Wicomico NAACP leader calls for creation of police oversight board
Vanessa Junkin
SALISBURY — The way things are
now in Wicomico County, law enforcement agencies are policing law enforcement
officers.
The Maryland State Police
Homicide Unit regularly investigates police-involved shootings, and for those
incidents, the Wicomico County State’s Attorney’s Office makes decisions on
whether to prosecute.
Mary Ashanti, president of the
Wicomico County branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored
People, would like to see citizens become more involved in the process.
At a Wicomico County Council
meeting Tuesday, Ashanti brought up the suggestion for a police oversight board
with subpoena power during the public comment session.
“The complaints we have is
police are investigating themselves,” Ashanti said.
Ashanti said in a phone
interview that ideally, the board would be made up of citizens, businesspeople,
clergy and maybe also people with a law enforcement background who are not
current law enforcement officers. The board would look at deadly force
situations or other incidents involving police misconduct, she said.
The suggestion comes after
three police-involved shootings, two of which were fatal, that happened within
two months earlier this year in Wicomico County.
“It’s time for a movement,”
Ashanti said at the meeting.
Police oversight boards
There are civilian police
oversight boards in cities across the country and beyond.
Brian Buchner, president of the
National Association for Civilian Oversight of Law Enforcement, said the
biggest benefit of having citizens provide oversight is building a bridge
between the community and its police department, which creates more trust.
This trust leads to decreased
crime, Buchner said. Oversight agencies also help ensure that people’s civil
rights are protected, he said.
Buchner said civilian oversight
boards are normally part of local governments. That’s the case for the City of
Philadelphia’s Police Advisory Commission, where Kelvyn Anderson is executive
director.
Anderson said Philadelphia’s
first police advisory board was formed in 1958, and the current agency was
formed in 1994.
The initial board did not have
subpoena power, Anderson said, which is something the agency now has.
Because officers are not just
disciplined based on the findings or view of the advisory board, and the board
doesn’t have control over the police commissioner’s decision, Anderson said the
commission has more influence when it comes to overall policy issues.
Philadelphia police have done
more training for dealing with mental health issues, for example, because of
the oversight board, Anderson said.
“We’ve found that, again, those
larger policy issues are areas where if we’ve done our homework, if we’re
listening well to the community, we have useful things to say to the police
department,” Anderson said.
Local ideas
Wicomico County has seen three
police-involved shootings between February and March — two which resulted in
the death of two suspects.
Ashanti noted that locally,
when those police-involved shootings take place, they are investigated by other
police –– even if the shooting does not involve the Maryland State Police, for
example, that agency works with the other local departments.
She’d prefer that an objective
board look at the case, and she’d rather have the FBI or U.S. Department of
Justice investigate incidents rather than, for example, the state police.
Ashanti said she’s currently in
the researching stages of this initiative and is interested in seeing what other
areas do.
Tuesday was the first time that
County Council President Matt Holloway had heard about this idea, but he said
if the public and law enforcement are on board with the initiative, he would
support something like this.
He wasn’t sure whether the council
or county executive would take the lead on such an initiative; he said he’d
need to learn more and get further input.
This may be a good time to get
started on something like this, Holloway said, and it could help be more
proactive than reactionary.
“This could be a step towards
accomplishing that,” Holloway said.
Wicomico County State’s
Attorney Matt Maciarello did not have information about the specifics of this
plan, so he did not talk about it in particular. He did say he supports
strengthening relationships between police and the community. Law enforcement
officials regularly meet with community leaders and organizers and hear
concerns, he said.
He noted how important these
police-community relationships are, and that in the majority of cases, citizens
are crucial.
“The police are there to serve
the citizenry, and the citizenry are there to assist the law enforcement,”
Maciarello said.
Police Oversight Commission called a 'mockery'
By: Erica Zucco
One of three Police Oversight
Commissioners who stepped down from the group today called the commission a
“mockery” of real civilian oversight.
All three of them said the
group has no power, citing an April 10 message from the city attorney’s office
as the final straw. They say they do not want to deceive citizens into thinking
they do have effective civilian oversight.
“I think they're frustrated
cause they're just not getting the kind of power and oversight that they need
and so we're seeing people resign,” Ralph Arellanes of LULAC, who served on a
task force to reform the POC, said.
Peter Simonson of the ACLU was
on that task force too.
“We felt the police oversight
commission and the Independent review office, in whatever way shape or form
they take, should form a single system and ultimately that the IRO should
respond to, be supervised by, the oversight body,” Simonson said.
That task force created
eighteen recommendations, some of which city council is working on now. But
most of the recommendations haven’t been put into action by city officials.
In the meantime, Richard Shine,
Jennifer Barela and Jonathan Siegel resigned from the commission.
“It's unfortunate, maybe it's
inevitable. The situation we have currently, we know that the POC and the IRO
are in a state of complete uncertainty as they wait to see what the city
council plans to do,” Simonson said. “They were extremely frustrated with the
way in which the city attorney's office has construed the relationship between
the IRO and the POC, construed the power of the POC to weigh in on policy
matters and obtain certain kinds of data from the police department and so I
think all of their concerns were completely legitimate, I can totally
understand why they had the reaction they did and I know both Mr. Siegel and
Mr. Shine and I think they are upstanding individuals, devoted to their
community.”
In their letters, all three
resigning commissioners said they hope the city will take action to reform the
POC.
“I think they truly wanted to
see an effective civilian oversight body process here in the city of
Albuquerque and I think it’s a shame to lose them from the civilian oversight
process. I hope that they can remain engaged because really they have committed
literally thousands of hours on our community's behalf,” Simonson said.
3 Albuquerque police oversight
members resign
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Half
of the members of Albuquerque's Police Oversight Commission have resigned,
citing a lack of independence and inability to provide any real citizen
oversight of the troubled department.
The resignations Tuesday by
three members of the civilian review board come less than a week after the U.S.
Justice Department issued a scathing report on what it called excessive force
and a culture of abuse and aggression at the Police Department. Albuquerque
officers have shot at 37 men since 2010, killing 23.
The report also criticized the
city's oversight system and limited powers in investigating cases of
questionable police conduct.
Oversight commission members
Jennifer Barela, Jonathan Siegel and Richard Shine sent their letters of
resignation to Mayor Richard Berry, leaving just three members on the
nine-member panel, which had three vacancies. Each city council member has the
ability to appoint a member to the commission.
In his letter, Siegel said a
series of decisions by the city attorney's office gives the board little power
to do more than ratify the recommendations of an independent review officer,
who Siegel says is "fully aligned with the chief of police."
"I cannot continue to
pretend or deceive the members of our community into believing that our city
has any real civilian oversight," he wrote.
Albuquerque's chief
administrative officer, Rob Perry, thanked the commission members for their
service and said, "We are hopeful that the City Council, which created
this board and nominates its members, will work in consultation with the DOJ in
continued efforts to reform and implement needed changes."
Photograph the Police: Photographer sues Caltrans, CHP over Willits arres...
Photograph the Police: Photographer sues Caltrans, CHP over Willits arres...: By GLENDA ANDERSON A freelance photographer who was arrested while covering protests against the controversial Willits highway bypa...
Former cop sentenced for fatal crash
TROY -- A former Rensselaer
police officer was sentenced to prison for driving drunk and killing his
childhood friend in a crash.
Mark Fusco pleaded guilty to
first degree vehicular manslaughter Friday
afternoon. Fusco admitted he
had a blood alcohol content of .18 or greater when
he crashed into a tree in East
Greenbush on March 13, 2013. His passenger, Sean
Murphy, 22, was killed.
Fusco said he couldn’t remember
why the two got in the car after taking taxis
all night. Murphy’s family said
early reports that they had forgotten something
in a taxi and were trying to
catch up were untrue.
Sean’s mother, Coreen, read the
only victim impact statement during sentencing.
“I am so proud to call myself
Sean's mother. It's all I’ve ever
wanted to be. He was the
greatest son and person a mom could ever wish for. On
the morning of March 13th I was
destroyed, my heart shattered and sadly since
day I wish every morning when I
open my eyes that somehow I could trade places
with my son,” said Coreen.
“Sean was the heart of our family we don’t know how
to go on without him.”
Fusco’s attorney said Fusco
wanted to plead guilty immediately after the crash,
but he advised him against it.
He also said Fusco resigned from the force days
after the crash.
