Cop Fired After Vital Remains Show Had Violated Other Policies

Last week we told you about Andrew Ricks, the Florida police offer who was allegedly relieved of duty after going on stage at a Vital Remains show — while on duty and in uniform — and singing a song with the band. Later we learned that Ricks had already put in his letter of resignation, so he may have been making a statement… or just having a “fuck it!” moment.

But now, thanks to The Daily Beast, we have some more details about Ricks’ resignation and what led to it. Ricks handed in his resignation letter on October 30th with a planned final work day of November 20th; his dismissal after the Vital Remains incident effectively moved up his last day in uniform by two days. He’d had a couple of prior violations — which may have contributed to his resignation — and it turns out that he resigned from another police job elsewhere in Florida back in 2009, though we don’t have any details about that. From The Daily Beast:

Ricks had violated other policies as well, [Police Chief] Smith said. Most importantly, he said, Ricks had disobeyed the requirement to have his body camera turned on while doing community contacts. Ricks had also placed a training officer in a situation that the latter was not equipped to handle, the chief claimed.

The Sentinel reports that Ricks resigned from his first police job in Apopka, Florida, after just six months in 2009. He has been with the Sanford PD since 2010.

In short, it appears that claims Ricks was dismissed due to his rock star moment screaming “Let the killing begin!” were greatly exaggerated. Still a fun story, though.

For what it’s worth, Police Chief Smith said he has no problem with heavy metal:

There is absolutely no concern with us with anyone listening to heavy metal. That’s your prerogative and your choice of music that you want to listen to.