The judge sentenced Dempsey at a hearing that drew press coverage from across the state. The sentence imposed was two years for the assault involving a minor, 18 months consecutive for the false arrest, two years consecutive for being on duty under the influence, 18 months consecutive for the false incident report, and two years consecutive for misconduct in public office.
The total sentence was nine years. The judge recommended that Dempsey serve at least six before being considered for release. At sentencing, the emphasis was not only on the seconds of physical force in the park, but on the authority attached to Dempsey's badge, the fact that Austin was a minor, the false description of the phone movement, and the institutional trust damaged by an officer acting while impaired. The court treated the case as more than one bad decision made in a tense moment. It treated it as a sequence of choices whose consequences had been amplified by the power Dempsey carried.
His law-enforcement certification was permanently revoked the same day the sentence was delivered. He would never be permitted to work in law enforcement again.
The civil lawsuits settled three weeks after the criminal conviction. The department's legal team had reviewed the evidence after the verdict and reached the conclusion that a civil trial would produce a result at least as damaging as settlement. The broader liability created by allowing Dempsey to remain on patrol while impaired increased the department's exposure beyond the individual encounter itself.
The settlement totaled $1 million. Austin's family received $650,000. Chloe's family received $350,000. The division reflected the different harms alleged in the two cases. Austin had been physically taken to the ground, restrained, handcuffed, and placed in the cruiser. Chloe had watched the encounter unfold after repeatedly telling Dempsey his premise was wrong, had called 911 for help against the actions of an officer already on scene, and had been forced to keep explaining the same basic fact while Austin sat detained nearby.
Neither settlement included a nondisclosure requirement because both families refused to sign anything preventing them from speaking publicly about what had happened.
The department implemented mandatory random drug testing for officers on active patrol as a direct result of the case. The policy was included in the settlement agreement as a binding commitment rather than a voluntary reform. The testing program was overseen by an independent medical body rather than by the department itself.