A couple of ways to examine this: it’s never a good look when abusive cops at a birthday party cost taxpayers more than $340,000. But what if this case had gone to trial? Could be a boat load more in a situation loaded with tragedy. City lawyers did not want to take on that risk. And this is just the start.
From Dan Tepfer, CT Post:
City officials have agreed in principle to pay more than $340,000 to a local man who is shown on video being beaten by several police officers during a birthday party in his sister’s yard.
The settlement, totaling $342,500 for Carmelo Mendez, still must be approved by the City Council. Mendez’s lawyer, Robert Berke, and City Attorney R. Christopher Meyer declined comment pending that approval.
… The city’s Office of Internal Affairs Investigation found that 17 Bridgeport police officers and two civilian detention officers used excessive force, lied on official reports and violated a laundry list of department regulations in the 2017 Colorado Avenue incident. Two police officers cited in the OIA report, Sgt. Mark Belinkie and Officer Thomas Lattanzio, committed suicide before the report was released.
Mendez’s is one of four civil rights lawsuits brought against the city by Berke for the Colorado Avenue incident. The other suits, filed on behalf of Peter Diaz, Jose Alvarado and Mendez’s sister, Wanda Mendez, are currently in settlement talks.
Full story here.
Wait a minute, the settlement, is only $342,500 for “the chaotic events that followed involved 46 police officers, unrestrained, gratuitous violence by numerous police officers, and a failure by veteran officers to de-escalate the unconstitutional actions of officers under their supervision.” While Mendez was lying on the ground, Stanitis then struck Mendez in the head several times with an unknown object causing bruising and distinct marks, and officers Hugo Stern, Joseph Cruz and Kenneth Fortes joined other officers in the beating of Mendez before and after he was handcuffed, the suit states, all of this is from the article by Dan Tepfer, CT Post.
I must say that I’m in total agreement with the statement from Maria Pereira, “It’s clear from the number of settlements there is a systemic problem in the Bridgeport Police Department and that is a reflection on the department’s leadership,” said City Council member Maria Pereira. “These are not just a few bad apples.” It’s sad that these 46 officers are making those hard working police officers look bad. Mayor Joe Ganim is hiring a nationally renowned consultant to try and make Bridgeport’s Finest better. Former Philadephia Police Commissioner and ex-Washington, D.C. Police Chief Charles Ramsey, who heads the consulting group 21st Century Policing Solutions, will be paid $25,000 for up to four months of consulting work. The price includes expenses.
The department under Perez’s leadership has been the focus of multiple controversies: The shooting death of a 15-year-old by a rookie cop; allegations of racism leveled at Perez’s right-hand man, Capt. Mark Straubel; the arrest of Lt. Stephen Shuck for allegedly abusing the payroll and overtime system; Perez’s involvement in an absentee ballot scandal; an Internal Affairs probe that found 17 officers violated various department policies when breaking up a 2017 party; and a female officer captured on videotape repeatedly punching a handcuffed teenager during a motor vehicle stop. Again, this is from Dan Tepfer along with Tara O’Neill on August 25, 2019.
The department under Perez’s leadership has been the focus of multiple controversies: The shooting death of a 15-year-old by a rookie cop; allegations of racism leveled at Perez’s right-hand man, Capt. Mark Straubel; the arrest of Lt. Stephen Shuck for allegedly abusing the payroll and overtime system; Perez’s involvement in an absentee ballot scandal; an Internal Affairs probe that found 17 officers violated various department policies when breaking up a 2017 party; and a female officer captured on videotape repeatedly punching a handcuffed teenager during a motor vehicle stop. WHERE IS THE THIS REPORT?
WHERE IS THE REPORT?
Ron
You can try FOI’ing it. Or better yet Maria should try. The CA wouldn’t dare charge her $1.00 a page.
The city will claim it is still a work in progress and they don’t have to release it.
Since it was September that it was supposed to be done, 6 months late is late enough. Make the city come clean.
The report is probably was damning of the BPD that the city is trying to keep it under raps until the law suits have run the course but until they release it there will be other law suits coming up.
Bob, BINGO!!!!! the City has a very good idea how much these lawsuits are going to cost the taxpayers and they will have to bond for the payout and the taxpayers are going blame everybody and it’s going to be like the movie, “Bad Day at Back Rock” starting Spencer Tracy where a secret finally comes out and a lot of people where taken down. Well, a number of political careers will be over when Charles Ramsey’s report comes out, also the end of the careers of a lot of City officials and a number of police officers, plus the million of dollars that Bridgeport taxpayers will have to pay.
It most definitely be a bad day in Black Rock when these settlements come out for the council people out there.
You have highlighted for us where one court case stemming from events of that evening appears to be headed for settlement or other type of resolution. Are there any other cases filed and in the court system stemming from that evening that may provide additional expense to the community because of excessive police response of which the City is aware? Can anyone report on the consequences, generally, to members of the PD who attended the “party”? Time will tell.
Apology for not reading thoroughly the article above. What happened to the officers specifically? A report is mentioned. Is a copy of such public?
