As the world’s largest jailer,

 “As the world’s largest jailer, the United States, with only 5 percent of the world’s population but 25 percent of the world’s prisoners, has increased its incarceration rate of women by 832 percent over three decades. The incarceration rate of black women in the United States has increased by 828 percent over a five year period and black women now constitute one half of the US female prison population. In Western Australia, the number of incarcerated women doubled between 1995 and 2001, with Indigenous women comprising 54 percent of the female prisoner population although constituting only 2 percent of the state’s population. In Canada, the representation of Indigenous women in prisons has increased nearly 90 percent over the past decade and has been declared “nothing short of a crisis”” Harsha Walia

Bronx Police Officer in Ticket-Fixing Inquiry Is Guilty of Drug and Robbery Charges

By WINNIE HU

A Bronx officer at the center of an internal police investigation into ticket-fixing was found guilty by a jury on Monday of taking part in a series of criminal schemes to make money.

The officer, Jose Ramos, 45, was convicted of attempted criminal possession of a controlled substance in the first degree, the most serious charge against him, as well as attempted robbery in the second degree and attempted grand larceny in the third degree. He was found not guilty of a fourth charge, attempted robbery in the first degree.

The verdict came after a nearly monthlong trial in State Supreme Court in the Bronx, in which prosecutors played video and audio recordings of Officer Ramos plotting with a police informer in October and November 2009 to drive a van carrying heroin from the Bronx to Brooklyn for $10,000, and to steal money from a black-market electronics buyer and the hotel room of an out-of-town drug dealer.

Officer Ramos, who did not testify at his trial, looked upset as the verdict was announced in a largely empty courtroom after less than a day of deliberation by the jury. Officer Ramos, who has been held in jail, had previously been suspended from the Police Department.

Officer Ramos’s lawyer, Matthew J. Kluger, patted him on the back in support. Later, outside court, Mr. Kluger said they would wait to hear the sentence before deciding whether to appeal. “Mr. Ramos is disappointed with the narcotics charge,” he said, “but we’ll regroup and figure out where to go.”

Officer Ramos is scheduled to be sentenced on Dec. 1 by Justice Michael A. Gross. He faces eight to 20 years in prison on the narcotics charge.

The trial was just the beginning of a long court battle for Officer Ramos, the son of a police officer; he had been on the job for 17 years before his arrest. He faces additional charges in five other indictments, the most serious of which stem from an accusation in 2012 that he conspired with his wife to use money from his police pension to try to have a witness against him murdered.

It was the investigation into Officer Ramos that exposed a routine practice among police officers to make traffic and parking tickets disappear for friends and relatives. The investigation eventually led to more than two dozen wiretaps and the indictments of 16 police officers, including Officer Ramos. Earlier this month, Lt. Jennara Cobb was the first officer to be tried. She was convicted by a judge of divulging information about the investigation in what prosecutors said was an effort to warn other officers.

The investigation of Officer Ramos started with a tip in December 2008 that marijuana was being sold by a man who managed two barber shops owned by Officer Ramos in the 40th Precinct, in the South Bronx. The man, Lee King, also lived in Officer Ramos’s apartment, drove his car and used his police-issued placard, prosecutors said.

The police started listening to Mr. King’s cellphone, and later, to Officer Ramos’s two cellphones. By fall 2009, they had enlisted an informer, Harry Mingo, who conspired with Officer Ramos to steal money from an out-of-town drug dealer and an electronics buyer, both of whom were in fact undercover police officers. They also met with a Miami drug dealer (also an undercover police officer), and later Officer Ramos drove a van for the supposed drug dealer from the Bronx to Brooklyn, prosecutors said.

During the trial, Mr. Kluger repeatedly sought to discredit Mr. Mingo and to portray Officer Ramos to the jury as a police officer who had made mistakes but had never committed a crime. Mr. Kluger argued that Officer Ramos was repeatedly caught up in plots devised by internal police investigators and that he did not know that the van he drove was supposedly carrying narcotics.

But Omer Wiczyk, the prosecutor, countered that there was simply overwhelming evidence against Officer Ramos that showed, time and again, that he had been all too willing to illegally profit from his badge and connections. “That man is guilty,” Mr. Wiczyk told jurors on Friday. “The law applies to everyone equally. Apply it here. Convict him.”

In a statement, the Bronx district attorney, Robert T. Johnson, said Officer Ramos “clearly shunted to the side the duty he has to the people of New York City.”

Again...again...we need to have a national minimum IQ for cops, idiot cops, that's 50% of the problem behind the cop crime wave in America

Armored vehicle sent to collect civil fine from 75-year-old in small town

A small Wisconsin town sends 24 armed officers and an armored vehicle to collect fine stemming from property dispute.

STETTIN, Wis., Oct. 26 (UPI) -- A small Wisconsin town sent an armored vehicle and 24 armed officers to collect a civil fine from a 75-year-old man.

