Newport Beach : 5 More Claims Filed Against Police Dept.

Five more claims alleging excessive force, false arrest or harassment on the part of the Police Department have been filed with the city clerk’s office, bringing this year’s total claims against the police to 21.

A spokesman for the city’s Personnel Department attributed the new flurry of citizen claims to recent publicity about the aggressive-minded police force. More than 100 lawsuits and claims have been filed against the 140-member department in the last eight years, according to city records.

Joan Teeter, a city personnel clerk, said the claims will be routinely denied at Monday night’s City Council meeting. It is then up to claimants to hire attorneys to take the matters to court.