Who are the 5 Savannah police fired in the wake of William Harvey hanging investigation?
Savannah Police has closed two investigations surrounding the April 3 death of William Harvey while in police custody, and five officers have been fired. The department fired Cpl. Silver Leuschner and Sgt. Michael Kerr as part of the initial investigation into Harvey's death. Officer Matthew White was suspended. Three more officers, Sgt. Christopher Hewett, Cpl. Erica Tremblay, and Officer David Curtis, were terminated after sharing a meme of the hanging death in a group chat. A fourth officer, Rodheem Greene, was fired for a previous incident, coupled with his involvement in the Harvey investigation. Harvey was taken to police headquarters to be questioned in connection to an aggravated assault investigation. He was in the interview room alone when he was found hanged. Officers found him suffering from "injuries sustained by an object in his possession," the SPD release read. Police attempted life-saving measures, but they were unsuccessful. Harvey died as a result of his injuries. More:5 Savannah officers fired, one on probation after man's hanging death in police custody  Following Harveys death, SPDs Professional Standards Unit began an investigation of the four officers involved, focused on SPD policies and procedures, according to a release from the department. Savannah police investigation into William Harvey death: Officers involved  Cpl. Silver Leuschner  Leuschner was fired for the following department violations by a disciplinary review board: criminal investigation policy, employee responsibility, oath of office ethics and conduct, and video/audio recording equipment. Sgt. Michael Kerr  Kerr was fired for violation of supervisory responsibility by a disciplinary review board. Officer Matthew White  White was suspended for violating the employee responsibility and oath of office ethics, and conduct by a disciplinary review board. Officer Rodheem Greene  Greene was fired after the Harvey investigation, but his reason for termination is listed as the result of a previous investigation. Police spokeswoman Bianca Johnson said because the previous investigation was open first, it is listed as his reason for being fired. Greene was hired on Dec. 9, 2019. On his suspension appeal form, Greene claims the reason for his termination was a miscommunication between him and his sergeant. While the personnel files provided to Savannah Morning News do not give an exact reason for Greene's termination, City Manager Michael Brown wrote the following on his suspension appeal form:  "Off. Greene's failure to be present for the shift could have been avoided if the proper paperwork was completed. However, this failure is not sufficient cause for termination. However, Of. Greene was not truthful  he told his supervisor he was at the hospital and he clearly intended for his supervisor to believe he was at the hospital. This untruth cannot be ignored. Termination upheld." Greene's file did not include a performance review. SPD group chat message investigation: Officers involved  In late April, the Professional Standards Unit began a second investigation stemming from a group chat message sent by one officer to a group of other officers. The message referred to the in-custody death investigation and had an inappropriate meme/GIF attached. Two supervisors and one officer were placed on administrative leave during the investigation. At the conclusion of the investigation, all three department members were terminated. Savannah Morning News acquired the personnel files for Greene, Tremblay, Hewett and Curtis. An additional open records request was filed for Kerr and Leuschner on Monday. Sgt. Christopher Hewett  Hewett was fired for a violation of supervisory responsibility by a disciplinary review board. Hewett was hired on Dec. 13, 2002  On his suspension appeal form, Hewett wrote: "As a 14 year veteran of the SPD I would like to exhaust all opportunities to salvage my job." City Manager Michael Brown wrote: Sgt. Hewett does not dispute any of the information presented by Chief Minter on behalf of the Dept. Sgt. Hewett failed to see the harm from the conveyance of this image and failed to see his duty as a leader within SPD. Termination is upheld.  A review of Hewett's personnel file showed a consistent low mark on dependability, efficiency, planning and organizing and a focus on result. A supervisor wrote Hewett "has trouble catching up on reports when he gets behind." Hewett also had a number of letters from citizens thanking him for his work on separate cases. Cpl. Erica Tremblay  Tremblay was fired for a violation of supervisory responsibility, insubordination, and office of professional standards by a disciplinary review board. On Tremblay's appeal form Brown wrote: "Cpl. Tremblay did not dispute the facts as presented by Chief Minter on behalf of the department. Cpl. Tremblay also recognized the seriousness of sharing the image and of failing to act upon this information. Termination is sustained." A review of Tremblays personnel file showed that she received a written reprimand in 2014 for violation of policy surrounding outside employment. Tremblay received overall positive reviews, meeting or exceeding requirements in most categories. In her early years on the force supervisors noted that she needed to improve on her follow-up investigations and work on being more safety-conscious after she attempted to loosen the cuffs on an arrestee to make them more comfortable and the person hit her in the face and escaped. Officer David Curtis  Curtis was fired for the following violations: conduct unbecoming of an officer, insubordination, treatment of others, truthfulness/honesty, and office of professional standards. According to his personnel file Curtis joined SPD in Aug. 2018. The file provided to the Savannah Morning News did not include any evaluations. All the terminated officers from both cases, except for Curtis, appealed the terminations to the chief and city manager. All the terminations were upheld.