General Police Abuse Thread

[TimothyC]

The celebration by Ohio State students after they won the NCAA Championship:

Is that before or after they (or their fellow students) vandalized the stadium?

[Thanas]

A good article with which I agree wholeheartedly.

[Dominus Atheos]

Both videos from Seattle:





I don't know what the fuck is up in that second video. The cop is clearly terrified out of her mind for seeming no reason.

[White Haven]

...Okay, both of those videos are substantially bizarre. The first one...uh...that's quite a nice, high-quality video recording of a remarkable lack of a golf club being swung anywhere at all, much less at a police officer. And the second...I don't even know. It would be somewhat slightly understandable if she were defending a riot line or something, but she's just chilling in the middle of a sidewalk in a...line of bicycle cops? KS? Anything you can add to make either one of those make the slightest bit of sense?

[RogueIce]

At the end of the first video, you can hear the officer say it's about when he swung the golf club at her at when she "turned the corner at 11 and Pike" but earlier when she calls dispatch for the second officer, dispatch reports her position as "12 and Pike" so it would appear whatever initial incident spawned this is not something we're going to see from this video. This is supported I think because she immediately pulls up to the guy and starts talking about a golf club, which was out of view from what we can see of her approach so evidently there was something there we missed.

It's hard to tell on that second video with just a 0:14 clip. Looks like there was some confrontation/engagement/talking/whatever in front of their line right before she sprayed? But given we only saw the four seconds immediately proceeding her discharge (and she was already giving commands to "step back" when it started) it's just not enough I think to tell what the full context was. Still, when I put it in HD and full-screened the video I noticed something:



You can see what looks like an officer down on his hands and knees behind their line, before the pepper spray was used. Toward the end of the video, you can see him more clearly:



So evidently something happened before all of this that, again, we didn't get to see the context of in this video.

[Elheru Aran]

Regardless, it is highly questionable to make the decision to randomly spray the bystanders when there is no immediate threat (that is visible to us at least). Maybe someone threw a rock from some distance away or something, but in that case you go after that individual (if possible), you don't exact vengeance upon the crowd in general.

I suspect that the above scenario may be what happened, and the officer freaked out because she thought the crowd was pressing in. She's short and petite from what I can see. A temporary lapse in confidence is possible, but it was still a stupid decision to make.

[Dominus Atheos]

This Black Man Was Shot to Death by the Cops After Calling Police for Help

Kevin Davis and his girlfriend, April Edwards, lived on the outskirts of Decatur, GA, a predominantlyblack community just outside Atlanta. Davis, 44, was a longtime employee at Sawicki’s, a sandwich shop located in the more affluent downtown area of Decatur, where Edwards also worked. By all accounts, he was kind-hearted, generous, never late, and a visible contributor to his relatively small community of family, friends and colleagues. It was this very kindness which prompted him to invite Terrance Hilyard, 47, a co-worker in a rough spell, to stay with him and Edwards at their one-bedroom apartment.

On Dec. 29, 2014, Hilyard and April Edwards got into an altercation, which quickly escalated. Hilyard stabbed Edwards with a kitchen knife and fled the scene. Davis promptly called 911 for help. DeKalb County Police were dispatched, and Officer Joseph Pitts was first to arrive on scene. Per three witness accounts, Officer Pitts did not announce his arrival or identify himself. He entered the home to find the couple’s three-legged dog, Tooter, whom he shot and killed. Upon hearing shots, Davis became alarmed that his girlfriend’s assailant might have returned with a gun. He retrieved his own gun, proceeded to the front room of his home and was shot twice by Officer Pitts.

Both Edwards and neighbors on the scene claim they did not hear Officer Pitts order Davis to put down his weapon before hearing gunshots. Police have stated that Davis was told to drop his firearm, and refused to do so. After the shooting, Edwards came out, saying, “What have you done? Why did you shoot him?”

A second officer arrived on the scene. Davis, prone, said he was unable to feel his legs. He was arrested, charged with aggravated assault of a police officer, and transferred to Grady Hospital in downtown Atlanta in police custody. Hilyard, the roommate and attacker, was apprehended and arrested for the assault on Edwards. Edwards was transported to emergency care, her wounds having punctured an artery in her right arm. She later recovered, and has since returned to Ohio, though she continues to defend Davis’s actions.

Over the next two days, during his stay at the hospital, Davis’s family made numerous attempts to speak with him, both in person and over the phone, but they were denied by police, who said he was “in police custody.” Davis was not allowed to have outside contact, which reportedly evoked frustration on behalf of attending doctors. On December 31, Davis died from his injuries sustained at the hands of Officer Pitts. “It’s heartbreaking to us,” said his sister, Delisa Davis, “that he had to die alone, that he died with the identity of a criminal. He was 44, and had never been convicted of any crime.”

The family has said they were repeatedly blocked from seeing Davis until they were notified, without condolences, that he had “expired.” A representative of DeKalb County Police allegedly said to them, “You can go see him now.”

http://www.alternet.org/print/news-amp- ... police-his

[Dominus Atheos]

http://dissenter.firedoglake.com/2015/0 ... rs-island/

Report: For-Profit Medical Provider Killed Mentally Ill Inmate in Solitary Confinement on Rikers Island

The New York State Commission on Correction released a new report this week, detailing the findings from its investigation into the horrific and preventable death of mentally ill black inmate, Bradley Ballard.

Ballard was left in his cell for six days straight in September, 2013. Guards shut the water off to his cell for over four days, and not once during that time was he treated for his schizophrenia and diabetes. On the rare occasion that he was seen by a medical worker, their talks did not last for more than a minute at a time. He was eventually found naked on the floor, covered in feces and urine with a rubber band wound tightly around his cut and infected genitals. Ballard would go into cardiac arrest just a few minutes after being removed from his cell and die from “diabetic ketoacidosis due to withholding of his diabetes medications complicated by sepsis due to severe tissue necrosis of his genitals as a result of self-mutliation.” The commission agreed with earlier assessments that Ballard’s death was, in fact, a homicide.

