Plaintiff:
Jacob Klippenstein
Incident date:
04/06/2015
Location:
3012 E. 83rd St.
Allegations:
While riding his bike, Klippenstein observed a vehicle surrounded by several police vehicles at an intersection. From about half a block away, Klippenstein watched officers take two passengers into custody and leave. Having been trained as a "cop watcher" by First Defense Legal Aid, he approached the remaining officers and passengers to share information about free legal services. An officer approached Klippenstein in his vehicle and asked him if he needed help, to which Klippenstein replied no. The officer got out of the vehicle and took away the FDLA card Klippenstein had been holding. Another officer joined him, and the two warned Klippenstein that if he didn't leave he'd be arrested. They began searching him when he tried to explain himself. Klippenstein told them that he didn't consent to a search, to which one of the officers responded, "This isn't a free country, this is Chicago." The officers took Klippenstein to a police station and detained him in a holding cell for several hours. The officers falsely charged Klippenstein and he was found not guilty three months later.