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| NEWS > 24 December 2009 |
Other related articles:
The high cost of police brutal
Abusive cops are costing already cash-strapped cities across the U.S. millions of dollars in settlements but civil rights activists and attorneys warn that the payouts will continue unless the criminal justice system begins to prosecute its out-of-control officers.
“Obviously we are in a major budget crisis, which has personally affected me,” said author, activist and syndicated columnist Dr. Earl Ofari Hutchinson, referring to a local community college Spanish class he had signed up for, but was cancelled due to state budget cuts.
“Already within a space of three months we’v... Read more
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 Article sourced from
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Hartford Courant
24 December 2009
This article appeared in the above title/site.
To view it in its entirity click this link.
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Hartford Police Department, CT
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Warrant Says Hartford Officer
HARTFORD - — A city police officer accused of assaulting a prisoner in November allegedly boasted to several fellow officers about beating the man.
One of those officers was Sgt. Robert E. Ford Jr., who is assigned to the internal affairs division, which investigates allegations of police misconduct.
Ford immediately began an investigation of Officer Rhashim Campbell's conduct during the early morning hours of Nov. 1 and prepared a warrant seeking his arrest on charges of third-degree assault and fabricating evidence. Hartford State's Attorney Gail Hardy signed that warrant Dec. 4 and Campbell was arrested Dec. 10. Campbell's lawyer, Salvatore Bonanno of Hartford, said Campbell denies the charges and maintains his innocence.
The warrant affidavit was made public this week, after Campbell's arraignment Tuesday in Superior Court in Hartford.
According to the warrant, Campbell told officers gathered in a report writing room on Nov. 2 that a prisoner had punched him in the face, then bitten his finger as he tried to restrain him. Campbell then allegedly told the assembled group that he went into the cell holding Michael Stewart, 41, of Ridge, N.Y., and beat him.
"I opened the door and whooped his ass," Campbell said, according to the warrant. "I tried to kill him, I tried to [expletive] him up." Two officers quickly grabbed Campbell and escorted him from the room. On the way out they told Ford that Campbell was on medication and may not have been aware of what he was saying.
Ford then viewed a video of the cell that allegedly shows Campbell using his hands and a knee to strike Campbell several times. A second officer, Kent Lee, allegedly helped push Stewart to the floor. Police prepared a warrant for Lee's arrest as well, but prosecutors declined to sign it.
Stewart was in custody after being arrested earlier in the evening on charges of breach of peace and resisting arrest. Police described him as being drunk and belligerent at the time of his arrest. An officer had to use pepper spray to get him to cooperate when he was arrested.
The charges against Campbell are for allegedly assaulting Stewart and for allegedly writing a false report on the incident.
Bonanno said Campbell "denies assaulting Mr. Stewart" and "he denies fabricating any evidence."
As to what was said in that report room, Bonanno said Campbell has no specific recollection.
"Officer Campbell does not remember the specific words he may or may not have used in the report room and his remarks were not directed at Sgt. Ford. Whether some of that was bravado, it remains to be seen. Often times we make comments that we don't mean literally."
During Tuesday's arraignment, Bonanno did file a motion asking that all audio and video recordings of the discussion in the report room be preserved. Bonanno said he's received information that an officer who was present may have recorded the conversation on an iPhone, or other device.
"If there was a recording of anything said in the report room, that would be the best evidence of what was said," Bonanno said.
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