A former St. Paul, Minnesota officer was sentenced to six years in prison by a federal court judge on Friday, May 21, for using excessive force against an unarmed civilian during a 2016 arrest involving a K-9.
Brett Palkowitsch, 31, had previously been found guilty of kicking and injuring then-52-year-old Frank Baker as another officer was allowing a police dog to maul Baker’s leg.
After a jury found Palkowitsch guilty of a civil rights violation in November 2019, he apologized for his use of excessive force and waived the right to appeal his conviction. The hearing was delayed due to the pandemic because Palkowitsch had not consented to a video hearing.
NationofChange
Former police officer sentenced to prison for use of excessive force
“When an officer betrays that oath and violates a person s civil rights, that officer must be held accountable. Our community, and our profession, deserve no less.”
Convicted of violating the civil
rights of an innocent, unarmed man, a former Minnesota police officer was
recently sentenced to six years in federal prison. The cop was recorded on
police dash cam video allowing a K-9 to maul the man before breaking seven of
his ribs, causing both of his lungs to collapse.
In June 2016, St. Paul Police
Officer Brett Palkowitsch and his colleagues responded to a 911 call alleging
Former Police Officer Sentenced to Six Years in Prison for Civil Rights Violation Details Written by Justice Department
St. Paul, Minnesota - A former officer with the St. Paul Police Department in St. Paul, Minnesota, was sentenced Friday to six years in prison after a jury found him guilty of a civil rights violation.
Brett Palkowitsch, 31, was sentenced on May 21 after being found guilty of using excessive force against an unarmed civilian. At the sentencing hearing, Palkowitsch waived the right to appeal his conviction and publicly apologized for his use of excessive force.
“Instead of lawfully carrying out his critical public safety responsibilities, Palkowitsch abused his authority by using excessive force,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General for Pamela S. Karlan of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The Justice Department will continue to vigorously prosecute officers who engage in criminal misconduct.”