“I am...beyond sorry for causing your son to
be taken away. Sean was my best
friend, he was my brother,”
Fusco told the Murphy’s before sentencing. “Words
will never explain how truly
sorry I am to both of you. I can’t imagine what
you're going through and it
tears me up inside to think what I’ve done to such
good people.”
Former Athens cop indicted for bribery
By JOE JOHNSON
former Athens-Clarke County
police officer was recently indicted by a Clarke County grand jury on bribery
and other charges for allegedly trying to help a friend buy his way out of a
DUI arrest.
Christopher Lee Burton, 35, had
been on the police force a little more than three years when he was arrested
and then fired in February 2012 for arranging the bribery attempt, officials
said.
He and his friend, 63-year-old
Julian Larry Anderson of Monroe, were both charged with bribery and conspiracy
to commit bribery, according to the indictment filed April 8 in Clarke County
Superior Court.
Burton was additionally charged
with violation of oath by a public officer.
The alleged bribery scheme
stemmed from Anderson’s arrest in August 2011 on charges of DUI and failure to
maintain.
Athens-Clarke County Senior
Police Officer Sean Palmateer arrested Anderson after seeing his car weaving on
West Broad Street, according to police reports.
Anderson pleaded not guilty and
was set to go to trial on the charges in March 2012. But as the trial
approached, he allegedly asked Burton if he could help him out of his jam,
authorities said.
According to the indictment,
Burton told Palmateer that Anderson was a friend who would pay $2,000 if
Palmateer would dismiss the criminal charges.
Burton then invited his fellow
officer to a party Anderson was supposed to be attending, according to the
indictment.
Palmateer immediately informed
a supervisor that he’d been approached by Burton.
The alleged bribe offer made
its way up the chain of command to Police Chief Jack Lumpkin, who asked the
Georgia Bureau of Investigation to investigate.
A meeting between Palmateer and
Anderson was subsequently arranged. When money changed hands between the
suspect and the officer, the transaction was monitored by the GBI, authorities
said.
The amount of the bribe was
$3,500, according to the indictment.
Burton was arrested by the GBI
on Feb. 16, 2012, and Anderson was arrested three days later.
Police: Kronenwetter cop hired prostitute multiple times
Shereen Siewert
WAUSAU — A Kronenwetter police
officer arrested Thursday is suspected of hiring a prostitute multiple times in
a six-month time span, police say.
Jason Rasmussen, 41, was
arrested at about 6 p.m. Thursday on charges of soliciting a prostitute and
encouraging probation violations by detective supervisors with the Wausau
Police Department, according to a news release issued Monday. Rasmussen was
hired by the Kronenwetter Police Department as a part-time patrol officer in
July 2006 and was promoted to full time in July 2007, according to the
Kronenwetter Police Department website.
An investigation began April 8
when a woman approached a Wausau police officer on an unrelated call and asked
to speak with the officer privately, according to the release. The woman, whose
name was not released, told the officer she exchanged sex for money with
Rasmussen after Rasmussen responded to an ad for adult escort services she
placed on the Internet classified site Backpage.com.
The woman told police Rasmussen
first hired her as a prostitute in Green Bay, but sexual encounters for money
also took place in Wausau and Kronenwetter, according to the release. The woman
told police Rasmussen was aware she was on probation at the time the sexual
encounters took place. Investigators confirmed and verified details of several
transactions before questioning Rasmussen Thursday, police said.
Rasmussen cooperated with
police during the investigation, which was launched with the “knowledge and
full cooperation” of Kronenwetter Police Chief Dan Joling, according to the release.
Rasmussen was released shortly
after his arrest. Wausau police, citing an ongoing investigation, on Monday
declined a Daily Herald Media request for the police report.
“Any further release of
information may compromise the investigation,” Wausau Police Capt. Greg
Hagenbucher wrote in his news release.
Joling on Friday said Rasmussen
“has been placed on administrative leave, pending an investigation into the
matter.”
Official charges are expected
to be filed in the coming days.
Denver detective suspended in prostitution probe
Wayne Harrison
DENVER - A Denver Police detective
has been suspended after he was stopped by Lakewood Police with a known
prostitute.
