SAN ANTONIO -- Earlier this summer, the San Antonio Police
Department suspended one of its officers who has history of disobeying
superiors.
In documents just released, the officer was suspended after
a four-month internal investigation concluded he ignored calls to back-up other
officers and then screamed at one of his supervisors.
Officer Ruben Saldaña was suspended 15 days in June for his
actions during the early morning hours of December 27, 2012.
According to internal affairs documents, Saldaña and two
other officers responded around 2:10 a.m. to 911 calls for shots fired in the
3400 block of Oakdale.
After searching there and the Babcock and Callaghan area for
possible suspects, Saldaña testified he drove to a nearby parking lot to work
on paperwork.
A supervisor testified that Saldaña's Global Positioning
tracker was then turned off.
Around 2:25 a.m., police dispatch called for all available
officers to respond to Loop 1604 and Braun Road for a car accident with
life-threatening injuries.
The scene was approximately ten miles from Saldaña's
location.
The accident seriously injured two people, including the
driver of a Chevy Camaro who was later arrested for intoxication assault.
Officers on scene requested additional support to help clear
a spot for an AirLIFE helicopter, then made a second request for support after
spotting a wrong way driver near the scene of the accident.
Saldaña testified he did not "hear the dispatcher call
us in."
A sergeant confronted Saldaña and a second officer when they
returned to the Northwest Substation to end their shifts around 3 a.m.
The internal investigation indicates the second officer
filled out paperwork explaining where he was between 2:30 a.m. and 3:00 a.m.
The documents do not indicate if he was reprimanded.
When Saldaña was asked to fill out similar paperwork, a form
called a 200-OR, several officers testified he "became irate" and
screamed at a sergeant in front of other officers.
The internal affairs investigation revealed Saldaña was also
suspended three days in February 2012 for insubordination.
Prior to the December incident, Saldaña was also placed in
SAPD's "Officer Concern Program".
According to the department, the program "identifies
unacceptable behavioral traits in officers before those behavioral traits
develop into disciplinary problems for the officer and the Department."
Saldaña is eligible to have eight days of pay reimbursed if
he avoids any further violations during the next year.