A Louisiana state trooper who publicly criticized his department’s role in the violent death of Ronald Greene says he was notified that he will be terminated from the force.
In an interview with WBRZ-TV, Carl Cavalier described what he believes to be an internal coverup to protect the troopers involved in Greene’s death.
Greene died on May 10, 2019, during a violent arrest caught on body cameras and dash cameras. Greene’s family was initially told by Louisiana State Police (LSP) that he died in a car crash but the videos told a different story. The videos, which were released two years after his death, showed Green being violently kicked, punched, and tased by LSP officers before he died in their custody.
Two of the troopers involved in the arrest were reprimanded for their actions that night. A third trooper was supposed to be fired for violations regarding body-worn camera and car camera systems, use of force, performance, lawful orders, and for conduct unbecoming an officer, however, that trooper died in a car crash before he could be fired.
During an interview with WBRZ shortly after the release of the videos showing Greene’s arrest, Cavalier said he believes the department was involved in a coverup of Greene’s death. Cavalier, who is Black, also called troopers who arrested Greene “murderers” during the interview and said he believes there needs to be arrests made.
“We still have murderers, in my eyes, on the job,” he said.
Cavalier said he’s being retaliated against for those comments and for writing a fictional book under a pseudonym about the experience of being a Black police officer.
The Louisiana State Police released a statement to CNN regarding the trooper’s termination:
“Trooper Cavalier received the decision of the appointing authority to move forward with termination based on an administrative investigation which revealed he violated several departmental policies,” Louisiana State Police spokeswoman Melissa Matey said Thursday in an emailed statement to the Washington Post. “It should be noted that our disciplinary administrative process is not finalized and Cavalier remains an employee at this time.”
According to the termination letter Cavalier received last week from State Police Superintendent Lamar Davis, an investigation found Cavalier violated department policies and procedures.
The letter cited violations for public statements, loyalty to the department, dissemination of information, seeking publicity, and conduct unbecoming of an officer.
Cavalier said he feels betrayed by his department.
“We all have a duty and a role to try and fix the issues. To try to be a solution to the problems we are facing, instead of just enabling it and allowing it to be,” he said.
Cavalier also filed a lawsuit against LSP last month, alleging that his complaints went ignored and several of his superiors racially discriminated against him for years.
