Despite a $3.2 million dollar excessive force settlement, police chief defends officers.
Los Angeles, CA - As city seeks to curb costs of police lawsuits, Chief Charlie Beck defends policemen who shot a mentally ill woman and shocked her with a Taser during a struggle.
A federal jury has handed down the latest multimillion-dollar verdict against the Los Angeles Police Department, finding officers were "malicious" and excessive when they shot a mentally ill woman and used a Taser on her.
The $3.2-million award delivered Friday in U.S. District Court adds to a long string of verdicts and settlements in police-related cases that have cost taxpayers tens of millions of dollars over the last decade. It comes as LAPD officials struggle to find ways to slow the stream of lawsuits filed against officers each year.
When asked by The Times for comment, Police Chief Charlie Beck issued a strong defense of the officers. "I don't expect my officers to be hurt or killed by someone before they act," he said in a prepared statement. "I stand by the actions of our officers completely." He noted that an internal review by the department and one by the LAPD's civilian oversight board concluded the officers acted reasonably.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-lapd-verdict-20121003,0,4298880.story