Lakewood Police said members of
their Special Enforcement Team observed a 49-year-old female, known to engage
in prostitution, enter a vehicle in the area of West Colfax Avenue and Ingalls
Street on Thursday night. When police stopped the vehicle, the driver
identified himself as a Denver Police officer who was not on duty at the time.
Lakewood Police said the two
were questioned and released while the investigation continued.
Denver Police identified the
detective Monday evening as Michael Ryan.
Denver Police spokesman Sonny
Jackson said Ryan is on administrative leave until the outcome of the
investigation by Lakewood Police.
Jackson said he will serve his leave at home and not in another capacity
within the police department.
Police said Ryan has not been
arrested or charged, but the investigation is continuing.
Former GPD Officer Charged With Destroying Evidence
A warrant charging a former
Greenville police officer sheds new information on what he is accused of doing.
Heriberto Calles, age 40 of
Winterville, was charged this morning with common law obstruction of justice,
altering, destroying or stealing evidence of criminal conduct, and willfully
failing to discharge duties.
Greenville Police Sergeant Joe
Friday says Calles responded to a domestic disturbance at 305 East 13th Street
on February 17. The next day, someone involved in the case came to the police
department to provide more information. That's when other officers noticed
irregularities in the original report, according to Friday.
Police say a closer look found
Calles had destroyed photographic evidence to minimize the domestic disturbance
case.
An arrest warrant says Calles
told the victim and plaintiff in the domestic call "that this never
happened and we (the police) were never here, you need to settle this on your
own."
Another warrant says Calles
destroyed pictures taken of the domestic violence incident, while telling two
other officers to lie in the internal investigation.
The Greenville Police
Department launched an internal investigation into Calles on February 24 and
contacted the SBI on February 27, according to Friday.
Calles was placed on
administrative leave with pay on March 3, and Friday says he submitted his
resignation on March 7.
Police say the former officer
was hired in January 2010.
"The arrest of Officer
Calles serves as reminder that the law enforcement community in our city is not
above the law and that the investigative process is intact and unbiased,"
said Chief Hassan Aden. "I want our community to know that the Greenville
Police Department holds itself accountable to the highest ethical standards and
all laws that govern our society. This case was self-discovered and pursued by
the Internal Affairs Division of the Greenville Police Department. I want to
reaffirm that maintaining the public's trust is a top priority of my
administration."
Calles was given a $10,000 bond
at the magistrate's office. He made a first appearance this morning before a
District Court judge and now has a June 26th court date.
The case Calles is accused of
destroying evidence never went to court. Police say the person who brought the
case decided on March 20 to not prosecute.
Specifics on cop's evidence tampering arrest still unclear
By Devin Knight -
A Sylvester police officer
facing multiple felony charges for his actions while on duty three years ago,
is out on bond Wednesday, but additional charges could lie ahead.
The Worth Co. District Attorney
requested the Georgia Bureau of Investigation to investigate Lt. George Hall,
after the Sylvester Police Department arrested him Tuesday afternoon.
Sylvester Police Chief Robert
Jennings said the department received a complaint on April 7th, stemming from
an Incident on April 21, 2011. The chief
declined to comment on specifics of the case, but said Hall was taken into
custody after the department conducted an investigation.
He was charged with tampering
with evidence, false statements and violation of oath of office. "When you find evidence, there's a
certain way it's supposed to be handled," said Chief Jennings. "And
if it's not handled that way then it's called tampering with evidence. So there
was a mishandling of evidence the way he did it, and the purpose for which he
handled the evidence."
Jennings said Hall's actions
likely won't compromise previous cases he was involved with as an officer. He
said his department is committed to serve and protect the public.
"We have good officers
here," he said. "And anytime we get a complaint on an officer, it's
fully investigated."
"Since the GBI Is gonna do
a follow up investigation on some of the stuff we did uncover, then at this
time we don't want to say anything else," said SPD Chief Robert
Jennings. Hall is currently suspended
with pay.
Hall was taken to the Worth
County Jail, but was released after posting $15,000 bond Tuesday. The Worth
County Clerk's Office was awaiting copies of warrants from the Worth County
Sheriff's Office Wednesday, before moving forward with arraignment papers.
Jennings said Hall could face
further charges following another investigation by the GBI, but declined to
comment further.
Assistant GBI Agent Mark Pro
confirmed his offices were contacted after Hall was arrested, but declined to
comment on the extent of the investigation.
