01 - Assault, GM02 - Battery, GM14 - Obstruction of Justice, and GF16 - Tampering with Evidence respectively. Their employment with the Los Santos Police Department has been terminated.


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Chief of Police Elena Blake wrote:It is with great disappointment and concern that I must address and share this information, but it is my duty to ensure that the integrity of my Department and the trust of our community is maintained.

We hold our officers to the highest ethical and professional standards and are committed to serving and protecting the communities of the City of Los Santos with the utmost integrity. These officers have fallen short of these standards and have betrayed not only the trust of the public but have also violated the oath they took to uphold the law, and these actions do not reflect the values and standards upheld within the Department.

Anya Nowak and Mateusz Kowalski, as an off-duty Police Cadet and on-duty Police Officer I respectively, were present in the holding cell area of the Mission Row Police Station, where an arrest of a suspect was actively taking place. Once the suspect was placed in a holding cell, Nowak entered the area, off-duty, and began taunting the suspect with insults and threats of physically fighting her and punching the bars. The suspect managed to exit the holding cell, after which Nowak proceeded to engage in a fistfight with the suspect. Kowalski then turned off his body camera in an attempt to conceal what had occurred, under the guise that the battery ran out.

Both officers were immediately suspended and then placed on administrative leave, pending investigation. When questioned by investigators of the Los Santos Police Department, further false information was provided, which was quickly disproven with footage collected from the cameras within the cell area.

I believe that transparency is essential in situations such as these. It is my hope that this public release is a reassurance to the public that we take matters such as these seriously. Criminal conduct or misconduct is not tolerated within the Los Santos Police Department. The actions of these two officers should not tarnish the dedication and hard work of the many honorable men and women serving our communities with honor and integrity, day in and day out.

As a closing note, I want to thank all the internal investigations who were involved in conducting a thorough investigation into this matter, and the Deputy Attorney General for her assistance and her independent review of the incident at hand with a focus on the criminal conduct that occurred. I want to assure our communities that we are committed to upholding the values that guide our service.

Respectfully,
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Chief of Police Elena Blake

This incident and the actions carried out by these individuals do not reflect the values, standards, and goals set forth by the Los Santos Police Department. The Los Santos Police Department strives to continue serving the people of Los Santos by performing the law enforcement function in a professional manner, enhancing public safety and improving their quality of life, doing so with honor and integrity while conducting ourselves with the highest ethical standards to maintain public confidence.
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69 Sinner Street • Los Santos • San Andreas • 90013
Emergency Hotline: 911 • Public Inquiries • Email: [email protected]
"to protect and to serve"

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mrdstamp
MEDIA RELATIONS DIVISION
Administrative Services Bureau
Los Santos Police Department — "To Protect and to Serve"

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