General Police Abuse Thread

[Solauren]

I read over the wikipedia of the trial....

They had a Professional MMA Fighter, who was a witness, saying that the choke was excessive.

[Gandalf]

In the world outside the trial, Pelosi managed to completely fuck up the reaction too.

Floyd didn't "sacrifice himself." A cop murdered him while others watched.

[Darth Yan]

Pelosi's an out of touch fossil; this kinda confirms it yet again.

[Mr Bean]

She should have retired out of the party after the disaster that was 2012 but she hangs around because leadership equals time served in the DNC.

[Darth Yan]

How exactly was 2012 a disaster?

[Mr Bean]

How exactly was 2012 a disaster?

Excuse me memory was wrong, meant 2014. Turnout was in the toilet and the DNC threw good money after bad in several races while ignoring close races thinking they were definitive wins. Plus back then it didn't seem she could go more than a month without a attack ad ready statement of DNC policies.

Oh and I've still not forgiven her for 2008 and pissing that lead away.

[Jub]

NY Post - Derek Chauvin Convicted in Murder of George Floyd

Derek Chauvin — the former Minneapolis police officer convicted in the murder of George Floyd — was sentenced to 22 1/2 years in prison Friday.

“This is based on your abuse of your position of abuse of authority and also the particular cruelty you’ve shown to George Floyd,” Judge Peter Cahill said Friday afternoon in Hennepin County Court as he handed down the sentence.

“I want to acknowledge the deep and tremendous pain that all the families are feeling, especially the Floyd family.”

The sentencing came after Chauvin, wearing a light gray suit, white shirt and a freshly shaved head, delivered a brief statement apologizing to the Floyd family.

“Due to some additional legal matters at hand, I am not able to give a full formal statement at this time, but briefly, I want to give my condolences to the Floyd family,” Chauvin told the court.

“There is going to be some other information in the future that will be of interest and I hope things will give you some peace of mind. Thank you.”

A number of Floyd’s family members, including his seven-year-old daughter Gianna, gave emotional victim impact statements ahead of Chauvin’s comments that lambasted the cruelty their loved one endured in his final moments while asking the court to impose a maximum sentence.

“On Monday, May 25, 2020, George Perry Floyd was murdered by Derek Chauvin in a malicious, insidious display of hate and abuse of power,” Floyd’s nephew Brandon Williams told the court.

“Not only did he kill George but he also displayed a total lack of consideration of human life as he did so.”

Chauvin’s mother Carolyn Pawlenty also delivered a statement, saying she believes her son is innocent and has always supported him “one hundred percent.”

“Derek is a quiet, thoughtful, honorable and selfless man, he has a big heart and he always has put others before his own,” Pawlenty, who has never spoken publicly about her son’s case, said as she held back tears.

“The public will never know the loving and caring man that his family does.”

Chauvin, 45, was found guilty in April of all three charges against him — second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter — following nearly three weeks of testimony from 45 witnesses.

Under Minnesota law, Chauvin could only be locked up on second-degree murder — the top charge against him that carries a sentence of between 10 years and eight months and 15 years — but in May, Cahill ruled the convicted killer’s crimes warranted a longer prison stint.

Cahill found that prosecutors had successfully proven four of the five factors that allow for a lengthier sentence, saying the former officer acted with “particular cruelty” when he killed Floyd, which made him eligible for up to 40 years behind bars.

Prosecutors in the case, led by state Assistant Attorney General Matthew Frank, asked Cahill to sentence Chauvin to 30 years, while his attorney Eric Nelson requested probation on top of the time his client has already served while awaiting sentencing.

The death of Floyd — who was pinned under Chauvin’s knee for more than nine minutes on May 25, 2020 in Minneapolis — touched off a firestorm of protests across the globe against racial inequality and police brutality.

Chauvin’s history-making trial has become a symbol in a growing racial justice movement centered on how black Americans are treated during encounters with law enforcement and the difficulties police brutality victims face in seeking justice.

Police officers have long been shielded from being held personally responsible for the actions they commit while on the job due to a web of immunity laws.

But Chauvin’s conviction — coupled with burgeoning efforts to change those statutes — are shaking the status quo.

During the closely watched trial, prosecutors focused on the viral video that showed Floyd gasping for air and begging for his mother under Chauvin’s knee, while the defense argued the death was not murder but a result of Floyd’s drug use and a pre-existing heart condition.

Nelson tried in vain to convince the jury of five men and seven women that Chauvin was distracted by a group of bystanders and that he was following department use-of-force guidelines. But the claim was disputed by a slew of witnesses on the stand, including Minneapolis cops.

Prosecutors hammered home that Chauvin kept his knee on Floyd’s neck long after he died — and even after paramedics arrived.

The jury found him guilty on all charges on the second day of deliberations.

A good start, now let's do the rest of the dirty cops the same way.

[Dominus Atheos]

To keep thing fresh, this time it's a firefighter:

This isn’t the kind of response one expects from a firefighter arriving at the scene of a fire. (via Courthouse News Service)

In August 2019 [Brad] Cox and other DFD [Dallas Fire Rescue Department] personnel were called to extinguish a grass fire. When Cox and other DFD personnel arrived, [Kyle] Vess, who is mentally ill, was walking near the fire. Due to Vess’s proximity to the fire, Cox thought Vess was responsible for starting it.

Cox and other DFD personnel attempted to detain Vess. Meanwhile, other DFD personnel called the Dallas Police Department (“DPD”) for assistance. Cox confronted Vess in an effort to detain him. Something provoked Vess, however, and he errantly swung at Cox, who swung back at Vess and hit him. According to the second amended complaint (“SAC”), Cox then beat Vess “senselessly” and subdued him. After subduing Vess, Cox continued to beat him, kicking him six times while he was on the ground. It was necessary for another firefighter to restrain Cox.

