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. The city announced Tuesday it was again bringing in Jensen Hughes to review the latest incident, which happened on June 20, 2020, and involved a 14-year-old Loveland girl who was accused by police of domestic violence after she slapped her boyfriend, as well as the girls father, who was tased by an officer while trying to remove his dog from the scene. What theyre doing is just violence., Arrest of Colorado 14-Year-Old Over a Slap Prompts Excessive-Force Suit, https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/17/us/colorado-loveland-police-lawsuit.html. Our website features subscriber-only news stories daily, designed for public policy arena professionals. The lawsuit states that Officers Wood and Dunlap slammed her into the concrete stairway outside the home and pushed her against a brick wall. Philip Metzler and the City of Loveland of excessive force and violation of the Americans With . "Mr. Talmadge was minding his own business, and did not pose a danger to himself or others," Talmadge wrote in his complaint. While four officers responded to the Siers home and waited 20 minutes, they were unable to come in contact with S.S. or her father. The suit claims that at this time Siers noticed that his dogs were trying to protect him and his daughter and wanted to safely get them inside. We hope you will find useful information in the links on the left. You can send your story ideas to her at sswanson@coloradoan.com or on Twitter at @sadyswan. The Loveland City Attorney's Office did not respond to a request for comment as of Thursday afternoon. 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. Thank you for visiting. The amended complaint, which Schielke filed to the United States District Court in Denver Thursday, has the same three claims but comes with several notable additions, including naming Sgt. Example video title will go here for this video. 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.. The lawsuit alleges officers injured Garner when they arrested her in June 2020 for alleged petty theft. As with previous cases Schielke has brought forth, the newest case against the department came not only with a written description in the lawsuit itself but also with a YouTube video providing both body-worn camera and security camera footage of the incident. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. A screen capture from body-worn camera video of Karen Garner's 2020 arrest and a portrait of Loveland Police Chief Bob Ticer. 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. 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.. had 6 out of 6 clues of impairment and he blew a 0.042% on a preliminary breath test; he was arrested for DUI. 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 . 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. Get an email notification whenever someone contributes to the discussion. Sowl was cited with obstructing a peace officer and resisting arrest, but the charges were later dropped. In Talmadge's narrative of events, he attempted to eject his roommate from his Loveland home on July 6, 2019, but the roommate refused and instead called police to the home. 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. The lawsuit alleged officers violated Sowl's constitutional rights when they arrested him for refusing to answer questions as a witness about a motorcycle crash outside a Loveland bar Sept. 22, 2019. person will not be tolerated. The city said Ashe violated three department policies and procedures:. The incidents were initially reviewed and deemed appropriate at the time of the event, but the city is taking a second outside look at the incident in our efforts to ensure we are policing in a respectful and proper manner, City Manager Steve Adams said in the release. This is not a bad apples event, it is the whole tree.. The federal lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court, alleged Sowls' First, Fourth and Fourteenth Amendments were violated, according to a news release fromSchielke. The back-to-back violent arrests point to a toxic cultural problem that cant be resolved by cherry-picking off the officer, Ms. Schielke said. The charges were dismissed by the Larimer County District Attorneys Office. 3 min read. ( Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. "It is long-established that a citizen cannot be charged with obstruction (or any crime) for merely refusing to answer police questioning," Sowl's attorney Sarah Schielke said in a news release at the time the lawsuit was filed in June 2020. 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 defendants asked Varholak to dismiss the lawsuit because of Talmadge's successful criminal prosecution and because he neglected to describe the actions each officer took to allegedly harm him. The roommate then exited the house and Talmadge soon received a call from police asking him to step outside. 2023 www.coloradoan.com. After going through roadside tests Hill arrested Dutka and took her for a blood test. Ashe twisted Sowls arm behind his back and pushed his face into the ground, according to a civil rights lawsuit. 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. $300K seems really low given the cost of the medical treatment and pain and suffereing. A blood test also later showed no impairing substances and the District Attorneys office dismissed the DUI charges, the complaint claims. Updated: 4:50 PM MDT June 15, 2022 LOVELAND, Colo. The City of Loveland announced Wednesday the independent review of the 2020 arrest of a 14-year-old girl and tasing of her father after a. 