Posted on 04/26/2021 1:08:27 PM PDT by Red Badger
“Ready for the pop? Here comes the pop.”
The quote above is from a Loveland Police officer – Austin Hopp – said in reference to the sound it made when he dislocated and fractured Karen Garner’s shoulder. Hopp made this comment to two fellow Loveland Police officers while they watched his body camera video together at the police station. They all laughed about it. The comment was made while Karen Garner, who has dementia, remained handcuffed to a bench in a cell just 10 feet away from them, alone, confused and crying in pain. She would ultimately go over six hours without any medical attention.
This horrific statement comes to light after Ms. Garner’s family hired a sound engineer to enhance the audio on Loveland Police station booking videos from the day of Karen’s arrest. The video reveals a grotesque culture of callous disregard for the health and safety of citizens. The officers fist-bump one another multiple times in self-congratulation for both the assault on Garner and the intimidation of the citizen who attempted to complain about it.
In an April 26, 2021 press release responding to the revelations seen in this video, Ms. Garner’s attorney, Sarah Schielke of The Life & Liberty Law Office states: “This is utterly disgusting. These videos cannot be unseen or unheard. I am sorry to have to share them with the public. This will be traumatic and deeply upsetting for everyone to see. But as it often goes with bad police departments, it seems this is the only way to make them change. They have to be exposed. If I didn’t release this, the Loveland Police’s toxic culture of arrogance and entitlement, along with their abuse of the vulnerable and powerless, would carry on, business as usual. I won’t be a part of that.”
“Loveland knew. They’ve known all along,” Schielke continues. “They failed Karen Garner. They failed the community. And they did it all on camera. Do you realize how horrifying that is? That means they were used to getting away with it. That the comfortable norm in Loveland is one of zero accountability. That this is not just some ‘isolated incident.’ It is not just one single ‘problem.’ It is widespread, sociopathic criminality. And to attempt to shift the burden to Karen, or a bystander, or her family, or counsel, to report this? Shame on you, Loveland. You took an oath to protect and serve. This is a disgrace.”
Since filing a federal lawsuit against the City of Loveland and three of its officers on April 14, 2021, the Loveland Police Department’s gruesome arrest and abuse of 73-year-old grandmother Karen Garner has horrified the country, making national headlines (New York Times, Washington Post, CBS News, NBC News, CNN, Newsweek, The Guardian, Vice). The 8th Judicial District Attorney’s office, in conjunction with the FBI and Fort Collins Police, has since opened a criminal investigation into the Loveland Police.
Meanwhile, the City of Loveland has vowed to protect the “due process” rights of its officers, with Chief Robert Ticer putting one officer on administrative leave (Hopp) and “reassigning” the other two officers (Sergeant Metzler and Officer Jalali) to “administrative duties” (desk duty) until the various investigations are completed. To date, the City has yet to extend any apology to Ms. Garner or her family for the various atrocities witnessed on these videos.
https://www.reporterherald.com/2021/04/26/new-information-released-on-karen-garner-incident-officers-seen-laughing-over-her-arrest-in-newly-released-video/
My God, this is horrible. “...alone, confused and crying in pain. She would ultimately go over six hours without any medical attention.”
My Mom had bad dementia and I cannot imagine this callous disregard for another person’s well-being. What is wrong with these cops? Aren’t they human?
My instincts are always to be on the side of law enforcement, to give them the benefit of the doubt. But things like laughing at injuring an old lady sure makes it tough at times...
“The video reveals a grotesque culture of callous disregard for the health and safety of citizens.”
To say the least. If that was my mother I’d kill that cop. I would beat his evil ass to death.
Loveland PD does not have a very good reputation. Going back years.
they all walked and the department suppressed the video for years.
I’m in full agreement with you - a ‘pop’ is the final sound he’d ever hear.
And these 3 asshats exemplify the very reason some people think all cops are bad. So how long have they been engaged in this behavior? How many others knew and did nothing to rid the force of them? I usually support law enforcement except when they collectively, go about protecting clowns like these. Want to improve the image of cops? The good cops need to stop protecting asshats.
I use to be like you, but I’ve experienced abuse by an officer when I was targeted for out of the area plates. My brother is Police Lieutenant, I respect law enforcement, but when we allow unqualified individuals to be placed in positions of authority, things like this happen. One has to wonder where this ladies lived ones are? Is she being left unsupervised?
We seem to be heading towards our own Gulag Archipelago - the book has been described as a most depressing tome. But upon completing it almost everyone says that everyone must read it.
I hope somebody gets her a good lawyer and she won’t have to walk to or from walmart ever again. The officers male and female need to be fired and sued as well as the city.
DISGUSTING.
I hope these ‘friends of the people’ don’t get promoted to training officer
This never would have happened if the confused and frail old lady had instantly obeyed all of the police officer’s commands.
That’s extreme sarcasm, of course. But sadly, some folks really believe it - if you don’t instantly obey, you deserve whatever torture is meted out to you.
That’s horrible. If that poor woman was black, those cops would probably have been fired.
Geez, our cops put out Nixles telling us that Joe or Jane have dementia or what ever and are missing. They describe them, so we can notify the cops if we see them.
We have had 2 lost seniors this week and both were “found” shortly after the Nixle alerts went out.
A few years ago one of our older church members would start up his car or a family member’s and disappear. He would be found 50+ miles away after his breakouts a day or two later.
This is what the citizenry gets when budgeting prioritizes pensioners and diversity.
Money isn’t going to hire good talent and keep it.
It’s going to pay people who aren’t working, and then to hire people who are happy to do anything for a paycheck with what’s left.
The left has won. Seasoned officers are heading for the hills leaving dunces on the loose.
I am getting old and a Life Sentence isn’t going to be that long of a vacation, if a Jack Booted Thug in a Magic Blue Costume did this to my Mom or Grandma, I would not Hesitate to KILL ALL OF THEM!
So, if you feel like your shoulder is about to be dislocated and you’re not resisting, do you then resist?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.