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Two Charleston Officers Placed On Leave During Investigation Into 'Use Of Force'

Charleston Police Car

Updated Nov. 6, 2019: The Charleston Police Department’s Professional Standards Division determined that two officers, Joshua Mena and Carlie McCoy, had followed the department’s policy appropriately, and after almost a week of paid administrative leave the men were allowed to return to their jobs on Friday, Oct. 25. 

Original Story:

Two police officers in Charleston have been placed on paid administrative leave following an incident during an arrest on Monday. According to a press release from the Charleston Police Department, the incident is being investigated by the Police Department’s Professional Standards Division to determine whether the force used was necessary and within the department’s policy. 

A citizen captured the arrest on video and it was posted on Facebook Tuesday. The video shows an officer punching a handcuffed suspect several times. The investigation “will be expedited and is expected to take no longer than two weeks,” according to the release. 

The police department met Thursday with Reverend Roberta Smith with RESET, an organization of Charleston clergy and community advocates who serve as liaisons to the Charleston Police Department and the community-at-large, to discuss the incident. As a result of the meeting, CPD will be conducting a series of trainings for officers, according to the release. 

Officers will complete additional defensive tactics trainings in two officer cuffing situations and one officer take down and cuffing tactics. 

“The goal of these trainings is to work with officers to show different techniques that can be used to defuse situations,” the news release says.