Lawyer calls Gettysburg police officer settlement “deplorable”

(Gettysburg) — A midstate police officer is receiving a hefty settlement to leave the department after body camera footage showed him using a stun gun on a man sitting in his car during a traffic stop.

But the attorney representing the victim calls the deal “deplorable”.

Gettysburg Officer Christopher Folster will get $10,000, free legal defense, a clean personnel file, a pension, and insurance coverage through the end of the fiscal year.

In exchange, he won’t work for the Gettysburg police department, and won’t bring any action against the borough.

The settlement comes more than a year after Folster used a stun gun on 28-year-old Derek Twyman during a traffic stop.

Attorney Devon Jacob represents Twyman in a lawsuit over the incident.

“The borough should’ve done what the borough should’ve done, which is terminated his employment. He should’ve been fired. A borough that cares about the violations of the civil rights of its citizens will act to protect those citizens,” says Jacob.

Jacob says he’s most concerned that Folster’s personnel file will not note the investigation.

“That too is unfortunate. It just goes to show that the borough simply doesn’t care about the violation of Mr. Twyman’s rights or anyone else’s rights.”

Folster’s incident report did not match up with the body camera footage, and Twyman was eventually found not guilty of resisting arrest.

Jacob says Twyman’s state legal proceedings are just beginning, and he’s considering a federal lawsuit as well.

Gettysburg didn’t respond to a request for comment, but has called the settlement with Folster the best solution for the borough.

The agreement was first reported by the Gettysburg Times.