Editorial: Arbitrator’s decision was the correct one

Earlier this week, a state arbitrator ruled the City of Hastings was justified in firing police officer Don Farrington, who the city said violated his “last chance” conditions of employment.

It is our view that there wasn’t one act he committed during his employment here that was egregious enough for him to be terminated. But the sum of those acts led the city, and later the arbitrator, to come the right conclusion — to terminate his employment.

We need to be able to trust the officers of the law in Hastings. They are tasked with making incredibly challenging split-second decisions in a stressful environment. When that trust has been violated, a change must be made.

Tags: opinion, hastings, minnesota, spiral, editorials