Greenwood officer suspended
GREENWOOD, Ind. (Daily Journal)
– A 13-year veteran of the Greenwood Police Department has been suspended and
the chief is asking that she be fired after repeatedly showing up late for work
and violating multiple other departmental rules.
According to 24-Hour News 8′s
news gathering partner The Daily Journal, Officer Paula Redd has been suspended
with pay until a hearing by the police merit commission May 8, when the board
will consider Chief John Laut’s recommendation to fire the officer.
Redd has 20 days to file any
statements in her defense or to dispute the allegations of repeated tardiness
and other violations. She also would be able to speak at the hearing. She could
resign and avoid a hearing.
Michigan man who spent 5 years in prison for wrongful arson conviction sues officers, county
BOON TOWNSHIP, Michigan — A man
who spent five years in prison for a wrongful arson conviction has sued a
northern Michigan county, three sheriff's deputies and a state trooper.
Forty-year-old Victor Caminata
was convicted in 2008 of burning a house in Wexford County's Boon Township
where he lived with his girlfriend and children. It's near Cadillac.
The University of Michigan law
school's Innocence Clinic found arson experts who concluded an improperly
installed wood stove caused the fire.
A judge overturned the
conviction last July.
Caminata filed a federal
lawsuit Feb. 28, saying the county and officers violated his constitutional
rights against false arrest and for due process by withholding evidence that
could have cleared him.
The county denies Caminata's
rights were violated, while the state says the trooper has immunity in the
case.
Thunder Bay police officer charged after collision
Second officer charged with red
light violation in recent weeks
Thunder Bay police have charged
a member of the police service with failing to stop for a red light.
The charge stems from a
collision last Thursday that sent four people to hospital, including two
children.
It happened when a marked
police cruiser collided with another vehicle near the corner of Arthur and
Franklin streets just after 7:30 p.m. on April 10th.
Police say the officer involved
was en route to a service call, but it was not an emergency. According to a
police news release, the officer was not seriously injured in the incident, and
is "back to work on her regular schedule."
A similar collision in March
led to another officer being charged with a red light violation. Police said he
was en route to a robbery at a Mac's convenience store when his cruiser collided
with a compact sedan at Victoria Avenue and Waterloo Street.
In that incident, the officer
behind the wheel was accompanied by a civilian who was on a ride-along. Both
suffered minor injuries, as did the driver of the other vehicle.
Yonkers cop skips arraignment to be treated, lawyer says
Will David
YONKERS – A three-year veteran of
the Yonkers Police Department who was arrested on drug charges earlier this
month didn't show up for his arraignment Wednesday because he was in a medical
facility, his lawyer said.
Officer Scott R. Stefanik's
hearing in City Court was adjourned until May 12, when he will be officially
charged with seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, a
misdemeanor.
On Thursday, attorney Andrew
Quinn declined to characterize the type of medical facility his client had been
admitted to, saying only that he was getting the treatment he needed.
Stefanik was suspended without
pay from the force after his arrest. Quinn said according to police records, 12
methadone pills, three diazepam pills and two small bags of cocaine were
confiscated from Stefanik.
Stefanik was arrested about 9
p.m. April 3 after a drug investigation near Locust Hill Avenue. Stefanik, who
was off-duty, was arrested by members of the Internal Affairs Unit.
Stefanik was assigned to the
communications division at the time of his arrest. He is the son of Scott V.
Stefanik, a 16-year police veteran, who has not been implicated in any criminal
activity, police said.
Bellevue cop fired after failing to arrest fellow officer
A Bellevue police officer was fired Wednesday after failing to arrest a fellow officer he had pulled over for an alleged DUI.
The incident happened Nov. 20, 2013 when Officer Andrew Hanke was pulled over on Interstate 90 near Issaquah. Bellevue police say Officer Doug Brennan did not arrest Hanke, who was off-duty, and let him be driven home by a family member.
Police spokesperson Carla Iafrate said Brennan notified a supervisor about what happened and Chief Linda Pillo was notified the next morning.
Brennan was placed on administrative leave in February while his actions in the case were investigated. Chief Pillo determined Brennan violated numerous department policies, including ethics violations and false information, Iafrate said.