That’s from the recent federal court decision [PDF] allowing Vess’ lawsuit to move forward. The beating involved one more kick, delivered to the head of the “clearly subdued” Vess by Cox: one that resulted in a fractured orbital socket. The entire beating delivered more injuries, including a fractured sinus, cracked teeth, and facial paralysis to the right side of Vess’ face.

There’s body cam footage of the beating so neither Brad Cox nor the DFD could deny it happened.

They could, however, choose to do nothing about it.

DFD did not conduct an internal affairs investigation, and the Dallas Public Integrity Unit (“DPIU”) cleared Cox of any wrongdoing. Both entities “worked to ensure that no further or deeper investigation was done” because both had a practice of concealing internal disciplinary measures from the public. The office of the Dallas County District Attorney did not pursue an indictment of Cox, later “indicated remorse” for not having done so, and “admitted that a thorough investigation was not undertaken.”

And it had never bothered to seriously discipline Brad Cox, who has apparently been a problem for the DFD for nearly two decades when this incident took place:

According to the SAC, Cox was arrested in 2002 for suspected assault at a birthday party; was reprimanded three times for refusing to provide medical treatment to patients; was counseled in writing in 2011 for “unacceptable conduct” related to a patient; pleaded guilty to falsifying a government report; and is currently being sued in a case where he allegedly laughed at, and refused to give care to, a homeless man, who ultimately died.

Cox isn’t an anomaly.

[W]hen DFD personnel do engage in inappropriate behavior (whether in poor communities or elsewhere), DFD has refused to terminate any of these personnel in the last 30 to 40 years. This is so despite numerous examples of such inappropriate behavior—not punished by termination—including refusing to render care because of the person’s sexual orientation; refusing to transport a child to the hospital because the paramedic thought the mother was lying about the seriousness of her child’s illness; refusing to treat a man with a terminal condition because the paramedic believed the man was already dead; and refusing to follow standard procedures for a gunshot wound.

Brad Cox asked for qualified immunity, claiming the beating he handed out was unrelated to any “seizure” of Vess by law enforcement and, therefore, did not violate his Fourth Amendment rights. Wrong, says the court. A seizure takes place when an officer (or first responder, as in this case) uses physical force or a show of authority to restrain someone’s liberty. Cox may have felt he was just handing out a beating, but he did so as a government employee while in the presence of officers called to the scene. No immunity.

The city of Dallas tried to dismiss the lawsuit as well, arguing that the allegations did not sufficiently tie the city to Cox’s beating or the DFD’s unwillingness to terminate employees over severe misconduct. The court says that Vess has actually alleged all he needs to at this point. With the DFD making a four-decade run at never terminating an employee over severe misconduct, the city is at least partially responsible for this accountability vacuum.

[T]he court holds that Vess has alleged sufficient facts for the court to draw the reasonable inference that the City has a “de facto policy and/or custom of protection for previously disciplined personnel by refusing to terminate or separate from employment individuals unfit to serve as members of the Dallas Fire Department despite good cause for termination and the risk these individuals pose to the public.” And the court concludes that Vess has plausibly pleaded that this policy was the moving force behind Cox’s actions.

That’s enough to keep the lawsuit alive. And now the city of Dallas will have to confront its failure to oversee an agency that was created to fight fires and save lives but has ended up housing people like Brad Cox — a firefighter who assaults citizens, falsifies reports, and refuses to help the people he’s paid to help.

[Dominus Atheos]

Denver police open fire into a crowd to stop "bar fight", hit 6 bystanders.

https://www.denverpost.com/2022/07/26/d ... dan-waddy/

Denver police officers’ decision to shoot at an armed man in a busy downtown nightlife district — and injure six bystanders in the process — was unreasonable and unnecessary, the man’s attorney said Tuesday.

Police shot Jordan Waddy, 21, in the back, leg, butt and chest, public defender Becca Butler-Dines said at a court hearing Tuesday. Butler-Dines said she had not yet seen all the video footage of the incident, but the video she had reviewed so far caused serious concerns about how police handled the incident.

“There is no evidence Mr. Waddy attempted to use a gun,” Butler-Dines said.

Her statements were the first time someone has spoken on behalf of Waddy, whom police said pulled out a gun as they approached him in the early morning hours of July 17. The three officers injured six bystanders when they opened fire on Waddy as bars let out along Larimer Street.

Waddy’s civil attorney, Tyrone Glover, said Tuesday afternoon that the officers’ actions were reckless.

“The community demands to know how the police could so quickly use lethal force by opening fire into a crowd of people to stop a mere bar fight,” Glover said in a statement. “Mr. Waddy is now also facing criminal charges, none of which involve threatening officers or placing them in danger of imminent bodily injury. It’s an all-too-familiar scenario tainted with bias, one for which Mr. Waddy and other bystanders could have been killed, and the city of Denver is already attempting to shift the blame.”

Waddy, who is on parole for aggravated assault convictions, remained in the hospital Tuesday for treatment and appeared by telephone at his second court date for charges of possession of a weapon by a previous offender and misdemeanor assault.

After the shooting, Waddy waited 20 minutes before he was placed in a stretcher, Butler-Dines said. He was rushed into emergency surgery when he arrived at Denver Health Medical Center and doctors removed his spleen so they could address the internal bleeding. Waddy now has an 8-inch incision on his abdomen and will require physical therapy to regain the ability to walk normally.

Magistrate Judge Arnie Beckman lowered Waddy’s bond from $75,000 to $10,000. The higher bond was set when Waddy was held on suspicion of felony menacing — a more serious charge — but prosecutors did not file that charge.

Denver police officials have denied requests to release body camera and surveillance footage of the shooting, citing Waddy’s ongoing criminal case and the district attorney’s investigation into officers’ decision to fire. Denver police officials held a news conference last week about the incident, but only released still images from the video that they selected.