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. Sady Swanson covers public safety, K-12 education and more throughout Northern Colorado. "Accordingly, Plaintiffs illegal arrest claim is barred by Heck.". Karen Garner, who has dementia, was arrested last June for walking out of a Walmart in Loveland, Colorado, with $13.88 worth of items, according to an amended lawsuit filed Sunday. During this, the suit claims, S.S. began screaming while suffering from a panic attack. Colorado Politics is published both in print and online. By law, if I see an OSHA violation and fail to act,I can be held personally responsible. Local attorney Sarah Schielke has filed an amended lawsuit against members of the Loveland Police Department and the city of Loveland regarding an alleged wrongful DUI arrest in early 2020. "Force is not reasonable when a suspect is non-violent, not resisting, not fleeing, or poses no threat.". We need you. 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. The lawsuit claims Sychla arrested Siers without a warrant and used excessive force against him, and violated the Dog Protection Act when he allegedly choked the dog. On a form that asked the boy if the actions of S.S. caused him pain, he marked, No., It was the middle of the day and there was little else to do, the lawsuit states, adding that the officers were bored.. She was on her period that day and felt scared by the thought of bleeding all over a police car or jail cell, the lawsuit states. In that video, Sychla can be heard explaining to Siers why he used force, explaining he wasnt sure what the Siers intentions were. Shes a good kid.. Schielke also said she wanted to ensure the officers who were involved were held accountable and forced to change.. Mr. Siers was later charged with resisting arrest; his daughter was charged with harassment, domestic violence, obstruction and resisting arrest. "Indeed, the Amended Complaint lacks even a single allegation of how any specific officer touched Mr. Talmadge or engaged in force that was in excess of what was required to arrest him.". You can send your story ideas to her at sswanson@coloradoan.com or on Twitter at @sadyswan. DENVER A consulting firm that the city of Loveland brought in to assess the Loveland Police Department last year amid several lawsuits filed over officers use of force in different cases is coming in to look at another case in which LPD officers are alleged to have used excessive force against a man, his teenage daughter, and their dog. The suit claims that S.S. was arrested and charged with harassment, domestic violence, obstruction and resisting arrest while Siers was charged with obstructing a police officer and resisting arrest; the suit adds both sets of charges were eventually dismissed. Players given Kratom by Colorado coach, police say, Skier Shiffrin's quest for 86th win extended after downhill, 77 inches of snow fall at Colorado ski area in 9 days, City of Loveland chooses firm to conduct independent review after arrest of Karen Garner, Former Loveland officer faces assault charge, accused of writing inaccurate reports related to Karen Garner's arrest, Karen Garner's family feels more 'concern than relief' after charges announced against officers, Policy 1.02: Limits of Authority and Exercise of Discretion. 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. Its uncommon for the city to share information about internal investigations publicly, city manager Steve Adams said in the news release, but the city chose to in this instance to increase transparency. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism Loveland Police Department officers Jeremiah Wood and Evan Dunlap arrest a 14-year-old girl in Loveland in June of 2020. This is not the first time the department has faced an excessive use of force lawsuit for actions of its officers. It claims Sychla unreasonably and wrongfully arrested Siers and used excessive force against him and his dog, and also that Sychla committed malicious prosecution in arresting and forwarding charges against Siers to prosecutors. 2001 - 2023 Democratic Underground, LLC. Following Schielkes early Wednesday release, the city published its own response to the event, stating that it will have Jensen Hughes conduct an independent investigation of the incident. 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. The lawsuit alleges officers injured Garner when they arrested her in June 2020 for alleged petty theft. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Police are strengthening their checks of motorcycles and mopeds at the start of spring. She said, at the time, her records requests were not being fulfilled quickly enough to file before time ran out. All Rights Reserved. You can be in the know right alongside Colorados political insiders. By: Colette Bordelon Posted at 7:17 PM, Mar 31, 2022 and last updated 6:17 PM, Mar 31, 2022 Watch the body camera footage here According. 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. or anything. The biggest threat to the safety of the Loveland community is - and continues to be - the Loveland Police Department itself. Varholak allowed Talmadge, who represented himself in court, to refile his lawsuit by June 6 if Talmadge wished to bolster any of his claims that the magistrate judge found lacking. Sowl said he needed shoulder replacement surgery after the incident, according to the lawsuit. Another person, identified as K.S., was pulled over by Gates Sept. 30, 2019. They had yelled at each other, which caused someone to call the police, according to the lawsuit. You know, it's just, it's horrifying, terrifying, Siers said in an interview Wednesday. In this section, the complaint says that Gates, who transferred from the Greeley Police Department to the LPD in 2018, hit the ground running with prolific DUI arrests. The complaint claims that in 2018 he had more than 50 DUI arrests, 130 in 2019 and 110 in 2020 despite the pandemic. Sady Swanson covers public safety, criminal justice, Larimer County governmentand more throughout Northern Colorado. 