A former Denver jail inmate who was slammed against a metal window frame during a court hearing filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against the city and two sheriff deputies.

Anthony Waller’s complaint, filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Denver, seeks $5 million in damages and an injunction that would allow the courts to supervise operations of the Denver jails.

“For decades the Defendant the City and County of Denver has been incapable of stopping the use of excessive force by its law enforcement,” the lawsuit says. “The only remedy is for outside intervention to address the systemic, culturally ingrained use of excessive force by Denver law enforcement.”

Also on Wednesday, The Denver Post obtained documents in two more abuse cases involving jail employees, as well as two videos in jail cases. In one case, a deputy grabs an inmate by the throat and shoves him onto a bench. In the other, a kitchen worker faces criminal charges for allegedly groping an inmate.

VIDEO: See video of Deputy Frank Kemp pushing and slapping an inmate.

The lawsuit and the latest revelations about misconduct among jail employees are further examples of a Denver Sheriff’s Department that needs an overhaul, especially when it comes to disciplining employees, several community activists said.

“There’s no deterrence for them acting out, basically,” said the Rev. William Golson, president of the Greater Metro Denver Ministerial Alliance. “The threat of losing their jobs seems to be quite minimal.”

At least two community groups have asked for federal intervention in the Denver Safety Department, which oversees the police and sheriff’s departments.

The Waller lawsuit was filed just days after city attorneys offered $3.25 million to settle a federal lawsuit with former inmate Jamal Hunter, who was choked and tortured behind bars. The judge presiding over that case also has asked for federal intervention.

Waller suffered broken teeth and a head injury on Sept. 11, 2012, when Deputy Brady Lovingier grabbed him by chains around his waist and slammed him against a window in a courtroom, the lawsuit says.

“We take each claim in each lawsuit seriously,” said City Attorney Scott Martinez. “This case won’t be any different. We’ll review this lawsuit on the merits.”

As seen on video, Waller stood calmly at a lectern addressing the judge. His hands were cuffed in front of him and he was wearing leg shackles. When Lovingier appeared to touch Waller’s back, the inmate turned around. Lovingier then grabbed him and slammed him against the window, which had a metal frame.

Lovingier then tells Waller: “Get up, get up, get up! Get on your feet! You don’t turn on me, boy.”

The lawsuit notes that Lovingier is white and Waller is black and adds: “calling the Plaintiff Waller a ‘boy’ is a racially derisive comment.”

The judge in the courtroom at the time of the incident, Doris Burd, reported the assault to the presiding judge of the Denver County Court, who then filed a complaint against Lovingier.

Lovingier eventually was suspended for 30 days. He lost his appeal in April.

Lovingier now is assigned to hall patrol at the courthouse, said Daelene Mix, a spokeswoman for the safety department.

The second deputy named in the lawsuit, Capt. Gina McCall, joined Lovingier in filing a police report to bring criminal charges against Waller. Those charges were dismissed.

McCall is the night shift commander at the county jail, Mix said.

“The unprovoked assault upon Anthony Waller is another example of the overwhelmingly common and routine use of excessive force by Denver Sheriff’s Officers that has not been timely investigated, nor has there been appropriate discipline for the egregious use of excessive force by any officer of the DSD,” the lawsuit says.

The lawsuit also accuses the city of failing to adequately train, supervise and discipline its law enforcement officers.

“It is not only ironic but demonstrates complete lack of proper training on the proper use of force since Defendant Lovingier was a trainer for the DSD in regard to use of force both at the time he assaulted the Plaintiff Waller and subsequently,” the lawsuit says.

DOCUMENT: Read Waller’s federal lawsuit.

The assault was one in a string of allegations against Denver sheriff deputies in recent months. On Wednesday, The Post obtained documents in two previously undisclosed cases:

• In April, Deputy Darrell Jordan was suspended for 10 days after he was caught on video grabbing an inmate by the throat and shoving him into a wall. The inmate had been arguing with Jordan after he missed lunch call on Sept. 14, 2013, according to a disciplinary letter. Jordan ordered the inmate into a hallway and shoved him onto a bench once they were in the hallway.

DOCUMENT: Read the disciplinary report on Deputy Darrell Jordan.

• In another case, a jail kitchen worker faces criminal charges after he allegedly groped an inmate’s genitals.

Dean Jay Altman, 49, is charged with unlawful sexual contact and harassment, according to Denver County court documents. Altman declined to comment on the charges.

The alleged incident happened on March 4 when an inmate was walking through the kitchen to help another inmate open a jar of pickles. On the way, Altman touched him but then later claimed it had been an accident, according to an arrest affidavit.

The disclosures came just two days after a city panel upheld the firing of former Deputy Frank Kemp, who was caught on video pushing and slapping an inmate “for no good reason and out of anger.” The Denver Career Service Board on Monday upheld his firing for lying about the June 2011 incident.

Another deputy, Steven Valerio, is appealing his firing during a hearing that begins Thursday morning. He was caught on video in December 2012 punching an inmate, putting him in a headlock and tackling him into a cinderblock desk in a cell pod. Valerio then kneeled on the employee for several seconds before lifting him by his handcuffed wrists. An investigation determined Valerio used inappropriate force and then lied about it.

Representatives from the Colorado ACLU and the Colorado Progressive Coalition said Wednesday the jail needs an overhaul. Both groups have asked the U.S. Department of Justice’s civil rights division to investigate.

“We think the use of excessive force at the Denver Police Department and the Denver Sheriff Department would require a complete change in the power structure,” said Tania Soto Valenzuela, a community organizer with the Colorado Progressive Coalition.

Denise Maes of the ACLU said it was worrisome to see allegations of jail employee misconduct continue to trickle out.

“You would think that as these things occur the appropriate disciplinary action would be taken and they wouldn’t leak out and be so scandalous,” Maes said.

Even though Waller’s assault involved a Denver sheriff’s deputy, his lawsuit cites numerous Denver police incidents as part of its case for federal intervention.

On Tuesday, police Chief Robert White issued a public letter about excessive force in light of the Hunter settlement and a viral video of a police captain shoving a Rockies fan during a game at Coors Field.

In the letter, White cites changes he has made in his more than two years as chief. Those changes have lowered the number of complaints against his department and reduced the amount of time it takes to investigate complaints, the letter said.

“A great deal of that change was prompted by community frustration with police misconduct and the time it took to resolve administrative cases against police officers,” White wrote.

Noelle Phillips: 303-954-1661, nphillips@denverpost.com or twitter.com/Noelle_Phillips

Reporter Jon Murray contributed to this report.