Cathedral City releases statement on police use of force incident during Nov. 2020 arrest
Cathedral City's city manager released a statement on a video of a police use of force incident that occurred during an arrest in November 2020.
The video has been shared with News Channel 3 by several viewers and online.
The city confirmed this incident happened in November 2020. They say it involved a now-former officer with the Cathedral City Police Department.
City manager Charles McClendon said that the incident was investigated by the department's internal affairs division and the use of force was reported to the state
"The incident was investigated thoroughly by the department’s internal affairs division and the use of force was also reported to the California Department of Justice in February 2021 as required by Senate Bill 1421," McClendon wrote. "Because this is a personnel matter I can’t discuss details of the investigation. At the request of the Police Department the matter is also being reviewed by the Riverside County District Attorney’s Public Integrity Unit."
"The City takes all use of force incidents very seriously and each one is investigated immediately by Internal Affairs and other state agencies as required by law. We are always proactive in these cases and public safety continues to be a top priority for our City Council to ensure a high quality of life for our residents."
- City Manager Charles McClendon
Stay with News Channel 3 for continuing updates on this investigation.
