NEWTON, Kan. — Law enforcement authorities in Harvey County are investigating an allegation against a police officer.
On Friday morning, the Newton Police Department was made aware of a criminal allegation against one of its officers.
A resident posted to their personal Facebook page stating they had witnessed an officer kick a sleeping homeless man who was laying on the ground, according to social media report from Newton Police.
The Department reported, “We take these complaints seriously” and immediately launched an investigation.
“We have dash cam video of the interaction and are confident these allegations are completely false.”
“The officer’s conduct was professional and non-aggressive in nature.”
“The officer had absolutely no physical contact with the man. In fact we cannot see an activity, which could have been mistaken for the actions which were reported,” according to the social media comment from Newton Police.
“We have reached out to the person who wrote the original post and asked them to come and view the video.”
“This incident is consistent with the vast majority of complaints we hear about our officers.
“When the video is viewed we find the claims have been exaggerated or as it appears in this case completely fabricated.”
The Newton Police reminded, “Falsely accusing people of an illegal act, even officers, is a crime.”