In recent years, the Loveland Police Department has faced several lawsuits that claimed officers used excessive force while making arrests, including on June 26, 2020, when a 73-year-old woman with dementia was thrown to the ground and pinned against a squad car, breaking a bone and dislocating her shoulder in the process. She said, at the time, her records requests were not being fulfilled quickly enough to file before time ran out. "Force is not reasonable when a suspect is non-violent, not resisting, not fleeing, or poses no threat.". Be Proactive. Colorado Politics is published both in print and online. 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 Loveland City Attorney's Office did not respond to a request for comment as of Thursday afternoon. Both the Garner and Sowl cases were brought to light through Schielke and the Life and Liberty Law Office. Support her work and that of other Coloradoan journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today. 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. Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. I am a first responder. Schielke also said she wanted to ensure the officers who were involved were held accountable and forced to change.. According to the lawsuit, when Siers got home after work he noticed all the missed calls and voicemails from officers who said they wanted to talk with his daughter. Eventually, Sychla deployed his Taser on Siers and continued to shock him for over five seconds, the lawsuit claims. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism 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. I was helpless watching my daughter getting manhandled by three other police officers. Officers Wood and Dunlap, who had asked for backup, arrived outside Mr. Sierss home later that day and asked to speak with his daughter. When Siers tries to move around Sychla in the video an action he says was to deal with the dogs Sychla can be seen pushing Siers back. A screen capture from body-worn camera video of Karen Garner's 2020 arrest and a portrait of Loveland Police Chief Bob Ticer. Best practices in law enforcement will be maintained and we are committed to accountability if those standards are not upheld, he said. You have permission to edit this article. Sady Swanson covers public safety, criminal justice, Larimer County governmentand more throughout Northern Colorado. At one point in the interaction, Sowl can be heard telling Ashe, "I don't know what happened. As S.S. watched this from a few feet away, she began having a panic attack, the lawsuit states. Loveland is not a safe place for grandparents. 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. RM D5WCP3 - A police officer stops cars at a special checkpoint in Berlin, Germany, 09 April 2013. 2023 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The roof of a police patrol car at night, with the blue and red lights flashing. Ashe twisted Sowls arm behind his back and pushed his face into the ground, according to a civil rights lawsuit. The complaint also touches on results from the Jensen Hughes report that came out following the release of information on the 2020 arrest of Karen Garner, specifically what investigators heard in regard to the departments Data Driven Approach to Crime and Traffic Safety methods. "The settlement ends the continuation of lengthy and expensive litigation, and resolution is deemed to be in the best interest of all parties,"Schielke said in the release. 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. Let there be no mistake: Loveland is not a safe place for children. 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. Threats of harming another 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. According to the complaint, the arrest destroyed her life, derailing her military career as she was not able to be deployed until her case was resolved, and devastated her marriage. Two months later, the complaint said, her blood results came back with a BAC of 0.02% and the case was dismissed. There was a problem saving your notification. I couldn't do anything. But the fact that it doesnt tells the whole story. When the officers arrived, the suit says, Siers was found in front of the house working on S.S.s bike. And that starts with getting rid of every supervisor at LPD who approved of the violence in this video, she said. They treat animals like trash. By Keith Coffman. Were not (going to) shoot your dog; knock it off, Sychla can be heard saying. I was mad. All rights reserved. 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. Member subscribers also receive the weekly print edition of our award-winning newspaper, containing outstanding features and news stories, in their mailboxes every Saturday. Mr. Siers and his lawyer said they would not accept a settlement and expected to take the case to a jury. Give Light and the People Will Find Their Own Way, brought in to assess the Loveland Police Department. 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. 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. Keep it Clean. 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. 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. He submitted to another breath test at the station on a certified Intoxilyzer machine and blew a 0.028%. 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. I feel that there needs to be a change in law enforcement, Mr. Siers said. 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. Schielke and Sowl were not able to answer any additional questions about the settlementdue to the agreement with Loveland, according to the news release. He called his daughter out of the house, and according to the lawsuit, Officer Wood started to arrest his daughter as soon as she admitted to slapping the 18-year-old, which the suit says went against LPD policy of not arresting children 14 and under unless they are believed to have committed a dangerous felony.. Loveland Police Officer Resorts to Excessive Force It also included information on timed DUI arrest competitions put on by MADD that LPD is a part of. Following multiple pleas from Siers to put the dogs inside, Sychla can be seen approaching Skippy and picking him up by the leash and carrying him toward the door, dangling several feet above the ground by his neck. 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. The Loveland Reporter-Herald reports Preston Sowl claimed the officers violated his constitutional rights by detaining and injuring him after he declined to talk to them while at the scene of an accident in September 2019. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, Hill said she could smell alcohol in Dutkas vehicle, which Dutka explained was due to a drunk friend whom she had driven home. According to the suit, S.S., who was 14 years old at the time, lived with Siers at their home in Loveland. RM W79EWX - Feldjger, the military police of the Bundeswehr, Germany's armed forces. that is degrading to another person. 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. U.S. Magistrate Judge Scott T. Varholak noted that Talmadge had failed to allege which officers did what, meaning his excessive force claim was not viable under the law. And it claims that Dunlap and Wood arrested the girl without a warrant and used excessive force. Loveland resident Pretson Sowl filed the lawsuit against the city of Loveland, Loveland Police Department and Loveland police officers Paul Ashe andBenjamin DeLima, Det. According to the suit, the event caused emotional and physical trauma to not only Siers and S.S. but also Skippy. Two officers Dunlap and Wood responded and spoke to the girl and young man, as well as other witnesses. The suit claims that during this, S.S. hit her head more than once, ultimately causing a concussion. 