Philadelphia Police Brutality Lawyers Discuss 4 Famous Examples of Police Misconduct
January 14, 2013We trust police to enforce the law and keep our cities safe. But what happens when officers consider themselves above the law? Sometimes, small misunderstandings lead to grave police misconduct. Here are four examples of cases in which police force was not proportional to the crime:
Daniel Chong
One recent police misconduct case comes from California, where U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) officials detained a UCSD student for five days without charging him or providing food and water. The DEA completely forgot about Chong in one of their cells while his other friends were released. He was gravely injured, and is planning to file charges for violation of his civil rights.
Occupy Wall Street
The nationwide protests in 2011 and 2012 led to a large number of injuries stemming from police interaction with protestors. With the use of pepper spray, tear gas, or high-pressure water hoses, these interactions brought police brutality into the spotlight. Lawmakers across the country have been calling for a Department of Justice investigation into police protocol.
Kathryn Johnson
In 2006, a 92-year old Atlanta woman named Kathryn Johnson was shot and killed in her own home by crooked police officers. A fake “no knock” warrant was issued for her arrest, under the suspicion that she was dealing crack cocaine. The police entered Ms. Johnson’s home out of uniform and without knocking, so she mistook them for burglars and fired a shot in self-defense. The police retaliated by firing almost 40 shots, killing her and wounding three other police officers.
Cornell Greathouse
In 2007, Los Angeles police hung up a quadriplegic man on a fence in order to search him for drugs during an arrest. He sustained such serious injuries, that he spent six days in the hospital following the arrest. He sued the LAPD for damages, and won $80,000.
If you are a victim of serious police misconduct, you may be entitled to sue for damages. Contact the Law Office of Patrick Geckle to learn about building a case against state or local police. Protect yourself from police brutality and misconduct by calling 215-735-3326 or you may contact us online.
