Berlin Police Officer Sentenced to Probation for On-Duty Assaults

The 27-year-old officer was convicted of two counts of assault and attempted coercion after striking restrained suspects during separate incidents in 2024.

A Berlin police officer received a nine-month suspended sentence after being found guilty of assaulting two suspects while on duty in 2024.
The officer, identified as Theodor J., admitted to slapping restrained individuals in separate incidents, describing his actions as impulsive and unprofessional.
One incident involved a handcuffed man accused of shoplifting, while the other involved a detained suspect in a drug-related case; both were struck to allegedly 'calm them down.'
The court deemed the officer's actions as attempts to exert coercion and criticized his inability to handle the power and responsibility of his role.
The conviction is expected to end the officer's probationary career, and he has since sought therapy to address his behavior.