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. Steve Adams, the city manager in Loveland, said in a statement that while the incidents were initially reviewed and deemed appropriate at the time of the event, he would open a second review of the arrest by an independent law enforcement and public safety consulting firm. Talmadge's roommate continued to remain in the home, allegedly telling Talmadge: "You will leave before I do.". They hurt families and destroy lives, Schielke said in a statement. 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. 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. According to the Associated Press, Garcia said the settlement states the city and officers do not admit any guilt in this case. Sady Swanson covers public safety, K-12 education and more throughout Northern Colorado. $300K seems really low given the cost of the medical treatment and pain and suffereing. It is terrifying because we all have to drive, we all use the roads, and it shouldnt be that easy for an officer to destroy our lives and there needs to be consequences when they recklessly do so, she said. Use the 'Report' link on Ashe detained Sowl for not answering his questions, twisting his arm behind his back and pushing his face into the ground. Be Nice. Ashe arrested Sowl for obstruction of justice and resisting arrest, but the 8th Judicial District Attorneys Office dismissed the charges, according to the lawsuit. On June 20, 2020, S.S. bicycled back to her fathers home, heartbroken over the confrontation she had with the boy hours earlier. 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. "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.". They have used this funding to buy themselves more equipment and hire more officers. The federal lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court, alleged Sowls' First, Fourth and Fourteenth Amendments were violated, according to a news release fromSchielke. 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. By Elise Schmelzer | PUBLISHED: March 2, 2022 at 3:24 p.m. | UPDATED: March 2, 2022 at 3:26 p.m. The lawsuit alleges officers injured Garner when they arrested her in June 2020 for alleged petty theft. The complaint later stated that, in 2019, Gates initiated 1,622 traffic stops while the average total number of stops from other LPD patrol officers working similar shifts in 2019 was 200 to 400 a year. We'd love to hear eyewitness 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. 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.. Thank you for your interest in the Loveland Police Department. 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. Mr. Siers then asked the officers to stop, saying she was just a child. Photo: Paul Zinken. Shes a good kid.. Subscribe to Colorado Politics today! Chief Ticer and Sergeant Hill did not care about these poor innocent people Gates was victimizing without consequence, the complaint said. His two dogs Montana, a chihuahua, and Skippy, a Jack Russell terrier were on long leashes outside the house. After S.S. came out and began talking with the officers, she eventually admitted to slapping Hall earlier that day the video accompanying the suit claims their body-worn cameras were muted for much of this discussion. The release added the findings from this review will be made public when the investigation is completed. The vast majority of cases named in the complaint also say the charges were dismissed. Following the footage of the arrest the video stated that the event was reviewed by LPD chain of command and deemed reasonable and justified.. Nicole Yost, a spokeswoman for the city of Loveland, said she did not know who was representing the officers. So, I didn't know quite how to react.. 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. With her amended complaint, Schielke also uploaded an edited video of Elias arrest from 2020 as well as the full three hours of bodycam footage. 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.. The video below is police bodycam footage from the incident. Schielkeis alsorepresenting Karen Garner and her family in an ongoing civil rights lawsuit against Loveland police. Police. The accident turned out to be a man losing his balance on his motorcycle and falling over. Karen Garner suffered a dislocated shoulder, fractured arm and sprained wrist after she was slammed to the ground and hogtied during a June 26 arrest, according to a federal lawsuit. Mr. Siers was later charged with resisting arrest; his daughter was charged with harassment, domestic violence, obstruction and resisting arrest. Officer Paul Ashe detained Preston Sowl after Sowl refused to answer his questions about a motorcycle crash Sowl witnessed outside a Loveland bar Sept. 22, 2019. The city of Loveland and Loveland Police Department settled the lawsuit with Sowl in January for nearly $300,000. 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. Get an email notification whenever someone contributes to the discussion. Permalink. Colorado Supreme Court ruling makes more police internal investigations accessible. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. 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. To always use Standard format on my mobile device: Go to My Account, About | Copyright | Privacy | Terms of service | Contact. In a news release and in discussions with the Reporter-Herald, Schielke described the arrest as senseless and needless violence. 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. The lawsuit alleged that Sowl declined to provide more information when asked and was injured while being detained. 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. Sowl said he needed shoulder replacement surgery after the incident. 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 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. Schielkeis alsorepresenting Karen Garner and her family in an ongoing civil rights lawsuit against Loveland police. The arrest startled her father, Jon Siers, who repeatedly told the officers that what they were doing was completely wrong, the lawsuit states. 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. 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. You can be in the know right alongside Colorados political insiders. The roommate then exited the house and Talmadge soon received a call from police asking him to step outside. June 17, 2022 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. His attorney says the injury required Sowl to undergo shoulder replacement surgery. Secure your subscription to Colorados premier political news journal, in continuous publication since 1898. Anyone can read what you share. Notifications can be turned off anytime in the browser settings. I was helpless. The city said Ashe violated three department policies and procedures: limits of authority and exercise discretion; search and seizure; and use of force. 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. After going through roadside tests Hill arrested Dutka and took her for a blood test. person will not be tolerated. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. By law, if I see an OSHA violation and fail to act,I can be held personally responsible. The complaint goes on to say that Ticer and the LPD had a history of giving awards and recognition for high DUI arrests, including reporting the arrest numbers to agencies like Mothers Against Drunk Driving.
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