Settlements

In February 2019, officers found Wells naked in the street. Officers tased and apprehended Wells, and he later died. His family sued the Police Department for wrongful death and excessive force.

On October 4, 2021, Craig called 911 for help, stating his wife was threatening him with a knife. When officers entered the home, Craig’s son told them that his mother had the knife. Although Officer Alberto Covarrubias and his partner had allegedly been informed at least four times that Craig was the victim of domestic violence, Covarrubias shot Craig twice and did not attempt to subdue the wife.

In November 2023, a judge approved a $5 million settlement against Funderburg and the City of Detroit, paid to Woodards’ daughter, Melissa Connelly. Prior to the incident, Funderburg had a poor driving record: she had lost her license twice and also hit someone else when she ran a red light. 

The officers, represented by Lawyers for Civil Rights and WilmerHale, alleged that the test was unreliable and disproportionately impacted Black individuals due to their hair texture and grooming products, which can cause false positives. The lawsuit, filed nearly two decades before the settlement, challenged the City’s continued use of the test even after being informed of a less-discriminatory alternative. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit twice ruled in favor of the officers on key issues, leading to a six-day trial before a District Court judge and eventual mediation. The settlement marked the end of what lawyers called “a long, ugly chapter in Boston’s history.”

As Maier waited at a red light near Fayette and Caroline streets, a bullet fired by police entered her car’s windshield. Shrapnel, glass, and other debris struck Maier. Police had been pursuing Tyrone Banks, a man suspected of a prior attack on officers, when they fired dozens of shots at his vehicle and ultimately killed him. Maier suffered injuries to her neck, chest, and hand, including shattered nerves in her index finger. In 2022, she filed a gross negligence lawsuit against Sgt. Paul Sinchak and twelve other officers. Citing the risks of ongoing litigation, City officials recommended the settlement.

In 2019, Stapleton allegedly tackled Morrow to the ground without warning and arrested her during an incident related to her nephew. In return, Morrow filed a federal lawsuit against the officers involved. As part of the settlement, Morrow agreed to not make “disparaging or degrading remarks” about the City or Stapleton to the media or on the internet.

Police arrested Durand-McDonnell in July 2022 on a disorderly conduct charge amid protests over Leo’s role in efforts to overturn Roe v. Wade. The Hancock County district attorney later dismissed the charge, citing the need for caution when political speech is involved. Durand-McDonnell subsequently filed a federal lawsuit against Officer Kevin Edgecomb and Officer Nathan Formby, alleging false arrest and violation of his free speech rights. Details of the settlement were not publicly available as of early November 2023.

First, Michael McCormack filed suit against the Denver Police following an injury during an arrest in 2018. McCormack and his girlfriend were biking and decided to explore an area near where a homeless camp had been. Police said they were trespassing and told them to “relax” before Officer Vincent Talty wrenched and twisted McCormack’s arm, breaking his right wrist and tearing a ligament. Second, Darkina Taylor sued the Denver Police after Officer Jeffrey Teti allegedly drove a Police Department SUV in the wrong lane of traffic and hit her car as she attempted to swerve out of the way in 2022. 

In 2019, Officer Jamie Taft was texting and driving when she struck Eric Szakmary as he was crossing the street. Szakmary suffered serious injuries, including fractures to his vertebrae, and required several surgeries. Of the $557,000 total settlement, $387,000 was meant to settle Szakmary’s negligence claims, while the rest went to his wife, Kimberly, for her loss of companionship and household services from her husband related to his injuries.

According to attorneys for the family, officers handcuffed Dorado and left him face-down on the concrete for more than fifteen minutes as they applied pressure to his back. The Fulton County medical examiner ruled Dorado’s death a homicide, caused by prone restraint cardiac arrest, and also noted the presence of methamphetamine in his system. Although no lawsuit was formally filed, the City agreed to the settlement after receiving a legal notice from the family’s attorneys of their intent to sue. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation completed a review of the incident and submitted its findings to the Fulton County district attorney, while an internal Atlanta Police Department investigation remained ongoing as of October 2023. Three officers were placed on administrative duty pending the outcomes of the investigations.

The City agreed to pay $287,500 each to Lee Dotson and Charles Kuniken, both bystanders who were wrongfully arrested during separate incidents in 2019. Newberg arrested Dotson after falsely claiming that Dotson was interfering with another arrest. However, body camera footage contradicted Newberg’s account and showed Dotson calmly leaving the scene before Newberg pursued and grabbed him. This incident prompted a broader investigation into Newberg’s pattern of misconduct. Also in 2019, Kuniken asked officers whether a man they were arresting needed medical attention, which led Newberg to order his arrest. Newberg, who was initially indicted on thirty-two counts including assault and false imprisonment, resigned after pleading guilty to a lesser charge.

In November 2019, Officer James Armstrong pursued a bank robbery suspect into a Chicago music school where Wilder was interning. Armstrong fired an AR-15 rifle and struck Wilder in the arm and abdomen. Wilder, who underwent eighteen surgeries and years of physical therapy, may never regain full use of his injured arm. Wilder’s lawsuit alleged that Armstrong acted recklessly. The City did not admit wrongdoing in the settlement, and Armstrong remained employed as of October 2023. Wilder, who continued to pursue a music career despite his injuries, expressed hope for broader police training reforms to prevent similar tragedies. In addition to the City’s settlement, Wilder also secured a $20 million settlement with one of the robbery suspects, though collection is unlikely.

During a 2020 protest following the murder of George Floyd, Denver Police Officer Adam Bolton fired a “kinetic impact projectile” at Strong and hit him. As a result, Strong lost his eye. The settlement raised Denver’s total payouts from lawsuits related to police to nearly $10 million in 2023.

The state attorney general began investigating Windsor after two police officers pepper-sprayed Caron Nazario, an Army lieutenant who is Black and Latino, during a traffic stop in December 2020. Nazario was awarded $3,685 in his own case.

Hood and Washington sued the City in 2016, alleging that Chicago Police detectives fabricated evidence and coerced testimony. Under the settlement, Hood, who spent twenty-two years in prison, received $17.5 million, while Washington, who served twelve years, received $7.5 million. The City’s insurance covered $5 million of the settlement amount. The large settlement came amid ongoing tensions about the financial and social costs of police-related lawsuits in Chicago, where the City approved $220 million in police settlements between January 2021 and September 2023. Mayor Brandon Johnson acknowledged the cost but emphasized the importance of constitutional policing and correcting past injustices.

The lawsuit, filed in federal court in 2021, alleged that Detroit Police officers made Islamophobic comments caught on body camera, including claims that “Muslims lie a lot” and “Muslim men are pedophiles,” before falsely arresting the men with what appeared to be no probable cause. The men, who had called 911 for help with a woman having a mental health crisis, were detained for three days before prosecutors declined to file charges. In a statement announcing the settlement, which included monetary compensation, CAIR-MI leaders said they hoped Detroit Police would implement proper training to prevent future incidents of biased policing and emphasized that no one seeking emergency assistance should fear being profiled based on their faith.

Soon after Whitney reported the ritual to Police Department leadership, the mayor, and the city manager in 2019, he was placed on administrative leave and later fired for allegedly deleting data from his phone. Whitney filed a whistleblower retaliation lawsuit asserting he was punished for exposing misconduct. His lead attorney, Jayme Walker, praised Whitney for crossing the “thin blue line” to demand accountability. Whitney expressed hope that the settlement would encourage the City to begin repairing the damage caused by the badge bending scandal.

In April 2019, Officer Jeremy Walleman arrested Logan Davis, then eighteen years old, for loitering outside a closed business even though Davis was waiting for his father to pick him up from his job. As of 2023, Walleman was still working for the Police Department.

Police opened fire after a verbal altercation between teens escalated into a gunfight. Police gunfire inadvertently struck Bility and injured three others, including her twelve-year-old sister. Officers Brian Devaney, Sean Dolan, and Devon Smith were fired and later sentenced to probation, pleading guilty to reckless endangerment. As part of the settlement, Sharon Hill agreed to implement enhanced officer training, particularly concerning the use of deadly force. The Bility family, who established the Fanta Bility Foundation to honor her legacy and advocate for police reform, emphasized that no settlement could erase the tragedy but expressed hope for healing and change.

The lawsuit, filed in 2020, accused Crestwood officials, including then-Mayor Lou Presta and Police Chief David Weigand, of targeting officers who supported unionization. The Illinois Labor Relations Board certified the Illinois Council of Police as the bargaining representative for part-time officers in 2019, but the officers who filed the suit claimed they faced swift retaliation. Crestwood did not admit wrongdoing as part of the settlement, which was approved by the Village Board on September 7, 2023, and finalized with a dismissal by U.S. District Court Judge Mary Rowland.

The lawsuit contended that the Denver Police Department violated the First, Fourth, and Fourteenth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution.

In 2019, Riccio was walking along the shoulder of Interstate 95 after a car accident when he encountered Officer Tyler Schulz. Riccio asked Schulz for help, but Schulz instead ordered him to get on the ground. When Riccio turned and began to walk away, Schulz commanded his canine to attack Riccio, resulting in injuries to Riccio’s left leg. Schulz had been sued in the past for similar conduct, and he left the Old Saybrook Police Department in 2022 for allegations of misconduct unrelated to those two lawsuits.

With certain exceptions, each person arrested or subjected to force by New York City Police Department officers during those protests would be eligible to receive $9,950 in compensation.

The researchers noted that the negative impact on police-community relationships and trust of the police is “incalculable.” As of July 2023, dozens more lawsuits involving the Austin Police Department were still in progress, including lawsuits from people injured by police during the 2020 racial justice protests.

The lawsuit was brought by LatinoJustice PRLDEF on behalf of twenty-one Latinx residents of Suffolk County, with Milbank LLP as pro bono counsel. Under the settlement, the SCPD agreed to establish precinct-level advisory boards, train all officers to combat implicit bias, improve and publicize traffic stop data, and implement other reforms, all within three years. The department also agreed to enhance Spanish-language accessibility and investigate all SCPD job applicants for ties to white supremacist organizations.

City taxpayers paid $710 million total between May 2011 and May 2023 to resolve more than 2,500 cases. As of July 2023, the Chicago City Council was debating how to address concerns about the escalating costs of resolving police misconduct lawsuits.

The settlement came amid growing concerns over the financial and social costs of police misconduct in Chicago. The Chicago City Council on July 19, 2023, narrowly rejected a proposed $2 million settlement with the family of Darius Cole-Garrit, a twenty-one-year-old man fatally shot by police in 2014 after allegedly pointing a gun at officers. Chicago’s Independent Police Review Authority had previously found the shooting justified.

The settlement came amid growing concerns over the financial and social costs of police misconduct in Chicago.

The settlement came amid growing concerns over the financial and social costs of police misconduct in Chicago.

In addition to the monetary settlement, Yuba City also agreed to randomly audit body camera footage from officers and review instances where force is used. On April 12, 2020, Yuba City Police officers handcuffed Gross, slammed him on the ground, and held him facedown. Officers’ body camera footage also showed Gross stating that he could not breathe or feel his legs. The officers’ use of force left Gross with a broken neck and unable to walk. He had two surgeries to repair his spine and now needs round-the-clock nursing care for the rest of his life. As of June 2023, the officers were still employed by Yuba City Police.  

A judge overturned his conviction and he was released in 2017, prompting Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx to drop the charges against him. Brown received a certificate of innocence the next year. Brown alleged that he confessed to setting the fire after a detective choked him and chained him to a wall for five hours, but prosecutors presented no evidence in court to bolster this confession. Brown also sued Cook County, alleging that he was convicted, in part, because prosecutors lied to the jury.

Officer Joseph Lisciandrello shot and killed Brown, age twenty-six, during a May 2019 foot chase after officers stopped Brown. The City Council approved the settlement because Lisciandrello turned off his body-worn camera before firing nine times at Brown, killing him.

Habasek-Bonelli was unarmed when Simonetti confronted him outside his home in August 2021. Following the confrontation, Habasek-Bonelli was hospitalized and treated for trauma to his head and face, including a nasal fracture and lacerations that required stitches. Simonetti was stripped of his police powers after being charged with felony battery and official misconduct, and his criminal case was ongoing as of June 2023.

On June 23, 2015, Ramirez’s mother called 911 to report that her son was suicidal. When El Paso Police Officer Ruben Escajeda saw Ramirez attempting to hang himself, he fired his Taser at Ramirez, who then died. This was the second time in less than sixteen months that El Paso opted to settle a case involving the use of deadly force by police against people in a mental health crisis. Both lawsuits alleged that, under the leadership of late Police Chief Greg Allen, the El Paso Police Department poorly trained its officers on how to respond to mental health cases.

When the van braked hard, Cox was sent headfirst into a metal partition. Following the crash, officers mocked Cox, accused him of faking his injuries, and dragged him by his feet out of the van and into a holding cell before he was eventually taken to a hospital. Cox had been arrested on gun-related charges, which were later dismissed. Five officers involved, including two recently fired, were facing criminal charges as of 2023. Cox’s lawsuit initially sought $100 million. The case spurred police reforms in New Haven, including mandatory seatbelt use for all people being transported by police.

In September 2020, Barnett called the Palm Springs Police Department’s non-emergency number to request a peaceful exchange of custody of her five-year-old daughter to her estranged husband. When Officer Michael Delaney arrived at Barnett’s home, however, he wrongfully told her that a temporary restraining order was in place that enjoined her from being present at her home. Delaney then arrested Barnett and drove her to the police station, but he then became aware that she had not been restrained from going to or occupying her home. Shortly thereafter, the patrol sergeant drove Barnett back to her home and released her from custody.

Under the terms of the settlement, former Officer Laurel Falconieri would receive $1.15 million, and Detective Leslie Martinez would receive $550,000.

According to court records, Clear Creek County agreed to pay $10 million, the Colorado State Office of Risk Management agreed to pay $3 million on behalf of the Colorado State Patrol and Colorado Department of Revenue, the Town of Georgetown agreed to pay $5 million, and the City of Idaho Springs agreed to pay $1 million. On June 10, 2022, Glass’s SUV became stuck in the mountain town of Silver Plume. Clear Creek County Sheriff’s Deputy Andrew Buen fatally shot him after Glass refused to get out of the SUV and law enforcement officers breached the vehicle. The settlement included reforms to officer training and crisis response. For example, Clear Creek County agreed to establish a crisis response team, and Colorado agreed to create a virtual reality training scenario for the Colorado State Patrol based on the shooting that will focus on de-escalation.

Austin Police officers allegedly hit Alexander, who was pregnant at the time, with “less-lethal” gunfire once in the stomach and once in the back. As of May 2023, Austin had agreed to pay more than $18.9 million in settlements to fifteen people injured by Austin Police officers during the 2020 protests. The lawsuits alleged that police officers used excessive force.

Code’s lawsuit alleged that Chauvin used excessive force even though Code posed no threat while handcuffed and was not resisting arrest. Chauvin allegedly twisted Code’s wrists and arms, slammed her head on the ground, pinned his knee to the back of her neck, and restrained her for four minutes and forty-one seconds. The second officer who was present did not intervene, and a supervising sergeant approved the use of force. Neither Chauvin nor the other officers faced disciplinary action.

The settlement was among several paid out by Denver over allegations of police misconduct during the summer of 2020.

The original complaint filed against police officers and the City of Scottsdale sought at least $300,000 in damages. The lawsuit alleged that Officer Brian Steel and Officer Nicolas Fay “failed to take basic investigation steps in connection with establishing reasonable suspicion and probable cause,” and that they wrongfully arrested Garcia for a hit-and-run on a night when her car remained parked while she and her boyfriend went to clubs with friends. Garcia alleged that the officers repeatedly asserted that she was lying about her alibi instead of consulting readily available video and receipt-based evidence.

The lawsuit alleged that Kroll’s actions as a de facto policymaker led police to use excessive force against demonstrators in the protests that followed the May 2020 murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis Police Department officer. Under the terms of the settlement, Kroll also agreed that he would not serve on the Minnesota Board of Peace Officer Standards and Training, and that he would testify in any trials related to the suit.

In 2017, when Pope was fourteen years old, officers were called to his home for a reported domestic disturbance. According to the lawsuit, Chauvin rushed Pope and struck him multiple times on the head with a large flashlight, then pinned him to the floor with his knee—the same tactic Chauvin used on George Floyd. Chauvin then held Pope in the prone position while handcuffed for fifteen minutes. None of the other responding officers intervened.

Hundreds of current and former police officers would each receive at least $45,000. The decade-old lawsuit involved officers from Boston, Brockton, Lawrence, Lowell, Methuen, Springfield, and Worcester, along with the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority.

The lawsuit, filed on behalf of 343 people, alleged that the officers’ response left protesters with physical injuries that, in some cases, required medical treatment or hospitalization, as well as emotional anguish. The lawsuit was filed by the Legal Defense Fund, the Abolitionist Law Center, and Kairys, Rudovsky, Messing, Feinberg, and Lin LLP. The Legal Defense Fund released a statement explaining that the City also agreed to disengage from the federal 1033 program, which arms state and local law enforcement with military weapons.

