GLENDALE, AZ — A pair of Glendale officers exposed in ABC15 investigations for excessive tasering incidents have filed for accidental disability retirement.
The city's police pension board is expected to review and advance the applications for Officer Matthew Schneider and Sgt. Aaron Aldridge during a meeting next week, records show.
ABC15 separately aired reports about both officers' abuses of force in recent months.
The FBI also opened a criminal investigation into Schneider following ABC15’s investigation into his conduct during a July 2017 traffic stop.
During the stop, Schneider repeatedly tasered a man, including once in the testicles when was handcuffed laying on the ground, according to body camera footage and a federal lawsuit.
Attorneys for Schneider have claimed in court during a civil case that criminal charges are presumed and expected in the near future.
Schneider was suspended for three days for his role in the 2017 traffic stop. Independent experts called his actions one of the most troubling and sadistic cases of police misconduct they’ve ever seen.
ABC15 also obtained video showing Sgt. Aldridge immediately tasering a man in the chest in late 2018 without warning. The suspect, who was accused of stealing a bait bike, had both hands clearly raised above his head.
Accidental disability retirements would allow the officers to collect full pension benefits without reaching the required 20 years of service.
According to the state public safety pension system, such retirements are for officers who have a “physical/mental condition which totally and permanently prevents you from performing a reasonable range of duties within your position classification that was incurred in the performance of your duties.”
However, neither Schneider nor Aldridge are currently on leave, a city spokesperson said.
This is a developing story. Follow ABC15 Use of Force for the latest developments.
