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. 9NEWS is not naming the witness because he is not being accused of a crime. 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. 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 . She said, at the time, her records requests were not being fulfilled quickly enough to file before time ran out. 'Ready for the pop?': Colorado police officer joked about excessive The civil lawsuit alleges Loveland police officer William Gates falsely arrested Harris Elias on suspicion of DUI while driving in midtown Fort . Loveland is not a safe place for grandparents. Austin Hopp, the officer who threw Ms. Garner, pleaded guilty to assaulting her in March and was sentenced to five years in prison. We hope you will find useful information in the links on the left. 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. We'd love to hear eyewitness 3 min read. By: Colette Bordelon Posted at 7:17 PM, Mar 31, 2022 and last updated 6:17 PM, Mar 31, 2022 The Moving can be an exciting experience. Philip Metzler and the City of Loveland of excessive force and violation of the Americans With . Police. I felt helpless just watching them manhandle my daughter the way they did.. They treat animals like trash. The three officers named in the lawsuit Matt Sychla, Jeremiah Wood and Evan Dunlap still arrested S.S. outside her home that day. 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.. At one point in the interaction, Sowl can be heard telling Ashe, "I don't know what happened. racist or sexually-oriented language. The suit claims Sychla also attempted to conduct a hold maneuver to stop Siers, an attempt that was unsuccessful. The lawsuit says the girl, Siers and the dog have all suffered since the ordeal that day and that the dog has become extremely aggressive with every stranger.. Lawsuit alleges Loveland Police Department has pattern of wrongful DUI arrests Blood test shows man arrested in 2020 had no alcohol in system A new lawsuit targets the Loveland Police Department's DUI enforcement. Ashe detained Sowl for not answering his questions, twisting his arm behind his back and pushing his face into the ground. 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.. According to the report of an internal. Were stuck on Groundhog Day, basically, she said. 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. 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. 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. Let there be no mistake: Loveland is not a safe place for children. 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. The arrest startled her father, Jon Siers, who repeatedly told the officers that what they were doing was completely wrong, the lawsuit states. Colorado Supreme Court ruling makes more police internal investigations accessible. Use the 'Report' link on The next thing Talmadge recalled was being at the hospital. Copyright 2022 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. His attorney says the injury required Sowl to undergo shoulder replacement surgery. Loveland police officer sued over alleged wrongful - denvergazette.com Im not talking to nobody.. Man sues Loveland Police Department alleging excessive force But the fact that it doesnt tells the whole story. Support her work and that of other Coloradoan journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today. You know, it's just, it's horrifying, terrifying, Siers said in an interview Wednesday. 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. Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. An excessive force lawsuit filed against the Loveland Police Department has been settled for nearly $300,000. 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. The release by Loveland corroborated Schielkes claims, stating that more than a month ago an attorney representing the family involved made a request to settle the claims with a four-day time frame to pay for damages, which the city declined. When Siers returned home from work that day, he saw several missed calls from the LPD and called them back, telling them he and his daughter were at their home; this led to the three officers named in the suit responding to the residence. Member subscribers also receive the weekly print edition of our award-winning newspaper, containing outstanding features and news stories, in their mailboxes every Saturday. According to the complaint, Emily Dutka, who had previously gone public about her arrest, was pulled over by Hill in May of 2020. I was getting my dog, Siers can be heard screaming in the video. We ask the public to keep an open mind as we deal with claims that will ultimately be addressed in a court of law., The statement added that this is too important an issue for the health and safety of our community to ignore.. 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. Sowl said he needed shoulder replacement surgery after the incident. According to the lawsuit, the girl had confronted an 18-year-old she had been dating in the parking lot of a Safeway over him allegedly cheating on her with another girl or woman. All Rights Reserved. 