Police accountability legislation that lawmakers passed in 2020 mandates that departments release body camera footage within 21 days in most incidents. The law states that in incidents where there is a criminal case, like Waddy’s, the defendant’s attorney has 21 days to file an objection against releasing the footage. If an objection is filed, the judge on the case is required to hold a hearing.

Butler-Dines said the office of the public defender will most likely not oppose releasing videos of the incident but is waiting to file their opinion on the matter until they can review all of the material. The office received a link to the footage on Friday and it took eight hours Monday to download the videos.

Butler-Dines sought a gag order against attorneys and police on the case, specifically asking Beckman to bar police from speaking about the incident.

“They have consistently tried to spin this into a justified shooting of a young Black man,” she said, noting that “in the same breath” police have said the investigation is ongoing.

Police initially alleged Waddy pointed a gun at officers, but, at a briefing days later, acknowledged Waddy did not appear to be holding the gun by its “pistol grip” and instead may have been pulling it out by the slide on top of the weapon.

Beck denied the request for the gag order.

Waddy’s next court date is Aug. 24, when he will appear for a preliminary hearing.

Highlight's include the inital police statement:

ALERT: #DPD on scene of an officer involved shooting in the 2000 block of Larimer St. No officers injured. Updates will be posted as they are available. #Denver

UPDATE: PIO on scene, multiple victims located all transported to a local hospital. Investigation ongoing.

The probable cause statement should be taught in english classes as the best example of "passive voice" I've ever seen:

...reports that one officer “heard four to six gunshots and observed Waddy fall to the ground,” then notes that “after the shots were fired,” the officers began to render first aid to Waddy “and several other victims who were injured during the shooting” — the only reference to bystanders being caught in the line of police fire.

One of the victims drove himself to the hospital after police ignored him:

Small said he alerted a group of police that he had been shot in the foot, but they walked passed him. He said he limped to his car and drove himself to Denver Health Medical Center.

And lastly:

Police initially alleged Waddy pointed a gun at officers, but, at a briefing days later, acknowledged Waddy did not appear to be holding the gun by its “pistol grip” and instead may have been pulling it out by the slide on top of the weapon.

That's a really weird thing to say... Unless the guy's fingerprints don't appear on the butt of the gun. I'm not saying i don't believe it's his gun, but I do think if the denver police open fire into a crowd and hit 6 people, they will always, always "recover" a gun from next to the guy they were shooting at.

[EnterpriseSovereign]

Christian Glass called 911 when his car got stuck – then police shot him dead. Now, his parents need justice.

few years ago, babyfaced teenager Christian Glass burst into his parents’ Colorado home and asked in his English accent: “Where do you stand on Black Lives Matter?”

Sally and Simon Glass, from England and New Zealand respectively, had not raised their three children in a news-obsessed household, so they were slightly surprised by and proud of their son’s strong sense of social justice.

“Isn’t that bizarre?” says Sally, absent-mindedly fingering a religious medal Christian kept in his car as she recounts this story. “And then he followed in George Floyd’s footsteps – I mean, literally.”

Christian, 22, was shot dead by police in June after calling 911 for help when his car became stuck on a Colorado mountain road. He was killed in a tragic and weird confluence of events so incomprehensible that it is difficult to put down on paper.

Two officers have been charged in the killing of Christian, which took place when he’d committed no crime. Officers had been on scene talking with him for more than an hour and Christian never left his car. Andrew Buen and Kyle Gould made their first court appearance on Monday at Clear Creek County Courthouse, just minutes from the site of the killing and just over an hour from the Glass family home.

Simon and Sally were resolutely present in court, holding hands and wearing Christian’s favourite colour, pink, as the now-fired officers arrived before the judge. A tearful Sally shook her head as the court discussed and ultimately approved Gould’s request for travel over the holidays to be with loved ones. The Glass family had objected, pointing out through the prosecution that they would never have Christian home for Christmas again.

When Buen and Gould exited the courtroom, Sally doubled over, wailed and “nearly threw up,” she tells The Independent afterwards. But she and Simon mustered the strength to sit down and talk about Christian because, despite their grief, they are fiercely committed to getting justice for their son and for the world to know the circumstances leading to his death.

The courthouse is in Georgetown, one town over from Silver Plume, the tiny mountain enclave Christian was driving near on a Friday night last June. Setting and location are important in this story: the roads are rocky, narrow, tiny, and incredibly dark after sunset. For people not born and raised in the area, they can be scary, particularly at night. Christian tried to turn at some point and got his car stuck on a rock before midnight. He called 911 and was unfailingly polite on the phone but clearly distressed.

When the operator asks Christian if there are any weapons in the vehicle, the amateur geologist and artist tells her about rock tools he has with him, offering to throw them out of the car when first responders arrive to make the officers feel safer. He describes the items as “two knives, a hammer and a rubber mallet ... I guess that’s a weapon?”

That eagerness to be helpful was typical of Christian, says Sally, describing her son as a “very, very honest boy.”

“I kind of almost feel that honesty was part of the reason he got killed,” she tells The Independent, adding: “I wish to God he ... [would have] said, ‘No, I don’t have weapons in my car,’ because he didn’t. They weren’t weapons, because we don’t carry weapons. But he’s so worried about not being totally transparent.”

Honesty, creativity, and passion for sports and justice are some of the character traits that keep coming up as Sally and Simon talk about their son. Christian was born in New Zealand and lived there until age nine, when his family moved to England before relocating to the US in 2010. He was a citizen of all three countries.

Even while in New Zealand, his accent tended to sound more English, taking after his Canterbury-born mother. Also like Sally, Christian had ADHD. He was bright and enthusiastic but abhorred sitting still, preferring instead to actively explore his myriad interests.

