The Milwaukee Police Department (“MPD”) changed its policy with respect to reporting when police officers use force. Prior to 2013, incidents where officers used “bodily force only” and did not cause injury were not reported. Now, such incidents do require a use-of-force report, completed by a supervisory officer. As a result, the number of use-of-force incidents involving MPD officers between January 1 and June 30, 2013 more than doubled the number of incidents from the same period of 2012. University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Criminal Justice Professor Steven G. Brandl prepared a report for the City of Milwaukee Fire and Police Commission (“FPC”) which documents MPD officer use-of-force incidents for the first half of 2013. Read the entire report here.
The civil rights lawyers of Samster, Konkel & Safran applaud the FPC and the MPD for improving the reporting of police officer use-of-force incidents. We believe that documenting police officer use-of-force will increase accountability for officers who use excessive force. We have represented many victims of excessive force committed by MPD officers, including Frank L. Jude, Jr., who was severely beaten by several MPD officers back in 2004. We obtained a $2 million settlement for Mr. Jude, the second-largest police excessive force settlement in Wisconsin history. If you or someone you know has been a victim of police misconduct, contact us for a free case evaluation.
