Mentally unstable cops: Cop Charged After Standoff State Police

Charlotte Co, VA - A former Farmville Police Officer is behind bars, charged with four counts of attempted Capital murder of a police officer and four counts of the use of a firearm in the commission of a felony, according to Virginia State Police Spokesperson Corinne Geller.
Captain Howard Hobgood of the Charlotte County Sheriff's Office says T.J. Long of Keysville shot at Charlotte County Deputies and State Police Saturday Afternoon nearly a dozen times on farmland near the Charlotte / Prince Edward County line.
Hobgood said deputies from his office were responding to calls from Long's wife, who was trying to locate him Saturday, when the shooting started.
State police say they were able to set up a perimeter around the property and that no Deputies or State Police Officers were injured during the shooting.
Long eventually surrendered to State Police around 5:20 p.m. Saturday, Geller said.
Captain Hobgood says Long is also a suspect in the arson of a home that Long owned off of Route 40 before the shooting incident. Long's wife lived in the home, but was not home at the time of the fire, Hobgood said.
The fire remains under investigation, Hobgood said.
Long is being held in the Piedmont Regional Jail, Geller said. 

Cop with mental health issues commits suicide in FDR Park

A Lower Merion cop suffering from mental health issues committed suicide in his car in FDR Park this morning, according to police and Lower Merion officials.
When Lower Merion Township Ofc. Sean Quinn, 46, did not show up for work as scheduled at 7 a.m. today, Superintendent Michael McGrath issued an alert to all area law enforcement agencies "out of an abundance of caution," according to a news release.
The release did not detail why Quinn's supervisors felt it necessary to notify other police departments that the officer was missing, but a city police spokeswoman said Quinn was believed to suffer from mental health issues.
Lower Merion Township public information officer Thomas Walsh declined to go in to detail regarding Quinn's mental state. He did, however, say the officer was not fired but just failed to show up for work.
Walsh said Quinn left his house after a fight with his wife Sunday night and did not return.
Quinn was last seen around 5:30 a.m. in Ardmore and last had contact with his family around 6:30 a.m. while he was in the Columbus Boulevard area, according to Lower Merion officials.
After Quinn's personal vehicle, a 2012 gray Ford Focus, was found at FDR park this morning, city police set up a perimeter around the park at Broad Street and Pattison Avenue in South Philadelphia, according to police.
Quinn was found inside the vehicle with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head, according to a news release from Lower Merion Township.
Lower Merion police called Quinn, who also worked as a D.A.R.E officer, "a respected veteran of the force." Walsh said he was the father of three adult children.
"He was just a very well liked and a well-respected officer here," Walsh said. "His fellow officers are trying to absorb this."
According to his LinkedIn profile, Quinn had 25 years experience in law enforcement and was nearing retirement. He was working on building an Internet shopping business, according to his profile.
In a statement, Lower Merion police Superintendent Michael McGrath said: "The Lower Merion Police Department wishes to express its heartfelt condolences to Officer Quinn's family and friends and asks that they be kept in your thoughts and prayers as we all try to come to terms with this tragic event."

Memphis police officer arrested on harassment charge

A Memphis police officer who allegedly threatened a Collierville man in October has now been arrested on a charge of harassment.
Darrell Malone, 26, was arrested Monday, but released on bail later that day.
The incident happened Oct. 24 near Germantown Parkway and Interstate 40. A motorist called police to report several motorcyclists driving recklessly. At that point, Malone, one of the motorcyclists, allegedly flashed a gun and said he was a cop. The motorist left, but said that Malone later contacted him on his cell phone.
Both Malone and dispatcher Jenny Rice, who was accused of providing Malone with the motorist's information, were suspended with pay.
It was unclear whether the harassment charge is related to this incident. No affidavit has been posted on Malone's arrest report, which is unusual. When contacted Thursday, Memphis Police spokesman Alyssa Macon-Moore was unaware that Malone had been arrested.

