Locals Protest Reinstatement of Hoffman Case Officer Ryan Pender

On April 10, locals of all ages gathered in front of the Tallahassee Police Department and on the nearby street corners to protest former Tallahassee Police Officer Ryan Pender reinstatement as an officer with the TPD that morning. Ryan Pender worked on the sting operation with Rachel Hoffman when she was killed.

Rachel Hoffman was a 23-year-old graduate of FSU when she was caught with 0.9 ounces of marijuana in 2007. She was then used as a confidential informant for a drug bust in May 2008 to avoid drug charges, which resulted in her unforeseen death.

All of the officers involved in the case are all back at work. The city of Tallahassee is denying any fault and is placing all the blame on Rachel Hoffman.

Passersby frequently honked on the group of protestors, acknowledging their support, yet many protestors questioned, why more people didn’t take a stand. The group blared Rachel’s story in a megaphone, informing those in traffic and hoping for more support, while jabbing signs high in the air.

Ryan Pender, a police investigator who participated in the failed operation involving Hoffman, is to return as a patrol officer, no longer an investigator, after his firing in Sept. 2008 for violating departmental policies. He will return for a training period before he will fully get back into his job on patrol with the TPD.

The two men Rachel was supposed to buy 1,500 ecstasy pills, 2 ounces of cocaine, and a handgun from in the sting, shot Rachel and are both serving life sentences in prison. However, none of the police officers who violated safety codes were properly penalized.

Locals agreed that this type of situation can make people unwilling to call the police when they have legitimate problems, particularly students considering most are close to Rachel’s age at the time.

“If we can influence the police department in such a way that they say to themselves, maybe we should reconsider this case, but I think there is some value in just the act of doing. Letting them know it isn’t as if no one noticed,” protestor Patrick Shepherd said.

Pender and his fellow officers violated over 100 protocols and procedures in the sting-operation. Rachel was insufficiently protected and monitored, accompanied by only two other officers and was unfamiliar with the two men they arranged her to conduct the drug deal with.

Protestor Taylor Lee said, “What you have is someone who is supposed to be a legal enforcer actually breaking the law, which ultimately resulted in Rachel’s death. Ryan Pender said that he shouldn’t be held responsible, but they are the ones that set up the operation and didn’t properly monitor it.”

During the arbitration for Pender, an arbitrator announced that Pender’s mistakes should not have caused his termination- and now he is going to be reinstated with back-pay and benefits. Pender’s attorney said that Pender was ready and willing to report back to duty, but the Hoffman family was devastated to hear the news. The Hoffman’s attorney Lance Block felt that this puts the progress towards Rachel’s justice back at the beginning.

“Here, and in this country in general, the police are not held accountable to the standards that they should be,” said protestor Ryler Calavrese.

In the two-day arbitration period deciding whether Pender could go back to work for the TPD, many reports were reviewed, but the 200 page internal investigation report that proved all of the violated department protocols was not included for discussion.

The Hoffman family and attorney Lance Block still intend to file a civil lawsuit case against the city of Tallahassee, but their case is still pending.

Patrick continued, “In this town I think the police are good people and they do a valuable service and they do it bravely, but there needs to be some system of accountability. This situation seems to be the clearest example of this, even as just a microcosm of the whole thing. Just looking at this situation, while seeing there are other things that aren’t as severe, they can happen and can be just as severe.”

Many protestors felt that just coming out to show their opinions would make a statement and would make a difference and benefit the Tallahassee community.

The TPD acknowledged the protestors presence, but stated they must comply what the arbitrators decided concerning Pender.