Cop Fired After Punching Handcuffed Woman

You can fast forward to 6:50 if you want to see where the action starts. Just know this woman was verbally combative. However, none of her behavior justifies what the officer did. He deserves to be fired. Unfortunately, some other police department will most likely hire him in the near future.

Richard Schoen, 42, had nine years of service on the Milwaukee Police Department. Chief Flynn discharged Schoen May 1 for an incident in September during which Schoen hit a female prisoner who was handcuffed in the back of his squad car - a violation of the core value of restraint, as described in the department’s Code of Conduct.

On September 22, 2011, at 9:18 p.m., Schoen punched a prisoner in the face, removed her from the squad by her hair and struck her to the body with his knee, while she was handcuffed in the squad. Schoen conducted a traffic stop of the woman at 9 p.m. in the 4100 block of N. 51st Blvd. The driver became argumentative and used profanity, resulting in her arrest.

Upon arrival at the District 7 garage, the prisoner began to stomp her left leg on the floor of the squad and yelled that her leg hurt. Schoen opened the rear passenger door and attempted to pull the prisoner out by the bottom of her shirt. He then entered the rear passenger compartment and struck her in the face. He grabbed her hair and pulled her from the squad. Once on the ground, Schoen delivered a knee strike to the prisoner’s stomach.

In the Milwaukee Police Department Code of Conduct, one of the core values for members is restraint. “We use the minimum force and authority necessary to accomplish a proper police purpose. We demonstrate self-discipline, even when no one is listening or watching,” the Code of Conduct reads. In addition to restraint, the other core values are competence, courage, integrity, leadership and respect.