Kettering police chief: Officers used ‘reasonable’ force during arrest shared on social media

Credit: DaytonDailyNews

Crime & Law
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Updated Aug 23, 2023
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Two Kettering police officers used “reasonable and appropriate” force in subduing a Dayton man resisting arrest last week, the police chief said Tuesday.

The officers struck Mark A. Coleman Jr., 38, several times in the early morning hours Aug. 18 during the arrest, Kettering Police Chief Chip Protsman said.

The officers struck Mark A. Coleman Jr., 38, several times in the early morning hours Aug. 18 during while the Dayton man resisted arrest, Kettering Police Chief Chip Protsman said. FILE

Credit: FILE

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Credit: FILE

Coleman was arrested in the area of Ansel Drive and Wilmington Pike and had a drug warrant from the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office, according to police and Kettering records.

Part of the arrest, including times when force was used, was shared on a video posted to Facebook.

Protsman said the officers - Doug Kowalski and Marcus Loel - returned to work for their next scheduled shift.

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After reviewing reports and videos, “I found that Mr. Coleman was resisting arrest and the force used by officers was reasonable and appropriate to overcome that resistance,” Protsman said.

The Dayton Daily News could not reach Coleman or find an attorney working on his behalf. He was in the county jail Tuesday after being booked on Friday on misdemeanor charges of resisting arrest, obstructing official business, disorder conduct, and drug charges. He also faces a felony drug possession charge, jail records show.

Protsman showed parts of three videos during a news conference. They included one from a police officer body camera, one from inside the police cruiser and a clip posted on Facebook.

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“What wasn’t shown in that (Facebook) video was the officer used his Taser before that,” Protsman said. “So, the officers did exactly what they’re supposed to do with the use of force. They used the least amount (to) overcome the resistance being offered,” he added.

Kettering police said the department had 47 uses of force in 2022, some of which were “absolutely” comparable to last week’s incident, Protsman said.

Kowalski has more than 19 years with the KPD and Loel more than two years. Protsman said neither have used inappropriate force during his eight-year tenure as Kettering’s police chief.

“The officers were using soft hands. They were using muscling techniques – trying to get his arms behind his back. That was not successful,” he said.

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“The officer then deployed his Taser … That did not have any effect on the individual. That’s when he went to hard strikes, hand strikes to try to get compliance,” Protsman added.

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Nick Blizzard is a staff writer for the Dayton Daily News. He is a graduate of Stebbins High School who earned a bachelor’s degree from Ohio University and its E.W. Scripps School of Journalism. Nick is a Riverside native who has lived in Huber Heights and Kettering. He has been a journalist in the Dayton area for more than 25 years.