A Birmingham police officer arrested in the assault of a female prisoner has been fired.
The Birmingham Police Department on Wednesday formally terminated 25-year-old South Precinct Officer Stephon Green. The firing followed a determination hearing that was held Tuesday before BPD officials.
Green’s attorney, Scott Morrow, said he already has filed an appeal to the firing.
Green is charged with second-degree assault. Police supervisors last week said they received a use of force complaint on Aug. 1, 2019 involving Green while on duty. The officer was assigned to transport a female prisoner from the Birmingham City Jail to the hospital for evaluation that night. After arriving at the hospital, supervisors received information of an altercation between the officer and prisoner.
Supervisors arrived to find that the prisoner had sustained serious injuries to the face while in the custody of Green. After learning of the allegations, the officer was immediately placed on administrative duties pending the outcome of the investigation, said spokesman Sgt. Johnny Williams.
Following the completion of the investigation and confirmation of the warrant, the information was forwarded to the Birmingham Police Department Crime Reduction Team. Green was taken into custody Thursday morning by members of the Birmingham Police Department Crime Reduction Team and transported to the Jefferson County Jail. He has since been released on $15,000 bond.
Birmingham police Officer Stephon Green was arrested and fired after authorities say he struck a female prisoner in the eye.
The chief said Green punched the female inmate twice in the face and one in the chest after she threw footwear at him. The chief also released a photo of the inmate’s injured eye.
Green joined the force on April 18, 2016. After graduation from the police academy, Green was assigned to the Patrol Division at the South Precinct. He is on administrative leave without pay pending a hearing.
The officer’s attorney, Scott Morro, said it’s a shame his client was arrested. "This is a non-criminal case and the City of Birmingham is making it a criminal case,'' Morro said. “He used force in his capacity of a police officer. The officers in the field ought to be scared to death that this is happening. That is the crime here.”