Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

CITY GOVERNMENT:

Henderson mayor ‘regrets’ police-inflicted pain suffered by diabetic after traffic stop

henderson police

Nevada Highway Patrol

A screen grab from the video of an incident with Henderson Police.

Click to enlarge photo

Henderson Mayor Andy Hafen speaks during the 2012 Henderson State of the City address at the Green Valley Ranch Resort in Henderson Thursday, February 9, 2012.

Man kicked during traffic stop speaks out

KSNV coverage of a man speaking out after being kicked by a Henderson Police officer while he was having a medical episode, Feb. 8, 2012.

Man kicked in the head by Henderson Police officer

Video footage from a Nevada Highway Patrol dashboard camera of a Henderson Police officer kicking a man in the head during a traffic stop, Feb. 7, 2012. Warning: The footage contains material that may be offensive.

Henderson Mayor Andy Hafen, in a written statement, said Henderson Police officers have learned from a 2010 incident that cost the city $257,000 to settle legal claims.

The Henderson City Council on Tuesday approved a $158,000 settlement with Adam Greene, who was kicked repeatedly by a Henderson Police officer while in diabetic shock during an Oct. 29, 2010, traffic stop. A Nevada Highway Patrol dashboard camera caught the incident on tape.

“What happened to Mr. Greene was wrong, and we regret the pain and suffering that he and his family endured because of it,” Hafen said in a statement released Thursday evening. “Of great concern to me, as mayor, was that we learn from this incident and work to make sure we reduce the risk of it ever happening again. As a result of what happened a year ago with Mr. Greene, our police department modified their training on the use of force. As a result, we have already seen the numbers of those types of incidents go down.”

Hafen went on to say Greene’s encounter with Henderson Police was “an isolated incident” and “does not represent our entire police force.”

Greene’s wife also received a $99,000 settlement. Sources say Greene also will receive $35,000 to settle a federal civil rights lawsuit against both Henderson Police and the Nevada Highway Patrol that alleges battery, assault and intentional infliction of emotional distress.

The Henderson Police officer who kicked Greene in the video, Sgt. Brett Seekatz, has been disciplined but remains on the force, according to a police spokesman.

“The mark of a good organization is the ability to learn from mistakes, own up to them and improve,” Hafen said in the statement. “We have tried to do that and will continue to do so in the future as we try to hold our officers and our department to the highest standards of accountability.”

Greene has since said he still respects law enforcement and wants his children to as well. The son of an Arizona state trooper, Greene said he settled the ordeal because he didn’t want to put his family through a years-long legal battle.

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