We’ve known a few of the major details of this case since his family filed a lawsuit on his behalf a few months back. But this report contains more explicit details of Ballard’s mistreatment that should reinforce the intense unease prisoners’ and their advocates feel over the continued role and impunity of Rikers’ for-profit inmate healthcare provider, Corizon Health Services, which will soon oversee inmate care in Rikers’ soon-to-be-constructed $14.8 million super-solitary unit known as the ESHU.

Between generous redactions, we are afforded a glimpse at the disturbing reality prisoners’ face under the care of Corizon staff and Rikers’ corrections officers. You should read the actual report because you can’t beat primary sources, but I’ll admit it is a bit cumbersome given the heavy blocks of redacted text and it’s call-and-response format. I created this annotated version of the report to organize the components a bit more logically, which I hope is helpful to some readers.

The commission does not mince words or shy away from assigning blame. It calls out Corizon repeatedly and unequivocally for “substandard medical and mental health treatment.” They write that Corizon’s work was “so incompetent and inadequate as to shock the conscience,” and that Ballard would have survived had he received the appropriate care. Corizon staff are said to have shown ”deliberate indifference to Ballard’s serious medical needs by collectively failing to provide the very basics of medical care and failing to take appropriate action in a timely manner to a medical emergency.”

Ultimately, the commission writes, “The lack of coordinated care for and mismanagement of Ballard’s [redacted] represents grossly negligent medical care by Corizon, Inc., endangered Ballard’s life and subsequently caused his death.”

More at link.

[Dominus Atheos]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/cri ... story.html

John B. Geer had hands up when shot by police, four officers say in documents

John B. Geer stood with his hands on top of the storm door of his Springfield, Va., townhouse and calmly said to four Fairfax County police officers with guns pointed at him: “I don’t want anybody to get shot . . . . And I don’t wanna get shot, ’cause I don’t want to die today.”

But as one officer tried to ease Geer through the standoff, another officer, Adam D. Torres, shot and killed Geer from 17 feet away, telling investigators that he saw Geer move his hands to his waist and thought he might be reaching for a weapon, according to newly released documents from the county.

The other three officers, and a lieutenant watching from a distance, said they saw no such thing, the documents show.

How and why Geer died that afternoon in August 2013 after police responded to a domestic dispute at his home have remained a mystery, as police and prosecutors have declined to comment on the case for 17 months. But Friday night, under a court order obtained by lawyers for the Geer family, Fairfax released more than 11,000 pages of documents that shed new light on the police shooting.

The other officers contradicted Torres’s story, all agreeing that Geer had his hands above his shoulders, did not move them to his waist and was unarmed when he was shot.

The documents also show that Torres was involved in an argument with his wife in the 16 minutes leading up to his arrival at Geer’s home that may have caused him to miss key facts about Geer and the situation at the townhouse. He also did not issue a warning to Geer before he pulled the trigger.

“When the shot happened, his hands were up,” Officer Rodney Barnes, who had been talking to Geer at the moment of the shooting, told investigators that evening. “I’m not here to throw [Torres] under the bus or anything like that, but I didn’t see what he saw.”

The documents, which include police investigative reports, transcripts, timelines, photos and dispatcher audiotapes, indicate that Torres said he considered Geer “a credible threat,” because he had placed a holstered gun at his feet at the beginning of the standoff. But the other three officers told investigators that they never considered firing at Geer.

“It’s not good,” Officer David Parker, who was crouching 15 feet behind Torres, told investigators. “He killed that guy and he didn’t have to.”

But Torres said he thought Geer could have had another weapon hidden at his waist. “It was not accidental,” Torres told investigators. “No, it was justified. I have no doubt about that at all. I don’t feel sorry for shooting the guy at all.”

The files also reveal for the first time why the Fairfax prosecutor shifted the case to the U.S. attorney’s office in Alexandria: an internal affairs investigation into a loud, angry “meltdown” Torres had in the Fairfax County Courthouse. In that incident, five months before the Geer shooting, Torres repeatedly cursed at an assistant county prosecutor and stormed out of the courthouse, according to the prosecutor’s statement included in the released documents.

But county police refused to make the internal affairs file available to Fairfax Commonwealth’s Attorney Raymond F. Morrogh. A frustrated Morrogh has said he passed the investigation to the Justice Department because he was unable to get anywhere with the Fairfax police department.

More at link

[Dominus Atheos]

Albuquerque prosecutor indicts cops, immediately faces repercussions

This week, Bernalillo County (N.M.) District Attorney Kari Brandenburg charged two Albuquerque police officers with murder in the killing of homeless man James Boyd. The shooting was captured on video and widely covered in the national media. Brandenburg’s decision comes on the heels of the controversial non-indictments in the deaths of Michael Brown and Eric Garner, which sparked protests around the country. It didn’t take long for Albuquerque police and their supporters to react.

A top prosecutor for District Attorney Kari Brandenburg’s office was shut out of a briefing after a fatal police shooting near San Mateo and Constitution NE on Tuesday evening, Brandenburg told KRQE News 13.

Police officials and others were gathering to discuss the most recent developments in the investigation a few hours after the shooting, Brandenburg said. Chief Deputy DA Sylvia Martinez attempted to join the briefing, but Deputy City Attorney Kathryn Levy would not let Martinez attend.

What Brandenburg said happened Tuesday evening would be an unprecedented move by city of Albuquerque officials, and it comes a day after Brandenburg charged two APD officers with murder in the March shooting death of homeless camper James Boyd.

Levy invoked the charges in barring Martinez from the briefing, according to Brandenburg.

“Sylvia was told that our office has a conflict of interest because we charged the officers,” she said.

Reached by telephone for comment Tuesday evening, Levy, who has for years worked as APD’s attorney, refused to answer questions . . .

Levy also told Martinez that APD “wouldn’t be needing any legal advice or help” and that Martinez “could go home,” Brandenburg said. “They told her we could call another prosecutor’s office to come down.”

Prosecutors’ presence at the scenes of police shootings and inside the investigatory briefings has been ubiquitous for decades here. In fact, the DA’s participation in the investigations is memorialized in a written agreement with APD and other agencies signed in 2004.

“I have never seen anything like this. Ever,” Brandenburg said in a telephone interview, referring to a city official shutting one of her prosecutors out of a briefing. “Clearly, this could compromise the integrity of the investigation of this shooting.”

