Details emerge in officer's firing

POST FALLS - The 15-year veteran Post Falls police officer fired after using a Taser stun gun as a joke on a friend confirmed on Thursday that there's an earlier questioned incident in his personnel file.

But said it involved him intervening in a family matter as a citizen, not as an officer.

"There was an incident involving my nephew that I got involved with," said Ian Johnson, who was named Officer of the Year by his peers in 2007 and fired in January. "(Chief) Scot Haug believed it was a bad decision on my part.

"I did not do anything different than any other citizen would."

Johnson declined to elaborate on the family case out of privacy for his nephew, but added that he did not become physically involved. The case was presented to the prosecutor offices in Kootenai and Bonner counties, but no charges were filed.

Johnson declined to provide The Press with a copy of his personnel file that details both the family matter and the Taser horseplay.

"It's personal documentation," Johnson said. "It's between Scot Haug and me, and I prefer to keep it that way."

The city declined to release the file as well, saying it's a private personnel issue.

Johnson said he was told that he was a liability to both the city and police department based on the decisions he made during those two incidents.

City officials earlier said there was another blemish in Johnson's personnel file in addition to the Taser, but declined to elaborate.

He questions his firing, which was made by Haug and confirmed by City Administrator Eric Keck after Johnson appealed, because both incidents involved a friend or family member.

"There was no threat to the general public," he said.

The Taser incident in December involved a friend who works at River City Physical Therapy.

Johnson said he clicked the Taser as a joke, but the probes were not deployed and there were no injuries. Johnson said it was simply horseplay.

"It's the same thing if you were walking down the hallway and I came from behind and said, 'Boo!'" he said.

Haug on Thursday declined to comment on the firing and the new details other than saying, "The totality of the circumstances led to this decision."

Johnson's termination has sparked several letters to The Press from residents.

Johnson said that he doesn't plan to take legal action due to his firing.

"Idaho is a right-to-work state," he said. "There doesn't have to be a reason (for the firing); therefore I've got no recourse."

Johnson, who was commonly on patrol on a motorcycle during the summers, was honored for his involvement in a 2007 shooting incident in the parking lot of a Post Falls church.

A man fired at officers and Johnson fired back for their protection, injuring the suspect. Bill Douglas, who was the Kootenai County prosecutor at the time, ruled the shooting justified.