Inkster cop William Melendez is like a bad penny that keeps getting passed around.
Melendez, who was known as "Robocop" on the Detroit Police Department, was one of eight Detroit cops indicted by the feds for civil rights violations, charged with fabricating evidence, planting guns and drugs, lying and assaulting people. The officers were acquitted in 2004, and Melendez resigned in 2007.
Melendez went on to work for the Inkster Police, and was just fired this week after a video surfaced in which he's seen seen beating repeatedly on motorist Floyd Dent during a traffic stop in January. There's little room to justify the beating. The matter is part of criminal investigation being conducted by the Michigan State Police and FBI.
Melendez still has a job as a part time cop on the Highland Park Police Department., Fox 2's Taryn Asher reports.
One might think that the video might raise enough concerns to remove Melendez from the Highland Park department. Think again.
Asher asks City Attorney Todd Perkins: "Did you know about this video when you hired him,"
"No this video is from January, he's been with us long time before this," Perkins tells Asher, explaining that the department hired Melendez as a part-time officer more than two years before the video surfaced.
Asher reports that Melendez has been on patrol and has now rotated to desk duty.
Perkins says that Melendez has done nothing wrong in Highland Park, so there's no reason to get rid of him.
FOX 2: "Has he had any problems on the force?"
"Not that I recall," Perkins said. "He has not been proven guilty of anything, I know what it looks like on video and you have have to accept that - which is objective evidence."
The man who was beaten, Floyd Dent, is being represented by attorney Greg Rohl, who told Fox 2 that he is flabbergasted that another police force hired Melendez.
-- Allan Lengel
