Syracuse (WSYR-TV) -- Syracuse’s Common Council has decided how they’ll pay out two lawsuits involving police. A former officer was awarded money in a discrimination lawsuit, while another person was awarded money over claims of police brutality.
To pay up, the City Council voted Monday to bond for the money and pay the low interest loan back over the next five years, so taxpayers are off the hook for more than a quarter-million dollars.
The first settlement dates back more than 10 years, when a city police officer filed a discrimination complaint. That officer, Therese Lore, claimed the department then retaliated by suspending and reassigning her, among other punishments. In May of 2009, she was awarded a judgment of $250,000 by a Federal jury.
The second settlement came at a cost of $35,000 after a video surfaced last year, showing a police officer slamming Edward Jones’ head into the window of a patrol car.
The city could have taken the $285,000 out of its general fund, but day-to-day services like street repairs could have suffered without the money.
These aren’t the first such settlements, and won’t be the last the city is forced to pay. Still, the mayor’s chief of staff says that Police Chief Frank Fowler is cracking down on the “boys will be boys” mentality that will no-longer be tolerated and that Fowler is now using a program to identify, early on, officers who may be prone to bad behavior. A customer satisfaction survey is also making the rounds in the city.
To pay up, the City Council voted Monday to bond for the money and pay the low interest loan back over the next five years, so taxpayers are off the hook for more than a quarter-million dollars.
The first settlement dates back more than 10 years, when a city police officer filed a discrimination complaint. That officer, Therese Lore, claimed the department then retaliated by suspending and reassigning her, among other punishments. In May of 2009, she was awarded a judgment of $250,000 by a Federal jury.
The second settlement came at a cost of $35,000 after a video surfaced last year, showing a police officer slamming Edward Jones’ head into the window of a patrol car.
The city could have taken the $285,000 out of its general fund, but day-to-day services like street repairs could have suffered without the money.
These aren’t the first such settlements, and won’t be the last the city is forced to pay. Still, the mayor’s chief of staff says that Police Chief Frank Fowler is cracking down on the “boys will be boys” mentality that will no-longer be tolerated and that Fowler is now using a program to identify, early on, officers who may be prone to bad behavior. A customer satisfaction survey is also making the rounds in the city.