Man beaten by Mpls. cops in '09 after stop files federal suit (Star Tribune)

Man beaten by Mpls. cops in '09 after stop files federal suit:

A man whose recorded beating changed how Minneapolis police handle use-of-force incidents has filed a federal excessive force lawsuit after negotiations with the city failed to yield a settlement of his claims. Derryl Jenkins filed the suit Monday based on an incident last February when police stopped him for allegedly speeding...

According to the lawsuit: When stopped, Jenkins was confused about what he allegedly did wrong, asked to speak to a supervisor, and got out of his vehicle. Officer Richard Walker wrestled him to the ground and called for backup. At least six officers punched and kicked Jenkins as he lay face down in a snowbank, and one officer stunned him three times with a Taser.Jenkins went to the hospital with facial injuries. He was charged with felony assault and refusing a blood-alcohol test, but a prosecutor and judge eventually dropped the charges. A few minutes after the incident, officer Scott Dahlquist sent a text describing it as "A GOOD FIGHT." ...

Attached to the suit are Lt. Mike Sauro's "use of force" comments. Sauro calls it a "myth" that "blows to the head are deadly force." ...

MPD officer writes controversial email defending officers in beating, ripping FBI (City Pages)

MPD officer writes controversial email defending officers in beating, ripping FBI:

Last month, Minneapolis Police Chief Tim Dolan asked the FBI to investigate an incident where six police officers are caught on video beating a man during an arrest last February. He said some of the video concerned him and he wanted an outside agency to investigate the matter. The video and story became public when the man arrested in the tape, Derryl Jenkins, brought the issue to the police for further investigation of his case. He says unnecessary force was used against him. Apparently one 35-year veteran of the police force is pretty ticked off. In an email to colleagues about the incident, Lieutenant Mike Sauro defended the cops and police are backing away from his statements. His views directly contradict the concern express by his own boss. Sauro also takes a couple hits at the FBI...

The irony? Sauro has an excessive force problem of his own. The city of Minneapolis had to pay more than $1 million in the 90s after he was the subject of an excessive force civil lawsuit. Whoops!

Cop's Heated E-Mail Defends Officers In Beating (WCCO)

Cop's Heated E-Mail Defends Officers In Beating:

A 35-year veteran on the Minneapolis police force is defending colleagues accused of going too far during an arrest. But that's not all. He advocated an approach to the use of force that directly contradicts what his boss, Police Chief Tim Dolan, has said. The video showed six officers kicking and punching Derryl Jenkins in February. Last month: The city's police chief said he's concerned about some of what he sees there. He asked the FBI to investigate and told supervisors to use the video as a learning and training tool. That's when Lieutenant Mike Sauro sent an e-mail to his officers in the 4th precinct. The e-mail was titled "Use of Force." In it Sauro wrote, "What I observed was a controlled use of force by a group of highly trained professional police officers." ... Sauro is a high-profile supervisor who was the subject of an excessive force civil lawsuit that cost the city of Minneapolis more than $1 million back in the early 90s...