Yet More Police Brutality

General Zod · Post by **General Zod** » 2008-08-12 11:54am

DENVER - The Denver District Attorney's office has dropped its case against a man who was facing three years in prison for assault, after 9Wants to Know obtained and showed prosecutors a videotape of the man's arrest.

The Denver Police Department has also started an internal investigation.

On the video, which was shot outside Coors Field on the home opener of the Colorado Rockies game on April 4, undercover Denver Police detectives hit, kick and choke John Heaney.

"They both unloaded on me and I started seeing stars and the whole thing was just bam, bam, bam after that," said Heaney. "Someone had a chokehold and they were all on top of me and I couldn't breathe and I thought I was going to die."

After three detectives had Heaney facedown on the ground with his hands behind his back, the video shows undercover Det. Michael Cordova pull Heaney's hair, lift up his head and slam it into the ground, breaking two of his teeth on the cement.

Heaney says he had to have two teeth capped.

"I didn't know my teeth were broken until I was spitting out loose pieces," he said.

Heaney was charged with second-degree assault on a police officer and criminal mischief after one of the officer's sunglasses were broken during the arrest. The officers claim Heaney rode his bicycle through a red light at 20th and Blake Streets and then punched Cordova in the nose.

Heaney, who didn't know the men were undercover police officers, says he only flipped Cordova's Rockies hat off of his head.

Heaney says he was biking past Coors Field on April 4 to visit his terminally ill mother in a nursing home nearby.

Detectives Cordova and James Costigan, both on the Denver vice-narcotics squad, were working undercover in a scalping ring. Although 9NEWS is naming the officers, we have chosen not to show their faces to protect their undercover identities.

A local sports TV crew was videotaping the opening day of the Rockies when they saw and videotaped the arrest.

"The thing that kind of made everybody gasp was when the officer took the back of the guy's head and shoved it to the ground on his face," said TV producer Greg Prinkey. "He was not resisting. It was totally uncalled for."

When Prinkey saw men beating Heaney, he ran in to stop the fight. The video shows that's when the officers yelled, "Hey, we're cops! Get the (expletive) out of here!"

Prinkey gave the videotape of the arrest to 9NEWS.

"Had I not been rolling the camera, and no one else was rolling the camera, it might have just been swept under the rug," Prinkey said.

Before the Denver detectives knew about the videotape, they wrote reports and were deposed in court about what happened. Both officers said Heaney was throwing "wild punches" at them, hit the officers in the face and chest and continued to attack them, even when they had him on the ground.

Under oath, Cordova and Costigan also denied knowing anything about Heaney's broken teeth.

Heaney's attorney Lonn Heymann asked Cordova in court, "Was there a point at which somebody slammed his face into the ground?"

Cordova answered, "Absolutely not."

"How did Mr. Heaney's front teeth get broken," asked Heymann.

Cordova replied, "I have not a clue."

"When you start seeing that the officers are making arguments that are directly contradicted by this videotape, it raises questions about how believable the police officers are," Heymann told 9NEWS.

The Denver Police Department did not interview any civilian witnesses in their investigation of Heaney's arrest. However, 9NEWS interviewed three witnesses who all say Heaney did not hit the officers.

"I never saw the bicyclist make any sort of swing at either of the officers," said videographer Jason Jewett.

"He definitely didn't start it, that's for sure," said Nick Heckman, a still photographer for MileHigh Sports Magazine, who took four pictures of the arrest.

A hospital report and X-rays of Cordova's nose show it was not bleeding or broken after the arrest. Cordova claims it was red and swollen.

The Denver Police Department said Monday it is conducting an internal investigation of the arrest.

"The investigation is underway, and no conclusions should be drawn until all of the facts are available and the totality of the circumstances can be considered," said Division Chief of Investigations Dave Fisher. "Everyone in our country is initially entitled to a presumption of innocence, even police officers."

In addition to the injuries to his teeth, Heaney says he suffered neck and shoulder injuries.

Cordova and Costigan are still on duty while the investigation is underway. Once the police investigation is complete, it will be sent to the Denver District Attorney's office for review.
(Copyright KUSA*TV. All rights reserved.)

The fact that these douchebags are allowed to remain on duty after this bullshit is sickening, and yet another reason for me not to trust the police in this city.

Cos Dashit · Post by **Cos Dashit** » 2008-08-12 12:08pm

And they're surprised when people go on the defensive when dealing with cops.

Knife · Post by **Knife** » 2008-08-12 12:11pm

Hmm, seems a bit more concrete than the other thread. I'm surprised they're not on 'leave' or 'desk duty' till it is resolved.

Buddha · Post by **Buddha** » 2008-08-12 12:33pm

Whenever I read somthing like this, I think one thing. I think "How are people supposed to trust police or any authority after somthing like this?". This is the kind of thing that makes minorites more distrustful and makes people not have respect for the law or the uniformed defenders of it. In order to regain the respect of the people, some rethinking of the criteria is necessary when hiring police officers. People who are prone to abusing authority and have a sadistic side need to be identified and denied employment.

Knife · Post by **Knife** » 2008-08-12 12:43pm

Buddha wrote:Whenever I read somthing like this, I think one thing. I think "How are people supposed to trust police or any authority after somthing like this?". This is the kind of thing that makes minorites more distrustful and makes people not have respect for the law or the uniformed defenders of it. In order to regain the respect of the people, some rethinking of the criteria is necessary when hiring police officers. People who are prone to abusing authority and have a sadistic side need to be identified and denied employment.

Dissent works both ways though. Cops have a hard job and when people go batshit over something they consider simple procedure it reinforces in their minds that the civilians (or certain portions of them) are against them. Which leads to blue walls which leads to abuse, etc...

Not that I'm defending the jackasses in this senario, rather those who screech 'police abuse' at just about anything. Bad cops should be punished, corruption should be rooted out, but vilifying all police forces just reinforces the bad feelings that lead to such things on all sides.

General Zod · Post by **General Zod** » 2008-08-12 12:56pm

Knife wrote: Dissent works both ways though. Cops have a hard job and when people go batshit over something they consider simple procedure it reinforces in their minds that the civilians (or certain portions of them) are against them. Which leads to blue walls which leads to abuse, etc...

Not that I'm defending the jackasses in this senario, rather those who screech 'police abuse' at just about anything. Bad cops should be punished, corruption should be rooted out, but vilifying all police forces just reinforces the bad feelings that lead to such things on all sides.

The police need to remind people that they actually care about corruption, then maybe they'd get vilified less. By not at least suspending these assholes during their investigation they're not doing a very good job at bolstering public confidence.

Knife · Post by **Knife** » 2008-08-12 01:08pm

General Zod wrote:
Knife wrote: Dissent works both ways though. Cops have a hard job and when people go batshit over something they consider simple procedure it reinforces in their minds that the civilians (or certain portions of them) are against them. Which leads to blue walls which leads to abuse, etc...

Not that I'm defending the jackasses in this senario, rather those who screech 'police abuse' at just about anything. Bad cops should be punished, corruption should be rooted out, but vilifying all police forces just reinforces the bad feelings that lead to such things on all sides.
The police need to remind people that they actually care about corruption, then maybe they'd get vilified less. By not at least suspending these assholes during their investigation they're not doing a very good job at bolstering public confidence.

Nope, in this case you're right.

Post by **Darth Wong** » 2008-08-12 01:17pm

Undercover cops are notorious for getting themselves into trouble. And you really have to wonder: if some guy who looks like a junkie flashes what looks like a police ID, would you meekly let him handcuff you? For all you know, he intends to steal your money for drugs and then dump your body in a ravine.

