CLEVELAND -- The city has spent at least $8 million in the
last decade to plaintiffs who claimed they were victims of police misconduct
and excessive force, a Channel 3 News investigation found.
The payments were either the result of jury verdicts that
found the city liable for police wrongdoing or of settlements reached with
plaintiffs prior to a trial, according to a review of documents obtained under
the Ohio Open Public Records Act.
"There seems to be a pattern of rogue cops who continue
to abuse the rights of citizens," said attorney Terry Gilbert, who has
successfully brought a number of actions against the city.
"It is a heavy burden on the city."
Channel 3 News requested the records in the wake of the
November, 2012 high-speed chase that ended with two suspects killed by
Cleveland police.
While the city and the state Bureau of Criminal
Investigation continue to probe the shooting in which 13 officers fired 137
shots, the families of victims Timothy Russell and Malissa Williams have
already hired attorneys in anticipation of a possible civil lawsuit.
The actuall tally could be much higher than $8 million
because the city's law department does not track every payout made as a result
of a jury verdict or settlement, said Kim Roberson, the public records
administrator.
It also doesn't include the cost of defending the actions of
police.
Jeff Follmer, president of the Cleveland Police Patrolmen's
Association, said the officers he represents are simply protecting themselves
in excessive force situations.
In fact, he couldn't recall an officer being disciplined by
the city for excessive force.
"We don't try to make things bad," said Follmer.
"The bad is brought on us. If you have an active officer and he's going
out there making arrests, not every arrest goes smooth."
Police misconduct cases not only cost taxpayers, they also
take their toll on victims.
The mother of Ricardo Mason, who reached a $1 million
settlement in 2008 after Mason was gunned down by two officers, said she is
still afraid of police.
"I tell everybody just to do what they say," she
said. "You never know what kind of day they're having, if they're in a bad
mood, if somebody ticked them off."