‘COMPLIANCE STRIKES’

Cop Fired for Punching Pregnant Woman in Head Is Back on the Job

Officer Elizabeth Montoya of the San Antonio PD returned to the force on Wednesday, according to local reports.

A San Antonio cop fired in 2019 after dashcam footage showed her punch a handcuffed pregnant woman in the head at least seven times, reportedly has her job back. Officer Elizabeth Montoya returned to the force on Wednesday, according to KSAT, which reported that Montoya, an eight-year veteran at the time of her dismissal, was reinstated by a third-party arbitrator. At a hearing in March, Montoya testified the blows were “compliance strikes” to get Kimberly Esparza, who was then six months pregnant, “to stop kicking me and to follow my instructions.” Montoya had stopped Esparza to search her for drugs, according to KSAT. San Antonio City Attorney Andy Segovia said in a statement that local officials were “disappointed with the arbitrator’s decision,” and that the city “clearly established” that Montoya’s “conduct was not in keeping with the standards established by SAPD.”