San Francisco Rescinds Reprimand over Asiana Crash Helmet Cam

San Francisco Fire Chief Joanne Hayes-White has decided to rescind the reprimand she previous issued to Battalion Chief Mark Johnson for taking an unauthorized helmet cam video at the scene of the crash of Asiana Airlines Flight 214 last July.

Chief Johnson’s video played a critical role in the investigation of the death of Ye Meng Yuan. Nevertheless, he was reprimanded for violating a department general order against unauthorized filming “in the workplace”.

In a rather unconventional defense, Chief Johnson’s attorney argued in his appeal that (1) that he installed the helmet cam after he had been criticized following the death of two firefighters at a fire in 2011 as a means of documenting his conduct; and (2) that all three firefighters who had been disciplined by the department for helmet cam violations were African-American.

After reviewing his appeal, Chief Hayes-White determined that the department had “insufficient evidence” to support the reprimand.

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