ASU officer facing firing gains police community support

The local law-enforcement community is closely following the case of an Arizona State University police officer who plans to fight termination proceedings resulting from a widely publicized incident with a university professor.

Officer Stewart Ferrin was accused last summer of using excessive force against a university professor after she refused to show identification and reportedly kicked the officer in the shin after he stopped her for jaywalking.

Ferrin was notified on Wednesday of ASU's intent to terminate him.

Those in law enforcement "are concerned there's a bias against the officer and the officer was pretty much tried and convicted," said retired Mesa police Officer Bill Richardson, who writes and comments regularly on law-enforcement topics.

Numerous officers have been commenting on social media.

The Republic also learned Thursday that the FBI did an assessment about whether Ferrin violated the civil rights of Ersula Ore, an assistant professor of English at ASU. The findings were submitted to the U.S. Attorney's Office, which declined prosecution, according to the FBI.

Meanwhile, Ferrin's attorney continued to insist that his client did nothing wrong.

"We will fight it all the way to the end," attorney Mel McDonald said.

Ore was arrested on May 20 after Ferrin stopped her for jaywalking near College Avenue and Fifth Street in Tempe, according to police records.

Dash-cam video of the arrest shows Ore struggling with Ferrin and kicking him in the shin. The footage shows the officer throwing Ore to the ground and telling her he would "slam" her on the hood, records show.

A preliminary investigation by police determined the arresting officer "did not engage in racial profiling or use excessive force." ASU then enlisted an outside agency to conduct an independent review. The university has not made public the results of that review.

The incident drew nationwide attention after a video of the altercation went viral.



In July, Ferrin was put on leave just hours after a local civil-rights group alleged racial profiling and called for his resignation.

Ore pleaded guilty last year to one count resisting arrest and was sentenced to nine months of probation.

Activist Jeffrey Metcalff of Phoenix was among those calling for the officer's resignation. He said this week he supports ASU starting termination proceedings, saying the officer was "way out of line."

"We owe women more respect in the United States of America than that officer showed," he said.

Ore's attorney, Danny Ortega, said his client is looking for Ferrin to be dismissed. "It's always been our position officer Ferrin acted without authority to begin with," Ortega said. "He decided he was going to stop Dr. Ore and, without any suspicion she had committed a crime, asked for her ID."

ASU on Wednesday released a statement that said, "The review of the officer's performance, including his handling of the events of May 20, 2014, has entered the phase in which the department will make a final determination about whether discipline is warranted."

Reach the reporter at 602-444-8072 or anne.ryman@arizonarepublic.com.