Albany

An Albany police officer was arrested Wednesday following an investigation into allegations that he grabbed and slammed a girl to the ground last month during a police call at St. Anne Institute, a group home for troubled teenagers.

Police Chief Brendan Cox said Officer Ervis Miftari was charged with harassment and child endangerment because there was no legal justification for his use of force against the 15-year-old girl.

The incident unfolded July 26 when officers were called to the group home by staff members who were having difficulty controlling two girls. One of the girls had assaulted a staff member and the second girl was breaking things, the chief said.

Miftari and a second officer, John Schueler, helped St. Anne's staff members move one of the girls from her room to a "time-out room" where a video camera was set up. There was no audio recording, but Cox said the images showed conversations between the girl, the officers and three staff members. "At one point, Officer Miftari enters the room and engaged the 15-year-old female in a physical confrontation, grabbing her and pushing her," the chief said. "It was a use of force that should not have happened. It's not acceptable for us to do that. ... We don't have authority to put our hands on somebody because they're not doing what we ask them to do, unless we're arresting them."

Cox said the girl was held on the ground by the officer for about 30 seconds and was not injured.

Miftari was suspended without pay earlier this month and Schueler was placed on administrative duty pending the outcome of an ongoing internal investigation. The department has served Miftari with disciplinary charges that seek termination, according to a departmental source.

Schueler, who joined the department in 2012, did not take part in the physical confrontation but also did not stop it, Cox said. "I expect our officers to step in ... if they see something happening," he said.

Both officers had clean disciplinary histories until this incident, the chief said. Miftari has been on the force less than three years. "He's certainly described as a fair officer ... but this was unacceptable," Cox said.

Miftari was charged with harassment, a violation, and endangering the welfare of a child, a misdemeanor. He remains free while his case is pending in Albany City Court.

Cox, who has two teenage sons and previously ran the department's juvenile unit, said Miftari's limited experience may have been a factor but that the department trains its officers how to deal with youth and when to use physical force. "When I was 23 and first came on this job I didn't necessarily know how to deal with teens at that level either," Cox said.

Still, "We are a department that takes very, very seriously how we interact with the youth of this community," Cox added. "We have a goal called 'Winning Over a Generation' and this goes against that goal."

The Times Union first reported the incident last week. Cox said the officer never disclosed the use of force incident, as required, and that the department learned about the incident on Aug. 4 from St. Anne's officials. The mother of the teenage girl asked the department to press charges, Cox said.

St. Anne Institute offers "a structured and supportive environment for young women ages 12-21 that are unable to live at home, attend public school or function in the community," according to its website.

In 2002, the group home on North Main Avenue installed multiple additional video cameras after sex abuse charges were filed against an aide at the school. At the time, the Times Union reported cameras were installed in hallways to help monitor more than 125 residents who ranged in age from 12 to 18 and stayed an average of six to eight months.

blyons@timesunion.com • 518-454-5547 • @brendan_lyonstu