Roger Hoeppner is filing a federal civil rights lawsuit after authorities came out in force to collect an $80,000 civil fine stemming from property disputes.

Marathon County Sheriff's Capt. Greg Bean says the armored vehicle was only sent to the property because Hoeppner initially refused to come out of his house.

"I've been involved in about five standoff situations where, as soon as the MARV [Marathon County Response Vehicle] showed up, the person gives up," Bean told the Milwaukee-Wisconson Journal Sentinel. "People may not always understand why, but an armored vehicle is almost a necessity now."

Hoeppner was arrested at the scene, reportedly for not following officer's instructions. He paid his $80,000 fine, after a trip to the bank accompanied by deputies, and was released.

The long-running dispute is centered on Hoeppner's 20-acre property, where he restores antique tractors and runs a pallet repair business. The Town of Stettin sued Hoeppner in 2008 over alleged zoning violations and rubbish, signs and vehicles on the property. The two sides settled, with Hoeppner agreeing to clean up his property.

In 2010 the town decided Hoeppner had not complied, and a judge ordered Hoeppner to clear his land. In May 2011, the judge authorized the seizure of Hoeppner's assets for noncompliance. The town did haul away a number of items including trailers and pallets and auctioned them off.

In April 2013, the judge decided Hoeppner was still noncompliant and imposed a $500-a-day fine in addition to granting the town's legal fees. Hoeppner appealed the decision and lost, leaving him $80,000 in debt to the town.

"Rather than provide Mr. Hoeppner or his counsel notice...and attempt to collect without spending thousands of taxpayer dollars on the military-style maneuvers, the town unilaterally decided to enforce its civil judgment," Hoeppner's attorney, Ryan Lister, said.

Hoeppner says that in all, his battle with the town has cost him his retirement fund, some $200,000.

In a federal civil rights suit, Hoeppner alleges Town Chairman Matt Wasmundt infringed on his free speech rights by preventing him from addressing the board during public comment periods, and once having him arrested and released without charge.

Fairfax should force police to come clean over shooting of unarmed John Geer

By Robert McCartney Columnist

Here’s what has happened in Ferguson, Mo., in the two months since a police officer shot and killed Michael Brown, an unarmed man:

■The officer who pulled the trigger was identified and his record made public.

Robert McCartney’s column on local issues appears Thursdays and Sundays in The Post’s Metro section. View Archive

■The president expressed his condolences, and the U.S. attorney general paid a visit.

■Protesters staged repeated mass demonstrations.

Here’s what has happened in Fairfax County in the nearly 14 months since a police officer shot and killed John Geer, also unarmed, while he stood with arms raised in the doorway of his Springfield townhouse:

■The officer’s name has not been released, despite abundant signs that the shooting was a mistake.

■The County Board of Supervisors wrote a gently worded letter to the U.S. attorney last month expressing concern about the unusually long delay in investigating the incident.

■A meeting of a local activist group unhappy about Geer’s case drew all of six participants Tuesday evening at the Martha Washington Library in Fairfax’s Alexandria neighborhood.

“All those people are bonding together in Ferguson, [but] it’s very difficult to get people to do anything in Fairfax,” said Mary Tracy, a member of the Virginia Citizens Coalition for Police Accountability.

The differences between the two shootings are critical, of course. Ferguson has long suffered from racial tensions between police and the community. The killing there of a black teenager by a white police officer rekindled grievances dating back generations.

By contrast, the Fairfax public shows more confidence in the police, despite several past shooting controversies there. In addition, since Geer was white, the case doesn’t arouse the same racial concerns.

Still, Fairfax mustn’t let county police off the hook just because it’s politically convenient. The Geer case should prompt both the public and elected officials to force the department to come clean about what happened.

So far, the opposite has occurred. Police have provided no explanation for the shooting, or why Geer was left unattended for an hour afterward and apparently bled to death.

Geer’s girlfriend of 24 years, Maura Harrington, said the death still weighs heavily on their two daughters, ages 18 and 14.

“My girls have a right to know why their father was shot, and who shot him,” she said. “It’s not fair to them for this to keep dragging on. They need closure.”

The shooting occurred at the end of a standoff in August 2013. Police had been summoned to the townhouse because Geer, upset with Harrington, had tossed her belongings into the front yard.

Supervisor Pat Herrity (R-Springfield), who represents Geer’s district, said the circumstances of the shooting were worrisome. “I don’t have all the evidence in front of me, but from what I’ve seen, there are serious questions,” Herrity said.

Furthermore, mysterious obstacles have slowed the investigation. Although few details have been forthcoming, a major reason for the delay seems to be that the police have been reluctant to provide necessary information.

Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney Ray Morrogh spent five months on the inquiry before giving up and handing it over to U.S. Attorney Dana Boente.

Morrogh told my colleague Tom Jackman one of his problems “concerns some information, and I just can’t get it.”

That apparently referred to a refusal by police to hand over personnel files for the officer involved in the case.