As Sally sits in the basement of the Georgetown library, she points to mosaics outside, noting Christian’s love of art. He wanted to pursue it professionally but Sally warned him of the notoriously difficult artist’s lifestyle. She remembers, ruefully, how she cautioned that “most people [only] make a lot of money from art once they’re dead.”

Instead, Christian continued indulging his artistic endeavours as an amateur after high school while training as a chef and working in eateries near the Glasses’ Boulder County home. He could also code and was looking with his parents for the best accreditation programme around so he could enroll. He had recently asked his roommate, whose family owned the property, if he could stay for another year.

“He said, ‘You’re the best flatmate I ever had ... if you want to stay for another five years, you stay,’” Sally tells The Independent. “And that made Christian really happy.”

He’d faced teasing at school from other boys for his foreign accent, Christian’s parents say, but “the girls adored him.”

He had a best friend and a social group around Boulder and would invite people over for parties in the family’s large basement. As teens socialised downstairs, Christian could often be found climbing out the window to hang out on the roof with just a few friends instead.

Like his mother, Christian was prone to sensory overload, says Sally.

“I’m always turning the lights off in the house ... I’m quite noise sensitive, as well - like, I don’t like loud. I found the cinema too loud,” she says. “I spend my life outside riding horses, walking dogs, and I’m on my own a lot. So he was the same, sensory sensitive.”

Christian also struggled with depression and started taking Ritalin for ADHD. He’d previously gone off the medication because he didn’t like the side effects. On the night of the shooting, he’d just returned back from Moab, Utah, nearly a six-hour drive from Boulder County. His flatmate says he took a Ritalin pill and Sally believes this may have given him a burst of energy.

She says that when Christian was feeling antsy, he’d often go for a drive: “He just loved the peace. He loved his music.”

The Glass family believes Christian may have driven to his favourite mountain, then kept going and gotten lost. Whatever his route, the 22-year-old was stuck in Silver Plume by 11.21pm on 10 June, when he dialed 911 for roadside assistance. In the recorded call, he tells the operator about the items in the car and stays on the line with her until police arrive, making a few strange statements, including references to Skinwalkers, figures from Navajo mythology he’d been studying.

“I think his imagination ran away with him,” Sally tells The Independent.

Christian had no history of mental breaks or outbursts. An autopsy confirmed that Christian had only trace amounts of alcohol and THC, the active component in marijuana which is legal in Colorado, in his system. Both were well within the legal driving limit, the Glasses’ lawyer says, as well as amphetamine, a component of Ritalin.

When the officers turned up, the situation escalated fast and for seemingly no reason whatsoever. After Christian offers to throw any concerning items out of the car, the cops shout at him not to. They’re aggresive and armed; it’s not long before seven officers from five agencies are surrounding Christian’s car with guns drawn.

Christian is clearly terrified and is heard pleading and crying from the driver’s seat, which he never leaves. He makes no aggressive movements or statements. He tells the cops he doesn’t want to leave the car, and he’s posing no threat to them from within it. He even suggests the cops tow the car, with him in it, to a police station.

“This is the only way I can be safe,” he says desperately. “Why can’t you understand that?”

At no point do the officers seem afraid for their personal safety in the body camera footage. They bark orders at Christian and draw their guns because of the small knives, just a few inches long, in the car which Christian had already told them about and offered to throw out.

They alternately yell at Christian, cajole, laugh and chat amongst themselves, with one officer suggesting that “cute girls” on scene try to coax him out of the car. All of this happens just minutes before Christian is shot dead.

The bright lights and shouting would have presumably assailed his sensory sensitivity. His parents wonder aloud if Christian’s passion for social justice could have been “one of the reasons he was so terrified,” muses Simon.


Watching the body cam footage, it’s hard to figure out just why the officers were so determined to get Christian, who they did not seem to fear and had been told had committed no crime, out of his own car.

“We’ve shown it to a lot of police officers,” Siddhartha Rathod, the 45-year-old former Marine captain representing the Glass family, tells The Independent. “Most police officers are like, ‘I would just put my card through the window saying, “Okay, you don’t want our help? Your phone works. You know, call a tow truck or call us. You’ve got our number, call us back” - and just left. That’s what the vast majority of officers would have done. In fact, almost every officer would have done that.”

Instead, the officers continue to try to remove Christian, who has done nothing wrong, from the car.

“As they escalate and escalate, he becomes less and less responsive, because he’s more and more scared,” Mr Rathod says. “And he’s more and more shutting down ... unfortunately, we don’t ever get to know, because they took that way.”

As Christian prays, cries, and screams in the driver seat, the officers try to pry the window open and break it. They shoot him with bean bags and tase him, causing the 22-year-old to writhe around in the front of the vehicle. Then, after Christian grabs one of the tiny knives in the car and seems to thrash toward an officer outside of the car, five bullets are fired into Christian’s body, killing him.

On the morning of 11 June, police turned up at the Glasses’ door to tell them their son is dead. Sally was home; Simon was not. He arrived soon after to find his wife collapsed in the doorway.

The couple say they were told the Colorado Bureau of Investigation was preparing a report on the incident, but details were scarce. Sally, especially, had an inkling that something was amiss. She started researching lawyers and got recommendations from a friend. Soon, the family retained the Denver-based firm of Rathod Mohamedbhai LLC.

The lawyers have since posted condensed and raw body cam footage on their website, including subtitles. Sally and Simon refuse to watch it.

It wasn’t until last month that two officers were indicted by a grand jury in connection with Christian’s killing. Former deputy Buen, who fired the fatal shots, was charged with second-degree murder, official misconduct and reckless endangerment. Gould was his supervisor, watching remotely via body cam footage and ordering Buen to remove Christian from the car, according to the indictment. He’s been charged with criminally negligent homicide and reckless endangerment.

While authorities initially claimed that Christian tried to stab an officer outside of his vehicle, the indictment states that he did not pose a threat to law enforcement. The officer “at no point was in imminent danger of being stabbed by Mr. Glass and Mr. Glass never attempted to exit the vehicle,” it reads.