Memphis Police Officer Sentenced to 84 Months for Civil Rights Violations, Drug Conspiracy

U.S. Attorney’s Office February 01, 2013

Western District of Tennessee (901) 544-4231

MEMPHIS—Melvin Victor Robinson, 32, a former Memphis Police officer, was sentenced today to 84 months in federal prison following his guilty plea to civil rights violations and attempting to possess 10 kilograms of cocaine with the intent to distribute, announced U.S. Attorney Edward L. Stanton, III.
“This sentence should serve as an unequivocal warning that law enforcement officers who disgrace their badge and violate the public’s trust will ultimately be caught and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” said U.S. Attorney Stanton. “We will continue to hold accountable anyone who engages in such conduct—including those who take an oath to protect and serve.”
In July, Robinson pleaded guilty to one count of attempting to possess a controlled substance with intent to distribute, in violation of Title 21, U.S.C. Section 846; one count of deprivation of rights under color of law, in violation of Title 18, U.S.C. Section 242; and conspiracy against rights, in violation of Title 18, U.S.C. Section 242.
On January 26, 2012, an informant contacted Robinson and contracted the sale and purchase of 10 kilograms of cocaine. According to facts stated in court, Robinson met the informant while he was on duty and in his police car. The informant told Robinson that the cocaine was stored inside a trailer located at a trucking lot in south Memphis. The informant then provided Robinson with the key and location of the trailer. Approximately 10 minutes later, special agents and task force oOfficers of the FBI saw Robinson get out of his police car and enter the trailer. Robinson later exited the trailer and placed a black duffel bag containing what he believed to be cocaine inside his police car.
Robinson also pleaded guilty to stealing money from Jwan Boddie. On November 14, 2011, Boddie was detained by Robinson during an arrest while Robinson was working as a MPD officer. According to facts stated in court, Robinson and his partner responded to a narcotics call at the Colonial Inn, where they found Boddie in his hotel room. During that search Robinson admitted to stealing $700 and later sharing the money with his partner.
Robinson also pleaded guilty to striking Jeremy Pettis during an arrest in April 2011. According to facts stated in court, Robinson detained and punched Pettis in the face while he was sitting in his vehicle.
“The criminal behavior of a police officer harms the integrity of all of law enforcement,” said Aaron T. Ford, Special Agent in Charge of the Memphis Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. “The hard work by the FBI and our law enforcement partners to investigate and prosecute this case stands as a reminder that the majority of law enforcement officers serve and protect their communities honorably.”
“This is proof that the judicial system works,” said Memphis Police Department Director Toney Armstrong. “Regardless of what position you hold, you will be held accountable for your actions if you choose to break the law.”
This crime was investigated by the Tarnished Badge Task Force, which is composed of investigators from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Memphis Police Department, and Shelby County Sheriff’s Office. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Brian K. Coleman on behalf of the government.

Mateo Falconi, Florida Motorcyclist, Allegedly Beaten By Police After High-Speed Chase

Did Collier County (Fla.) Sheriff's officers go too far in subduing high-speed motorcyclist Mateo Falconi?
The 22-year-old released police video of the incident to the News-Press through his lawyers. The clip, which is now gaining attention on the Internet , appears to show the Fort Myers, Fla., resident surrendering to officers, and then getting punched, shocked and sworn at as he lays on the ground.
Falconi held a press conference Monday (watch below), claiming police used "excessive force." He announced that he planned to file a civil suit, WFTX reports. He has hired separate attorneys to handle the suit and to provide defense for his charges, which include fleeing the law, marijuana possession and resisting arrest without violence, according to the Fox affiliate.
According to the police report filed by arresting officer Robert Lewis III, Falconi reached speeds of 110 mph after Lewis spotted him going 65 mph in a 45 mph zone on Oct. 18. Falconi ran red lights in leading a five-minute chase, in which Lewis determined the traffic was light enough to pursue, the report states.
The edited video shows an unarmed Falconi stopping and putting his hands in the air before the confrontation started. He sustained bruises to most of his upper-body and had a head injury, the News-Press notes.
Collier County Sheriff’s Office declined comment to media outlets, but ABC-7 did publish a police statement that asks why Falconi was traveling at 110 mph and points out, in part: "Law enforcement officers are permitted to respond to resistance, whether it be verbal, passive, active or aggressive, for the safety of the public, the officer and the subject."

Chicago Police Department Brutality Costs Taxpayers Millions in Settlements

In December, I wrote an article for Truthout, "Federal Jury Finds City of Chicago Responsible for 'Code of Silence' in Chicago Police Department (CPD)."

"The jury for the first time in anyone's memory specifically found there is a policy of employing a code of silence," Locke Bowman, Professor of Law and Director of the Roderick MacArthur Justice Center at Northwestern University School of Law told Truthout. "It's terribly important."