The settlement resolved a 2018 federal lawsuit filed by Shirley Johnson after her father, Elbert Davis Sr., was killed and her mother, Phosa Cain, was seriously injured when their vehicle was struck by two men fleeing the police. The high-speed police chase occurred after officers claimed that they witnessed a suspected drug transaction involving Umar Burley and Brent Matthews. However, police later admitted that they had planted heroin inside the car, and Burley and Matthews had their convictions vacated in 2017 after serving multiple years in prison. As of March 2023, Baltimore had paid a total of $22.2 million to settle nearly forty cases involving the GTTF.

A report and video produced by Human Rights Watch and Situ Research documented how, on June 4, 2020, NYPD officers surrounded, assaulted, and arrested hundreds of protesters with no provocation or warning in the Mott Haven neighborhood of the South Bronx.

In December 2017, California serial hoax-caller Tyler Barriss called police to falsely report a murder-hostage situation at Finch’s address. Finch, who was unarmed and unaware of the phony emergency call, stepped onto his porch and was surrounded by officers. The officers did not identify themselves as law enforcement as they shouted contradictory commands. Within ten seconds, Rapp shot Finch in the chest from forty yards away even though Finch had not committed a crime or threatened officers or anyone else. The Finch family battled the City in court for five years before reaching the settlement.

Jones claimed he was discriminated against after being passed over for a chief position and a captain position.

During a racial justice protest on May 30, 2020, La Mesa Police Detective Eric Knudson fired a beanbag projectile that struck Furcron in the head. Due to the impact, Furcron was placed in a medically induced coma and was left blind in one eye and with permanent injuries that led to her using a walker.

A jury awarded the family of John Kyles $10 million and the family of Duane Dunlap $23 million in August 2022, and a Cook County judge rejected the Village’s attempt to overturn the verdict in March 2023. On October 9, 2016, Kyles and Dunlap were passengers in a car driven by a third man, who sped off when Dolton Police tried to pull over the vehicle for running through a stop sign. When their vehicle crashed, Kyles died at the scene and Dunlap suffered brain injuries requiring permanent residential care. However, the jury did not find Sergeant Lewis Lacey guilty of willful and wanton misconduct after he and fellow Officer Ryan Perez had been accused of causing the accident.

On February 23, 2020, Berwyn Police Officer Giuseppe Canciari allegedly slammed Nieto to the ground in a “take-down,” causing injuries including fractures to his facial bones, nose, and jaw.

In August 2018, Columbus Division of Police Officer Brandon Harmon arrested Standifer on an outstanding warrant for a traffic violation. At the time of the arrest, which included Harmon taking Standifer to the ground, Standifer had unhealed injuries from an unrelated car accident months earlier. Following his arrest and detention in the Franklin County Jail, Standifer went to the emergency room with pain from injuries sustained from Harmon’s use of excessive force. At the hospital, Standifer was diagnosed with Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA).

Two Austin Police officers, Richard Egal and Maxwell Johnson, shot and killed Nobles in May 2017. The civil lawsuit was tried in federal court before a jury, which recommended a total of $67 million in damages. Following judicial intervention and further negotiations, the City and the family settled the case for $3.3 million.

The vigil honored Elijah McClain, who died in August 2019 days after being placed in a carotid hold by officers and administered ketamine by paramedics. Under the direction of then-Police Chief Vanessa Wilson, Aurora Police declared the peaceful June 2020 vigil “unlawful” and deployed officers from multiple agencies. The lawsuit claimed that officers “indiscriminately deployed chemical agents,” wielded batons, and shot projectiles at the crowd.

The lawsuit, which had been in the midst of a federal trial at the time of the settlement, accused officers of using aggressive tactics against demonstrators, including journalists.

A special grand jury previously cleared Mercer of any criminal charges, and an internal IMPD review found no policy violations during the vehicle and foot pursuit and exchange of gunfire that resulted in Reed’s death. However, Reed’s family filed a civil lawsuit against the IMPD, leading to the settlement. The case was one of several lawsuits Indianapolis settled in recent years related to allegations of excessive force and civil rights violations by IMPD officers.

During a Black Lives Matter protest on May 30, 2020, law enforcement shot Gasca multiple times with pepper balls in her arm and both thighs even though she was wearing a clearly marked observer vest and was attempting to document police actions during the protest. Her federal lawsuit alleged that Reno Police violated her rights under the First, Fourth, and Fourteenth Amendments by using excessive force and chilling her right to peaceably assemble. Gasca also said the incident caused post-traumatic stress disorder, which she managed through therapy.

Garrett was wrongfully convicted in 2004 for the 2000 killing of Velma Tharpe. He was convicted despite DNA evidence and internal conclusions by the District Attorney’s office and the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department as early as 2001 suggesting that he may be innocent. Garrett’s conviction was vacated in 2021 after the Conviction Review Unit of the District Attorney’s office uncovered misconduct such as fabricated confessions, the suppression of DNA evidence linking another man to the crime, and failures by top officials to act on exculpatory findings. Criminal Court Judge Mark Fishburn sharply criticized the District Attorney’s office and police for what he called “malfeasance,” noting that they knowingly left an innocent man in prison. The $1.2 million settlement marked the largest wrongful conviction payout in Nashville’s history.

The passengers filed a lawsuit alleging that Honolulu Police Department (HPD) Officers Joshua Nahulu, Erik Smith, and Jake Bartolome conducted an illegal police chase that caused the crash, which led to serious injuries for the passengers such as broken ribs, spinal fractures, and permanent eye damage. Surveillance footage captured most of the chase. The settlement, approved by the City Council’s Executive Matters and Legal Affairs Committee, was awaiting full Council approval as of February 2023. Separate lawsuits from a teen left paralyzed and the driver of the vehicle—who suffered permanent brain injuries—were still pending and could make this one of HPD’s most expensive police pursuit cases.

In January 2020, Celestine was taking a phone call outside his friend’s home when an NOPD officer began surveilling him on a monitor about a mile away at the Real Time Crime Center, which has access to more than 1,200 live feeds from cameras across the city. The surveillance feed led to Celestine’s arrest because officers saw a “bulge” in his jacket and thought he had a weapon. Celestine spent a year in jail in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic before the District Attorney’s office dropped all charges against him in January 2021. With the help of the American Civil Liberties Union of Louisiana, Celestine sued the NOPD for a litany of alleged abuses, including an unlawful stop, false arrest, and excessive force.

On August 29, 2018, Mayville Police Officer Nicholas Weber arrested Polzin for alleged disorderly conduct. Polzin asked Weber to loosen his handcuffs, but it is unclear whether Weber sufficiently loosened them. Polzin remained in handcuffs for about thirty minutes and later received a diagnosis of nerve damage and Wartenberg’s Syndrome, a condition caused by the compression of a nerve in the wrist.

On August 15, 2020, Thibodaux Police officers Shawn Snow, Simon Braud, Devon Lebouef, and Jory Guidry allegedly used excessive force upon their arrival at the home of Jackson, who has cerebral palsy. Jackson’s lawsuit alleged that the officers twisted his injured arm beyond its natural range of motion, applied tight handcuffs that left cuts and bruises, and smashed his legs and head against the police car.

In 2015, then-Officer Nouman Raja shot and killed Corey Jones after his car broke down on an Interstate 95 off-ramp. Jones was on the phone with roadside assistance at the time of the shooting, and the recorded call revealed that Raja never identified himself as a police officer. Raja was found guilty of manslaughter and attempted murder in a separate criminal case in 2019 and received a twenty-five-year prison sentence.

On June 15, 2015, Officer Joshua Klinge shot Jackson as he exited a motel room window. Klinge said he believed Jackson was reaching for a weapon, but Jackson was unarmed. Jackson’s parents, Angela Ainley and Patrick Jackson, filed a federal lawsuit in 2016 against the City, Klinge, and former Police Chief Brian Uhler alleging civil rights violations and wrongful death. The settlement was paid through a combination of city funds and insurance. Following Jackson’s death, the South Lake Tahoe Police Department implemented body-worn cameras in 2020 and the City created a Police Advisory Commission in 2021.

In 2019, Deputy Tyler Loup stopped Franks, who had just delivered produce to a grocery store, and accused him of loitering. Loup then arrested Franks for refusing to identify himself. Franks spent a night in jail but was never charged. His lawsuit alleged unlawful arrest and excessive use of force. On February 1, 2023, a jury concluded that the arrest lacked probable cause and that Loup acted with reckless disregard for constitutional rights. The County settled the case shortly afterward.

According to a federal civil rights lawsuit, Worship was sitting on the edge of his bed with his hands raised when Richton Park Police Officer Caleb Blood shot him with an assault rifle, shattering his kneecap. The SWAT team had raided the home with a narcotics search warrant for his mother’s boyfriend, who was arrested but ultimately not prosecuted. As part of the settlement, Richton Park agreed to issue a public apology and Blood agreed to issue a private apology and participate in retraining and recertification. Due to the incident, Worship had undergone five surgeries as of February 2023 and will likely need multiple knee replacements. The family continued to call for criminal charges against Blood.

The federal civil case, filed in July 2021, alleged that Williams broke Tran’s left elbow, dislocated his shoulders, and chipped one of his teeth while arresting him on June 29, 2019, for violating traffic ordinances by skateboarding in the street. Williams then allegedly manufactured charges against Tran to avoid consequences. Williams’s law enforcement certification has since been revoked for unrelated reasons.

After Maryland State Police officers pulled Smith over in February 2017, Smith proceeded to flee, leading to a three-mile chase. Once the officers stopped Smith, they allegedly threw him to the ground, directed their police dog to attack him, and arrested him. There was no body camera footage of the incident. In a separate case, the police officers were cleared of all charges of criminal wrongdoing.

Police claimed that the protesters, who were demonstrating in response to the acquittal of former St. Louis Police Officer Jason Stockley in the murder of Anthony Lamar Smith, refused to disperse. However, the lawsuit alleged that police surrounded protesters and refused to let them leave, and that officers beat and pepper-sprayed the protesters before arresting them.

 According to the lawsuit, Connors was filming police officers during the George Floyd protests in May 2020 when police falsely arrested him (meaning without justification) and subjected him to excessive force. Connors was incarcerated for three days, and the charges against him were ultimately dismissed.

St. Paul Police officers approached Golden on January 14, 2015, because he had allegedly sent threatening messages to his ex-girlfriend. Officers fatally shot Golden when he reportedly drove at them at a high speed, although Golden’s family disputes that he was driving toward the officers. The incident occurred before St. Paul Police officers began wearing body cameras. The settlement also stipulated that a member of Golden’s family would be appointed to the Neighborhood Safety and Community Council.

Police arrested Jason Dickman, who had bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, for a graffiti violation. While he was detained at the Clark County Detention Center, his cellmate choked and killed him in May 2021. Richard Dickman alleged that Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department officers failed to place his son in a unit for individuals with severe mental illness.

Of the total settlement amount, $1.8 million would be paid by the Police Department, and the remainder would be paid by their insurance company. In January 2021, police used explosives to blow King’s door off in an attempt to search her home for evidence about a man who did not live there. The suit alleged that the explosion seriously injured King, including permanent damage to her eyes, and caused lasting trauma for her and her daughter.

The terms of the settlement were not released as of January 2023. In December 2020, Kennedy, a Black man, was standing in line at a convenience store when he struck up a conversation with another customer and mentioned his support for the Black Lives Matter movement and his negative experiences with the Shreveport Police Department. Officer Montrell Jackson overheard Kennedy and ordered him to step outside. He then threw Kennedy to the ground and repeatedly slammed his head on the sidewalk. Jackson, along with other officers who arrived, handcuffed and searched Kennedy but found nothing incriminating, and then took him to a hospital psychiatric ward. The next morning, a psychiatrist said there was no basis to hold Kennedy and released him.

Officers arrested McNeill in July 2023 after detectives using license plate reader technology mistakenly identified her car as being involved in a violent crime. They then subjected her to a harsh interrogation for several hours before realizing the error. The police chief, who later retired, apologized on behalf of the detectives.

On May 25, 2020, police, including Officer Adonis Long and Officer Shimul Saha, tried to remove Joseph T. from a subway train for allegedly taking up more than one seat. Joseph T. was arrested and charged with felony assault after officers alleged that he kicked them as they tried to handcuff him. However, body camera footage showed officers punching Joseph T., pepper-spraying him, and pushing his belongings off the train. The Manhattan District Attorney subsequently dropped the assault charges against Joseph T.

In 2016, Morrieson was walking outside when officers Daniel Soto and Ruandy Mendoza stopped him, claiming that they witnessed him selling drugs. When Morrieson asked the officers to identify themselves, they arrested him with excessive force and broke his eye socket even though Morrieson was not attempting to escape the officers, according to video footage. Morrieson, who denied being involved in a drug transaction, filed a federal lawsuit in 2018 alleging that the officers used gratuitous and unnecessary force during the arrest. The Jersey City Insurance Fund paid the $300,000 settlement amount.

On January 12, 2014, McKiernan arrested Alvarez on suspicion of dealing drugs. McKiernan then read at least one text message on Alvarez’s phone, which he used as evidence against Alvarez. According to Alvarez’s civil lawsuit, this constituted an unlawful search because McKiernan did not have a warrant. Alvarez served about three years in prison and filed a motion for a new trial in 2019, after which Massachusetts ultimately dropped the charges.

As shown in video footage recorded by a bystander, Columbus Police officers stunned Davis with a Taser eleven times and struck him dozens of times when they arrested him on warrants in 2017. Davis suffered kidney failure as a result of the beating. The eight officers involved in the arrest and subsequent lawsuit were with the Columbus Division of Police: Matthew Baker, Alan Bennett, Sean Connair, Eric Everhart, Anthony Johnson, LeVon Morefield, Robert Reffitt, and Ryan Steele.

According to the settlement terms, each woman would receive $18,500. A federal judge signed off on the settlements, which were reached following mediation mandated by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit. Holtzclaw was accused of assaulting thirteen Black women and girls between 2013 and 2014 while on duty and off as a police officer. In 2015, a jury in a separate criminal case convicted him of multiple sexual offenses involving eight victims, and he was sentenced to 263 years in prison. The City had previously fought lawsuits that blamed police practices for his actions. In 2019, the City agreed to a $25,000 settlement to resolve a separate lawsuit accusing Holtzclaw of excessive force.

Davis died in August 2017 after his brother stabbed him. The lawsuit alleged that police violated the constitutional rights of Davis’s wife, other brother, and cousin by detaining them at the police station for over three hours instead of allowing them to visit Davis at the hospital before he died. Although these relatives were not suspects, officers questioned them at length, seized their phones, and prevented them from communicating with each other. The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Iowa and the U.S. Court of Appeals ruled that the officers had no probable cause for detaining the family and denied the officers’ motion for qualified immunity.

The jury also awarded Nazario $1,000 in punitive damages after Windsor Police Officer Daniel Crocker illegally searched Nazario’s SUV. Video footage showed the officers pointing their guns at the uniformed Army lieutenant in 2020 while commanding him to exit his vehicle. Gutierrez then pepper-sprayed Nazario through the window and knocked him to the ground when he exited the SUV. The officers claimed that they were performing their duties “within the law” after Nazario failed to immediately pull over and refused to exit his vehicle. A federal judge found that they had probable cause to stop Nazario for an improperly displayed license plate.

In June 2020, Ferreira filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against officers Derek Oagles, Frederick Mello, and Thomas Roberts. On August 17, 2017, the officers arrested Ferreira while he and a friend were waiting for a cab outside a restaurant. During the arrest, Ferreira suffered a collapsed lung, broken ribs, and permanent nerve damage, among other serious injuries. He also spent twenty months fighting felony assault charges for allegedly fighting with the officers, but those charges were dropped after some of the police officer witnesses failed to appear on the first day of trial.

On April 9, 2020, state troopers attempted to arrest Hornback at his home in Shepherdsville, Kentucky, for a missed court appearance. Troopers James Cameron Wright and Thomas Czartorski allegedly used excessive force during the arrest and beat Hornback. The troopers then allegedly lied under oath by claiming that they did not strike Hornback, which was later contradicted by a home security video. Czartorski, who resigned in February 2021, agreed to pay an additional $5,000.

On April 4, 2020, Sheriff’s Deputy Nikko Miller and Deputy Jeremy Jucutan stunned Anglero-Wyrick with a Taser and sicced a K-9 on him after an unsubstantiated report that Anglero-Wyrick had pointed a gun at someone earlier that day. However, they did not find any weapon, and no charges were filed against Anglero-Wyrick, who is Black. Cellphone video showed Anglero-Wyrick standing with his hands raised and empty before the deputies stunned him and deployed the K-9. The attack lasted for ninety seconds, causing severe leg injuries that required ongoing physical therapy and prevented his return to work in construction. The lawsuit, filed in 2021, alleged excessive force and racial bias in law enforcement interactions.

