Thank you for your interest in the Loveland Police Department. Antolina Hill as one of the defendants as well as including a number of other stories alleging wrongful DUI arrest and information on the culture of the LPDs DUI enforcement. 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. Colorado Supreme Court ruling makes more police internal investigations accessible. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Loveland Police Department was hit with many negative headlines related to the rough arrest of Karen Garner, a 73-year-old suffering from dementia who's only five feet tall and weighs. And it claims that Dunlap and Wood arrested the girl without a warrant and used excessive force. 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. The suit also claims Sychla falsified and exaggerated facts in the police report involving Siers. Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. But the fact that it doesnt tells the whole story. In a news release and in discussions with the Reporter-Herald, Schielke described the arrest as senseless and needless violence. So, I didn't know quite how to react.. Get on the ground, an officer yells, pointing a Taser at Mr. Siers and then firing it. led to a $3 million settlement last year. 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. accounts, the history behind an article. While the original complaint totaled 15 pages, the amended complaint was filed at four times larger, coming in at 62 pages of information, allegation and claims for relief. RM W79EWX - Feldjger, the military police of the Bundeswehr, Germany's armed forces. S.S. can be heard crying and yelling in the background. COLORADO DOCUMENTARY PROJECT Speak out! With more equipment and more officers, they are able to make more arrests and then point to those arrest stats as proof of rising crime levels that they then proclaim requires more funding, equipment and officers to solve. ), First published on January 27, 2021 / 4:46 PM. 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. Copyright 2022 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. Loveland Police Officer Resorts to Excessive Force The video also encourages viewers to contact the city of Loveland and let them know your thoughts on their amazing police department!, The theme across all these assaults is that this is a police department that has no concept of what community safety actually means and entails, Schielke told the Reporter-Herald. He first blew a blood alcohol content (BAC) of 0.000%, the complaint says, and later that night Elias was given a blood test that eventually came back negative. Were stuck on Groundhog Day, basically, she said. 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. While all cases referred to each person only with initials and no full names, stories mirrored what Elias went through in early 2020. 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. "Any complaint leveled against our personnel is taken seriously," the department said in a statement. Both videos can be found on the Life and Liberty Law Office YouTube page. Both the Garner and Sowl cases were brought to light through Schielke and the Life and Liberty Law Office. 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She pretty much sticks to herself, stays at home, stays out of trouble, he said. Photo: Paul Zinken. All the investigation and work we were putting in to get a peek at the tip of the iceberg was taking forever, she said. According to the complaint, Emily Dutka, who had previously gone public about her arrest, was pulled over by Hill in May of 2020. The incident drew interest from nearby residents resulting in someone calling the LPD. Schielkeis alsorepresenting Karen Garner and her family in an ongoing civil rights lawsuit against Loveland police. "Force is not reasonable when a suspect is non-violent, not resisting, not fleeing, or poses no threat.". RM D5WCP3 - A police officer stops cars at a special checkpoint in Berlin, Germany, 09 April 2013. 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. 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. While four officers responded to the Siers home and waited 20 minutes, they were unable to come in contact with S.S. or her father. 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. I was scared. Loveland Police Department, via The Life & Liberty Law Office. Sowl said he needed shoulder replacement surgery after the incident. This includes several pictures of Facebook posts showing Gates or Hill being awarded for their DUI enforcement work. The city of Loveland and Loveland Police Department settled the lawsuit with Sowl in January for nearly $300,000. The incidents were initially reviewed and deemed appropriate at the time of the event, but the city is taking a second outside look at the incident in our efforts to ensure we are policing in a respectful and proper manner, City Manager Steve Adams said in the release. The ordeal was enough for someone to call Loveland police to the scene, according to the lawsuit. 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. They treat animals like trash. I was helpless watching my daughter getting manhandled by three other police officers. View this page in Standard (full site) format. 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 lawsuit claims that a man and his 14-year-old daughter were arrested by officers who used excessive force during the encounter in 2020. A screen capture from body-worn camera video of Karen Garner's 2020 arrest and a portrait of Loveland Police Chief Bob Ticer. Use the 'Report' link on $300K seems really low given the cost of the medical treatment and pain and suffereing. As with previous cases Schielke has brought forth, the newest case against the department came not only with a written description in the lawsuit itself but also with a YouTube video providing both body-worn camera and security camera footage of the incident. Clint Schnorrand Sgt. The first roughly 21 pages share Elias story of his arrest the night of Jan. 4, 2020. 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.. Chief Ticer and Sergeant Hill did not care about these poor innocent people Gates was victimizing without consequence, the complaint said. 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. Im not talking to nobody.. 