Illiterate Cop Arrests Nursing Mother Because He Couldn't Read a Restraining Order

by Ryan W. McMaken, LRC Blog
Jun. 28, 2010

Your tax dollars at work yet again. From the Denver Post:

When Amy Shroff’s ex-boyfriend violated a restraining order by blocking her exit from a police station parking lot with his pickup, the Denver woman thought officers would come to her defense.

Instead, Officer Frank Spellman mistakenly arrested Shroff for violating the restraining order. She ended up spending a night in jail despite pleas that her 4-month-old needed breast milk due to a medical condition that prevented the baby from drinking formula.

Now Denver police are offering up a mea culpa, admitting the officer had no cause to arrest Shroff. And the city of Denver is poised to pay $175,000 [of the taxpayers' money] to settle a federal wrongful arrest lawsuit.

Here’s more detail on the court’s decision. Officer Spellman, who arrested Ms. Shroff, insulted her, forced her to disrobe in order to pump breast milk, and mocked her when she noted that her child would become ill if forced to drink formula, is, as far as I can tell, still with the Denver Police Department. So Spellman, who is apparently functionally illiterate, but no doubt makes at least $70,000 per year as a cop in addition to a huge pension upon retirement at age 50, will continue to inflict his incompetence upon the population that pays his generous salary.

In the details linked above, you can read about how Ms. Shroff said:

“Please don't do this. I don't have any way of feeding my child. She's nursing. She really can't tolerate formula. We've already had her in the pediatrician's office for these issues in the past . . . [t]here's something in her digestive system that she just can't digest it and it would make her sick."

Officer Spellman replied: "She better start liking formula."

The baby did in fact become ill thanks to Spellman’s cruelty.