If true, this is really reprehensible behavior and an abdication of office on the part of both police and the deputy city attorney. It’s also just the latest example of law enforcement officers and their supporters demonstrating incredible petulance in retaliation for public scrutiny or the rare attempt to hold rogue cops accountable for their actions.

Keep in mind, this is all occurring in a city that has a long history of questionable police shootings, that recently entered into a consent decree with the Department of Justice after an investigation found a pattern of unconstitutional use-of-force incidents, that seems to have a problematic shoot-first culture within the police department, and that has a history of law enforcement officials retaliating against whistleblowers.

It’s also a city where this just happened:

It was an undercover operation to bust two men for selling $60 worth of methamphetamine, but things didn’t go as planned.

An Albuquerque police lieutenant shot a fellow officer who was working undercover in a McDonald’s parking lot near Central and Tramway just before noon Friday.

Albuquerque Police Chief Gorden Eden said Saturday the male officer remained in critical condition at University of New Mexico Hospital. He is in the intensive care unit and has undergone multiple surgeries.

Police haven’t released the name of the officer who was shot, the lieutenant who shot the officer, or the identity of another officer who suffered minor injuries during the operation. Criminal complaints filed in Metropolitan Court against the two targets of the investigation identify the undercover officers as detectives Holly Garcia and Jacob Grant.

“Undercover narcotics work is probably some of the most dangerous work that we do in law enforcement,” Eden said during a Saturday news conference. “Due to the nature of those undercover operations it’s impractical for those narcotics officers, those narcotics detectives, to wear body armor. It’s very impractical for them to wear on-body cameras.”

The complaint makes no mention of the shooting, and police haven’t yet provided any details about what went wrong, or why the high-ranking officer opened fire.

The drug suspects were charged with drug trafficking, but faced no weapons charges. So it appears that the police lieutenant opened fire despite there no being no threat. It will be difficult to blame this shooting on the victim reaching for a waistband, or on anti-police rhetoric.

There are loads of incentives for a DA to decline to bring charges against bad cops, and very few pushing in the direction of indictment. Police organizations and their supporters are loud, powerful and well organized. They can make a DA’s day-to-day professional life pretty miserable, and an endorsement of a DA’s opponent in the next election could end a prosecutor’s career. At worst, a controversial decision to not file charges might bring some protests. But few DAs need to worry about not getting reelected because they neglected to charge a cop — even one who clearly broke the law. Or at least that’s the case right now.

Now think about another prosecutor in some other part of the country who perhaps would like to do more to hold rogue police officers accountable. He or she is watching what’s happening now in Albuquerque. What lesson does that prosecutor take away?

The recent rallies, protests and demonstrations against police brutality and excessive force have been notable for their size, diversity and breadth (that is, they’ve been happening all over the country). But for real reform to happen, advocates will need to do more than protest the public officials who get it wrong. They’ll need to find ways to show public support for the officials who have the courage to get it right.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the- ... rcussions/

[Dominus Atheos]

People who read the Police Abuse thread may remember this article:

It has not been a banner year for our armed public servants from the City of New York. When we last left them, they were executing a two-pronged strategy to protest Mayor Bill de Blasio’s alleged anti-cop rhetoric, first hijacking the funeral of two murdered cops, then refusing to do their jobs. What did the horrible race-baiting, cop-hating demagogue de Blasio do to warrant these bold, courageous, and dangerous acts of protest and dissent? Well, 1) He ran in opposition to Stop and Frisk, the policy of stopping and searching pedestrians, which was agreed by both its supporters and detractors to result in racial profiling in practice, and 2) He had the temerity to say that he’d told his black son to exercise extra care when interacting with the police in the wake of the NYPD’s public execution of the unarmed and black Eric Garner. That it is flatly contradictory to simultaneously support profiling blacks as criminals and be offended at the suggestion that blacks should be conscious of being profiled as criminals doesn’t seem to bother the NYPD’s union or the rank-and-file officers it represents. Indeed, that’s how the logic of white supremacy tends to operate: it is not enough to oppress, but the victims of the oppression must feel quietly grateful to be oppressed.

Anyway, on New Year’s Eve, the New York Police Department requested the public’s help in finding a man who grabbed an MTA worker, threw her on the ground, throttled her, and then ran away with a jaunty and satisfied smirk on his face. A few days later, the man turned himself in. It turns out that who the NYPD was on the hunt for was one Mirjan Lolja (yes, LOL-ja. yes.) — a 7 year veteran of the NYPD, who apparently heroically took it upon himself to continue the NYPD’s public relations campaign on his off time:

An NYPD officer is in police custody in connection with an attack last week on an MTA employee on a Bronx subway platform, police said.

Officer Mirjan Lolja turned himself in Thursday at the 25th precinct in East Harlem where he is stationed. No charges have been filed yet.

Lolja, who was off duty at the time of the attack, has been suspended from the force pending an investigation by the NYPD’s Internal Affairs unit, police said.

The 28-year-old transit worker told investigators that she was attacked at about 2:30 a.m. Dec. 23 by a man on the D train platform at the East Tremont Station. The man grabbed her from behind and pushed her to the floor, where he choked her before fleeing.

Here’s a shot of Lolja smirking in satisfaction as he leaves the station:



We’re as shocked as you to discover that cops in New York are violently assaulting the citizens they are entrusted to protect for basically no reason at all. Shocked. But what’s more terrifying than what police officers are willing to do, for no reason, on camera and in public, is what they must be doing privately, off-camera, under the pretext of fighting crime.

The hilarious coda to this story is the treatment of this story in the news by the New York Daily News. Here’s the headlinefrom the story they wrote before they knew that the culprit was a police officer:



And here’s the lede of that story:

A hulking brute grabbed a 28-year-old MTA employee up in a bear hug at a Bronx train station, shoved her onto the platform and began choking her in an unprovoked attack – then ran away smiling, authorities said Wednesday.

Here’s the story after they found out that the culprit was a police officer:



And here’s the lede of that story:

Police Officer Mirjan Lolja, 37, was suspended after the assault in which the Metropolitan Transportation Authority worker — who was on-duty and in her uniform — was allegedly put into a bear hug, thrown to the floor and choked, cops said.

