Plaintiff:
Kenneth Stephens
Incident date:
10/28/2009
Location:
6006 N. Wolcott Ave.
Allegations:
James and a companion were near Peterson Avenue and Wolcott Avenue when Officer Cirrincione came up to them, used a racial epithet toward James' friend, slapped him, and searched him. A short time later, James and his friend were approached again by Cirrincione. James called Stephens, a retired Chicago Fire Department chief, to come over and videotape the sidewalk encounter. Standing 30 feet away, both of them watched while James' companion was handcuffed. Despite the distance, Cirrincione accused them of interfering with a police investigation and threatened to arrest them. As the two tried to leave in Stephens' car, Cirrincione demanded Stephens' keys. When Stephens question the legality of the order, Cirrincion arrested both James and Stephens for resisting arrest. James was later found not guilty and the charges against Stephens were dismissed.