The grand jury wrote: “But for the decision by Gould to remove Mr. Glass from the vehicle there is no reason to believe that Mr. Glass would have been a danger to any law enforcement personnel, to himself, or to any member of the public. And the decision to remove him from the vehicle directly lead to the death of Mr. Glass.”

Buen’s partner on scene, Tim Collins, who had attempted to intervene when Buen “became verbally aggressive” with Christian, according to the indictment, decided to leave the department.

Buen and Gould were both fired by Clear Creek Sheriff Rick Albers following the indictment.

The unfathomable killing and confusing aftermath were shocking to the Glasses, who say they were raised to respect authority. Simon, especially, has always had “a lot of faith in the police” and tells The Independent that this “does shake your faith.”

He says: “It seems to me that you need to be very careful who you employ, if you employ bullies. And then when there’s problems ... [and] you take no action, then you’re just asking for trouble. And you’re basically putting these dangerous people around, driving around the place, in positions of power.”

“They think they’ve got immunity,” his wife interjects.

Simon continues, saying these officers “have to be held accountable” because “then it will stop, I think.”

“While they’re getting away with it, I mean, I don’t fully know they [might be] going down the pub tonight and having a good laugh about how, yeah, we showed up at court just for a bit of fun, you know ? Whatever,” he muses, before adding: “I don’t know what they think. We’ve never had any indication that there’s any remorse.”

Christian would be “incensed” by the shooting, his parents say. They miss him desperately but still feel his presence.

Simon says he “felt it a lot” while back home in his native New Zealand, as he visited favourite family spots. Sally says she believes Christian’s spirit visited her in her hometown after his funeral at Brabourne Church of England, the same church where she and Simon got married, and now where Christian is buried with her mother.

Sally wants to see the officers in jail and for there to be accountability for any other officers deemed to be involved. Though, she notes, justice only goes so far.

“Even if he ends up in prison - I really hope he ends up in prison - he is still living, right?” she says of Buen, who fired the fatal shots. “And he will still get out. And maybe one day he’ll get married, and he’ll have children, and he’ll get to travel, and he’ll be able to live out his life. He won’t spend his whole life life in prison. I was feeling really depressed the other day, actually, when the indictments came out... I’ve just realised I do hope they go to prison. I think that would be the right thing to happen. And there may be a settlement. But none of it, none of it, none of it, brings back him back.

She emphasises, breaking down in tears: “None of it. Nothing.”

[Highlord Laan]

There are two rules in america that really need to be taught to people.

1. Never, under any circumstances, call the cops.
2. Be ready to shoot back. They'll happily kill you on a whim and have the whole of americas injustice system protecting them, so send a few gestapo to hell before they take you.

[Dominus Atheos]

This is a real form a state trooper used to justify a warrentless search:



https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/ ... us-wtf.pdf

[EnterpriseSovereign]

Met Police officer raped by David Carrick feared speaking out would ruin her career

Michelle remembers the moment she met PC David Carrick: "He came across as a really charming friendly guy".

But during the short time they worked together she noticed he "was also a bit of a womaniser."

"He’d smack the backside of a female (officer) while we were at work. He would flirt a lot. He had a massive ego."

Michelle, which isn’t her real name, met Carrick in 2004, and they soon started spending time together at the end of their shifts.

She says his behaviour was sometimes controlling, and if he saw her talking to other male officers at work, he would come and listen.

"He always knew who I was talking to and where I was. He loved himself."

One night, Michelle told me, they went back to his house, and he raped her.

Michelle now knows she is one of 12 women Carrick attacked over the course of almost two decades, and that he is a sexual predator and serial rapist who used his position as police officer to gain women's trust.

Rapist Met officer leaves police legitimacy ‘hanging by thread’
David Carrick sacked by Met Police for gross misconduct
At a court hearing earlier this month he admitted to 49 offences, 24 of which were rape charges.

But his crimes went undetected by the force he worked for, despite his behaviour being brought to its attention no fewer than nine times.

It wasn't until 2021 when another woman came forward, that Michelle realised she wasn't alone.

"His picture came up on the TV and it was instant - the recognition. He hadn't changed particularly. And I thought 'oh my God, someone else has gone through what I've gone through’."

Michelle told me she blames the Metropolitan Police for allowing a culture that stopped her from reporting what had happened to her sooner.

"I feel angry that I couldn't report. It's almost … I'm a hypocrite, because I didn't report. And alongside that obviously I feel guilty that I didn't report, because I feel guilty for the other victims that I didn't do something I should have done because of the culture of the job, and now they may or may not have gone through what they went through."

Michelle told me there was ‘no way’ she could have told her employers that she had been raped by one of her colleagues.

"I knew a male officer’s and female officer’s word against one another was never going to go my way. No one was going to believe me over him. I saw it as the end of my career and potentially a very difficult time so, no, I wasn’t going to say anything."

Michelle has been serving with the force for more than 20 years. She now works in a specialist role, and says she believes she would never have been promoted if she’d spoken out.

"It was very sexist in the force at that time. Male officers could do whatever they want. I had ‘property of the Met’ stamped on my backside. I spent half a shift in the boot of a police car. This was what female officers went through. You were called 'Doris' and you made the tea."

Michelle told me she believes that, in the past year, things have finally started to change for the better.

She said: "I think it’s recent, and it’s come with a change of Commissioner."

Met Police Commissioner Mark Rowley told us he ‘fully supports’ Michelle’s decision to speak out about the abuse she endured.

“We are determined not only to root out those who corrupt the Met, but to do everything we can to ensure women, both those who work at the Met, and Londoners, have more confidence to report domestic and sexual abuse – and to know that when they come forward, action will be taken.”

But for Michelle and at least 12 other women, that change has come far, far too late.

