December 23 - On September 01, 2022 at about 2:15pm, the Cottage Grove Police Department received several calls regarding an individual who was seen waving a sword in public.
Cottage Grove police officers made contact with Mr. Alexander Harrelson, who was subsequently arrested. As a result of this incident the Cottage Grove Police Department received a complaint regarding the force used during that arrest.
The Cottage Grove Police Department assigned an investigator to review/investigate the incident, in response to the complaint and as a matter of policy.
The complaint alleged that Cottage Grove Police Officers used excessive and unreasonable force during the arrest of Mr. Harrelson. The investigation was assigned to and completed by Interim Captain Ryan Nelson. Interim Chief Jeff Groth has reviewed the investigation, and based on the facts of the investigation, has made the following findings:
In addition, the Cottage Grove Police Department has been notified by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) that their independent investigation has been completed. The FBI stated, “For an incident such as this to be charged as a federal civil rights crime officers, acting in an official capacity, have to willfully use unreasonable force. The evidence reviewed indicated this was not the case and therefore CGPD officers did not violate federal criminal statutes.”
Police officers are routinely confronted with unique and dynamic situations that require unique and dynamic assessments and split-second decisions. The Cottage Grove Police Department understands the impact incidents like these have on the community, and takes seriously the trust the community places in them. Because of this, the Cottage Grove Police Department uses every incident as an opportunity to review our tactics, policies and training and will constantly strive to improve when necessary and possible.
As a result of this review/investigation the Cottage Grove Police Department has identified areas where improvements can and will be made, as follows: