On the evening of June 24, 2016 Frank Baker’s life changed.  At around 10:00 p.m., Frank, a 52-year- old longtime citizen of St. Paul, was driving home after work.  He parked his Jeep near his home and sat there alone talking on his cell phone.  Officer Brian Ficcadenti, who had been sent to the area to investigate a reported fight, arrived.  Instead of a fight, Ficcadenti saw Baker whom he claimed matched the description of one of the suspected fighters because he was “a black male with dreadlocks wearing a white t-shirt.”

Immediately after parking his squad car near Frank’s Jeep,  Ficcadenti let his K-9 partner, Falco – a large German Shepard, out of his squad car, and then ordered Frank out of the Jeep.  Frank complied.  Nonetheless, Ficcadenti unleashed Falco on Frank and the dog viciously attacked Frank from behind, tearing into the flesh, muscles and tissues of his leg.  While Falco dragged Frank around on the ground and continued to maul him, four more St. Paul police officers arrived.  One of them was Brett Palkowitsch.  While Frank was lying on the ground, Palkowitsch viciously delivered three kicks to Frank’s ribs as Falco continued to tear into Frank’s leg.  The kicks broke a number of Frank’s ribs and collapsed both of his lungs.  The three other officers stood by.  They did not intervene to stop either Palkowitsch or Falco from brutalizing Frank.