Surveillance video from outside the bar Sophia’s Tavern showed an Erie Police officer punching McLaurin in the head multiple times during the arrest, which also involved four other Erie Police officers and a county detective. McLaurin, who is Black, claimed that the officers used excessive force and that the City fostered “a culture of a lack of accountability” by failing to discipline those involved. Although the video sparked public outcry and calls for reform—including demands for a civilian review board—none of the officers faced criminal charges or disciplinary action.

Winkle, the son of the former police chief, was later sentenced to ten years in prison and two years of supervised release. Winkle was one of four MPD officers indicted in April 2021 in a seventeen-count superseding indictment for use of excessive force and/or covering up misconduct. On multiple occasions, Winkle and other officers physically assaulted people who were not resisting arrest. In one such instance, during a traffic stop due to a missing headlight, former MPD Officer Jeremy Gibson repeatedly punched the driver, Manny Montero, in the face and Winkle delivered two knee strikes to Montero’s head. Following the incident, Winkle wrote a false report. Montero later filed a lawsuit against the City and received a $250,000 settlement. 

Taylor’s lawsuit alleged that the Town condones its police officers’ violence. As of March 2023, Lynch had been the subject of three excessive force lawsuits. He was sentenced to probation for felony perjury and assault against Taylor and can no longer be a police officer.

Mesa Police Officer Phillip Brailsford shot and killed Shaver in 2016 after police were called to a hotel to investigate reports that someone was pointing a gun out of a window. Brailsford ordered Shaver to crawl forward in the hotel hallway and then shot him because he thought Shaver was reaching for a weapon. However, Shaver was unarmed when he was killed. The officer was found not guilty of murder.

On May 26, 2019, Officer Dylan Pifer attempted to arrest Bridges for a carjacking incident, even though Bridges was not involved in the crime. According to police reports, Bridges ran, and Pifer shot him in the chest when he caught up to him. Pifer was not charged in the killing and remained on the police force as of November 2022.

On June 18, 2020, two Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies pursued Guardado in Gardena after he allegedly displayed a handgun and ran away when he spotted the authorities. During the chase, Deputy Miguel Vega fatally shot him five times in the back. After declaring Guardado’s death a homicide, the coroner prompted the first inquest in Los Angeles County in over three decades. Neither Vega nor his partner, Deputy Christopher Hernandez, appeared at the inquest. As of November 2022, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office had not disclosed whether they would seek charges against Vega and Hernandez.

In December 2020, Padron was charged with firing a pistol into the air while intoxicated. Although he pleaded not guilty to the misdemeanor charge of illegally discharging a firearm within city limits, the Palmview Police Department fired him following his arrest. His case was later dismissed after witnesses said that he was not the person who fired the pistol. Padron filed a federal employment discrimination lawsuit against the City of Palmview, alleging that he did not receive progressive discipline in the same way as his female counterparts for similar situations.

On September 2, 2017, Officer Chris Viesselman tackled forty-five-year-old Brian Prince, who was suspected of stealing merchandise. Prince suffered a head injury and spent twenty-nine days in the hospital on life support before he died. Prince’s family filed a civil lawsuit against Viesselman and the KCPD, citing use of excessive force that led to Prince’s death. Viesselman was transferred to a different unit in the KCPD.

Cosenza served sixteen years in prison for assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, as well as armed burglary. Cosenza was granted a new trial in 2016, and prosecutors moved to drop his charges in 2017. Cosenza filed a lawsuit alleging that police had suppressed DNA evidence to ensure his conviction. The jury found that Sergeant Kerry Hazelhurst and Sergeant John Doherty conspired to conceal and fabricate evidence.

In March 2020, Prude was having a mental health episode when police officers handcuffed him, covered his head with a “spit sock” (a mesh head covering), and forced him on the ground in a prone position. As a result of this incident, Prude was declared brain-dead and died a week later. The Rochester Police Department delayed the release of incriminating body camera footage until September 2021 to control the narrative. There was also evidence that officers had suggested making Prude a suspect, potentially to justify the use of excessive force.

When the officer shot Herrera, a veteran, with a “less-lethal” round, it caused lasting nerve damage and triggered post-traumatic stress related to his military service in Iraq. The lawsuit was one of several that argued that the APD’s use of force was unnecessary and that the “less-lethal” ammunition—including shotgun shells filled with lead pellet bags and foam bullets—was dangerous to protesters. The APD said it would no longer use the ammunition to control crowds.

In summer 2021, Simonds noticed police interviewing people in a parking lot and decided to record the interactions. Police officers asked her to leave and then arrested her for trespassing. Body camera footage showed officers discussing what to arrest Simonds for when she refused to leave the private parking lot. During her detention at Spokane County Jail, officers handled her in a rough manner and aggravated an old shoulder injury. Simonds cited excessive use of force, false imprisonment, and violation of her First Amendment rights in her lawsuit, which the County agreed to settle for $32,500 and the City agreed to settle for $25,000.

Bailey was not charged with official misconduct and prostitution because the one-year statute of limitations for misdemeanor charges ran out during the Louisville Metro Police Department’s two-year investigation. Bailey was known for obtaining search warrants based on information provided by confidential informants. He targeted low-income women who were most vulnerable to the threat of jail time if they did not participate in what he forced them to do. In 2016, Bailey was similarly investigated and cleared when a woman serving as his informant accused him of sexual assault. The Police Department failed to look through Bailey’s phone even after the woman informed them that Bailey sent pictures of his penis from his work phone, and they dismissed her claims as “unfounded” without a thorough investigation.

On May 9, 2017, Negron was driving a stolen car when Officer James Boulay pursued him. Boulay fired into the car and shot Negron multiple times when Negron accelerated and hit Boulay with the open door of the car. In 2018, State Attorney Maureen Platt ruled that Boulay was justified in using deadly force. As of October 2022, Boulay remained on the police force.

Abbe, who was homeless and had been diagnosed with schizophrenia, was suspected of attacking another person when officers encountered him in a parking lot. As Abbe walked toward the officers, Sergeant Jay Alie fired his gun at Abbe’s chest, followed by officers Sammy Abdala and Sean Suarez also firing. Abbe’s daughter filed the lawsuit in October 2021 for $5 million and was granted less than twenty percent of the original amount.

In January 2017, police chased Rowlett while he fled from a traffic stop and hit multiple cars and a police cruiser. Police shot Rowlett after they issued contradictory orders regarding whether he should get out of the car, and he became tangled in his seatbelt. Rowlett’s lawsuit said he was unarmed during the incident, although he had a knife in the car. The officer who shot Rowlett resigned from the Chicago Police Department.

Francisco-Martinez was in her vehicle in June 2020 when a police cruiser driven by Chicago Police Officer Juan Blanco hit her at ninety-eight miles per hour. Blanco, who claimed he was in an active pursuit, had failed to follow orders from the Police Department to terminate the pursuit before the collision occurred. The settlement with Francisco-Martinez’s family marked the third large settlement in 2022 related to an individual killed during a police pursuit in Chicago. The Chicago Police Department changed its policy for vehicular pursuits in August 2020, mandating that marked police cars with lights and sirens activated must take the lead and that officers must consider “the requirement to protect the public from the danger created by eluding offenders” while in pursuit.

Prince confessed to the 1991 shooting death of Edward Porter after Chicago Police Detective Kriston Kato physically assaulted Prince while he was handcuffed to a wall. Kato, who was accused of routinely framing people suspected of crimes, retired from the Chicago Police Department in 2006. Prince was granted a new trial in 2017, where his charges were dismissed after four witnesses said they saw another man shoot Porter.

She filed a suit against the City and NYPD detectives Richard Hall and Eddie Martins in 2018, alleging unlawful arrest, false imprisonment, and sexual assault. She claimed that the officers raped her in the back of a van after she was arrested for a low-level drug offense in September 2017. Martins and Hall were arrested a month after the incident, but the charges were ultimately dropped after the prosecutors questioned the woman’s credibility. Hall and Martins later pleaded guilty in 2019 to bribery and official misconduct and were sentenced to five years of probation. In addition to her settlement with the City, Chambers also settled with Hall and Martins for an unknown amount.

On May 30, 2020, peaceful protesters outside Cleveland’s Justice Center were met with pepper spray, pepper balls, and wrongful arrests by Cleveland Police. Protesters were held in jail for as long as three days before being released without charges, and others were released with charges that were later dismissed. Twelve individuals then sued both the City and more than two dozen Cleveland Police officers. In addition to the $540,000 payment, the City of Cleveland agreed to help those who were charged expunge their records and to provide more training to police officers to handle crowd control at future protests.

On January 7, 2019, police responded after Novak’s neighbors reported that he was drunk, shouting racial slurs, and shooting a gun toward their home. However, Novak did not have a gun, and they had mistaken the sound of Novak slamming a baseball bat against his own truck for gunshots. Rankin shot Novak, killing him. Prosecutors cleared Rankin of any wrongdoing in August 2019, and Novak’s family filed a lawsuit days later. Novak’s father had already settled with the City for $250,000, but Novak’s mother and sister did not reach their settlement until the day they were set to go to trial. The $4 million marked one of the largest settlement payouts in a wrongful death lawsuit against Spokane concerning its police force. As of September 2022, Rankin remained employed with the Spokane Police Department and had been promoted to detective.

On July 10, 2018, Blasingame was asking for money from passersby on the street in Atlanta, Georgia, when Officer John Grubbs approached him, and Blasingame took off running. Grubbs fired his stun gun at Blasingame from about ten feet away, hitting him in the back of the head and causing him to fall on his face, which left Blasingame paralyzed. Due to the incident, Blasingame requires around-the-clock care at a cost of $1 million per year. A federal jury found that Grubbs, who remained employed by the Atlanta Police Department as of August 2022, used excessive force to restrain Blasingame, who was not actively under arrest. The Atlanta Police Department was ordered to pay Blasingame $60 million, while Grubbs was ordered to pay $40 million.

On May 1, 2016, eighteen-year-old Sarria, a college student, was driving through an intersection in Miami, Florida, when her vehicle struck Medina’s police cruiser. Sarria claimed that she was following a green traffic signal while Medina ignored a red signal. The lawsuit claimed that Sarria suffered injuries to her back and neck, and she subsequently underwent a total of twenty-one months of chiropractic manipulation and physical therapy. The lawsuit alleged that Medina was negligent in the operation of his vehicle and that the City of Miami was liable because the accident occurred during Medina’s performance of his job duties.

On January 14, 2020, officers Dionne Holiday and Kevin Christmon responded to a call at East Silver Spring Elementary School because Grant’s son had left school grounds and reportedly “did not wish to return.” According to body camera footage, the officers screamed in the boy’s face, grabbed him by his arm, and handcuffed him. The lawsuit accused the officers of assault, false arrest, and causing emotional distress. Due to the incident, the Montgomery County Police Department implemented changes in officer training on how to properly interact with students at schools. The settlement was paid out from Montgomery County’s Self-Insurance Fund, with $220,000 paid on behalf of the officers involved and $55,000 paid on behalf of the Board of Education.

According to the complaint, the officers’ supervisor racially harassed them, physically assaulted them, and retaliated against them for opposing the harassment. They filed charges of discrimination with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s (EEOC) Philadelphia District Office, which found cause that SEPTA had violated the officers’ Title VII rights. After unsuccessful conciliation efforts, the EEOC referred the charges to the Department of Justice. The consent decree requires SEPTA to implement anti-discrimination policies and provide trainings for its employees, in addition to paying a total of $496,000 in damages to the officers.

On March 18, 2018, officers Terrence Mercadal and Jared Robinet were responding to reports of a person breaking car windows when they saw twenty-two-year-old Clark and chased him into his grandmother’s backyard. The officers, believing Clark was holding a gun that was actually a cellphone, shot at Clark twenty times and hit him with at least seven bullets. The officers were not charged with any crime. Clark’s family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the City and the two officers. The 2022 settlement followed an earlier settlement in 2019, in which the City agreed to pay $2.4 million to Clark’s sons, then ages two and five.

On September 15, 2018, Greensboro Police Officer Thomas Webster IV confronted Black following a 911 call that Black was roughly dragging a twelve-year-old boy (who was a friend of Black’s family) down the road. Webster tried to arrest Black, who fled on foot. Two off-duty officers, former Ridgely Police Chief Gary Manos and Centreville Police Officer Dennis Lannon, tried to help Webster arrest Black. When Black ran to his family’s home and got into a car, the officers smashed the car window and used a stun gun on Black, then handcuffed him and shackled his legs before he stopped breathing. The lawsuit accused the police of using excessive force, rejecting the officers’ claims that Black was high on drugs and exhibiting “superhuman” strength at the time of the incident. Black’s family said he had been diagnosed with a severe form of bipolar disorder and was experiencing a mental health crisis. The settlement agreement required the three towns to update their policies governing police use of force and to provide officers with training on mental health, implicit bias, and de-escalation techniques.

After the Police Department posted a video concerning a search of a home where officers suspected residents of growing one more marijuana plant than legally allowed, allegedly for medicinal purposes for a child who had seizures, Sgaggio commented: “You target sick kids to get your overtime pay ... That’s why you are a pig.” The Police Department removed his comment, prompting him to post other comments on their social media, which they also deleted. Then-Police Chief Miles De Young ultimately blocked Sgaggio from posting on the Police or City Facebook pages. Sgaggio’s attorney argued that even vulgar language is protected as free speech. The City agreed to the $65,000 settlement—the largest settlement ever reached in a case of a public official blocking someone on Facebook. Under the settlement, the City deleted the section of its social media policy allowing employees to remove posts deemed inappropriate or vulgar.

On October 3, 2018, sheriff’s deputies stopped Okobi on suspicion of jaywalking and subsequently used their Tasers, batons, and pepper spray on him. After Deputy Joshua Wang deployed his Taser seven times, Okobi suffered cardiac arrest and died. The County District Attorney’s Office cleared Wang and four other deputies of any criminal charges. The incident spurred calls for a moratorium on Taser use in San Mateo County. The Sheriff’s Office later revised its use-of-force policy, advising against deploying Tasers more than three times against a person unless there are exceptional circumstances. Okobi’s death also influenced reforms to California’s jaywalking law that limited law enforcement’s ability to stop pedestrians for minor infractions.

In 2012, Cardile was at her then-boyfriend’s home in Yonkers when they had an argument, and he called the police. The responding officers demanded Cardile produce her driver’s license. Cardile alleged that as she was walking to retrieve her license from her vehicle, four male officers pushed her to the ground without provocation, kicked her, lifted her by the throat, and threw her against the trunk of her car. The officers then took her to a holding cell. Several hours later, Cardile received treatment at a hospital for a hand fracture and arm injuries. Cardile filed a federal civil rights lawsuit in 2014 alleging that the officers used unreasonable and excessive force. Although the City denied any wrongdoing, they settled with her for $50,000. 

During the party, Ramos’ sister called 911 and asked police to remove an unwanted visitor. According to Ramos’ lawsuit, Springfield officers Matthew Rief and Herminio Rivas Jr. arrived at the party and announced their intention to arrest Ramos, even though he was not the unwanted visitor. Ramos raised his hands in surrender to the officers, but Rief proceeded to strike Ramos over the head with a steel baton and later maced him in the face. Ramos suffered a fractured skull and other injuries that required plastic surgery.

In 1992, Ricks was convicted of fatally shooting his friend Gerry Bennett in the head outside of a restaurant. During the investigation, police seized a gun that belonged to Ricks’ mother and claimed that it was the murder weapon. After the case was reopened in 2016 on request by the Innocence Clinic at University of Michigan Law School, further examination revealed that the bullets that killed Bennett did not match the ones found in Ricks’ mother’s gun. An expert working for the City testified during depositions that the original bullet analysis by the police lab had been completely wrong.

Two guardians of children who were present at the incident were also awarded $15,000 each. In January 2020, two Baltimore County police officers, S. Brennan and B. Schmidt, arrived at Mellerson’s home to arrest her daughter for disorderly conduct. Mellerson alleged that the officers were hostile and used a Taser and pepper spray. At one point during the encounter, an officer pushed Mellerson to the ground. The incident was recorded via the officers’ body-worn cameras. Mellerson initially faced charges of interfering with an arrest, obstructing and hindering, and assault, but those charges were dropped. Both the Baltimore Police Chief and County Executive condemned the actions of the officers, who were still employed by the Baltimore County Police Department as of 2022.

Green, a Black man, was driving in Tampa when he experienced a diabetic emergency and struggled to control his steering wheel. After a nearby motorist called 911, police reached Green but did not get him the immediate medical attention he needed. Instead, they handcuffed him and put him in a prone position (meaning face-down on the ground) where he struggled to breathe and later died. In addition to an undisclosed financial settlement, the Tampa Police Department agreed to make changes to its procedures on how officers handle cases where people are held in a prone position. Green’s family requested an official apology from Tampa Mayor Jane Castor because she was Tampa’s Police Chief at the time of Green’s death, but Castor refused.