Now Boente has had the case for even longer than Morrogh. It’s reasonable to assume he might be having some of the same problems that Morrogh did.

Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman Sharon Bulova (D) told me Wednesday that the board has urged the police to cooperate, while respecting the rights of an officer who might face charges.

“We’ve strongly indicated that we want our police to do everything they can to move things along,” Bulova said. “It’s important that we also do so within the context of a federal investigation that could end up going to trial.”

Police Chief Edwin Roessler Jr. did not comment for this column. Previously, he said the department would not identify the officer who shot Geer because the policy was to wait until a criminal investigation is complete.

Nicholas Beltrante, executive director of the citizens coalition for police accountability, has his own theory about what’s going on.

“They’re stonewalling,” Beltrante said. “They’re allowing time to pass so the citizens of Fairfax County will forget about the matter.”

For the Geer family and the general public, that’s one outcome that shouldn’t be acceptable.

I discuss local issues Friday at 8:50 a.m. on WAMU (88.5 FM). For previous columns, go to washingtonpost.com/mccartney.

John Geer Killing—An End to Impunity?

Independent Progressive

By John Lovaas/Reston Impact Producer/Host

             

#In August 2013, a Fairfax County Police Officer shot and killed unarmed John Geer as he stood in his doorway talking to police. There were many civilian witnesses, including family, to the SWAT team killing. Yet, 14 months later, the shooter has not been identified and there has been no explanation for the killing by either the police, the Board of Supervisors which oversees them, the Commonwealth Attorney, or the U.S. Justice Department to which this case was referred for investigation. In Fairfax County, it has been routine in the 74 years since the Board of Supervisors created the Police Department for officers to kill citizens without apparent justification and not be held accountable to anyone but themselves for doing so. The Geer case is only the most recent example.

#John Geer’s family, some of whom were eyewitnesses to the shooting, has been remarkably patient, waiting 14 months so far for completion of the official investigation and explanation as to how and why it was the unarmed, non-threatening Mr. Geer was shot to death. Finally, their patience ran out. They have filed suit against the police and the county demanding justice — a full explanation, accountability for those responsible, and $12 million for their incredible loss.

#No county officer has ever been charged with wrongdoing for killings in the line of duty. Nor has any killing been investigated by anyone except fellow officers. The police and county have been sued by families of the dead, but to date Fairfax County has opted to pay seven-figure settlements with our tax dollars rather than go to trial or lift the iron veil of secrecy.

#And, the Board of Supervisors, to whom the police nominally report, has inexplicably failed to hold them accountable.

#I do, however, see signs for hope the Geer case may be different. Why should I, a known pessimist, think there is a chance to break the perfect record of non-accountability to the people who pay the police to protect them? Here are some possible reasons.

•           #Police employed a heavily armed SWAT team arrayed like a firing squad for this domestic dispute raising the question of excessive force;

•           #Unlike many police killings, there were many civilian witnesses to this one;

•           #Police left the badly wounded man to die;

•           #The Commonwealth Attorney, usually a rubber stamp for the police, declared an unspecified “conflict of interest” and referred investigation of the shooting and shooter to the Justice Department which has to date remained silent;

•           #The Board of Supervisors suddenly has shown an interest in this case. Chairman Bulova sent a letter to the U.S. Attorney expressing concern about the delay; and,

•           #The Geer family, which is suing county police, says they will not settle for cash, and wants a trial to force police to explain fully the circumstances.

#Of course, the police and some who advise the Board of Supervisors will resist genuine accountability to the people of Fairfax County. So, it will be an uphill struggle. But, at least two supervisors (one Democrat and one Republican) are acknowledging they favor new approaches, such as the creation of an independent civilian review board.

#Seventy-five percent of U.S. jurisdictions the size of Fairfax County already have them and they generally work well, renewing community confidence in their police and finding very few officers abusing their lethal power once there is oversight.

#Seventy-four years without accountability for using lethal force is more than long enough. Think about it. It is hard to believe that any officer drawing his or her gun is not aware that there is no penalty for miscalculation and unjustified use of it. That is a very scary proposition. But how can it be otherwise after 74 years?

Seized Account Funds:The money belongs to the county and not to the cops...what the hell are the board of supervisors doing anyway?

Fairfax County police have spent $1.3 million on weapons and protective gear, $561,000 on buildings and improvements and $208,000 on electronic surveillance gear. The department declined to share details about the spending.
The Justice Department audited Fairfax’s spending in 2009 and 2010 and found the department had complied with the guidelines at that time.
“Our financial stewardship of our Seized Account Funds is in compliance with all Federal rules and laws, State rules and laws, County rules and laws, and we undergo audits of these accounts by local and federal agencies,” Col. Edwin C. Roessler Jr., the Fairfax police chief, said in a statement. “Additionally, we are subjected to internal audit processes to review all requests for expenditures to ensure purchases are pre-approved for compliance.”

Boston Cop Allegedly Grabbed Phone From Person Recording Arrest

In Massachusetts, filming the police in action isn’t illegal.

