Photo courtesy of Ellen Streiff.ASU police officer Stewart Ferrin, made infamous by the now viral video of him arresting assistant professor Ersula Ore, will be officially terminated from the ASU Police Department on Wednesday.
Ferrin and his attorney, Mel McDonald, have already begun appealing the termination after Ferrin received notice of his termination in early January.
McDonald told The State Press he and his client planned to “fight this until we win,” and called the firing “outrageous.”
ASU spokesman Mark Johnson said because Ferrin is appealing the decision to fire him, ASU faculty are not allowed to release records about the case unless Ferrin gives permission.
So far, Ferrin has not allowed the records to be released.
However, in a statement released by ASU, officials said all disciplined officers, including Ferrin, have the right to speak at a hearing before a University employee unaffiliated with the police department. That employee then makes the recommendation to the chief of police.
The incident, which occurred shortly after classes ended in May 2014, garnered national attention when the dashboard camera video from Ferrin’s patrol car was released to the public.
In the video, Ferrin is seen grabbing Ore by the arm and pulling her to the ground while Ore struggles against him, yelling at him to stop touching her.
Ferrin originally stopped Ore because he said she was walking in the middle of College Avenue. When she refused to show her identification, a scuffle ensued.
The video shows Ferrin tackling Ore to the ground while Ore yells and kicks him.
Before the altercation became physically violent, the video captures Ferrin telling Ore, “I will slam you on this car, now put your hands behind your back.” To which Ore replies, “Do you really want to do that?”
Ferrin has been on administrative leave since July. An FBI investigation denied any excessive use of force during the arrest.
Ferrin’s mother, Ellen Streiff, said the family remained quiet throughout the investigation out of respect for the process, but after being notified of her son’s impending termination, she felt the need to speak out on his behalf.
“We, as a family, believe that Officer Ferrin did what he needed to do with the situation that was presented to him,” Streiff said. “The use of force is never pretty, but Officer Ferrin was doing his job that night, and a citizen chose not to follow the law. With the decision not to follow the law, consequences happen no matter where that citizen happens to work.”
Meanwhile, Ore was sentenced to nine months probation after pleading guilty to resisting arrest.
Johnson said she is still employed by the University. However, on her online professor profile, she is not listed as teaching any courses this semester or for the fall 2014 semester following her arrest.
Streiff said throughout the whole process, she feels her son was the real victim, and believes the public has forgotten that.
“He was assaulted that night, and I am disappointed that his department is not standing behind him,” she said. “He spent his whole life aspiring to be a police officer, and for the ASU police department to rip that away from him, it’s outrageous.”
Streiff said she believes her son, whose wife is expecting their second child in February, has been victimized by ASU. His benefits are scheduled to end the week before his wife is expected to give birth.
“I do not believe this would have been handled this way by any other department in the Valley, maybe even the country,” she said. “You would be hard-pressed to find anyone with anything negative to say about Officer Ferrin. It seems like they are trying to rewrite the narrative of this officer to justify a termination that is unjustified.”
Reach the reporter at cvanek@asu.edu or follow @CorinaVanek on Twitter.
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Editor's note: An earlier version of this story said ASU faculty are not allowed to discuss Ferrin's case. University spokesman Mark Johnson clarified that ASU is merely barred from releasing records without Ferrin's permission.
