COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — A Columbus Division of Police officer who was fired after downloading body-worn camera footage for personal uses has been reinstated.
According to the Fraternal Order of Police Capital City Lodge #9, CPD officer Spencer Badger has been reinstated, with full back pay and benefits, after an independent arbitrator ruled in favor of reversing the decision to let Badger go earlier this year.
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In March 2025, Badger was fired, a decision upheld by Columbus Public Safety Director Kate McSweeney-Pishotti, for reportedly downloading body-worn camera footage, without filling out proper public records requests, and then uploading that footage to his personal YouTube account.
In a prior statement, McSweeney-Pishotti, who noted that Badger’s actions constituted, “critical misconduct” said, “Officer Badger admits to violating division policy on multiple occasions. He admits to improperly and repeatedly downloading law enforcement materials to a personal device. As he told investigators, ‘I went back and looked at the policy again and I realized that sure, it’s written in black and white, pretty hard to miss.’”…