This month, five Metropolitan Police Department officers are scheduled for adverse action hearings, disciplinary proceedings where department supervisors will sit in judgment of officers’ alleged misconduct. The first hearing was scheduled for May 3, but the calendar was not posted online until sometime after that date.
The schedule identifies each officer by last name and first initial and provides brief, vague descriptions of their alleged misconduct. An MPD spokesperson declined to provide officers’ first names or elaborate on the specific actions (or inactions) that has landed them in trouble.
But the hearings, where officers’ full names and details of the alleged misconduct will be aired out, are open to the public.
MPD requires anyone seeking to attend the hearings to first get permission by emailing drd-hearing.admin@dc.gov “no later than two business days before the scheduled hearing,” and “the Chairperson may, at their discretion, close all or portions of the hearing for cause,” according to the Disciplinary Review Division’s rules of conduct and procedures.
At the end of each hearing, a panel of MPD brass will make a disciplinary recommendation, which can range from suspension to termination. The final decision rests with Chief Pamela Smith. Officers scheduled for a hearing this month include:
• May 3: Officer V. Forrest, who was “engaged in criminal conduct.”
On Jan. 11, Forrest was found guilty in a bribery scheme where he leaked confidential records to attorneys in exchange for cash. “Forrest, in violation of his official duties, used his official access to MPD’s law enforcement sensitive database to review and record victim contact information from Traffic Accident Reports. The reports contained the names and contact information of individuals involved in traffic accidents,” according to the Department of Justice. Forrest sent the victims’ information to Raquel DePaula, owner of RD Legal Solutions, LLC, via WhatsApp. DePaula pleaded guilty in October 2021. She admitted to paying Forrest $600 to $1,300 per week for the confidential information. She is alleged to have paid Forrest a total of $15,000 in exchange for contact information for 2,316 traffic crash victims. Former MPD Officer Walter Lee and MPD employees Kendra Coles and Aaron Willis have also been convicted in similar schemes.
• May 7: Sgt. E. Jevric, “whose use of force was deemed unjustified.”
Jevric shot and killed An’Twan Gilmore around 3 a.m. on Aug. 25, 2021. Gilmore was asleep or unconscious behind the wheel of a car at New York and Florida avenues NE, and officers can be heard on body camera footage saying they see a gun in Gilmore’s waistband. When officers rousted him, he started to drive forward. Jevric opened fire and continued to shoot as the car rolled away. Gilmore was hit three times. Jevric was the only officer to fire his weapon. He pleaded guilty to federal civil rights violations and to involuntary manslaughter in late February. His sentencing hearing in the U.S. District Court is set for July 1, 2024. (MPD disciplinary action cannot impact a criminal conviction.)
Gilmore’s family has criticized the plea deal, which reduced Jevric’s charge from murder.
• May 9: Det. A. Galli, “who engaged in conduct deemed detrimental.”
It’s unclear exactly what Galli is accused of. MPD’s list of offenses provides examples of detrimental conduct, which includes improper use of email, leaving an assignment without authorization, failure to attend a criminal trial in an outside jurisdiction, being uncooperative with law enforcement while off duty, and inappropriate contact with a victim.
Only one MPD employee with the last name of Galli—Angela Galli—is currently listed in the D.C. Department of Human Resources’ salary database. The grade II detective has been employed with MPD since July 2012 and makes $98,880 per year. A call to a number listed for Angela Galli was not returned.
• May 13: Officer A. Abuliak, “who failed to properly conduct an on-scene investigation.”
It’s unclear what exactly Abuliak failed to investigate. There is only one person employed with MPD with the last name of Abuliak, according to the DCHR salary database. Albert Abuliak has worked for the department since October 2019 and makes $80,113 per year.
• May 20: Sgt. C. Willis, “who failed to perform his duties.”
