Arlington Police Investigate themselves: White Officer who body slammed Black Girl (15) & Scraped face on pavement acted reasonably

From [HERE] The Arlington Police Department determined Wednesday that force used by an Arlington officer to subdue a teen in August was consistent with the department's training and policies.

The administrative review was initiated after a cell phone video posted to YouTube went viral on Aug. 9.  The incident happened in a parking lot. The video shows the officer forcing the girl to the ground - by picking her up a foot of the ground from behind and violently bodyslamming her down on her back. The officer then scrapes her face on the pavement and pepper sprays her face at close range - which caused pain in her open wounds, her parent's lawsuit says.

The officer outweighs the girl by nearly 100 pounds. [MORE] 

Police had to break up several fights that flared outside of the facility following a teen party. The 15-year-old girl was one of five arrested and ticketed that night for fighting in public. She plead not guilty to the charge in Arlington Municipal court in September. 

The 15-year-old’s parents, Julie and Kirk Perry, filed a federal lawsuit against Eckstrom on Nov. 15. In it, they say Eckstrom used excessive force by lifting their daughter a foot off the ground and driving her, back first, into the pavement.

According to the department’s preliminary review, Eckstrom’s conduct was “consistent with the expectations of the organization and with law enforcement training standards.”

To date, the department has not received a complaint from the teenager involved in this incident or her parents.

Since the incident, the department has exchanged dialogue with several faith-based leaders to identify pressing issues that affect youth.

“Part of the dialogue that has resonated from these meetings included a call to action from our faith-based community to address youth violence issues and steer our young people into making the right decisions for the right reasons at the right time,” said Sgt. Christopher Cook in a release.

As is customary, the department shared the final review with the Federal Bureau of Investigation. No further investigative efforts by the department are expected.