Drunk driver awarded $36.6 million for jail beating by cops

Video shows jail beating by officers that got a drunk driver $36.6 million in an excessive force settlement | Daily Mail Online

-William Jennings, 42, was arrested for DUI in September 2010 in Genesee County, Michigan
-At Genesee County Jail he was pepper-sprayed, tasered and restrained
-The incident was caught on camera and Jennings sued five officers
-After a two-week trail a jury ruled the defendants used excessive force
-He was awarded $10.42 million and future damages of $7.21 million
-Jennings also received millions in punitive damages from the officers


I can't see anything in the video that the guy did to set them off. All I can figure is that he said something the cops didn't like, so they started in on him. But I would take a beating any day for $37 million....

Brewdog said:

Video shows jail beating by officers that got a drunk driver $36.6 million in an excessive force settlement | Daily Mail Online

-William Jennings, 42, was arrested for DUI in September 2010 in Genesee County, Michigan
-At Genesee County Jail he was pepper-sprayed, tasered and restrained
-The incident was caught on camera and Jennings sued five officers
-After a two-week trail a jury ruled the defendants used excessive force
-He was awarded $10.42 million and future damages of $7.21 million
-Jennings also received millions in punitive damages from the officers


I can't see anything in the video that the guy did to set them off. All I can figure is that he said something the cops didn't like, so they started in on him. But I would take a beating any day for $37 million....

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I did not see the guy do thing to result in the take down, but as you said, for 37 Million I would be willing to take a bigger beat down than he got.

Casper said:

I did not see the guy do thing to result in the take down, but as you said, for 37 Million I would be willing to take a bigger beat down than he got.

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I've been beat worse than this, and no one gave me anything for it but a black eye.

But maybe that's how we resolve this mess of our government masters thinking they're our warlords. It's just too bad that the taxpayers are the ones that actually foot most of the bill. But the good thing is, they sued each cop individually in the lawsuit also, and they will possibly have wage garnishments and property liens the rest of their lives.

Brewdog said:

Video shows jail beating by officers that got a drunk driver $36.6 million in an excessive force settlement | Daily Mail Online

-William Jennings, 42, was arrested for DUI in September 2010 in Genesee County, Michigan
-At Genesee County Jail he was pepper-sprayed, tasered and restrained
-The incident was caught on camera and Jennings sued five officers
-After a two-week trail a jury ruled the defendants used excessive force
-He was awarded $10.42 million and future damages of $7.21 million
-Jennings also received millions in punitive damages from the officers


I can't see anything in the video that the guy did to set them off. All I can figure is that he said something the cops didn't like, so they started in on him. But I would take a beating any day for $37 million....

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Yeah, I don't see anything physically provoking.

And I agree: I don't know the injuries the victim suffered, but that seems a pretty excessive award. Glad to see an award, though.

Brewdog said:

Video shows jail beating by officers that got a drunk driver $36.6 million in an excessive force settlement | Daily Mail Online

-William Jennings, 42, was arrested for DUI in September 2010 in Genesee County, Michigan
-At Genesee County Jail he was pepper-sprayed, tasered and restrained
-The incident was caught on camera and Jennings sued five officers
-After a two-week trail a jury ruled the defendants used excessive force
-He was awarded $10.42 million and future damages of $7.21 million
-Jennings also received millions in punitive damages from the officers


I can't see anything in the video that the guy did to set them off. All I can figure is that he said something the cops didn't like, so they started in on him. But I would take a beating any day for $37 million....

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The police are out of control just about everywhere. I have witnessed assault, some years back, an act by a police officer that would put a citizen in jail for a decade or more.

Lord of Planar said:

The police are out of control just about everywhere. I have witnessed assault, some years back, an act by a police officer that would put a citizen in jail for a decade or more.

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And it is going to get worse as Red and Blue continue to trash the constitution and trample on individual rights and freedoms/liberty.

As we move towards a more totalitarian police state police powers will increase.

Power corrupts and more power corrupts more ....

Brewdog said:

Video shows jail beating by officers that got a drunk driver $36.6 million in an excessive force settlement | Daily Mail Online

-William Jennings, 42, was arrested for DUI in September 2010 in Genesee County, Michigan
-At Genesee County Jail he was pepper-sprayed, tasered and restrained
-The incident was caught on camera and Jennings sued five officers
-After a two-week trail a jury ruled the defendants used excessive force
-He was awarded $10.42 million and future damages of $7.21 million
-Jennings also received millions in punitive damages from the officers


I can't see anything in the video that the guy did to set them off. All I can figure is that he said something the cops didn't like, so they started in on him. But I would take a beating any day for $37 million....

