Highland Park Police Officer Indicted for Using Excessive Force, Injuring Person

A Highland Park Police officer was indicted today by a federal grand jury in Detroit on charges of using unlawful and excessive force and making a false statement to an FBI agent during an investigation into the unlawful use of force, United States Attorney Terrence G. Berg announced.

Berg was joined in the announcement by Loretta King, Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division, and Andrew G. Arena, Special Agent in Charge of the Detroit Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

The indictment charges that on November 5, 2007, Brenda Stevenson, 45, of Canton, while acting as a Sergeant with the Highland Park Police Department, willfully used excessive force when she struck and assaulted an individual identified in the indictment only as “V.B.” The indictment also alleges that the defendant caused bodily injury to V.B., and that she later made false statements to an FBI agent investigating the incident.

United States Attorney Berg said, “A law enforcement officer’s duty to respect the civil rights of all citizens, particularly those who are held in police custody, is crucial to maintaining public order and respect for law. We will continue to respond with appropriate legal action whenever violations of this duty are established.”

Special Agent Andrew G. Arena stated, “The vast majority of officers understand that they must uphold and obey the law. Badges and guns do not come with the authority to ignore the Constitution; they come with the responsibility to protect it from anyone who violates it, especially another public servant."

Under the statutes, Stevenson faces up to 15 years’ imprisonment and a fine of up to $500,000.

An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it is the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

Mr. Berg commended the Federal Bureau of Investigation for the investigation which led to this indictment. This case will be prosecuted jointly by the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice.

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