Karl Fields
Karl Fields, former Chattanooga Police detective, was terminated on Wednesday on code of conduct charges.
The Chattanooga Police Department said it received a correspondence from the Hamilton County District Attorney’s Office on Sept. 4, 2014, informing it of allegations of inappropriate behavior committed by a CPD investigator during the course of a rape investigation.
The assigned investigator, Karl Fields, allegedly made inappropriate contact with the victim through a series of text messages and phone calls. An Internal Affairs investigation was completed and a disciplinary hearing was held earlier Wednesday.
After a complete review of the investigation – which included recommendations from Internal Affairs, the Administrative Review Committee and Investigator Karl Fields’ chain of command, Chief of Police Fred Fletcher sustained the following violations:
· Code of Conduct – Neglect of Duty
· Code of Conduct – Unbecoming Conduct
Based on additional evidence provided at the hearing by Fields’ legal representation, the following allegation will be classified as “pending” until further investigation can be completed:
· Untruthfulness during an Internal Investigation
Chief Fletcher terminated Karl Fields as a result of these sustained violations. Chief Fletcher will also be requesting a decertification of Fields’ Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission (POST) certification as a qualified police officer.