The Cleveland police officers involved in the 2014 death of a woman in their custody, Tanisha Anderson, used excessive force.That's the determination of a consultant hired by the family as part of its ongoing wrongful death lawsuit against the officers and the city. Kevin Niedermier of member station WKSU in Kent reports.
The report by former Los Angeles deputy police chief Lou Reiter charges that the officers were unreasonable and excessive when they restrained Anderson who had mental health issues. Her family called police for help because she had become unruly. Family attorney Al Gerhardstein…
Gerhardstein
“One of the reasons we filed it now is in the hope that the city will take this very seriously and make sure that officers are trained immediately on how to prevent positional asphyxia. Just roll the individual over after they’ve been secured so there no longer on their chest and suppressing their breathing.”
The county medical examiner’s report says Anderson died from being restrained in a prone position, and that obesity and other health factors contributed to her death.
