J. D. Sewell, the head of the police union who was fired in March by the Memphis Police Department , will be back on the job.
Memphis Chief Administrative Officer George Little said Friday that Sewell, who was fired for allegedly compromising a criminal investigation, is having his punishment reduced from termination to a 15-day suspension.
"The MPD administration did what they thought was right," said Little. "Upon further reflection, we thought we would probably not win in the arbitration process and why waste the city's time and money."
Sewell, who is in Boston this week, could not be reached for comment.
"It's a compromise to avoid the time and expense of litigation," said attorney Deborah Godwin, who represents Sewell and the Memphis Police Association.
Little said Sewell filed a grievance with the police department, and that the City Attorney's Office recommended the 15-day suspension.
Sewell, a 28-year veteran of the force and president of the MPA, was fired March 24 for interceding for police Sgt. Bettie Carter when he called Environmental Court Judge Larry Potter on her behalf. He asked the judge to dismiss a bench warrant for Carter's failure to appear in court.
But Potter said Sewell did not do anything "inappropriate" and that it is not uncommon for police officers to ask him to recall a warrant.
Little said Potter's reaction weighed heavily on the decision to reduce Sewell's punishment, as did the lack of severity of the offense.
"Part of it was the statements Judge Potter made seemed to suggest that while the request was unusual, it was not unprecedented," said Little.
Even though he did not personally fire Sewell, Police Director Larry Godwin came under heavy fire from two City Council members and representatives of the city's unions for Sewell's termination.
Godwin, who referred questions to the City Attorney's Office, repeatedly supported the firing, saying Sewell had not learned from previous mistakes in his career with the department.
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