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Justin A. Volpe et al. Trials: 1999 & 2000

"sit Tight"

Key prosecutorial evidence included flurries of telephone calls among the accused officers in the hours and days immediately after the attack. And prosecution witness Michael Immitt, a trustee of the Patrolmen's Benevolent Association (the police union), angrily conceded on the witness stand that, in a closed-door meeting for four days after the attack, he had counseled the defendants to keep silent, saying, "Sit tight, don't talk about it. Don't talk to anyone unless something official comes down."

On Monday, March 6, 2000, after deliberating four days, the six white and six nonwhite jury panelists found the three defendants guilty, accepting the prosecution's argument that Schwarz had recruited Bruder and Wiese to help cover up Schwarz's role in the assault. The conviction came even though Volpe testified at the second trial that Schwarz had not been in the bathroom during the attack. Schwarz, Bruder, and Wiese faced a jail sentence of up to five years, while Volpe planned to appeal his 30-year sentence.

Abner Louima also wanted another day in court, filing a $155 million civil lawsuit against the police officers, their union, the NYPD, and the city of New York.

—Bernard Ryan, Jr. and

—Michael Butgan

Suggestions for Further Reading

Bartollas, Clemens, and Larry D. Hahn. Policing in America. Needham Heights, Mass.: Allyn & Bacon, 1998.

Barry, Dan. "Officer Charged in Man's Torture at Station House." New, York Times (August 14, 1997): Al.

Burris, John L. and Catherine Whitney. Blue versus Black: Let's End the Conflict between Cops and Minorities. New York: St. Martin's, 1999.

Crawshaw, Ralph, Tom Williamson, and Barry Devlin. Human Rights and Policing: Standards for Good Behavior and a Strategy for Change. New York: Kluwer, 1998.

DeSantis, John. The New Untouchables: How America Sanctions Police Violence. Chicago: Noble Press, 1994.

Fried, Joseph P. "Volpe Sentenced to a 30-Year Term in Louima Torture." New York Times (December 14, 1999): Al.

Geller, William A. and Hans Toch, eds. Police Violence: Understanding and Controlling Police Abuse of Force. New Haven, Coon.: Yale University Press, 1996.

Kappeler, Victor E., Geoffrey P. Alpert, and Richard D. Sluder. Forces of Deviance: Understanding the Dark Side of Policing. Prospect Heights, Ill.: Waveland Press, 1998.

Levitt, Leonard. "The Louima Verdicts: Some Splits, but Blue Wall Stands." Newsday (June 9, 1999): A4.

McFadden, Robert D. and Joseph P. Fried. "In Harsh Testimony's Wake, Officer Accused in Torture of Louima to Plead Guilty." New York Times (May 25, 1999): B4.

Roleff, Tamara L., ed. Police Brutality. San Diego: Greenhaven, 1999.

Skolnick, Jerome H. and James Fyfe. Above the Law: Police and the Excessive Use of Force. New York: The Free Press (Simon & Schuster), 1994.

"Volpe Recounts Night of Brutality, Threats and Rage." New York Times (May 26, 1999): B5.

Additional topics

Law Library - American Law and Legal InformationNotable Trials and Court Cases - 1995 to PresentJustin A. Volpe et al. Trials: 1999 2000 - "… On Tomorrow's Front Page.…", Cops Reassigned, Suspended, Arrested, A Breach In The "blue Wall"