King County Sheriff John Urquhart is deciding whether to fire two deputies for dishonesty after an internal investigation found they falsely accused a county bus driver of using profanity during a heated exchange last fall.
The driver recorded the encounter with a video camera built into his glasses, but the deputies were unaware.
The video showed driver Kelvin Kirkpatrick did not use profanity during the Nov. 14 argument in downtown Seattle.
He is expected to decide next week whether to uphold recommendations to fire Sgt. Lou Caballero and Deputy Amy Shoblom.
“Sgt. Caballero and Deputy Shoblom are forbidden by the Sheriff's Department from making any comment on an open investigation,” their attorney Julie Kays said in a statement. “During the investigation, both Amy and Lou gave truthful accounts of what occurred.”
Even though this video may have proven Kirkpatrick's side of the story, a month after this altercation, Metro Transit told him all bus operators that they are not to wear body cameras while working, or while on Metro property.
Metro and the sheriff's office said their policies against body cams could change in the future.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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