DES MOINES, Iowa — The Des Moines Police Department’s Chief of Police has released a statement regarding a viral video on social media showing a rifle on top of a patrol car.
The video made its rounds on social media over the weekend, with the Iowa Firearms Coalition resharing the video on Facebook. The video appears to show a rifle sitting on top of the roof of a patrol car while it was driving around in Des Moines.
On Monday afternoon Chief Michael McTaggart released the following statement, acknowledging the video and stating that an internal review is underway.
Yesterday, one of our officers made a serious mistake, a mistake that has caused an understandable reaction of disappointment and concern, both in our community and in our department. I want to acknowledge those concerns, and assure you that accountability and honesty are priorities when we fall short of our performance expectations.
The officer who made the mistake, who is not the officer shown in the video circulating online, has taken responsibility for their actions. While policy violations appear obvious, an internal review by my command staff and our firearms experts is essential to ensure due process for the officer, as well as identify any administrative and/ or training adjustments that will help prevent similar errors in the future.
While our officers are human and will make mistakes, policing comes with heavy responsibility and mistakes have an impact. Our response to this error will be guided by our commitment to earning and maintaining the trust and confidence you place in the men and women of the Des Moines Police Department.
No additional information has been released.