By Steve Annear | Boston Daily |

A motorist traveling through the city who happened upon an arrest in progress alleges a Boston Police officer took away his phone and damaged it after the cop caught him recording the incident. In Massachusetts, it’s legal to record officers in public.

According to a YouTube user—he was identified as “Max Bickford” on the site “Photography Is Not a Crime”—who uploaded the footage on October 15, after the arresting officer allegedly “slammed” the suspect into the street “right in front” of him, he approached Bickford and snatched his phone from his hands, claiming that it contained “evidence of a crime.”

At that point, the video stops recording, but the confrontation with the officer reportedly continued.

“Then the officer refused to give my phone or his name to me. He threw my phone back at me resulting in damage to my property. He also wiped his blood on me on purpose. I was then detained illegally,” Bickford claimed in the details posted to YouTube about the interaction with the policeman.

In the video, a suspect can be seen on the ground, near the spilt where drivers can gain access to the Pike or Interstate 93, with his shirt pulled over his head. The context and reason for the suspect’s apprehension is unclear, but in the footage the officer repeatedly says to Bickford, who stopped his moped in the middle of traffic to record the situation, “thanks for your help” in a sarcastic tone. After moving the suspect to the curb, the officer then confronts Bickford.

A call made to the Boston Police about the incident with Bickford was not immediately returned. Bickford also didn’t return a request for comment when reached through his YouTube account on Wednesday.

However, recording the police in a public setting, when a phone or other device is in full view, is not illegal in Massachusetts, and the law is on the side of the person behind the lens.

According to the state’s wiretap statute, secretly recording any oral communication is frowned upon, but a court recently ruled that people have a constitutional right to openly use a device to film incidents such as a police activity in a public area, so long as they aren’t interfering with an officer’s duties.

That constitutional right was made apparent following a settlement reached in 2012 between a lawyer and the Boston Police Department. At that time, the city was told to pay Simon Glik $170,000 after the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit ruled that Glik did not violate the law when he pulled out his phone on Boston Common five years prior to record officers in a scuffle with a suspect in the park. The court said it was Glik’s constitutional right to capture the incident, setting a precedent for similar instances in the future.

“Under the First Circuit’s Glik [versus] Cunniffe decision, whose holding was just again reaffirmed this year in Gericke [versus] Weare, individuals have ‘a constitutionally protected right to videotape police carrying out their duties in public,’” said Christopher Ott, a spokesperson for the American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts, the organization that backed Glik after he was charged for violating the state’s wiretapping laws. “This encompasses the ‘peaceful recording of an arrest in a public space that does not interfere with the police officers’ performance of their duties.’ As the court held, this right ‘is a basic, vital, and well-established liberty safeguarded by the First Amendment.'”

The video of the recent altercation between Bickford and police can be seen below:

Retired Arsenal police officer charged with sexual abuse of child

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WHNT) – A man who once worked for the Directorate of Emergency Services at Redstone Arsenal has been arrested on serious criminal charges.

Michale Lynn Spradley, 63, is charged with two counts of sexual abuse of a child less than 12 years old.  Spradley was arrested Wednesday and booked in the Huntsville/Madison County Metro Jail.

He posted $30,000 bond and was released Thursday.

Redstone Arsenal’s public affairs office confirmed Spradley is retired from the Arsenal.

WHNT News 19 contacted Huntsville Police for further information about the charges against Spradley.  They said another agency is handling the case.  We are working to get more details.

Oklahoma City officer charged with sexually assaulting women while on patrol released from 14-day stint in jail

OKLAHOMA CITY —An Oklahoma City police officer accused of sexually assaulting women while he was on patrol has been released from jail again.

The bond was reduced for an Oklahoma City police officer accused of sexually assaulting eight women while on duty. His new bond is $500,000, down from an original bond of $5 million.

Oklahoma City police officer Daniel Holtzclaw who has been charged with two counts of first-degree rape, three counts of forcible oral sex, two counts sexual battery and one count of indecent exposure was arraigned Wednesday.

Daniel Holtzclaw was released Thursday morning after a 14-day stay at the Oklahoma County Jail. Holtzclaw was reprimanded to 14 days in jail after attorneys said he broke the conditions of his house arrest.

Holtzclaw is accused of sexually assault several women while on patrol in the Spring Lake Division of the Oklahoma City Police Department.

Holtzclaw had been on house arrest with family in Enid until the hearing. Under conditions of his house arrest, he was supposed to alert Oklahoma County Court Services each time he left home. He was only permitted to travel for court, attorney visits, visits to court services and medical appointments.

Robin Wright, a court services supervisor, testified Thursday that Holtzclaw violated those conditions on Sept. 17. She said he did not make a call to her office before a doctor’s appointment and instead alerted his attorneys because he claimed he thought that was all he needed to do.

Prosecutor Gayland Geiger said a preliminary hearing is scheduled for mid-November.

