DETROIT (AP) — A suburban Detroit police officer who punched a young Black man in the face and slammed his head to the ground was sentenced Tuesday to a year in federal prison for a civil rights violation.
“I wonder what would have happened if the cameras weren’t working in that booking room,” U.S. District Judge Jonathan J.C. Grey said.
Matthew Rodriguez, a police officer for 30 years, has acknowledged using unreasonable force against the 19-year-old man while processing him at the Warren jail following an arrest in June 2023. He apparently was provoked by a verbal insult.
Rodriguez was fired by the Warren police department, which released video of the incident.
Grey sentenced him to a year and a day in prison. A 366-day sentence triggers credit for good behavior in the federal system, which means Rodriguez will likely spend less than a year in custody.
“Physical abuse of detainees is completely unacceptable and undermines public confidence in the integrity of law enforcement,” U.S. Attorney Dawn Ison said.
Grey noted that Rodriguez even asked the man to apologize for the insult after he roughed him up.
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“Whether you have power or not, humanity must be respected,” the judge said.
Rodriguez did not speak in court. His work history included using unnecessary force against a student at a Warren school in 2017, the judge said.
Defense attorney Steve Fishman tried to keep Rodriguez out of prison. He said he doubted that a prison sentence would deter other officers from committing misconduct, noting the weekend handcuffing of NFL star Tyreek Hill in Miami and the May arrest of pro golfer Scottie Scheffler in Louisville, Kentucky.
“I think the judge was fair,” Fishman said outside court.
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