Former Alabama police sergeant gets over a year in prison for beating a jailed man

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — A former Alabama police sergeant was sentenced to over a year in federal prison with nearly two years of supervised release after pleading guilty in August to beating a man in a jail cell.

The U.S. Department of Justice announced Tuesday that Ryan Phillips, a former sergeant with the Daleville Police Department, will serve 16 months in prison for a civil rights violation. The assault happened March 1, 2022, according to court records.

A defense attorney for Phillips, 42, did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment Wednesday.

In the plea agreement, Phillips confirmed that after an argument with a man in custody, he entered a cell and struck the man “multiple times about the chest, back, and face.” The man was alone in the cell and was not a danger to himself or others, according to the plea agreement.

“This sentence should serve as a reminder to all law enforcement that a badge is not a license to answer verbal insults with physical violence and excessive force,” said Kristen Clarke, an assistant U.S. attorney general.

Prosecutors initially said they would recommend 22 months in federal prison. U.S. Chief District Judge Emily Marks recommended that Phillips be imprisoned in a facility with mental health and alcohol dependency treatment, according to the sentencing document.