Aurora Police Officer Robert Rosen Fired For Using Excessive Force
AURORA, Colo. (CBS4)- Aurora Police Officer Robert Rosen was fired Thursday after using what the police chief called "excessive force" during an arrest last summer. Video shows Rosen repeatedly tasing the suspect while he is on the ground.
Other parts of the video show Rosen punching the suspect.
Aurora Police Chief Vanessa Wilson said Rosen tried to arrest the man for trespassing in the King Soopers store located at 6412 S. Parker Road on Aug. 10, 2020. When tackled, the police department said the man "passively resisted arrest."
In the video, the suspect is heard refusing to put his arms behind his back. Rosen tased him five times, for a total of 27 seconds in a 2-minute period. The suspect was injured in the arrest and was taken to a hospital for treatment.
"Members of the Aurora Police Department have been working tirelessly to rebuild trust in our community and I want to thank those officers who do it right everyday. The actions of Mr. Rosen were in direct contradiction of those efforts," said Wilson in a statement. "The poor decisions he made that day do not meet the high standards that the community and I expect from my officers."
APD released a statement that during the arrest, "Rosen never attempted any lesser means of force nor did he make any attempts to deescalate the situation in accordance with Aurora Police training."
Rosen was hired in 2017 and assigned to Aurora Police District 3 patrol.
The Aurora Police Department has faced criticism in the past over excessive force allegations, specifically in the case of Elijah McClain who died days after an encounter with officers while walking home from the store in August 2019 and more recently where a woman with children, all Black, were forced to lie face down on hot pavement at gunpoint by officers during a stolen car investigation.