before the jury Tuesday, Halverson testified he threatened to have
Franke arrested in August for being in possession of other officers'
reports.
"If it's determined that constituted a criminal act, I will file
charges," he said in the deposition.
Under cross-examination by Irma Rodriguez Moisa, an attorney for
the city, Halverson said the poor performance evaluations were the
result of poor techniques in the field and a lack of initiative. On
two occasions between June and November 2000, Franke shook with fear
and made poor decisions while responding to "man-with-a-gun" calls,
he said.
On one occasion, he said he observed Franke with her finger on the
trigger of her gun -- something officers are specifically told not to
do unless pointing the weapon at a dangerous suspect -- while
approaching a suspect without proper cover.
"Had there been a man there with a gun determined to do harm to
them, they were an easy mark," he said of Franke and the two officers
who were with her on the call.
Halverson also said Franke rarely pursued arrests other than for
minor traffic violations. Although she was assigned to an area with a
lot of drug activity, he said to his knowledge, Franke never made a
narcotics-related arrest. He also listed several officers he claimed
had complained to him about Franke's work in the field, including
Kerner.
Testimony is expected to continue today in the case.
