GILPIN COUNTY, Colo. — A Gilpin County Sheriff’s Office deputy was fired Sept. 14 after an internal affairs investigation found he violated the agency’s use of force, mobile recording and other policies, including the “mission” of the office.
Deputy Filip Perry was under investigation for allegedly using too much force after he slammed an arrestee into a car and then shared the body camera footage.
Gilpin County Sheriff Kevin Armstrong said on Wednesday that Perry's actions were "extremely disappointing" and affected the faith that the community had in the agency.
"When somebody violates that public trust and violates our code of conduct, that I don't want them working for me because we lose that trust," he said. "Our No. 1 important piece that we have in the community is community support. And we get that through the trust and being transparent."
A spokesperson for the sheriff's office said Perry did not appeal his firing. Perry did not respond to a request for comment.
In June, Perry approached Daniel O’Donnell in a parking garage, according to body camera footage. O'Donnell was suspected of driving under the influence and driving recklessly. The moment O’Donnell stepped out of the car, Perry pulled him into his Jeep with such force that O’Donnell’s head whiplashed off of the metal wheel cover and bruised his eye socket.
9NEWS shared evidence in July that Perry bragged about slamming the man. Perry allegedly recorded and texted a violent clip from his body camera footage to an acquaintance outside of law enforcement hours after the arrest.
“Even if I had no bills, I’d do it for free,” Perry wrote. “I’m a big, tough, lawman.”
The sheriff said the full extent of the violations were discovered after 9NEWS approached the sheriff's office with its findings. Armstrong said he reacted with "disbelief" and "disgust" by Perry's actions. In addition to repeatedly sharing body camera footage, Armstrong said Perry used force too quickly.
"We expect our people to be able to de-escalate situations before they go onto potential hands-on and affecting the rest," he said. "Most situations can be resolved by de-escalating the confrontation and not escalating it."
O’Donnell, the man arrested by Perry in June, wrote in a text message that all of his charges were dismissed in court on Tuesday .
Brionna Boatright, spokesperson for the District Attorney in Jefferson and Gilpin Counties, confirmed the charges were dropped.
“Unfortunately, the case was dismissed based on a belief that there was no reasonable likelihood of success at trial,” Boatright wrote via email.
O’Donnell wrote in a text message that he did not want to comment further at this time.
Charged with official misconduct
A pending criminal charge is connected to Perry's alleged penchant for sharing body camera footage. The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office looked into Perry’s conduct and charged him with second-degree official misconduct, according to a copy of the summons obtained by 9NEWS.
The agency accused Perry of sharing body camera footage multiple times without department permission. 9NEWS documented at least one instance in June. 9NEWS’ reporting was mentioned multiple times in the Jefferson County report.
An unnamed witness told an investigator from the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office that Perry showed her body camera footage on at least two instances. One was of him responding to an overdose call, and another showed Perry “‘harassing' a female on her front porch for her driver’s license.”
Perry also allegedly showed the witness photos and other evidence of a ticket and car accidents, according to the report.
Both a Gilpin County Sheriff’s Office deputy and the witness said Perry shared body camera footage because he wanted people to know he was a “bad-ass cop” and a “big, bad cop.”
A Gilpin County Sheriff’s Office deputy told Deputy Heather Kim, an investigator with the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office that he was glad these concerns were being addressed, according to the report.
“[The deputy] did not like the way Filip treats people or brags about what he does, because ‘it's not something to brag about,’” Kim wrote. “[The deputy] had concerns about the way Filip treats people, including the community they serve.”
The deputy worked closely with Perry and described him as “starved for attention” and that he had a “persona,” the report says. 9NEWS agreed not to name the deputy because naming him could have a chilling effect on whistleblowers.
Body camera footage obtained by 9NEWS showed a deputy handing Perry the summons and explained the charge against him.
“Well, I guess I’ll show up for this court date,” Perry said.
Perry has a hearing for the charge on Nov. 7, according to a copy of the summons.
> The video below aired in July: Gilpin County deputy under investigation:
Aaron Adelson contributed to this report.
Reach investigative reporter Zack Newman at 303-548-9044. You can also call or text securely on Signal through that same number. Email: zack.newman@9news.com. Call or text is preferred over email.