Notice anything? Gone is the evocative “thug” in the headline and the “hulking brute” of the lede, and the sensationalism of the label of an “unprovoked” attack, replaced by plainspoken and bare nouns. Gone, too, is the directness of the active voice, replaced by a circumspect passive voice, accompanied by the (necessary) lawyerly “allegedly”. The callousness of him smiling has been dropped, too, demoted to the second paragraph. This is no surprise — it’s just an example of the subtle way in which our media defers to and genuflects before law enforcement, shaping and coloring the narrative in their favor.

Next time you call someone a thug, New York Daily News, do make sure he’s not a cop instead, just going about, doing his duty, giving out bear hugs of love.

http://wonkette.com/570758/smirking-thu ... 3vfh97l.01

So that officer was charged today... with a misdemeanor:

Cop who allegedly attacked Bronx subway worker busted on misdemeanor charges — to transit union's fury

Officer Mirjan Lolja, who allegedly choked Fatima Futa at the Tremont Ave. station on Dec. 23, was arraigned Friday in Bronx Criminal Court. ‘There is a glaring disparate treatment at play ... when a police officer is allowed to brutally assault a uniformed TWU Local 100 conductor and walk away with what amounts to a slap on the wrist,' said Transport Workers Union Local 100 President John Samuelsen.

The Harlem cop charged with assaulting a rookie subway conductor in the Bronx walked out of court on a misdemeanor rap Friday — infuriating transit union officials.

Officer Mirjan Lolja, 37, was hit with a top charge of third degree assault for the Dec. 23 attack on female conductor Fatima Futa, 28.

“There is a glaring disparate treatment at play with New York's criminal justice system when a police officer is allowed to brutally assault a uniformed TWU Local 100 conductor and walk away with what amounts to a slap on the wrist,” said Transport Workers Union Local 100 President John Samuelsen.

“Had one of our conductors viciously assaulted a uniformed female police officer, an arrest would have occurred immediately, and that conductor would be facing substantial felony charges.

“It's despicable,” Samuelsen added, “and transit workers will not be silenced in our outrage.”

Lolja, through his lawyer, pleaded not guilty at his brief arraignment in Bronx Criminal Court.

Wearing a black pinstriped suit, white shirt and navy blue tie, Lolja kept his mouth shut as he strolled out of the courthouse after he was released on his own recognizance.

Experts were shocked to hear that Lolja — who was also charged with official misconduct and second-degree harassment — dodged a felony rap.

Attacking an MTA employee is a felony in New York State punishable by up to seven years in prison.

“Based on the complaint, it’s sufficient to allege that he intended to cause a transit worker injury and did,” said Mark Bederow, a former Manhattan prosecutor. “In the state of New York, that is sufficient for a felony assault.”

In a statement, Bronx District Attorney spokeswoman Terry Raskyn defended the charges.

“There is an adequate scope of punishment (one year) covered by a misdemeanor charge,” Raskyn said. “Charging is always at the discretion of the District Attorney.”

Prosecutors say Lolja was off duty when he bum-rushed Futa at the Tremont Ave. station because he was irate about having to wait 20 minutes for a train.

Lolja "jumped on (Futa’s) back (and) wrapped his upper arm and forearm around (her) neck, causing (her) to fall to the ground and experience substantial pain to her knees, neck and shoulders," the complaint says.

While Futa was on the ground, Lolja grabbed her hair with both hands and pulled — causing “substantial pain in her scalp," the complaint adds.

The officer fled the scene but turned himself in after a video captured him going through the turnstiles with a smirk on his face. He was subsequently suspended from duty.

In an interview with the Daily News earlier this month, Futa said she had no time to react.

"Before I turned around, this guy was on my back and I'm on the floor," Futa told The News.

"I was on my knees on the floor. It just happened so fast. I'm trying to get this guy off me and he's not letting up. He's choking me and pulling my hair."

The beatdown on the D line platform continued even after a co-worker tried to stop Lolja, Futa said.

"I felt like it lasted forever," she added. "I was really scared for my life."

http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/nyc ... -1.2097479

[Dominus Atheos]

http://www.khou.com/story/news/local/te ... /22847963/

SAN ANTONIO - A San Antonio police officer accused of holding his wife and children at gunpoint will keep his peace officer's license, as part of a plea deal signed in court last month.

Daniel Lopez, 44, has remained on administrative leave since his July 2013 arrest at a home in the 100 block of Whitecliff Drive. Bexar County First Assistant District Attorney Woodrow Halstead said Tuesday the office reduced the charges against Lopez after his family members changed their stories about the incident.

"We were left with what was really our only option of pleading to the reduced offense for disorderly conduct," said Halstead.

Lopez was originally charged with first degree felony aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and two counts of deadly conduct, after he was taken into custody following a dispute inside his home July 4, 2013. Police at the time said Lopez had struck his wife in the head with a gun, then pointed it at two children inside the home. Lopez eventually surrendered without incident after what was described as a 20-minute standoff with police.

Lopez had already been stripped of his service weapon and placed on administrative duty following a June 2013 incident. In that case, police officers told KENS 5 Lopez fired a gun at his home.

"There are deeper issues here than someone going off like that," then-Police Chief William McManus said at the time of Lopez's arrest.

Lopez was given one day of probation and a $100 fine after pleading "no contest" to a Class C misdemeanor charge of disorderly conduct, according to his plea deal.

"I would have definite concerns about him remaining on the police force."

Woodrow Halstead, Bexar County First Assistant District Attorney

The plea deal struck out any reference to a gun or family violence, meaning Lopez instead pleaded no contest to "making an obscene gesture".

A woman who answered the door at Lopez's home declined to comment Tuesday then slammed the front door.

Lopez's attorney, Roy Barrera Jr., did not respond to the I-Team's request for comment.

Lopez's plea prevents the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement from suspending his license, since the plea is not above a Class C misdemeanor and does not mention family violence.

"Based on the evidence I've seen in the offense reports, I would have definite concerns about him remaining on the police force," said Halstead, who said its up to SAPD to make that decision.

Interim Chief Anthony Trevino has several more weeks to decide if Lopez will return to duty.

If Trevino terminates Lopez, the officer could go work for another department.

