News > Top Stories
ShareNational Spinal Cord Injury Association (NSCIA) Condemns Police Treatment of Quadriplegic in Florida
Rockville, MD – The response by the spinal cord injury community to a video released Tuesday in which a man was dumped face forward out of a wheelchair by a law enforcement officer who apparently doubted his inability to walk, is “outrage” according to Marcie Roth, executive director and CEO of the National Spinal Cord Injury Association (NSCIA).
Brian Sterner, who is quadriplegic as a result of an injury nearly 14 years ago, described the incident as incredibly degrading and an example of how poorly trained the Hillsborough Florida Sheriff's Office is.
“If they’re trying to figure out if somebody needs to be in a wheelchair or not, there are many other ways to do it than to dump somebody on their face,” Sterner added in an interview with CBS news.
Sterner is known for his work in assisting others to navigate life with spinal cord injury or disease.
"Clearly if this can happen to an individual who is articulate and able to advocate for himself, others remain far more vulnerable," said Roth.
“This type of behavior is completely unacceptable,” she added. “And unfortunately, it is more common than most people realize and reflects a much broader problem. People with disabilities like spinal cord injury too often are expected to settle for less than human and equitable treatment.”
“We appreciate that Chief Deputy Joe Docobo of the Hillsborough Co. Sheriff’s Office has said he was ‘appalled at every level’ after seeing the videotape,” said Roth. “But the response needs to go further than that. This should raise a red flag for law enforcement agencies nationwide to review their policies, training and procedures to ensure that their personnel are properly trained to work as effectively with citizens who have disabilities as they do with anyone else.”
Roth also noted that this presents an opportunity for our society to "do better" by training not only law enforcement personnel but more broadly educating first responders and public service employees in a host of fields.
The mission of the National Spinal Cord Injury Association (NSCIA) is to enable people with spinal cord injury and disease (SCI/D) to achieve their highest level of independence, health, and quality of life.
NSCIA advocates for best practices and public policies that proactively affect people with SCI/D, their families and service providers. The Association conducts public policy initiatives through its local chapters and at the national level and actively collaborates with other national organizations on issues of mutual concern.
Editors Note: Marcie Roth is available for comment on this specific incident and to provide background on spinal cord injury and related issues