MONROE — One of the Monroe police officers who fatally shot fugitive Harold McCord Jr. on June 24 has been fired, but not because of his role in the shooting.
Officer Bruce Sinnott was fired because he was spending an excessive amount of time with a female friend when he was supposed to be working, Monroe police Cmdr. Jan O’Neil said.
"Our expectations and the expectations of the citizens of Monroe are that when officers are working they should be working as police officers, not engaged in personal contacts with friends," O’Neil said.
Sinnott was placed on paid leave pending the outcome of an internal investigation into the allegations. Monroe Police Chief Tim Quenzer decided to fire Sinnott on Wednesday, O’Neil said.
Today is Sinnott’s last day as a Monroe officer.
Sinnott and the department’s union, Teamsters Local 763, are challenging the decision, union representative John Campbell said. He declined to comment about the accusations. Sinnott could not be reached for comment.
Sinnott spent a "considerable amount of time" with his female friend while on duty during the past year, O’Neil said. He did not know how frequently they saw each other.
"It was going beyond what would be the norm of making a personal phone call," O’Neil said.
Sinnott met the woman when he wasn’t responding to crimes, O’Neil said. Officers are supposed to use that time to patrol the city, follow up on crime reports and work with the community, she said.
"We don’t have any situations where he failed to respond to calls," she said.
The decision to fire Sinnott was not connected to the police raid that left McCord dead. Sinnott was one of eight officers who entered the Monroe apartment where McCord was hiding. He was one of three who shot McCord.
The Snohomish County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office is reviewing an investigation of the shooting conducted by a special team of detectives.
The decision is also unrelated to a domestic dispute that occurred between Sinnott and his wife on Aug. 19 at the couple’s Snohomish home.
Sinnott, 38, has worked for the Monroe Police Department for five years. Prior to that, he worked for the state Department of Corrections for 10 years — one year at McNeil Island and nine years at the state reformatory in Monroe.
He also was a U.S. Marine and worked at the Marine Corps brig at Camp Pendleton, Calif., from 1984 to 1988.
Reporter Katherine Schiffner: 425-339-3436 or
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