Trevino declined to be interviewed for this story.

Tuesday afternoon SAPD spokesman Sgt. Javier Salazar released the following statement:

We're aware of the state of the current case and are weighing all facts in considering administrative action.

So I think that the wife and children should be arrested for perjury, making false police reports, and anything else relevant after falsely charging this apparently upstanding police officer.

Seriously though, what options do police and prosecutors have when a domestic violence victim changes their story or recants?

[Alyrium Denryle]

So I think that the wife and children should be arrested for perjury, making false police reports, and anything else relevant after falsely charging this apparently upstanding police officer.

Seriously though, what options do police and prosecutors have when a domestic violence victim changes their story or recants?

Knowing that they are often intimidated into silence, changing their story, or recantation? Nothing.

[Edi]

Two or three previously separate threads posted by Dominus Atheros merged into this one, since they fit the description for this thread and do not deserve seaprate topics of their own.

Dominus Atheos, if you keep shitposting more and more articles that belong in this thread as separate topics, I'm going to just flat out fucking delete them instead of bothering to merge them, because this thread was created specifically to avoid spamming the forum with multiple similar topics.

If you think you're too much of a special and fragile snowflake to be bothered with following the board policy on this, too fucking bad. We have remedies for that too.

[Dominus Atheos]

Ex-Philly cop sentenced to 1 day in prison for undocumented arrest of Iraqi War vet


FORMER Philadelphia Police officer Kevin Corcoran walked into court yesterday facing up two years in prison for a conviction stemming from his undocumented arrest of an Iraqi War veteran in March 2013.

But hours later, he walked out - practically a free man - after a judge sentenced him to one day in prison for obstruction of justice.

Before sentencing, Common Pleas Judge Robert P. Coleman cited Corcoran's "stellar" career prior to his arrest in the case, saying that given the charges, the recommended sentence of two to 23 months in prison was unfair.

Corcoran, 34, was charged in March 2014 with false imprisonment, official oppression and obstruction of justice after handcuffing and detaining Air Force veteran Roderick King, driving him around in his patrol car and then releasing him without filing paperwork to document the events.

Corcoran detained King on March 31, 2013, after some people walking near 13th and Lombard streets commented that the officer had made an illegal turn. But after driving King around in his patrol car for about 16 minutes, he released King after learning that he was a veteran.

A jury in November acquitted Corcoran of false imprisonment and official oppression, but found him guilty of obstruction of justice, which his lawyer, Fortunato Perri Jr. told the Daily News his client is appealing.

During yesterday's sentencing, Assistant District Attorney Michael J. Bonner sought a two- to 23-month sentence and asked the judge to consider the weight of Corcoran's actions, saying they were an abuse of power. Afterward, he read a letter from King, who was not in court.

"Not only were my rights violated, but the direction of my life has changed," King wrote. "Since then, I've lost trust in our police system, moved away from the Philadelphia area . . . sought counseling and [I'm] currently going through this trial to ensure Mr. Corcoran can never do this to anyone else."

But Perri asked that his client be sentenced to probation, saying that the incident was the first blemish on the ex-officer's 10-year career.

Coleman sided with Perri, although Corcoran's career had been littered with complaints and lawsuits filed against him for incidents of police brutality and other inappropriate behavior - some of them decided in his favor.

During sentencing, Coleman asked Corcoran if he wanted to address the court, to which he replied, "No." However, Perri said he had advised his client against making any statements in light of pending civil cases against him.

But Coleman expressed disappointment that Corcoran had not shown remorse for his actions.

Bonner similarly said he would have expected Corcoran to apologize, but said he would settle for the sentence the judge handed down.

"The commonwealth requested a longer period of incarceration because we think that that would be fair and just in this case," Bonner said after the sentencing, "but we respect the court's decision. We believe that Mr. Corcoran has been held accountable and that the proper sentence was issued in this court."

Corcoran will serve one day in prison during which he will receive an ankle monitor before starting six months of house arrest followed by a year of probation. He will be allowed to continue working as a union carpenter, Perri said.


Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20150 ... fFEa7w9.99

Every police officer has a "stellar record" because lawsuits aren't included and complaints are always resolved in the officer's favor!

[Dominus Atheos]

Former Providence police detective DeCarlo’s conviction for felony assault is expunged

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Former city police Detective Robert R. DeCarlo, who was caught on a security camera video as he brutalized a suspect in a widely publicized incident on College Hill in 2009, has escaped the stain of a felony conviction.

But he stands guilty of simple assault, a misdemeanor, on trespassing suspect Luis A. Mendonca.

On Wednesday, Superior Court Magistrate John F. McBurney III approved DeCarlo’s request to have the public record of his short-lived felony conviction expunged.

That means the case will be kept sealed at the courthouse, unavailable except in special circumstances. DeCarlo, generally speaking, will be able to swear lawfully that he was never convicted of a felony.

A jury in 2011 convicted DeCarlo of the felony charge of assault with a dangerous weapon, his flashlight, on Mendonca.

A digital black-and-white video recording of the incident, taken from an infrared night vision camera attached to a nearby house, was the crucial evidence.

But Superior Court Judge Francis J. Darigan Jr. declared a mistrial and threw out the indictment and conviction of DeCarlo. The judge ruled that the prosecutor had engaged in serious misconduct by saying impermissible things in her closing argument, such as references to information not admitted as trial evidence.

Attorney General Peter F. Kilmartin appealed that decision to the state Supreme Court. In an unannounced settlement negotiated with DeCarlo, on Nov. 7, 2014, Kilmartin withdrew the appeal in return for DeCarlo’s guilty plea to simple assault. Superior Court Judge Pamela Woodcock Pfeiffer sentenced DeCarlo to a one-year prison term, suspended with probation.

In the trial, DeCarlo had been acquitted of a second count — simple assault — that accused him of kicking the suspect.

“The goal always was to get him fully exonerated from a felony conviction,” said Peter A. DiBiase, DeCarlo’s lawyer. So it suited DeCarlo to make a misdemeanor plea deal rather than risk the possibility that the Supreme Court would reverse Darigan and allow a retrial, DiBiase explained.

