Unfortunately, many people do not take police brutality seriously until they find themselves in a difficult situation with the police. Police brutality does happen, and it happens across the United States. If you live in or near Middletown, Connecticut, it is important to understand that police brutality issues have come up recently in the area. Understanding what police brutality is and how it impacts the Middletown community can help you protect yourself from this issue.
What is Police Brutality?
A police officer is guilty of police brutality when then use excessive force in a given situation. The police and other government officials are allowed to use force in order to do their jobs, protect themselves, and ensure the safety of others. But force is not always needed, and serious or lethal force should only be used in limited situations. If a police officer uses too much force for a given situation, they could be charged with police brutality.
Police Brutality in Middletown, Connecticut
Middletown has seen some police brutality and excessive force cases in recent years. You can learn more about these situations here:
- In 2012, the estate of a man who died in custody after a taser incident filed a lawsuit against the City of Middletown and Middletown police officers. The man was tasered 34 times while handcuffed for his “protection” but was never actually charged with any crime, according to the article linked above.
- In 2013, it was reported that over a five-year period, the Middletown Police department had eight excessive force cases filed against them. According to the source linked here, school resource officers were removed from the Middletown High School and middle schools after an incident in September 2010 where police tasered a 17-year-old boy accused of stealing from the cafeteria. Officers were reinstated in the high school in January 2011 without tasers. Officers were not reinstated in the middle schools until 2012. The mother of the boy who was tasered filed a lawsuit in May 2011 for “unreasonable, unjustified and excessive force.” The lawsuit alleged that the officers threw the boy to the floor and used a taser on him five times.
- The same article mentions other lawsuits in that five-year time period include a shooting in January 2011 where a Middletown officer shot a suspect after pursuit. The lawsuit alleges the shooting was intentional and with intent to kill.
- The article also mentions a former Board of Education chair also sued Middletown law enforcement because he was “yanked” out of his seat at a public meeting and escorted out.
- Finally, the article mentions that a robbery suspect also sued the police department for excessive force by their officers.
Getting Help
If you are the victim of police brutality, your civil rights and constitutional rights have been violated. If this is the case, you can take a few different approaches to try and get justice. You can file a complaint to the relevant governmental agency. To determine how to file a complaint and what other steps you need to take, contact our office. We are happy to answer your questions and provide resources to help you.