More importantly, with three additional cases in settlement negotiation, where does the City Attorney office stand? Are the several other cases likely to be more or less expensive to settle or defend? The public is provided few facts as to what happened, is asked to be patient while “consultants” are on the case and compensated, and even years later stands a potential expense of millions due to police behavior. What does police behavior that is found wrong, inappropriate or excessive yield from any mechanism that consequentially links them to redress or repair of the damage they did? Time will tell.
You have plenty of time on your hands. Why don’t you give us some answers rather than more and more questions. Will time tell???
Dear Troll, Do you think that I am holding out on you personally when my entries include questions and other forms of topical inquiries? (I honestly cannot answer that question personally. So I have provided you with a relatively brief narrative of an alternative position for you to assume!)
When we were in grammar school, our teachers put emphasis on teaching us answers in the form of facts that could be used to answer the questions they later tested and on which we could be graded.
Passing from primary and middle grades to secondary school, depending on the school and the ability and inclination of faculty you were introduced to questioning that was more open ended and frequently required an essay or narrative explanation. Not just the facts to be regurgitated for the quiz. To the extent that coherent oral or written communication was practiced to become adequate, if hardly perfect, high school provided more success and trended to place you in a track to college.
To the extent that you had to independently, regularly and competently follow a course syllabus with reading, research, discussion, argument and following up your own questions and areas of inquiry, you grew in adult ability. And after graduate, a whole new world of lifetime learning became open to you.
The ability to review a field and ask questions as they arise is a sign of adult intellectual inquiry. So, after having you ask me for answers as frequently as you have, I wonder whether you see me wasting your time? If so, I invite you to stop reading me as I will only continue as a likely irritant to you and that is not my purpose in writing.
Perhaps my questions are a sign that my current research has reached a frontier where I need your help? In other words a sign of humility? As such it could be an opportunity for someone with a wealth of “knowledge, experience or information” to demonstrate their value to the community. Isn’t that what Governor Cuomo has been suggesting? Instead of holding your info hostage from folks who do not know, provide an answer if you can. Be an “ANSWER DONOR” today. No cost to that. And your generosity benefits the larger community. What reason, if not fear of self-revelation of your personal agenda, would keep you from being an “ANSWER DONOR” today? Time will tell.
JML, I understand what you are saying and I’m in agreement with you but I agree with Bob because John you always pose questions with no answers.
Ron, Thank you for understanding what I am saying. And being in agreement, whatever that means, in this context. But you accuse me of “always posing questions with no answers” and that is not accurate. Perhaps the questions have one or more answers within multiple narratives, but we do not have the POWER to require answers? Perhaps our Bridgeport elected officials do not care about the answers or they are threatening to their position, so ignore or attack the questioner?
Perhaps I ask questions based on my own research where no one else sees value? Look back at my frequent reference to In-Plant Print anomalies for the past five years. Where was the concern when I reported that Finance Office was presenting that department expenses over a five year period on average $160,000 short of actual purchases? Flatto denied, but agreed to post a revenue item of $10,000 per year and then after three months of the 2017-18 budget, stopped reporting actual numbers, and merely in serting “0” values. Does this confer trust? Should auditors pay attention? Each of these questions that are asked in my writing have answers.
But the OIB readership is not demanding answers of their Council persons. Let John do it, as Troll says, “He has the time.” And those OIB readers who understand and can be helpful in pressing for OPEN, ACCOUNTABLE, TRANSPARENT and HONEST have seen my phone number posted multiple times but most do not call. There is work to be done by the few, the motivated and those who are concerned about integrity in public matters. 203-259-9642 still public with good voicemail. Time will tell.
I would wear one but I can’t find any. I’m on a waiting list.
This is the first and probably the lowest. The City Attorney wants to show a low settlement to possibly scare off the others. Won’t work. If anything it will drive higher settlements to AB able to say I got you more than the last one.
Again, I must say that I’m in total agreement with the statement from Maria Pereira, “It’s clear from the number of settlements there is a systemic problem in the Bridgeport Police Department and that is a reflection on the department’s leadership,” said City Council member Maria Pereira. “These are not just a few bad apples.” Think about this, there were 46 officers who were involved in the 2017 Colorado Avenue incident, 46 police officers. The city’s Office of Internal Affairs Investigation found that 17 Bridgeport police officers and two civilian detention officers used excessive force, lied on official reports and violated a laundry list of department regulations in the 2017 Colorado Avenue incident. Two police officers cited in the OIA report, Sgt. Mark Belinkie and Officer Thomas Lattanzio, committed suicide before the report was released. The Bridgeport City Council must take its time to review this case, they need to know what disciplinary action has been taking from the highest level to the lowest police officer, what medical bills cost are and are there other lawsuits that might come up from this incident from others who were at this party on Colorado Avenue. Again, the City Council needs to know what changes and training has the Bridgeport Police Department done to correct this problem and more importantly they need to see what Charles Ramsey has in his report of his review of the Bridgeport Police Department. I know that Maria Pereira will question this settlement but I’m not sure of the other 19 council members.