Local News in Brief : Firing of Simi Officer Upheld in Jail Assault

The dismissal of a former Simi Valley police officer, who was convicted of assault under color of authority for spraying a handcuffed prisoner with tear gas, has been upheld by city officials, Simi Valley police said Friday.

Loyd Waters, 24, was fired by Police Chief Lindsey P. Miller in April after Waters allegedly assaulted a prisoner in a holding cell April 1. Officers said the prisoner was behaving in a threatening manner and appeared to be mentally ill. The prisoner was not injured and was subsequently released.

Waters pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor charge of assault under color of authority, said Simi Valley Police Sgt. Ken Tacke.

City Manager M. L. (Lin) Koester Thursday approved dismissal of Waters, despite a city hearing examiner’s recommendation Wednesday that Waters be suspended for 30 days, said Tacke.

Koester’s decision was the final step in the city’s administrative appeal process. Further appeals have to go through Ventura County Superior Court, Tacke said.

The April assault took place the same day that a grand jury report praised the Simi Valley Police Department for making a “dramatic turnaround” in correcting a pattern of police brutality.

Koester said in a statement: “The presence of a field officer on the police force with such a conviction is incompatible with the goals and desired reputation of the department.”