GUILTY CO - Cops violently arrested woman with dementia, 73, laughed about it afterwards, 2021

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Austin Hopp and Daria Jalali both resigned on April 30 after body camera footage surfaced showing the forceful detention of Karen Garner last summer.

[snip]

Hopp on Wednesday was charged with two felonies: second-degree assault of an at-risk adult and attempt to influence a public servant. According to the latter charge, Hopp allegedly failed to report the seriousness of Garner's injuries to his superiors.

Hopp was also charged with misdemeanor first-degree official misconduct.

Jalali was charged with failure to report excessive use of force, failure to intervene in the use of excessive force and first-degree official misconduct — all misdemeanors.

Cops Who Fist-Bumped While Watching Video of Themselves Injuring Woman with Dementia Are Charged
 
I'm not familiar with the processing of police body cam footage. What is the process? Does anyone watch the footage of police interactions? Or are they just watched when a complaint has been made? Shouldn't some independent of the police be watching footage to see what kind of interactions are happening?
 
Charlot123 said:
No. But if she has dementia, someone has to take care of her, observe, or supervise. Usually the social services prefer in-home care, but then either someone in the family is paid for caregiving, or some worker gets hours for it.

The situation when a person with diagnosed dementia is left to fend for herself and buy own groceries, with credit cards, keys, and all, is totally shocking.

And agreeing with the justified anger towards the police, I still can not understand how the old woman with dementia fell through all the cracks of social services.
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Dementia sets in in stages. First minor memory loss, then it progresses, it can be very difficult when a senior begins to shows signs of dementia to get them to a Dr. The last thing they want is to hear that diagnosis. Couple that with the common occurrence of paranoia that can accompany dementia and worsen as it progresses. Seniors often are loath to lose their independence. Many families try to allow their elder to stay in a home setting for as long as possible, with family members assisting with cleaning meal prep and shopping. Some families have their elder living with or very near and then members take shifts "watching" over them. But here is the thing, many folks with dementia tend to wander and then get lost or start a task and then lose track of what they were trying to do and why. Couple that with the paranoia and they can be sneakier than teenagers sneaking out to meet unauthorized friends.

It can be very difficult for families to navigate getting appropriate care, sometimes guardianships must be instituted for seniors. Even when families are hesitant to do it. I deal with this every day working in elder law field. My heart breaks for families facing a long farewell such as this. Medicaid in my state will cover long term care in a nursing home but not so much in home caregivers for the amount of hours needed to fully care for and supervise an elder suffering dementia in their own home. And nursing homes? Don't even get me started.
 
tlcya said:
Dementia sets in in stages. First minor memory loss, then it progresses, it can be very difficult when a senior begins to shows signs of dementia to get them to a Dr. The last thing they want is to hear that diagnosis. Couple that with the common occurrence of paranoia that can accompany dementia and worsen as it progresses. Seniors often are loath to lose their independence. Many families try to allow their elder to stay in a home setting for as long as possible, with family members assisting with cleaning meal prep and shopping. Some families have their elder living with or very near and then members take shifts "watching" over them. But here is the thing, many folks with dementia tend to wander and then get lost or start a task and then lose track of what they were trying to do and why. Couple that with the paranoia and they can be sneakier than teenagers sneaking out to meet unauthorized friends.

It can be very difficult for families to navigate getting appropriate care, sometimes guardianships must be instituted for seniors. Even when families are hesitant to do it. I deal with this every day working in elder law field. My heart breaks for families facing a long farewell such as this. Medicaid in my state will cover long term care in a nursing home but not so much in home caregivers for the amount of hours needed to fully care for and supervise an elder suffering dementia in their own home. And nursing homes? Don't even get me started.
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I know about the nursing homes, in my state, they’d support any kind of in-home aid rather than a facility. But the issue is, did she have the diagnosis of dementia before the episode?

If yes, then someone, family, the social services, someone still dropped the ball. She escaped and no one alerted the same police? Or, she was allowed to shop on her own? Either way, a person with dementia on the street, alone, runs all the risks. No one in the store knows she has dementia. They see an old lady stealing. Maybe something else.

Now, the so-called police is another issue. It is like a huge school bully, that guy. Sadistic, too. Happy to use the force.

But someone did drop the ball. And as I have said - if it were a kid, all the services, the family, everyone would be under fire.

This case doesn’t start with the police assaulting her. This case starts with an old lady with dementia going alone shopping, while she allegedly was observed by her family.

See my point? It should be the start of a long process looking at how elderly are treated and taken care for. The policemen will get their due, and it is right. But I want the other side of the equation to be examined. For all of our elderly. Specifically using this case.

If the family did not watch over her, they are not entitled to compensation. If the social services did not do their job, it needs to be known, and discussed.
 
