A dashcam photo of the Andrews-Harmon confrontation
/ file photo
SYRACUSE -- The Onondaga County Sheriff's Deputy who tasered a woman with her children in a nearby minivan is now back out on patrol.
Sheriff Kevin Walsh says Deputy Sean Andrews is out in a patrol car working with a fellow officer to complete needed training.
"For the last couple of months, he has been working with the defensive tactics instructor on a one on one basis, also with the use of force instructor on a one on one basis," Sheriff Kevin Walsh said.
Dash camera video showed Audra Harmon being pulled over in January of 2009. Deputy Andrews ended up using his taser on Harmon, after she disobeyed his order to get back in her vehicle.
Andrews was suspended without pay while the incident was investigated. He had previously defended his actions after the incident with Harmon.
Following the incident, Walsh says Andrews received the maximum suspension and then was on temporary assignment until Onondaga County settled the case with Harmon. Walsh says Deputy Andrews was not fired because to do that, it would have had to go to an arbitrator and that could have taken years.
"Well there's been several learning experiences for the department," Sheriff Walsh says "Certainly it's something that's been discussed in an abstract form, with all the deputies, not specifically focusing on this particular cae but on policy and how the taser is to be used and how it's not to be used."
Attorney Terrance Hoffmann, who represented Harmon, said, "As soon as this incident happened, we took the position that this man should not necessarily be terminated immediately unless he had a bad record. We were more interested if he didn't have a bad record having him retrained on the use of the Taser and just as importantly, how to appropriately deal with the public."
Harmon won a $75,000 out of court settlement.
