Assault charges dropped against senior cop as ‘not in the public interest’ We’re sorry, this service is currently unavailable. Please try again later. Dismiss Normal text size Advertisement A high-ranking Victorian police officer facing a mandatory prison sentence over allegations he assaulted an emergency services worker has had charges against him withdrawn after they were deemed to be “not in the public interest”. The decision to drop the case against Detective Inspector Darren Cooper has angered many in the force, who question whether the outcome would have been different for a lower-ranked officer or a member of the public.