My Mom had dementia. It started years ago, very gradual, came and went. But she remained independent for a long time, really up until just 6 months before she passed. Early on, demential doesn't mean you have to have someone constantly supervising and these people are free to come and go as they please. We don't really know how far along Karen Garner was. Its impossible to tell from just the small segments of video we have seen.
 
PrairieWind said:
My Mom had dementia. It started years ago, very gradual, came and went. But she remained independent for a long time, really up until just 6 months before she passed. Early on, demential doesn't mean you have to have someone constantly supervising and these people are free to come and go as they please. We don't really know how far along Karen Garner was. Its impossible to tell from just the small segments of video we have seen.
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Sorry for your mom. And your loss.

But - would you allow your mother to go shopping on her own? Driving? Knowing her diagnosis?

Karen, the way I see, had dementia to the degree, that she, per her relatives, forgot to pay. Which I totally believe. And my friend’s mother, who had dementia, was stealing and hiding things. But she was taken care of so well. (Shopping alone? Never ever).

BTW - we tend to minimize our beloved ones’ symptoms. It is scary for us. But we should know better than let them fend for themselves. They might get lost, too. They are on the mercy of any bully, any . Home, yes, they know it. But not the street.

One of my indirect in-laws has some form of dementia. I would agree that some might develop in steps, and that actually, lots of symptoms (e.g., hallucinations) might be missed. But all the more so…

I hope everyone understands, in no way am I protecting the police in this case. Even if she had no dementia, a frail old lady..Horrible! (And the policeman mentioned something about the taser, too? Discharged???!!!) But I have to say it - the whole situation reeks of abandonment. I think it is the nursing home that deserves the money, not the relatives.
 
Charlot123 said:
Sorry for your mom. And your loss.

But - would you allow your mother to go shopping on her own? Driving? Knowing her diagnosis?

Karen, the way I see, had dementia to the degree, that she, per her relatives, forgot to pay. Which I totally believe. And my friend’s mother, who had dementia, was stealing and hiding things. But she was taken care of so well. (Shopping alone? Never ever).

BTW - we tend to minimize our beloved ones’ symptoms. It is scary for us. But we should know better than let them fend for themselves. They might get lost, too. They are on the mercy of any bully, any ****. Home, yes, they know it. But not the street.

One of my indirect in-laws has some form of dementia. I would agree that some might develop in steps, and that actually, lots of symptoms (e.g., hallucinations) might be missed. But all the more so…

I hope everyone understands, in no way am I protecting the police in this case. Even if she had no dementia, a frail old lady..Horrible! (And the policeman mentioned something about the taser, too? Discharged???!!!) But I have to say it - the whole situation reeks of abandonment. I think it is the nursing home that deserves the money, not the relatives.
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Respectfully, unless someone has lived day in and day out with a loved one experiencing dementia we are not in a position to judge this lady’s family.

Not allowing an adult to do what they want, when they want, is easier said than done.

What happened to this lovely lady is despicable and I am thrilled that steps have been taken to seek justice.
 
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Charlot123 said:
I know about the nursing homes, in my state, they’d support any kind of in-home aid rather than a facility. But the issue is, did she have the diagnosis of dementia before the episode?

If yes, then someone, family, the social services, someone still dropped the ball. She escaped and no one alerted the same police? Or, she was allowed to shop on her own? Either way, a person with dementia on the street, alone, runs all the risks. No one in the store knows she has dementia. They see an old lady stealing. Maybe something else.

Now, the so-called police is another issue. It is like a huge school bully, that guy. Sadistic, too. Happy to use the force.

But someone did drop the ball. And as I have said - if it were a kid, all the services, the family, everyone would be under fire.

This case doesn’t start with the police assaulting her. This case starts with an old lady with dementia going alone shopping, while she allegedly was observed by her family.

See my point? It should be the start of a long process looking at how elderly are treated and taken care for. The policemen will get their due, and it is right. But I want the other side of the equation to be examined. For all of our elderly. Specifically using this case.

If the family did not watch over her, they are not entitled to compensation. If the social services did not do their job, it needs to be known, and discussed.
Click to expand...
BBM. She is not a prisoner and she cannot be confined, 'call the police'? As was shown, she was quite capable of walking to the shop. Yes, she forgot to pay.
You would have her confined at home for that?
 
Charlot123 said:
I know about the nursing homes, in my state, they’d support any kind of in-home aid rather than a facility. But the issue is, did she have the diagnosis of dementia before the episode?

If yes, then someone, family, the social services, someone still dropped the ball. She escaped and no one alerted the same police? Or, she was allowed to shop on her own? Either way, a person with dementia on the street, alone, runs all the risks. No one in the store knows she has dementia. They see an old lady stealing. Maybe something else.

