By Kaitlyn Naples
ENFIELD, CT (WFSB) -
Last week an Enfield police officer was fired
in a department brutality case and now two more have been suspended.
An Enfield police officer who was accused of
using excessive force during an arrest in April has been fired.More >
An Enfield police officer who was accused of
using excessive force during an arrest in April has been fired.More >
This all stems back to an incident in April
where a video showed a man being repeatedly punched by a police officer.
In a 35-page report the investigation
concluded that the man was beaten up and did nothing to provoke it.
After the investigation determined there was
an act of police brutality, one Enfield officer was fired and two others were
suspended.
Mark Maher has a scar above his eye after
being beaten up by a police officer. Maher and three others were in a car
parked at the town's boat launch when they were approached by police.
A dash cam inside of the police cruiser
captured pictures of Maher being punched several times by officer Matthew
Worden, even though Maher was being restrained by two other officers.
Maher was arrested for assaulting an officer,
but the charges were dropped.
“All of them that were there - they did
nothing to stop it - they stood there and let it happen. They are there to
protect and serve and they didn't,” Maher said.
Enfield's police chief said the officers were
justified in questioning Maher and the others in the vehicle, but not in their
use of force.
Officer Jaime Yott has been suspended for 60
days for neglect and inattention to duty. The investigation found that her
police report lacked details and that she failed to write her use of force in
the report based on her own observations.
Officer Michael Emons has been suspended for
90 days for violating ethics codes, conduct unbecoming of an officer, using
unnecessary force on another person in the car and for turning in a report
containing inaccuracies.
"I know there are good cops out there -
it's just that when something like this happens it really makes people
concentrate on all of the bad,” Maher added.
Enfield's police chief said that out of 150
calls for service over the past three years, the department has only
investigated 16 internal affairs complaints.
Maher is suing the department.
