You have a gun

New charges against South Bend officer to be suspended, demoted for lying

Kelli Stopczynski

 SOUTH BEND - 

An embattled South Bend Police officer is once again under the microscope. This time, Officer Jack Stilp's lawyer says it's for refusing to testify during a recent hearing in front of the Board of Public Safety.

It all started earlier this year when Police Chief Ron Teachman accused Stilp of lying on a police report and claiming a woman Stilp and another officer were sent to arrest on a warrant wasn't home, when she really was.

The board decided Wednesday Stilp violated the duty manual on that call and because of it, decided he’ll serve a 90 day, unpaid suspension and a 6 month demotion.

“These violations of the duty manual are serious in nature and implicate the integrity of the officer,” said Board of Public Safety President Laura Vasquez.

However, the board decided in a 3-2 vote the violations were not serious enough for Stilp to lose his job – something Teachman asked the board to consider.

“We’re talking about due process here,” Stilp’s lawyer, Douglas Grimes, told the board during the public comment period.

According to Grimes, he and Stilp were “prepared to accept” the suspension and temporary demotion, but they also said there’s a clear conflict of interest in the case because the board decided dates of the suspension and demotion would be determined by Teachman.

It’s unfair for Teachman to make that decision, Grimes said, because while Stilp waits for a different hearing, he’s allowed to be on administrative leave with pay.

The new allegation against Stilp stems from his testimony during his initial disciplinary hearing in October when Stilp refused to testify to the board under oath – citing his Fifth Amendment rights, Grimes said.

“I think it’s ridiculous,” the attorney continued. “They admit that he has a right to claim the Fifth Amendment privilege under the Constitution in an administrative hearing and that's what he did. Now they want to come back and charge him for having done so, which they admit that he had a right to do.”

That issue’s been set for hearing in front of the board in February.

WSBT 22 requested documentation from the city Wednesday through the Access to Public Records Act to confirm the new charges and see what discipline is recommended for Stilp this time. That request had not been fulfilled as of 4:30 p.m.

Meantime, the board is considering Stilp’s request to have the board make the suspension decision.

This is not the first time Stilp’s been in trouble. Former Interim Police Chief Chuck Hurley asked the board to fire Stilp in 2012 after Stilp talked to a local TV station and released an internal police document without permission.

Stilp went through a hearing for that and the board suspended him 5 days even though Hurley requested a 10 day suspension.

When asked by WSBT 22 if he feels as though Stilp has a target on his back, Grimes said he cannot address that.

Huntsville police officer charged with bribery, FBI keeping tight-lipped about arrest

BY MATT KROSCHEL

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WHNT) — A decorated Huntsville police officer was arrested and charged with bribery by the FBI on Monday.

Officer Lewis Hall faces a federal bribery charge.  Details of the case were limited late Monday, but  Federal Bureau of Investigations agents in Birmingham confirmed the arrest to WHNT News 19.

Tuesday morning, an FBI spokesperson said no further details would be released.

Huntsville Police Chief Lewis Morris directed all questions to the FBI.

In 2011, Hall was named one of the city’s top officers.

Hall has a preliminary hearing scheduled in federal court on Dec. 22 at 10 a.m.

WHNT News 19 is aggressively tracking down more on this arrest. 

The epidemic of mentally unstable cops

NYPD officer commits suicide at home in Queens

The officer, identified as Sachin Parmar Singh, 33, died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound at the Hillside Ave. address near Braddock Ave. in Hollis Hills at about 9:55 a.m., the sources said. ‘He was a real good guy ... a real sweetheart,’ a maintenance worker recalled.

BY CAITLIN NOLAN , THOMAS TRACY

NYPD officer commits suicide at home in Queens

home Thursday, police sources and witnesses said.

The officer, identified by family members as Police Officer Sachin Parmar Singh, 33, died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound at the Hillside Ave. address, part of the Bell Park Manor Terrace near Braddock Ave. in Hollis Hills at about 9:55 a.m., the sources said.

A man who identified himself as Singh’s brother-in-law said the cop returned from his night shift in East New York, Brooklyn, got into a fight with his wife, and then shot and killed himself.

Singh joined the NYPD in 2004 and started his career in the 84th Precinct in Brooklyn Heights, police sources said.

Texas Cop Shoots His Neighbor’s Dog, Gets Away With It Under Law Authorizing Vigilantism

by Ian Millhiser

Kenneth Wayne Flynn, a former deputy chief in the Fort Worth, Texas police department will not be tried for hunting down and fatally shooting a German shepherd dog that escaped from a nearby home’s yard. Although the former officer was initially charged with animal cruelty/torture, a grand jury decided not to indict him on Wednesday. Flynn was a senior leader in the police department at the time of the shooting, although he decided to retire after he was initially charged.

The shooting occurred after Flynn received a tearful call from his wife informing him that their pet cat was dead. A neighbor told Flynn’s wife that a German shepherd had been standing over the deceased cat, though it is not clear that anyone witnessed the attack itself. After a neighbor tipped him off on where he could find the dog, Flynn spotted the German shepherd along with a pit bull. He shot at the dog, fatally wounding it.

According to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Flynn initially frustrated a police investigation into the shooting, although he later admitted that he was the shooter. Though three officers responded to the scene of the shooting and eventually found Flynn in his front yard, Flynn reportedly identified himself to the officers as a deputy chief and told them that he was “not involved” with the shooting. He also reportedly told the three officers that they “don’t need to keep looking.”

So, on the surface, this looks like an example of a case where a cop — in this case, a very high-ranking cop — was able to escape criminal charges because of their position on the police force. There is, however, another wrinkle to the case. A Texas law provides that a “dog or coyote that is attacking, is about to attack, or has recently attacked livestock, domestic animals, or fowls may be killed by . . . the attacked animal’s owner or a person acting on behalf of the owner if the owner or person has knowledge of the attack.” Thus Texas law explicitly authorizes individuals to exact vigilante justice against dogs that injure their pets.

Admittedly, the facts of this case are somewhat ambiguous. Though Flynn had reason to believe that the German shepherd was responsible for his cat’s death, the evidence against this dog appears less than airtight. In the absence of this Texas law, the German shepherd might have been taken into custody, and an investigation could have determined whether it, the pit bull, or perhaps some other animal was responsible for the cat’s death. Even if Flynn could not be convicted of killing the dog, moreover, it is possible that he could have faced charges for obstructing the three officers’ investigation if further investigations show that he did, indeed, engage in such obstruction.

Yet, despite whatever ambiguities may exist in this case, Flynn’s own attorney credits the Texas law with rescuing his client. He says that “[w]e’re glad the grand jury took a careful look at the case and correctly applied Texas law that allows an individual to kill a dangerous dog that’s just attacked one of their cats.”

If you were a woman, alone, driving your car at night and cop pulled you over...would you feel safe?

Cullman Co. court referral officer charged with sexual misconduct

No bond for St. Bernard deputy charged in Darren Sharper rape case

Salem police officer pleads guilty to bribery charge, admits trading fake legal favors for sex

Cullman Co. court referral officer charged with sexual misconduct

    CULLMAN COUNTY, AL (WBRC) - Cullman County Sheriff Mike Rainey said deputies have arrested a court referral officer for alleged sex crimes.

He said 61-year-old Winfred Eugene "J.R." Vance has been charged with two counts of first degree sexual misconduct and two counts of first degree sexual abuse.

According to Rainey, Vance has worked as a court referral officer in the drug testing area for 10 years.

Rainey said about a month ago, a female victim came forward and told them Vance had told her to take photographs of herself and asked for sexual favors. In return, he would keep her out of trouble.

Rainey said his office has received complaints against Vance before but this is the first case where the victim cooperated and there was evidence to support the allegations.

Rainey said anyone who may have been a victim of Vance is urged to call deputies at 256-734-0342 or to visit in person at 1910 Beech Ave. SE.

Vance is being held at the Cullman County Detention Center on a $42,000 cash bond.

  

No bond for St. Bernard deputy charged in Darren Sharper rape case

Andy Grimm,

A federal judge Thursday (Dec. 18) ordered former St. Bernard Sheriff's deputy Brandon Licciardi held without bond on charges of distributing drugs to women who former Saints player Darren Sharper is accused of raping.

During a hearing that ran nearly three hours, federal prosecutors called Licciardi a "predator" and heaped allegations of misconduct not included in the federal or state charges he faces in connection with the rape cases. Licciardi has pleaded not guilty to the federal charges.

Using information from text messages, a St. Bernard Parish bookmaker and a drug informant, prosecutors claimed Licciardi beat his live-in girlfriend, sold club drugs and was not just involved in drugging and raping women with Sharper, but also did nothing when he found out other NFL players were drugging women at a Las Vegas convention a year ago.

"This man is in many ways, a one-man RICO case," Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Miller said. "There is nothing he will not do... he is a predator. He is a danger to the community."

U.S. Magistrate Judge Sally Shushan ordered Licciardi held in federal custody with no bond, noting that prosecutors had alleged that Licciardi, a third-generation police officer, appeared to have a history of violent behavior toward women and already faced federal charges for attempting to tamper with the investigation.

Shushan seemed especially disturbed by the fact Licciardi had in text messages admitted to beating his longtime girlfriend, and that he had never reported to police that he was present when women were being drugged at the Las Vegas convention, though he did later tell investigators who were probing Sharper's activities.

"He admitted to that. I can't excuse that," Shushan said. "He went to Vegas and was told women were being given those drugs, he is a law enforcement officer ... He probably had an obligation to report those activities.

"That leads me to believe the he is all right with those activities. That's not OK."

Federal prosecutors last week charged Licciardi with distributing the drugs Alprazolam, Diazapam and Zolpidem -- powerful prescription sedatives better known by their respective brand names as Xanax, Valium and Ambien -- to commit rape.

He also is charged with lying to Orleans Parish investigators and trying to convince a witness not to testify before a grand jury.

Licciardi last week was ordered held on $2.9 million bond on charges of aggravated rape and eight other counts in Orleans Parish in connection with a series of rapes he is accused of committing with Sharper and associate Erik Nunez in 2012 and 2013.

In Orleans Parish, Licciardi faces counts of aggravated rape in connection with the assault of a woman in February 2012 in New Orleans and battery with a dangerous weapon in of another victim that November.

Details from the November battery charge emerged in testimony by U.S. Pre-Trial Services officer James Laney. Discussing records he reviewed from Orleans Parish prosecutors, the battery count stemmed from a Nov. 12 incident at a New Orleans bar where Licciardi spiked the drink of a woman. The drugs made the victim violently ill, and she staggered to a bathroom and vomited until she fell unconscious.

When she awoke, Laney said, she was alone and locked inside the bar, which had closed. The state charge of battery with a dangerous weapon was unusual, Laney said.

"I've never seen it charged that way," Laney said. "I guess the battery was the drugs used against the woman, that made her violently ill."

In other text messages, Licciardi expressed concern investigators would find a message in which Sharper talked about one of his victims, FBI Special Agent Robert Blythe said, recalling a report from Orleans Parish investigators.

"She's on the potion," Sharper wrote. "She's ready."

He also faces three counts of human trafficking for sexual purposes, offenses the indictments states took place between July 1 and Aug. 31, 2012, and Aug. 31 and September 23, 2013. The last two dates are the same as rapes Sharper is accused of committing in 2013.

Nunez, who faces no federal charges, was ordered held on $2.5 million bond. Sharper has been jailed in California on rape charges since February, and also faces charges for alleged rapes committed in Arizona.

Licciardi's attorneys, Ralph and Brian Capitelli, protested that prosecutors did not include evidence that showed Licciardi had tried to convince Sharper not to rape one of his victims, and went with his girlfriend to Sharper's apartment to try to stop Sharper from assaulting a woman.