Henderson agreed to pay $25,000, and Las Vegas Metropolitan agreed to pay $65,000. In 2020, Henderson Police officers pulled over Brown, who was twenty-three years old at the time, for driving without his headlights on. The officers then arrested Brown because they believed he had an outstanding felony weapons warrant in Las Vegas. However, the actual subject of the warrant was a five-foot-eleven, forty-nine-year-old white man with a bushy beard and blue eyes, and Brown is a five-foot-seven Black man. Brown spent six days in two different detention facilities before officers recognized their mistake. The $90,000 settlement is near the $100,000 maximum that Nevada law allows when suing a government entity.

Portland Police Sergeant Nicholas Goodman killed twenty-two-year-old Baker in Portland’s Union Station Plaza in 2017. Baker was experiencing a mental health crisis and holding an air rifle at the time of his killing. After multiple 911 calls reporting Baker’s behavior, Goodman joined other officers at the scene and fatally shot Baker within minutes of arriving. A federal judge denied Goodman qualified immunity from the case, which allowed the lawsuit to proceed.

On April 16, 2022, one of Baca’s daughters called 911 to report that Baca, who experienced dementia and was in the midst of a mental health crisis, was threatening her family members with a knife. Cosper arrived on the scene and asked Baca to drop the two knives she was holding sixteen times in forty seconds before fatally shooting her twice. Cosper spoke to Baca in English, although Baca spoke only Spanish. Bodycam footage indicated that Baca’s daughter and granddaughter had been trying to explain Baca’s mental illness to officers, but Cosper told them to “back up” while he aimed his gun at Baca. As of July 2022, the Third Judicial District Attorney’s Office had not decided whether to charge Cosper, but the City settled with Baca’s family for $2.75 million, the maximum amount possible.

On May 29, 2018, Officer Casey Davies responded to a call about two armed robberies in Salt Lake County. James was suspected of robbing the stores while armed with an airsoft gun and fleeing on his motorcycle. Davies allegedly hit James with his patrol vehicle and then shot him multiple times, and James later succumbed to his injuries. Following an investigation, the Salt Lake County District Attorney determined that Davies’ use of deadly force by vehicle in a collision was not justified, but declined to charge Davies with a crime. Davies is no longer employed as an officer in Cottonwood Heights. The settlement was paid through Cottonwood Heights’ insurance provider, Utah Local Governments Trust.

On January 6, 2021, Macduff’s roommate called the police to say that Macduff was experiencing a mental health crisis. Macduff was sitting alone in his pickup truck, unarmed, when six police officers arrived and requested that he exit the truck. When he did not comply, officers fired three beanbag rounds into his windshield. Officer Gabriel Maldonado then fired five close-range gunshots at Macduff, killing him. The officers had called Macduff’s mother, who is a doctor, during the standoff so she could talk to her son as she had helped de-escalate similar situations in the past, but she was disconnected and not contacted again for two hours. As part of the settlement, the Police Department agreed to implement several reforms, including using body cameras department-wide, transitioning from beanbag shotguns to foam projectiles as non-lethal options, clarifying the language in the department’s use-of-force policy, and creating additional de-escalation training. Maldonado resigned from the Tigard Police Department and began working as a Port of Portland police officer four days later.

McIntyre was seventeen years old when he was arrested for the shooting deaths of two men in 1994. McIntyre was released in 2017 after a local prosecutor asked the court to vacate his convictions and drop all charges because prosecutors in the original trial had no physical evidence tying McIntyre to the murders and had largely relied on testimonies that were allegedly coerced. In a lawsuit filed in 2018, the McIntyres alleged that starting in the 1980s, Detective Roger Golubski had made sexual demands of Rosie and threatened to arrest her and her boyfriend if she did not consent. Golubski went on to sexually assault and harass her, and she moved to escape the abuse. Later, Golubski allegedly framed her son in the double homicide case. The lawsuit also alleged that Golubski repeatedly abused and exploited Black women for sex and then used them as anonymous “informants” to clear his other cases or to protect drug dealers. Over seventy women whom Golubski allegedly victimized were listed in the pretrial order. Since Lamonte’s incarceration, he was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, and anxiety. Rosie was in and out of psychological treatment for years and was also diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder. Golubski worked at the Kansas City Police Department as a Captain until his retirement in 2010, receiving a full pension, and then went to serve as a Detective at the Edwardsville Police Department until 2016. The Unified Government did not admit to wrongdoing through paying the settlement.

Roberson was on duty as a security guard at a lounge when a fight broke out that resulted in shots being fired. Roberson was holding down the gunman in the parking lot, with his own weapon aimed at the gunman, when Officer Ian Covey arrived at the scene. Covey claimed that Roberson was not clearly identified as a security guard, and he ordered Roberson to drop his weapon. Covey then shot and killed Roberson. Multiple witnesses at the scene disputed Covey’s account and said that Roberson was wearing both a hat and a shirt that identified him as a security guard. The Roberson family fought for charges against Covey, but the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office said there was not enough evidence. The $7.5 million went to Roberson’s young daughter, whom he never had the chance to meet.

Jaime Bunkholt, an Atlanta-based photographer, alleged in her federal lawsuit that an unidentified officer with the Minneapolis Police Department fired a rubber bullet that hit her in the back of the head during a 2020 protest. Bunkholt sustained both permanent and temporary injuries, including a concussion. The Minneapolis City Council agreed to settle Bunkholt’s lawsuit for $500,000.

Potter, who had a trainee with her, initially pulled over Wright for an expired tag and an illegal air freshener. After police learned that Wright had an outstanding warrant, Potter proceeded to shoot and kill him, claiming that she mistook her gun for a taser. The twenty-six-year police veteran was later sentenced to two years in prison for manslaughter. Wright’s killing occurred less than a year after an officer of the Minneapolis Police Department murdered George Floyd about ten miles away. The settlement with Wright’s family was “in exchange for a release of the City, its employees, and Kim Potter from any claims or actions stemming from Mr. Wright’s death.” The settlement also required new policies and procedures for Brooklyn Center police officers, including trainings on implicit bias, weapons confusion, de-escalation, and how to navigate mental health crises. 

As Aguirre left a one-vehicle wreck in 2013, three police officers who responded to the scene pinned him down for over five minutes and then allowed three additional minutes to pass before they rendered medical aid. The examiner ruled Aguirre’s cause of death as “positional asphyxiation” and “excited delirium” brought on by his restraint and subsequently ruled Aguirre’s death a homicide. The family originally filed suit in 2015. The settlement came in 2022, after the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit determined that San Antonio Police Department officers were not entitled to qualified immunity in this case. 

The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law represented the marchers. The lawsuit was connected to a 2020 “march to the polls” event, where sheriff’s deputies and police officers pepper-sprayed marchers, including children and elderly people, for blocking a street without permission. Under the terms of the settlement, the Police Department and sheriff’s office did not claim any responsibility for the incident. 

On May 31, 2020, Mia Wright, Tnika Tate, Kim Woods, Ebony Wilbourn, and Javon Hill went to a mall to shop for party supplies and baby items, when officers accused them of attempting to loot a sporting goods store. Officer David Laskus falsely claimed that he saw someone with a hammer attempt to break a store window and then get back in the car with Wright and the others, even though surveillance video showed otherwise. When the group started to drive away at the direction of other officers, police used their batons to smash the car’s windows and demanded that everyone get out of the vehicle. Laskus pulled Wright out of the car by her hair and kneeled on her back and neck. Officer Patrick Dwyer, who retired in July 2020, used racist and sexist language during the incident. The City Council agreed in March 2022 to settle the lawsuit with payments totaling $1.625 million to the five individuals in the car.

Riley and ten other WPD employees signed an August 2020 letter calling for the termination of WPD Officer Aaron Dalton due to his violations of civil rights, threats against other officers, falsification of paperwork, and use of racial profanity. In October 2020, the mayor informed Riley that her position was being eliminated, which Riley’s legal counsel argued was retaliation for her whistleblowing. This settlement followed a series of other payouts by the City for incidents of police misconduct by Dalton and other officers, including a $750,000 settlement to William Cox and a $350,000 settlement to Andre Howton. The City placed Dalton on paid administrative leave for more than a year before ultimately terminating him.

The deputies fired several shots, one of which struck Brown in the back of his head and killed him. His family commissioned an independent autopsy that said police shot Brown five times, including the fatal shot to the back of his head. Brown’s family filed a $30 million civil rights lawsuit in 2021, asserting that the deputies displayed “intentional and reckless disregard” for Brown’s life. In May 2021, the county district attorney deemed the shooting “justified” and declined to prosecute the officers involved.

Gladney filed the lawsuit against Officer Tyler Ryan Timberlake in 2021, alleging that the officer used excessive force against him and falsely arrested him. Timberlake was charged with misdemeanor assault, but a grand jury found him not guilty.

Evans filed the suit in March 2022, alleging that Hersl and other officers with the GTTF planted crack cocaine on him, applied for warrants based on false allegations, and illegally arrested him following a 2012 search. Evans originally sought $1.5 million in damages in a case that was dismissed in 2020. The parties agreed to the 2022 settlement to avoid the expense and uncertainty of prolonged litigation. Hersl, one of eight GTTF members indicted on charges including racketeering, robbery, extortion, and overtime fraud, was sentenced to eighteen years in prison. As of June 2022, the City of Baltimore had paid over $14 million to settle lawsuits related to GTTF misconduct.

Jackson and Stallings were standing in a parking lot in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in May 2020 when a Minneapolis SWAT team fired 40mm plastic projectiles, which hit Stallings in the chest. The SWAT team had been driving around Minneapolis in an unmarked white cargo van and firing plastic projectiles at people who were out after a curfew imposed in the wake of protests over George Floyd’s murder by police. Stallings, thinking the people in the unmarked van were white supremacists, responded to being shot at by firing back with his pistol, but he later testified that he purposefully missed. The officers then jumped out of the van. Even though Stallings and Jackson both tried to surrender, and video shows them on their knees with their hands up, officers beat Stallings for thirty seconds and beat and tased Jackson for two minutes. Stallings, an Army veteran, was later acquitted of all charges.

Ingram’s lawsuit named Camden County, the Camden County Police Department, then-Assistant Chief of Police Orlando Cuevas, then-Police Chief John Scott Thomson, and officers Jeremy Merck, Antonio Gennetta, and Nicholas Marchiafava as defendants. The suit accused the officers of using excessive force and failing to provide necessary medical care, resulting in Ingram’s severe cervical spine injuries and permanent quadriplegia. The County agreed to a settlement in May 2022 after years of litigation and a mistrial in Camden federal court declared on March 29, 2022, when a jury became deadlocked on whether the officers were responsible for Ingram’s injuries.

Tirado had traveled to Minneapolis in May 2020 to cover the protests in response to George Floyd’s murder by police. She claimed in her lawsuit that police targeted her as she took photos outside a police precinct in south Minneapolis on May 29, 2020. She alleged that officers ignored her press credentials and fired a foam bullet at her, striking her in the face and shattering her protective goggles.

In 1997, Cooper was wrongfully convicted of armed robbery. After serving more than eight years in prison, he filed a lawsuit against the Elkhart Police Department, claiming that their police officials, including Detective Steve Rezutko, framed him and his co-defendant through “false witness statements and unduly suggestive photo lineups.” The eyewitnesses who testified at Cooper’s trial later admitted that they had been manipulated by Rezutko into implicating Cooper. DNA evidence eventually identified the shooter as a man who was convicted of murder in Michigan in 2002. In 2017, Cooper became the first Indiana man to be granted a pardon based on actual innocence. His co-defendant, Christopher Parish, was exonerated and awarded a nearly $5 million settlement in 2014.

Surrounding officers ignored Drake’s request for help after she was shot. The lawsuit asserted that the officers’ actions violated her First Amendment right to protected speech and to peaceful assembly, and her Fourth Amendment right to be free from excessive force. The City of Austin agreed to pay an $850,000 settlement to Drake, bringing the City’s total settlements with demonstrators against police misconduct to $13.95 million as of May 2022, all paid by taxpayers.

Williams, who was seventeen at the time, was wrongfully arrested, dragged to the ground, and zip-tied during the protest after being falsely accused of assaulting a police officer. Body camera footage later showed that she did not assault the officer, and Williams was never charged with a crime. The Police Department conducted an internal investigation into the arresting officer’s actions, though the results were not made public. The officer involved remained employed by the department as of May 2022. The settlement was reached out of court without a legal complaint or lawsuit being filed, after the civil rights group Emancipate NC notified the City of their intent to sue.

Taylor was seventeen when he was arrested and wrongfully convicted of a 1992 double murder. He said he was coerced into confessing to crimes he did not commit. At the time of the killings, Taylor was already in police custody after being arrested for causing a disturbance. His attorneys said police officers hid that evidence, which would have exonerated him. Taylor spent more than twenty years in prison before he was released in 2013 after his conviction was overturned.

Arevalo, who was twenty-three years old at the time, was standing outside of Happy Donuts when Agent Thomas DeStefano asked him if he was on probation. Arevalo tried to walk away from DeStefano, but the agent followed him and tried to pin Arevalo’s arm behind his back to detain him, before flipping Arevalo to the ground. Arevalo sued the City of Palo Alto in November 2019, accusing the Police Department of violating his civil rights by violently attacking and falsely arresting him. He sought $3.85 million for “personal injury, emotional distress, property damage, other damages, and the like,” but settled with the City for $150,000.

Krauss claimed he did not recognize Colson, who was in plain clothes, and perceived him as a threat. In 2022, Colson’s family settled a civil lawsuit with Prince George’s County, Maryland, for $400,000, the maximum amount allowed under the law. Despite the financial settlement, Colson’s family criticized prosecutors for failing to indict Krauss, who was retired by 2022. Angela Alsobrooks, the state’s attorney at the time of the incident, defended the investigation and said that the evidence did not support an indictment.

Berg filed a sex discrimination suit against the City, alleging that she was retaliated against and became the target of sexist discrimination and malicious rumors after she reported an officer for putting a fellow trainee in an unprovoked chokehold at the police academy in March 2019. After making the report, Berg said she faced discrimination and false accusations of having an extramarital affair. Officers also allegedly tampered with her training records, ultimately leading to her termination in November 2019. The settlement included $100,000 for lost wages and $300,000 for emotional distress and legal costs. Berg was one of four officers who filed claims in court related to the chokehold incident, but her case was the only one that proceeded in federal court as of 2022. Two cases from other officers were dismissed in Ada County District Court, and a third officer did not move forward with filing a case.

Scott, a Black man, was unarmed when Officer John Lee fatally shot him on February 4, 2016. Lee said he believed Scott was holding a firearm, but Scott was only holding a cell phone. Lee was never criminally charged for Scott’s killing, and he left the San Antonio Police Department in 2020.

Morales and his girlfriend were in a car on South Monitor Street when Cabrera—who was off duty and not in uniform—asked them if they needed help. The couple refused, and instead circled the block to find Cabrera still following them. Cabrera then yelled at them to leave. Morales got out of the car and went to speak to Cabrera, but Cabrera placed Morales in a chokehold, punched him, and fired his pistol at Morales. Cabrera later told a 911 dispatcher that Morales attacked him and knocked him to the ground, but an eyewitness disputed this account. Cabrera was charged with attempted first-degree murder, aggregated discharge of a firearm, false reporting, and obstruction. He was stripped of police powers and later resigned from the force.

The case was settled for $300,000. In 2020, Bond was shot and injured by a police projectile during a protest in response to the murder of George Floyd by police. Bond claimed that he had been peacefully protesting and following officers’ orders, but he still had to use a tennis racket and a salad bowl as shields against the officers’ projectiles. This lawsuit was one of many filed against the LAPD that spurred reforms such as new training in the use of projectiles. 

The investigation found that officers in the narcotics bureau regularly used excessive force and violated individuals’ Fourth Amendment rights, and they also failed to report use-of-force incidents or reported them inaccurately. The new reforms included de-escalation training, new reporting mechanisms for use of force, and installing an independent monitor to oversee compliance with these changes. This settlement does not include a monetary payout.

Cox alleged that he had been “kicked, punched, pepper-sprayed, and falsely arrested by Westover officers” because he had been using his phone camera to record the officers as they drove by. Cox sustained a facial fracture as a result of the beating. Although the officers involved had apparently misplaced Cox’s phone, the interaction was caught on a nearby surveillance camera. Two years later, Cox’s phone was found in the department’s evidence room.  

On New Year’s Day in 2019, officers Dalton and Fecsko came to Howton’s apartment, responding to a call. The officers and Howton got into a verbal disagreement, which led to officers removing Howton from the doorway. Fecsko proceeded to beat him, causing bone fractures and breaking three of his teeth. The officers then charged Howton with battery and three other charges, all of which were eventually dropped.

In 2020, King came to Nichols’ front porch. King claimed that Nichols ignored his orders and reached for a gun, which was actually a decorative BB gun. In her lawsuit, Fields noted that the BB gun was used as a decorative spindle in the porch railing, which King should have known based on prior visits to the property. King, who was not wearing a body camera despite a policy requiring it, shot Nichols three times. King was not indicted for the shooting, and as of April 2022, he was still employed by Roane County and was one of their highest-paid sheriffs. 