“This entire incident has been difficult for everyone involved. It is unfortunate that two good people have had their careers with BPD ended over this,” said Deputy Chief Jim Jolliffe in a statement. “We have a duty to the community, and the good men and women of this police department to uphold our high standards of integrity and professionalism.”
Brennan was a 15-year veteran of the department. He was a traffic accident investigator and a member of the bomb squad.
Hanke was charged by the Issaquah city prosecutor in December. He resigned from the department in January.
Hanke is the same officer who was involved in a highly publicized incident at a Seattle Seahawks game in 2012 in which he was accused of aggressive and obscene behavior. The incident prompted the chief to remove him from the Bellevue police bomb squad and suspend him for 30 days.
Suspended Bloomfield officers appear in court
BY THOMAS TAUCHERT
Two suspended Bloomfield police officers were
back in a Newark courtroom on Monday as a motion of discovery was made by the
defense regarding a police report on Marcus Jeter, the man both officers
arrested in June 2012.
"(The officers) are
accused of falsifying reports but we've never seen them," said Charles
Clark, attorney for Sean Courter.
Prosecutor Betty Rodriguez
indicated that something should be able to be worked out with the defense
counsel.
Courter and Orlando Trinidad
are accused of conspiracy, official misconduct, tampering with public records
and false swearing. The pair arrested Jeter on the Garden State Parkway. Two
dashboard camera videos later showed Jeter's driver side window being shattered
before he is pulled from the vehicle. Police maintain he was repeatedly ordered
out of the vehicle but refused and proceeded to lock all doors.
Trinidad's new attorney, Frank
Arleo, was also in court. Arleo replaces Patrick Toscano, who Judge Michael
Ravin dismissed from the case due to his representation, years ago, of a
witness set to testify in this case.
Courter and Trinidad are due
back before Judge Ravin on Friday, May 16.
Colchester Police Complete Investigation Into Officer Charged with DUI
Joe Gullo
COLCHESTER, Vt. - The Colchester Police Department wrapped up
their internal investigation into an officer charged with DUI.
Colchester Police say Officer
Jeremy Wyskiel, 36, violated the department's conformance to law and conduct
unbecoming rules. A substantial discipline package has been imposed on Wyskiel.
Wyskiel
is accused of driving home drunk from a bowling alley in Colchester during the
early morning hours of March 24. Court documents say Wyskiel took a breath test
and blew a 0.217%, which is almost three times over the legal limit of .08%
Wyskiel was on paid
administrative leave until the internal investigation was completed. He has not
returned to duty as he has been on sick leave since April 7. The department
says they don't know when Wyskiel will return to work.
Wyskiel pleaded not guilty to
one count of driving under the influence last month.
Search warrants in King City cop corruption case will remain sealed for now.
by Mary Duan
A Monterey County Superior
Court judge has agreed to keep search warrants served on the King City Police
Department, a police sergeant and a city technology contractor sealed for
another 90 days as investigation into apparent widespread police corruption in
that city continues.
The warrants, served on the
Soledad home of Sgt. Bobby Carrillo, King City Police headquarters and the King
City home of IT consultant Ken Tippery on Jan. 17 were due to be unsealed April
20. But Chief Assistant District Attorney Terry Spitz confirmed DA
investigators requested the 90-day clock be reset on April 14, citing the
ongoing investigation.
The Jan. 17 warrant service
came more than a month before DA investigators, backed by Monterey County
Sheriff's deputies, FBI agents and Salinas police, went on a pre-dawn raid Feb.
25 and arrested the acting police chief, the former police chief, the acting
chief's brother and two King City cops—including Carrillo—on a variety of
charges. A third officer surrendered later at the sheriff's office.
Carrillo, along with Acting Chief
Bruce Miller and his brother, Miller's Towing owner Brian Miller, allegedly
engaged in an ongoing scheme to tow and impound vehicles that Carrillo pulled
over while on duty. Prosecutors allege Carrillo targeted impoverished,
undocumented Latinos in the scheme—on the theory the victims would be too
frightened of deportation or other backlash to complain—seizing their cars and
swinging the towing and impound business to Brian Miller.
When the victims couldn't
afford to retrieve their cars from impound, they were sold. Prosecutors claim
that for every 10 or 15 cars Carrillo had towed, Brian Miller kicked one back
to him for free. In all, they say Carrillo seized upwards of 200 cars.
