Manchester, Connecticut is one place where police brutality and excessive force issues have arisen, particularly in the past few years. If you live in this area, it is important to understand these issues as well as how you can prevent them. And if you think that you are the victim of police brutality, you need to know how to get help. I will discuss all of these issues on this page.
What are Police Brutality and Excessive Force?
The first thing that you need to understand about police brutality is that not every violent act that an officer commits falls under this category. Police officers and other government officials are allowed to use force in certain situations. Specifically, officials can use force if their safety or other people’s safety is compromised. However, if law enforcement agents use too much force for the situation, this constitutes excessive force, and this leads to police brutality.
Understanding if your specific situation constitutes police brutality can be tricky. It can be hard to determine if a situation calls for force, and if the proper force was applied in that situation. For this reason, it is best to have an attorney review your situation and help you understand your rights as well as if you should proceed in pressing charges.
Police Brutality in Manchester, Connecticut
Here are a few examples of recent police brutality issues in Manchester:
- In 2015, a 70-year-old East Hartford man alleges that he was mistreated by Manchester police and wrongly arrested when he tried to warn police of dangerous situations during a town fireworks display. The article linked above mentions that the individual is a former Glastonbury police officer and served six years on the force. The former police officer alleges he was trying to warn the police that one of the streets needed to be patrolled, as many pedestrians were nearly missing getting hit by cars and the street was poorly lit. The man alleges he then gave the officer his wallet. When he tried to get it back, he was thrown into a pole and placed under arrest. The article claims that the man suffered some injuries and his hearing aids and glasses were damaged.
- A Manchester officer was charged with domestic violence and has subsequently resigned from the force. According to the linked article, the former police officer was released on a $5,000 bond. Two fellow officers reported they believed the officer was physically and verbally abusing his girlfriend. This same former officer had been reported to internal affairs for using excessive force to bring down a handcuffed suspect. The former officer had placed both hands around the handcuffed suspect’s neck and pulled the man to the ground, holding him down with his knee.
- In 2019, a Manchester Police officer was demoted and suspended after state police released camera footage of a deadly Ansonia police shooting. Police were called to a domestic violence incident where the suspect was wielding a sword.
Getting Help
Do you think that you have faced an excessive force or police brutality situation in Manchester, Connecticut? We can help. Contact our office to learn more.