Fairfax County VA has settled a lawsuit for $2,000,000

Fairfax County VA has settled a lawsuit for $2,000,000 to the family of man who was fatally shot by a SWAT team officer while unarmed during a raid that was heavily criticized because it was for the non-violent crime of taking bets on football games. The officer claimed the shot was accidental when he hit his arm on his car door which caused his finger to slip into the trigger guard and squeeze the trigger but forensic evidence prepared by the family’s lawyer contradicted that claim.

Three Denver CO police officers are

Three Denver CO police officers are the subject of a lawsuit alleging they brutally beat a 19-year-old man during a traffic stop because he refused to let them search his trunk without a warrant. The suit alleges officers beat him for several minutes with radios, batons, and flashlights and that one of the officers was also involved in the highly publicized DeHerrera beating that was captured on video. The man, shown in the photo above, also claims that after the beating one officer told him “Where’s that warrant now, you fucking nigger?” and that officers then conspired to falsely charge him to cover for the beating, charges which later fell apart and were dismissed.

Police misconduct report

Martinsville VA and Taser Inc are being sued by the mother of a 17-year-old boy who was unarmed when a Martinsville officer shot him in the chest with a taser which was determined to have caused his death in the absence of any other possible contributing factors.



An unspecified number of Portland OR cops and US Marshals are being sued by a man who was tackled while on his knees and complying with commands by officers who detained him at gunpoint. The suit then alleges officers jumped on him, tasered him twice, then released a police dog on him which attacked him so severely he required two operations and still suffers nerve damage from the multiple bite wounds. It turned out that the man police attacked was completely innocent, had no record, and was simply walking home from the grocery store at the time. Police claim he was injured for not complying.


A Sarasota County FL deputy has been fired for using excessive force, inappropriate language, and for conduct unbecoming when he arrested a 17-year-old girl on a bus after she was accused of attacking someone. The incident was caught on video, shown above, and while the officer claimed he felt justified using force because it was a battery call, other witnesses on the bus complained it was excessive and an internal investigation confirmed it.


An unspecified number of Cleveland OH cops are under investigation on allegations, made by other officers, that they used excessive force when they beat a suspect after a car chase that was captured on video from a police helicopter. Officers who have reviewed the tape confirm it appeared egregious but police are refusing to release the video until their investigation is complete. Other officers may also be under investigation for watching the beating but not reporting it or stopping it.


A now-former Freemansburg PA cop is the subject of a lawsuit claiming the officer unnecessarily forced a family off the road and arrested the driver at gunpoint. The officer then cited the driver for an unspecified traffic violation and let him go. The department is denying the claims but also says the officer was going through a problematic period of time in his life, had already been arrested and disciplined over multiple misconduct incidents before this incident, and was fired shortly afterward.


A Columbus IN cop has been sentenced to probation in a plea deal for falsely reporting that drugs that were found on a jail’s intake area floor belonged to a female detainee. The deal dropped several other felony charges and the judge gave the officer a misdemeanor sentence for the remaining felony charge of false reporting.


An unspecified number of Guelph ON cops are under investigation after they prematurely declared a woman dead and refused to allow paramedics or firefighters access to the woman until an investigator taking video of the body noticed it twitching. The woman survived but the chief is demanding answers because he says it’s not the job of officers to declare deaths unless a person is well beyond obviously dead due to decay or dismemberment for just such a reason.


The police chief of Windermere FL has been arrested on multiple charges on allegations that he used his position to shield his friend from a criminal investigation into child molestation allegations and lied in order to do it.


An Avon Park FL cop has been charged for falsifying documents and omitting information during an attempted homicide investigation in an alleged attempt to shield his ex-girlfirend who was involved in the incident.


A Center TX police detective has been charged with perjury over his grand jury testimony about a fight between two Shelby County deputies.


A Flagler County FL deputy has been arrested on allegations that he stole several thousands of dollars in cash from evidence and replaced the money with paper towels in an attempt to cover it up.


A Palos Verdes Estates CA cop has been sentenced to probation and fines in a plea deal for embezzling money from his police union.


A Toledo OH cop has been sentenced to 6 months of electronic detention and probation after accepting a plea deal to theft in office charges for timesheet fraud.


A Central SC cop has been suspended after he was arrested on a domestic violence charge on allegations that he threw a crucifix at his wife then grabbed her by the neck and threw her down on a couch.


Two Beaumont TX cops have resigned after they pled guilty to records tampering charges that were related to a drug bust.


A US Border Patrol agent has been arrested for harboring illegal immigrants and drugs in his home. One of those immigrants was his father who had been deported previously on drug charges and was found during a SWAT raid on his home.


A New York State trooper has had his drivers license suspended for six months after pleading guilty to drunk driving charges and for leaving scene of an accident. However it’s unclear if he’ll be fired since he was briefly suspended without pay but is now back on duty.


A Massilon OH cop has been sentenced to 20 hours of community service, a $400 fine, had his license suspended for six months and must put special yellow plates on his car to warn others that he’s a convicted drunk driver after he was arrested with a .28 BAC, which is 3x the limit, when he crashed into a utility pole. He’ll be allowed to drive for work after 15 days though.