[EnterpriseSovereign]

Tyre Nichols: Five Memphis police officers charged with murder of FedEx worker

There are fears of unrest in the US after five police officers have been charged with murder following the death of a 29-year-old FedEx worker.

Tyre Nichols died in hospital three days after a confrontation during a traffic stop on January 7 in the city of Memphis, Tennessee.

The father-of-one had been arrested after being stopped for reckless driving, police said, before being allegedly beaten by the officers for three minutes.

A video of the traffic stop is due to be released on Friday, sparking fears that there could be civil unrest.

US President Joe Biden called for any protests to be peaceful after five men were charged on Thursday.

The officers involved in the arrest were subsequently sacked after a police investigation found they used excessive force or failed to intervene and help Mr Nichols.

Court records showed that all five former officers - Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Desmond Mills Jr., Emmitt Martin III and Justin Smith - were taken into custody.

The men each face charges of second-degree murder, aggravated assault, aggravated kidnapping, official misconduct and official oppression .

Second-degree murder is punishable by 15 to 60 years in prison under Tennessee law.

Mr Nichols’ stepfather, Rodney Wells said he and his wife, RowVaughn, who is Mr Nichols’ mother, discussed the second-degree murder charges and are “fine with it.”

They had sought first-degree murder charges but “there’s other charges, so I’m all right with that,” he said.

In an exclusive interview with CNN, Mr Nichol's mother said: "People tried to say black people, we only try to go after white officers but that's not true.

"We don't care what colour the officer is, we want bad officers taken off the force.

"We know there's a lot of great officers there are bad officers too and they're the ones we need to get rid of."

Memphis Police Chief Cerelyn Davis has asked for calm when the video footage is made public, saying: "I expect you to feel what the Nichols family feels."

She added: "I expect you to feel outrage in the disregard of basic human rights."

David Rausch, director of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, said he had seen the video, which was from a police body-worn camera, and said he found it “absolutely appalling.”

“Let me be clear, what happened here does not at all reflect proper policing," Mr Rausch said during a news conference.

"This was wrong. This was criminal," he added.

Both Mr Nichols’ mother and stepfather were joined by several dozen supporters on Thursday night for a candlelight vigil and prayer service at a Memphis skate park.

Mr Nichols, who has a 4-year-old son, had been an avid skateboarder.

Mr Nichols' mother warned supporters of the “horrific” nature of the video set to be released on Friday.

Mrs Wells said: "When that tape comes out tomorrow. It's going to be horrific. I didn't see it but from what I hear, it's going to be horrific.

Supporters were pictured holding candles next to handwritten cardboard signs with the words "this must stop" and "justice for Tyre" on them.

His mother thanked those who attended and said that her family is “grief stricken" but pleaded for the public to “protest in peace.”

“I don’t want us burning up our city, tearing up the streets, because that’s not what my son stood for,” Mrs Wells said.

“If you guys are here for me and Tyre, then you will protest peacefully.

"You can get your point across but we don’t need to tear up our cities, people, because we do have to live in them.”

That all five officers are black dudes makes this a black-on-black crime.

[Crazedwraith]

Which you know is probably the reason they were all summarily kicked out the force and had instant consequences.

[EnterpriseSovereign]

Met Police ‘institutionally racist, misogynist and homophobic’ Baroness Casey's damning report finds

Britain’s largest police force is institutionally racist, misogynist and homophobic, a damning review has found.

The Metropolitan Police failed to protect the public from police officers who abuse women, organisational changes have put women and children at greater risk, and female officers and staff routinely experience sexism, the report said.

There are racist officers and staff in the force and a "deep-seated homophobia" exists in the organisation, it found.

The review by Baroness Casey, commissioned in the wake of the murder of Sarah Everard, is "rigorous, stark and unsparing", she said.

Her finding that the force is institutionally racist echoes that of the Macpherson Inquiry in 1999, which took place following the murder of Stephen Lawrence and the abject failures in how the Met investigated his death.

Since then the force has remained largely white and male, the review found.

Baroness Casey called for the Met to "change itself", adding: "It is not our job as the public to keep ourselves safe from the police. It is the police’s job to keep us safe as the public.

"Far too many Londoners have now lost faith in policing to do that."

Her 363-page report, published on Tuesday, found that violence against women and girls has not been taken as seriously as other forms of violence.

Speaking to ITV's Good Morning Britain, Metropolitan Police Commissioner, Sir Mark Rowley, said he found the report to be "deeply sobering".

He insisted policing by consent "is not broken" but is instead "damaged", adding: "We need to rebuild and repair that and I'm absolutely certain we will do."

"The reason I remain optimistic despite the dastardliness of this report is the evidence in this report comes from my people," he said.

"They really care, they want it to be different, I've got tens of thousands of great people. Sadly as this report shows we've got hundreds of toxic individuals who need sorting out and I've been really forthright about that."

Elsewhere, women's safety campaigner Mina Smallman said she is "grateful" to Sir Mark for taking on what she called a "poisoned chalice of a job".

Ms Smallman's daughters, Nicole Smallman, 27, and Bibaa Henry, 46, were stabbed to death in north London, in 2020.

It later emerged that two Met officers sent to guard the scene, where the pair were murdered, had taken pictures of both bodies and shared them with colleagues on WhatsApp.

She said: "I've spoken to him on numerous occasions and… what can you say? It is so huge. He's taking it on the chin, he's saying we're gonna go back and look at these cases that have been covered up. I say 'good luck' and I support him until until he proves he's not doing what he's paid to do."

'Sexism and misogyny'

It found that there is widespread bullying in the Met, with a fifth of staff with protected characteristics – for example race, sexuality or disability – being victimised.
“Female officers and staff routinely face sexism and misogyny,” the report said.

“The Met has not protected its female employees or members of the public from police perpetrators of domestic abuse, nor those who abuse their position for sexual purposes.

