Police Brutality in Milford, Connecticut

Altercations with the police can escalate and lead to violence. In some situations, this violence is warranted. In others, it constitutes police brutality. On this page, you can learn the difference to determine if you or a loved one is the victim of police brutality. If you live in the Milford, Connecticut area, learn more about police brutality cases in your community.

What is Police Brutality?

As mentioned above, there are situations when force is needed to protect an officer or the public. However, if a police officer uses too much force given the situation, this constitutes police brutality. Too much force is also referred to as “excessive force,” and this is something that law enforcement officers can be held accountable for.

As an example, consider a situation where a police officer is trying to transfer a suspect. There is cause for the arrest and the suspect is being detained legally. While transferring the suspect from the cop car to the station, the suspect tries to attack the police officer and get away. In this case, the police officer can use force to further detain the suspect. However, once the suspect is subdued and cooperates, the officer can’t continue assaulting the suspect. Alternatively, if the suspect was never resisting arrest or transfer, the police officer should not assault the suspect.

If you think that you are the victim of police brutality, your civil rights and constitutional rights have been violation. You have the right to seek justice. You can do this by filing a complaint. First, you could file a complaint with the United States Department of Justice. Second, you could file a civil rights complaint. If you are worried about police brutality in your area, learn more about recent complaints here.

While we don’t like to think about abuse of power in our own communities, Milford has had several police brutality issues in recent years. Learn about them in more detail:

In 2000, a Milford police officer was acquitted of murder and convicted of manslaughter for a racially motivated police brutality shooting in 1998. The officer killed a fleeing suspect by shooting him in the back after chasing him and pinning him to the ground.
In 2019, a Milford City resident filed a lawsuit against the Milford police department, the City, and an individual police officer for excessive force during a motor vehicle stop. This article explains that the plaintiff alleges that in August of 2017, the officer approached his vehicle telling him to show his hands and keys and the plaintiff complied. The officer then grabbed the plaintiff’s arm, twisted, and pulled it back until it broke. The plaintiff alleges that his humorous bone was broken in several places and requires a metal plate to be surgically implanted permanently. The plaintiff has also determined it will limit his mobility and negatively affect future work prospects.

Getting Help

If you think that you are the victim of excessive force or another form of police brutality, our office can help. Contact us to discuss your situation with a lawyer and get the help that you need.