3 Cops Suspended for Student Party Arrests

Tuscaloosa police chief says city has a black eye
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Nov 10, 2015 2:29 AM CST

The chief of police in Tuscaloosa, Ala., says the department and the city have a "black eye" after what he sees as the deeply disturbing arrest of three University of Alabama students early Sunday morning. Video posted online shows a city police officer standing in an apartment doorway arguing with a student before police drag two men and a woman out of the apartment, using a Taser and a baton on one man, the Crimson White reports. Chief Steven Anderson says there will be an internal investigation, and three officers, including the man first seen in the video and the man who used the Taser, have been suspended with pay.

The incident happened hours after Alabama defeated Louisiana State University, and police say they were following up a noise complaint. The three students, Brandon Williford, Matthew Macia, and Caroline Giddis, face charges that include obstructing governmental operations, reports the AP. Anderson says complaints about the heavy-handed treatment of the students are being taken very seriously and he doesn't want the department's reputation to be ruined by a "careless or [senseless] act," AL.com reports. "Do not be afraid of calling the Tuscaloosa Police Department,'' he says. "Do we always get it right? No, but there's no need to fear us or fear our officers." (A student violently arrested for smoking on campus is suing a college in Illinois.)

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