COD student's attorney: Two campus cops should be fired

The attorney for former College of DuPage student Jaclyn Pazera of Willowbrook is calling on the school to fire two campus police officers who he says "manhandled" his client in December 2014. The officers remain on duty and Pazera has filed a federal lawsuit against the school. Courtesy of Attorney Blake Horwitz

The attorney representing a former College of DuPage student who filed a federal lawsuit against the school that claims two campus police officers used excessive force against her is calling for the officers to be fired.

Blake Horwitz said Friday college officials have had almost a year to review the video that he believes shows two officers "manhandling" his client, 27-year-old Jaclyn Pazera of Willowbrook, after she was issued a warning for smoking on campus and refused to show them her campus ID.

"My client demands these officers be terminated. There is no excuse for not having dealt with these officers before now," Horwitz said Friday. "The school was well aware of the conduct of these officers. And we know that they were aware because they reviewed all of the evidence before seeking the criminal charges last December."

College spokesman Randall Samborn on Friday reiterated a previous statement issued by the college, saying, "Of course we will investigate to determine the facts and take appropriate action."

Samborn said the college learned of the lawsuit only Thursday afternoon.

"Both officers remain on-duty officers on the COD Police Department," Samborn said Friday. "COD has no further comment pending its investigation and while the lawsuit is pending."

Horwitz released a video of the December 2014 confrontation, apparently taken by the classroom teacher, that shows two officers struggling with Pazera and demanding she "stop resisting." Pazera can be heard telling the officers she is not resisting and begging them to let her up.

Pazera said she sustained several "recurring injuries" to her wrist and shoulder during the altercation. She said she has not been back to campus since that day.

The events leading to Pazera's Dec. 7 arrest apparently began when she was smoking a cigarette outside the building during a break. According to the lawsuit, she was given a verbal warning regarding the college's smoke-free policy and asked to show her campus identification. Pazera told the officer she accepted the warning and returned to class.

According to the suit, two officers followed Pazera into the classroom. When asked if Pazera was his student, Pazera's teacher cited federal law and refused to give her name.

Pazera then showed her ID to the officers with her thumb covering everything but her picture, the ID's expiration date and the COD logo, the lawsuit says.

That, according to the lawsuit, is when the officers and Pazera began to struggle.

According to court records, Pazera eventually was charged with misdemeanor counts of obstructing a peace officer and resisting a peace officer. Those charges were dropped Oct. 27, the day her case was to go to trial in DuPage County.

"Anytime you're charged with resisting and obstructing, that's just police code for, 'We're going to (mess) with you,'" Horwitz said. "And everyone saw that and the charges were dropped."

Horwitz said his client hopes her lawsuit will bring about change and prevent future violations of students' rights.

Pazera also is seeking unspecified monetary damages and her legal fees.

No court date has been set yet for the suit, which was filed Wednesday in Chicago.