Five years after DeCarlo completes probation, the law will allow him to request expungement of the simple assault conviction, too, according to DiBiase. There was no similar waiting period for the expungement of the felony record because, once Kilmartin’s appeal was withdrawn, DeCarlo was exonerated of the felony.

Kilmartin’s office checked with Mendonca’s lawyer and the Providence police to see if there was any objection to the appeal settlement. There was none, according to Kilmartin spokeswoman Amy Kempe.

DeCarlo quietly ended a 191/2 year career on the police force when he resigned from his $67,600-a-year job effective Nov. 30, 2013, in a separate agreement with the Police Department. At that time, he had been on an unpaid suspension from duty since Feb. 22, 2010.

He was given severance pay and the city agreed not to interfere with his drawing a pension when he reaches the necessary age. The department also agreed to indemnify him in a multimillion-dollar lawsuit filed by Mendonca. The pending suit names DeCarlo and the city as defendants, among others.

Indemnification means that the city will defend DeCarlo as well as itself and that if a court awards financial damages against him, the city will pay them, according to Providence Public Safety Commissioner Steven M. Paré. The city’s labor contract with the police union provides for the indemnification of officers sued for misconduct.

Two weeks ago, there was a resolution of a criminal case against Mendonca arising from the incident on Oct. 20, 2009, that brought down DeCarlo.

Mendonca, 26, a Cape Verde citizen and a permanent legal resident of the U.S. whose last known address was in Central Falls, was convicted of simple assault on two Rhode Island School of Design police officers.

Mendonca appealed the convictions to Superior Court. In a plea bargain dated Jan. 22 that settled the appeal, Kilmartin’s office dismissed the two assault counts.

Mendonca was assaulted in a dark parking lot. DeCarlo struck him in the head with his flashlight, knocking him unconscious, although Mendonca was handcuffed behind his back and restrained by other officers, according to disputed trial evidence.

The detective testified he thought Mendonca was resisting arrest for a violent crime and that he hit Mendonca with his fist three times to bring him to the ground so he could be subdued and handcuffed. He admitted that his fist enclosed the flashlight.

http://www.providencejournal.com/breaki ... punged.ece

[Dominus Atheos]

Baltimore officials kept in dark about detective's brutality case

While seeking approval this week for a $150,000 settlement in a lawsuit alleging brutality by a Baltimore detective, Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake's administration did not tell the city spending board that taxpayers had already paid $100,000 to settle another lawsuit against the officer...

The administration vowed to provide more details about settlements after a Baltimore Sun investigation found that taxpayers had paid nearly $6 million since 2011 in lawsuits alleging misconduct by officers — including some who had been sued multiple times. The investigation also showed that city officials lacked a comprehensive system to track such misconduct.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryla ... story.html

Here's a crazy idea, maybe if an officer has multiple lawsuits that the officer lost, they shouldn't be a police officer anymore.

[Mr Bean]

This is something from just shy of a year ago but the video (Which is not violent or anything) that accompanies the news report is illuminating.

7 online

BLOOMFIELD, NJ (WABC) --

Investigative Reporter Sarah Wallace obtained the dashcam tapes, and has spoken exclusively with the 30-year old DJ who was looking at years in prison.

It was quite a turnabout, all the criminal charges against Marcus Jeter have been dismissed, and two Bloomfield police officers have been indicted for falsifying reports, and one of them, for assault.

A third pleaded guilty early on to tampering. It's all thanks to those dashcam tapes.
It's the video that prosecutors say they never saw when the pursued criminal charges against 30 year-old Marcus Jeter . In the video, his hands were in the air. He was charged with eluding police, resisting arrest and assault. One officer in the video can be seen throwing repeated punches.

Sarah Wallace: "It this tape hadn't surfaced?"

Jeter: "I'd be in jail."

This video was only turned over by Bloomfield police after Jeter's attorney filed a request for records; at the time prosecutors were insistent that Jeter do prison time.

"The first plea was 5 years," said Jeter.

The incident began when cops were called to the Bloomfield home Jeter shares with his girlfriend. No charges were filed and Jeter says he left after briefly talking to officers.

Sarah Wallace: "They say you eluded police."

Jeter: "When they got behind me, I pulled over."

Sarah: "So you weren't trying to escape."

"No." said Jeter.

You can clearly see Jeter pulling over and stopping on the side of the Garden State parkway. The cops pull out guns.

Sarah: "Why didn't you get out of the car?"

Jeter: "Because I was afraid. There was a cop on my right with a gun, a cop on the other side with a shotgun. I'm afraid I might get shot."

Sarah: "If you got out."

The tape not initially turned over shows a second police car coming from the opposite direction, crossing the median into ongoing traffic, and then striking Jeter's car. There is no mention of that in any police report. When Jeter first told his attorney that part of the story.

"It was incredible, I didn't believe it at that point in time," he said. He adds, "The next thing I know, one of them busts the door and there is glass all over my face."

Sarah: "Your hands are up."

Jeter: "My hands are up. As soon as they opened the door, one officer reached in an punched me in my face." He adds, "As he's trying to take off my seatbelt, I'm thinking something is going to go wrong."

Jeter says the officers were hitting him and telling him not to resist arrest. "All I keep saying is I'm not doing anything," he adds. "They handcuffed me and one of them hits me in the back."
The attorney for Jeter says while showing Eyewitness News the video, "Here a state trooper arrives on the scene and clearly wants no participation in it and that's where one of the officers punch Mr. Jeter in the head after he was clearly placed in handcuffs," said Steven Brown.

As soon as Prosecutors saw this video, they dismissed all of the charges against Jeter. Interesting to note, an investigation by Bloomfield PD's scandal plagued internal affairs division had found no wrongdoing by officers.

Brown says, "I believe the blame is with the Bloomfield police department for not providing that tape. If we hadn't had the tapes in this case, an innocent man would be in jail today."

Extra twist which is why I'm posting this today was a piece look at this case and others were defense attorneys have to force the police to hand over dash cam footage of arrests that once turned over instantly clear their clients. Because hey why view video evidence of what happened that night. Why do you need anything other that the statements of the police in question.

