Mobile police officer forcibly resigned after being accused of stealing packages

MOBILE, Ala. (WPMI) — About two and a half months ago, 24 officers in the auditorium of Cottage Hill Baptist Church raised their right hands and vowed to uphold the law in the city of Mobile.

23 of them continue to do just that.

However, one of them is not.

Officer Patrick Deas is no longer a member of the Mobile Police Department.

“You have to hold yourself to a high standard,” said Mobile Police Chief William Jackson. “You have to do the right thing. Once you lose that trust, it’s not easy to regain it.”

On Thursday, Mobile Police Chief William Jackson said trust was broken after the department investigated an allegation involving Officer Deas … an allegation that Deas and his wife, Nadia McMillian, were in possession of some opened packages were addressed and mailed to someone else who lives at the Village at Midtown Apartments on Stanton Road.

It was an allegation the department received on Wednesday.

The result was quick and severe.

“You’re only as good as your word,” Jackson says. “In this case, this officer went back on his word and that is why we parted ways with him.”

On Thursday, just a day after the report, Deas was fired from the department, arrested, taken to jail and a warrant was issued for his wife’s arrest.

“We expect from them what we expect from every member,” says the boss. “That means protecting our citizens, upholding the law and following the same rules and laws as everyone else.”

NBC 15 News asked Chief Jackson if this was simply a case of someone accidentally opening a package that wasn’t intended for them and not promptly returning it.

“Well, in this situation it wasn’t a mistake. This was an intentionally bad decision. And bad decisions have consequences.”

These consequences will no doubt be noted by Deas graduates of the Mobile Police Department’s Class of 74.

When NBC 15 News spoke with some of them in July, each was eager to take to the streets and serve their city.

“I wanted to make a career change and do something to hopefully make a difference,” new officer Robert Skinner said. “Help people.”

Rookie officer Christian White agreed.

“On good days, on bad days, you’re going to run into people, be there, talk and listen and find solutions to help people. And when I see that, it’s something I wanted to do. “It was easy for me to take it” when the opportunity presented itself.

Chief Jackson calls the Class of 74 one of the academy’s best and is confident they will stand firm despite the allegations against one of them.

“This is their brother, with whom they have been training for months,” he says. “You will be disappointed. But the rest of this class is living up to the promise they made.”

The case is expected to be heard by a Nobile city judge.

But there’s another entity that will be watching: the Alabama Peace Officer Training Commission.

Every time a police officer leaves a department, whether due to retirement, a career change or, as in this case, disciplinary reasons, it is noted.

This is to ensure that employees with problems do not simply refer them to another department.