Licciardi's stepmother, Paula Licciardi, who had raised him, was the sole witness for the defense. She said she and her husband would post $500,000 cash and "everything they own" to secure her stepson's bond.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Miller pointed out that Paula Licciardi had not known her stepson was involved in any of the activity that he had admitted to Orleans Parish investigators or other criminal activity.

"You don't know anything about the beating. You don't know anything about the gambling. You don't know anything about the club drugs," Miller said. "Do you really know whose bond you're posting?"

Fighting back tears, Paula Licciardi replied: "Yes, I do. My son Brandon who is not a drug addict, who does not distribute drugs. Who does not sedate women to rape them."

Salem police officer pleads guilty to bribery charge, admits trading fake legal favors for sex

Kevin Moore faces more than two years in prison

ROANOKE, Va. -

A Salem police officer pleaded guilty to a federal bribery count Tuesday and could spend more than two years in prison.

 Kevin Moore admitted he traded sexual favors for fake legal deals or reduced criminal charges. In court Tuesday, prosecutors said Moore took advantage of three cooperating female witnesses. The women were involved in cases Moore was investigating as a member of the Drug Enforcement Administration regional task force. The incidents began in 2009 and continued until September of this year.

As part of Moore's plea agreement, sentencing guidelines recommend a prison term of 24 to 30 months. A sentencing hearing is scheduled for February 2. In the meantime, Moore is free on bond.

“Kevin Moore took a solemn oath to protect and serve the public, but then abused the authority of his badge by sexually exploiting a federal witness,” Assistant Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division said in a statement. “When Moore crossed the line from enforcing the law to breaking it, his actions cast an unfortunate shadow over the selfless and courageous work of his fellow officers. Working with our law enforcement partners, the Department of Justice will expose and prosecute all such abuses of authority, in order to restore and maintain the public’s trust.”

Between June and September of 2014, Moore told a female defendant that he was in a position to help with her federal methamphetamine trafficking case. In text messages between Moore and the defendant sent in August 2014, Moore told her that he could recommend a favorable sentence in exchange for sexual favors.

The Department of Justice's Public Integrity Section in Washington DC investigated Moore after the told authorities what happened to her.

It started over text messages in April, when she texted Moore saying, "40 years and two 1 million dollar fines over my head."

Moore responded: "Well don't worry about that I will do all I can to help you out with that."

A few months later, Moore got bolder, texting: "I'm going to take care of you as long as you take care of me."

The woman replied: "I appreciate it and I will do whatever you need me to do so don't worry bout that."

Moore then said: "That's what I'm talking about girl. Lol."

Back and forth the texts went until August, when they discussed a location and Moore texted "I'm licking my chops now lol."

The next day, Aug. 21, 2014, she gave him oral sex in a gas station parking lot.

Moore also admitted to similar conduct with two other female witnesses in federal drug cases dating back to 2009. In both cases, he told witnesses that he convinced federal prosecutors not to charge them with federal offenses. He then solicited sexual favors in exchange for his help. (Click here to read the statement of facts.)

The U.S. Attorney’s Office is evaluating Moore’s cases that he worked on as a task force officer for the DEA. Timothy Heaphy, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Virginia, says his office is considering whether or not Moore’s guilty plea requires disclosure to defendants and counsel in cases that Moore was involved in as an investigator. Heaphy was recused from the Moore case.

“This United States Attorney’s Office will make those disclosures and ensure that we fulfill our important obligation to provide potentially exculpatory information to all criminal defendants,” Heaphy said in a statement. “We will handle this matter in accord with the high professional and ethical standards expected of federal prosecutors.”

Moore was suspended without pay by the Salem Police Department after being arrested October 10th. The department says Moore’s employment status will be handled expeditiously “and in a manner that will show that such behavior will not be tolerated,” Salem Police Chief Tim Guthrie said.

“We appreciate the work of the U.S. Justice Department and the F.B.I. in bringing this matter to light. The men and women of our department are a dedicated group of individuals and should not be judged by the actions of one person,” Guthrie said.

Here is the news release from the Department of Justice:

A police officer employed by the City of Salem, Virginia, and assigned to a U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) task force pleaded guilty today for soliciting and receiving sexual favors from a cooperating defendant in exchange for agreeing to recommend a favorable sentence to a federal prosecutor on the defendant’s behalf.