Granted to be fair to the prosecutors this is such a clear cut case of three police colluding to try and ruin Mr Jeter life since his story did NOT at all match up with police statements that no one believes him. His story in essence that he and his girlfriend had an argument, cops showed up, he talked with them and left only to be followed by cops and forced off the road. They broke his windows beat him down while screaming don't touch my gun (After all safety tip number one kids, if your worried about someone taking your gun put it as close as possible to them so they can't grip it as good!) then they arrested him for resisting their fists with his face.

Needless to say the end bit about the Prosecutors not filling charges against the clearing lying cops and Internal Affairs clearing all three men is just icing on the cake.

Here is the follow up piece on the current Grand Jury that's been called to deal with the other two police officers. Not at this time one plead guilty, the other two are still up for additional charges in addition to Jeter, both of them had priors for beating suspects in the police station and abusing already arrested suspects via the traditional face in door technique.

[SAMAS]

Nobody got killed, thankfully, but this is still some bullshit: Deputies pull black man over, spend several minutes trying to find a justification

video in link.

Two HCSO deputies under investigation for misconduct during traffic stop

HARRIS COUNTY, Texas -

Two Harris County Sheriff's Office deputies are under investigation after allegations of misconduct during a traffic stop that was secretly recorded.

The deputies have been reassigned to administrative duty while Internal Affairs probes the complaint.

On Feb. 11, 24-year old Torrance Valentine was driving with a friend when a deputy stopped them in the 6700 block of Westbranch.

Valentine recorded the encounter on his cellphone.

In the video you can hear the first deputy say he pulled Valentine over because his license plate was obstructed by a plastic cover.

A few minutes later a second deputy arrives on the scene, and makes Valentine and his passenger get out of the car.

On the recording Valentine is heard asking why he's being detained. The second deputy responds, "Because your car smells like weed, I forgot to tell you."

Valentine tells the deputy he doesn't smoke weed and gives them permission to search his car.

The second deputy is heard saying,"If that (expletive) got a leaf in that (expletive) he is going to jail."

The deputies didn't find any marijuana, but didn't seem satisfied and continue their rant.

"Write that (expletive) some tickets for no driver's license, no insurance, that way we can justify tearing his (expletive) up," says the second deputy.

Community activist Quanell X says the deputies should be fired.

"These cops are not officers of the law, these men sound like thugs in uniform," he said.

The Harris County Sheriff's Office released the following statement in response:

"The HCSO has been made aware of alleged inappropriate behavior by members of this agency. The evidence has been immediately turned over to our Internal Affairs Division for a full investigation.

The deputies involved in the traffic stop will be placed on administrative duty pending the outcome of the internal investigation.

Allegations such as these hurt every employee at the Harris County Sheriff's Office who upholds our core values at all times. If these allegations are proven to be true, then those at fault should apologize to their colleagues for their actions, and to the community which they are entrusted to serve.

Delivering professional service and exemplifying ethical conduct at all times are critical parts of the HCSO's Core Values. Any behavior to the contrary is unacceptable and will not be tolerated.

The HCSO maintains an open door policy and a commitment to transparency. Any citizen who would like to file a complaint against an HCSO employee for unprofessional conduct can do so by filing a formal complaint with our Internal Affairs Division. Similarly, any citizen who would like to commend an HCSO is encouraged to do so. More information on the process can be found on the HCSO’s website: http://www.harriscountyso.org/file_a_complaint.aspx.

[bilateralrope]

More double standards for police.

“Officer of the Year” Admits to Raping 20 Male Immigrants, Not Charged as Sex Offender

Broward County, FL — A former Florida police officer has admitted to forcing undocumented immigrants into having sex with him.

Jonathan Bleiweiss, 34, pleaded guilty to an array of charges last week, admitting to 14 counts of armed false imprisonment, 15 counts of battery and four counts of stalking. However, he avoided all of the charges with “sex” in them.

Most likely due to his police officer status, this former Broward Sheriff’s deputy was given an insultingly lenient plea deal. As part of that deal, Bleiweiss did not face charges of sexual battery, and as such will not be required by the state of Florida to register as a sex offender.

A group of approximately 20 undocumented immigrants alleged that Bleiweiss, harassed them, molested them during pat-downs, and threatened them with deportation if they refused to perform sex acts.

Eerily enough, just after this officer was named Employee of the Year for his district, Bleiweiss told the South Florida Blade newspaper that early in his career one of his supervisors taunted him by calling him “sex offender,” for being openly gay.

However, the label, now fitting, will not be applied. Bleiweiss was sentenced to five years in jail and ten years of probation but avoided the sex offender designation altogether.

Undocumented immigrant workers are often targeted by unscrupulous individuals as they have very little recourse when trying to report crimes committed against them, because of their “illegal” status. Bleiweiss likely chose this vulnerable group of people to violate and abuse, for this reason.

In the end, Bleiweiss was charged with arbitrary battery charges relating to patdowns he conducted while on duty; nothing else.

Broward Public Defender Howard Finkelstein called the outcome, “shocking and shameful to the whole county.”

The Sun-Sentinel reported on another contrasting case that played out in court on the same day as Bleiweiss’ deal. Eric Beasley, 25, a former high school teacher from Broward, was sentenced to 20 years in prison after admitting to having a sexual relationship with an underage student, a 14-year-old girl.

Both men obviously abused their positions of authority, and both men victimized underage teens. But only one of them did it to multiple victims. Only one of them carries a badge and a gun and throws people in prison for the same crimes he committed. And, only one of them was able to get special privileges for their depravity. The cop.

The original investigation began in April of 2009 after multiple complaints were brought against Bleiweiss. However, he was allowed to stay on the job for several months after. During those several months, Bleiweiss racked up more victims, including the underage teen.

Finkelstein pointed out the double standard, “If this had been a teacher accused of sexually assaulting a student, all it would take is one complaint and they’d be removed from the classroom and charged…These cases show there are two sets of standards — one for police and another for the general public.”

I have to wonder how long police abuses will continue, with police continuing to avoid charges, before something snaps and we either get violence or reform.

[Kamakazie Sith]

More double standards for police.

Not necessarily. Your source is http://www.thefreethoughtproject.com. You would do well to triple check anything coming from them. I'll show you why. Your (their) title is "Officer of the Year" Admits to Raping 20 Male Immigrants, Not Charged as Sexual Offender".


