Deputy police chief resigns after allegations she assaulted, belittled recruit

ROSWELL, Ga. — Roswell’s interim deputy chief has resigned after allegations surfaced that she assaulted and belittled a new recruit.

Channel 2’s Mike Petchenik got a tip about Helen Dunkin’s resignation in early April, so he filed an open records request with the department. A few weeks later, he received a large internal affairs file about the incident.

According to documents and recordings contained in the file, the recruit told investigators Dunkin singled her out during a fitness exercise at a training facility April 3.

“As we were doing the pushups I noticed that Deputy Chief Dunkin came towards me and put her foot on my hair,” the recruit told investigators. “My hair was fashioned in a ponytail.”

The recruit reported that Dunkin kept her foot on the ponytail as the recruit attempted to do pushups.

“As I was trying to go up, when we were commanded to go up, my head would essentially stay in the down position as the rest of my body went towards the up position,” she said.

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The recruit said after the incident, Dunkin confronted her about the how she was wearing her hair.

“She essentially mentioned that she recognized we do have a policy in place that allows wearing the pony tail in that fashion,” the recruit said. “However, I haven’t completed probation and I haven’t earned the privilege of wearing my hair in a ponytail.”

The recruit told investigators she was perplexed by Dunkin’s alleged behavior.

“I was left a little hurt and confused about why that incident would occur and whether it was OK for her (to) touch me if I was within policy,” she said. “I never thought it would actually happen to me.”

Chief James Conroy told Petchenik in a statement that after he learned of the allegations, he put Dunkin on paid leave pending the outcome of an investigation, but Dunkin resigned before the investigation could be completed.

“The allegations against Interim Deputy Chief Dunkin were certainly concerning,” he said in a statement. "As soon as they were brought to my attention, I ordered the Office of Professional Standards to immediately initiate an internal investigation … The values of the Roswell Police Department include Integrity, Responsibility, Professionalism, Courage, Compassion and Perseverance. The actions uncovered during the investigation were determined to be in violation of City of Roswell and Roswell Police Department policies, rules and regulations. These actions clearly do not conform to the values and expectations of a Roswell Police Officer, especially as a command staff officer.”

Petchenik reached out to Dunkin via e-mail and at a phone number he found for her, but she didn’t respond to his request for a comment.

According to the Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training Council, the agency that accredits sworn officers, Dunkin’s certification is still active, but it shows that she resigned during an investigation.

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