A Philadelphia Police lieutenant who was fired for sending a bestiality video to two women he supervised has been reinstated after an arbitrator ruled that his conduct was not egregious enough to merit termination. Lt. Marc Hayes — who was also accused of telling one of the women she could mislead investigators reviewing the incident — was instead ordered to serve a 50-day suspension. In his ruling, arbitrator David J. Reilly said that although the video Hayes sent was “very disturbing,” “extremely graphic” and inappropriate, the transmission did not constitute sexual harassment. And although Reilly ruled Hayes had violated other department policies, such as failing to provide the women with professional supervision, he found that Hayes’ time on the force before the episode was otherwise distinguished, with no similar allegations of misconduct. (…) In addition to getting his job back, Hayes was awarded back-pay for the two years between his firing and reinstatement. Commissioner Danielle Outlaw was sharply critical of the decision, saying it could undermine the department’s position that harassment and discrimination should not be tolerated. She also said the ruling could have a “chilling effect” on victims who may be reluctant to speak up. And she noted that she was hired to replace a commissioner who resigned amid his own sexual harassment scandal — one that made national headlines and led Mayor Jim Kenney to search for a top cop intent on reforming the department’s culture.
via nordot: A Philly Police lieutenant, fired for sending a bestiality video to 2 women he supervised, got his job back