COLUMBUS – A union official is criticizing the proposed suspension for a Columbus officer who subdued a restrained suspect in a way that appeared to show him kicking the suspect in the head while the suspect’s family wants the officer fired.
The recommendation of a 24-hour suspension by Chief Kim Jacobs against officer Zachary Rosen was made public Wednesday. The suspension would amount to three shifts.
Jason Pappas, head of the Fraternal Order of Police chapter that represents Rosen, says the union disagrees that any discipline is required.
Pappas notes that a sergeant, lieutenant and commander all cleared Rosen before a deputy chief found fault with the officer.
Attorney Sean Walton, representing Demarko Anderson, the suspect Rosen was helping subdue, says Anderson was the victim of a crime. He called the suspension “laughable” and thinks Rosen should be fired.
“Our hope is that he will be terminated and our only concern there is, will he be allowed back on the force,” Walton said. “That often happens where officers are terminated and they go to arbitration and, at that point, because eyes are off of the matter, they quietly let them back on the force.”
The recommendation will be sent on to Public Safety Director Ned Pettus, who will have the final say, under the contract between the city and the FOP.
“I have every expectation the Public Safety Director will discipline Officer Rosen in a manner that holds him accountable for his actions, and I expect the final decision to be made as quickly as possible,” Mayor Andrew Ginther said in a statement released by his office.
In a memo dated June 14 to Officer Zachary Rosen, 32, Jacobs said she is recommending the suspension to Pettus, who will hold his own inquiry. The police division held a departmental hearing on June 6. The memo was released on Wednesday, according to a report in The Columbus Dispatch.
The case gained attention and drew protests after witnesses posted a video of the April 8 incident on YouTube. Ginther also expressed disappointment and said the incident eroded public trust.
On the video, 26-year-old Demarko Anderson is seen lying on his chest on a concrete driveway, restrained by Officer Darren Stephens with his hands behind his back. Rosen is seen darting into the frame and striking Anderson once in the head with his left foot.
Officers had responded to a report of a man with gun near a residence in Linden. Anderson was walking away from a Maize Road residence when Stephens tried to handcuff him, according to a police report. Anderson pulled away, then elbowed Stephens in the face and fled. Stephens caught Anderson and placed him in handcuffs.
Anderson faces charges in common pleas court, including improperly discharging a gun into a residence, carrying a concealed weapon, obstructing official business and aggravated menacing.