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. Schielkeis alsorepresenting Karen Garner and her family in an ongoing civil rights lawsuit against Loveland police. Loveland resident Pretson Sowl filed the lawsuit against the city of Loveland, Loveland Police Department and Loveland police officers Paul Ashe andBenjamin DeLima, Det. Want the real scoop? That night Gates pulled Elias over in Fort Collins and, ultimately, Gates arrested Elias for DUI. 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 report said Officer Paul Ashe asked a witness what happened, and the witness told him where the motorcycle was and said he had helped pull the motorcycle off the rider. The suit claims that during this, S.S. hit her head more than once, ultimately causing a concussion. They hurt families and destroy lives, Schielke said in a statement. Hill said she could smell alcohol in Dutkas vehicle, which Dutka explained was due to a drunk friend whom she had driven home. Thank you for your interest in the Loveland Police Department. Both the Garner and Sowl cases were brought to light through Schielke and the Life and Liberty Law Office. When they discovered that neither Siers nor his daughter were home, they left. But the investigation determined the witness had not committed a crime and the officer was not justified in arresting him, according to an internal memo from Police Chief Robert Tice dated May 7. 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. 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. Schielkeis alsorepresenting Karen Garner and her family in an ongoing civil rights lawsuit against Loveland police. City of Loveland via YouTube/ lovgov.org On September 7, the City. 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. "The city of Loveland, the family continues to anxiously await answers to any of that." Garner was arrested in June 2020 after she left a local Walmart without paying for a T-shirt, soda, candy. 2021 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. 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. I am a first responder. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism The lawsuit alleges officers injured Garner when they arrested her in June 2020 for alleged petty theft. Time for the same rules to apply to police, https://www.coloradoan.com/story/news/2021/01/28/loveland-police-settle-excessive-force-lawsuit-290-k/4294396001/, This cops are always repeat offenders and they keep getting assigned to patrolling citizens, Good. 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. Loveland Police officers sued after arrest of teen, tasing of father I feel that there needs to be a change in law enforcement, Mr. Siers said. Arrest of Colorado 14-Year-Old Over a Slap Prompts Excessive-Force Suit Sady Swanson covers public safety, criminal justice, Larimer County governmentand more throughout Northern Colorado. But Schielke states in the lawsuit several times the officers were bored and that Loveland police superiors had an unspoken practice of requiring officers to finish at least 10 citations each day in order to get promoted and onto the best shifts. I appreciate the difficult, challenging, and often dangerous roles that LPD officers undertake to keep our community safe, and I want to express my gratitude to the men and women of LPD for taking on this important work and for continuing in our larger efforts to improve community policing to best serve our community, Adams said in the release. 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.. I'm not talking to nobody.". (Courtesy of the Life and Liberty Law Office) The suit adds that, per. The city said Ashe violated three department policies and procedures: limits of authority and exercise discretion; search and seizure; and use of force. 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. Loveland officer involved in Karen Garner case resigns - FOX31 Denver View this page in Standard (full site) format. Police said the witness then said he had not pulled the motorcycle off the rider and refused to answer any more questions, saying it was his constitutional right not to talk. Were not (going to) shoot your dog; knock it off, Sychla can be heard saying. You can send your story ideas to her at sswanson@coloradoan.com or on Twitter at @sadyswan. Two Loveland Police Officers Involved In - Colorado Public Radio I couldn't do anything. Lawsuits pile up at Loveland Police Department | FOX31 Denver Thank you for visiting. S.S. can then be heard yelling that she needs to get a tampon, body camera footage shows. "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. 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.. The city of Loveland and Loveland Police Department settled the lawsuit with Sowl in January for nearly $300,000. Four officers were there in total, the lawsuit states. According to the Associated Press, Garcia said the settlement states the city and officers do not admit any guilt in this case. led to a $3 million settlement last year. In their motion to dismiss, the defendants submitted a police affidavit in support of Talmadge's arrest from July 6. This is not the first time the department has faced an excessive use of force lawsuit for actions of its officers. 