And finally, a Pineland TX cop has been arrested on drunk driving charges after police responded to a call from an EconoLodge complaining that the officer was taking food from their breakfast buffet without permission and caught him speeding away from the motel.

Here are the 21 reports of police misconduct in the US tracked in the National Police Misconduct News Feed for this Tuesday, January 11, 2011:

Pleasantville NY police and Mount Pleasant NY police are being sued by the family of a Pace University student and football player who was shot to death by police in October in a questionable incident that is still under investigation and a cloud of controversy.


A California Highway Patrol officer has been arrested for the shooting death of her husband 2 years ago. She originally claimed it was done in self-defense but family and friends of her husband universally described him as being non-violent but that she had severe drinking issues. Police also found her account questionable and their investigation culminated in her eventual arrest on allegations it was an intentional act of homicide.


A West Bloomfield MI police detective has cost that town $1,800,000 in a wrongful imprisonment/wrongful prosecution lawsuit settlement made to a family who’s father was jailed for 80 days on false rape charges along with their mother who was also briefly jailed while their two autistic children were sent to separate foster homes. The suit against the police claimed the detective essentially forced a highly questionable confession from the family’s autistic son in a horrifying videotaped interrogation and that the initial allegation was dragged from their severely autistic daughter through highly questionable methods that were almost nothing more than a Ouija board. Their suit is still in progress against county prosecutors, children’s services, and the school district for their roles in this disturbing case. The video of the interrogation of the family’s son is available on the site linked above.


Two Fresno CA cops’ actions have resulted in a $75,000 settlement made to a homeless man who was shown on amateur video being beaten while arrested in a public park.


A Selma AL cop has been arrested on 2nd degree rape charges involving a person between the ages of 12 to 16-years-old that came about after an investigation by local and state police. Further details have not yet been released about the case.


A Louisville KY cop has been suspended without pay for 30 days as disciplinary action for violating policy when he caused a fatal accident while doing 80mph in a 45mph zone while on-duty. The officer and his lawyer are fighting the discipline saying it’s too harsh while the family says it’s not enough for causing the death of their loved one, especially since the police chief wanted to fire him.


Another Louisville KY cop is on paid leave while under investigation and facing criminal charges after he allegedly started swearing at a mentally challenged female customer inside a McDonalds then escalating a confrontation with a woman who came to her defense until he finally pulled a gun and told the women “what are you bitches going to do now?” Patrons called 911 at this point and the officer fled. The officer, of course, insists he has a different version of events to tell, but hasn’t shared them yet.


An RCMP staff sergeant has been charged with perjury over his testimony as a blood-splatter expert during a 2009 murder trial that occured shortly before he retired.


A Trenton NJ cop has been arrested for simple assault and kidnapping over an alleged domestic dispute he had with his girlfriend.


A Hinesburg VT cop has been arrested on domestic violence allegations involving an alleged incident at his home involving his girlfriend.


An Edmonton AB police constable has been charged with theft for allegedly stealing money while executing a search warrant.


A Parma OH cop received probation as part of a plea deal over charges for stealing several live flash-bang grenades while he was a member of the police department’s SWAT team.


The Nashville TN police department is now admitting that their statistics that have shown a steady and sharp decline in the number of forcible rapes in that city were artificially low due to mislabeled reports that were uncovered due to complaints from rape victims and an investigative report in the media that prompted an audit.


A Dougherty County GA deputy has been arrested on multiple charges for allegedly accessing and releasing information he gained from a jail database without permission.


A now-former Eddy County ND sheriff has been charged with the misapplication of entrusted property on allegations that he used government funds to purchase personal items for himself.


Three Dallas TX cops are being disciplined for failing to arrest men that were found with guns, one of which was stolen, and then falsifying reports to cover it up and lying to investigators looking into the allegations.


A now-former Parma OH police sergeant has pled guilty to record tampering and falsification charges for conspiring with a doctor to hide the fact that he was color blind during his hiring process. The officer in question had written articles for police newsletters including one entitled “Police Ethics is Not an Oxymoron.”


A Carmel IN cop has been suspended while under investigation on allegations he hit on women that he pulled over and even followed one home after a traffic stop.


A study of Texas school cops has revealed that there have been at least 1,000 elementary students, some as young as 6-years-old, who were arrested on misdemeanor charges for garden variety school disciplinary issues like acting out in class instead of being disciplined through the usual principal office visits, detentions, or what have you. The study also indicated that more arrests occurred in schools with large minority populations and where the number of officers has been increasing.


A Tucson AZ police lieutenant has been sentenced to probation and must pay about $17,000 in restitution for his fraudulent use of a police union credit account.


A Philadelphia PA cop has been arrested on multiple charges after an investigation into allegations that he was spotted drinking at a bar while on duty then driving away in his police cruiser.


A Sault Ste Marie MI cop has been sentenced to probation and must pay $1350 in fines and fees after pleading guilty to a .17 BAC DUI charge.


A Racine WI police investigator has been cited for DUI after he apparently crashed into a snow plow that was parked in a driveway while off-duty in his personal car.