By Rita Cook
Correspondent
credit – Texas Rangers
ELLIS COUNTY – Former Cedar Hill Police Officer Donald Mercer turned himself into the Wayne McCollum Detention Center in Ellis County Monday, December 16.
According to a statement from the Cedar Hill Police Department (CHPD), the Texas Rangers filed criminal charges in Ellis County against Mercer regarding alleged misconduct with a female suspect during a DWI arrest this past August.
Mercer was charged with Official Oppression, a Class A Misdemeanor.
The release stated, “This morning we received notification that Mercer had turned himself in to the Ellis County Jail. Mercer was under investigation for a separate incident when the city received the complaint related to the August arrest. Four days later, he resigned from the Cedar Hill Police Department rather than face termination proceedings.”
An internal investigation by the department found four policy violations against Mercer. The violations ranged from “dereliction of duty to conduct unbecoming an officer.”
“The Cedar Hill Police Department prides itself on a culture of accountability,” said Cedar Hill Police Chief Ely Reyes. “In the initial case, the victim did not bring the complaint, but the
conduct was uncovered during the interview process which prompted CHPD officers to investigate proactively. We empower our people to report misconduct when they see it and that is exactly what happened in this case.”
According to William Lockridge, Sergeant, Safety Education, Media and Communications, Texas Department of Public Safety, Mercer was released that same day on a $100,000 bond.
“We want to be clear that we hold our officers and department to a high standard of public service and professional conduct that is appropriate, honorable, and ethical,” Chief Reyes added. “Maintaining the public’s trust and respect is of the utmost importance, as is being publicly transparent to the full extent possible without compromising any ongoing investigations or legal processes.”
