WRONGFUL TERMINATION: Oakland Police Officer Reinstated after Fatal Traffic Stop

March 6, 2011

Oakland – An Oakland police officer will be reinstated and will receive back pays after a fatal incident in 2008 that resulted to his termination, an arbitrator ruled Friday.

Officer Hector Jimenez reportedly shot a 27-year-old suspected drunk driver trying to run away from authorities after a traffic stop.

The driver’s family later agreed to a $650,000 settlement with the city for a wrongful death lawsuit.

According to Jimenez’s lawyer, the city wrongfully terminated his client as he was trained to assume that motorists in risky traffic stops are armed.

The department confirmed Jimenez’s reinstatement and said that officers are now better trained when it comes to appropriate use of force and quick decision-making.