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. Phil Metzler, have been. Loveland police officer violated policy in arrest of motorcycle crash 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. By Elise Schmelzer | PUBLISHED: March 2, 2022 at 3:24 p.m. | UPDATED: March 2, 2022 at 3:26 p.m. Sowls arrest in September 2019 was capturedon body camera footage, released by Sowls attorney Sarah Schielke. LOVELAND, Colo. (KDVR) A Loveland police officer involved in the forceful arrest of Karen Garner resigned on Wednesday following an independent investigation by a consulting firm.. 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. 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. person will not be tolerated. The release added the findings from this review will be made public when the investigation is completed. She said that without someone standing up to call out the pattern of violent conduct and complete disrespect for this community, nothing is going to change. At one point in the interaction, Sowl can be heard telling Ashe, I dont know what happened. After going through roadside tests Hill arrested Dutka and took her for a blood test. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Once in the driveway, an unidentified officer reportedly told Talmadge to face the garage, prompting Talmadge to ask if he was under arrest. Sowl said he needed shoulder replacement surgery after the incident. That complaint, which only named Loveland and Gates as defendants, alleged three claims in connection to the arrest two years ago: unlawful arrest without probable cause, arrest without probable cause violating the Colorado constitution Article II Section 7 and malicious prosecution under the Fourth Amendment. The city, in turn, has announced it will re-hire consulting company Jensen Hughes to investigate the incident. Schielkeis alsorepresenting Karen Garner and her family in an ongoing civil rights lawsuit against Loveland police. 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. While in the parking space, Sychla pulled out a stun gun and, after Siers began to walk toward him, fired it, hitting Siers in the stomach and causing him to collapse. Colorado Supreme Court ruling makes more police internal investigations accessible. The lawsuit alleged that Sowl declined to provide more information when asked and was injured while being detained. Karen Garner video: Colorado prosecutors launch criminal probe into 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. 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.. 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. The Loveland City Attorney's Office did not respond to a request for comment as of Thursday afternoon. 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. The city said Ashe violated three department policies and procedures: limits of authority and exercise discretion; search and seizure; and use of force. Victim Receives $290K Settlement | The Bexar County Jail 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. I was helpless watching my daughter getting manhandled by three other police officers. The departments statement reiterated the outside review it will undergo will includes policies and procedures, overall strategy as well as status, outcomes and claims of current and recent enforcement efforts. 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. Get on the ground, an officer yells, pointing a Taser at Mr. Siers and then firing it. Sady Swanson covers public safety, K-12 education and more throughout Northern Colorado. Loveland Police Department, via The Life & Liberty Law Office. The lawsuit alleges officers injured Garner when they arrested her in June 2020 for alleged petty theft. Don't knowingly lie about anyone 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. This is not a bad apples event, it is the whole tree.. By law, if I see an OSHA violation and fail to act,I can be held personally responsible. The case was settled for $290,000, City Attorney Moses Garcia said. 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Officers Wood and Dunlap eventually got her into handcuffs and arrested her for investigation of charges of harassment, domestic violence, obstruction and resisting arrest. 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. Share with Us. 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. The city said the findings of the latest review will be made public once it is complete. Talmadge's roommate continued to remain in the home, allegedly telling Talmadge: "You will leave before I do.". Anyone can read what you share. 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.. There was a problem saving your notification. Loveland Police Department is located at 810 E 10th Street, Loveland, CO 80537 map Lobby hours: Monday through Friday 8am-5pm The LPD lobby is a safe place for online sales transactions and custody exchanges. but it can also be stressful. https://www.reporterherald.com/2020/06/22/man-sues-loveland-police-department-alleging-excessive-force/?fbclid=IwAR1nA4PCQglIk6_WZnOrE2Hy6S3zGZ5L5-sxQFW2_D4aHA1QedY48JlaYu0, https://pmatep5f7b.execute-api.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/ProdStage. Subscribe to Colorado Politics today! The video below is police bodycam footage from the incident. I need to put a tampon in, she yells, using an expletive.