The case was settled for $250,000. Slocum claimed that the department and the town did not accommodate his disabilities—migraine headaches, dyslexia, dysgraphia, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. After Slocum disclosed his disabilities, people around him raised their concerns about whether he “posed a significant threat” to himself or others, leading to an internal affairs investigation that placed Slocum on administrative leave for months. He also claimed that he was retaliated against because of these disabilities and the treatments he used to alleviate symptoms. 

Bryant was convicted of murdering Toni Bullock, a sixteen-year-old girl, in 1998 and spent seventeen years incarcerated for a crime he did not commit. He was later exonerated through the use of DNA evidence in 2016, but he passed away within a year of his release from prison. His family later filed a lawsuit against the Baltimore Police Department, Ritz, and Verger, arguing that they did not disclose exculpatory evidence and destroyed evidence that would have proved Bryant’s innocence. 

Johnson claimed that Ayala was speeding and failed to keep a lookout for pedestrians, and he fractured both of Johnson’s knees after running him over. Ayala claimed that this was because he and his partner had been following another SUV that was driving recklessly with no headlights on. However, Deputy Corporation Counsel Mimi Ruether said that Ayala’s crash report did not include any accounts of the other SUV. Neither the police car nor the officers had camera equipment.

In September 2020, Churna called 911 and said that a stalker was trying to kill her. Officers who arrived at her apartment suspected that Churna may have been experiencing mental health issues. The officers asked Churna whether she owned a firearm. Churna complied with officers’ demands to get on the ground, but officers fired their guns at her. She was shot by Officer Daniel Mendoza while face down on the ground and unarmed. The medical examiner later recovered six rifle bullets from her body and ruled her death a homicide. 

The Minneapolis City Council approved a $50,000 settlement in April 2022. In March 2021, McKizzie, who was seventeen years old at the time, was exercising at a gym when he heard loud noises and went outside to investigate. As McKizzie tried to cross a street, Officer William Gregory stopped him, shoved him aggressively, and punched him. Other officers grabbed McKizzie by his hoodie and pulled him, then pinned him to the ground and handcuffed him. Officers took him to a local detention center and later sent him to a hospital in an ambulance, using two sets of handcuffs. McKizzie was subsequently taken back to the detention center but was never charged. This incident was recorded by both the officers’ body cameras and a civilian, and an internal affairs investigation was launched soon after. 

The lawsuits resulted from incidents where the U.S. Park Police and other federal and local law enforcement violently forced hundreds of protestors to disperse using chemical irritants, rubber bullets, smoke bombs, and batons, during a Black Lives Matter and racial justice demonstration. The Biden Administration has agreed to implement several new policies, including a policy that states that demonstration permits cannot be revoked by the Park Police unless the protestors are presenting a danger to public safety.

In June 2020, a dozen activists filed a civil suit claiming that the Denver Police Department used excessive force during protests against police brutality and racial injustice. A federal judge issued a temporary injunction barring the Police Department from using tear gas, plastic bullets, flash-bang grenades, and other “less-than-lethal” force unless approved by a senior officer in response to specific acts of violence. After a three-week trial, a jury ruled in favor of the activists. While Denver had previously settled civil complaints due to police violence during the 2020 protests, this was the first in the nation to go to trial.

In March 2017, Hardy filed a report with the Nome Police Department claiming that she had been raped in her home. Hardy filed the complaint with Lieutenant Nick Harvey, but her complaint did not get a case number. Upon following up with the Police Department later, action still was not taken. After a third attempt, she learned that her accusation had never been escalated, and a year and a half later, the assailant had not been charged. Hardy filed a suit and was represented by the American Civil Liberties Union of Alaska. The settlement included $750,000 in compensation and an apology issued by the City of Nome. Hardy said she believed that her case was just one of many sexual assault reports by Alaskan Native women that were backlogged by the Nome Police Department.

In March 2020, thirty-three-year-old Manuel Ellis was stopped by police officers in Tacoma, Washington, while he was walking home from a convenience store with a box of doughnuts and a bottle of water. Witnesses reported that the officers attacked him without provocation. Three officers held Ellis to the ground on his chest by kneeling, despite Ellis expressing that he could not breathe. Two Pierce County sheriffs responded to the scene and assisted in handcuffing and hogtying Ellis. Ellis’ family filed a federal lawsuit over his death, and they reached a settlement with Pierce County in March 2022. 

Salas-Sanchez, who was twenty-two years old at the time of his death, was shot and killed by Officer Mando Kenneth Gomez. The responding officers claimed that Salas-Sanchez was holding a box cutter when he lunged at officers, but he was actually holding a brake pad. Lawyers for the Salas-Sanchez family disputed the officers’ version of events and pointed out that the medical examiner’s report showed that Salas-Sanchez was shot three times in the back, indicating that he was running away from the officers. Officer Gomez was acquitted of manslaughter charges in 2019. 

In October 2017, an alleged altercation broke out outside of ZAR Nightclub. Officers claimed that Redrick was arguing with a group of men and eventually pointed a loaded firearm at them. Officer John Turnure then approached Redrick and shot him several times. Following the shooting, Pruiett allegedly grabbed Redrick’s gun and shot at Turnure, and Turnure shot Pruiett several times. Pruiett claimed that he and his brother had been getting something to eat when someone picked a fight with them, and therefore Redrick was acting in self-defense. Pruiett was acquitted of a charge of felonious assault against a police officer, and Redrick was found guilty of a misdemeanor for inducing panic. Turnure was cleared of charges, and the brothers reached a settlement. 

After another officer claimed he smelled marijuana on a passenger, Officer Tyler Gelnett ordered Coates out of the vehicle and inappropriately searched her, placing his hands in her “crotch area” and inside of her underwear. The City of Louisville agreed to pay $50,000 to settle Coates’ lawsuit in March 2022.

Minneapolis Police Department officers fired rubber bullets at protesters without warning during a 2020 protest in response to George Floyd’s murder, with one rubber bullet shooting out Stevenson’s eye. Stevenson bled for months and suffered permanent damage, and he subsequently sued the department. This lawsuit was one of many 2020 general liability claims that an actuarial study estimated could cost Minneapolis more than $111 million, $84 million of which stemmed from thirteen officer misconduct claims tied to incidents within fifteen days of Floyd’s death.

In May 2020, Megan Matthews was at a protest when an officer fired a rubber bullet at her, resulting in two surgeries to repair various injuries to her head. Two days later, Youssef Amghar, a Marine veteran, was protesting in Denver when the police shot pepper balls and threw tear gas canisters at them. Amghar and other protesters sued the City. In February 2022, the Denver City Council agreed to settle Matthews’ case for $575,000 and their portion of Amghar’s case for $250,000. 

Atlanta Police officers stopped Goldring and accused her of jaywalking in October 2015. The officers arrested her, allegedly while using an anti-trans slur, and accused her of trafficking cocaine in a stress ball. Although Goldring’s lawyer asserted that the officers’ tests came back negative for cocaine, Goldring was charged with cocaine trafficking and spent six months in a male jail, where she was assaulted. Goldring was released and had charges dismissed after the Georgia Bureau of Investigation ran additional tests that came back negative. A federal jury required Atlanta to pay Goldring $1.5 million.

Smith was homeless and asked officers to take him to the hospital. While waiting for an ambulance to arrive, several officers threw Smith to the ground and hogtied him—restraining both his arms and legs and then binding them together. Smith was unable to breathe, cried out for help, and died shortly after. Smith’s family filed a lawsuit, leading to the $2.57 million settlement. City records revealed that seven of the eight officers involved in Smith’s case later received merit pay increases. 

Officers attempted to question Bailey in 2019 about an alleged robbery and shot him in the back as he ran away. He died as a result of those gunshots. Despite agreeing to the settlement resulting from a lawsuit brought by Bailey’s parents, the Police Department maintained that the settlement was not an admission of wrongdoing.

In February 2016, Officer Gregg Bigda and other officers arrested a group of teenagers who were suspected of stealing an unmarked police car. A video showed Bigda yelling profanities at the teenagers and claiming he could plant drugs on them and kill them in a parking lot. Bigda was acquitted of criminal charges of excessive force and abusive interrogation following the incident, but the arrested teenagers also brought two civil cases. One case was settled for an undisclosed sum on February 3, 2022. As of February 2022, the other case was still pending and Bigda was on paid leave due to the investigation. 

It also requires that previously affected journalists be paid a total of $825,000. The ACLU-MN originally brought the case as a result of journalists being attacked and arrested by MSP officers during the racial justice protests in 2020 and 2021 following the murder of George Floyd. The $825,000 settlement and a permanent injunction by a federal judge prevent MSP officers from arresting or threatening to arrest journalists, seizing recording equipment, and telling journalists to disperse. The settlement also requires the deployment of a media ombudsman and liaison during future civil unrest. 

Officers responded to a call alleging that Spiers was engaging in domestic violence toward his girlfriend. While officers found no evidence of any attack, Officer Terrance Stangel beat Spiers with a baton and broke two of his bones. Stangel faced criminal charges for his actions, and Spiers was awarded $700,000 in court. A federal judge imposed sanctions on the City for withholding evidence in the case. The case is believed to be the first criminal trial of a police officer in San Francisco for on-the-job use of force. Stangel was charged with four different felonies: battery with serious bodily injury, assault with a deadly weapon, assault with force likely to cause great bodily injury, and assault under color of authority. A jury later acquitted Stangel of the first three charges and failed to reach a consensus on the fourth charge, which resulted in a mistrial. 

Mannix alleged that he faced workplace discrimination and harassment for being gay. Police sergeants repeatedly made derogatory comments about Mannix’s sexual orientation, leading him to sue the department in 2018. While the City settled the suit for $225,000, it is unclear if the sergeants involved faced any punishment for their behavior.

NYPD Officer Vincent D’Andraia shoved Zayer to the ground during a protest in Brooklyn. Zayer was subsequently hospitalized, and she experienced a concussion and a seizure, among other serious injuries. A video of the incident went viral online, and Zayer filed a lawsuit. New York City agreed to pay $387,000 to settle the case in February 2022. In a rare move for police settlements in the United States, D’Andraia was required to personally contribute $3,000. In addition, D’Andraia faced a criminal charge of misdemeanor assault as a result of the encounter. 

According to Wright’s lawsuit, Provenza had a well-known reputation for using excessive force even prior to her 2017 experience with him. During the traffic stop, Provenza allegedly dragged Wright out of her car, handcuffed her, and hit her in the knee, which tore her ACL, despite Wright’s compliance with the arrest. Canaan agreed to pay Wright $160,000 in compensation in February 2022.

Howell and Evans each sustained serious injuries from beanbag rounds shot by police during the demonstrations. Howell, who suffered brain damage, received $8 million, which at the time was the highest amount ever awarded in an excessive force case involving an Austin police officer. Evans received $2 million. The immense backlash to the violent police response to the demonstrations resulted in the indictment of at least nineteen officers accused of excessive force, and it led the Austin Police Department to stop using less-lethal weapons such as beanbag rounds.

In August 2019, then-Officer Shawn Jenkins brought a seventeen-year-old boy whom he mentored through a youth program to his house. Jenkins subsequently threatened the teenager with a stun gun and sexually assaulted him. The parties reached a settlement for an undisclosed amount in January 2022. Jenkins was fired from the department following the investigation in 2019, and criminal charges against him remained pending as of January 28, 2022.

Michael Acker was attending a demonstration in Denver, Colorado, in response to the murder of George Floyd when a Denver police officer shot Acker in the eye with a foam projectile. Acker needed stiches and was left with vision problems. He filed a lawsuit in October 2020, and the City settled his case for $500,000.

In 2012, Baltimore’s Gun Trace Task Force (GTTF) planted drugs on and subsequently arrested Kyle Knox and Shaune Berry. Both served two years in jail before charges were dismissed. The corrupt task force often targeted people by planting evidence, and many of those targeted served time after being convicted. Prior to this $195,000 settlement, Baltimore had already spent more than $13 million compensating victims of GTTF as of January 2022. 

After pulling Hollins over for an alleged license plate issue, Sergeant Michael Bongiovanni and Officer Robert McDonald punched him in the face and stomped on his head, even though Hollins had put his hands up as directed. Both officers were later fired and indicted for assault by a grand jury. Bongiovanni pleaded no contest to aggravated assault, and McDonald was found guilty. Hollins filed a lawsuit alleging that police leaders had ignored the officers’ pattern of excessive force and falsified reports, and the Gwinnett County Commission settled the suit for $400,000 in January 2022.

In June 2020, Joel Alejo was sleeping in his family’s backyard in Palo Alto when an officer, Nick Enberg, ordered his police dog to bite Alejo while the police were searching in the area for a kidnapping suspect. Alejo was subsequently taken to the hospital because of his injuries. In January 2022, the City settled Alejo’s case for $135,000, yet Enberg remained on the force with a police dog as of September 2021. This was the fifth police misconduct lawsuit that Palo Alto settled between February 2016 and January 2022, costing a total of $1,282,500. 

In September 2019, officers arrived at Minjares’ house following an argument in which he had asked his adult daughter to leave. Minjares said that after he refused to provide the officers with his identification, the officers attacked and arrested him for suspicion of resisting arrest. The prosecutor declined to file charges against him. Minjares filed a lawsuit shortly after the incident, which was settled for $180,000 in January 2022. 

An officer pulled Brennan over for failing to dim the high beams in his car while driving. According to the lawsuit, Brennan was in the process of surrendering during the traffic stop when an officer released a trained police dog, which attacked Brennan and left him with multiple wounds. The Town settled the suit for $325,000 in January 2022.

Batchelor and Bailey were convicted during the “Burge torture era,” named for the violent practices used under disgraced Chicago Police Commander Jon Burge to coerce individuals into confessing to crimes they often had not committed. After a review of the case, both men were exonerated in 2018. In January 2022, the City of Chicago agreed to pay each man $7 million to compensate them for the wrongful convictions.

Marrow filed a civil suit against the County in 2018, which came to a close with a $200,000 settlement in January 2022. Rose, who was fired, pleaded guilty to simple battery in 2020, and his conviction bars him from working in law enforcement again.

At the time, Brown was feeding information to the FBI about alleged corruption and abuses of incarcerated people. After discovering a cellphone in Brown’s possession, guards at the jail realized they were the target of a federal investigation and attempted to derail the probe by hiding Brown from FBI handlers. In January 2022, the County agreed to pay $1 million to compensate Brown. Additionally, ten former Sheriff’s Department officials were convicted for their roles in the cover-up.

In March 2019, Amber was pulled over by Williamson County police officers following a car chase.  It was alleged that Amber failed to dim his headlights for oncoming traffic. When two police officers apprehended him, they tased him several times, which led to his death later that night.  Amber claimed he was sick and that he could not breathe while the officers were tasing him. His family filed a wrongful death lawsuit following his death, which was settled by the city in December 2021.

In February 2019, 13 Chicago police officers, who were acting on a bad tip that a man with an illegal firearm lived in Young’s home, raided her house, and handcuffed her while she was getting ready for bed, forcing her to stand naked while they searched her home. Following the incident, Young filed a lawsuit against the city and the officers for failing to independently verify the place to be searched and for wrongfully entering her home. Young’s attorney agreed to settle the case for $2.9 million and, amid the uproar of the case, new raid policies were implemented requiring a department member who is at the rank of lieutenant or higher to be present, as well as a female department member when warrants are being served.

The plaintiffs were among many who were protesting police violence in May 2020. During the protests, the police made arrests and used excessive force, such as pepper spray, tear gas, and wooden batons, against protesters, resulting in some of the plaintiffs sustaining significant injuries. The injured protesters filed a lawsuit in July 2020, and the city reached a settlement with the 32 plaintiffs in December 2021, agreeing to pay $5.75 million to be divided among them. Additionally, the city agreed to implement a permanent injunction barring Columbus police officers from using forms of nonlethal force against nonviolent protesters.

On December 1st, 2017, Keita O’Neil was shot and killed by former officer Chris Samayoa, who was pursuing O’Neil for an alleged unarmed carjacking. After Keita’s death, Judy O’Neil filed a civil lawsuit against the city, alleging that Samayoa had used excessive force that resulted in her son’s death. Four years later, the City of San Francisco agreed to pay Judy O’Neil $2.5 million. Samayoa is currently facing charges for manslaughter, among others, for the death of Keita O’Neil.

Santa Clara officer Jordan Fachko stopped Gomez while trying to find a vehicle that was reported stolen. The situation escalated when Fachko allegedly thought Gomez was attempting to run him over, prompting Officer Fachko to shoot and wound Gomez. Following the encounter, Gomez filed a lawsuit alleging that Fachko had used excessive force and was negligent. A federal jury found that Fachko’s life was in no way threatened during the interaction and awarded Gomez $500,000.

