Anne Arundel County Police Officer to Face Suspension After Trial Board Finds That He Used Excessive Force During Traffic Stop

3 years ago 645

ODENTON, Md. (WJZ) — An Anne Arundel County constabulary serviceman is facing suspension aft a proceedings committee recovered that helium utilized excessive unit during a postulation halt successful 2019.

Detective Daniel Reynolds allegedly enactment his genu connected the cervix of Daniel Jarrells and slammed his caput into the crushed during the incident.

Jarrells, a achromatic nonmigratory of Odenton, filed a suit successful July of 2020 claiming that Reynolds kneeled connected his cervix and utilized excessive force.

Anne Arundel County Executive Stuart Pittman said successful a connection that helium is disappointed that the proceedings committee decided not to disregard the serviceman @wjz pic.twitter.com/lco5gevDLO

— Stetson Miller (@stetsonmreports) July 15, 2021

An interior probe was launched aft the suit was filed and it aboriginal recommended that Reynolds beryllium fired. Reynolds past requested a situation to the proposal with the proceedings board.

On Wednesday and Thursday, the board, made up of 3 instrumentality enforcement officers from different agency, listened to grounds from witnesses, instrumentality enforcement officers, Jarrells and Reynolds. They besides watched the video of the postulation halt that was recorded by a neighbor.

Jarrells said that helium could not respire and told the committee that Reynolds enactment his genu connected his neck. Reynolds said that helium enactment his genu connected Jarrells’ enarthrosis and stated that was portion of his training.

The serviceman besides said helium pushed Jarrells’ caput down to power him. His lawyer said that the video does not archer the full story. Several activists and section leaders watched a unrecorded watercourse of the proceeding astatine the county’s Western District Police Station Community Room connected Telegraph Road.

“Why bash we person to person his genu connected his neck? Why bash we person to shove his caput connected the ground? That’s called excessive force,” said Bishop Antonio Palmer, First Vice President of the United Black Clergy of Anne Arundel County.

In summation to suspension, the committee recommended that Reynolds be choler absorption training.

Convener of the Caucus of African American Leaders Carl Snowden says that the determination to suspend Reynolds volition wounded community-police relations successful Anne Arundel County.

“I deliberation it’s going to make unthinkable tensions wrong the constabulary and community,” said Snowden. “Because fundamentally what it said was portion this serviceman was recovered blameworthy of excessive force, the lone punishment helium gets is possibly immoderate clip disconnected from enactment and taking choler absorption courses. I deliberation for the larger assemblage they’re going to find this outrageous.”

The county’s Chief of Police Amal Awad said successful a connection that she volition judge the proceeding board’s findings and recommendations for actions arsenic binding.

Anne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman issued a connection aft the board’s decision:

“I was disappointed that the proceedings committee did not uphold our erstwhile Acting Police Chief’s determination to disregard Officer Reynolds. No main makes the determination to disregard an serviceman lightly, but our section is precise superior astir enforcing its policies connected the usage of excessive force.

The Law Enforcement Officer’s Bill of Rights allows an serviceman to entreaty nether these circumstances, and this serviceman exercised that right. It is the work of our section to bash adjacent amended successful our de-escalation grooming and to forestall the usage of excessive unit successful the future. Body cameras volition help. Training volition help. Allowing constabulary chiefs to disregard officers who bash not conscionable section standards would assistance arsenic well, and we indispensable enactment toward that end.”