Yakima police chief working to keep bad apples out of the force

YAKIMA, Wash. -- The investigation into Erik Hildebrand started after fellow officers noticed an unusual text message. They then informed their superiors who looked into it further.

That is an important point that YPD wants to drive home.

Since the investigation Rizzi has taken over a chief.

Rizzi says the key to keeping this from happening again is to be proactive.

"The last thing we want is to take an officer that makes a mistake and just let it go, because then he gets a little bit of empowerment," said Dominic Rizzi, Yakima Police Chief.

He says he will use outside training to help prevent other incidents and hopefully keep the bad apple out of the force.