The High Price Of Abusive Cops -- Brass Likes Them?

[Meddle]

Though use-of-force complaints have dropped -- there were 1,369 complaints in 2011 and 1,421 in 2010 -- critics say the department still has a costly brutality problem.

Nearly half of the $57.4 million the cash-strapped city has paid out in lawsuits since July 2009 was in police cases, many involving excessive force and false arrest, records show.

"We're making headway because people aren't being killed," Scott said. "But the beatings, the verbal abuse and the racist remarks have not gone away."

The department's internal affairs section presented Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy with a warrant request for criminal charges against three officers. But after several months, the department still is waiting for a response.

Worthy's office said it hopes to decide soon.

The officers, who have been involved in other excessive-force lawsuits that collectively have cost the city $660,000 in settlements, didn't respond to a Free Press interview request. The lawsuits alleged unprovoked beatings and trumped-up charges to justify the officers' conduct. It's unclear if they were disciplined in those cases.

City lawyers wouldn't comment on the Ellsberry case, but said in court papers that the officers had probable cause for the arrest and acted in self-defense.

Former Deputy Chief Jamie Fields, who was in charge of consent-decree compliance until he retired in 2009, says the department hasn't gotten the upper hand on excessive force.

He said police supervisors often are reluctant to discipline overly aggressive cops because they make a lot of arrests and produce statistics.

Ellsberry said the episode was scary: "If Posey hadn't come onto the scene and my wife and kids hadn't been there, I think they would have killed me."

He said his fingers are still numb from the incident, and he has nerve damage in his wrists because of too-tight handcuffs.

He wants the officers prosecuted and fired.

But that may not happen.

Chief Godbee said that there are discrepancies in Posey's account that could prevent the officers from being charged or disciplined. He wouldn't elaborate.

http://www.freep.com/article/2012092...e-sues-Detroit



I don't care if he was in possession, POs should not be assaulting citizens. When they do, they should be fired [[at the very least) no matter how loud the DPOA whines.

Any PO who has an abuse case go against them forcing the city to pay a settlement should be fired.

The three officers mention in this story have cost the city nearly $700,000 -- maybe more than their collective salaries, yet they're still out there. Detroit's Finest? Hardly.

And why is Worthy dragging her feet ............ again?