Trial beginning for second former Bay City police officer charged with misdemeanors in 2013 bar incident

Danielle McGrew

BAY CITY, MI — The second former Bay City police officer accused of committing criminal acts in his interaction with a civilian is going before a jury this week.

Jury selection began around 9:50 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 15, in the trial of Donald T. Aldrich, 42. He is charged with single counts of larceny between $200 and $1,000, a one-year misdemeanor, and drunk or disorderly conduct, a 90-day misdemeanor.

Bay County District Judge Mark E. Janer is presiding.

The charges stem from conduct Aldrich allegedly committed while off-duty at Steamer's Pub, 108 N. Linn St., the night of May 1, 2013, and into the next morning.

Aldrich was at the bar celebrating his birthday, which is May 2.

The incident involved civilian Joshua Elzinga using his smartphone to take a photo of an improperly parked police Chevrolet Tahoe, driven by Officer Brian K. Ritchey. Elzinga, a patron at Steamer's, uploaded the photo to Facebook with a mocking caption, which Aldrich's wife, Carrie Aldrich, informed Ritchey about.

Elzinga testified in the August trial of fellow former officer Keath B. Bartynski that Ritchey confronted him about the photo at Steamer's for a few minutes then left. Right after, a drunken Aldrich approached Elzinga and began threatening him and challenging him to a brawl, Elzinga testified.

Elzinga began recording Aldrich's lambasting on his smart phone, he testified. A short time later, Ritchey and Bartynski arrived at the bar. The latter forcibly removed Elzinga from the bar, took his phone, set it aside, handcuffed him, and placed him in the back of a patrol vehicle, he testified.

Aldrich also stepped outside of the bar, witnesses — including Bartynski — testified.

After officers released Elzinga, they did not return his phone to him, he said. Bay City later reimbursed Elzinga for the cost of his phone.

Prosecutors maintain Aldrich stole Elzinga's phone.

Bartynski, Ritchey, and Aldrich all resigned from the force in June 2013 after being made aware that an internal investigation sustained 13 allegations of misconduct against them. They were told they'd be fired if they didn't resign, Bay City Human Resources Director Greg Taliscka previously said.

Ritchey was not charged with a criminal offense.

The six-person jury in Bartynski's trial found him guilty of assault, a misdemeanor punishable by up to 93 days in jail and a $500 fine.

Janer is to sentence Bartynski, who is free on bond, at 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 28.

Aldrich is represented by Bay City attorney Kevin J. Rieman. A special prosecutor from the Midland County Prosecutor's Office is trying the case on behalf of the people.

Follow along in the comments section below for live coverage.

Arvester Horner, Prince George's County cop, suspended following drunk driving arrest

UPPER MARLBORO, Md. (AP) - A Prince George's County police officer has been suspended after being cited for drunken driving in North Carolina.

The department says Cpl. Arvester Horner was suspended with pay pending an administrative hearing and currently has no police powers.

Horner was off duty when the Raleigh-Durham Airport Authority Police Department charged him with DUI on Sunday. Police say he did not have his duty weapon and was not driving a department vehicle at the time.

No other details of the charge against Horner were immediately available.

Horner is in Prince George's County patrol bureau and has been with the department for 14 years.

Man sues S.F. police over arrest in Baby Bjorn bicycle incident

By Henry K. Lee

A man filed a lawsuit Tuesday accusing San Francisco police officers of wrongfully arresting him and forcibly taking his infant son from him after stopping him for riding his bike with his child strapped to his chest in a Baby Bjorn carrier.

Takuro Hashitaka said he and his then-10-month-old son, Moku, were riding in a bike lane on Eighth Street headed to a Trader Joe’s two blocks from his South of Market home on Dec. 13.

The infant was strapped to Hashitaka in a Baby Bjorn and “further secured by a sweatshirt that had been modified into a traditional baby carrier garment with a hole for Moku’s head,” said the federal civil rights suit filed in U.S. District Court in San Francisco.

Officers Anthony Bautista and Brendan Caraway came up behind them in the bike lane and “came close” to hitting them, the suit says.

Caraway asked over the patrol cruiser’s loudspeaker why the baby wasn’t wearing a helmet, and Hashitaka, “unaware of a requirement for a baby to wear a bike helmet,” asked the officer “what the authority was for this,” the suit says.

The officers activated their lights and stopped Hashitaka at a gas station at Eighth and Harrison streets, the suit says.

The officers grabbed Hashitaka’s wrists, telling him he was being arrested and that Child Protective Services would take his son, according to the suit. Other officers arrived and took Hashitaka to the ground and choked him until he lost consciousness, the suit says.

Bautista began cutting Hashitaka’s sweatshirt with a knife, the suit says. Hashitaka said he came to and was again choked to unconsciousness. The “terrified baby” was taken to CPS by police, who never tried to contact Hashitaka’s wife despite his pleas, the suit says. Police never told his wife that her son was being taken to CPS, Hashitaka said.