Assistant Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Special Agent in Charge Adam S. Lee of the FBI’s Richmond Division and Special Agent in Charge Michael Tompkins of the Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General’s Washington Field Office made the announcement.

“Kevin Moore took a solemn oath to protect and serve the public, but then abused the authority of his badge by sexually exploiting a federal witness,” said Assistant Attorney General Caldwell. “When Moore crossed the line from enforcing the law to breaking it, his actions cast an unfortunate shadow over the selfless and courageous work of his fellow officers. Working with our law enforcement partners, the Department of Justice will expose and prosecute all such abuses of authority, in order to restore and maintain the public’s trust.”

“Cases involving corruption of law enforcement officials are among the FBI’s highest priority criminal investigations. The public should expect integrity from those sworn to uphold the law. Mr. Moore’s breach of his sworn duty in this case is particularly pernicious as he exploited his victims in the most personal way. The Richmond Division of the FBI continues to have confidence in the City of Salem Police Department. We value our partnership with the Department and the proud men and women who serve their community with distinction everyday,” said Special Agent in Charge Lee.

“The OIG will aggressively investigate with its law enforcement partners allegations of misconduct among Department employees, contractors, and deputized task force officers to help ensure the Department of Justice performs its critical work with integrity,” said Special Agent in Charge Tompkins.

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We REALLY need to raise IQ standards on police forces that take federal funds

Patrolman Patrick Cahill to six months in prison for abusing his then 9-year-old sister in 2012.

10-year-old handcuffed during police stop in Middletown

Cop gets prison sentence

By Russ Olivo

WOONSOCKET – A Superior Court judge on Monday sentenced suspended city Patrolman Patrick Cahill to six months in prison for abusing his then 9-year-old sister in 2012.

Superior Court Judge Daniel Procaccini sentenced Cahill to 10 years in all, with six months to serve and the balance suspended, with probation, for choking the girl and dragging her by the hair.

The 25-year-old policeman must surrender all his firearms, undergo mental health counseling and refrain from contacting his sister as part of the judge’s sentence.

The judge allowed Cahill to remain free on bail at least until Jan. 14. At that time Procaccini will decide whether Cahill must report to the Adult Correctional Institutions or be allowed to remain free on bail pending an appeal, according to Amy Kempe, spokeswoman for Attorney General Peter Kilmartin.

Cahill was convicted of second-degree child abuse after a seven-day trial on Oct. 9.

Testimony showed that on Aug. 20, 2012, Cahill threw his sister on a sofa after pulling her indoors – by the hair – from the front drive of his house on Newport Avenue. Then he pressed his knee on her chest and squeezed her throat with his hands until her face turned red and she started coughing.

She complained of difficulty breathing after Cahill let go. The episode happened while two of Cahill’s sisters, including an 11-year-old, were visiting him at the home Cahill shared with his father, Michael Cahill, a retired Woonsocket police captain.

After the girls had been watching TV for some time, Cahill became angry after the younger girl asked him if she could go outside to play. Cahill had instructed the girl to stay in the house, but she went outside anyway, at which point Cahill went after her and grabbed her by her ponytail.

After the trial, it was Procaccini alone who found Cahill guilty because he waived his right to a trial by jury. At the time, Kilmartin called Cahill’s actions “reprehensible and disturbing.”

Cahill has been on unpaid administrative leave from the Woonsocket Police Department since the time of his arrest. His status is not expected to change immediately.

After the conviction, Police Chief Thomas Carey said the department would not revisit the issue of Cahill’s employment status until he had exhausted all of his appellate rights in the judicial system.

 10-year-old handcuffed during police stop in Middletown

By Kaitlyn Naples

MIDDLETOWN, CT (WFSB) -

Working undercover, Middletown detectives executed an arrest warrant last Wednesday night outside of a South Main Street liquor store.

Police arrested 27-year-old Kenneth Ford on drug charges and reckless driving and evading responsibility.

