Wallkill police officer suspended as body-slam video surfaces

Officials say the video was brought to their attention on Friday and shows part of what happened during a disturbance call in the parking lot of Garnet Health in November.

News 12 Staff

Jan 20, 2021, 10:55 PM

Updated 1,412 days ago

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A Town of Wallkill police officer has been suspended with pay as the department investigates a video that shows him throwing down a handcuffed man face-first into the pavement during an arrest.
Officials say the video was brought to their attention on Friday and shows part of what happened during a disturbance call in the parking lot of Garnet Health in November.
The man in custody appears to be coughing near the officer just before he is slammed to the ground.
Police have not released the details of the arrest or the names of those involved. The department also didn’t say why it took so long to find out about it.
Frank DenDanto, the Wallkill supervisor, told News 12 that “behavior like this will not be tolerated on any level during my administration.”
Robert Hertman, Wallkill's police chief, said that the “overwhelming majority of our officers do an outstanding job every day.”
Wallkill officials say the use of police body cameras is now being considered.