Was Sentence for Police Officer Charged for Wounding Detainee ‘Excessive’?

Police Inspector Christopher Martinez was recently handed a five-month prison sentence after pleading guilty to wounding detainee Aaron Flowers. The jail time follows a report filed by Flowers alleging that he was beaten over the head with a padlock. Martinez also claims that Flowers injured him, resulting in the officer being charged for common assault. The conflict allegedly stemmed from claims that Flowers had fired shots at Martinez’s home, prompting him to retaliate while Flowers was in police custody. We spoke with Commissioner of Police Chester Williams about instances of police abusing their power over detainees. He told us that while he believes that the sentence is excessive, it sends a message for other officers in the force.

 

Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police

“Mister Martinez took full responsibility for what he did. I believe that he came to the realization that he was wrong and he got guilty to the charge. I personally believe that the sentence is excessive in nature. It’s a matter for him to decide if he’s going to appeal the sentence or not. And I hope that police officers are watching. Again, we’re seeing a number of instances where police officers are being accused of committing different types of crimes. And they will see that the court system is not plain when it comes to police. We start with Kareem Martinez where we saw an unusual sentence likewise excessively high and then now we have Martrinez. It’s Something for police to watch out to look at to make sure that they don’t commit themselves.”