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel agreed to the $850,000 jury award to the plaintiff, a petite female bartender who had been pummeled and kicked by a drunken off-duty cop, but – in an unusual move – asked Federal Judge Amy St. Eve to vacate the finding of the existence of a "blue curtain" in the CPD.

The city lost its effort to make the finding of a "code of silence" disappear from the court record, in large part because Judge St. Eve had earlier found compelling evidence that the jury had acted with due prudence:

St. Eve also noted testimony from Steven Whitman, a statistician hired as an expert by Obrycka’s attorneys. Whitman found the rate of complaints of police brutality sustained by the police department was far lower in Chicago than in other cities.

Whitman found Chicago sustained as few as 0.5 percent of complaints in 2004, compared to a national average of 8 percent, according to a 2006 report by the Bureau of Justice Statistics. In the Grand-Central District, where the incident took place, not one of the 147 excessive force complaints filed between January 2005 and February 2007 was upheld.

Emanuel tried to draw a line between past police department abuse and current behavior, even though there is little data to show any significant improvement in breaking through the "code of silence."

On February 9, The Chicago Tribune reported:

In the latest hit to Chicago taxpayers for police misconduct, the city is expected to pay $4.1 million to the family of an unarmed man who was fatally shot by a patrol officer.

The proposed settlement on Monday's City Council Finance Committee agenda would end a legal battle over a controversial police shooting that was caught on video in 2011 and raised questions about the officer's fitness for duty. Mayor Rahm Emanuel's administration is also seeking approval for a $145,000 payout to a man who alleged he was handcuffed and held captive by police when he was 13.

The execution-style shooting was caught on videotape.

In January, The Tribune ran an article revealing that Chicago had also agreed "to pay $33 million to settle 2 cases of police misconduct."

Emanuel argues that most of the CPD misconduct was under his predecessor, Mayor Richard M. Daley.  But according to law professor Bowman, little has changed: "I have yet to see a case where one Chicago Police Officer testifies that another Chicago Police Officer did something wrong, unless compelled by a grand jury or other legal means to do so. I continue to believe today that the 'code of silence' is alive and well inside the Chicago Police Department."

The Chicago Police Department's history of "blue curtain" abuse extends back decades.  The most notorious case – which took years to result in conviction – involved Commander Jon Burge, who was belatedly convicted of torturing perhaps more than 200 arrested individuals, most of them black.  It was only in 2011 that he was found guilty for abuse that goes years back into the last century.  The city paid out nearly $20 million dollars to a plaintiff in one Burge settlement alone.  (More settlements are in the offing.) Moreover, Burge's brutally forced confessions were a contributing factor to then Illinois Governor George Ryan declaring a moratorium in 2000 on executions in the state.

In April of 2012, Truthout ran an article, "Unarmed Black Woman Shot and Killed by Chicago Police Officer Less Than a Month After Trayvon Martin Shooting." It was about the "collateral damage" gun death of 22-year-old Rekia Boyd, shot by a Chicago Police Officer who was upset about loud music in the city park across from his house.

A January 9 Chicago ABC News report indicates that the CPD is not providing any answers about the "investigation" of Boyd's death.

More than eight months later, ABC reports:

What has perplexed and angered Rekia Boyd's family is that they have not heard an official version of what happened, nor has there been an apology or a decision on discipline.

"I was looking at the paper yesterday and the talk about how the streets have a code of silence. What about the code of silence inside the police department?" said Sutton [Boyd's brother]. "You expect people on the street to speak, but you're not speaking when you take unlawful actions against us?"

Meanwhile, it appears it will be business as usual as the taxpayers pay for the "blue curtain" and lack of rigorous accountability in the CPD. As the ABC online article concludes: "An attorney for Rekia Boyd's family and a spokesman for the city's law department confirm that settlement discussions are underway in the Boyd lawsuit against the city."

