Last week, the City of Springfield agreed to settle the case of Stacy Kenny’s March 2019 death at the hands of Springfield Police.
According to the lawsuit, four Springfield Police officers were responsible for the death of Stacy Kenny after a traffic stop. Kenny's family had previously informed SPD that Kenny suffered from schizophrenia, but she was reportedly beaten, tased and shot by police.
The Kenny family’s attorney, David Park, says Springfield police methods exemplified an insular and toxic warrior culture within the department.
“We hope that, true to our agreement, we’ve put in place a framework that will allow them to change that culture,” says Park, “and elevate the role of de-escalation in police-citizen contact and minimize use of force so that lives can be saved.”
Park says the Kenny family will receive a 4.55 million dollar settlement from the City of Springfield. A portion will be used to fund an independent critical incident analysis to be made public and presented to the City Council.
Copyright KLCC, 2020.
