Third-party takes over investigation of Cody police officer

CODY (WNE) — The City of Cody will bring in a third party to review its investigation and findings regarding Cody Police Officer Blake Stinson’s conduct during an arrest of a 17-year-old juvenile in January.

A formal complaint was filed in early May that “expressed concern over the officer’s professional conduct” during the arrest, a City of Cody June 6 press release said.

The complaint was followed by a YouTube video published May 21 which compiled Stinson’s body camera and dash camera footage of the arrest. The video also called into question Stinson’s conduct during the incident.

According to the press release, “following the review of the complaint and all available information regarding the issue, the City of Cody established that further review of the officer’s actions during the encounter would be necessary to determine whether they were consistent with our established standards.”

City Administrator Barry Cook told city council during its June 6 meeting that though a third-party has not been contracted with yet, the hope is to bring in someone from outside of Wyoming.

Cook told the city council the internal investigation would likely be completed by June 7.

“We’re hoping to have the third party sit down with the report and review our policies and procedures ... and the decision we made,” he said.

Stinson remains on paid administrative leave, Cook said.

After the review of the city’s investigation, the city will take “appropriate corrective actions should the findings of the investigation and third-party review determine that the employee’s conduct was inappropriate, excessive or inconsistent with the responsibilities of the role,” the press release said.

This story was published on June 7, 2023.