PASSAIC, N.J. — A suspended northern New Jersey police officer wants to be reinstated after being cleared of brutality charges stemming from a violent altercation with an unarmed man that was caught on videotape.
The Record of Woodland Park says an attorney for Passaic Officer Joseph Rios III met with city officials Thursday to discuss back pay and other related issues, but negotiations remain ongoing. Rios has said he hopes a settlement can be quickly reached.
Rios has been suspended without pay since June 2009, following his confrontation with Ronnie Holloway, a 49-year-old schizophrenic. A surveillance camera caught the incident, in which the officer repeatedly beat Holloway and threw him to the ground.
Rios eventually was charged with aggravated assault and official misconduct, but was cleared last month in a nonjury trial.