I'd heard about this was coming for weeks .. two Akron Police officers involved in separate incidents .. both in trouble for getting physical with suspects who were already cuffed.
Today, Mayor Plusquellic fired both officers: James Givens and Christopher Seiler.
Givens was assisting Cuyahoga Falls Police on an early-morning chase that continued through both communities in February. Dash cam video released today from the CF car shows Givens drop an elbow to the suspect's head while the suspect is bent over the front of the cruiser, about two feet from the dash cam. The suspect was obviously mouthy and still a threat at the time, but the debate begins whenever force is used on a cuffed suspect. After Givens struck him, officers moved the suspect to the backseat of a cruiser and he kicked out a window. They eventually tasered him before they could finally get him in the back of a wagon. You can hear his loud mouth challenging officers to fight him long after he was struck.
Seiler's case came a few weeks later at North High School. A vandal had gone crazy inside the place and even tossed a weight at the officer. Seiler claimed he delivered a small kick to the vandal in an attempt to calm him down. I'm told Seiler actually brought the kick to his supervisor's attention feeling it may have been misinterpreted as abuse, but that it wasn't meant that way. The security tape of that incident isn't very clear, but it was also part of the case file.
FOP President Paul Hlynsky believes Mayor Plusquellic's decision to fire the officers versus lesser punishment is overkill since the officers' have good records and cooperated with the investigation. Hlynsky is appealing both firings.
Plusquellic has a news conference scheduled for Monday to talk about other news issues .. but he's sure to address the firings .. and he's sure to use strong words in defense of Hlynsky's claims.
Stay tuned.
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6 comments:
Eric, I believe that at least one if not both officers will be reinstated with back pay. Time will tell though.
I am still waiting for you to tell the other side of the story when my son was arrested by the APD for leaning on a cruiser--which both officers wrote in their reports that "he complied" when told to get off the car, yet he was handcuffed right from the start, shot with multiple tasers, his eye was gouged and swollen, they kneed him in the back of the neck and head, he was not given a phone call at the jail for 3 days, etc. Why were these officers not held accountable for what they did and why was my citizen complaint ignored?
How is what happened to your son the "other side" of this story?
Why do you think your citizen complaint was ignored? Have you spoken to Phil Young, the Police Auditor?
And with what was your son charged? What happened in court after he went to jail?
You've left a lot of blanks here before the media can in any way get involved ... Eric
Anonymous--
If your kid was leaning on a cruiser he was showing disrespect and deserved what he got. Consider it a lesson learned.
The suspects never filed/claimed any abuse by the APD cops. More time needs to be spent into the background of mayor Pissquillic and his relationship with the Akron cops based on his conduct. Remember the poor parking lot attendant fired at the mayor's will. Go further back and check out a bus trip to a Cleve Browns game, all be it about 30 years ago, when he groped a female, his affair while married and eventual divorce...come on...get going with the dirt in Akron.
RECALL THE MAYOR
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