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Law enforcement can be a difficult job, if for no other reason than you have to learn to deal with what people say (if that is even the case) that may offend or even piss you off. You have to constantly remind yourself that people are intentionally trying to set you off and push your buttons and not allow them to bother you.

One time I arrested this woman for DWI and she kept trying to "bribe" me...... when I didn't take her bribe of $5,000 or her "other" bribe.... she proceeded to start into a tirade of sexual insults to me.... one of the most frequent used was the suggestion that I have a "little dick". I just replied to her in the most sarcastic tone possible.... "How did you KNOW!?!?!?!"

That seemed to shut her up.



Anyways, back to this issue..... Some officers that can't take the verbal abuse don't belong in the business. And that ESPECIALLY applies to those who work in the jail.... they should have ****ing known better and deserve any and all punishment they receive for their actions.

Caine said:

one of the most frequent used was the suggestion that I have a "little dick". I just replied to her in the most sarcastic tone possible.... "How did you KNOW!?!?!?!"

That seemed to shut her up.

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You could have told her this....

Brewdog said:

You could have told her this....

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That would have been a sustained citizen IA complaint waiting to happen right there............

However, it was a good thing I was recording the entire ride to the jail (flipped my dash cam around so she could be seen in the back seat).......

Her attorney decided to go ahead and plead guilty after knowing he'd never get away with a trial where the judge didn't see her trying to bribe me.

Brewdog said:

they sued each cop individually in the lawsuit also, and they will possibly have wage garnishments and property liens the rest of their lives.

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That sounds like the clever way to go about it. With cops being on the hook instead of the taxpayer completely footing the bill.

Caine said:

That would have been a sustained citizen IA complaint waiting to happen right there............

However, it was a good thing I was recording the entire ride to the jail (flipped my dash cam around so she could be seen in the back seat).......

Her attorney decided to go ahead and plead guilty after knowing he'd never get away with a trial where the judge didn't see her trying to bribe me.

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That's a very good point also. Cameras can save your ass from liability and lawsuits, but they can also bury you. Why in the hell do these police keep doing these crazy things when they KNOW they're being filmed? It's not like they didn't know there were cams at the book-in counter.

reinoe said:

That sounds like the clever way to go about it. With cops being on the hook instead of the taxpayer completely footing the bill.

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I agree when it comes to cops intentionally ****ing up.

Brewdog said:

That's a very good point also. Cameras can save your ass from liability and lawsuits, but they can also bury you. Why in the hell do these police keep doing these crazy things when they KNOW they're being filmed? It's not like they didn't know there were cams at the book-in counter.

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I have no idea whatsoever.

I used the **** out of my camera... we didn't have body cams yet when I was a cop, but even when **** started getting "questionable" (drunk chick started getting flirty) and I wasn't in/at my car, I'd hit my audio recorder which had a good range so at least what was being said could be recorded so I couldn't get my ass in trouble by some scorned pissed off drunk chick.

One of my biggest paranoia's was getting falsely accused of rape or other sexual misconduct by a female pissed off about any enforcement, or lack of enforcement action that I took.

Caine said:

I have no idea whatsoever.

I used the **** out of my camera... we didn't have body cams yet when I was a cop, but even when **** started getting "questionable" (drunk chick started getting flirty) and I wasn't in/at my car, I'd hit my audio recorder which had a good range so at least what was being said could be recorded so I couldn't get my ass in trouble by some scorned pissed off drunk chick.

One of my biggest paranoia's was getting falsely accused of rape or other sexual misconduct by a female pissed off about any enforcement, or lack of enforcement action that I took.

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I used to work in the same sort of business. And I hated dealing with females. I hardly ever had anyone working with me, and I had an entire half of the state to work by myself. That meant very long rides to the jail, sometimes on country roads. I didn't have a camera of any type, my agency still doesn't use them. There's a lot of agencies that don't use cameras, and since you were in the business, you likely know which types of agencies those are.

And keeping a female in cuffs is always a huge pain because you have to clamp them down really tight or else they can just slip out of them since women's hands are so small. And I didn't have a caged vehicle either, so it was a huge pain in the arse.