Memphis Police Officer Severe Abuse of Power

According to WREG Memphis,

A Memphis police officer and a 911 dispatcher are on paid leave and an investigation involving both is underway.

This involves officer Darrell Mallone and dispatcher Jenny Rice.

This comes after a News Channel 3 report indicating the officer may have shown his gun, then threatened a man, while off-duty.

There is also an allegation Rice may have given Mallone the caller’s personal information which would be a violation of procedure.

Collierville resident Michael Montgomery told News Channel 3, he was driving on Germantown Parkway when he sees two guys on motorcycles weaving in and out of traffic.

“I pulled up to them at the stop light and told them, if they don’t start behaving properly I would call the police”, said Montgomery.  “One gentleman lifted his vest and showed me a handgun and told me he was police.”

Montgomery dialed 911 anyway, and said the man with the gun drove by him cursing.

Later, he says the man called him on his cellphone, apparently getting his number from 911. Montgomery said the officer told him to watch his back, that if he saw him in Memphis he would “f*^k him up.”

Deputy police director Dave Martello told us Thursday if this story is true the officer, Darrell Malone will face discipline.

Police spokeswoman Karen Rudolph confirms the same in the case of the 911 operator who may have shared Montgomery’s phone number.

“If it is true, it’s going to be dealt with and dealt with severely”, said Memphis Mayor A C Wharton. “If it’s not true and someone turned in a false report on one of our officers that’s going to be dealt with too.”

Another incident, same officer. No action taken my MPD.

A day after a man accused a Memphis Police Officer of abusing his power, another man has come forward with similar accusations against the same police officer.

Leo Veasley didn’t want to show his face but wanted his voice heard about who he calls a “bully with a badge.”

“You are there to protect and serve, not to harass people and be a bully because you are a police officer,” said Veasley.

Veasley says he was harassed by officer Darrell Malone, the same officer accused of threatening another man with a gun and a harassing phone call.

Veasley says in his case, it started when he got a driving ticket from the officer February 9th, ”He got very verbal. Pulled a stick out and threatened to hit me in the face.”

Veasley says he didn’t know the officer’s name but when he went to court a couple of months later, he got Malone’s badge number and reported it to MPDs internal affairs.

And that’s when he says the real harassment began, ”After they took the report, the following next day Officer Malone was driving past my house.”

He says Malone has passed his Frayser home multiple times after that leaving a ticket on his car, even shining a spot light in his house.

Veasley says it’s all to intimidate him.

“I’m a citizen just like you are and I want to be treated like one,” he said. “I don`t want to be protected from the police. I want to be protected by them.”

MPD says Veasley did not file a complaint with internal affairs but with a workstation at the precinct level.  Officials say a precinct supervisor called Veasley several times to follow-up on the case but Veasley never returned the phone calls so the case was dropped.  But Veasley says he never got a follow-up call about it from police.

MPD says Veasley never reported that Officer Malone had continued to harass him.

Mallone and 911 and 911 dispatcher Jenny Rice are both on paid leave at this time.