A Queens Supreme Court justice has claimed that he recently was the victim of police brutality. According to the judge, the alleged police brutality occurred while he was witnessing a police arrest in Jackson Heights.
During the arrest, the judge observed some of the onlookers becoming agitated, and out of fear that things might spiral out of control he called 911 to get back-up for the police and an ambulance for the suspect being arrested, who was bleeding at the time.
As the judge attempted to help control the situation, an agitated police officer struck the judge full-force with an open-hand blow to the throat, according to the judge. The judge told the New York Times that he attempted to make a complaint to a sergeant at the scene, but was ignored.
New York Police Brutality
Generally, New York police officers perform their jobs admirably and earn every bit of the public’s respect – the same public they have a duty to protect.
Unfortunately, it only takes one officer to deviate from NYPD protocol, and it is these deviations that result in police brutality and excessive force allegations that can give the entire NYPD a bad name. But, these incidents do tragically occur, leaving the NYPD exposed to possible legal liability for the injuries they caused.
In addition to obvious police brutality claims such as assaults or excessive force by police during arrests and crowd control – which the judge referenced above currently alleges – there is some more obscure police conduct that also may lead to legal liability.
For example, when that police deprive a suspect of medications or ignore their health complaints while the suspect is in custody, the NYPD may be held liable. Or, police may fail to separate violent and non-violent suspects while in custody, leading to injuries in the non-violent suspects. Ultimately, those police officers that fail to follow established protocols – protocols that are in place to protect the public – need to be held accountable for their actions.
Source: NY Daily News, “Judge says NYPD cop assaulted him,” Rocco Parascandola, June 6, 2012