Police said the witness then said he had not pulled the motorcycle off the rider and refused to answer any more questions, saying it was his constitutional right not to talk. It also included that 1,352 of the drivers he pulled over 84% of his stops were let off with just a warning. The suit claims that Siers and S.S. are seeking declaratory relief and economic damages as well as compensatory damages, among other things, through a jury trial. Even Chief Ticer himself assisted Hill with arresting and charging an innocent person with DUI, by providing a (Drug Recognition Expert) evaluation of the individual and declaring in his (Ticers) expert DRE opinion that the person was under the influence of cannabis.. Federal judge tosses man's excessive force lawsuit against Loveland police, Appeals court finds police baton does not fall under law against disarming officers, Federal judge considers whether wrongful arrest in Aurora rises to constitutional violation, Judge allows lawsuit to proceed against Colorado Springs officer who tased son of congressional candidate, Federal judge refuses to halt lawsuit involving Loveland officer's shooting of pet dog, Polis signs Bradfield's prescriptive authority for psychologists bill | FOCUS ON THE SPRINGS, Colorado Senate Republicans tap their inner 'Mean Girls' | CAPITOL M. It also included these male adult officers forcibly pushing her entire body against brick wall and concrete, and for officer Wood, at times pushing the front of his own body hard up against her back.. You know, it's just, it's horrifying, terrifying, Siers said in an interview Wednesday. Sady Swanson covers public safety, K-12 education and more throughout Northern Colorado. Let there be no mistake: Loveland is not a safe place for children. LOVELAND, Colo. The City of Loveland is paying out $290,000 dollars to settle a lawsuit over the wrongful arrest of a man in September 2019, the man's attorney said. Colorado Police Officer Sued for 'Recklessly' Shooting Family Dog The charges were dismissed by the Larimer County District Attorneys Office. Schielke, of the Life and Liberty Law Office, filed the original complaint in January, claiming Fort Collins resident Harris Elias was wrongfully arrested by LPD officer William Gates in early 2020 for DUI. Sowl said he needed shoulder replacement surgery after the incident, according to the lawsuit. All rights reserved. And it claims that Dunlap and Wood arrested the girl without a warrant and used excessive force. Sowls arrest in September 2019 was capturedon body camera footage, released by Sowls attorney Sarah Schielke. By law, if I see an OSHA violation and fail to act,I can be held personally responsible. Share with Us. Victim Receives $290K Settlement | The Bexar County Jail With more equipment and more officers, they are able to make more arrests and then point to those arrest stats as proof of rising crime levels that they then proclaim requires more funding, equipment and officers to solve. Officers Dunlap and Wood the suit claims Dunlap was field-training Wood at the time responded to the scene where they located and interviewed Hall. Colorado Supreme Court ruling makes more police internal investigations accessible. Lawsuits pile up at Loveland Police Department | FOX31 Denver The complaint adds that the LPD often posted about their victories in these absurd arrest competitions on social media, continually reaffirming to all Loveland police officers that DUI arrests are valued over all else, especially citizens constitutional rights., LPD has obtained hundreds of thousands of dollars of grant funding for themselves as a result of their DUI arrest numbers, the complaint said. Police. His attorney says the injury required Sowl to undergo shoulder replacement surgery. Get on the ground, an officer yells, pointing a Taser at Mr. Siers and then firing it. One of them, a Jack Russell terrier, started barking at the officers when they were trying to get the daughter into handcuffs. That night Gates pulled Elias over in Fort Collins and, ultimately, Gates arrested Elias for DUI. Officers Wood and Dunlap eventually got her into handcuffs and arrested her for investigation of charges of harassment, domestic violence, obstruction and resisting arrest. That leads to this result, this absurd result, where the officers prioritize numbers over the constitutional rights of the citizens they are supposed to be protecting, she said. Schielkeis alsorepresenting Karen Garner and her family in an ongoing civil rights lawsuit against Loveland police. Living at Kimberly Court can seem like living in the most convenient location in Boulder. In that video, Sychla can be heard explaining to Siers why he used force, explaining he wasnt sure what the Siers intentions were. Police were . The release by Loveland corroborated Schielkes claims, stating that more than a month ago an attorney representing the family involved made a request to settle the claims with a four-day time frame to pay for damages, which the city declined. The Loveland Police Department was hit with many negative headlines related to the rough arrest of Karen Garner, a 73-year-old suffering from dementia who's only five feet tall and weighs. