San Diego cop resigns after being locked in the back seat of a patrol car with an inmate

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SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — A San Diego police officer resigned from his post after he was locked in the back seat of a patrol car with an arrested woman.

According to a document released by the San Diego Police Department, the incident began when Officer Anthony Hair responded to an incident in which two suspected car thieves were arrested at the intersection of Denver Street and Clairemont Avenue on the evening of August 14, 2023.

Hair took the suspect to SDPD headquarters downtown for case processing before being assigned to the Northern Division.

From there, Hair was assigned to transport the woman to the Las Colinas Detention Center in Santee.

In the document, investigators described a recorded conversation captured by Hair’s body-worn camera. The arrestee asked Hair if he was married and if he was single. “Why are you asking that?” Hair replied.

“You’re not that bad. What harm does it do me to take advantage of the system, you know what I mean?” the woman replied. When asked if he was single, Hair reminded the woman that she was not single.

Later in the conversation, investigators said they heard the woman’s voice say, “I’m with (expletive),” to which Hair replied, “Don’t say that now. No, I said don’t say that now because everything is being recorded right now.”

The document states that Hair parked “within two blocks of the Las Colinas Detention Center.” Hair is also accused of turning off his body camera, as there is no video of the incident after Hair parked. At approximately 1:35 a.m., Hair called for help after locking himself in the barred back seat of his patrol car in the 10300 block of Park Avenue in Santee.

Investigators say Hair texted a fellow SDPD officer and asked him to meet at the crime scene. According to investigators, Hair told the officer he would explain the situation later and that he was embarrassed.

About an hour later, a supervisor came and opened the vehicle.

According to investigators, Hair said he was checking the prisoner’s pulse when he believed it was a medical emergency and the door slammed shut. He claimed he believed the woman had overdosed and was checking on her when the door accidentally slammed shut.

The arrested man “was questioned and denied all allegations of assault.” A test for semen on Hair’s belt was presumably positive.

The investigation revealed that Hair “failed to document the entire transport of a female prisoner from headquarters to the Northern Division” and “from the Northern Division to the Las Colinas Detention Facility.”

Hair also failed to notify emergency services when he suspected his prisoner was having a medical emergency.

He “intentionally obscured the view of his body-worn camera when he removed the camera from the mount on his uniform,” investigators said.

Hair “was untruthful in all matters related to his duties, including his announcements on the police radio, the information in his written police report, and his statements to department investigators.”

The arrested man “was questioned and denied any allegations of assault.”

According to police, Hair resigned on September 14, 2023.

Below is the department’s full statement:

The San Diego Police Department (SDPD) requires its officers to uphold the highest professional standards. The SDPD takes all allegations of misconduct seriously. Mr. Hair’s actions do not represent the values ​​of the San Diego Police Department.

As soon as the department learned of the incident involving Mr. Hair, he was removed from the scene and an investigation was launched. The department’s Internal Affairs Division conducted a full investigation into the incident.

Before the investigation could be completed, Mr. Hair resigned and is no longer employed by the San Diego Police Department. Regardless of employment status, the Police Department continues to pursue all internal investigations to completion.

In accordance with California Senate Bill 16, SDPD publicly released the full investigation on May 3, 2024, on the department’s website: sandiego.gov/police/data-transparency/mandated-disclosures/sb16-sb1421-ab748 (sandiego.gov).

Senate Bill 2 requires law enforcement agencies to report cases of misconduct to the California Peace Officer Standards Accountability Board. This board decides whether to suspend or revoke the officer’s certification as a peace officer in the state of California. When SDPD learned of the allegations, the department immediately notified the board so it could begin that process. SDPD is awaiting the outcome of the board’s decision in this case.

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