Chief: Investigation into excessive force complaint clears Titusville detective of wrongdoing

TITUSVILLE, Fla. — An internal affairs investigation has cleared a Titusville police detective in an excessive force complaint.

The complaint stemmed from the December arrest of a drug suspect at a gas station and prompted calls for a citizen police review board.

The investigation concluded that the use of force was justified.

The arrest was recorded by a cellphone, but Titusville police Chief John Lau said Tuesday that the video didn't tell the whole story.

In the video, officers could be heard warning the suspect to stop reaching for his waistband.

This video also shows Titusville police Detective Joshua Bernd punch the suspect, Amari Hair.

During a Tuesday evening news conference, Lau played the cellphone footage and police dash cam video of the arrest side-by-side, beginning with the officers' questioning Hair.

Lau said the video shows Hair and his girlfriend trying to conceal drugs and shows him resisting arrest.

"We do believe the least amount of force was used to properly control a resisting person," Lau said. "The officer truly feared that he had a weapon."

Hair has a long record, including 20 criminal charges -- six of which involved guns, Lau said.

"We have four cases that are identical on not allowing officers to pat down," Lau said. "He knew exactly what he was doing."

Hair's mother, Jennifer Hester, told Channel 9 that she wasn't surprised by the outcome of the investigation.

"I wasn't shocked," she said. "From the beginning, the investigation was taking so long. And it's only common sense, you know? You're not going to incriminate one of your own."

Lau said that the investigation shows that a citizen police review board might not have had the training to recognize some of the elements discovered during the internal investigation. He said that such a board is unnecessary.

"Looking at this whole thing, what we've learned (is that) police tactics can be ugly when somebody resists a lawful order," he said.

Bernd has been on administrative leave since December. It's unclear when he'll return to duty.

Cox Media Group