Former Bellwood Cop and His Wife File Illinois Police Brutality Lawsuit Against City of Chicago and Chicago Police
Jonathan and Ashley Cooper are suing the city of Chicago and Chicago police for Illinois police brutality. The ex-Bellwood cop and his spouse were arrested on January 29 while they were doing maintenance on a foreclosed home.
A neighbor who thought they were burglars contacted 911. The police came, arrested the couple, and they were transported to the 8th Police District precinct where Ashley was strip-searched. They were later released from jail. No charges were filed against Ashley. Meantime, Jonathan was charged with weapons violations because he had a gun in his auto and burglary.
In June, a judge threw out the arrest. The Cook County State’s Attorney’s office is not pursuing the case and prosecutors also dropped the weapons charge against Jonathan.
The Coopers’ Chicago police brutality lawsuit claims the couple was arrested under false pretenses. In the complaint, the couple said that police arrested them even after seeing their work order that gave them permission to be on the premise.
They are also accusing a Chicago cop of giving false testimony under oath when he said he did not see the work order and that there was a loaded gun on the floor of the couple’s vehicle. The Coopers say that Jonathan legally owns the weapon. They maintain that the gun was disassembled and its magazine was stored in the glove compartment.
The Coopers are seeking at least $50,000 in damages.
False Arrests
Arresting someone without just cause can be grounds for a Chicago police brutality lawsuit. Cops are not allowed to use excessive force or abuse their authority when doing their job. Making a false arrest is a violation of a person's civil rights.
Suit: Couple mistaken for burglars while performing house repair, WBBM, December 30, 2009
City, cops sued in false-arrest claim, Chicago Sun-Times, December 31, 2009
Related Web Resources:
Chicago Police Department
Police Brutality and Misconduct, New York Times
