Illinois nurse files Chicago police brutality lawsuit alleging civil rights violations
Lisa Hofstra, who is a charge nurse at the emergency room in Advocate Illinois Masonic Hospital, is suing the city of Chicago and one of its police officers for police brutality.
Hofstra says she was working in the emergency room at around 4am when the police officer asked her to perform blood work on a person who was apprehended for drunk driving. The charge nurse says she told the cop that the suspect had to be checked in to the hospital first.
The officer, who at first left the emergency room, came back and handcuffed her in front of coworkers before taking her to his police vehicle. Hofstra says she sat in the cruiser for about 45 minutes while the situation was resolved. Surveillance footage shows the police officer smiling while standing outside the police car that Hofstra was sitting in.
Hofstra says that because the cuffs on her wrist were too tight, she had to receive medical treatment after she was released.
Hofstra says that she wasn’t trying to prevent the Chicago cop from doing his job, she was just following procedures. She was in charge of triage on the morning of her arrest. This means it was her job to determine which patients were in most urgent need of medical attention.
Hofstra says she filed her Chicago police brutality lawsuit, over what her attorney is calling a “false arrest,” to stand up for nurse’s rights.
False arrests occur when someone is physically arrested without basis. This may include arresting someone even though there is no probable cause or evidence that a crime has been committed, arresting the wrong person, or arresting someone without a warrant. Making a false arrest is a violation of a person’s civil rights.
In July, 10 people filed Chicago false arrest lawsuits against a former cop for falsifying information in order to make DUI arrests. Joe D. Parker enjoyed a reputation as an enforcer of drunk driving lawsuits before he retired from the Chicago police department. Five other civil rights violation lawsuits were filed against him earlier in the year.
Prosecutors have dropped dozens of arrests made by Parker. Some 156 other DUI arrest cases involving officer John Haleas also were dropped.
Unfortunately, there are Chicago cops who do commit acts of police brutality and other civil rights violations. You may not have any control over whether criminal charges are filed, but you can file a Chicago police brutality lawsuit for damages.
ER nurse sues cop for handcuffing her during dispute over drawing suspect's blood, Sun-Times, September 21, 2009
Does video catch Chicago cop in DUI lie?, Police One, March 12, 2009
Related Web Resources:
Chicago Police Department
