The Forest Park village council voted to pay a $175,000 settlement to a former Chicago police officer who won a lawsuit against three Forest Park police officers in Federal Court alleging they used excessive force when he was arrested in 2008.
In closed session, the council authorized the settlement to Richard Schmidt who was arrested while off-duty after fighting police officers who tried to arrest him at Slainte after the St. Patrick’s Day parade in 2008. According to the complaint, within 52 seconds, Forest Park officers shot Schmidt four or five times with a stun gun and applied three Taser cycles to his legs.
Forest Park Police Sgt. Pete Morrissette in 2012 denied the amount of force used to subdue Schmidt was excessive and said the drive stuns were ineffective in placating Schmidt who was swinging, combative and “feeling no pain.”
Forest Park Commissioner Mark Hosty said of the settlement, “It turns my stomach to vote yes on a topic such as this.”
“I’m going to vote yes to support our police officers,”he said.
This article has been updated to correct remarks made by Mark Hosty about the settlement agreement.
