BRIDGEPORT -- A female Bridgeport police officer was seen on video repeatedly punching 18-year-old Aaron Kearney over the weekend.
The family said the incident was a display of excessive force and so does State Representative Christopher Rosario.
"We're calling for an expedited investigation into the situation that happened and if there are charges to be filed there needs to be charges filed," said Rosario.
The congressman is also the chair for the Black and Puerto Rican Caucus in Connecticut. After citing the shooting death of Jayson Negron back in May as well as several other incidents, Rosario claims Bridgeport has an accountability issue.
"We just see the problem escalating and we just want to make sure that we nip it in the bud," said Rosario
His solution calls for the implementation of dash and body cameras for all police officers.
Currently, Bridgeport police officers aren't outfitted with the technology but the money for them is there. Rosario said the state delegation worked with house and senate leadership to allow cities like Bridgeport to apply for reimbursements for body and dash cameras.
"We shouldn't wait any minute longer. They should be applying for this money immediately to outfit their cruisers," said Rosario.
Rosario said he spoke to Bridgeport's Police Department. He claims discussions have started to begin the process of applying for camera reimbursements.
“While we are still learning the details about the incident, we renew our call to expand the use of non-lethal force and other de-escalation tactics by the Bridgeport Police Department,” Rep. Rosario added. “We look forward to working with Chief Perez and his staff to help bridge the gap between the community and his department, but acts of police brutality will not be tolerated.”