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ISU police officer fired after high-speed chase results in two collisions [1]
['Clark Kauffman', 'More From Author', '- January']
Date: 2024-01-19
An Iowa State University police officer has been fired after taking part in a high-speed chase that resulted in two collisions.
State records indicate McKenna Rich worked for ISU since December 2021, most recently as a full-time police officer. She was fired in November 2023 after a series of incidents.
On April 24, 2023, Rich was involved in a vehicle pursuit when, according to ISU, she violated departmental directives and state law by not operating her patrol vehicle with due regard to public safety by driving at high speeds.
According to Iowa Workforce Development records, Rich was also the target of a citizen complaint stemming from a search she performed in September 2023. An investigation determined Rich conducted an unconstitutional detention of an individual and that she coerced the person to produce evidence against themselves by threatening an unconstitutional search, state records show.
Then, on Oct. 9, 2023, Rich was working when she heard on the police radio there was a vehicle pursuit involving a wrong-way driver on Highway 30. A Story County deputy and the suspect were headed in the direction of Boone when Rich’s captain instructed all ISU officers to refrain from assisting in the pursuit unless specifically requested, according to state records.
Rich was then asked to park at a specific location in case the pursuit led to high-population areas within Ames. On her way to that location, ISU alleges, Rich saw the suspect’s vehicle with a deputy in pursuit and then heard the deputy ask for assistance in blocking the suspect. Rich turned on her patrol car’s emergency lights and joined in the chase, with her vehicle between those of two Story County deputies, state records show.
At one point, according to state records, the lead deputy and the suspect stopped at an intersection, forcing Rich to quickly switch lanes and resulting in Rich’s car colliding with a vehicle that wasn’t involved in the chase.
The deputy behind Rich then began honking at Rich to get out of his way, but state records indicate Rich interpreted the honking as a signal to continue with her pursuit, which she did without stopping to check on the vehicle she’d struck.
At one point, ISU alleges, the lead deputy attempted a failed a maneuver to stop the suspect’s vehicle, and his patrol car left the roadway, putting Rich in the lead position behind the suspect as they headed toward Campus Avenue – a 25 mph zone – at speeds of up to 55 mph.
Rich allegedly followed the suspect through an intersection without stopping and struck another uninvolved vehicle, sending it into a nearby apartment building, according to state records. At that point, Rich ended her participation in the chase.
The ISU police department conducted an investigation and, according to IWD records, determined Rich had violated direct orders not to engage in the pursuit, exercised an extreme lack of judgment, and acted recklessly without due regard for public safety. The department also determined Rich’s body camera did not activate during the chase because she had failed to properly synchronize the camera with her vehicle’s system.
After being fired, Rich began collecting unemployment benefits and ultimately received $2,328 in benefits.
Recently, Administrative Law Judge Carly Smith ruled Rich was not entitled to jobless benefits due to workplace misconduct, stating that the former officer’s “behavior in speeding, entering intersections without ensuring all cross-street vehicles were clear of the intersection, and entering an intersection without lights and sirens put the general public in harm’s way.”
Smith ruled that Rich’s “decision not to slow down or stop were intentional and deliberate actions” and ordered Rich to repay the benefits already collected.
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