Anonymous Letter Alleges Modesto Police Brutality
MODESTO, Calif. (AP) -- An anonymous letter alleging police brutality has spurred the city of Modesto to hire an outside attorney to investigate the letter's claims.
A local newspaper reported that city officials have asked Palo Alto attorney Bob Aaronson to look into allegations from the letter, purportedly written by a police department employee.
The letter names four officers and accuses them of committing acts of brutality while the department looks the other way.
City officials say Aaronson has a national reputation in police internal affairs investigations. He has worked with the cities of Santa Cruz, Davis and Fresno as an independent police auditor and ombudsman.
Police Chief Mike Harden told the newspaper that the department is serious about tracking the use of force by its officers.
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