A woman who helped a Chicago police officer from a wrecked squad car and was later accused of stealing a weapon has been awarded $7.7 million by a federal jury for false arrest.
In November 2002, a car ran a stop sign in Rachelle Jackson's neighborhood, slamming into a squad car. According to her attorney, Jackson, who was walking nearby, found the officer behind the wheel unconscious and the passenger, Officer Kelly Brogan, dazed.
She pulled Brogan from the wreckage. Soon after, police approached Jackson and told her that the driver's weapon had been stolen.
Jackson was accused of the theft. She was charged and spent more than 10 months in the Cook County Jail awaiting trial. Her case was later thrown out by a judge and Jackson sued the city of Chicago.
Defense attorney Andrew Hale said the amount the jury awarded Jackson was "excessive."
1 comment:
"Excessive"? Ten months in jail for a crime she didn't commit. It's not just about the time in jail, it's about the shock, emotional distress, and disruption to her life. And it's about trying to send a message to the thick-headed Chicago Police that they can't just arbitrarily throw people in jail just because they feel like it.
If the City were to discipline their crooked cops, to get the pathologically violent and abusive ones out of the force, then I'd say it's excessive. But so far Chicago has ignored the criminals in the police force, giving the thousands of honest, hard-working and decent officers a bad name and ensuring there is an adversarial relationship between the public and the police. This needs to stop.
The police and the community need to work together to fight crime. When some of the criminals are police officers, the City needs to get them out. If the only way of getting their attention is through huge verdicts, then so be it.
Get these crooked and violent cops out of the force. Let the honest, decent cops do their job without having to cover for their crooked fellow officers. Until then, award large verdicts to the victims.
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