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Fullerton's Acting Police Chief Says His Department Did A Poor Job Communicating

FULLERTON  (AP) — Fullerton's acting police chief says his department did a poor job of communicating to the public about the death of a mentally ill homeless man after a confrontation with officers.

Speaking about the Kelly Thomas case, Dan Hughes told the Orange County Register "we blew it."

Thomas died last July after he was involved in a violent altercation with officers that was captured on cell phone and surveillance cameras.

Hughes said the two officers charged in Thomas' death got to review a video of the struggle before writing a report of what happened. He said that decision "compromised, or at least damaged, the public's trust and confidence in the process."

Hughes recently notified those officers that he intends to fire them.

(© Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

 

 

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