A New York City police officer says fellow police officers brutally beat him after his wife called for help when thugs threatened guests at their Queens home. The New York Daily News reports that Officer Larry Jackson says fellow officers broke his hand after they were called for help in removing a gun-wielding man from his daughter’s birthday party.
Racial Motivation?
Jackson, who is black, said he did not identify himself as a cop when the white NYPD officers arrived at his home. Jackson, a six-year police veteran, said he thinks the excessive force used by the officers might have been racially motivated.
He and his wife said police officers hit at least six members of their family with batons.”We called the police, and this is what happened to me,” Jackson told the newspaper. “I’m shocked, angry and disappointed.”
Nearby Case
Those same emotions undoubtedly apply in a nearby police brutality case. In April, Philadelphia city psychologist Anthony Abrams charged a city police officer with beating him. Abrams required surgery after his eye socket was fractured, he says, as a result of the beating.
He said he was beaten after an officer spotted him handing $20 to a woman for information about the location of one of his clients. In both the Abrams and Jackson cases, the internal affairs departments of the police departments are investigating the claims of police misconduct.
Going Nowhere
As victims of police brutality often learn, these internal investigations typically lead to exoneration of the officers when there is evidence of wrongdoing or excessive force.
In many cases, victims of police brutality find their only recourse is a civil suit against the police officer and the city. By pursuing legal action, they serve notice that they will not allow abusive law enforcement officers to get away with criminal behavior. The lawsuits can also serve as a deterrent to other police with similarly violent inclinations.
Protecting Citizens
If you have suffered an injury because of New York City law enforcement misconduct or brutality, contact an experienced New York City personal injury attorney who understands the laws protecting citizens from physical abuse by police officers in the Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Staten Island and Queens.
