New York citizens should feel confident that their interactions with law enforcement will be civil and safe. Unfortunately, sometimes that is not the case. Recent incidents around the country have highlighted law enforcement misconduct. While many law enforcement officers are diligently doing their best to keep all communities safe, some may be using practices that are unfair or even harmful.
Some patrolling officers may have past complaints of misconduct or even past suits against them, as is the case with officers involved in the death of George Floyd.
Officers involved in the death of George Floyd had prior misconduct complaints
As reported by CNN, several officers involved in the arrest of George Floyd, an unarmed black man who died while in custody, had prior misconduct complaints filed against them. One of the officers was the subject of an excessive force lawsuit in 2017. The plaintiff alleged that the defendant and another officer used “cruel and unusual” punishment while arresting him, including kicking, kneeing and punching his face and body while he was in handcuffs and defenseless. The plaintiff also asserted that they had no reason to arrest him in the first place, and that they lied about a warrant for his arrest. After taking the plaintiff to the hospital, officers allegedly rushed healthcare workers attending to the plaintiff, and threw his discharge papers and a prescription for painkillers away as they left. The suit reached a $25,000 settlement in December, 2017.
Contacting an attorney
Just like any citizen, members of law enforcement must follow the standards of the law. If a citizen feels that they were unlawfully detained, treated cruelly, illegally searched or treated inappropriately in another way by law enforcement, they may want to contact an attorney.