Posted on 01/02/2009 5:10:02 AM PST by marktwain
The Belleville police officer being sued after arresting a man wearing a T-shirt printed with the word "Police" has faced three prior federal civil rights lawsuits since 1999 -- two since he's worked for the Belleville Police Department.
Both of those suits resulted in settlements for the plaintiffs.
Last week, Adam Weinstein, of Missouri sued Belleville police Officer Jeff Vernatti, who is president of the police officer's union, after Weinstein's arrest at a Christmas party on Dec. 23, 2006, at Crehan's Bar in Belleville.
Weinstein's lawsuit accuses Vernatti of abusing and falsely arresting Weinstein.
Vernatti could not be reached for comment.
Weinstein, 36, was wearing an undershirt with the word "Police" on it.
The officers asked Weinstein, an emergency medical technician and licensed security officer, for his police credentials and when Weinstein told them he didn't have any, he claims Vernatti, 39, placed handcuffs tightly around his wrists, twisted his wrists, then shoved him against a police car and into the back seat.
Weinstein was ticketed for impersonating a police officer, but that charge was later dropped.
Belleville Police Capt. Don Sax declined to comment on the suit on the advice of the department's lawyer. He also said he couldn't comment on whether Vernatti ever faced discipline at the department because it was a personnel issue.
Weinstein's suit was filed in circuit court in Belleville, but the three other suits were filed in U.S. District Court in East St. Louis.
In 2005, a Belleville man sued Vernatti after he alleged Vernatti used a Taser on him after a rollover accident. Bryan Joseph Schmittling's suit alleged Vernatti failed to provide medical attention for Schmittling's broken shoulder after the one-car crash on Dec. 20, 2004.
The suit further alleged that Vernatti, then the department's Taser trainer, called Schmittling obscene names, then used the Taser on him three or four times until Schmittling, who stated he was not resisting arrest, lost control of his bowels.
Four years earlier, Arben Milleson, of Mascoutah, filed suit, alleging he was beaten by Vernatti and six other officers after an arrest on Feb. 15, 2000.
Milleson and Schmittling settled their cases and signed a confidentiality agreement not to disclose the terms of the settlement.
Vernatti also was sued in 1999 when he worked for the Shiloh Police Department, but that suit was dismissed after the plaintiff, Tommy Lee Maxwell Jr., failed to file an amended complaint.
Vernatti has worked for the Belleville Police Department since 1999.
Of course the charges were dropped.
But nobody's life is the same after having been arrested -- especially your average law-abiding Joe.
St Clair county(Belleville)is a lawyers paradise. Only Cook county(Obama’s home county) has had more lawsuits filed.
http://www.legalreforminthenews.com/News%20Releases/ICJL-Study-11-18-05.html
Cops claim to work for the public, the public has to cough up the cash when the cop screws up, so why is the public bared from seeing the file of it's employee?
Was he able to sue the cops who deprived him of his liberty?
Cops work for the people who sign the paychecks and do the hiring, as well as the negotiation with the union. That’s a asmall slice of the public. If we the voters don’t turn those people over often eniough, they all forget who they work for.
That was unheard of. In fact, I've never heard of such a thing prior to this thread.
Oh God - Belleville and Mascoutah. I could have gone another twenty years without thinking of that place. We lived in Mascoutah proper for a couple months while waiting for base housing at Scott to open up. We had moved there from Montgomery, Alabama in 1979. After spending three years in Montgomery (former Capital of the Confederacy), I was shocked at the amount of racism present in a small town in Illinois. Talk about a bunch of bass ackwards hicks. I was glad to be shut of that place.
Don’t ask any questions. Trust us. We’re taking care of it. Can’t give any info. It’s a personnel issue.
If more than one officer was involved the Conspiracy Statutes would also come into play.
I can't believe that a private CR attorney wouldn't be salivating at the thought of suing the living hell out of this idiot cop.
L
Uhh Oh!!!
Sounds to me like police Officer Jeff Vernatti needs a new line of work.
“After spending three years in Montgomery (former Capital of the Confederacy), I was shocked at the amount of racism present in a small town in Illinois. “
WOW—I did the exact same thing—moved from Montgomery to Bellevile in 1984 and saw more racism in that town in one year than I EVER saw in Montgomery......the police would park on West Main street in Belleville and turn around ANYONE black coming from E.St Louis......I worked at a restaurant that would give black customers take out food but HIGHLY discouraged the black folks from eating there.......I hope the area has changed
Come to think of it I think I read that there is a system-bucking lawyer who was onto it. But you have to understand, Pinellas County is corrupt from stem to stern. NO exceptions. It’s a locked-down good old boy network.
My folks retired to Mascoutah from Scott back in the early 90’s. Me and brother both went to High School there in the 80’s, and while there was some racism, it wasn’t so bad in the High School since that is the school district for the base. But, yeah, there is still a good bit of racism in the town. It is much, much better than when we first moved to Scott in 81. Belleville is just as bad as it was back then, however.
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