Failure to Intervene: Ex-Colorado Cop Pleads Guilty After Elderly Woman’s Assault

Another former officer of the law in Colorado has pled guilty after the world watched in terror in response to her and her colleagues' actions against an elderly woman with dementia.

According to a report from the Denver Post, Daria Jalali pleaded guilty on June 22, 2022, to a misdemeanor after failing to intervene when she saw fellow officer, Austin Hopp, use excessive force while arresting a 73-year-old woman.

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 Colorado Wants to Enhance Law Enforcement Integrity

In 2020, the Enhance Law Enforcement Integrity bill was signed into law by Governor Jared Polis. A major topic of the law is that it seeks to protect the public by imposing sanctions on officers that determine what they can and cannot do when it comes to using force to control civilians.

The law specifically, "requires a peace officer to intervene when another officer is using unlawful physical force and requires the intervening officer to file a report regarding the incident."

Based on this law, Jalali was charged with three misdemeanors, failure to report use of force, failure to intervene, and official misconduct.

Hopp took a plea deal and is serving 5 years in prison and has been sentenced to 3 years on parole.

The Karen Garner Case

In 2020, 73-year-old Karen Garner was arrested after walking out of Walmart with a few items that totaled $13.88. Walmart workers retrieved the items from Garner and she was walking home along the road collecting flowers when former Loveland police officer Austin Hopp pulled up alongside her.

Garner, a petite woman who weighed a mere 80 pounds at the time suffers from dementia and sensory aphasia, which means she's not always aware of what's happening around her.

Hopp comes on strongly and very quickly has Garner pinned to the ground. Garner is confused and repeatedly tells him that she's going home. Officer Daria Jalali arrives on the scene to assist Officer Hopp and very clearly witnesses and you might even say helps Hopp fracture and dislocate Garner's arm.

A Bunch of Bad Apples In Loveland, Colorado's Police Department

Back at the station the former officers laughed, fist-bumped, and bragged about how they arrested Garner.

Meanwhile, Garner was crying and sitting handcuffed in a cell for 6 hours before she received medical care.

Even prior to leaving the scene, Jalali can be heard telling her direct supervising officer, Sergeant Metzler that the arrest was:

"A little bloody, a little muddy, that’s how it works."

Looking at Jalali's mug shot truly paints a clear picture.

A Concerned Colorado Citizen Spoke Up But Was Shut Down

Sergeant Metzler was approached by a concerned citizen who witnessed the police brutality but instead of taking the citizen's concerns seriously, he tried to intimidate him.

An independent investigation was launched against Sgt Metzler and he chose to resign from the Loveland Police Department.

While multiple officers were fired or resigned, there are still concerns about the actions of the Loveland Police Department after another video of alleged police brutality surfaced.

Read More: Video Shows Ruthless Colorado Police Going Way too Far... Again |