City Hikes Taxes for Cop Beating Payout

A Michigan city is giving residents a one-time tax hike to help pay for a settlement over a videotaped instance of police brutality. The July 1 charge will bring in more than $6 million to cover the traffic-stop beating. Although the city of Inkster has liability insurance for these kinds of situations, it only kicks in at payments of more than $2 million—and the settlement over Officer William Melendez’s assault didn’t meet the bar. Last week, a judge reviewing the incident ordered Melendez to stand trial for misconduct, assault, and strangulation.