Public to pay for retirement of N.J. officer with four excessive uses of force
hy R. Bailey
A Berkeley Township, New Jersey, patrolman was forced into almost a full year of paid leave because of his increased pattern of excessive use of force, and when his attempts to force his way back into active duty were frustrated, he opted to retire.
Officer Patrick J. Stesner’s volatile career as a Berkeley patrolman began in 2003 and ended in his retirement after 14.5 years of service, four federal lawsuits for excessive use of force, and a year of paid leave. While on leave, Stesner received almost $108,000 as he underwent anger management counseling and a neurological exam.
The township paid Michael Forte a $110,000 settlement in 2010 to dismiss an excessive use of force lawsuit against Stesner and other arresting officers. Stesner was seven years into his career.
For years later, in 2014, the township paid Darren Yurik $110,000 to settle an excessive use for force suit filed against Stesner and other officers who assaulted him while he was handcuffed in a holding cell. The event was captured on the jail’s video.
Two years after that, on May 1, 2016, Stesner and others allegedly used excessive force in arresting Heriberto Carrasquillo.
One month later, on June 13, Stesner and others allegedly used excessive force in arresting Philip Giannattasio, who contended that he was only trying to go inside a tenant’s rental unit to produce his ID when Stesner and his fellow officers attacked him. Giannattasio appears to be the same party addressed in Stesner’s reinstatement lawsuit. He admitted that he has an anger management problem where he “became frustrated and lost his temper” while trying to make an arrest.
Stesner has not been convicted of any misconduct although two of the lawsuits against him and his fellow officers were pending. With four federal suits filed against him in his 14.5-year career and the township’s refusal to reinstate him to active duty, Stesner chose to retire. As of March 12, 2018, it was still undetermined what pension he would be given.
Source: app.com
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