Police said they watched and followed Ford first, from the Woodrow Wilson Middle School.

Ford reportedly left the school twice for two different drug deals before returning to pick up a female and head to the liquor store.

Police confronted Ford outside of the store and heard screaming from inside of his car.

The female in the back seat was a fifth grade student that he picked up from basketball.

Attorney Corey Brinson said, “They (police) grabbed my 10-year-old client, a fifth grader, threw her up against car, and handcuffed her. Patted her on the side of the car, while guns were drawn and she screamed in terror, frightened.”

Ford asked police to call the girl's mother, who told officers her age which is when police then removed the handcuffs immediately.

The child was placed in another unmarked car before returning to the police station to be picked up by her mom.

"I can understand concerns mom would have when daughter handcuffed, but have to do everything in safest possible manner,” said Middletown Police Lt. Heather Desmond.

Police said Ford is a convicted felon known to carry guns. They found four cell phones, seven bags of crack cocaine and almost $3,000 in cash in his possession.

They also said some of the drugs were in plain view and within immediate reach of the girl.

The child's mother said she wants a resolution and some sympathy.

“She's a very sensitive kid. She's been crying for days, missed school, went back today, still upset, and is going to seek therapy,” said her mother Canaa Chaney.

“Many of us have children of our own, never want to see a child in this situation and not be with someone selling drugs and unfortunately daughter in place and police acted appropriately,” Desmond said.

Brinson said he and his clients are likely going to file a federal lawsuit for wrongful false arrest and unlawful imprisonment “because enough is enough, handcuff her and throw her against the car.”

On Friday, Ford was still behind bars and he and the girl's mother have a child together.

She said she has never known him to carry a gun or be in a situation with crack in clear view.

Pacific Grove cop pleads guilty in new federal case

Allison Gatlin

A former Pacific Grove police commander pleaded guilty Tuesday to possessing firearms stolen from Monterey Peninsula College, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Since his arrest in March, John Nyunt has faced a number of state and federal charges. The most recent of those were filed last Thursday in the U.S. District Court, the Northern District of California.

According to the complaint, Nyunt knowingly possessed stolen assault rifles, shotguns and semi-automatic pistols between August 2009 and November 2012. The firearms previously belonged to MPC, which had planned to divest them at the closure of the police academy.

On Tuesday, Nyunt pleaded guilty to possessing stolen guns, said Philip Guentert, assistant U.S. attorney. Per the plea agreement, he will be sentenced to 30 months in prison to run concurrent to his previous prison commitment.

In 2009, Nyunt was an instructor at the MPC police academy, according to a release. MPC asked Nyunt if the Pacific Grove Police Department would accept the firearms as a donation.

“Knowing that the PGPD did not want the firearms, Nyunt signed a memorandum of understanding with the MPC that falsely stated he was accepting the firearms on PGPD’s behalf,” according to the release.

In actuality, Nyunt wasn’t authorized to forge such an agreement, nor accept firearms for the Police Department.

After MPC released the firearms to him, Nyunt consigned most of them, including 27 Glocks and five Smith & Wesson semi-automatic pistols, according to the release. The firearms dealer then sold them over time, turning the profit — minus commission — over to Nyunt.

Nyunt later took back five Glocks and personally sold or gave them to other people, according to the release.

Thursday’s charges are long from the first for Nyunt.

The retired Pacific Grove police commander was first arrested in March for threatening to kill his ex-wife, Kristin Newell Nyunt. From there, the charges began to pile on.

In April, the Monterey County District Attorney’s Office announced additional charges against Nyunt and Kristin Newell Nyunt, stemming from their business, Nyunt Consulting Investigations Services. The couple opened NCIS in 2010.

Through NCIS, the Nyunts defrauded their victims of thousands of dollars by diverting criminal complaints from the Police Department to the business, said prosecutor Steve Somers. Further, Nyunt would close investigations that implicated his ex-wife as a suspect, Somers said.

He also allowed his ex-wife access to the confidential Police Department system she used to steal numerous individuals’ identities, Somers said.

