Opinion ID: 2642697
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: introduction

Text: ¶1 Officer Dennis Nelson was terminated from his position as a police officer with the Orem City Police Department (OCPD) after using excessive force during a booking at Orem City Jail. Both the Orem City Employee Appeals Board (Board) and the court of appeals upheld Officer Nelson’s termination. The court of appeals reviewed the Board’s decision for an abuse of discretion and agreed with the Board that OCPD’s decision to terminate Officer Nelson was not inconsistent with prior instances of discipline under OCPD’s excessive force policy. Also, the court concluded alternatively that the Board persuasively justified any disparate application of OCPD’s policy. Finally, the court rejected Officer Nelson’s claim that the Board violated his procedural due process NELSON v. OREM CITY Opinion of the Court rights at his hearing by (1) refusing to hear his objections while entertaining OCPD’s objection and (2) allowing OCPD’s expert to testify despite having previously consulted with Officer Nelson. ¶2 We granted certiorari to consider both the court of appeals’ application of the abuse of discretion standard of review and its decisions regarding (1) OCPD’s consistent application of its excessive force policy and (2) Officer Nelson’s procedural due process arguments. We now affirm the court of appeals’ decision. We first conclude that the court of appeals’ authority to review the Board’s decision is limited by statute to review for an abuse of discretion. Because the court of appeals did not err in applying an abuse of discretion standard of review, we do not reach the court’s alternative holding that the Board persuasively justified any disparate treatment of Officer Nelson. Finally, we conclude that the court of appeals correctly determined that any procedural due process violations at the Board’s hearing were harmless. BACKGROUND1 ¶3 Officer Nelson was hired as a police officer by OCPD in 1995. OCPD then terminated Officer Nelson’s employment on October 29, 2009, following its investigation into his use of force during a booking at Orem City Jail. Prior to his termination, Officer Nelson had not previously been disciplined. During his near fifteenyear career with OCPD, Officer Nelson had an average performance evaluation rating of 3.53 on a scale of 1–5. ¶4 On September 18, 2009, Officer Nelson responded to a request from officers of Utah County Major Crimes Task Force to transport an arrestee, Mr. Fox, to jail. Mr. Fox had been placed under arrest for resisting the execution of a search warrant. At the time of transport, however, Officer Nelson was unaware of the circumstances surrounding Mr. Fox’s arrest. ¶5 After arriving at the jail, Officer Nelson removed Mr. Fox’s handcuffs and conducted a preliminary search of Mr. Fox. At the time, Mr. Fox weighed approximately 155 pounds, and Officer Nelson weighed approximately 280 pounds. The room was recorded by two cameras at different vantage points. Officer Nelson 1 Officer Nelson does not challenge the Board’s factual findings. We accordingly recite the facts consistent with the Board’s findings as set forth in its decision. 2 Cite as: 2013 UT 53 Opinion of the Court instructed Mr. Fox to turn out his pockets and remove a string bracelet from his wrist. Mr. Fox removed the bracelet, tossed it on the floor, and turned out his pockets. ¶6 Officer Nelson twice asked Mr. Fox to pick up the bracelet and place it on a nearby counter. To the second request, Mr. Fox replied, “It’s all yours.” He casually swung his arms back and brought his palms together in front of his chest as he made his reply. Using expletives, Officer Nelson again asked Mr. Fox to pick up the bracelet. He then immediately grabbed Mr. Fox and pushed him toward a door that led to a nearby jail cell. Mr. Fox extended his left hand and grabbed the door frame. Officer Nelson then pushed Mr. Fox into the door frame, causing Mr. Fox to release his grasp. Officer Nelson then directed Mr. Fox into the left corner of the room and took Mr. Fox to the ground. After placing Mr. Fox on his stomach, Officer Nelson put his right knee on Mr. Fox’s back before straddling him. Officer Nelson then put Mr. Fox into a control hold by placing his left arm behind his back and moving it up towards his head. ¶7 Mr. Fox sustained a cut above his right eye when Officer Nelson forced him to the ground. When Mr. Fox inquired about medical treatment, Officer Nelson told him to “shut up” and then called for medical assistance on his radio. Officer Nelson, while maintaining Mr. Fox on his stomach with his left arm behind his back