Officer at center of arrest

Euclid police chief, ACLU of Ohio, Cleveland Branch NAACP release statements on arrest

Euclid Police Chief Scott Meyer released a statement Aug. 16 regarding the violent arrest Aug. 12 that went viral after a witness posted a video of the incident.

Officer Michael Amiott was put on paid administrative leave following the incident with 25-yearold Cleveland resident Richard Hubbard III. Police released dash cam footage of the incident on Aug. 14.The footage shows that as Hubbard gets out of the car, the officer asks him to face away and repeats the order about a second later. The situation progresses — some of which happens out of the view of the dash cam — and Hubbard and two officers go to the ground. As they are on the ground, one of

the officers can be seen repeatedly punching Hubbard. Hubbard is punched multiple times again later in the video. He was charged with driving under suspension and resisting arrest.

Meyer opened his statement by apologizing for “not publicly responding in a more timely fashion.”

He said he can “understand and appreciate the great concern and alarm” of those who have seen the videos of Hubbard’s arrest.

“I want to personally assure everyone that this incident is being thoroughly investigated and reviewed to determine if the actions of the police officers involved were consistent with both the mission and policy and procedures of the Euclid Police Department,” Meyer said in his statement. “As chief of police, it is my duty to see that this investigation is done thoroughly and fairly. I ask everyone to please be patient while this process is being conducted.”

Meyer said the department is “deeply committed to positive community engagement.” He added they’ll continue to work with community partners in building and fostering positive relationships. He said the officers are committed to “proactively, conscientiously and fairly addressing our very real crime control issues, particularly violent crime and gun crime.”

“Please do not lose sight of the incredible work routinely being done by the members of this department and by the law enforcement community throughout the country,” Meyer said. “There is too much perceived division between the police and the public, when in all reality, there is so much more that unites us. We are all connected by our humanity.”

The American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio and the Cleveland Branch of the NAACP also released a statement condemning Amiott’s “extreme use of force.”

“We were appalled by the brutality seen in these videos,” said J. Bennett Guess, executive director of the ACLU of Ohio. “This behavior

underscores a disturbing pattern of extreme use of force by police in our state and across our nation. In order to regain public trust, authorities must ensure that the force is only used as a last resort to protect the life of officers and community members. Even under those circumstances, the force must never be excessive.”

James L. Hardiman, president of the Cleveland Branch of the NAACP, said “this extremely disturbing use of force by a law enforcement officer is, sadly, nothing new.”

“We are aware of other incidents involving police misconduct by Euclid policemen, and we are calling on the city of Euclid and its police department to takes this matter seriously, fulfill their sworn oath as public officials and eliminate the practice of using excessive and unconstitutional force,” he said in his statement. The relationship between the African-American community and local police is, at best, tumultuous, and events like this only serve to plant a deeper seed of mistrust.”