Police arrested Hashitaka on suspicion of child endangerment, resisting arrest and a vehicle code violation, but prosecutors never filed charges, said his attorney, Rachel Lederman.

The California vehicle code requires that all children wear bike helmets and are properly restrained in their own seat or in a trailer towed by a bike.

Lederman said questions over whether the child should have been in a baby carrier while on a bike “has nothing to do with whether the baby should be taken to Child Protective Services, not given to his mother or why the father would be choked until he passed out, twice, and taken to jail.”

Moku is a “very loved and well-cared-for baby, and obviously this was a pretty traumatic experience for the baby as well as the parents,” Lederman said.

The suit names San Francisco, Police Chief Greg Suhr, Caraway, Bautista and other officers and seeks unspecified damages. The defendants have not responded to the suit in court, but the city previously rejected a claim, a precursor to a lawsuit, filed over the incident.

Police declined to comment Tuesday, and Matt Dorsey, spokesman for City Attorney Dennis Herrera, said he couldn’t discuss the suit because he had not yet seen it.

Lakeland police officer charged with stalking ex

By Gal Tziperman Lotan  

Lakeland K-9 officer was ordered to stay away from ex-fiancee, police spokesman says

A Lakeland police officer is on paid administrative leave after being charged with aggravated stalking of his ex-fiancée, a police spokesman said.

Robert Manrow, a K-9 unit officer who has been with the department for 14 years, was arrested around 1 a.m. Saturday, said Sgt. Gary Gross, a department spokesman.

Manrow and the woman he is accused of stalking broke up in August, Gross said.

Since then, she has asked him to stop trying to contact her about 10 times, and his supervisors at the police department ordered him to avoid all contact with her, Gross said.

"We will not tolerate any officer misconduct," Gross said in a statement.

"It's unfortunate that this incident occurred and have no doubt that Officer Rob Manrow will be held accountable for his actions."

Manrow moved out of the house he shared with his former fiancée in mid-August, a few days after they separated, Gross said.

The following week, Manrow's ex-fiancée found him in the house unannounced, Gross said.

He came in through the garage door, which he opened with a remote he still had.

Manrow's ex-fiancée asked him to leave, and he did, Gross said.

But she found him again a few days later in the back yard, saying he wanted to gather some of his belongings.

His former fiancée let him take his things and asked him to leave again, Gross said.

In early September, Manrow allegedly sent his ex-fiancée text and social media messages that put "a well-founded fear" in her, Gross said.

"Enough is Enough," she replied Sept. 8, after he sent her more text messages and photos, Gross said.

Manrow's supervisors ordered him to stop contacting his former fiancée on Sept. 9, Gross said.

Four days later, Manrow told a few other employees he was unhappy with the situation – particularly with another police department employee, who he suspected was having a relationship with his ex, Gross said.

This is the second time this week a Lakeland police officer has come under fire.

On Thursday, a Lakeland police "Detective of the Year" resigned following a DUI arrest in July.

Det. Billy Joe Lane handed the Osceola County deputy sheriff who pulled him over his bank card instead of his driver's license, deputies said.

His blood alcohol content was 0.188, more than twice the legal limit, according to his arrest report.

During a sobriety test, Lane was unable to walk in a straight, almost fell over twice and the deputy stopped the exercise out of fear Lane might fall and hurt himself, deputies said.

A disciplinary review suggested that Lane should be fired for "Unlawful Conduct" and "Conduct Unbecoming." Lane resigned before the department could fire him.

Lane entered a not-guilty plea in September, court records show.

Police officer in Ohio suspended after pleading no contest to taking bag of caramel popcorn

TOLEDO, Ohio — A police officer in Toledo has been placed on unpaid suspension after he pleaded no contest to making off with caramel popcorn from a convenience store.

Authorities say the 52-year-old officer was on duty and in uniform on two back-to-back occasions when he took caramel popcorn from the Oregon Circle K.

Sgt. Richard Whitman pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor theft charge on Thursday. He was fined and placed on probation. He also paid back $3 for the popcorn.

The Blade (http://bit.ly/1wcPVhh ) newspaper in Toledo reports he will remain on leave while Toledo police conduct an internal investigation.

Whitman's lawyer says he has no prior record and a sterling record during his 24 years as an officer. He also says Whitman is seeking professional advice from medical providers.

Lawsuit alleges sexual misconduct, corruption on police force

SPRINGFIELD, Ore. - A former Springfield Police sergeant filed a lawsuit in federal court Monday seeking $1.85 million and his old job back after he says he faced retaliation for blowing the whistle on possible corruption and sexual misconduct in the department.

Sgt. John Umenhofer says his 29-year career with the Springfield Police came to an end when he tried to return from medical leave and refused jobs as a janitor or librarian.

He says the medical leave was a result of damage to his health from intimidation and retaliation he experienced after trying to report possible corruption in the department.

Umenhofer is represented by Christoner Lundberg and Matthew E. Malmsheimer from Portland law firm Haglund Kelley LLP.

