Personal Injury Law

Chicago Police Brutality: Cop Gets 40 Months in Prison for Beating Man He had Shackled to Wheelchair

Chicago Police Officer William Cozzi has been sentenced to 40 months in prison for the 2005 beating of a man that he had shackled to a wheelchair. The assault was caught on videotape.

In January, Cozzi pleaded guilty to the federal charge of excessive use of force against Randy Miles, a 60-year-old Norwegian American Hospital patient. Cozzi used a sap to strike Miles numerous times in front of hospital workers, security guards, and members of the public. The video also shows the Chicago police officer chaining Miles?s leg to a wheelchair.

Miles, who went to the hospital because of a stab wound, was reportedly verbally abusive to officers and uncooperative with hospital workers. He may have been intoxicated. Miles was charged with resisting arrest even though the video doesn?t show him resisting.

A state court initially ordered Cozzi to serve probation after he pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge over the Chicago police brutality incident. He was suspended from the police force for two years. However, Chicago Police Superintendent Jody Weiss decided to involve federal authorities and they went on to indict him. Cozzi is scheduled to begin serving his prison sentence in August. The 40 month sentence is less than the 6 ? 8 years that the federal government recommends.

Last year, the city of Chicago settled a police brutality lawsuit filed by Miles over the incident.

Chicago Police Brutality
Excessive use of force by police is unjustified. Police brutality can lead to serious personal injuries, including the violation of the victim?s civil rights. While this Chicago police brutality case is one that the authorities did not ignore and Cozzi was held accountable in criminal court, many reports of police violence are ignored or disregarded.

Cop gets 40 months in videotaped beating, Chicago Breaking News, June 11, 2009

Former Chicago cop William Cozzi sentenced to 40 months, Sun-Times, June 11, 2009

Related Web Resources:
Police Torture in Chicago, Chicago Reader

Police Brutality Cases Have Cost Chicago $20 Million, The Huffington Post, June 11, 2009

Full post as published by Chicago Injury Attorney Blog on June 11, 2009 (boomark / email).