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News Articles: use of force

A year later, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department has released body-worn camera footage of a July 13, 2022, incident in which one of several deputies arresting a woman at a traffic stop punched her in the face as she held her newborn baby.

An LA deputy punched a woman in the face as she held her 3-week-old baby, video shows

Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna released video of the July 2022 incident this week, saying he'd only just learned of it. He said the deputy has been disciplined and the FBI is looking into it.

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By:
  • Rachel Treisman
An investigation of records from 25 county jails across Pennsylvania shows that nearly 1 in 3 "use of force" incidents by guards involved a prisoner who was having a psychiatric crisis or who had a known mental illness. Guards used weapons like stun guns or pepper spray to subdue prisoners who may have been unable to understand what was going on.

In county jails, guards use pepper spray, stun guns to subdue people in mental crisis

An investigation finds that corrections officers in Pennsylvania use physical force on people who may be unable to comply with orders due to a mental health condition.

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By:
  • Brett Sholtis
Savannah, left, holds her daughter Chanel, as she sits with her sister Telia, as they listen to their mother Krystal Archie talking Sept. 23 during an interview with the Associated Press in Chicago. Archie's three children were present when police, on two occasions 11 weeks apart, kicked open her front door and tore apart the cabinets and dressers as they executed a search warrant.

Tiny wrists in cuffs: How police use force against children

Kids remain an afterthought in police reforms, but there are few guidelines and no laws regarding police use of force against minors. There were thousands of such incidents in recent years.

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By:
  • GPB Newsroom
The decision on Monday was a partial victory for Black Lives Matter protesters but Judge Richard Jones found that in several instances, Seattle Police Department officers were justified in their use of less lethal weapons.

Seattle Police Ruled In Contempt For Firing Less Lethal Weapons At BLM Protesters

A federal judge said "the court cannot ignore the clear violations" of an injunction limiting the police department's use of the weapons, but added some instances were in compliance.

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By:
  • Vanessa Romo