Neumann-Ortiz alleged the Village of Greendale Police Department manipulated video and Chief Malasuk intimidated Torres to drop complaint.
By H. Nelson Goodson
Hispanic News Network U.S.A.
June 6, 2017
Village of Greendale, Wisconsin - On Tuesday, Katherine Torres withdrew her complaint that she alleged an officer of the Village of Greendale Police Department (VGPD) had asked her legal status during a traffic stop. Torres during a press conference along with Voces de la Frontera (VDLF) had claimed that she was also profiled for being Latina.
The VGPD launched an investigation and a squad video with recording sound (had static noise in the background) indicated that the officer, who was identified as Police Sergeant Karczewski never asked Torres for her legal status as she had claimed during a press conference in front of the police department. Torres then walked inside with Christine Neumann-Ortiz, the Executive Director of VDLF, a workers and immigrant rights non-profit organization to file a formal complaint against Sgt. Karczewski who apparently removed his name from a $10 citation issued to Torres for not having a seatbelt on.
The VGPD contacted Torres after it was learned through the screening of the police squad video that the officer never asked Torres for her legal status, according to a VGDP press release. Torres then decided to withdraw her formal complaint, the VGPD reported. The press release from the VGDP did not address or explained why Sgt. Karczewski had removed his name from the citation, which would be considered inappropriate and an illegal act to issue a citation without the identity of the officer issuing the citation. Sgt. Karczewski also asked Torres for her Social Security number.
Neumann-Ortiz in responded to the VGPD alleged finding that Sgt. Karczewski never asked Torres for the legal status when she was stopped on May 31, 2017. Neumann-Ortiz on her Facebook account alleged intimidation by the chief of police and manipulation of the police squad video. Neumann-Ortiz posted, "She (Torres) did not lie. We believe the video was manipulated because there is a part of the conversation (2 minutes and 10 seconds in the Facebook video) where you cannot hear them. Today I accompanied her to a meeting with the Greendale Chief of Police (Robert Malasuk) and the police chief refused to have me accompany her. In front of me he told her "if you don't withdraw this complaint I will file criminal charges against you." This is clear intimidation. It is ridiculous that they collect people's social security numbers for minor traffic infractions. This is a privacy issue."
If in fact, Neumann-Ortiz allegations have merit, it would mean that Chief Malasuk is lying and making false claims as well and if the police video was edited or manipulated would no doubt be a cover-up and an illegal act.
Neumann-Ortiz has not released any information, if VDLF will now seek legal action against the VGPF to get the full video to see whether in fact, it was actually manipulated and a police cover-up occurred, which a corruption investigation would follow.
Brief history about Chief Malasuk when he was a sergeant: In 2006, then Sergeant Robert Malasuk, along with then Officer Matt Borkoski and a Lt. were conducting an illegal operation inside the Southridge Mall, which they profiled and targeted suspected Latino gang members by the clothing they were wearing. Sgt. Malasuk and the officer and Lt. stopped a male Latino teen and his sister and began to harass him, which was witnessed by the managing editor of El Conquistador Newspaper, H. Nelson Goodson. Sgt. Malasuk noticed the editor and came up to him and threatened to arrest him for just withnessing the incident. Goodson identified himself as a news reporter too.
Goodson then followed up on the incident and contacted the chief of police in that time. Sgt. Malasuk later denied that he had threaten Goodson. Goodson in response wrote multiple articles exposing the illegal and profiling operation by the Village of Greendale Police Department to warn Latinos in the metropolitan area about being targeted while shopping at Southridge Mall in 2006.
Goodson was also a witness in the Village of Greendale case that Attorney Narciso Aleman handle in representing the Latino male and his sister.
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