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. Ashe arrested Sowl for obstruction of justice and resisting arrest, but the 8th Judicial District Attorney's Office dismissed the charges, according to the lawsuit. All Rights Reserved. Permalink. Hill said she could smell alcohol in Dutkas vehicle, which Dutka explained was due to a drunk friend whom she had driven home. January 27, 2021 / 4:46 PM The officers then approached Mr. Siers and asked him to stop resisting, according to the body camera footage. 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. 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 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. The complaint also claims that around this time Hill and Ticer learned that some of Gates DUI arrests were wrongful arrests because blood and breath results were coming back showing people were not impaired. The city of Loveland and Loveland Police Department settled the lawsuit with Sowl in January for nearly $300,000. but it can also be stressful. 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. Wood was in field training at the time, according to the lawsuit, which says that Dunlap decided to use this childs slap as a chance for Officer Wood to get more experience practicing a domestic violence arrest.. Following the footage of the arrest the video stated that the event was reviewed by LPD chain of command and deemed reasonable and justified.. 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. The suit adds that the slap did not cause Hall injury or even leave a mark, with video showing him telling officers that it only stung. The lawsuit states that Officers Wood and Dunlap slammed her into the concrete stairway outside the home and pushed her against a brick wall. On June 20, 2020, S.S. bicycled back to her fathers home, heartbroken over the confrontation she had with the boy hours earlier. 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.. The roof of a police patrol car at night, with the blue and red lights flashing. Mr. Siers said his daughter had nightmares for months. A civil lawsuit filed in Larimer County District Court accuses Loveland police officer Mat Grashorn of "recklessly killing" Wendy Love and her husband Jay Hamm's 14-month-old dog, a. Whether movers in Fort Collins are helping you Austin Fleskes joined the Reporter-Herald team in August 2020 as the newsroom's public safety reporter. The accident turned out to be a man losing his balance on his motorcycle and falling over. Schielke filed a 52-page lawsuit Wednesday accusing Officer Hopp, Officer Daria Jalali, Sgt. She also represented Karen Garner and her family in that case, which led to a $3 million settlement last year. S.S. can then be heard yelling that she needs to get a tampon, body camera footage shows. "Accordingly, Plaintiffs illegal arrest claim is barred by Heck.". Keep it Clean. 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. I'm not talking to nobody.". At the Safeway parking lot, Officers Wood and Dunlap were collecting witness statements and asking the boy to fill out a form describing the slap, the lawsuit states. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism After grabbing witness statements from people in the area, including a statement from Hall where he said the incident did not cause him physical pain, the officers attempted to call S.S. and Siers to no success. I couldn't do anything. 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. Notifications from this discussion will be disabled. Defund the police was the wrong slogan. arrested him for refusing to answer questions as a witness about a motorcycle crash outside a Loveland bar Sept. 22,2019. Although Christopher Talmadge claimed that he was nonviolent and "minding his own business" when police reportedly slammed his head into his driveway, the city pointed to an affidavit the night of Talmadge's arrest indicating that he had assaulted his roommate and resisted officers. The suit says the girl suffered cuts, scrapes, bruises and a concussion during the ordeal. 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 event also allegedly changed Skippys entire demeanor; he became extremely aggressive with every stranger to come near the Siers home and eventually had to be rehomed to family out of state. Schielke indeed did release the video on YouTube, as well as the lawsuit she said was filed Wednesday in Larimer County District Court on behalf of Jon Siers and his daughter. According to the suit, S.S., who was 14 years old at the time, lived with Siers at their home in Loveland. 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. "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. MORE COVERAGE:NISP opponents sue Larimer County commissioners over permit approval. Schielkeis alsorepresenting Karen Garner and her family in an ongoing civil rights lawsuit against Loveland police. He also claimed the encounter demonstrated a "serious training issue" with the Loveland Police Department. When they discovered that neither Siers nor his daughter were home, they left. By: Colette Bordelon Posted at 7:17 PM, Mar 31, 2022 and last updated 6:17 PM, Mar 31, 2022 Sady Swanson covers public safety, criminal justice, Larimer County governmentand more throughout Northern Colorado. Example video title will go here for this video. The city also released its own video with footage from the incident from Sychlas body-worn camera, which includes the incident itself as well as Siers arrest and discussion with Sychla. According to the Associated Press, Garcia said the settlement states the city and officers do not admit any guilt in this case. He also added that Skippy had bitten one of the officers involved. Be Truthful. Schielke said she filed Elias original complaint quickly as to avoid the statute of limitations closing. The city said Ashe violated three department policies and procedures: limits of authority and exercise discretion; search and seizure; and use of force. 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. Ashe twisted Sowls arm behind his back and pushed his face into the ground, according to a civil rights lawsuit. 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 they slammed the 14-year-old onto concrete, fired a Taser at him and choked the familys Jack Russell terrier. 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.. 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. The city announced Tuesday it was again bringing in Jensen Hughes to review the latest incident, which happened on June 20, 2020, and involved a 14-year-old Loveland girl who was accused by police of domestic violence after she slapped her boyfriend, as well as the girls father, who was tased by an officer while trying to remove his dog from the scene. Eventually, Sychla deployed his Taser on Siers and continued to shock him for over five seconds, the lawsuit claims. 