Matthew Rodriguez, Excessive Force, Michigan 2023

A former police officer with the Warren Police Department in Michigan has pleaded guilty to using excessive force against an arrestee. Matthew Rodriguez, 49, pleaded guilty to one count of deprivation of rights under color of law.

According to court documents, on June 13, 2023, then-officer Rodriguez was fingerprinting and photographing an arrestee, identified in court documents only as J.S., who had recently been brought to the Warren Police Department's jail for processing. After taking J.S.'s fingerprints, Rodriguez struck J.S. multiple times and slammed J.S.'s head against the floor, causing injury to J.S. When Rodriguez began to assault him, J.S. was not physically resisting Rodriguez and posed no immediate threat to anyone.

Rodriguez admitted that he knew that his use of force against J.S. was unreasonable and contrary to department policy, and that he wrote a report in which he made false statements about the incident and omitted material information. J.S. suffered bodily injury from the beating.

The Warren Police Department publicly released footage of the assault in June 2023.

Rodriguez is scheduled to be sentenced on August 20. He faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The FBI Detroit Field Office investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Moran for the Eastern District of Michigan and Trial Attorney Alec Ward of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division are prosecuting the case.

This incident highlights the need for law enforcement officers to uphold the highest standards of conduct and respect the civil and constitutional rights of all individuals, including those in their custody. The Justice Department stands ready and willing to investigate and prosecute any police officer who unlawfully uses excessive force against those in their custody.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-edmi/pr/former-michigan-police-officer-pleads-guilty-federal-civil-rights-offense-using