![New-Haven-Police](https://media.nbcconnecticut.com/2022/07/New-Haven-Police.jpg?quality=85&strip=all&crop=0px%2C16px%2C4032px%2C2268px&resize=320%2C180)
The police officer that drove when Richard "Randy" Cox was paralyzed in police custody has returned to work at the New Haven Police Department.
Cox wound up paralyzed in the back of a police van in 2022.
In January 2024, a panel of state arbitrators investigating Cox's paralysis recommended that the New Haven police officer driving the van at the time of the incident be reinstated.
In their decision, the panel said the police union "did not have just cause" when it terminated Officer Oscar Diaz.
Get top local stories in Connecticut delivered to you every morning. Sign up for NBC Connecticut's News Headlines newsletter.
After the Connecticut State Board of Mediation and Arbitration overturned the Board of Police Commissioners' vote, Diaz was issued a 15-day unpaid suspension.
Diaz was also decertified by the Police Office Safety and Training Council for 45 days, according to Mayor Justin Elicker's office.
The City of New Haven challenged the decision and filed an application to vacate the ruling with the State Superior Court, but the application was denied.
Local
Diaz returned to work with the New Haven Police Department on Jan. 13.
"While the city disagrees with the arbitration ruling, we are required to follow its direction," Elicker said in a statement.
Diaz is currently assigned to administrative duties and he has to complete a recertification process before being assigned to any non-administrative duties, according to Elicker's office.
Back in March 2024, multiple officers, including Diaz, who were arrested for allegedly mistreating Cox were denied bids to enter a program that could have erased criminal charges against them.
Diaz still faces criminal charges in connection to the incident. He is due back in court on Thursday.