In December 2021, city officials agreed to pay Espinosa $720,000 to settle the case.

In January 2019, during a home investigation, officer Timothy Dronek took Espinosa to the ground while handcuffed, causing Espinosa to dislocate his right hip and suffer fractures in parts of his leg. In December 2021, the City of Clovis agreed to settle the case for $720,000.

In December 2018, Yeager was visiting his girlfriend in Austin when they were robbed. When police officers arrived, the lawsuit alleges that officer Dusty Jester slammed Yeager to the ground and used a stun gun on him and then falsely arrested him. Yeager sustained several injuries, including a concussion, broken nose, and separated shoulder. He filed a lawsuit for wrongful arrest and excessive force against the city in 2019. Two years later, city officials decided to settle the case for $99,000.

In June 2017, two Seattle police officers were responding to Lyles’ 911 call to report a burglary. Officers alleged that she had staged the burglary and that she suddenly lunged at them with a knife, prompting them to fatally shoot her with her children nearby. Following her death, family members filed a lawsuit against the city, alleging that the officers had failed to use nonlethal force to disarm Lyles. After a state Court of Appeals agreed with the Lyles’ family, the city settled the case for $3.5 million.

In 2020, Anthony McClain, a father of three children, was shot and killed during a traffic stop. McClain was a passenger in a car that the Pasadena police stopped for not having a front license plate. Officer Edwin Dumaguindin asked McClain to step out of the vehicle and McClain ran away. Officers claim that McClain grabbed a gun from his waistband and looked back toward the officer before being shot twice. However, no weapon was found on McClain, but a gun was discovered across the street. The $7.5 million will go to McClain’s three children.

One case involved a high-speed police chase that led to a women’s death in 2018. Another resulted in a $175,000 payment to Lavelle Taylor, who accused Chicago Police Detective James O’Brien of framing him for a 1996 murder that was actually committed by Taylor’s brother.

In 2019, Elijah McClain was approached by police after they received a call that McClain “looked sketchy.” During the confrontation with police, McClain was put into a chokehold and paramedics injected McClain with ketamine, a powerful sedative, which resulted him going into cardiac arrest. In the following days, McClain was put on life support and then died. McClain was unarmed.

In addition to accepting the settlement funds, Walter Wallace’s family included a list of policy change demands, which were accepted in the legally binding settlement. These demands include that the City of Philadelphia purchase tasers for all patrol officers, that all officers be required to wear tasers while they are in uniform, and that the city provide necessary training to ensure that officers can safely operate tasers.

Danville contracts with the Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office to provide police services. Officer Andrew Hall was convicted in October of 2021 of felony assault with a firearm in Laudemer Arboleda’s death. This was the first guilty verdict of felony assault by an officer in Contra Costa County, a county just east of San Francisco. Hall faces up to 17 years in prison.

Police arrested Al Copeland, a 64-year-old Black man, on the belief he was slumped in his car and intoxicated.

Copeland was arrested and taken to a holding cell. During his detainment, Copeland lost his balance and banged his head on the wall. It was not until five hours into his detainment that officers realized Copeland’s health was in danger, he was then sent to a hospital. Police claimed that they smelled alcohol on him, but Copeland contends that he has not had a drink since 1995. Doctors at the hospital confirmed that no alcohol or drugs were in Copeland’s system that night. Despite an internal investigation into the incident, no disciplinary actions have been taken.

Elon Wilson, now 27 years old, was pulled over and arrested by then-officer Jonathan Freitag in April of 2018. Freitag found a large quantity of oxycodone and two handguns in the car. Wilson claimed that these items were not his. Wilson was fired from the fire department, faced a ten-year minimum sentence, pled guilty, and sentenced to three years and one month in July of 2019. Internal investigations into Freitag’s traffic stops showed that he made a number of “pretextual” traffic stops, where an officer uses a false reason to pull someone over and search or arrest them. No criminal charges were filed against Freitag. In April of 2020, Freitag was arrested after crashing his car into another vehicle while under the influence and fleeing the scene. That case is pending. Wilson was released from prison after serving 21 months of his sentence.

Taylor alleged that Officer Matthew Felitto had kicked him multiple times in the head while he was restrained in the back of Felitto’s police van. After body camera footage was taken from officers, the city agreed to settle the case with Taylor for $150,000.

The civil case, filed following her arrest in June 2020, alleged that Loveland police officers used excessive force when detaining Ms. Garner, who had been accused of leaving a Walmart without paying for her items. Following her arrest, police officers were seen mocking her arrest and neglecting to give her medical attention for her fractured arm, dislocated shoulder, and sustained bruises from the arrest. Garner’s case is one of several recent allegations of the Loveland Department using excessive force in the last year.

Harris and Tatum are Black former officers who filed the lawsuit back in 1994, alleging that Worcester used discriminatory practices when promoting officers within the department, favoring the interests of White officers over minority officers. Both Black officers had passed the sergeant’s exam in the early 1990s but were passed over for promotions. After almost three decades of litigation, the city agreed to pay $1.5 million, which includes retirement payment for Tatum. Harris passed away before the case was settled.

The lawsuit alleged that Harvel fatally shot Roque in September 2017 when responding to a 911 call where Roque was having a mental health crisis. The Austin City Council reached a settlement of $2.25 million with the Roque family after the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5^th Circuit affirmed Harvel did not qualify for immunity for the second and third shot he fired at Roque.

Beginning in 2016, the state’s attorney general office investigated allegations that the Bakersfield Police Department (BPD) and the Kern County Sheriff’s Office consistently used excessive force. No specific incidents have been publicly mentioned, but the California Department of Justice concluded that BPD had violated the 4th and 5th amendment rights of residents, as a number of officers engaged in forms of excessive force, including fatal shootings, police canine attacks, and discriminatory traffic stops. The consent decree requires the police department to reform its policies related to excessive force, which will be overseen by an independent monitor.

Jacob Bauer, a 38-year-old man struggling with mental illness, died on August 1, 2018, after being detained by Pleasanton police officers outside a grocery store. During the interaction, Bauer began resisting, which led officers to handcuff him, tase him, and beat him with their hands and batons. The settlement reached by the city and Bauer’s parents stipulates that the officers involved admit no fault or liability for Bauer’s death, and that the lawsuit be permanently closed in exchange for $5.9 million and a private meeting with Department leadership.

The lawsuit was filed following the fatal shooting of Daverion Kinard, who was shot by Officer Johnny Tuitavake after a foot pursuit in February 2021. After the Kinard family lawsuit was settled, another suit was filed in August 2021 against the same officer, alleging that he had used excessive force on Juan Gonzalez during an altercation in October 2020. Gonzalez’s lawsuit is currently in litigation.

Following their arrests at the Capitol building during a protest against felon disenfranchisement, five protestors sued Iowa Department of Public Safety Commissioner Stephan Bayens, alleging that banning them from the Capitol grounds was a violation of their First Amendment rights. The lawsuit was settled after a US District Court judge issued an order preventing the enforcement of the ban. The protesters' bans were lifted, they received $70,000, and the Iowa Department of Public Safety agreed to train its officers assigned to the Capitol on First Amendment rights of protestors.

Goode’s family claims that his death was caused by police officers when they tased him, tied him with restraints, and put him on his stomach on a stretcher, where he suffocated to death because of the pressure on his lungs. The city announced in July that they had reached an undisclosed agreement with Troy Goode’s family.

Members of the Hispanic National Law Enforcement Association and the United Black Police Officers Association filed a lawsuit against Prince George’s County Police Department alleging that the department does not properly handle allegations of discrimination or misconduct by White officers. The allegations detail several instances of racism towards community members and fellow officers. The agreement requires the department to implement changes to disciplinary procedures and equal employment opportunity policies.

The lawsuit alleged that police officers used excessive force when arresting Marquez Smart, a 23-year-old African American man, in 2012. In 2020, after a 2018 ruling dismissing the Smarts’ case, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10^th Circuit found that by the time the police fatally shot Smart, he was on the ground with his arms stretched out. The City of Wichita agreed to settle the case for $900,000 to prevent the suit from going to federal court.

Pesoa was arrested in Aspen Hill, Maryland in 2019. During the arrest, Officer Kevin Moris kneed Pesoa in the back of his head and neck after he was already restrained. Pesoa filed his lawsuit in 2020, alleging that he suffered a concussion and severe bleeding as a result of the knee to his head. After video evidence was presented, the Department agreed to settle the case.

The lawsuit alleged that the Department had violated Theresa Taylor’s right to protest by banning her from returning to the Country Club Plaza after arresting her and 100 others during protests against police brutality. The banishment order provided that, if Taylor were to return to the Country Club Plaza, she would be arrested and charged. The settlement clears the banishment order, prohibits officers from adding conditions of bond release beyond those imposed by the court, and requires officers to be trained on free speech, anti-bias, and de-escalation practices.

The lawsuit alleged that Officer Jarom Allred pulled over Donna Miller, a 62-year-old African American woman, for not having valid insurance and, after proving that she did, saying he suspected Miller was intoxicated. Miller was held at the police station for three hours, during which time her car was searched, and was forced to take several sobriety tests, despite all tests, including blood tests for eight different substances, coming back negative. The city nonetheless charged her with DUI, suspending her license, and forcing her to pay to have her license reinstated after all charges were dropped. Following her 2018 arrest, she filed a lawsuit for the racial bias she experienced, and the city settled the case for $152,000.

Arreola died in 2017 shortly after a struggle with police officers who he had called to check on his mother. A police officer allegedly sat on Arreola for over two minutes while he said he couldn’t breathe 16 times. The lawsuit alleged that Arreola went into cardiac arrest following brain damage he endured from the force the officers used when restraining him. In July 2021, the Columbus City Council decided to settle before trial for $500,000. 

The Portland City Council agreed unanimously to a $250,000 settlement. Bruders, who has faced other claims of wrongful behavior, will be partially responsible for a total of about $800,000 being paid to his victims. The city has paid other settlements because of Bruders’ actions including his beating of Jason Cox, a man who was detained by police on suspicion of drunk driving.

This settlement was a result of a family lawsuit against the city and others. Sterling was shot and killed when officers responded to a report that there was a Black man selling CDs outside a convenience store who had brandished a gun. Sterling’s death set off national protests. In 2017, the Justice Department failed to bring federal charges against the officers and Louisiana’s attorney general said the officers would not face state charges.

In 2020, Antonio Arnelo Smith was slammed to the ground by a police officer who alleged that he wrongly thought Smith had an outstanding arrest warrant. In addition to the financial settlement, the city shared that they would create a civilian review board to oversee local police and make policy recommendations. The creation of a citizen panel was Smith’s primary priority in the lawsuit. Body camera footage captured how the police officer pinned Smith’s hands behind his back and proceeded to slam him into the ground, face-first.

The lawsuit cast doubt on police testimony. Cameron Johnson was shot by a police officer who had a brief conversation with Johnson while he was in his vehicle and then started firing. Witnesses were right behind Johnson’s vehicle and confirmed that the officer shot Johnson multiple times and that the submitted police testimony of the situation was incorrect.

On March 2, 2018, Martin got into a verbal altercation with a security guard at Eastridge Mall which led to the guard calling the police. Martin and his cousin were approached by SJPD officer Alexandre Ribeiro who was in his patrol SUV. Court records say the officer drove off the road over a curb onto the jogging trail Martin was on with his cousin. When Martin moved out of the vehicle’s way, Officer Ribeiro swerved to hit the plaintiff and then backed over his body. Martin suffered pelvis fractures, a broken ankle, nerve damage and other lasting injuries.

Baton Rouge officers strip searched and groped two people, including the 16-year-old, on a public street when conducting a “frisk” during a traffic stop. A federal judge said the officers “demonstrated a serious and wanton disregard” for constitutional rights. During a news conference about the settlement, the police chief said department policies were violated during the stop, including conduct unbecoming of an officer, a violation of BRPD's body-worn camera policy, and another violation regarding warrantless searches.

Abby Simon brought a suit against the city and Chief Mark Dalsing in 2019. Simon sued on grounds of gender discrimination, harassment, and retaliation. Additionally, Simon expressed in the lawsuit that she was passed over in 2016 and 2017 for promotion to captain although she had better test and interview scores than the men who were promoted. 

The shooting was captured by Coy, via his body camera. However, his body camera footage does not have sound since he was on a non-emergency call. Coy has a history of complaints. Hill was visiting a family friend when he was shot while Coy was responding to a neighbor’s non-emergency complaint about someone stopping and starting a car outside.

The cases settled involved Tremel Stone, who was shot by a police officer when fleeing arrest in 2010, Rodriguez Howard, who was injured in a car crash with a police vehicle in 2018, Sabriena Chiles, who was unlawfully arrested and imprisoned in 2016, and Raymond Walker, who was pulled over by an officer in 2018 for crossing a double yellow line without signaling. These settlements prompted a push for a civilian review board to investigate incidents of police misconduct.

More than 100 protestors alleged that police officers used excessive force such as chemical irritants, batons, and grenades when handling demonstrators.

Under the settlement agreement in this excessive force case, the New York City Police Department also agreed to stop the use of the high-frequency “deterrent” or “alert” tone on its long-range acoustic devices, which the department has used in the past primarily to communicate with large crowds.

Sergeant Lucas Jones was fired in June 2020 for “violating department policy,” after shooting and paralyzing Jerime Mitchell. Jones was not indicted by a grand jury, but Mitchell filed a civil suit against him and the City of Cedar Rapids. The civil suit alleged Jones engaged in deceptive police practices and misconduct, such as violating police policies and procedures and turning off his recording equipment to hide his violations of police department policies.

The lawsuit was filed in May 2020 and claims that Cook violated plaintiffs’ 14^th Amendment right to due process by publicly releasing their personal information. The photos contained plaintiffs’ full names, birth dates, and home addresses. Further, the lawsuit alleges that since only photos of non-White people were uploaded, there was a violation of plaintiffs’ right to Equal Protection. However, White people have committed criminal acts in Evanston yet were not subject to their personal information being released. Therefore, the complaint argues “[B]y treating minority civilians and Caucasian civilians in such a different manner, Defendant Cook violated Plaintiffs’ right under the Fourteenth Amendment to Equal Protection.”

The city’s payouts include settlements of cases brought by private persons and cases brought by police officers against the Los Angeles Police Department. These payouts are connected to a longer history of the city paying over $245 million to remedy legal claims against the police department over the past 5.5 years.

The payout is another act in a series of police brutality payouts by Minneapolis: it was only two years ago when the city paid out $20 million to the family of Justine Ruszczyk, a woman killed by then-police officer Mohamed Noor.

Millville Police Officer, Albert Chard Jr., testified that he was dragged by David Carpenter’s pick-up truck. Chard’s testimony led to a grand jury indicting Carpenter for aggravated assault on a police officer and eluding a police officer. A surveillance camera nearby showed that Chard “was not dragged across the street and that Carpenter did absolutely nothing to support his being indicted by the grand jury.” Carpenter was emotionally distressed over the incident, rarely leaving his house due to being ashamed. He filed suit in 2018. The settlement was described as a “compromise” made by the city’s insurer “for the sole purpose of terminating the litigation.”

Jorge Rivera and his mother Jennifer Rivera sued the City and County of Honolulu, officer Kirk Uemura, and others in federal court. The lawsuit alleged that Uemura’s son and Rivera got into a fight over a girl. The following day, Uemura arrested Rivera after following his school bus to a nearby high school. He summoned other officers to take Rivera to the Kailua police station where the young boy was detained in handcuffs. The case highlighted the lack of policy in the Honolulu Police Department to prohibit officers from involving themselves in cases where they have a conflict of interest. A policy has since been recommended by the Honolulu Police Commission.

On February 9, 2017, Portland police officer Andrew Hearst, shot Hayes three times with an AR-15 rifle from 10 feet away. Hayes was on his knees with hands in the air. Police had cornered Hayes in a driveway in Northeast Portland, following reports of armed carjackings in the area. Hayes was not armed when Hearst killed him. A month later, Hearst was acquitted by a grand jury.

Harold Cox filed suit, claiming that officer Michael Lamm body slammed him to the ground on September 7, 2018, and shattered his hip when trying to defuse an altercation between him and two women. Cox’s injuries required medical attention. Over a year and a half after the incident occurred, Cox was served an arrest warrant when Lamm falsely stated that Cox assaulted one of the women by hitting her with a homemade doorstop. The District Attorney’s Office eventually dismissed the charges.

Jubal Chaplin and Caleb Beechem sued the city and several officers in January 2020. They claimed that Springfield law enforcement officers unlawfully arrested them, detained them, and used excessive force. Beechem’s injuries included a broken wrist and “multiple deep bruises to his head;” Beechem’s injuries also required 12 stiches to his lip.

Sowl filed a lawsuit against the City of Loveland, the Loveland Police Department, and Loveland police officers Paul Ashe and Benjamin DeLima, Det. Clint Schnorr and Sgt. Brian Bartnes. In the lawsuit, Sowl claimed that the officers violated Sowl's constitutional rights when they arrested him for refusing to answer questions as a witness about a motorcycle crash outside of a Loveland bar in September 2019. Sowl was arrested by Officer Ashe and claimed that he needed shoulder surgery following the incident. The arrest was captured on body-worn camera footage.