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. The biggest threat to the safety of the Loveland community is - and continues to be - the Loveland Police Department itself. Last year, the city of Loveland paid a $3 million settlement to the woman, Karen Garner. Following this, the suit claims that Sychla shoved Siers backward several times, with Siers eventually scrambling away into a parking space in front of the residence. The city also released its own video with footage from the incident from Sychlas body-worn camera, which includes the incident itself as well as Siers arrest and discussion with Sychla. Chief Ticer and Sergeant Hill did not care about these poor innocent people Gates was victimizing without consequence, the complaint said. As we move forward on our accountability efforts launched in 2021, best practices in law enforcement will be maintained and we are committed to accountability if those standards are not upheld.. Loveland City Manager Steve Adams said the city was also releasing its own video from the ordeal and that while the city initially reviewed and deemed appropriate at the time the actions of the officers, but was now taking a second outside look at the incident in our efforts to ensure we are policing in a respectful and proper manner., As we move forward on our accountability efforts launched in 2021, best practices in law enforcement will be maintained and we are committed to accountability if those standards are not upheld.. Body camera footage then shows an officer yanking Skippys collar and pulling him off the ground as Mr. Siers yells, Dont choke my dog!, Im not choking, the officer says. Don't Threaten. Before coming to Loveland, he graduated from Colorado State University in May 2020 with two bachelor's degrees, one in journalism and media communications and one in history. She begged the officers to let her grab a tampon, but they told her no, causing her to flail and then collapse on the ground in tears, the lawsuit states. The next thing Talmadge recalled was being at the hospital. No wonder why you guys get a bad rap, Siers can be heard saying when Sychla returns to him on the ground. At the Safeway parking lot, Officers Wood and Dunlap were collecting witness statements and asking the boy to fill out a form describing the slap, the lawsuit states. This is not the first time the department has faced an excessive use of force lawsuit for actions of its officers. The suit also claims Sychla falsified and exaggerated facts in the police report involving Siers. Another person, identified as K.S., was pulled over by Gates Sept. 30, 2019. But the investigation determined the witness had not committed a crime and the officer was not justified in arresting him, according to an internal memo from Police Chief Robert Tice dated May 7. Siers then can be seen complying with Sychla as he handcuffs him, but asks him to put the dogs away, stating he doesnt want the officers to shoot them. Lawsuit alleges Loveland Police Department has pattern of - KMGH Want the real scoop? NISP opponents sue Larimer County commissioners over permit approval, Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. The city of Loveland and Loveland Police Department settled the lawsuit with Sowl in January for nearly $300,000. They were both also making their very own wrongful DUI arrests during this time. All the investigation and work we were putting in to get a peek at the tip of the iceberg was taking forever, she said. Hill said she could smell alcohol in Dutkas vehicle, which Dutka explained was due to a drunk friend whom she had driven home. Loveland police face excessive force lawsuit for 2020 arrest of father The city said Ashe violated three department policies and procedures: limits of authority and exercise discretion; search and seizure; and use of force. She had been dating 18-year-old Elijah Hall and, around lunchtime on June 20, 2020, she rode her bike to the nearby Safeway where she found Hall with another woman. The father of a teenage girl filed a lawsuit on Wednesday against three police officers in Loveland, Colo., who arrested her in 2020, saying the men used excessive force when they slammed the 14-year-old onto concrete, fired a Taser at him and choked the familys Jack Russell terrier. While the witness was being uncooperative, the IA (internal affairs) reports that there was not probable cause to arrest Sowl, aFriday news release from the city of Loveland stated. each comment to let us know of abusive posts. The Moving can be an exciting experience. He called them back, and officers came back to his home while he was outside working on his daughters bike. The city, in response, said it will conduct an independent review and maintained that it is committed to accountability. Schielke said the names used in the suit were gained from a records request made to the LPD and, out of respect for each persons privacy, she did not include their full names with the exception of one person. A civil lawsuit was filed against the Loveland Police Department and City of Loveland after a police officer shot a couple's 14-month-old dog. The lawsuit claims that a man and his 14-year-old daughter were arrested by officers who used excessive force during