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 release added the findings from this review will be made public when the investigation is completed. Use the 'Report' link on But the fact that it doesnt tells the whole story. According to the suit, the event caused emotional and physical trauma to not only Siers and S.S. but also Skippy. The city of Loveland and Loveland Police Department settled the lawsuit with Sowl in January for nearly $300,000. 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. Watching what they do to this family on this video has to be unsettling and terrifying for any parent in this town because there is no common sense utilized and there is no interest in the damage being inflicted to, here, a juvenile.. It's worse for POC's, but the cops are just generally out of control in a lot of places, Slogan Defund The Police is demonized by even the left but police pay out this gob smacking amounts. No wonder why you guys get a bad rap, Siers can be heard saying when Sychla returns to him on the ground. Notifications from this discussion will be disabled. "Plaintiff was arrested on charges of third degree assault and resisting arrest and a jury convicted him of those charges," Varholak wrote in a May 19 order. When the arrest begins, Siers can be seen in the video yelling at Sychla and the other officers that they cant arrest his daughter; all the while the familys two dogs can be heard barking continuously in the background. 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. Last year, the city of Loveland paid a $3 million settlement to the woman, Karen Garner. According to a release from the city, Ashe violated three LPD policies and procedures: Tice recommended a written warning and more training for the officer, according to the memo. 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. 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. Once in the driveway, an unidentified officer reportedly told Talmadge to face the garage, prompting Talmadge to ask if he was under arrest. Living at Kimberly Court can seem like living in the most convenient location in Boulder. Were stuck on Groundhog Day, basically, she said. 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. "Any complaint leveled against our personnel is taken seriously," the department said in a statement. Garner's arrest drew national attention after body camera footage released by her family's lawyer showed former Loveland Police Department officer Austin Hopp forcibly detain the then. The Loveland Police Department is facing another excessive use of force lawsuit after the release of information and footage of a 2020 arrest of a man and his then-14-year-old daughter as well as the treatment of one of their family dogs. Colorado Portal and News | Denverok.com, Colorado Portal | News | Classifieds | Cars. The lawsuit alleged officers violated Sowl's constitutional rights when they arrested him for refusing to answer questions as a witness about a motorcycle crash outside a Loveland bar Sept. 22, 2019. Loveland Police Officer Resorts to Excessive Force Phil Metzler, have been. While both Siers and S.S. can be heard screaming to not choke my dog, Sychla responds by saying he is a K-9 officer. He began to place handcuffs on her, which were too large for the 14-year-olds small wrists, making it easy to slip out of, Ms. Schielke said. 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. 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. Motorcycles can be very heavy and can cause severe damage even when just tipping over while stopped. This included slamming her body and limbs down into concrete multiples times, the lawsuit says. Excess Force Suit Against Loveland Police Settled For $290,000 January 27, 2021 / 4:46 PM / CBS Colorado LOVELAND, Colo. (AP) - An excessive force lawsuit filed against the city of. 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. Loveland resident Pretson Sowl filed the lawsuit against the city of Loveland, Loveland Police Department and Loveland police officers Paul Ashe andBenjamin DeLima, Det. The city said the findings of the latest review will be made public once it is complete. Keep it Clean. I need to put a tampon in, she yells, using an expletive. City of Loveland via YouTube/ lovgov.org On September 7, the City. To always use Standard format on my mobile device: Go to My Account, About | Copyright | Privacy | Terms of service | Contact. I was mad. Ashe twisted Sowls arm behind his back and pushed his face into the ground, according to a civil rights lawsuit. After grabbing witness statements from people in the area, including a statement from Hall where he said the incident did not cause him physical pain, the officers attempted to call S.S. and Siers to no success. Another officer, according to Talmadge, slammed him to the ground where his "head bounced off the concrete." The video also encourages viewers to contact the city of Loveland and let them know your thoughts on their amazing police department!, The theme across all these assaults is that this is a police department that has no concept of what community safety actually means and entails, Schielke told the Reporter-Herald. Let there be no mistake: Loveland is not a safe place for children. They were both also making their very own wrongful DUI arrests during this time. RELATED: City of Loveland chooses firm to conduct independent review after arrest of Karen Garner, RELATED: Former Loveland officer faces assault charge, accused of writing inaccurate reports related to Karen Garner's arrest, RELATED: Karen Garner's family feels more 'concern than relief' after charges announced against officers. So, I didn't know quite how to react.. The city of Loveland and Loveland Police Department settled the lawsuit with Sowl in January for nearly $300,000. Watching my daughter go through this, I mean, I was terrified, Mr. Siers said by phone on Thursday. At one point in the interaction, Sowl can be heard telling Ashe, "I don't know what happened. You have permission to edit this article. The suit, filed in the 8th Judicial District Court on Wednesday morning, lists three claims for relief: unreasonable seizure and excessive force resulting in the abuse of their dog Skippy and wrongful arrest of Siers by Sychla; violation of due process and malicious prosecution of Siers by Sychla; and unreasonable seizure and excessive force with an arrest of S.S. by Wood and Dunlap. It is important to stress that this process is not an acknowledgement as to the validity or accuracy of the specific complaints made by certain individuals about our DUI program, the statement said. It also included that 1,352 of the drivers he pulled over 84% of his stops were let off with just a warning. 