The complaint alleges sexual misconduct by Springfield Police employees in department vehicles; the police station; and a judge's chambers. It also alleges efforts to cover up possible problems with an officer involved in a fatal-shooting of an unarmed teenager.

Umenofer's allegations came to light after Police Chief Jerry Smith retired suddenly from the department in March 2013. In June 2013, the public learned a video of Smith kissing a subordinate had been mailed to the City of Springfield and state officials before Smith retired.

Umenhofer claims the department violated his civil rights and rights under whistleblower statutes. The lawsuit names City Manager Gino Grimaldi, Police Chief Tim Doney and the City of Springfield as defendants.

The City of Springfield issued the following statement in response to the lawsuit:

 "The majority of the allegations in Mr. Umenhofer’s lawsuit – some more than a decade old – have already been investigated.

 "We deny Mr. Umenhofer’s allegations that the city discriminated against him based on his alleged psychological disability.  We also deny his claims of retaliation.

"Our legal counsel has instructed us not to provide additional details at this time. We look forward to responding to the allegations in court.

 "The Springfield Police Department will continue to provide high quality service to our community."

Watch: Ohio Police Department Has Become So Corrupt They Were Forced To Shut Down A police department in Ohio whose history more closely resembles a street gang than a police department, has been shut down.

Originally it was said to be a lapse insurance which caused the shut down of both the Lincoln Heights fire department and the police department Thursday at 12:00 am. The fire department’s insurance was quickly reinstated however the police department is proving to be quite the uninsurable risk.

“It was a yearly renewal,” Lincoln Heights Village Manager Stephanie Summerow-Dumas said. “It was time for a renewal and (PEP) made the decision (to cut coverage) because of certain variables.”

According to PEP Executive Vice President JT. Babish, these “variables” are lawsuits stemming from wage disputes, employment harassment, wrongful terminations, allegations of wrongful arrest and violations of civil rights within the departments.

Nine of these lawsuits are currently ongoing which led to PEP dropping the coverage claiming that they could not keep up with the cost of all the suits.

“Any company would look at that and see if they want to be vulnerable to offer insurance,” Summerow-Dumas said. “I’m sure that came into play and they looked at some of that.”

In the interim, nearby Lockland Police Department and Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office have taken over emergency services for the town of Lincoln Heights.

Ohio Rep. Alicia Reese said she contacted the governor asking for help, stating that, “Safety has to be the top priority for the residents, both in the short and long term.” Ironically, had safety actually been the priority of the police department, instead of felony criminal action, abuse, sexual harassment, and brutality, Lincoln Heights would not be in this position.

The closure of the Lincoln Heights police department comes just days after a revealing investigation into the overwhelming corruption within the department. The investigation revealed that the department had not only hired, but heavily promoted an officer with a felony background, who was later fired for felony theft on duty.

The investigation also found that one officer was fired and rehired who had a history of harassing female drivers and was an actual member of several biker gangs known for their felonious activity.

The Public Entities Pool of Ohio choosing to drop the Lincoln Heights police department’s coverage is heartening news. Its illustrates the true power of taking responsibility for one’s own actions and that writing corrupt departments a blank check to behave however they want to, is a terrible practice.

While PEP is funded through tax payer dollars it was still able to cause a drastic reaction to police corruption.

3 plea deals wrap up police corruption case

Three former police officers have pleaded no contest to charges stemming from their alleged role in a corruption case involving members of the Romulus Police Department.

On Tuesday, former detective sergeant Richard Balzer pleaded no contest to one count of embezzlement by a public official and misconduct in office, while former detectives Richard Landry and Donald Hopkins plead no contest to one count of embezzlement by a public official.

Charges, including conducting criminal enterprise, criminal enterprise/conspiracy and uttering and publishing and neglect of duty, were dismissed in return for their pleas.

A no contest plea isn’t an admission of guilt.

According to the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office, restitution will be determined and the three men will lose their certification to be employed as police officers. They will be sentenced by Judge Michael Hathaway on Oct. 29.

A fourth defendant, former police chief Michael St. Andre of Garden City, faces up to 20 years in prison after pleading guilty to one count each of embezzlement by a public official, misconduct in office and conducting a criminal enterprise. He will be in Judge Hathaway’s courtroom on Friday, Oct. 17, for sentencing.

The Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office dropped seven other felony charges in exchange for his plea. St. Andre had been a 28-year veteran of the police department.

In all, six police officers and St. Andre’s wife, Sandra Vlaz-St. Andre, were charged in the case, which stemmed from an investigation by the Michigan State Police into allegations of misconduct, corruption and embezzlement of drug forfeiture funds by members of the Romulus Police Department’s Special Investigation Unit.

According to the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office, Michael St. Andre directed a probe of liquor license violations, prostitution and narcotics trafficking at the Landing Strip Bar in Romulus and Subi’s Place in Southgate, but during the investigation officers embezzled drug forfeiture money, solicited prostitutes and made false police reports.