“Despite the Met saying violence against women and girls is a priority, it has been treated differently from ‘serious violence’.

“In practice this has meant it has not been taken as seriously in terms of resourcing and prioritisation.”

The force has lurched from scandal to scandal in recent years, including Miss Everard’s murder by serving officer Wayne Couzens, and David Carrick being unmasked as one of the UK’s most prolific sex offenders.

The review painted an alarming picture of how crimes against women and children are investigated.

'Broken fridges and freezers'

Officers are relying on “over-stuffed, dilapidated or broken fridges and freezers” instead of fast-track forensic services, the report said.

“The de-prioritisation and de-specialisation of public protection has put women and children at greater risk than necessary.

“Despite some outstanding experienced senior officers, an overworked inexperienced workforce polices child protection, rape and serious sexual offences.

“They lack the infrastructure and specialism which the Sapphire specialist command benefited from.

“Instead of access to fast-track forensic services, officers have to contend with over-stuffed, dilapidated or broken fridges and freezers containing evidence including the rape kits of victims, and endure long waits for test results.”

It found that the force’s child protection service continues to have “major inadequacies” despite a watchdog issuing the most severely critical report in its history on the issue in 2016.

“The Met’s VAWG (violence against women and girls) strategy rings hollow since its claim to be prioritising serious violence has really not included the crimes that most affect women and girls.

“Those investigating domestic abuse are also under considerable pressures, with unmanageable caseloads and poor support for victims.

“This has increased disconnection from Londoners.”

Londoners 'put last'

The review said that Londoners had been “put last” with the loss of police commands for each borough, and that the English capital “no longer has a functioning neighbourhood policing service” in the wake of the changes.

Baroness Casey accused the Met of a “tick box” approach to the slew of negative reports about its performance in recent years, preferring to put the blame on individual bad apples rather than tackling systemic problems.

It said there is a culture of denial in the force and a “we know best” attitude.

Problems including austerity, changes in crime and a disciplinary system that makes it “difficult to get rid of people who corrupt the Met’s integrity” have “eroded frontline policing”, she said.

The report concluded there are “systemic and fundamental problems in how the Met is run” and that the problem with the force is not its size but “inadequate management”.

“The Met is run as a set of disconnected and competing moving parts, lacking clear systems, goals or strategies.

“It runs on a series of uncoordinated and short-lived initiatives, long on activity but short on action,” the report said.

“Recruitment and vetting systems are poor and fail to guard against those who seek power in order to abuse it.”

The Met’s processes “do not effectively root out bad officers, help to tackle mediocre officers, or truly support and develop good officers,” and there are clear signs of high stress among the workforce, the report said.

“In the absence of vigilance towards those who intend to abuse the office of constable, predatory and unacceptable behaviour has been allowed to flourish.

“There are too many places for people to hide. The integrity of the organisation remains vulnerable to threat.”

The report called for a “complete overhaul” of the Met and a “new approach to restore public trust and confidence”.

The review made 16 recommendations and said the changes needed to be made by the Met, the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime and the Home Office to “create a radically improved new London Metropolitan Police Service”.

The reforms are of a “significant scale” and “on a par” with the “transformation of the Royal Ulster Constabulary to the Police Service of Northern Ireland” at the end of the last century.

Home Secretary Suella Braverman told the Commons: “Discriminatory attitudes and homophobic, racist or misogynistic behaviour have no place in policing. And all of the case studies and references contained in the report make for shocking reading.”

[Dominus Atheos]

This black music artist was raided by the sheriffs dept for "trafficking of narcotics" and "kidnapping" according to the warrant. No kidnapping victims were found, and was obviously just an add-on to justify an armed raid. But honestly, that's all pretty normal, happens all the time in this country, I wouldn't bother posting if that's all it was.

What these cops did that makes it especially noteworthy is sue the victim of the falsely justified raid for making several music videos using home security footage of the raid. Apparently they are suffering “embarrassment, ridicule, emotional distress, humiliation, and loss of reputation” every time someone views on of these videos or purchases merchandise featuring one of the cops stuffing his face with the artists lemon pound cake while his colleagues are searching for the alleged kidnapping victim inside Afroman's cd books.

But the thing I most want to share is the legal filing. First off, Afroman doesn't actually name any of the cops (except the first name of one he apparently had preexisting relationship with), but by filing this complaint they all doxed themselves:

SHAWN D. COOLEY, AND JUSTIN COOLEY, AND MICHAEL D. ESTEP, AND SHAWN D. GROOMS, AND BRIAN NEWLAND, AND LISA PIDLLIPS, AND RANDOLPH L. WALTERS, JR.,

...Instagram post containing an image of Foreman wearing a shirt with an image of Plaintiff Shawn Cooley beside an image of Peter Griffin (Family Guy). Caption: "Good Morning Ladies!!! What up Fellas??? Congratulations to Police Officer Poundcake Thank you for getting me 5.4 MILLION hits on TikTok I couldn't have done it without you obviously! Congratulations again you're famous for all the wrong reasons. As you

can see all my poundcake is gone officer poundcake confiscated my pound cake he said something happened to his body camera on the way to the evidence room 101"

Instagram Post containing images of fans holding merchandise that contains images of Shawn Cooley. Caption: "LEMON POUNDCAKE l l!"

Instagram post containing image of Foreman wearing a shirt with images of Plaintiff Justin Cooley. Post promotes new album. Caption: "What's your favorite song on lemon pound cake so far? Also what's your favorite line?"

Instagram post containing image of Foreman wearing merchandise and promoting merchandise with images of Plaintiff Shawn Cooley. Caption: "I am pressing up merchandise for my up-and-coming Canada Tour which officer Poundcake shirt do you like the most the one to the left or the right? Let me know so I invest my money in the more popular shirt"

Instagram post containing video of fans and defendant singing "Lemon Poundcake" while a fan wears merchandise that contains images of Plaintiff Shawn Cooley.