the encounter in 2020. The official filing of the amended complaint comes quickly after the LPD announced that it would be launching an outside, professional review of its DUI enforcement program; Schielke said she had informed the department of the amended complaint two weeks ago. A Loveland police officer violated department policy when he forcefully arrested a witness of a motorcycle crash for refusing to answer questions, the city announced in a news release last week. The release did not state what disciplinary or corrective action would be taken as a result of this internal investigation, just that any disciplinary actions would be taken in accordance with the conclusion and outcome of the IA., More:Colorado Supreme Court ruling makes more police internal investigations accessible. Most notably the department became the center of international attention when Schielke released information on the June 2020 arrest of Karen Garner, a case that resulted in a $3 million settlement from the city of Loveland and a five-year prison sentence for Garners arresting officer. The state's second-highest court on Thursday overturned a man's conviction for disarming a police officer, determining that Colorado law does . The citys statement that it was hiring the consulting firm came after attorney Sarah Schielke filed a lawsuit against the city over the ordeal involving the girl, her father and their dog. By: Colette Bordelon Posted at 7:17 PM, Mar 31, 2022 and last updated 6:17 PM, Mar 31, 2022 She added that while she is focusing on the LPD with this lawsuit, as it pertains to this specific department, she has heard from other attorneys that this is a problem across the country. The city hired Jensen Hughes in 2021 to lead an independent investigation into the departments policies and procedures following the release of information about Garners arrest. I am confident that a thorough and impartial process was undertaken and appreciate the time and attention spent to review this matter, Adams said in the news release. When Siers returned home from work that day, he saw several missed calls from the LPD and called them back, telling them he and his daughter were at their home; this led to the three officers named in the suit responding to the residence. The complaint claims Gates said he could smell alcohol coming from the vehicle and that K.S. The suit claims that once S.S. admitted to the slap, Wood, without warning, put his hands on her to begin an arrest by starting to put handcuffs on her, stating she was under arrest for assault. Schielkeis alsorepresenting Karen Garner and her family in an ongoing civil rights lawsuit against Loveland police. S.S. can be heard crying and yelling in the background. According to the lawsuit, Siers was aware an LPD officer had shot and killed a familys dog in the past year (which Schielke also filed suit over) and wanted to take the dog inside so it was not shot if it bit one of the officers. 2021 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The roof of a police patrol car at night, with the blue and red lights flashing. Subscribe to Colorado Politics today! An officer can be seen placing Skippy inside the house; the lawsuit states that Officer Sychla kicked him in the face before closing the door. During a press conference held Monday, Deputy Chief and soon-to-be Interim Chief Eric Stewart said that decision came after the department received criticism of former DUI cases, adding the critics are members of a defense bar who represent drivers who were charged and some who ultimately passed blood tests following DUI arrests; he did not say exactly who the critics were and said he could not comment on specific incidents. In a news release and in discussions with the Reporter-Herald, Schielke described the arrest as senseless and needless violence. The lawsuit claims the dog did eventually nip at some of the officers, and that Sychla eventually picked the dog up by his leach and held him into the air by his throat while taking him to the front door of the home and putting him inside. We need you. Colorado Politics is published both in print and online. All rights reserved. We hope you will find useful information in the links on the left. A Loveland, Colorado, police officer is on administrative leave and two other officers have been reassigned to administrative duties after a federal civil rights lawsuit alleging excessive use of . Best practices in law enforcement will be maintained and we are committed to accountability if those standards are not upheld, he said. accounts, the history behind an article. Loveland police say they didn't know officers injured an elderly woman Beyond excessive use of force incidents, the department has faced scrutiny for several other incidents, including the shooting and killing of a 19-year-old boy in 2021 and a dog in 2019, as well as criticism over alleged wrongful DUI arrests. 