The City of Orangeburg has released footage from a bodycam worn by former Public Safety Officer David Lance Dukes during the incident involving Clarence Gailyard.
The City of Orangeburg and Clarence Gailyard, 58, have reached a $650,000 settlement in a case involving an alleged physical assault by a former Orangeburg Department of Public Safety employee.
The settlement will be paid through the city’s insurance carrier.
“Mr. Gailyard is pleased to put this very troubling incident behind his back and look forward to moving on with the rest of his life. We appreciate the promptness of the Orangeburg City leadership in implementing the action.” Mr. Gailyard I have handled many cases involving police violence before and rarely have I seen a city so quick to take responsibility and also work to ensure that this never happens. Now happens to someone else,” said Gailyard’s attorney, Representative Justin Bamberg, D-Bamberg.
Former officer David Lance Dukes, 38, is facing first-degree assault and shooting charges.
Attorney Justin Bamberg held a press conference to discuss the bodycam video showing the incident involving former Orangeburg Department of Public Safety employees David Dukes and Clarence Gailyard. Attorney Justin Bamberg released the video, claiming it was bodycam footage of 58-year-old Orangeburg man Clarence Gailyard being “stepped on the head by former Orangeburg police officer David Lance Dukes as he tried to comply with Dukes orders meeting on July 26.” Dukes was charged with first-degree assault and felony in the incident and terminated by the Orangeburg Department of Public Safety.
A warrant accused him of placing his boot in the back of Gailyard’s head/neck area and pushing him to the ground on July 26.
Orangeburg County EMS transported Gailyard to the hospital for treatment.
A few days later, ODPS terminated the contract with Dukes and SC Law Enforcement charged him.
Attorney Justin Bamberg released the video, claiming it was bodycam footage of 58-year-old Orangeburg man Clarence Gailyard being “stepped on the head by former Orangeburg police officer David Lance Dukes as he was trying to obey orders.” of the Dukes in July. 26 encounters. “Dukes have been charged with first-degree assault and felony in the incident and terminated by the Orangeburg Department of Public Safety.
The July 26 incident was captured on multiple police body cameras and dashboard cameras.
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On Wednesday morning, Bamberg and the city of Orangeburg announced they had reached an agreement in the case.
“It is our hope and expectation that all interactions between the public and officials with the Orangeburg Department of Public Safety will be professional and courteous,” said Orangeburg City Administrator Sidney Evered.
“We understand that these officers have a hard job and put their lives first every day, and for this we are incredibly grateful. The majority of our officers do their jobs with honor and ensure that the citizens they are entrusted to protect and serve are treated fairly and with respect,” Evered continued.
However, when an officer falls short of these expectations and behaves in ways that are inconsistent with their department and the city, the officer must and will be held accountable. That’s exactly what we did in this case. ”
In addition to apologizing to Gailyard and agreeing to a monetary settlement, the city has taken steps to ensure ODPS is “on track for the future,” the statement said.
“We have appointed an interim sheriff who will be tasked with reviewing the department’s use of force policies and procedures,” Evered said.
“We are creating a Citizens Task Force, whose role will, in part, be to provide oversight and guidance on our resident and officer interactions with the Orangeburg Department of Public Safety. We will continue to learn from this situation and are committed to doing our best for those who live, work and travel through Orangeburg,” he added.
Charges against Dukes are still pending.
Contact the writer: mbrown@timesanddemocrat.com or 803-533-5545. Follow on Twitter: @MRBrownTandD
