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Columbus Police Misconduct Costs Taxpayers 105 Thousand Dollars

Columbus City Council last night approved spending 105 thousand dollars to settle two cases of police misconduct. City Attorney Rick Pfeiffer says the city will pay Linda Reeder and Anthony Miller 60 thousand dollars after an officer illegally entered their Westerville home in September of last year while attempting to serve a warrant for a traffic offense.

And Pfeiffer says the city will pay Nathan Sidesinger 45 thousand dollars after an officer used excessive force while arresting him for alleged drunken driving last October.

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Council also approved a 142 thousand dollar contract with Burgess and Niple to continue soil testing at Saunders Park on the Near East Side. Recreation and Parks Director Alan McKnight says the facility was closed last month after elevated levels of arsenic and the suspected carcinogen benzo(a)pyrene were found.

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McKnight says the contamination was traced to land near the park.

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McKnight says its not clear when or if the park will be reopened. Council also approved giving an additional 150 thousand dollars to the PGA Tour's management entity for costs associated with the Presidents Cup golf matches being held this week in Dublin. Last March, Council approved a contract with HNS Sports Group that was not to exceed 200-thousand dollars. The city has yet to publicly offer a reason for the additional expenditure. It means taxpayers in Franklin County, Columbus, and the suburbs will pay more than 1.2 million in direct and in-kind contributions for the event that begins Thursday.

Jim has been with WCBE since 1996. Before that he worked as a reporter at another Columbus radio station, and for three newspapers in Southwest Florida.
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