Posted on May 6, 2022
Former policeman is sentenced to 5 years for the rough arrest of a woman with dementia
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https://www.npr.org/2022/05/06/ [login to see] /former-colorado-policeman-gets-5-years-arrest-of-woman-with-dementia
A former Colorado police officer shown on body camera video roughly arresting a 73-year-old woman with dementia and later seen joking about it with colleagues was sentenced Thursday to five years in prison.
Austin Hopp arrested Karen Garner in 2020 after she left a store without paying for about $14 worth of items in Loveland, about 50 miles (80 kilometers) north of Denver. Police body camera video shows that after she turned away from him, he grabbed her arm and pushed her to the ground, still holding the wildflowers she had been picking as she walked through a field.
Hopp had faced anywhere from probation up to eight years behind bars after pleading guilty to second-degree assault in March under a deal with prosecutors that was opposed by Garner's family. He had faced a mandatory prison sentence of between 10 and 32 years under an original, more serious assault charge.
The footage shows that when Hopp had Garner pushed against the hood of his car, she tried to turn around and repeated that she was trying to go home. He then pushed her back against the car and moved her bent left arm up near her head, holding it, saying, "Are you finished? Are you finished? We don't play this game."
A former Colorado police officer shown on body camera video roughly arresting a 73-year-old woman with dementia and later seen joking about it with colleagues was sentenced Thursday to five years in prison.
Austin Hopp arrested Karen Garner in 2020 after she left a store without paying for about $14 worth of items in Loveland, about 50 miles (80 kilometers) north of Denver. Police body camera video shows that after she turned away from him, he grabbed her arm and pushed her to the ground, still holding the wildflowers she had been picking as she walked through a field.
Hopp had faced anywhere from probation up to eight years behind bars after pleading guilty to second-degree assault in March under a deal with prosecutors that was opposed by Garner's family. He had faced a mandatory prison sentence of between 10 and 32 years under an original, more serious assault charge.
The footage shows that when Hopp had Garner pushed against the hood of his car, she tried to turn around and repeated that she was trying to go home. He then pushed her back against the car and moved her bent left arm up near her head, holding it, saying, "Are you finished? Are you finished? We don't play this game."
Former policeman is sentenced to 5 years for the rough arrest of a woman with dementia
Posted from npr.org
Police
Law Enforcement
Loveland
Posted 2 y ago
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Excellent news share. Hold bad cops accountable. Hopefully he serves his full sentence.
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As a former LEO...If you have to resort to violence (in most cases) to detain a 73yo lady with Dementia then you aren't much of a police officer and should probably find a new line of work. Those who hide behind the "blue line of silence" are just as bad or worse. If you tolerate bad behavior within your ranks, you are no better than the offenders.
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