Chickens come home to roost: Chris Dormer & Los Angeles police brutality

Los Angeles — To protect and serve? For a growing number of Los Angeles residents, that motto is now in question. This stems from recent incidents involving Chris Dorner, a former Los Angeles Police Department officer and veteran, incidents which have apparently made it acceptable for police to target with deadly force those whom they deem suspicious.
Dorner has been in the national news due to his alleged online targeting of LAPD officers. His “manifesto” details his eyewitness accounts of fellow police officers’ acts of racist violence. Administrators covered them up from 2005 to 2008, when Dorner was fired for supposedly lying about a training officer’s racist police brutality. Those officers and their co-conspirators allegedly are on his hit list, and their families targeted.
Police say that a named cop’s daughter and her fiancé, who were killed, may have been his first victims. Dorner allegedly shot two Riverside, Calif., cops, not on the list; one died. The LAPD police chief, Charlie Beck, is offering a million dollar bounty on Dorner for his capture.
Giving details in a sometimes meandering “manifesto,” Dorner explains the rage built up by experiencing racism since childhood. He discusses an incident that turned him towards violence: When he was with two other cops, one repeatedly used the “n” word. Dorner asked him to stop. When the officer refused, he choked him. The other officer, siding with the racist cop, attacked Dorner. The cops were reprimanded.
Dorner was fired in 2008 after he witnessed his white training officer, Sgt. Teresa Evans, kick an unarmed and handcuffed nonwhite man, Christopher Gettler, in the stomach and face. An LAPD Board of Rights hearing found Dorner guilty of filing a false report about this. Then, he was dismissed. Dorner said that Gettler and Gettler’s father testified in court that Evans kicked Gettler. Those claims were ignored.
Dorner’s post reveals that he is severely depressed and unconcerned about death. The police are using his meandering on topics as a reason to dismiss his in-depth allegations against the police. The cops insist they are right about their decision exonerating Evans of misconduct.
Are Dorner’s claims legitimate?
Former Los Angeles County deputy district attorney, Robin Sax, who is now Fox 11 News’ legal analyst, told the local TV station Feb. 7 that she uncovered the LAPD’s video interview of Gettler and 21 legal documents relating to incidents during Dorner’s LAPD employment, which Dorner had detailed.
Sax compared Dorner’s allegations against documents and said, “There were certain aspects that had this overwhelming feeling of truth to them.” She mentioned Dorner’s appeal of the Board of Rights’ decision to the Superior Court of California. The court stated that they couldn’t decide Evans’ guilt or innocence.
The LAPD ignored the court and protected Evans, reiterating that Dorner had filed a false report.
Dorner’s purported statements about police brutality resonate, especially in communities of color. He alleged, “I saw some of the most vile things humans can inflict on others as a police officer in Los Angeles … in … police stations and shops (cruisers). The enemy combatants in LA are not the citizens and suspects, it’s the police officers. …
“This department has not changed from the Daryl Gates and Mark Fuhrman days. Those officers are still employed and have all [been] promoted to Command staff and supervisory positions. … An officer … seen on … videotape striking [Rodney] King multiple times with a baton on 3/3/91 is … now a Captain. … Evans has since [been] promoted to Sergeant after kicking Mr. Gettler in the face. … Same as LAPD did with the officers … involved in the May Day melee at MacArthur Park. They promoted them to Sergeant.” (myfoxla.com)
The contradictions in Dorner’s political views and admission of mental health challenges in his alleged posts do not negate the legitimate rage he expresses surrounding incidents familiar to many.
One example confirming Dorner’s view of the LAPD arose during the police search for him, where public safety was their last concern.
On Feb. 7, police shot more than 40 bullets at 71-year-old Emma Hernandez and her daughter, Margie Carranza, 47, while they were delivering newspapers in their car. They didn’t have any connection to Dorner, but the police opened fire on them — without warning — because they wrongly perceived that their vehicle was the same type as Dorner’s. The cops were put on paid administrative leave for shooting the women, while Hernandez, who was shot twice in the back, is in intensive care.
Perhaps the racist injustice here is the reason why readers’ comments following online news stories and at progressive media websites reflect an overwhelming amount of empathy for Dorner, if not support. Despite all the pro-police TV shows and news, and justifications of police brutality, many people are unsympathetic to the police in this case. Many are openly showing their disdain for the police or sharing their experiences of racism and brutality.
Sax stated: “[Dorner] is shining a light on this. We’re getting [many] calls from people who want to share their experiences of potential racism, corruption and the code of silence.” She said that law enforcement individuals are reporting their experiences facing racism.
Perhaps this heat on the LAPD inspired Los Angeles Police Chief Beck to reverse his initial dismissive attitude towards Dorner’s allegations. On Feb. 8, he announced that he was reopening Dorner’s termination.
The violence of rage and war, and the loss of lives of noncombatants that are affected by this are unfortunate and tragic for the families involved. However, in evaluating any situation, an equal sign cannot be drawn between the victims of systemic racism and the overwhelming violence carried out by the LAPD and police forces countrywide that brutalize, terrorize and kill members of working-class communities, especially those of color.
The lack of health care for veterans suffering from post traumatic stress disorder and depression, who are discarded after their deployments abroad, must be addressed. The violent system that represses its population to maintain the status quo of haves and have nots must be addressed. History shows that the more people suffer unemployment, homelessness and an inability to attain basic needs, the more the state increases repression to squash protest.
What caused Dorner’s rage to build? This racist system, which he saw from inside the institution that’s designed to proliferate racism, sexism and homophobia, instill fear and promote violence.
If we want the violence to stop, it must be continually exposed. The police need to be disarmed not just in Los Angeles, but in Baltimore, New York City, Houston, Chicago and every city, large and small. U.S. wars at home and abroad must stop.

