The excessive use of force case against a Rochester police officer has ended in a conviction. Officer Michael Sippel was found guilty of misdemeanor assault during the arrest of Christopher Pate a year ago.
City Court Judge Thomas Morse said in his ruling that this case was not about whether police can use force to make an arrest, because they can. He said it was specifically about the actions Sippel took when he and his partner stopped Pate, thinking he was another man wanted on a burglary charge.
Body camera footage showed the confrontation between Sippel, his partner and Pate. Pate was hit with a Taser and fell to the ground. He was also punched by Sippel, who was heard commenting about it on the video. Sippel’s defense argued this was a “discretionary blow” allowed by department policy to get the suspect’s attention. But Pate suffered fractured bones in his face.
Officer Sippel faces up to a year in jail when he’s sentenced. He remains suspended with pay for now.