Officer cleared of wrongdoing

www.wndu.com ^ | 8.14.03 | Reporter Mark

[freepatriot32]

Officer cleared of wrongdoing

Video from surveillance cameras showed the jury the incident exactly as it happened

Posted: 08/13/2003 06:16 pm

Story filed by NewsCenter16 Reporter Mark Peterson

Today former inmate George Staggs, who suffered injuries while in custody at the St. Joseph County Jail, asked for $330,000 in damages. Staggs alleged that a member of the Mishawaka Police force used excessive force against him when he was an inmate at the jail.

Much of the treatment of Staggs while he was an inmate was captured on videotape by the jail surveillance cameras in October of 2000. 

The video shows Staggs in handcuffs following orders to sit in a restraint chair. Staggs is then ordered out of the chair so that the officer can retrieve his handcuffs. According to the officer, it was then that Staggs became combative. The officer forced Staggs into a nearby wall and then forced him to the ground.

Staggs says that his leg was broken during the incident and it is permanently damaged.

After viewing the tapes and hearing two days of testimony, a jury in South Bend's Federal Court rejected Stagg's claims and decided that the officer accused of police brutality did nothing wrong. He was cleared of all wrongdoing.

The accused officer, Eric Laudeman of the Mishawaka Police Department, said, "I always contended I used the minimal amount of force necessary. I think the jury's decision reflects that."

Stagg's attorney, Jeff Kimmell says, "The city of Mishawaka got lucky today because this officer should not be on the force. If this kind of conduct is condoned and acceptable, then we all need to be concerned."

Staggs admitted he was loud and verbally abusive while being booked for public intoxication. But he contends that as a handcuffed 130-pound man surrounded by five officers, he wasn't a threat to no one.

Attorneys for Officer Laudeman countered that their client didn't mean to injure anyone. They said he had used the same takedown move numerous times in his career without causing injury.

"I think different people could see it different ways but I think along with Eric's testimony watching the video made it clear that what he did there was what he needed to do," said defense attorney Lynn Kalamaro.The jury reached their verdict in less than two hours.

[freepatriot32]

I saw this video on the news there were five 220 + pound cops standing around the guy and th e video showed him getting out of the chair like they told him then the next scene two of them grab him by the arms that are handcuffed behind him and they throw him into a wall then the ground it looked completely excessive to me and this guy has to wear a metal brace on his leg that goes from his lower thigh to his mid shin for the rest of his life because of the severity of his leg injury

[Bikers4Bush]

Was there audio?

[freepatriot32]

not that i could tel fro mthe news last night if there wasthey didnt broadcast it

[hoosierboy]

Expect an appeal and with the judges in our locale, the officer will probably not be so lucky.

[trebb]

While some cops are bad, the average cop just wants to do his job and stay in one piece. I'd much rather some idiot criminal get damaged than the average cop who is doing the public a service by dealing with the scum. While the press sensationalizes the bad cops, the general trend is; if you don't break the law, you don't end up surrounded by cops and if you do find yourself in custody, if you don't scream and holler and make suden moves, you don't get creamed.

[eno_]

My personal reaction to such treatment would be to hunt down the perps and make sure they get to hell before I do, after I sue them and take their houses and kids' tuition.

What would you do?

[Sir Gawain]

Officer found not guilty? I'm shocked!

[Bikers4Bush]

That's my position as well. Mind you I think there are bad cops out there and I think traffic enforcement fines are complete BS revenue generators but in situations like this I have to side with the cops.

A buddy of mine is a cop and he has said on more than one occasion that you have no idea what people will do and the minute you let a situation get out of control lots of people can get hurt.

[Knitebane]

What I have found is that while a small percentage of cops are of the jack-boot type, most of them start out being regular joes that want the help keep the peace.

The real problem is that your average street cop deals everyday with the scum of society. They seldom come into contact with the vast majority of citizens that obey the law and just want to go about their business.

Because cops are surrounded by scum all day, every day they end up believing that that's all there is and when a decent citizen runs into a situation where he needs a cop, the cop treats him like he treats the people that he is used to dealing with.

When cops walked a beat and knew everyone on that beat, these kind of problems were much less prevelant and cops tended to be more even-keeled.

[Chad Fairbanks]

I saw this video on the news there were five 220 + pound cops standing around the guy and the video showed him getting out of the chair like they told him then the next scene two of them grab him by the arms that are handcuffed behind him and they throw him into a wall then the ground it looked completely excessive to me and this guy has to wear a metal brace on his leg that goes from his lower thigh to his mid shin for the rest of his life because of the severity of his leg injury

Maybe you didn't see the whole tape? We know how the media can be...

[babygene]

"While some cops are bad, the average cop just wants to do his job and stay in one piece."

Although I have no opinion on this case, I think your evaluation of the "average" Leo is incorrect. I believe that the profession is probably the most corrupt of any profession. Most are losers and crooked.

Think of it this way. If you were a pedophile, you would migrate toward a profession such as schoolteacher, boy scout counselor, priest etc.

If you were a criminal, what better occupation could you find than being a cop.

[eno_]

Check out the numbers of cops, numbers of busts, numbers of laws, etc. There's lots of stuff that's out of whack. We need a lot less of most of these things.

[eno_]

Detroit, Philly, Baltimore, and dozens of other run-down cities have PDs that are crooked through and through. The total number of bent cops adds up pretty quick, when you add up the number of bad places to be a cop. It must be in the high tens of thousands to, perhaps, over 100k bent cops nationwide. That's out of about 400k cops.

We should have about half as many and watch them twice as closely.

[Knitebane]

We need a lot less of most of these things.

I'd settle for a bit less of some of those things, but I don't think that either of us is going to get it.

[Arpege92]

"If you were a criminal, what better occupation could you find than being a cop?"

Most police department today are requiring a college education from those who wish to be a cop....how many criminals do you know of who go through the trouble of getting a college education so they can become criminal cops?

[RikaStrom]

That's why there are cameras in the booking areas. But as a side note, did anyone notice this sentence?

But he contends that as a handcuffed 130-pound man surrounded by five officers, he wasn't a threat to no one.

I think the copy editor needs to check a little more closely, the work submitted by staff reporters.

[Bikers4Bush]

Hahahaha I noticed that too. I just figured they forgot to put that statement in ""'s.

[ctlpdad]

I saw that too, but i just passed right on by. As a civil engineering major, my night job was cleaning the communications/journalism building at the college. If you saw the pure shite that got A's, you'd just ralph.

[babygene]

" Had some "prior" problems with Johhny Law? "


Yes, I have... Got a ticket for SPEEDING a few years ago. In addition, I didn't have my seatbelt buckled and had to pay an additional $5.

I have a concealed carry permit and can protect myself and my family from criminals. No one can protect them self from a crooked cop.

You, however, are entitled to your naive opinion.