San Luis Obispo Police Officer Arrested on Federal Bribery Charges

U.S. Attorney’s Office February 05, 2013

Central District of California (213) 894-2434

LOS ANGELES—A detective with the San Luis Obispo Police Department was arrested this morning after being charged in a bribery scheme in which he allegedly took cash and narcotics from two individuals. In return, the police officer allegedly provided these “cooperating witnesses” with narcotics for their own use, as well as fake drugs to sell to drug dealers.
Cory Pierce, 39, of Arroyo Grande, was taken into custody this morning without incident by agents with the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Pierce was charged with one count of bribery in a criminal complaint filed yesterday in United States District Court in Los Angeles.
According to the affidavit in support of the complaint, Pierce is a six-year veteran of the San Luis Obispo Police Department who was most recently assigned to a narcotics task force with the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office. The complaint describes how Pierce cultivated two sources—identified in the complaint only as “CW1” and “CW2”—who have since cooperated with the FBI’s investigation.
After CW2 was arrested for heroin possession in 2011, CW2 and his girlfriend, CW1, agreed to cooperate with Pierce. But soon after they agreed to work with the police officer, Pierce made unusual requests for the informants to bring him narcotics. As the requests continued, Pierce allegedly provided placebo pain pills and real narcotics to CW1 and CW2. Pierce exchanged those pills and drugs for cash and various narcotics brought to him by the CWs, including oxycodone, heroin, and drugs that treat opiate addition, according to the complaint, which goes on to state that Pierce on several occasions provided CW1 with methamphetamine that was still in police evidence bags. The complaint alleges that CW1 obtained prescriptions for pain pills from her doctor and from emergency rooms to give to Pierce and that Pierce would provide her with money to purchase the prescriptions.
The complaint alleges that Pierce used his position as a police officer to influence CW2’s probation officer to perform little or no supervision of CW2 and informed CW2 that he could “work off” his heroin possession charge by cooperating with Pierce. The complaint goes on to allege that Pierce informed the CWs about ongoing police investigations, including where best to purchase narcotics and which drug houses to stay away from, so that they would not be caught purchasing drugs.
Pierce allegedly had the CWs set up a meeting with a drug dealer, and, following the meeting, Pierce pulled over the dealer’s vehicle over at gunpoint, seized morphine pills, and let the dealer go without making an arrest.
When the CWs advised Pierce that the drug dealers to whom they had sold the placebo pills realized they had received a deceptive product and wanted revenge, Pierce asked for their identities and indicated he would “take care of it.”
Last month, CW2 began cooperating with a federal investigation and recorded multiple conversations with Pierce. During those recorded conversations, Pierce allegedly instructed CW2 to sell placebo pills to a drug dealer for $11,000, money that was to be split between Pierce and CW2. On multiple occasions, Pierce asked CW2 for Suboxone, which is used treat opiate addictions, indicating that he was personally using the drug, according to the complaint affidavit.
A criminal complaint contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent until and unless proven guilty in court.
Pierce will have an initial appearance before a United States Magistrate Judge later this afternoon in United States District Court in Los Angeles.
If convicted of the bribery charge alleged in the criminal complaint, Pierce would face a statutory maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison.
This ongoing investigation was conducted by the FBI with the assistance of the San Luis Obispo Police Department and the San Luis Obispo Sheriff’s Department.