In April, Nyunt pleaded guilty to second-degree commercial burglary, threatening a witness and being an accessory after the fact in the state case. He was immediately sentenced to three years in prison.

The following month, Nyunt was charged with and pleaded guilty to wire fraud and extortion in U.S. District Court. He was scheduled to be sentenced Sept. 2, but the hearing was postponed until December.

Last week, when the charges were filed he waived his right to an indictment. He offered his plea only four days later.

Now, Nyunt is scheduled to be sentenced in both federal cases in April 2015. If the plea agreement is accepted, he’ll serve 30 months in prison instead of the maximum 10 years in prison and $250,000 in fines.

Baker threatened to “disappear” Leon Infante, a resident who admitted to obtaining property stolen from the cop’s personal vehicle.

King City cop pleads no contest to false imprisonment

Allison Gatlin,

A King City police sergeant pleaded no contest to false imprisonment Wednesday, a week before he was scheduled to go to trial.

Sgt. Mark Baker offered his plea in Monterey County Superior Court. The plea effectively ended the policing career of the 17-year law enforcement veteran.

On Aug. 23, 2013, Baker threatened to “disappear” Leon Infante, a resident who admitted to obtaining property stolen from the cop’s personal vehicle.

The threat was entirely uncharacteristic of Baker, said Thomas Worthington, his attorney.

“He has a lifetime of being an even-tempered person,” Worthington told The Californian.

Being a gang officer, Baker experienced numerous threats and near constant concern for his family. Those worries were especially acute on Aug. 23, 2013, after his vehicle — which contained a gate key to his house — was stolen.

“Otherwise he wouldn’t have acted like that,” Worthington said.

Baker was initially scheduled for a plea change Nov. 26, but didn’t follow through.

Over the week, Worthington said he reviewed the case and interviewed witnesses, one of whom credits Baker for his life. Baker was scheduled for trial on Monday.

“Mark and we felt like it was a good time to put an end on this,” Worthington said. He called the misdemeanor plea agreement “reasonable.” Initially, Baker faced felony criminal theft charges and a much heftier sentence.

He is scheduled to be sentenced March 18 to five years’ probation. Per probation requirements, he won’t be allowed to own any firearms. He’ll have to turn over any he has to an authorized gun dealer by next Wednesday.

Doing so effectively ends Baker’s policing career. Baker has been on leave from the King City Police Department since shortly following the incident last year.

Worthington said his client is now trying to deal with the “burnout” following the high stress of police work, especially in the gang realm.

Baker has had no citizen complaints for force sustained against him, Worthington said. His discipline record is minimal and only includes a letter of record for backing over a rock at night, damaging a patrol car.

Until his sentencing, Baker remains out of custody on his own recognizance.

In other news, the trial date for King City Police Sgt. Bobby Carrillo, Interim Chief Bruce Miller and Brian Miller, Bruce Miller’s brother and owner of Miller’s Towing, was vacated.

The trio were scheduled for trial Jan. 26. However, Judge Russell Scott — who had been overseeing their case — is retiring effective the end of this year. Their case was transferred instead of Judge Julie Culver. Culver, however, said Wednesday she expects to be fairly busy in late January.

Instead, Carrillo, Bruce Miller and Brian Miller will return to court Jan. 27 to have a new date set for trial.

Carrillo and Brian Miller are accused of orchestrating a for-profit car-towing scheme to defraud low-income Latinos. Bruce Miller is accused of accepting a vehicle as a bribe.

Culver will take up a motion to dismiss one of the charges against Bruce Miller on Jan. 22. He’s charged specifically with bribery and perjury.

19th century policing in the 21st century

NY police officer suspended after new video shows brutality

Dozens Arrested at Milwaukee Protest Over Death of Dontre Hamilton

Thousands march against police brutality, many more with signatures

Police Chief Explains Disciplinary Action Against Officers for Excessive Force

Former Buffalo cop caught on video faces sentencing today

NY police officer suspended after new video shows brutality

 (Reuters) - A New York City police officer who appears to punch a black youth during an arrest that was captured on video and widely circulated on the Internet has been suspended from duty, the department said on Friday.