9NEWS is not naming the witness because he is not being accused of a crime. He submitted to another breath test at the station on a certified Intoxilyzer machine and blew a 0.028%. The suit adds that the slap did not cause Hall injury or even leave a mark, with video showing him telling officers that it only stung. The report said Officer Paul Ashe asked a witness what happened, and the witness told him where the motorcycle was and said he had helped pull the motorcycle off the rider. Give Light and the People Will Find Their Own Way, brought in to assess the Loveland Police Department. While S.S. tried to pull away from Wood and Dunlap, the suit claims, the officers violently assaulted her as they tried to get her in handcuffs, including slamming her body and limbs onto the concrete and against the brick wall while pushing their bodiesagainst her back. All Rights Reserved. The city said Ashe violated three department policies and procedures: limits of authority and exercise discretion; search and seizure; and use of force. Sarah Schielke of the Life and Liberty Law Office filed a lawsuit against the department and three of its officers Jeremiah Wood, Matt Sychla and Evan Dunlap for the arrest of Jon Siers and his daughter, only named as S.S. in the suit, in front of their home in Loveland in June of 2020. Sowl was cited with obstructing a peace officer and resisting arrest, but the charges were later dropped. Talmadge's roommate reported that Talmadge assaulted him and Talmadge resisted when officers told him he was under arrest. Support her work and that of other Coloradoan journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today. Federal judge tosses man's excessive force lawsuit against Loveland police Ashe arrested Sowl for obstruction of justice and resisting arrest, but the 8th Judicial District Attorneys Office dismissed the charges, according to the lawsuit. The accident turned out to be a man losing his balance on his motorcycle and falling over. The lawsuit, filed against officers Ashe, DeLima, Schnorr and Brian Bartnes, alleges that police violated Sowl's First and Fourth Amendment rights, and that the city of Loveland violated his. The girl left on her bike, at which time the officers started calling the numbers of the girl and her father, and eventually went to their house to try to find them after calling for backup officers. We'd love to hear eyewitness In an image taken from police body camera video, a 14-year-old girl is arrested at her home in Loveland, Colo., in 2020. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. 3 min read. A Loveland police officer violated department policy when he forcefully arrested a witness of a motorcycle crash for refusing to answer questions, the city announced in a news release last week. Berlin germany police motorcycles Stock Photos and Images - Alamy This, she said, is something she hopes is exposed and ultimately ended. Loveland Police officers sued after arrest of teen, tasing of father The event also allegedly changed Skippys entire demeanor; he became extremely aggressive with every stranger to come near the Siers home and eventually had to be rehomed to family out of state. Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. 'Ready for the pop?': Colorado police officer joked about excessive / CBS Colorado. Police video shows officers joking about violent arrest of Colorado Loveland to pay $3 million to settle lawsuit from violent arrest of 73-year-old with dementia Julia Cardi julia.cardi@gazette.com On Wednesday evening, the Lakewood Police Department said it was aware of the lawsuit. The video ends by pointing some blame at the elected officials in Loveland who have supported the LPD and its officers, including clips of previous and unrelated statements from Mayor Pro Tem Don Overcash and councilors Pat McFall and John Fogle. According to the report of an internal. LOVELAND, Colo. (AP) - An excessive force lawsuit filed against the city of Loveland and four of its police officers has been settled for $290,000. Our website features subscriber-only news stories daily, designed for public policy arena professionals. The 18-year-old man declined twice to press charges against the girl and said the slap caused him no pain, according to the lawsuit. Loveland police officer violated policy in arrest of motorcycle crash The complaint also claims that around this time Hill and Ticer learned that some of Gates DUI arrests were wrongful arrests because blood and breath results were coming back showing people were not impaired. Loveland police settle excessive force lawsuit for $290K that is degrading to another person. Schielke said this incident along with others in the past show that there is a theme of issues within department leadership. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, The lawsuit names three officers who were involved in the arrests of Siers and his daughter as defendants: Officers Matt Sychla, Jeremiah Wood and Evan Dunlap. DENVER OK is your Colorado news, entertainment, music & fashion website. As this department has demonstrated in the past, we are not afraid to have outside experts look at our operations to suggest changes where they may be needed or confirm where we continue to excel, it said. The officers then approached Mr. Siers and asked him to stop resisting, according to the body camera footage. Ashe twisted Sowls arm behind his back and pushed his face into the ground, according to a civil rights lawsuit.
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