Sarah Schielke, a number one civil rights legal professional based totally in Colorado, has made it her undertaking to carry regulation enforcement in command of misconduct and wrongful arrests. Thru her tireless efforts on the Lifestyles and Liberty Legislation Place of business, Schielke has secured vital settlements for her shoppers and caused significant adjustments in how police departments function.
Born and raised in Rochester, New York, Schielke’s path to changing into a civil rights legal professional started at Middlebury School in Vermont, the place she earned a B.A. in Psychology, graduating magna cum laude. She then studied regulation at Boston College College of Legislation on a complete educational advantage scholarship, distinguishing herself because the Managing Editor of the Boston College Legislation Evaluate.
Upon transferring to Colorado, Schielke confronted demanding situations in organising her felony profession. Undeterred, she took an unconventional means, posting an advert on Craigslist providing bargain felony services and products to achieve enjoy. This daring transfer laid the basis for her long run luck as a civil rights legal professional.
One in all Schielke’s maximum notable instances concerned the wrongful arrest of Harris Elias for DUI by means of the Loveland Police Department. In spite of destructive breathalyzer and blood assessments, Elias used to be charged with DUI in response to an officer’s suspicion after lower than 60 seconds of interplay. Schielke’s investigation published a department-wide tradition that prioritized DUI arrest numbers over person rights. The case in the end settled for $400,000, a considerable sum for a wrongful arrest case with out a bodily accidents or prison time.
Schielke’s dedication to justice extends past wrongful arrests. In terms of Andru Kulas, who used to be pepper-sprayed and arrested after refusing to take a price ticket for trespassing, Schielke filed a federal civil rights lawsuit in opposition to the Town of Fortress Collins and the officials concerned. The fees in opposition to Kulas had been sooner or later brushed aside, however no longer sooner than he suffered everlasting imaginative and prescient harm because of the pepper spray, highlighting the over the top power incessantly utilized by regulation enforcement.
All over her profession, Schielke has demonstrated an unwavering determination to exposing injustice and maintaining regulation enforcement responsible. Her unique approach, which incessantly comes to sharing frame digital camera pictures with the general public, has confirmed efficient in garnering beef up for her shoppers and effecting trade inside of police departments.
Her friends and the broader neighborhood have identified Schielke’s affect at the civil rights panorama in Colorado. In 2023, she used to be named certainly one of USA These days’s Ladies of the Yr, a testomony to her tireless efforts to result in trade in her box. Her new administrative center construction, funded by means of the settlements she has gained in opposition to police departments, serves as a reminder of her work’s tangible impact at the lives of her shoppers and the wider struggle for civil rights reform.
As Schielke continues to tackle difficult instances and struggle for the rights of the ones wronged by means of regulation enforcement, her affect continues to develop. Her background in psychology, hobby for finding out, and unwavering dedication to justice have made her an impressive power within the felony neighborhood.
For individuals who were sufferers of police misconduct, Sarah Schielke represents hope and the possibility of justice. Her fearless advocacy and determination to her shoppers have made an enduring affect at the civil rights panorama in Colorado, paving the way in which for a extra simply and responsible long run.