Now, the so-called police is another issue. It is like a huge school bully, that guy. Sadistic, too. Happy to use the force.

But someone did drop the ball. And as I have said - if it were a kid, all the services, the family, everyone would be under fire.

This case doesn’t start with the police assaulting her. This case starts with an old lady with dementia going alone shopping, while she allegedly was observed by her family.

See my point? It should be the start of a long process looking at how elderly are treated and taken care for. The policemen will get their due, and it is right. But I want the other side of the equation to be examined. For all of our elderly. Specifically using this case.

If the family did not watch over her, they are not entitled to compensation. If the social services did not do their job, it needs to be known, and discussed.
Click to expand...

BBM
Wow. I disagree with practically everything you’ve stated except for your comment about police officer accountability.

Escaped from where exactly? We do not know the family situation at all. It could have been a mixup in communication between her family members. There are too many details we do not know about her living situation to be accusing family members or social services of dropping the ball.

This victim deserves compensation. Where has it been reported the family is looking for compensation? Had it not been for the civil suit no one would have known what took place at that police station.

Of course the store doesn’t know she has dementia! No one said they did. The store employees did their job as they have been instructed by their employer.

This case starts and ends with the mistreatment of this ‘old lady with dementia’ and this ‘old lady stealing’ as you call her. She has a name. It is Karen Garner.

imo
 
3 million dollar settlement reached.
$3 million settlement reached over Colorado police's violent arrest of Karen Garner, a 73-year-old with dementia

The lawsuit said former Loveland Officer Austin Hopp injured Garner during a 2020 arrest after she allegedly left a Walmart without paying for about $14 worth of items. In a video of the incident, she was put on the ground and pinned to the patrol car, which she said resulted in a dislocated shoulder, broken arm and bruises.

In an another clip released by Garner's lawyer, Sarah Schielke, some officers involved in the incident could be seen laughing at footage of the arrest, as Garner sat in a jail cell without medical care for about six hours.

Three of the officers involved, including Hopp, have resigned. Hopp and Daria Jalali, who also responded to the incident, face criminal charges stemming from the arrest. In May, Garner's daughter Allisa Swartz told "CBS Mornings" national correspondent David Begnaud that those officers "need to go to jail."

Garner's family filed a federal lawsuit against Loveland and its officers in April, accusing the police department of violating her civil rights. The city said once the settlement is finalized, it will end Garner's pending lawsuit. The city's manager Steve Adams said it will "help bring some closure to an unfortunate event."
 
Hog tying an 80 pound woman, regardless of if she has dementia, is nothing to congratulate one another for. I'm glad they're no longer cops and I would like for us as a nation to come to a consensus as to exactly what kind of record disgraced cops need to be given that keeps them from just moving to a different city and getting a job as a cop again.
 
Against Family's Wishes, Judge Accepts Plea Deal for Ex-Cop Who Dislocated Shoulder of Elderly Woman with Dementia
Against Family’s Wishes, Judge Accepts Plea Deal for Ex-Cop Who Dislocated Shoulder of Elderly Woman with Dementia
Mar 2nd, 2022
A former police officer pleaded guilty to a lesser charge for violently arresting an elderly woman who lives with dementia. Austin Hopp would normally face two to eight years in prison for assaulting Karen Garner, 75, but a Colorado judge can decide to give him only probation because this is an open sentence, according to 9 News.
[...]
Sentencing is set for May 5.
[...]
 
Karen Garner arrest: Austin Hopp pleads guilty to assault | 9news.com
Former Loveland officer pleads guilty to assault related to Karen Garner's arrest
March 2, 2022
LOVELAND, Colo. — The former Loveland Police officer who was charged with three counts including assault in connection with the arrest of an elderly woman with dementia pleaded guilty to a single charge of second-degree assault, a class four felony, on Wednesday morning.
The standard sentence is two to eight years, but it is an open sentence, meaning the judge could sentence him to probation at the hearing set for 1:30 p.m. May 5.
[...]
When the family was approached last week regarding the deal, she said the family asked for a week to consider the implications of a trial, the deal and other impacts.
Shannon Steward said after mulling things over, the family came to the same conclusion that they didn't want a deal and hoped to proceed to trial.
"I’m really disappointed that the district attorney would offer a plea," said John Steward, who is Garner's son, last week. "Caught us off-guard, shocked, disappointed."
In court, Shannon Steward said they felt deals were typically offered if there wasn't enough evidence, which the family said was "overwhelming" in this case.
[...]
 
I thought that the district attorney made their decision based on what family members wanted so I can see why they are upset if their wishes were not taken into consideration. They obviously want a stiffer penalty for this police officer other than possibly probation.
 
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