June 16, 2021 10:35p
(WGTD)---The two Kenosha police officers who were disciplined for tasing an unarmed, elderly Black woman with mental and physical impairments failed to follow department policies and procedures, according to police department reports released Tuesday. Dash cam video from squad cars was released Wednesday. A version edited by WGTD is available here.
Matt Curi, a 10-year veteran of the force, and Kevin Roepke, who was hired just two years ago, were both suspended for five days for using excessive force. Supervisors had other problems with how the incident unfolded.
The tasing occurred during what was termed a "high-risk" traffic stop after the 77-year-old driver led police on a miles-long, slow-speed pursuit that began in Mt. Pleasant one night in January and ended in Kenosha. At first, the woman refused to get out of the vehicle and ignored officers' commands to consistently show her hands, heightening tensions and prompting some of the 7 officers and two deputies who were on the scene to draw guns and tasers, moves that at that point were justified, according to department supervisors.
But as the woman finally exited her vehicle--struggling to do so--and appearing to have problems communicating, it should've become clear that the driver was not an "active" threat, wiping out any justification for taser use, according to the supervisors. After being tased, the woman was rushed and forced to the ground.
In addition to questioning the use of tasers, supervisors also had doubts over the necessity of the "decentralization" tactics that were used. And supervisors noted that no officer took charge of the chaotic scene, leading to multiple and at times conflicting orders being yelled out against a backdrop of a barking police dog and the idling engines of numerous squad cars.
Almost immediately after the arrest, the officers on the scene questioned the woman's mental capacity, according to reports. Police were later told by the woman's sister that she may be suffering from dementia but had refused to get help. The woman lives in Chicago and apparently had driven off in the past.
The woman was not charged in connection with the January incident. Despite refusing to pull over, the woman was never observed to have violated any traffic rules.
Anthony Davis is president of the Kenosha chapter of the NAACP. He's frustrated and angry over repeated incidents involving police and minorities. "They're talking about retraining. You can do all of the retraining you want but if the officers aren't going to follow their own policies, people of color are going to be hesitant to even step out of their vehicles or follow any commands that police officers give them," Davis said.
Interim Police Chief Eric Larsen suggested in a report that all officers at the scene receive remedial training in intervention options, and those officers involved in the pursuit receive further training in that aspect of policing.
According to reports, neither Roepke or Curi had any prior discipline for excessive use of force.
WGTD first reported the tasing incident on Tuesday.
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