Gregory Kwiatkowski
Gregory Kwiatkowski is a former officer with the Buffalo Police Department.[1] In 2006 and 2009 his involvement in two incidents of police brutality against african-American citizens came to light.[2]
In the 2006 incident Police officer Cariol Horne, an African-American, physically intervened when she said she saw Kwiatkowski using a choke hold on an African-American suspect who was already subdued, and who said he couldn't breath.[2] A 2006 review of use of force concluded Kwiatkowski's use of force was justified. Horne received a brief suspension, and reprimand, which she challenged. A subsequent more detailed review resulted in Kwiatkowski being promoted from Sergeant to Lieutenant, and in Horne being fired.
In 2021 judicial review of the circumstances of Horne's dismissal concluded it was not justified, and she had her back-pay and pension restored.[2]
In the 2009 incident other officers had apprehended four African-American youths, who were suspected of using a BB gun to vandalize windows.[1] The youths did have a BB gun in their possession. Police apparently believed the youths had been preferentially targeting the windows of the houses of Police officers.
Other police officers are alleged to have turned the BB gun against the youths.[1] Kwiatkowski agreed to testify against Raymond Krug and Joseph Wendel. Kwiatkowski himself was charged with ramming the youth's heads into a police vehicle. Kwiatkowski acknowledged losing control of his emotions and ramming their heads into the vehicle.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Phil Fairbanks (2018-12-12). "Ex-Buffalo cop gets 4 months in prison in 2009 excessive force case". Buffalo News. Archived from the original on 2021-03-18. https://web.archive.org/web/20210318044203/https://buffalonews.com/news/local/ex-buffalo-cop-gets-4-months-in-prison-in-2009-excessive-force-case/article_b24bbbff-4c3a-5076-9002-6fe52787af6a.html. Retrieved 2021-04-14. "On Wednesday, the now retired police officer was sentenced by U.S. District Judge William M. Skretny to four months in prison and another four months of home confinement."
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Jonah E. Bromwich (2021-04-13). "Court Vindicates Black Officer Fired for Stopping Colleague’s Chokehold". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 2021-04-14. https://web.archive.org/web/20210414044023/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/13/nyregion/cariol-horne-police-chokehold.html. Retrieved 2021-04-14. "She filed a lawsuit seeking to vacate the firing, citing the case involving Mr. Floyd. Shortly before that, she and others in Buffalo had begun to press members of the city’s legislature, the Common Council, to pass a so-called duty-to-intervene law requiring officers to step in when one of their own used excessive force."
