|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||
|
|
Updated: 09/30/2009 11:59 AM KSTP.com |
Mpls. Paid $11M Since 2005 to Settle Police Lawsuits
You've seen the video of Minneapolis police officers allegedly kicking suspects and tasing them. 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS has reported on about cases of alleged excessive force and wondered what it is costing taxpayers. We asked for the numbers from the city attorney four weeks ago. Tuesday afternoon we received data which shows city has paid out $11 million dollars to settle police department lawsuits since 2005. But the city still won't break down the numbers so we can see which cases deal with excessive force. So far this year, the city paid $2.4 million for settlements involving Minneapolis police. We know that includes a $495,000 settlement that went to Eldridge Chatman. He needed two brain surgeries after a Minneapolis police officer hit him in the head during a raid that had nothing to do with Chatman. The 2009 number also includes $626,000 that went to the Khang family after Minneapolis police barged into their home by mistake. Both sides traded fire, but no one was hurt. The largest settlement this year went to five of the department's own. The officers received $740,000 after alleging racial discrimination. In 2008, Minneapolis paid $317,000 in lawsuits. In 2007, the city paid $5.9 million. The bulk of that, $4.5 million, went to Duy Ngo, an undercover officer who was shot by another police officer in 2003. in 2006, the payout was $1.19 million and in 2005 it was $1.3 million. 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS contacted the Minneapolis city council president Barbara Johnson who said the chief has been aggressive about trying to discipline officers who misbehave. We did get a letter from Minneapolis police chief Tim Dolan to the city council. He stressed that just because a settlement was paid out in a given year doesn't mean the incident happened in that year. |
|
|
|
|
Print
Email
