Cop Pleads Guilty To Beating Man In Wheelchair

[NNN0LHI]

http://www.wbbm780.com/pages/3708114.php?

Posted: Thursday, 22 January 2009 1:41PM

Cop Pleads Guilty To Beating Man In Wheelchair


CHICAGO (STNG) ― A Chicago Police officer pleaded guilty Thrusday to violating the civil rights of a 60-year-old man he beat while the man was handcuffed and shackled to a wheelchair.

"I lost it," Officer William Cozzi admitted in federal court.

The government is seeking a sentence of six to eight years for the 51-year-old officer, previously convicted on a state charge of misdemeanor battery and sentenced to 18 months' probation.

After the Chicago Sun-Times obtained a videotape of the beating, police Supt. Jody Weis referred the case to the FBI for federal prosecution. Cozzi appeared Thursday before U.S. District Judge Blanche Manning to change his plea to guilty.

The federal charges were brought against Cozzi in April in connection with the beating of Randle Miles on Aug. 2, 2005, at Norwegian American Hospital in the Humboldt Park neighborhood.

[midnight]

1. While we are relieved that this decision was made in favor of

the man in the wheel chair, why do such extreme behaviors need to be called out before the obvious is addressed. This goes on everyday in America-bet on it. When it rarely gets addressed as we saw in California earlier this month, over shooting death of handcuffed man, California addressed it. Why does it have to be so extreme for accountability and changes to occur. We depend on the protection and service of our police department. They need to do a better job, or not be given the job-period.

[ColbertWatcher]

3. Good question.

And why does a videotape have to exist before justice be done?

[bertman]

4. because otherwise, with no credible witnesses, it is one person's word against another's.

[ColbertWatcher]

6. I think it's high time we move away from the idea that ...

... the word of all authority figures are always correct and can never be questioned.

[bertman]

8. It's not just the word of an authority figure against a non-authority figure. It's also

the evidence that's presented to go along with the charges. If the evidence, I think it's called the preponderance of evidence, points to the authority figure being the guilty party, he/she should be found guilty.

Unfortunately, not all non-authority figure types are honest, truthful persons either. Some are liars. Some have a grudge. Some are just mistaken. Same goes for the authority figure types.

How would you feel if you were convicted based on the other person's testimony only?

[jillan]

2. This. makes. me. sick.

No offense to any police officers here - but -

I have very little respect for cops.

[pleah]

5. Me either.

:(

[ThomCat]

7. If there was no video tape, that 61 year old black man

would be the one charged with some manufactured crime.

How often do cops get away with this simply because there is no video tape, or because they get to the video tape and make it disappear?

Police violent and brutality is not uncommon. It now seems like it's them against all of us more often. That has always been true if you were very poor or not white, but now it's true even if you aren't very poor and even if you're white.

[Jambalaya]

9. Savage Society

People are beat up in wheelchairs daily in nursing home facilities in this country everyday.

They are rarely prosecuted.

It is a reflection on our society how we treat the least among us.

It is a reflection upon us if we remain silent about these atrocities.