Saxtonite · Post by **Saxtonite** » 2008-08-12 01:23pm

And this type of shit is why Gangsta Rap shows such a strong disdain for governmental authority, especially against police. And people wonder why songs like "Fuck the Police" by Niggaz With Attitude are so popular, and still are...

Post by **Darth Wong** » 2008-08-12 01:26pm

The problem is that the attitude becomes self-fulfilling. If you give the police enough attitude, they eventually get frustrated and give you a beat-down. If you encourage your whole "community" to do it, then your whole community suffers the retribution.

There's a reason why guys like me don't worry about being beaten up by cops. You never hear about someone who is polite and courteous to a police officer suddenly being assaulted. It's always someone who virtually dares them to do it, and assumes that they will be held in check by regulations even if he's spitting in their faces and they don't think anyone's watching.

This is not an excuse for police brutality; it is more of a condemnation of the idiocy which leads people to goad them and assume that they will be magically protected.

The Duchess of Zeon · Post by **The Duchess of Zeon** » 2008-08-12 02:39pm

Call them Sir, do whatever they say immediately, and stoically endure whatever they call you, and you won't get arrested or beaten.

General Zod · Post by **General Zod** » 2008-08-12 02:43pm

The Duchess of Zeon wrote:Call them Sir, do whatever they say immediately, and stoically endure whatever they call you, and you won't get arrested or beaten.

Unless of course, they're looking for an excuse to arrest you because they need to meet their quota.

Eulogy · Post by **Eulogy** » 2008-08-12 03:02pm

General Zod wrote:
The Duchess of Zeon wrote:Call them Sir, do whatever they say immediately, and stoically endure whatever they call you, and you won't get arrested or beaten.
Unless of course, they're looking for an excuse to arrest you because they need to meet their quota.

In that case, couldn't you just sue them for defamation/assault?

General Zod · Post by **General Zod** » 2008-08-12 03:08pm

Eulogy wrote: In that case, couldn't you just sue them for defamation/assault?

Not really. The police have a fairly wide range of "discretionary" powers. It's possible to charge them with false arrest, but only in very specific circumstances. Plus the burden of proof is substantially higher when you're the one making the claims against them.

The Duchess of Zeon · Post by **The Duchess of Zeon** » 2008-08-12 03:12pm

General Zod wrote:
The Duchess of Zeon wrote:Call them Sir, do whatever they say immediately, and stoically endure whatever they call you, and you won't get arrested or beaten.
Unless of course, they're looking for an excuse to arrest you because they need to meet their quota.

Don't give them an excuse. The police hold all of the power in America; all you can do is take it. In the end, resisting the police buys you nothing, even if they beat you to death--if you resisted in that circumstance, they'd just shoot you to death instead, or taser you to death.

Anyway, it's ridiculous to assert to the police have arrest quotas. Also, if you're a well dressed and normal looking person who is not doing anything unusual and remembers to turn off your iPod when they talk to you and take the earphones out, you're rather unlikely to have a problem. Start wearing baggy pants and things like that and the police will start harassing you.

General Zod · Post by **General Zod** » 2008-08-12 03:18pm

The Duchess of Zeon wrote: Don't give them an excuse. The police hold all of the power in America; all you can do is take it. In the end, resisting the police buys you nothing, even if they beat you to death--if you resisted in that circumstance, they'd just shoot you to death instead, or taser you to death.

Anyway, it's ridiculous to assert to the police have arrest quotas. Also, if you're a well dressed and normal looking person who is not doing anything unusual and remembers to turn off your iPod when they talk to you and take the earphones out, you're rather unlikely to have a problem. Start wearing baggy pants and things like that and the police will start harassing you.

You'd be surprised. I got arrested a few years ago by douchebags looking to find anyone to put in cuffs. Unfortunately I'd decided to walk instead of taking the mall shuttle and passed by the place where the cops were taking some restaurant owner's statements about a homeless guy causing trouble. Since I was working outside, I wasn't exactly in my best clothes, nor clean. For some bizarre reason the cops assumed that meant I was the guy they were looking for and decided to arrest me without bothering to listen to anything I said. (The charges were dropped, but it's definitely soured my feelings towards the cops).

