Can someone explain to me why the county was liable here?<p>When the crime was reported, an investigation was started promptly; the accused officer was suspended; and upon the conclusion of that investigation he was charged, arrested, and is now in jail.  It seems like the process worked exactly as it should here.<p>Was such criminal behaviour condoned (tacitly or otherwise) by the department?  I&#x27;ve heard stories about this happening in the past, but there&#x27;s no mention of anything like that in this article.<p>Was the department aware of prior complaints?  It doesn&#x27;t seem like it; while the article implies that this was not the first assault committed by this officer, the DA&#x27;s investigation clearly wasn&#x27;t able to uncover evidence of any prior complaints, and for all that police officers have a reputation for standing together I doubt they would bury complaints against a known rapist that effectively.<p>A crime was committed, and the criminal went to jail.  How does the criminal&#x27;s employer come into the picture?