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. 2023 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. Sady Swanson covers public safety, criminal justice, Larimer County governmentand more throughout Northern Colorado. PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK. He submitted to another breath test at the station on a certified Intoxilyzer machine and blew a 0.028%. His two dogs Montana, a chihuahua, and Skippy, a Jack Russell terrier were on long leashes outside the house. I bet at this point Loveland wishes each of these events could involve the same officers, she said. 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. His attorney says the injury required Sowl to undergo shoulder replacement surgery. Sowl said he needed shoulder replacement surgery after the incident. 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. Loveland is not a safe place for pets. The federal lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court, alleged Sowls' First, Fourth and Fourteenth Amendments were violated, according to a news release fromSchielke. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Our interviews with LPD staff revealed that they would like to be more involved with community members and community organizations, but do not have time to engage in these activities or problem solving because of the Departments emphasis on its data-driven strategies and the need to produce daily numbers of enforcement actions, the complaint quotes from the report. In that video, Sychla can be heard explaining to Siers why he used force, explaining he wasnt sure what the Siers intentions were. Best practices in law enforcement will be maintained and we are committed to accountability if those standards are not upheld, he said. Skippy can be seen in the video trying to pull its way over to him. Something like "Redefine the Police" might have been better. DENVER, Sept 8 (Reuters) - The city of Loveland, Colorado, has agreed to pay $3 million to an elderly woman with dementia who suffered a dislocated shoulder and broken arm while . 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. The familys small white dog, Skippy, began to bark at the officers in a show of protection, the lawsuit states, prompting Mr. Siers to tell the officers that he was going to get his dog so he wouldnt bite them. The biggest threat to the safety of the Loveland community is - and continues to be - the Loveland Police Department itself. 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.. The city of Loveland and Loveland Police Department settled the lawsuit with Sowl in January for nearly $300,000. Don't Threaten. 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 f. Talmadge allegedly told responding officers what had happened and they left. 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. Sowl said he needed shoulder replacement surgery after the incident, according to the lawsuit. They treat people like animals. Schielkeis alsorepresenting Karen Garner and her family in an ongoing civil rights lawsuit against Loveland police. 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 includes 20 instances from other residents claiming that they were wrongfully arrested; the complaint adds the ones listed were just some of arrests made by Hill and Gates. The video below is police bodycam footage from the incident. You can send your story ideas to her at sswanson@coloradoan.com or on Twitter at @sadyswan. Garner's arrest drew national attention after body camera footage released by her family's lawyer showed former Loveland Police Department officer Austin Hopp forcibly detain the then. It is important to stress that this process is not an acknowledgement as to the validity or accuracy of the specific complaints made by certain individuals about our DUI program, the statement said. City of Loveland via YouTube/ lovgov.org On September 7, the City. The city, in response, said it will conduct an independent review and maintained that it is committed to accountability. Really it's a testament to how bad things are at Loveland is that they know they're being recorded, and they don't change their behavior, because they just don't care, Schielke said in an interview. Police. 2001 - 2023 Democratic Underground, LLC. 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. The report said Ashe and two other officers took the man to the ground and arrested him for obstructing a police officer and resisting arrest, injuring his shoulder. 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. In an image taken from police body camera video, a 14-year-old girl is arrested at her home in Loveland, Colo., in 2020. Watching my daughter go through this, I mean, I was terrified, Mr. Siers said by phone on Thursday. You have permission to edit this article. Im a canine officer, dude.. Talmadge's roommate continued to remain in the home, allegedly telling Talmadge: "You will leave before I do.". 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. 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. 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. When the arrest begins, Siers can be seen in the video yelling at Sychla and the other officers that they cant arrest his daughter; all the while the familys two dogs can be heard barking continuously in the background. 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.. Sowls arrest in September 2019 was capturedon body camera footage, released by Sowls attorney Sarah Schielke. person will not be tolerated. The next thing Talmadge recalled was being at the hospital. 2021 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. There was a problem saving your notification. The city did not pay the demanded amount and the attorney subsequently released an edited version of the body-camera video to the public, the city said in a news release. According to the report of an internal. This, she said, is something she hopes is exposed and ultimately ended. Ashe arrested Sowl for obstruction of justice and resisting arrest, but the 8th Judicial District Attorney's Office dismissed the charges, according to the lawsuit. 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. / CBS Colorado. Another person, identified as K.S., was pulled over by Gates Sept. 30, 2019. ( Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. Colorado Politics is published both in print and online. 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.. 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.