Sheriff issues memo addressing arbitrator sex-on-duty ruling

Spokane County Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich released an internal memo this week reiterating that employees who violate office policies forbidding sex while on duty and falsifying official reports may be fired. Knezovich wrote that “sex on duty is a breach of not only the public trust but also it is a breach of our code of ethics, core values, officer safety, etc.” in the memo released to media outlets Wednesday. He also said providing false reports of any kind “will not be tolerated.” The memo was prompted by a state arbitrator’s decision to reinstate Deputy Scott Kenoyer last month. Kenoyer admitted in August 2013 to having sex with a woman while on duty, and Knezovich also determined that Kenoyer lied about his actions to dispatchers. Knezovich fired Kenoyer after an investigation, which the deputy appealed. A state arbitrator from the Public Employment Relations Commission, Starr Knutson, reinstated Kenoyer last month on a probationary basis following a grievance hearing. Knezovich says in the memo he does not want that decision to “be seen as precedent setting.” “I know and understand that the vast majority of you do not think this type of conduct should be tolerated at our agency,” Knezovich wrote in the memo, which can be read in its entirety here.