Jefferson Deputy Arrested On Rape Accusations

HARVEY, La. - WDSU .com

After a Jefferson Parish Sheriff's deputy was arrested this week on accusations of raping a woman following a traffic stop, the head of a local crime watchdog group says there are safeguards in place to catch rogue cops.

Raphael Goyeneche of the Metropolitan Crime Commission said police officers go through rigorous background checks when they're hired, but some people slip through the cracks.

Brett Casimir, 36, had been a deputy for two years before he was fired and arrested this week. He's accused of forcing a woman to perform a sex act in exchange for not arresting her.

Sheriff Newell Normand said that Casimir had stopped a 22-year-old woman for a traffic violation at the corner of Manhattan and Harvey boulevards. The woman told police that Casimir let several others go, but placed her under arrest for having an outstanding attachment.

He then handcuffed her and put her in the back of his patrol car.

"Officer Casimir told the victim that he would release her if she would perform a sex act on him," Normand said.

Normand said Casimir and the victim went behind a business in the 1500 block of Lapalco Boulevard.

Casimir then took the woman home, he said. A few hours later, a relative of the victim called, alleging misconduct. Normand said when investigators questioned Casimir, he confessed.

"And in his words, it was his impression that the victim was in fact under duress," Normand said.

Goyeneche said though having officers work in pairs for things like traffic patrols could have prevented the incident, single-officer patrols are a reality because of economics. Many departments can't afford to have two officers in a car for things like property crimes or traffic stops.

WDSU reporter Taslin Alfonzo is talking to crime and safety specialist Howard Robertson about how making an example of a rogue officer can help prevent future abuses of power. She'll have that story on WDSU News at 4, 5 and 6 p.m.

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