Nelson v. City of Wichita, Kansas

217 F. Supp. 2d 1179, 2002 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 16410, 2002 WL 1997106
CourtDistrict Court, D. Kansas
DecidedAugust 22, 2002
DocketCIVIL ACTION 01-2121-CM
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 217 F. Supp. 2d 1179 (Nelson v. City of Wichita, Kansas) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Kansas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Nelson v. City of Wichita, Kansas, 217 F. Supp. 2d 1179, 2002 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 16410, 2002 WL 1997106 (D. Kan. 2002).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM AND ORDER

MURGUIA, District Judge.

Plaintiff Gay Lynne Nelson has sued defendants pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 1983, alleging that her constitutional rights under the Fourth and Fourteenth Amendments were violated. Specifically, plaintiff alleges that defendants J.P. Stephens and Chad Beard used excessive force to effect her arrest for suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol. Plaintiff further claims that defendants the City of Wichita (“the City”) and former Police Chief Michael Watson failed to train defendants Stephens and Beard properly, which, plaintiff alleges, resulted in a violation of her Fourth Amendment rights. This matter is before the court on the Motion for Summary Judgment by Defendants Watson and City of Wichita (Doc. 83) and Plaintiffs Motion to Strike (Doc. 81).

• Facts 1

This lawsuit arises from an incident that occurred on March 27, 1999. That evening, plaintiff was stopped by defendant Stephens for suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol. During the vehicle stop, defendant Stephens was joined by other police officers, including defendant Beard. After administering a field sobriety eye test, defendant Stephens placed plaintiff under arrest and handcuffed her.

• Plaintiffs Version

According to plaintiff, the following events occurred: After she was handcuffed, defendants Beard and Stephens escorted her to the patrol car, pushed her into the back seat, and shut the door. Plaintiff claims that she told defendant Stephens three times that the handcuffs were too tight and finally told him that her fingers were going numb. Defendant Stephens then opened the door and started pulling on plaintiffs arm. Plaintiff asserts that her feet at the time were twisted together on the floorboard and that, as she was trying to get out of the car, her feet came untangled and defendant Stephens yelled that she had kicked him. Plaintiff testified in her deposition that defendants Stephens and Beard then grabbed her *1181 arms and either “shoved” her down or “forced” her down face-first onto the street. Plaintiff claims that this was done intentionally and that the officers did not simply slip and drop her accidentally. According to plaintiff, the officers then held her face down in the gravel while a third officer approached and started kicking her in the back.

• Defendants Stephens and Beard’s Version

Defendants Stephens and Beard’s version of what took place is somewhat different. According to defendants Stephens and Beard, plaintiff was escorted to the patrol car after she was placed under arrest, but she refused to get in the car despite several requests. Defendant Stephens testified that plaintiff initially told him at least once that her handcuffs were too tight. Defendant Stephens responded by sticking his index finger between her hand and the handcuff, and he determined that the handcuffs were not too tight.

Defendant Stephens then opened the car door, allowing plaintiff to place her left foot on the ground. He put a copy of the implied consent form for a breathalyzer test on her left knee so she could follow along as he read the form. After plaintiff agreed to a breathalyzer test, she refused to put her leg back into the car, so defendant Stephens attempted to lift her leg into the car. According to defendant Stephens, plaintiff then laid back in the seat and began kicking defendant Stephens. Defendant Bear’d testified that he saw plaintiff violently kicking defendant Stephens. Defendant Beard was concerned from past experience that, even if they did get the car door closed, plaintiff would hurt herself or damage the vehicle with her kicking. Defendant Beard suggested that they take plaintiff out of the car, and defendant Stephens concurred. As defendant Beard went to assist defendant Stephens, he was himself kicked by plaintiff. According to defendants Stephens and Beard, they reached into the patrol car, pulled plaintiff out, and stood her up beside the car.

Once out of the car, plaintiff began flailing her upper body and kicking behind her. As each officer was attempting to hold one of plaintiffs arms, the officers were losing control of her. Defendant Beard suggested that they take plaintiff to the ground to regain control of her. Defendant Beard’s idea was that each officer would hold one of plaintiffs arms and lay her on the ground while the officers sank to their knees. Defendant Stephens testified that his strategy was for the officers to hold plaintiffs arms and pull her downward to her knees and then to the ground.

According to defendant Stephens, he made several verbal commands for plaintiff to he on the ground and stop resisting. Plaintiff resisted and continued to flail her upper body and kick her legs. While defendant Stephens was reaching down to gain control of plaintiffs left leg, her body position suddenly shifted forward, and she fell to the ground. Defendant Stephens lost his grip on plaintiff as she fell. Defendant Beard testified similarly, asserting that, as he was holding plaintiffs arm and pulling her down, she suddenly fell forward and struck the right side of her face on the street. As plaintiff fell, defendant Beard lost his grip and he fell onto his knees next to plaintiff. Both defendants deny holding plaintiffs head down on the ground after her fall and claim that they instead rolled her over onto her side to prevent positional asphyxia. Both defendants deny kicking or hitting plaintiff.

• City Policy and Officer Training

The City had a policy in effect regarding the use of reasonable force. Specifically, Wichita Police Department policy 301.04 states:

*1182 A law enforcement officer does not have to retreat from making a lawful arrest because of resistance or threatened resistance to the arrest. Officers may use only that force they reasonably believe necessary to make the arrest or to defend themselves or others from bodily harm while making the arrest.

The Kansas Law Enforcement Training Act, Kan. Stat. Ann. § 74-5601 et seq., requires that every full-time law enforcement officer complete a course of not less that 320 hours of accredited instruction at a certified law enforcement training school. Both defendants Stephens and Beard entered the Wichita-Sedgwick County Law Enforcement Training Center in 1998, at which time they successfully completed 848 hours of training.

During their training, defendants Stephens and Beard and other recruits received extensive training on the federal and state laws restricting the use of force to that which is reasonable under the circumstances. The recruits also received extensive classroom and hands-on practical training regarding the difference between reasonable and excessive force under various circumstances. At some of the classes, the recruits were taught the use of force continuum, which helps an officer determine the level of force permitted to establish control over a resistive suspect.

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Related

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276 F. Supp. 2d 1148 (D. Kansas, 2003)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
217 F. Supp. 2d 1179, 2002 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 16410, 2002 WL 1997106, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/nelson-v-city-of-wichita-kansas-ksd-2002.