Memphis police officer fired after failure to show up for hearing



A troubled Memphis police officer was fired this week after he failed to show up for his hearing on departmental charges.
Jason Webb, 39, was fired Monday, Memphis Police Department spokesman Sgt. Karen Rudolph said. He faced charges of violating departmental policy on personal conduct as well as being under criminal investigation.
He can appeal his termination with the Civil Service Commission.
Webb was indicted in July on four counts of solicitation of a minor as well as patronizing prostitution of a minor. A former member of the department’s TACT unit, Webb was suspended with pay at that time.
This makes the second time Webb has been fired from the department. Last year he was accused of pointing a weapon at two other motorists after he ran a red light. During that incident, Webb was drunk and had cocaine in his system.
During a departmental hearing in which he faced 14 charges, Webb was fired for insubordination while also being suspended for 30 days on the other charges. However, Webb appealed his firing and an arbitrator reinstated him to the force earlier this year. Webb received full back pay.
That event also marked the second time Webb failed an MPD-issued drug test. On April 17, 2006, a drug test revealed that Webb had cocaine in his system. Webb denied using cocaine.
He was suspended nine days after being accused of attacking his estranged wife on June 27, 2010, when she came to pick up their children after a visitation at his Cordova apartment. The officer “choked and struck” his wife, three witnesses told police. Webb told investigators he only grabbed her wrist, but photos showed marks on both her wrist and neck.
During that investigation, officers discovered that Webb had been listed as a suspect in more than 15 reports that included harassment or child abuse/neglect. The bulk of those reports came from Fayette County, where Webb and his ex-wife had a home.
Webb was also behind in child support as well as bills associated with the couple’s Somerville home. Investigators found that Webb repeatedly drove his MPD vehicle to Somerville on personal business.