excessive force

NYPD Urged To Step Up Body-Worn Camera Pilot After Chokehold Death

Amid accusations of excessive force and increasing civilian video of police activity, New York officers may wear cameras while on duty. Had the death of 43-year-old Eric Garner not been caught on film, calls to outfit New York Police Department officers with cameras might have quietly faded. Instead, a bystander captured Garner locked in a […]

CaughtOnCamera: Skokie Cop Charged With Shoving Woman

BY JORDAN OWEN Staff Reporter October 30, 2013 11:52AM Updated: October 30, 2013 10:50PM A north suburban police officer was charged with two felonies for allegedly shoving a woman accused of DUI in the police station lock-up earlier this year, causing serious injuries to her face. Skokie Police officer Michael Hart, 43, was charged Wednesday with aggravated battery and official misconduct, both felonies, according to a statement from the Cook County State’s Attorney’s office. Hart was assisting with fingerprinting and photographing 47-year-old Cassandra Feuerstein on the morning of March 10, after she was arrested earlier that morning for DUI, authorities said. During the booking process, Hart “became irate” with Feuerstein when she repeatedly refused to look at a specific location on a camera lens for him to take a booking photo, prosecutors allege. Hart grabbed her “forcibly” by the arm and pulled her towards an open cell, where she tried to use both hands to grab the sides of the doorway, regain her balance and ask for another photo, prosecutors said. Hart then put both of his hands on her back and pushed her “forcefully” into the cell, prosecutors allege. She was propelled across the cell, and her head slammed face-first into an unpadded concrete bench. Feuerstein suffered a fractured right orbital bone, loosened teeth, and a deep cut on her cheek. She required reconstructive surgery after the incident, including placement of a titanium plate in her cheek. Prosecutors say she still suffers vision and dental problems. All of […]