The St. Andres also were accused of using police forfeiture funds to both purchase and operate Always Tan at 33712 Ford in Westland. In February, Vlaz-St. Andre was sentenced to 7-20 years in prison after being found guilty of acquiring and maintaining a criminal enterprise and criminal enterprise conspiracy, filing fraudulent tax returns and receiving and concealing stolen property.

In April, Droege was sentenced to 18 months probation after being found guilty of misconduct in office and neglect of duty. Channells also was found guilty of two counts of misconduct in office and neglect of duty and sentenced to three years probation.

By Sue Mason

Feds hand over to county DA a piece of city police corruption case

By Liz Navratil and Rich Lord

The Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office is investigating a Pittsburgh police employee who was involved with the off-the-books account that imprisoned former chief Nate Harper tapped.

District Attorney Stephen A. Zappala Jr. said Friday that federal officials had recently referred to his office a case involving Tamara Davis, 48, who is a civilian.

Ms. Davis, who was placed on paid leave last year, was second in command in the personnel and finance office during the time when officials said Harper and others diverted checks from the bureau into secret bank accounts.

Mr. Zappala would not comment further on Ms. Davis’ case, except to say it was the only one federal officials referred to him. A spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office declined to comment.

“I really don’t know what this is all about or what they’re doing,” said attorney Frank Rapp, who represents Ms. Davis.

Federal prosecutors have said that others in the police bureau worked with Harper to move checks meant to pay for officer moonlighting into off-the-books accounts, including one titled “I.P.F.”

Harper is serving a federal prison sentence after he pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy and failing to file federal income tax returns.

When he pleaded guilty, federal prosecutors released a document titled “summary of funds misapplied by Davis,” indicating $7,165 in cash withdrawals “from diverted checks,” $929 in ATM withdrawals and $1,197 in “questionable debit card expenses.” It listed $9,291 in “total misapplied funds.”

Ms. Davis’ name appeared on the signature line of a $4,000 withdrawal slip from the I.P.F. account on Sept. 28, 2009, according to documents that the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette obtained.

Last year federal investigators asked to review files related to Ms. Davis’ residence in low-income public housing in the Oak Hill section of the Hill District. Her salary was more than $44,000 in 2012.

Harper was prosecuted under a federal law that makes it a crime to steal more than $5,000 from any program receiving more than $10,000 in federal money.

“It’s absolutely unusual to see a deferral like this to state prosecutors,” especially in a matter in which the federal government could opt to prosecute, said Bruce Antkowiak, a former assistant U.S. attorney and now a law professor at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe.

Mr. Antkowiak said federal prosecutors could refer a matter to the district attorney if they were concerned that the money amount didn’t reach statutory limits or if there wasn’t a clear tie between the involved account and federal funds.

Federal agencies often kick cases involving small quantities of drugs or low-dollar fraud to the locals, he added. “In a case involving a public corruption matter, it’s a whole different metric,” he noted.

“The flow is usually up to the feds,” he said. It’s common for federal investigators to reach down and take on a case involving funds taken from an agency with which the district attorney’s office has ties, he said.

Florida man arrested by impatient cop as credit card verification stalls at nightclub

Don Marcani (WTVJ-TV)

A Florida man was jailed earlier this month after a police officer became impatient with his attempts to pay for drinks with a credit card.

Don Marcani said he and a friend went Oct. 3 to Cyn Nightclub in Fort Lauderdale, where they paid for drinks at the bar with their credit cards.

The men then decided to visit the club’s VIP section, reported WTVJ-TV.

Marcani said a club employee took his credit card and ID and brought out a bottle of liquor, but he said she returned and reported his credit card had been declined.

“That’s impossible,” Marcani told the waitress.

He then gave her another credit card to pay for the $600 tab in the VIP section, the station reported — but that, too, was declined.

Marcani tried again to use the card he’d previously used to pay for an $80 bar tab at the club, but it was declined again — and a police officer was called.

“The club manager called my bank and gave me the phone to talk to the bank and that’s when the cop interfered and I think he said, ‘I’m tired of this sh*t,” Marcani said.

Marcani asked the officer to escort him and his friend to the nearest ATM so he could withdraw cash to pay the club, but he was instead handcuffed and arrested on grand theft charges shortly after the officer arrived.

The officer took his smart phone, which prevented Marcani from seeing an email from his bank that arrived eight minutes later asking him to authorize the $600 charge.

Marcani used the same credit card the following morning to pay bond of more than $1,000 for his release from the Broward County Jail.

“It wasn’t accepted at the nightclub, but I used that credit card to get out of jail,” Marcani said.

Fort Lauderdale police declined to comment on the case because it was still pending, but Marcani’s attorney said it should be a wakeup call.

“I think we are all used to getting those emails from credit card companies saying, ‘Hey, did you authorize this charge?” said attorney David Edelstein. “Now we have to worry about getting arrested for using our own credit card.”