in a control hold, initiated an expletive-laden conversation. When Mr. Fox objected to being run “like a rat,” Officer Nelson grabbed Mr. Fox’s right arm, forced it behind his back, and then pushed it up toward Mr. Fox’s head so that both Mr. Fox’s arms were behind his back in a control hold. As the dialogue continued, Officer Nelson pushed Mr. Fox’s arms several inches up his back toward his head, apparently causing Mr. Fox distress and pain. Officer Nelson admitted that, at this point, he was using force to inflict pain and to punish Mr. Fox. ¶8 Officer Nelson then moved his right knee to Mr. Fox’s back and began to apply pressure. He “put substantial[,] if not most of his weight” into Mr. Fox’s back, and Mr. Fox grunted in apparent pain. The pressure on Mr. Fox’s back appeared to strain his voice and caused his legs to move and curl up in apparent pain. ¶9 The dialogue continued as Officer Nelson called Mr. Fox a “piece of shit” and told Mr. Fox to “shut your fucking mouth, I don’t want to hear another word out of you. Not a word.” As Officer Nelson said this, he pushed both of Mr. Fox’s arms higher up his back so that they were nearly touching the back of his head, 3 NELSON v. OREM CITY Opinion of the Court again causing Mr. Fox to grunt in apparent pain. A few moments later when Mr. Fox protested that Officer Nelson might break his wrists, Officer Nelson appeared to shift his weight to put more pressure on Mr. Fox’s back for approximately forty-one seconds. ¶10 Officer Nelson and Mr. Fox were then quiet for about sixty seconds during which Mr. Fox barely moved and began to breathe heavily. Officer Nelson then asked Mr. Fox if he was having trouble breathing. When Mr. Fox did not respond, Officer Nelson moved him into a sitting position, keeping both arms behind his back in control holds. Officer Nelson maintained Mr. Fox in this position until backup arrived and placed Mr. Fox in handcuffs. In total, Officer Nelson controlled Mr. Fox on the ground for approximately three minutes and forty-two seconds. Mr. Fox did not fight or resist Officer Nelson during the encounter. ¶11 Lieutenant Giles of OCPD conducted a use of force review of the incident. He met with Officer Nelson, spoke with Mr. Fox by telephone, and reviewed the video of the incident. He concluded that Officer Nelson’s use of force was “not justified and was in violation of established [OCPD] policies.” He also concluded that Officer Nelson used physical force as punishment and such use was inappropriate. ¶12 Lieutenant Giles reported his conclusions to Captain Connor, who then conducted his own review of the incident. He reviewed Lieutenant Giles’ report, watched the videos, and reviewed Officer Nelson’s incident report. Captain Connor agreed that Officer Nelson had violated OCPD policies by using excessive force. He also concluded that Officer Nelson had been untruthful in the investigation of the incident because his account of the incident differed from the video evidence. As a result, Captain Connor issued Officer Nelson a Notice of Intent to Discipline/Terminate Employment. ¶13 Pursuant to OCPD procedures, Officer Nelson appealed his termination to Mr. Mike Larsen, the Orem City Director of Public Safety. Mr. Larsen met with Officer Nelson and Officer Nelson’s counsel, but after reviewing the incident, Mr. Larsen upheld Captain Connor’s decision to terminate Officer Nelson. Mr. Larsen issued his decision on October 29, 2009, and Officer Nelson’s termination was official as of that date. ¶14 Officer Nelson then appealed his termination to the Board. On November 11, 2010, the Board issued its decision. The Board reversed the charge of dishonesty, and considered two other issues: (1) whether the facts supported the charges against Officer Nelson 4 Cite as: 2013 UT 53 Opinion of the Court and (2) whether the charges warranted termination. Regarding the first issue, the Board concluded that the facts were sufficient to support the charge that Officer Nelson used excessive force in violation of OCPD policy. First, it found that Officer Nelson used more force than reasonably necessary to do his job. Second, it found that he used force to inflict punishment, humiliation, and mental abuse. And, finally, it found that Officer Nelson’s use of force did not qualify as self defense, protection of an officer, making a lawful seizure of an individual, prevention of escape, or bringing an unlawful situation under control, as is required by OCPD policy. ¶15 As to the second issue, the Board concluded that the charges warranted Officer Nelson’s termination. In reaching that conclusion, the Board addressed two questions: (1) whether the sanction