The city paid Cisneros and her attorneys $57,900. Cisneros suffered an eye injury when a police officer fired a projectile at her while she and her partner were walking home after a demonstration.

The settlement does not include an admission of guilt on the part of the city or Ortiz. Ortiz has been named in several police misconduct complaints in the past. In fact, “over his 17 years on the job — including eight as the union president of the Fraternal Order of Police in South Florida — 49 people have complained about him to Internal Affairs as he amassed 19 official use-of-force incidents, $600,000 in lawsuit settlements.”

Court documents showed that Bey and his friends, who are all Black, were followed by undercover Livonia officers Andrew McKinley, Eric Eisenbeis, and Megan McAteer, while they were traveling in a minivan to a grocery store on March 16, 2013. Officer McKinley stated that he wanted to follow the minivan based on “a hunch.” The officers allegedly did not know that Bey and his friends were Black at the time of the investigation.

Golatte will be compensated by the city by paying him $525,000 and forgiving approximately $45,000 in debt he owes to the city.

In February 2018, the Chicago Police Board took a vote to suspend Gaeta and Matheos without pay for a year each. The then-Superintendent Eddie Johnson and the Independent Police Review Authority recommended that both officers be fired. The two officers were reinstated in July 2018 and were re-trained. Both officers remain on the force.

Although the misconduct was settled quickly, the officers involved in the incident, Blake Shimanek and Ankit Tomer, remain employed by the Keller Police Department. Puente will receive $200,000, per the settlement agreement.

An internal Albany Police Department report about the case revealed the misconduct of the officers involved, but also general mismanagement in the department. The Albany County District Attorney’s office dropped the charges against Sanchez and Gorostiza after one of the officers involved, Luke Deer, was charged with felony assault and official misconduct. Deer was suspended from the department. The lawsuit of a third man, Lee Childs, is awaiting adjudication.

Boyd was homeless and struggling with mental illness when he was surrounded by armed officers and fatally shot. The two former officers involved, Dominique Perez and Keith Sandy, were subsequently charged with second-degree murder, but their case ended in a mistrial. Jones requested his brother's case records but DPS only turned over some of the records and said they were exempt from such a disclosure due to the investigation being ongoing. The New Mexico Supreme Court found that DPS had violated the state Inspection of Public Records Act and that Jones was entitled to the attorney fees required to battle the issue all the way to the Supreme Court.

Officer Michael O’Sullivan arrested Smith due to his proximity to a gun on the ground. Smith was subsequently charged with illegal possession of a handgun and other firearm offenses. O’Sullivan wrote a false statement saying that he saw Smith throw the gun before fleeing the scene. O’Sullivan repeated this testimony at trial, causing Smith to be convicted.  O’Sullivan was later convicted of perjury, sentenced to 15 months in prison, and then eventually resigned from the police department on December 1, 2020. Smith will receive $100,000 from the city.

One of the men, Ian Andrew Bowman, who received $75,000, said in his lawsuit that officers beat, kicked, choked, clubbed, and stomped on him without legal justification. The second man, Jonathan Ballew, a freelance journalist whose claim was settled for $40,000, alleged that he was “assaulted with a chemical agent.”

Campos filed the employment claim through his police union. Records will now reflect that he resigned from his position, per the terms of the settlement agreement.

Shubert’s lawsuit claimed that the Glastonbury Police Department discriminated against Shubert on the basis of sex when the Department promoted a male lieutenant instead of her despite the fact that Shubert scored the highest on a hiring exam and had more experience.

The case arose out of an incident where SWAT officers threw a flash-bang grenade into Burt’s car in violation of police department policy on the use of these devices. Officers did not announce themselves prior to encountering Burt and did not file a search warrant for Burt’s car. Burt had a friend in the vehicle who was wanted in connection with a nonviolent drug charge. Police did not find anything illegal in the car. Burt suffered severe burns when the flash-bang grenade exploded.

During the encounter, Wright reached for his colostomy bag when police officers fired non-lethal weapons at him. Prior news investigations into the Euclid police department revealed that 20 percent of Euclid officers accounted for 80 percent of use of force incidents.

After receiving a suspension, officers alleged that Howard refused to leave the school premises. Howard was also charged with misdemeanor and felony offenses, but those charges were dropped by the state’s attorney’s office a week after the incident.

An officer with the San Luis Obispo Police Department fired at the dog, claiming it was charging him, but this version of events was disputed by Regalia and Manford. The San Luis Obispo Police Department has implemented officer training on how to handle dog encounters.

Reiman, the brother of Carteret’s mayor, Mayor Dan Reiman, was acquitted of criminal charges in Superior Court. The federal civil rights lawsuit contended that many officers who witnessed the incident failed to intervene because they feared retribution from the Mayor. Officer Reiman has faced numerous complaints of excessive force in the past.

The Aurora Police Department has had issues concerning police excessive use of force for years; the Department rose to infamy when it was involved with the death of Elijah McClain in 2019.

Taylor was killed by plainclothes police officers when they fired upon him outside his home. The officers, Michael Spaulding and Scott Miller, claimed they believed their lives to be in danger when they encountered Taylor, who they tried to arrest for unlawful possession of a handgun. Evidence in the case raised doubt about the officers’ claims that Taylor was armed.

Ryan Cordova was beaten by a police officer while handcuffed to a rail in the holding cell of the county jail in 2019. He will receive $335,000 to settle his lawsuit.

Jessica Guttman failed to immediately identify herself to a police officer, who then was taken to the ground and handcuffed. Due to a preexisting disability, Guttman started to suffer from seizures during the police encounter. Police waited more than 30 minutes to release Guttman so that she could receive medical attention. Guttman will receive $300,000.

Ryan Cordova was beaten by a police officer while handcuffed to a rail in the holding cell of the county jail in 2019. He will receive $335,000 to settle his lawsuit.

Jessica Guttman failed to immediately identify herself to a police officer, who then was taken to the ground and handcuffed. Due to a preexisting disability, Guttman started to suffer from seizures during the police encounter. Police waited more than 30 minutes to release Guttman so that she could receive medical attention. Guttman will receive $300,000.

Officer Clinton Toles, who was off duty at the time, assaulted McDonough at a bar in 2017. Toles identified himself as a police officer to McDonough. Two city officials who approved the settlement noted publicly that similarly situated settlements had done little to curb police misconduct in Minneapolis over the years and that settlement may have come to be viewed by officials as the cost of doing business.

Kolb’s son, who called 911 to get his father medical attention, did not claim his father presented as any clear danger to dispatchers, and that he was simply experiencing a mental health crisis that Kolb has regularly experienced before. Honeycutt claimed he shot Kolb because he feared for his life when Kolb stabbed him with a sharp object, but Kolb’s son testified he never saw his father attack Honeycutt and the deputy’s vest showed no signs of stabbing.

Ryan Whitaker was shot and killed by Phoenix police officers in May 2020, when officers were called to the scene involving a domestic dispute. Whitaker was holding a gun in his hand when he opened the door. Officers perceived Whitaker to be an eminent danger and shot him, although he did not fire his gun and appeared to be kneeling and putting his hands up, as seen through body worn cameras.

The officer involved in this incident was off duty and pursued Chancellor for speeding.

Cumpian, a Black hotel worker, was threatened and held by gunpoint by officer Ronald Kerzaya for several minutes. Officer Kerzaya was responding to a call about an armed suspect at the hotel where Cumpian worked. The hotel manager told Kerzaya that the suspect was White. Kerzaya, however, held Cumpian by gun point for several minutes until the hotel manager could confirm that Cumpian was not the suspect.

In a now viral video, police officers can be seen confronting Weinman and administering a breathalyzer test over an unopened alcoholic beverage. As Weinman tells the officers she had not been drinking and begins to walk away, an officer can be heard saying, “Al[l ]right, you are about to get dropped.” According to the lawsuit, Weinman says that the officers were “twisting her arms, pulling her hair and choking her by firmly pressing a forearm against her throat that hindered her breathing.”

The officers, Thomas Canon and Robert Jordan, were not regular police officers, but instead class II officers that are seasonal positions the Jersey Shore towns regularly employ during the busy summer seasons.

Worthington Police Officers Mark Riley and Evan Eggers seriously injured Rodriguez during an arrest in January 2019 after Rodriguez had surrendered with his hands in the air and ignored Rodriquez’s repeated requests for medical care. When police did respond, Rodriguez had to be airlifted to a medical center and spent five days in intensive care.

As a result of the police encounter, Rosenberg had his arm broken by Niskayuna officers. He now has impaired use of the arm and in his hand.

The injuries Osman sustained after being struck by a Dunwoody Police vehicle resulted in several surgeries and $370,000 in medical bills. Osman was pursued for driving erratically in a parking lot.

Officer Wolongevicz, who no longer works in Manlius, was told that she would be disciplined if she complained about vulgar comments made in her presence by her colleagues. The village and town of Manlius will now offer sex discrimination training to its officers.

The settlement payment will reimburse Giron for his medical expenses, related to the emergency surgery care he received after his encounter with police. There are additional legal proceedings pending against the city by six other demonstrators who allege they were subject to police violence during protests.

Umar Burley and Brent Matthews, the recipients of the largest settlement payment, served time in prison after an illegal car chase conducted by Baltimore Police. The chase resulted in the death of an 86-year-old man. Two separate but related lawsuits amounted to nearly $600,000 in settlement payments. Several officers on the GTTF were convicted of federal crimes, such as racketeering for robbing city residents.

Maurice Crawley and Jabari Boykins will each receive $200,000, after they both had encounters with the same police officer, Officer Vallon Smith, that spurred the lawsuits. In both cases, Smith used violent and aggressive methods to harm Crawley and Boykins.

Andrew Mitchell, the police officer who shot Castlebury, is facing criminal charges of murder and voluntary manslaughter. He is the first Columbus police officer in two decades to face criminal prosecution for an on-duty killing.

A settlement agreement prohibiting the New York Police Department from removing detainees’ hijabs while in police custody was reached on November 5, 2020, nearly two years after a lawsuit was filed in 2018.

The lawsuit may also have implications for police policies in Yonkers. The 2018 lawsuit claimed that it was illegal for the NYPD to remove religious attire for mugshots. Monetary settlements for the plaintiffs have yet to be reached.

During her tenure with the Sitka Police Department, Ferguson was the only female officer. Her discrimination complaint is one of several that has been leveled against the Department this year. The settlement agreement in this case has a unique provision that will allow Ferguson to conduct, at her own cost, an independent investigation into management practices by the Sitka Police Department.

Baltimore County announced in November 2020 that it will refrain from using written examinations for police recruitment purposes. A 2019 lawsuit filed by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) alleged that the County was engaging in unintentional employment discrimination against African Americans applicants.

The lawsuit asserted the African American applicants were discriminated against in the hiring of entry-level police officer and cadet positions by heavily weighing examination scores in hiring decisions. DOJ officials argued that hiring examinations were not job-related and disproportionately excluded African Americans.

Eric Uller was accused of molesting several children whom he picked up from predominately Latino areas of the city, beginning in the 1980s. He used his job with the city to gain access to the boys, and the city had a series of reports on his behavior.

Begley’s complaint centered on former Kauai Police Chief Darryl Perry. Begley alleged that he was subjected to retaliation by the Chief and his subordinates for over nine years, beginning in 2012. Primarily, this retaliation came in the form of investigations which Begley claims were intended to force him out of the Department.

Houston’s injuries were sustained after being shot with pepperballs and teargas during the protests. He filed his lawsuit to push for policy changes in the way police interact with journalists covering protests.

The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department settled a lawsuit filed by the ACLU on Oct. 29, 2020 to end the use of riot control agents against peaceful, law-abiding protesters and passive resistors.

The case was filed on behalf of Indy10 Black Lives Matter and individual protesters, who were exposed to chemical riot control agents, namely tear gas, during protests in late May 2020. The agreement also limited the circumstances in which the department can use impact weapons, such as rubber bullets.

Mr. Martinez fled a traffic stop and was restrained by Pittsburg Police inside a stranger’s home. The use of the carotid hold has since been banned by the City of Pittsburg. This settlement is one of the largest payments made to a victim of a police killing in California history.

Officer Shaw has worked for the Columbus Division of Police for 28 years. The settlement admits no wrongdoing but agrees to Officer Shaw’s demand that future instances of retaliation be treated as a terminable offense. Three other officers have made similar allegations against the Department which are currently pending.

Jacob Sanchez sustained heavy injuries when Las Cruces Police Officer Isaiah Baker improperly handled a K-9 unit. The city has agreed to pay Mr. Sanchez nearly $325,000 to settle the suit. This is the third lawsuit concerning misconduct against Officer Baker.

Webb, a Black man, was fired at by multiple officers while he was inside his car because they erroneously believed that he might be dragging an officer that had pursued his vehicle on foot. The officers had been responding to a disturbance at the nightclub.

The Vallejo Police Department is currently under investigation by the California Department of Justice after a string of reported incidents of police violence revealed a pattern of excessive use of force within the Department. Police targeted Edwards despite the fact that he did not fit the description of a suspect they were looking for based on a 911 call.

In 2015, Pittsburgh Police Department officers pursued a vehicle fleeing a traffic stop, which resulted in a crash. A 12-year old girl, only identified in official documents as “D.H.,” suffered from brain damage and other significant injuries due to the crash. D.H.’s family alleged the Pittsburgh Police Department had a widespread practice of high-speed chases resulting from traffic stops.

Officer Garcia’s lawsuit alleged that the Baltimore Police Department has a pattern of discrimination against Hispanic men. His suit was filed separately but is related to another settlement granted to Officer Jasmin Rowlett.

City attorneys handling the case have stated that the issues leading to this lawsuit have probably been ongoing for over three years, and other city officials claim that they have been going on for decades. If it continued, this lawsuit could have implicated tens of thousands of warrants.

William Green was 43 years old when he was shot and killed by a Prince George's County police officer, Corporal Michael A. Owen Jr. In addition to the settlement, second-degree murder charges have been filed against Owen. The settlement represents one of the largest payments for police misconduct settlements in U.S. history.

Hall’s family called the police the day of Miles’s death hoping that officers could help manage him safely. Hall suffered from a schizoaffective disorder. This payment settles a civil suit, but a criminal investigation is underway to determine whether the officers involved are guilty of unlawful use of force.

City officials for Louisville approved a $12 million dollar settlement to end a civil lawsuit by Breonna Taylor’s family. The settlement is one of the largest in U.S. history for a police shooting and carries several policy ramifications, including stronger transparency obligations and search warrant reform. The settlement does not include any type of apology or admission of wrongdoing by the city and the police, and the Taylor family is precluded from suing the city in the future for Breonna Taylor’s death.

The Pagan-Alomar settlement represents only one of the multimillion-dollar settlements against the NYPD this year. In 2019, New York City spent more than $68 million in settlements in response to over 1,000 lawsuits.

Lane Martin was fatally shot by a Portland Police Bureau (PPB) officer in July 2019. Officer Gary Doran did not face charges for actions resulting in Martin’s death. According to public documents, the PPB was aware that Lane Martin suffered from mental health issues.

Ronnell Foster was unarmed when he was shot and killed by Vallejo Police Officer Ryan McMahon. McMahon was later terminated by the Vallejo Police Department but will not face criminal charges.

Kubiack’s case raises the “code-of-silence" that discourages officers across the country from reporting problems within their departments. The officer who threatened Kubiack has had 31 internal affairs complaints as well as a federal lawsuit leveled against him. Kubiack initially filed an administrative complaint requesting to be placed back in her assignment with Chicago Police Department’s News Affairs, but her request was denied.

In their claim against the City of Phoenix, Ames and Harper made a $10 million demand. The viral incident resulting in this settlement led the Phoenix Police Department to fire an officer and implement a policy where a report must be filed each time a gun is pointed at someone.

Garvin, who led the Department’s Bomb Detection Canine Section, reported an incident that happened at Los Angeles International Airport in 2017 where he believed a dog handler sabotaged another dog handler, “by purposefully confusing his peer’s dog during a Federal bomb-sniffing certification test.” Garvin also reported inappropriate professional relationships in the Department. After Garvin’s reports, claims started to arise that Garvin was creating a hostile work environment and made racially charged remarks. The claims against Garvin were later determined to be baseless, but Garvin remained demoted and would not be reinstated to his original position.

Two of the lawsuits concerned fatal police shootings of two Black men: Paul O’Neal Jr., who was 18 at the time, and Martice Milliner, who was 27, were both shot and killed by Chicago police officers. Chicago also settled a separate lawsuit concerning a claim of retaliation arising out of a report by one police officer against another officer for verbal abuse and threatening conduct and another settlement involved a claim about armed officers breaking into an apartment based on an inaccurate warrant.