Of course, I wasn't going to resist. But the fact that they were doing everything they could to put the blame on me because I only sort of vaguely fit the description they had doesn't exactly engender me to the police.

Kamakazie Sith · Post by **Kamakazie Sith** » 2008-08-12 03:18pm

General Zod wrote:
The Duchess of Zeon wrote:Call them Sir, do whatever they say immediately, and stoically endure whatever they call you, and you won't get arrested or beaten.
Unless of course, they're looking for an excuse to arrest you because they need to meet their quota.

You're thinking of infractions, and not arrestable offenses.

Anyway, the advice in this thread is pretty good. If you're polite and don't act like an asshole it's unlikely that you'll get beat down by those black sheep police officers.

FYI being verbally abusive and argumentative towards police is one of the danger signs.

OT - These types of decisions are very frustrating. They could at least suspend them from duty with pay. I'd like them suspended without pay, but here we have the polar opposite of what should happen.

Kamakazie Sith · Post by **Kamakazie Sith** » 2008-08-12 03:23pm

General Zod wrote: You'd be surprised. I got arrested a few years ago by douchebags looking to find anyone to put in cuffs. Unfortunately I'd decided to walk instead of taking the mall shuttle and passed by the place where the cops were taking some restaurant owner's statements about a homeless guy causing trouble. Since I was working outside, I wasn't exactly in my best clothes, nor clean. For some bizarre reason the cops assumed that meant I was the guy they were looking for and decided to arrest me without bothering to listen to anything I said. (The charges were dropped, but it's definitely soured my feelings towards the cops).

You were arrested, or detained? Just because you were placed in handcuffs does not mean you were under arrest. Police will sometimes place handcuffs on persons they are interviewing if there's a reason to worry about them running or fighting.

In my department we routinely place handcuffs on any homeless we encounter because nearly all of them carry knives or other weapons, and are prone to violent outbursts. I imagine the homeless population in any large city is similar.

Of course, I wasn't going to resist. But the fact that they were doing everything they could to put the blame on me because I only sort of vaguely fit the description they had doesn't exactly engender me to the police.

LOL you know I understand why you feel this way. What they were doing is actually an interrogation tactic to get you to admit. The real question is did they read you your rights before they started questioning you?

General Zod · Post by **General Zod** » 2008-08-12 03:27pm

Kamakazie Sith wrote: You were arrested, or detained? Just because you were placed in handcuffs does not mean you were under arrest. Police will sometimes place handcuffs on persons they are interviewing if there's a reason to worry about them running or fighting.

Arrested and charged. I had to go to court in order to get the charges dropped, but apparently the twats who pressed them decided it wasn't worth their time to show up.

LOL you know I understand why you feel this way. What they were doing is actually an interrogation tactic to get you to admit. The real question is did they read you your rights before they started questioning you?

Nope. No rights were read until after they cuffed me and stuck me in the car. The fact that they picked me out and claimed the owner identified me from across the street when it was getting dark outside just pissed me off even more.

Kamakazie Sith · Post by **Kamakazie Sith** » 2008-08-12 03:33pm

General Zod wrote: Arrested and charged. I had to go to court in order to get the charges dropped, but apparently the twats who pressed them decided it wasn't worth their time to show up.

Nope. No rights were read until after they cuffed me and stuck me in the car. The fact that they picked me out and claimed the owner identified me from across the street when it was getting dark outside just pissed me off even more.

You know what cracks me up about this Zod is that you're mad at the wrong person. The police weren't fulfilling a quota when they arrested you they were going off an eye witnesses who "positively" identified you. The police said "Hey, this guy matches the description is that him?" and he said "Yeah, that's the motherfucker!"

The police fucked up by just going of his word. What did they charge you with?