Instagram post that portrays Plaintiff Lisa Phillips next to an image of the Mona Lisa. Caption: "Good Morning Ladies ... here she is ... The Condescending C?nt ... ADAMS KKKOUNTY SHERIF LIEUTENANT MONA LICC'EM LOW LISA to serve and disconnect ... (your home video security surveillance system) so you won't have proof of the Adams county sheriff department stealing money and other things around your house even possibly planting false kidnapping evidence. I used to speak to this lady when I dropped my kids off to school I always wondered why she never spoke bacc just looked at me with the same condescending c?nt look you see in the picture. I spoke to her again at the metal detector in the Adams county courthouse her voice was three octaves lower than mine lo!!! Has anybody in Adams county verified her vagina? If you haven't you should or she might whoop out something bigger than yours. If this lady is your friend I wouldn't leave her alone in my house. Or I'll put it this way if you leave and your video system is messed up when you get bacc you know who did it. Why would a good cop want to disconnect a video security surveillance system Lt Licc'em Low Lisa? NEW ALBUM "LEMON POUNDCAKE " DROPPING SEPTEMBER 30 ! My name for this particular officer is Lieutenant Mona Lice em Low Lisa! What nice-name did you come up with for her? I'm good but I will admit yours might be better than mine! Whatcha got ?"

As a result of Defendants' actions, Plaintiffs have suffered damages, including all profits derived from and attributable to Defendants' unauthorized use of Plaintiffs' personas, and have suffered humiliation, ridicule, mental distress, embarrassment, and loss of reputation.

On Count Two, against all Defendants, jointly and severally, an award for actual damages, in excess of$25,000, in the amount of profits made by Defendants by the invasion of their privacy; for damages for the emotional distress, embarrassment, ridicule, loss of reputation, and humiliation suffered by Plaintiffs; for punitive or exemplary damages; and for their attorney's fees, costs, and expenses of litigation; 3. On Count Three, against all Defendants, jointly and severally, an award for actual damages, in excess of$25,000, in the amount of profits made by Defendants by the invasion of their privacy; for damages for the emotional distress, embarrassment, ridicule, loss of reputation, and humiliation suffered by Plaintiffs; for punitive or exemplary damages; and for their attorney's fees, costs, and expenses oflitigation; 4. On Count Four, against all Defendants, jointly and severally, an award for actual damages, in excess of $25,000, in the amount of profits made by Defendants by the invasion of their privacy; for damages for the emotional distress, embarrassment, ridicule, loss of reputation, and humiliation suffered by Plaintiffs; for punitive or exemplary damages; and for their attorney's fees, costs, and expenses oflitigation;

And then they want $75,000 each for the "damages for the emotional distress, embarrassment, ridicule, loss of reputation, and humiliation suffered by Plaintiffs"

He did call out the judge who signed the kidnapping warrant by name though, saying not to vote for him for reelection:

Instagram post that portrays Judge Gabbert (the judge who signed the search warrant) next to an image of Droopy. Caption: "This is the judge that signed the warrant that said kidnapping. His name is Roy Droopy Gabbert. Vote him out before he signs a fictitious warrant then send some over reacting paranoid KKKops to your House jeopardizing the lives of you and your family, Stealing your money and disconnecting your home video security surveillance system. Vote out judge Roy Droopy Gabbert. Then go get my new album lemon pound cake September 30 on all platforms."

https://www.documentcloud.org/documents ... -complaint

[Gamerzone]

It's unfortunately common to hear about instances of police abuse, including bribery and corruption. These behaviors erode trust in law enforcement and undermine the integrity of the justice system. My opinion? It's a disgrace. Police officers are supposed to uphold the law, not exploit it for personal gain.

[IDahaka]

When cases of police misconduct come to light, they must be thoroughly investigated and prosecuted. However, the legal process can be complex. Even if officers are convicted, they exercise their right to appeal. This can lead to lengthy delays and, as defined here by Oberheiden P.C., a law firm, the reversal of convictions or the need for a new trial.
This aspect of the justice system poses a significant challenge. On one hand, it's essential to guarantee that all individuals, including law enforcement officers, receive due process. On the other hand, the appeals process can prolong the suffering of victims and further deteriorate public trust in the system.

[Vympel]

When cases of police misconduct come to light, they must be thoroughly investigated and prosecuted. However, the legal process can be complex. Even if officers are convicted, they exercise their right to appeal. This can lead to lengthy delays and, as defined here by Oberheiden P.C., a law firm, the reversal of convictions or the need for a new trial.
This aspect of the justice system poses a significant challenge. On one hand, it's essential to guarantee that all individuals, including law enforcement officers, receive due process. On the other hand, the appeals process can prolong the suffering of victims and further deteriorate public trust in the system.

Sleeper spambot - banned.

[Ralin]

Sleeper spambot - banned.

Hmm

It's unfortunately common to hear about instances of police abuse, including bribery and corruption. These behaviors erode trust in law enforcement and undermine the integrity of the justice system. My opinion? It's a disgrace. Police officers are supposed to uphold the law, not exploit it for personal gain.

How do you feel about that?

[AniThyng]

Is it because they write like if chatgpt were asked to write a wishy washy response

[LadyTevar]

When cases of police misconduct come to light, they must be thoroughly investigated and prosecuted. However, the legal process can be complex. Even if officers are convicted, they exercise their right to appeal. This can lead to lengthy delays and, as defined here by Oberheiden P.C., a law firm, the reversal of convictions or the need for a new trial.
This aspect of the justice system poses a significant challenge. On one hand, it's essential to guarantee that all individuals, including law enforcement officers, receive due process. On the other hand, the appeals process can prolong the suffering of victims and further deteriorate public trust in the system.

Sleeper spambot - banned.

Thank you, he snuck by me.