Brian Miller has been charged
with conspiracy and bribery, while Bruce Miller is accused of accepting a
bribe—one of the towed and impounded cars. Carrillo is charged with conspiracy,
accepting a bribe and bribing an executive officer.
Other officers arrested that
day on charges unrelated to the towing scheme are Jaime Andrade (charged with
possession of an assault weapon and illegal storage of a firearm); Mark Allen
Baker (making criminal threats against a citizen); and Mario Alonso Mottu Sr.
(embezzlement, related to a department owned vehicle allegedly transferred to
him by former Chief Nick Baldiviez, who's also charged with embezzlement).
It remains totally unclear why
investigators served a warrant on Tippery, the IT contractor, but the morning
of the arrests, District Attorney Dean Flippo confirmed computers had been
seized from Tippery's home. In a bizarre turn of events, Tippery was on a
ride-along with former Soledad Police Officer Jesus Yanez when Yanez shot and
wounded a man he claimed was armed with a firearm. Yanez, also a former King
City officer, was dismissed from the Soledad Police Department in March.
Tippery has previously been convicted of child molestation, but had the
misdemeanor case that dated back to the late 1990s dismissed after successfully
completing probation.
It's widely believed that the
first round of arrests won't be the last one. The sealed warrants include
statements of probable cause—the statement a law enforcement official crafts
before seeking a search warrant—that lays out the facts of a case.
One thing likely still under
investigation: money that went missing following a botched bank robbery at the
Central Coast Federal Credit Union on March 25, 2013. King City police quickly
arrested the suspects, who have all since pleaded no contest and started
serving their prison sentences. But there was $6,000 missing by the time the
stolen money—$24,352—was recovered, booked into evidence and then turned over
to the FBI.
Video Contradicts Testimony of 5 Chicago Cops
by Tim Lynch
From the Chicago Tribune:
One by one, five police
officers took the witness stand at the Skokie courthouse late last month for
what would typically be a routine hearing on whether evidence in a drug case
was properly obtained.
But in a “Perry Mason” moment
rarely seen inside an actual courtroom, the inquiry took a surprising turn when
the suspect’s lawyer played a police video that contradicted the sworn
testimony of the five officers — three from Chicago and two from Glenview, a
furious judge found.
Cook County Circuit Judge
Catherine Haberkorn suppressed the search and arrest, leading prosecutors to
quickly dismiss the felony charges. All five officers were later stripped of
their police powers and put on desk duty pending internal investigations. And the
state’s attorney’s office is looking into possible criminal violations,
according to spokeswoman Sally Daly.
“Obviously, this is very
outrageous conduct,” a transcript of the March 31 hearing quoted the judge, a
former county prosecutor, as saying. “All officers lied on the stand today. …
All their testimony was a lie. So there’s strong evidence it was conspiracy to
lie in this case, for everyone to come up with the same lie. … Many, many,
many, many times they all lied.”
What would have happened here
had there been no video? What about
other cases handled by these cops? Was
this the very first instance of dishonesty?
Wrongfully arrested man sues city of Pittsburgh, police
Brian Bowling
Two Pittsburgh police officers
ignored clear evidence that a library security guard was innocent when they
arrested him on Sept. 16 for the armed robbery of Dana's Bakery in Homewood, the
man claims in a federal lawsuit filed Thursday.
DeAndre Brown, 26, of
Lincoln-Larimer is suing the city, Detective Nicholas Bobbs, Officer Frank
Welling and as yet unnamed police supervisors for false arrest, wrongful
imprisonment, malicious prosecution and intentional infliction of emotional
distress.
A city spokesman couldn't be
reached for comment.
Brown, a security guard at the
Carnegie Library in Homewood, was attending a work-related seminar four miles
away at the main branch in Oakland on Sept. 10 when the bakery was robbed, the
lawsuit says.
Despite video surveillance,
sign-in sheets and eyewitnesses confirming he was at the seminar, police
charged him with the robbery based on a bakery employee identifying Brown, a
frequent customer, as the robber when he came into the store the next day, the
lawsuit says.
Brown spent 36 days in jail and
another 13 days on electronic monitoring until the District Attorney's Office
withdrew the charges, the lawsuit says.
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