Hayes has developmental disabilities and was unarmed at the time of his shooting. It is unclear why he was targeted by an off-duty police officer, but the incident was caught on video and the officer involved in the incident was suspended for six months.

Antonio Valenzuela, 40, had a warrant out for his arrest for a parole violation. When he encountered Las Cruces officers, he reportedly resisted arrest and fled. Officer Christopher Smelser would later detain Valenzuela and put him in a chokehold. Valenzuela subsequently died from asphyxia injuries. The settlement also establishes new policy changes for Las Cruces police, which will ban all chokeholds and fire any officer that violates this new policy.

Cinthia Thevenin filed a civil rights lawsuit against the Troy Police Department following the death of her 37-year-old husband, Edson Thevenin. The lawsuit alleges that Thevenin was wrongfully killed by Sergeant French during a DWI stop in April 2016. An internal department investigation found that French had forced Thevenin’s car off the road and lied about aspects of the case. Following the death of Sergeant French due to COVID-19 complications, the city ultimately decided to settle the lawsuit.

Detroit resident Kira Thorne filed a lawsuit against the city alleging that the police department violated her civil rights by shooting her dog without cause during a narcotics raid. This is the fourth lawsuit in recent history where Detroit police have shot and killed a resident’s dog.

The agreement also requires that dispersal orders be clearly communicated and repeated in English and Spanish to allow protesters reasonable time to disperse.

The complaint, filed with the Civilian Complaint Review Board, alleged that former detective Fabio Nunez had placed Medina in a chokehold and tased him 13 times when responding to a noise complaint. At the time, choke holds had been banned by the police department. Since beginning as an officer, Nunez has been named in several lawsuits alleging excessive force and other forms of misconduct. After attempting to have the case dismissed, a district judge ruled that the city and NYPD officials could be held liable, leading the city to settle for $567,500.

Rowlett and fellow Officer Luis Garcia were accused of fraternization by their colleagues, who also spread rumors about a relationship between the two. Rowlett also alleged that her supervisor made suggestive comments towards her.

In June 2020, the City of Denver agreed to limit the use of non-lethal weapons, such as tear-gas, flashbangs, and rubber bullets, in order to settle a pair of lawsuits stemming from protests against police misconduct during the summer.

The lawsuits alleged that members of the Denver Police Department misused non-lethal weapons during Denver’s George Floyd protests. A federal judge issued a temporary restraining order on the activity, but the order was set to expire in a few days. Prior to the order’s expiration, the city announced an agreement to limit violent police responses to protests. The new agreement requires that only police sergeants or above can approve the use of force and all officers must actively use body cameras when interacting with protestors, among other things.

Neither Jones nor Wilson were charged with any traffic violations after their encounter with police. The officers involved in the incident have both been involved in past incidents of misconduct.

The lawsuit also spurred new policy initiatives with the King County Sheriff’s Office, which now requires officers to use body and dashboard cameras. Dunlap-Gittens was shot seven times by officers in a failed sting operation concerning alcohol.

The officer who confronted Atkinson resigned from the Boulder Police Department, and the Department enhanced oversight in response to national media coverage of the incident.

This settlement is one of the largest in the city’s history. Officers claimed that they feared Morales was trying to back his van into them when he reversed off a curb during the chase when the shooting occurred.

The lawsuit stems from a police encounter alleging that Naperville police officers violently detained Reitz, by throwing her to the ground, without cause. Under the agreement Reitz will drop the lawsuit against the city, and the settlement is not an “admission of liability.”

The lawsuit and settlement stems from a 2018 encounter Brown had with the police. Brown alleged that police used excessive force when they detained Brown for parking in a handicapped spot and proceeded to wrestle him to the ground, tase him, and step on his ankle.

Wayne Arnold Jones was shot twenty-two times by Martinsburg police in March 2020. Officers claimed that they shot Jones after he had attacked them violently, and they were not able to restrain him with a stun gun.

Officer Kristopher Clark shot Than Orn’s vehicle ten times when Orn tried to swerve around Clark’s patrol car, which was blocking the exit of an apartment building parking lot. After the shooting, Orn was charged with assault on a police officer but was later acquitted of those charges in a jury trial. Orn is now paralyzed from the chest down.

In 2015, The Wall Street Journal released an analysis of settlement totals from instances of police misconduct among the ten largest local police departments in the nation. Many of the cases involved in the analysis involved alleged beatings, shootings, and wrongful imprisonment. The analysis determined that, between 2010 and 2014, New York City spent $601.3 million on police misconduct cases. In 2015, the city paid $5.9 million to the estate of Eric Garner, who died after being put in a police chokehold. Additionally, a report released by the New York City Comptroller’s Office disclosed that the city spent nearly $270 million to resolve police misconduct claims in fiscal years 2017 and 2018. A recent analysis of data published by the New York City Law Department, detailing information on civil actions alleging police misconduct, showed that in 2019 the city was responsible for over $68 million in payouts to resolve nearly 1,400 civil lawsuits filed against the department.

In 2015, The Wall Street Journal released an analysis of settlement totals from instances of police misconduct among the ten largest local police departments in the nation. Many of the cases involved in the analysis involved alleged beatings, shootings, and wrongful imprisonment. The analysis determined that, between 2010 and 2014, Miami-Dade spent $3.1 million on police misconduct cases.

In 2015, the City of Miami settled a federal civil rights lawsuit worth nearly $1 million with the family of Travis McNeil, who was shot and killed by police detective Reynaldo Goyos in 2011.

In 2019, Miami settled another police misconduct lawsuit for $65,000. The suit had accused Captain Javier Ortiz of the Miami Police Department (who was a lieutenant, and the head of the Miami Police Department’s union at the time of the incident) of using excessive force following a traffic stop in 2015.

In October 2019, the City of East Pittsburgh in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania reached a $2 million settlement with the family of Antwon Rose, Jr., a 17-year-old who was unarmed when he was killed in a police shooting in 2018. Prior to the finalization of the settlement, the officer was acquitted of criminal homicide.

In 2019, the City of Portland agreed to a $10,000 settlement with a woman who accused police of assaulting her with a baton in October 2016. According to local news reports, the woman alleged that officers beat her with the baton on the chest and forearm as she watched a downtown protest.

In June 2019, the City of Indianapolis agreed to a settlement worth $2.15 million for Gerald Cole, who was shot twice in the back by Officer James Perry of the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, leaving Mr. Cole partially paralyzed.

The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department has settled a number of lawsuits in recent years involving wrongful shootings. This includes a $2.25 million settlement following the shooting of Jonathan Ferrell; a $115,000 settlement award to Charlotte teenager Jeffrey Green, who was wounded in a police shooting; and $700,000 paid to the estate of Anthony Wayne Furr, who was working on a cellphone tower when he was fatally shot by police in 2006.

In March 2019, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors approved a police misconduct settlement of $13.1 million to Jamal Trulove, who was wrongly convicted of murder in 2010 and sentenced to 50 years to life in prison. After spending six years in prison, an Oakland jury acquitted Mr. Trulove in a 2015 retrial, which determined that two police officers (who have since retired) fabricated evidence and did not disclose exculpatory material.

In 2014, Honolulu paid $1.4 million to the family of Aaron Torres, who was suffocated while in police custody. In March 2019, the Honolulu City Council agreed to pay $550,000 to a retired police lieutenant to resolve a 2009 lawsuit filed against the Honolulu Police Department regarding the conduct of Police Chief Susan Ballard, who improperly tampered with recruits’ test scores when she oversaw the department’s training division.

In January 2019, a family received a settlement total of $300,000 after filing a lawsuit against the City of Tucson and several officers of the Tucson Police Department. The lawsuit accused the officers of detaining members of the Wyatt family, forcing them to lie on the ground after they approached a traffic stop occurring near their home.

The jury found that one officer used excessive force and the two other responding officers unlawfully entered Hutchins’ home in January 2015 while responding to reports of a domestic disturbance. Hutchins said police pepper-sprayed his eyes and beat him with batons while he was trying to defuse a domestic incident. The jury also found that “the city of Springfield had a custom of failing to discipline officers and this custom demonstrated deliberate indifference to the rights” of citizens. 

In 2015, The Wall Street Journal released an analysis of settlement totals from instances of police misconduct among the ten largest local police departments in the nation. Many of the cases involved in the analysis involved alleged beatings, shootings, and wrongful imprisonment. The analysis determined that, between 2010 and 2014, the City of Baltimore spent $12 million on police misconduct cases. A separate analysis conducted by Baltimore Brew concluded that Baltimore taxpayers paid $24.5 million for police misconduct settlements between fiscal years 2015 and 2019.

In 2015, The Wall Street Journal released an analysis of settlement totals from instances of police misconduct among the ten largest local police departments in the nation. Many of the cases involved in the analysis involved alleged beatings, shootings, and wrongful imprisonment. The analysis determined that, between 2010 and 2014, the City of Phoenix spent $5.6 million on police misconduct cases. A separate analysis using data from the Phoenix Finance Department also reported that between fiscal years 2008 and 2018, the city paid more than $26 million to settle 191 claims of police misconduct.

In 2015, The Wall Street Journal released an analysis of settlement totals from instances of police misconduct among the ten largest local police departments in the nation. Many of the cases involved in the analysis involved alleged beatings, shootings, and wrongful imprisonment. The analysis determined that, between 2010 and 2014, the City of Los Angeles spent $57.1 million on police misconduct cases. A separate analysis conducted by The Los Angeles Times in 2018 concluded that the city paid more than $190 million for police misconduct settlements from July 2005 to 2018.

In 2018, the City of San Jose paid a $125,000 settlement to five men who were arrested for lewd conduct in an undercover operation and ultimately found to be innocent. The investigation that resulted in these charges targeted and discriminated against the gay community.

In 2015, The Wall Street Journal released an analysis of settlement totals from instances of police misconduct among the ten largest local police departments in the nation. Many of the cases involved in the analysis involved alleged beatings, shootings, and wrongful imprisonment. The analysis determined that, between 2010 and 2014, the City of Chicago spent $249.7 million on police misconduct cases. In 2015, the city paid $5 million to the family of Laquan McDonald, who was shot and killed by a Chicago police officer 16 times as he walked away from the officer. A separate analysis conducted by local news source NBC5 Chicago determined that the city paid over $45 million to resolve police misconduct cases between January and July 2018.

According to the reporting of local news source 7 Action News, the City of Detroit paid $19.1 million for police misconduct settlements between 2015 and 2018. Two of the larger settlements, for $400,000 and $925,000, respectively, arose from unlawful shooting claims.

In 2017, the City of Ferguson paid $1.5 million to settle a wrongful death lawsuit filed by the family of Michael Brown, who was killed by officer Darren Wilson in 2014.

According to The Denver Post’s review of data provided by the Denver City Attorney’s office, the City of Denver paid nearly $28 million for police and jail claims from 2004 to 2017. During the same time period, 82 percent of all settlements sent to the Denver City Council for approval (a total of $33.7 million) were for police and jail related claims. In September 2019, the Denver City Council approved a settlement total of $500,000 in an excessive force and malicious prosecution lawsuit filed against the Denver Police Department.

In 2017, Montgomery County, Maryland reached a $45,000 settlement with photographer Mannie Garcia for a 2011 wrongful arrest.

From 2015 to 2017, the City of Milwaukee paid $21.4 million in settlements for police misconduct cases, including interest and attorneys’ fees.

The City of Cleveland paid more than $13.2 million to settle police misconduct lawsuits between 2014 and 2016, including a $6 million settlement to the family of 12-year-old Tamir Rice, who was fatally shot by Officer Timothy Loehmann in November 2014.

In 2016, the City of New Orleans reached a settlement worth $13.3 million for 17 plaintiffs, including individuals who were injured and families of people who were killed during violent interactions with police in the weeks prior to and following Hurricane Katrina.

In 2016, Waller County, Texas paid $1.9 million to the family of Sandra Bland, who died in police custody after initially being pulled over for failing to signal a lane change.

In 2012, the St. Louis Police Department paid $212,500 to the family of Normane Bennet, who was shot by police following their pursuit of him in an attempt to make a drug arrest. In 2013, the department agreed to pay $400,000 to the family of Cary Ball, who was shot 212 times by police following a pursuit, and also paid $900,000 to the survivors of Anthony Lamar Smith, who was fatally shot by police. According to a review of police settlement cases between 2010 and early 2016, these were among the largest of 44 settlements—totaling $4.7 million—by the department.

According to an analysis of city records conducted by The Columbus Dispatch, lawsuits and claims of police misconduct and civil rights violations resulted in $1.9 million in payouts by the City of Columbus from 2010 to 2015.

According to an analysis of data provided by the Austin City Law Department, between 2013 and 2015, Austin paid an average of $1.1 million annually in settlement payouts, including for police misconduct.

According to an analysis of data provided by the El Paso City Attorney, between 2013 and 2015, El Paso paid an average of $960K annually in lawsuit settlements, including for police misconduct.

In 2016, local news channel NBC 7 reviewed every lawsuit involving the San Diego Police Department since 2008. It determined that taxpayers paid more than $25 million since 2008 to settle lawsuits against the department. Specifically, settlement payouts ranged from $1.1 million (in 2008), nearly $5 million (in 2013), and $9.5 million (in 2015). According to NBC 7’s analysis, the department settled an average of 177 claims per year, and the biggest individual payouts involved police misconduct allegations.

In 2015, the City of Seattle paid nearly $2 million to Nathaniel Caylor, who was shot in the face by police. It was the largest excessive force settlement in the city’s history.

In 2015, The Boston Globe reported that the City of Boston spent more than $36 million to remedy 2,000 legal claims and lawsuits filed against the Boston Police Department since 2005. Twenty-two of the payouts were worth over $100,000, including nine worth over $1 million.

In 2015, Fairfax County, Virginia agreed to pay $2.95 million to settle a wrongful death lawsuit filed by the family of John Geer, who was shot and killed by a county police officer in 2013.

In 2015, The Wall Street Journal released an analysis of settlement totals from instances of police misconduct among the ten largest local police departments in the nation. Many of the cases involved in the analysis involved alleged beatings, shootings, and wrongful imprisonment. The analysis determined that, between 2010 and 2014, the District of Columbia spent $30.5 million on police misconduct cases. A separate analysis conducted by The Washington Post determined that the city spent $31.6 million between 2005 and 2016 on court judgments or settlements in 173 cases alleging police misconduct.

In 2015, The Wall Street Journal released an analysis of settlement totals from instances of police misconduct among the ten largest local police departments in the nation. Many of the cases involved in the analysis involved alleged beatings, shootings, and wrongful imprisonment. The analysis determined that, between 2010 and 2014, the City of Houston spent $3.2 million on police misconduct cases.

In 2015, The Wall Street Journal released an analysis of settlement totals from instances of police misconduct among the ten largest local police departments in the nation. Many of the cases involved in the analysis involved alleged beatings, shootings, and wrongful imprisonment. The analysis determined that, between 2010 and 2014, the City of Dallas spent $6.9 million on police misconduct cases.

In 2015, The Wall Street Journal released an analysis of settlement totals from instances of police misconduct among the ten largest local police departments in the nation. Many of the cases involved in the analysis involved alleged beatings, shootings, and wrongful imprisonment. The analysis determined that, between 2010 and 2014, the City of Philadelphia spent $54.3 million on police misconduct cases.

A 2015 analysis revealed that Nassau County spent over $100 million on lawsuit settlements and judgments between 2006 and 2013. The assessment included an analysis of 2,709 individual payments, and included, but were not limited to, incidents of police misconduct.

According to a 2015 analysis, Suffolk County, New York paid $37.4 million on lawsuit settlements and judgments between 2006 and 2013, including for police misconduct suits.

Between 2011 and 2013, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police paid more than $5 million in legal settlements. This includes a $1.7 million settlement awarded to the estate of Trevon Cole who was shot and killed by police during a raid; a $1 million settlement awarded to the relatives of Dustin Boone, who died due to a chokehold used by officers; and a $1.5 million settlement for Dwayne Jackson, who was wrongfully convicted and served four years in prison due to a DNA mix-up.

In 2012, Prince George’s County, Maryland agreed to pay a settlement total of $3.6 million to 10 University of Maryland students who alleged they were wrongfully arrested, and several assaulted, following local riots in 2010.

In 2010, the City of Atlanta paid the family of Kathryn Johnston—a 92-year-old woman who was killed during an illegal raid of her home—a $4.9 million settlement. A local news source also determined that Atlanta paid out nearly $4 million in 22 legal settlements involving the Atlanta Police Department from 2015 to 2018.

In 2010, the City of Fort Worth paid $2 million to the family of Michael Jacobs, Jr., who died as a result of two taser shocks administered by police during an altercation in April 2009.

In 2009, DeKalb County, Georgia reached a settlement of $165,000 with a homeless man who claimed that a police officer drove the man to neighboring Rockdale County and ordered him out of the car. When the man refused, a physical altercation ensued between the two. Ultimately, Officer Ronald Jones was charged with kidnapping, aggravated assault, and violating his oath of office.