General Zod · Post by **General Zod** » 2008-08-12 03:37pm

Kamakazie Sith wrote: You know what cracks me up about this Zod is that you're mad at the wrong person. The police weren't fulfilling a quota when they arrested you they were going off an eye witnesses who "positively" identified you. The police said "Hey, this guy matches the description is that him?" and he said "Yeah, that's the motherfucker!"

The police fucked up by just going of his word. What did they charge you with?

As far as I'm concerned they're both at fault because the police weren't even questioning whether or not the owner's bullshit was accurate. The charges themselves were minor; disorderly conduct, disturbing the peace, etc. But more than enough to ruin my week. (Also, I was not being completely serious with the "quota" quip).

The Duchess of Zeon · Post by **The Duchess of Zeon** » 2008-08-12 03:39pm

General Zod wrote:
You'd be surprised. I got arrested a few years ago by douchebags looking to find anyone to put in cuffs. Unfortunately I'd decided to walk instead of taking the mall shuttle and passed by the place where the cops were taking some restaurant owner's statements about a homeless guy causing trouble. Since I was working outside, I wasn't exactly in my best clothes, nor clean. For some bizarre reason the cops assumed that meant I was the guy they were looking for and decided to arrest me without bothering to listen to anything I said. (The charges were dropped, but it's definitely soured my feelings towards the cops).

Of course, I wasn't going to resist. But the fact that they were doing everything they could to put the blame on me because I only sort of vaguely fit the description they had doesn't exactly engender me to the police.

I can't imagine that ever happening to me unless I ended up looking like a bag lady. I mean, seriously, you must have been dressed like a bum. Try to take the time after work to change clothes in a bathroom or at least spot-clean them in front of the mirror and wash your face off and comb your hair next time, seriously, or even every so often while you're working. Also if you're working outdoors in a busy area, wear an orange vest if you don't have a uniform, it'll make you look more like a worker and less like a vagrant.

General Zod · Post by **General Zod** » 2008-08-12 03:44pm

The Duchess of Zeon wrote: I can't imagine that ever happening to me unless I ended up looking like a bag lady. I mean, seriously, you must have been dressed like a bum. Try to take the time after work to change clothes in a bathroom or at least spot-clean them in front of the mirror and wash your face off and comb your hair next time, seriously, or even every so often while you're working. Also if you're working outdoors in a busy area, wear an orange vest if you don't have a uniform, it'll make you look more like a worker and less like a vagrant.

You've clearly never been to Denver. There's a massive homeless problem here, which means it's easy for anyone who looks slightly dirty and carries a backpack to be labeled as a bum/homeless guy. Especially given the types that routinely beg for change downtown who wouldn't necessarily stand out as homeless if they weren't panhandling.

The Duchess of Zeon · Post by **The Duchess of Zeon** » 2008-08-12 03:49pm

General Zod wrote:
You've clearly never been to Denver. There's a massive homeless problem here, which means it's easy for anyone who looks slightly dirty and carries a backpack to be labeled as a bum/homeless guy. Especially given the types that routinely beg for change downtown who wouldn't necessarily stand out as homeless if they weren't panhandling.

I actually I once spent a week in Denver in a hotel next to Mile High Stadium (the Red Lion Inn) and walked around the area with a backpack frequently and was never stopped by the police one single time.

General Zod · Post by **General Zod** » 2008-08-12 03:53pm

The Duchess of Zeon wrote: I actually I once spent a week in Denver in a hotel next to Mile High Stadium (the Red Lion Inn) and walked around the area with a backpack frequently and was never stopped by the police one single time.

They probably weren't looking for any suspects then. They generally leave homeless people alone considering the sheer amount of them here, but the point is that it's incredibly easy to get labeled as one. The undercover security guard at a store I used to work for told me he got asked how long he'd been homeless once; he had a slightly scruffy beard, and was wearing faded jeans and a t-shirt.