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.. An internal review determined the officer was not justified in arresting a witness who refused to answer his questions. 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 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. The investigation offered a positive review on many of the departments policies and practices along with critiques on how to improve in the areas in which it was lacking. The city of Loveland said Schielke had requested a settlement with the city more than a month ago and had given the city a four-day window to pay the settlement lest she release body camera video from the incident. Antolina Hill as one of the defendants as well as including a number of other stories alleging wrongful DUI arrest and information on the culture of the LPDs DUI enforcement. led to a $3 million settlement last year. According to the suit, S.S., who was 14 years old at the time, lived with Siers at their home in Loveland. There was a problem saving your notification. Best practices in law enforcement will be maintained and we are committed to accountability if those standards are not upheld, he said. COLORADO DOCUMENTARY PROJECT Speak out! A lawsuit filed by a Fort Collins man accuses a Loveland police officer of wrongfully arresting him on suspicion of driving under the influence in January 2020. In Ticer's presentation to the. For Siers and his daughter, they have both lost and continue to lose sleep while not feeling safe in their home, with S.S. suffering panic attacks and insomnia the suit says. His two dogs Montana, a chihuahua, and Skippy, a Jack Russell terrier were on long leashes outside the house. 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. The suit claims that S.S. believed Hall had been cheating on her, so she summoned up the courage to confront him. During this interaction, the suit says, she demanded he return several items of her property and, after he said they had never been dating so he wasnt actually cheating on her, she slapped him and left on her bike, sobbing. While all cases referred to each person only with initials and no full names, stories mirrored what Elias went through in early 2020. One of them, a Jack Russell terrier, started barking at the officers when they were trying to get the daughter into handcuffs. In a written response reflecting many points Stewart said during Mondays press conference, the department said it can not comment on specific cases and wants to be transparent and open in our work.. Don't knowingly lie about anyone Brian Bartnes. Without intervention, this self-serving scam will continue and the wake of innocent citizens whose lives are destroyed by it will continue to grow.. RM W79EWX - Feldjger, the military police of the Bundeswehr, Germany's armed forces. Something like "Redefine the Police" might have been better. Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. 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. Were not (going to) shoot your dog; knock it off, Sychla can be heard saying. At one point in the interaction, Sowl can be heard telling Ashe, "I don't know what happened. that is degrading to another person. The first third of the complaint retells Elias story with much of the restgoing into more detail on what the complaint describes as Chief Bob Ticer and the LPDs obsession with DUI arrests.. He called them back, and officers came back to his home while he was outside working on his daughters bike. The charges against them were eventually dismissed, Ms. Schielke said. The suit claims Sychla also attempted to conduct a hold maneuver to stop Siers, an attempt that was unsuccessful. Karen Garner, who has dementia, was arrested last June for walking out of a Walmart in Loveland, Colorado, with $13.88 worth of items, according to an amended lawsuit filed Sunday. The Loveland Police Department officers had searched for the daughter, who is identified in the lawsuit only as S.S., after she slapped a boy in a Safeway supermarket parking lot because she believed he had been cheating on her with another girl, the lawsuit states. 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. In fact, we already know that some of the allegations being made are inaccurate and do not describe the professionalism and respect shown by our officers to the individual involved. Talmadge allegedly told responding officers what had happened and they left. It was unclear if the officers had lawyers, and the Loveland Police Department did not immediately respond to calls seeking comment on Thursday. The. The boy, who denied that he cheated, declined to press charges, according to body camera footage of him speaking with the officers, which was released Wednesday by the familys lawyer, Sarah Schielke. A federal judge has dismissed a man's lawsuit against the city of Loveland and multiple police officers that alleged excessive force and unlawful arrest. She said that her hope with the filing of this amended lawsuit is to address problems she sees in how the LPD operates its DUI enforcement, focusing on her concern with incentives given to officers to arrest and charge citizens.
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