of termination was proportional to the charge of excessive use of force and (2) whether Officer Nelson’s termination was consistent with previous sanctions imposed by OCPD. The Board determined that Officer Nelson’s use of force “had the potential to significantly undermine the morale and discipline within [OCPD]” and that his termination was therefore proportional to the charge. ¶16 The Board also determined that Officer Nelson’s termination was consistent with previous sanctions imposed by OCPD for violations of its excessive force policy, despite Officer Nelson’s claim that OCPD merely suspended other officers for similarly egregious conduct.2 Officer Nelson offered the example of Officer Scott Healy,3 whom OCPD suspended in July 2000 for two weeks without pay for two separate incidents involving juveniles.4 In the first incident, Officer Healy “grabbed [a] juvenile . . . and shoved him into the corner walls of [a] holding room and yelled at him” 2 Consistent with the court of appeals’ decision in this case, we “reference the OCPD rather than the Orem Department of Public Safety for simplicity and brevity,” although the Orem Department of Public Safety is the respondent on appeal. Nelson v. Orem City, 2012 UT App 147, ¶ 9 n.3, 278 P.3d 1089. 3 Officer Nelson cited multiple instances of inconsistent treatment to the Board but has since dropped all others and focused only on Officer Healy. 4 At the hearing before the Board, OCPD offered evidence that Officer Healy’s suspension was the most severe action it could have imposed, short of termination. 5 NELSON v. OREM CITY Opinion of the Court because the juvenile had made a flippant remark. In the second incident, again in response to disrespectful comments, Officer Healy “pushed [a] juvenile against [a] wall,” “put his thumbs against his windpipe,” and threatened to kill the juvenile. Officer Healy had also been disciplined four other times for violations not involving excessive use of force. ¶17 The Board concluded, however, that the incidents involving Officer Healy were factually distinguishable from Officer Nelson’s use of force. First, the Board found that Officer Nelson placed Mr. Fox in unnecessary, painful control holds whereas there was no evidence that Officer Healy inflicted any pain or injury on either of the juveniles. Second, the Board found that Officer Nelson “continued to escalate the use of force” while Officer Healy “recognized his mistake and took immediate steps to correct it by backing off and de-escalating the situation.” Finally, the Board found that Officer Nelson used force to injure and punish Mr. Fox. In contrast, the Board found that Officer Healy “reacted out of anger” and that there was no evidence that he used force to inflict pain or punishment. It thus concluded that the circumstances of Officer Healy’s suspension could not “be used as a basis for a claim of inconsistent discipline.” ¶18 Officer Nelson appealed the Board’s decision to the Utah Court of Appeals. There, Officer Nelson argued that the Board erred in concluding that the sanction of termination was proportional to the charge of excessive force and that termination was not inconsistent with prior sanctions imposed by OCPD.5 He also argued that the Board violated his procedural due process rights in two ways. First, he alleged that the Board rebuffed his attempts to raise objections during witness testimony but granted OCPD’s objections. Next, he challenged the Board’s decision to allow Mr. Wallentine, an expert witness, to testify on behalf of OCPD even though Mr. Wallentine had allegedly been privy to Officer Nelson’s confidential information.6 ¶19 The court of appeals upheld the Board’s decision. The court applied an abuse of discretion standard of review and determined, among other things, that (1) Officer Nelson’s termination was not inconsistent with prior sanctions under OCPD’s policy and that, 5 Nelson, 2012 UT App 147, ¶¶ 15–16. 6 Id. ¶ 18. 6 Cite as: 2013 UT 53 Opinion of the Court more specifically, Officer Nelson and Officer Healy were not similarly situated; (2) alternatively, even if Officer Nelson and Officer Healy were similarly situated, the evolution of OCPD’s experience in employee discipline and the public’s expectations of police conduct justified any disparate treatment; and (3) Officer Nelson failed to identify any prejudice that resulted from the Board’s alleged procedural due process violations.7 ¶20 We granted certiorari to review the court of appeals’ decision, including the court of appeals’ application of the abuse of discretion standard of review. We have jurisdiction pursuant to section 78A-3-102(3)(a) of the Utah Code.