Latest: Police union pushes back against brutality claims
In response to the recent footage showing what appears to be an incident of police brutality, Fraternal Order of Police President Jason Pappas says to not jump to conclusions.
“Initial blush, when you watch it at full speed, it appears as if the officer uses his foot to strike the defendant in the head. When you slow this video down and you take a frame by frame look, that’s not what happened,” Pappas told 10TV.
The police union is defending Columbus Officer Zachary Rosen after video emerged that appeared to show Rosen stomping on the head of DeMarko Anderson in response to a call about a shooting
[symple_button url=”http://www.10tv.com/article/police-union-offers-different-take-controversial-viral-video-officer” color=”blue” button_target=”_self”]Read update[/symple_button]Update: Mayor condemns actions of officer in head stomping video
Originally published on: Apr 10, 2017
A video posted to social media contains footage of Columbus Police Officer Zachary Rosen kicking a suspect in the head while he was being detained. The incident took place on April 8. Since then, Rosen has been reassigned to non-patrol duty ‘indefinitely.’ Rosen is also one of the officers involved in the deadly 2016 shooting of Henry Green. A grand jury recently refused to indict any officers involved with Green shooting.
The kick to the head of the suspect has re-ignited arguments over police brutality and how such cases are handled. Many cite the fact that the suspect was carrying a gun as a justifiable use of force; others still feel that Rosen went too far.
Now, in a statement to the press today, Mayor Andrew J. Ginther has condemned Rosen’s actions and applauded Police Chief Jacobs for the handling of the case.
“I was disturbed and upset when I saw the video taken on Saturday. The behavior we saw in the video was unacceptable and inconsistent with our values as a community. It erodes the trust the residents of this city place in law enforcement.
Officer Rosen has been reassigned to nonpatrol duty indefinitely. I applaud Chief Jacobs for her swift action, and put the full resources of the city behind the investigation. We must remain vigilant in being transparent and accountable in order to earn and keep the trust of the public.”
Police Chief Jacobs related her distaste during a statement.
“Let me be clear, I agree with Mayor. We saw something on video that was concerning enough to make sure we address it promptly, thoroughly and take the officer out of patrol until we know more.”
Police officer ‘temporarily reassigned’ after kicking restrained man in face
Originally published on April 10
A Columbus police officer responding to reports of a discharged firearm has been temporarily reassigned after he was filmed kicking a restrained suspect in the head.
The suspect, 22-year-old Demarco Anderson, was found to be in possession of crack cocaine and a firearm. In spite of this, many are saying the use of force was excessive. In the video below Anderson is on the ground with his hands behind his back, and does not appear to be resisting when the officer quickly approaches and delivers a kick to the face. The Columbus officer self-reported the kick.
The Columbus police department released a statement saying the use of force did not meet their standards, and the altercation will be investigated. Watch the video of the kick, and let us know if you think it was justified or not.
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