From Source

"Bleiweiss' attorney, Alvin Entin, said his client "vigorously denies" all allegations of sexual abuse."

The free thought project claims he admitted to this yet we can see that this is not true. However, it is still valid to wonder why they dropped all the sexual abuse charges. The answer is because the victims did not want to testify. Sexual assault cases are difficult to prosecute when the victim does testify. Again, the free thought project mysteriously doesn't include this information.

When the victim does not testify that makes conviction next to impossible and also violates the sixth amendment which states;

In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the Assistance of Counsel for his defense.

Witnesses/Victims

"The charges stem from seven of the victims, although there were at least five others, Smith said. However, the victims refused to testify, concerned about their legal status and fearful of reprisal."

When victims/witnesses don't testify then a case will very likely get thrown out regardless of who the defendant is.

[Kamakazie Sith]

Here is a story I found to be incredibly outrageous.

57 year old man paralyzed by officer

Madison police officer Eric Parker today turned himself in to face assault charges, following the severe injuries to an Indian citizen who was walking down the street outside his son's new home.

Chief Larry Muncey told a small press conference in Madison that he also recommended that Parker be fired for his use of force against a man who committed no crime, did not speak English and could not understand the commands.

Muncey said "I found that Officer Eric Parker's actions did not meet the high standards and expectations of the Madison City Police Department."

Five members of the local Indian community sat in the front row, along with Indian Consul Anil Kumar, to watch the video from the patrol cars and listen to the non-emergency call that led to the violent confrontation.

Call to police about Indian grandfather in Madison
The caller early Friday morning reports an individual walking on the street near his home. "He was doing it yesterday and today...He's just on foot. He's just kind of walking around close to the garage."

The operator asks what the man looks like. "He's a skinny black guy, he's got a toboggan on, he's really skinny."

"Do not jerk away from me again, or I will put you on the ground. Do you understand?"
He adds: "I've lived here four years and I've never seen him before."

Sureshbhai Patel had only arrived in the United States about a week earlier to help care for his grandson. Patel took a walk each morning, according to his son, Chirag Patel, an engineer who recently bought a home in Madison.

Eric Parker (Limestone County Jail)

The caller says: "I'm just kind of following from a distance now." He says he is about to go to work and is nervous to leave his wife with the man walking around outside.

The dashboard camera shows two officers, field trainer Parker and his trainee Andrew Slaughter, approach the man just after 8 a.m. on Friday. The man stops and turns and steps toward them. The audio offers a clips of the interaction, mainly just what the officers say.

"What's going on sir?"

Madison Mayor Troy Trulock shakes hands with Indian Consul Anil Kumar before the press conference Thursday. Kumar watched, but did not comment.
Jonathan Grass

"You what?"

"India."

"Where you heading?"

"Where?"

"I can't understand you, sir."

"Where's your address?"

"Do you have any ID?"

"India?"

"Do you live here."

"Sir, sir, come here."

"Do not jerk away from me again, or I will put you on the ground. Do you understand?"

Eventually, the two officers turn Patel around and have his hands behind his back. At one point, as another patrol car pulls up, Parker yanks his arm and slams him into the ground. Patel can not put out his hands to break his fall. He would require cervical fusion and remains in Huntsville Hospital with limited mobility in his limbs. His son as of Tuesday said his father could not move one leg at all.

The video continues, with officers trying to get the man to stand. One officer begins picking dirt and debris off of him. The concern slowly becomes evident in their voices.

"He don't speak a lick of English."

"I tried to pat him down but he tried to walk away from me."

"I don't know what his problem is but he won't listen."

"He was trying to walk away."

"Did you bite your lip?"

"He OK?"

Parker turned himself in to Limestone County today, said Chief Muncey. He will face charges of assault third degree. Muncey apologized to Patel, his family and all of Madison. "Our desire is to exceed everyone's expectations."

Parker was released on a $1,000 bond.

Muncey said the FBI is conducting a "parallel inquiry to ascertain if there were any federal violations."

Attorney Hank Sherrod filed suit today in federal court, arguing police used excessive force and that they had no cause to stop Patel on a public sidewalk and search him.

Sherrod welcomed the news of the dismissal of this officer, as he called for exactly that on Tuesday. But Sherrod said Madison should never have released a statement suggesting that Patel had been looking into garages or was in any way responsible for the incident.

[Click here for the initial story with details on Sureshbhai Patel, his family and his injuries]

"They didn't do that on Monday," said Sherrod. "On Monday they were trying to blame Mr. Patel. On Monday they were minimizing this. I'm glad they apparently are starting to do the right thing. But why weren't they doing this on Monday? With those videos."

Members of the local Hindu community, who asked not to be named, said after the press conference that they are known for non-violence. "We don't hurt nobody, that is our principle...we don't hurt the snake."

[Raw Shark]

Here is a story I found to be incredibly outrageous.

57 year old man paralyzed by officer

This is, of course, an awful story about thugs in uniform being thugs, but...

Members of the local Hindu community, who asked not to be named, said after the press conference that they are known for non-violence. "We don't hurt nobody, that is our principle...we don't hurt the snake."

Somebody please tell me I am not the only one here who got a chuckle out of picturing Indian-Americans with Alabama accents?

[Dominus Atheos]

Police officer guilty of misdemeanor after pointing gun at person in road-rage incident

A Phoenix Police officer accused of pulling a gun on a former state lawmaker pleaded guilty in court.

Jeremy Sweet was transporting inmates in a van when he allegedly pointed a gun at Armando Ruiz's car after a traffic dispute.

He was charged with aggravated assault, but pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor count of disorderly conduct.

He is set to be sentenced next month.

http://www.fox10phoenix.com/story/28153 ... ype=mobile

If I pointed a gun at somebody in a road rage incident, what do you think I'd be charged with?

[Mr Bean]

http://www.fox10phoenix.com/story/28153 ... ype=mobile

If I pointed a gun at somebody in a road rage incident, what do you think I'd be charged with?

To be fair he did have a car full of prisoners. I'll accept that as some degree of mitigating circumstances depending on the prisoners. If it is tax cheats, trespassers and possession charges that's one thing. If it's ten Cartel members and Johnny the Cannibal that's another.