Possible abuse of office: Trial of four police officers from Schwyz

Four police officers have to answer before the Schwyz criminal court because they are said to have not treated a man correctly during a control. They are accused of abuse of office.

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(sda)

The case dates back to the end of August 2016, when police officers moved to Reichenburg to look for a man who had uttered death threats in an argument with another man. The police found the wanted man sitting in his car in a parking lot. At first, he refused to leave his vehicle. After about 20 minutes, he gave in and was arrested and handcuffed by the police.

Because the police assumed an “acute danger situation”, as the then head of operations said in front of the criminal court on Monday, the suspect was taken to the police station in Siebnen for further clarification. Actions are said to have taken place there which the man, who is now appearing as a private prosecutor, criticizes as disproportionate and arbitrary.

“Like in a wrong movie”

So he had to completely undress in order to be checked. He had already emptied the pockets of his car and had his whole body scanned. “I stood there completely naked for two minutes,” said the private prosecutor in court. “I felt like I was in the wrong movie.”

He was also threatened with admission to a psychiatric clinic if he did not withdraw his own threat. Ultimately, he was also refused to hire a lawyer. About his emotional state at the police station, he said: “I was calm, no danger to anyone.” According to the indictment, the man was taken to his family doctor, who saw no cause for welfare placement. But he gave him medicine.

The head of operations defended the police’s actions in court. He took the man’s death threats very seriously. In an acute dangerous situation, body searches of suspects are normal. The fact that the private plaintiff was naked for two minutes could not be true. The phase in which a controlled person is completely undressed lasts 10 to 15 seconds.

Policemen wouldn’t do anything different today

Furthermore, the police chief denied that the private plaintiff had been threatened with admission to a psychiatric clinic. On the other hand, it is correct that a welfare placement was an issue, which is why a doctor was called in. “It made a confused impression, was not tangible,” said the accused about the state of mind of the private plaintiff at the time at the police station. As a result of the conversation, he appeared suicidal. So he said that he did not know what would happen the next day. Obviously he was desperate about his private situation.

The chief of operations said that he had nothing to blame. “I wouldn’t do anything different today, everything was proportionate.” The three other police officers who have to answer in court made a similar statement. In the survey they confirmed the statements of the head of operations. Everything went correctly, they assured. On some points, however, all four police officers showed gaps in their memories. So none of them could say who had carried out the controversial body search.

After the lunch break, the police trial at the Schwyz criminal court will continue with the party presentations.

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