The posting of the footage follows weeks of protests across the country over recent cases of police violence toward unarmed black men, including one in which a New York City man died after an officer placed him in a banned chokehold.

In the eight-minute video posted on YouTube on Wednesday, a plainclothes white officer can be seen rushing up to several uniformed officers struggling to handcuff a black youth and apparently striking him at least twice. Police said the suspect is 16 years old.

Several bystanders, including the person filming the altercation, yell at the officer to stop. The footage then shows a second person, who onlookers tell police is a 12-year-old boy, being handcuffed.

As the boys are led away to patrol vehicles, one can be heard asking the officers: "What did we do? Can I hear what we did?"

The boys were being arrested on suspicion of assaulting someone and using a cane in the attack, police said.

Police did not say when the arrests occurred but the person who posted the video footage said they happened on Wednesday.

Police said that a review by the Internal Affairs Bureau into the allegations was ongoing.

(Reporting by Laila Kearney; Additional reporting by Curtis Skinner; Editing by Richard Chang)

Dozens Arrested at Milwaukee Protest Over Death of Dontre Hamilton

Dozens of protesters were arrested Friday after causing a three-mile traffic jam by blocking a Wisconsin freeway over the fatal shooting of a black man by a white police officer earlier this year, police said. Officials said 74 people were arrested after protesters stopped traffic on the I-43 in downtown Milwaukee at about 5:15 p.m.

The demonstration follows the death of Dontre Hamilton, 31, who was shot 14 times by a police officer during a confrontation at Red Arrow Park in Milwaukee on April 30, according to NBC station WTMJ. District Attorney John Chisholm this week said the decision on whether to charge Officer Christopher Manney, who was fired from the Milwaukee Police Department, would come by the end of the year. Manney fatally shot Hamilton after responding to a call by workers at a nearby Starbucks complaining of Hamilton sleeping in the park, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported. Hamilton's family said he had a history of mental illness, according to WTMJ.

Thousands march against police brutality, many more with signatures

By Brad Knickerbocker, Staff writer December 13, 2014

Thousands of Americans marched and rallied in New York, Washington, Boston, San Francisco and other cities around the country Saturday, voting with their feet against police brutality – specifically in response to recent police killings in Cleveland, New York, and Ferguson, Missouri, that have wracked a nation still dealing with issues involving racial mistrust and mistreatment of black people at the hands of white police officers.

Family members of those killed recently – Michael Brown, Eric Garner, Tamir Rice, Akai Gurley, and John Crawford – spoke at the “Justice for All” rally in Washington.

"What a sea of people," said Lesley McSpadden, the mother of Michael Brown, an 18-year-old killed in Ferguson in August. "If they don't see this and make a change, then I don't know what we got to do."

Eric Garner's mother, Gwen Carr, called it a "history-making moment."

"It's just so overwhelming to see all who have come to stand with us today," she said. "I mean, look at the masses. Black, white, all races, all religions…. We need to stand like this at all times."

The march in Washington, which proceeded down Pennsylvania Ave. to the Capitol, was sponsored in part by The Rev. Al Sharpton's National Action Network, the Urban League, and the NAACP.

While protesters rallied in Washington, other groups including Ferguson Action conducted similar "Day of Resistance" movements around the country.

In some locations, protesters blocked traffic with “die-ins,” and a few arrests were reported. But by the end of the afternoon there had not been the kind of violence and destruction of property seen earlier in some cities.

Meanwhile, the activist organization Change.org reports that so far this year, 622 online petitions have been started about police violence, which have attracted a total of 1.1 million signatures – considerably more than the 217 petitions in 2013.

Among them: Support for President Obama’s plan to provide $263 million in federal funding for body cameras and training for local police departments (192,613 signatures); a call to fire New York Police Department Officer Daniel Pantaleo, who applied an apparent chokehold to Eric Garner (95,856 signatures); and a petition to stop the transfer of military equipment to local police departments (117,003 signatures).

There was a historic sense to the events Saturday.

"I stand here as a black man who is afraid of the police, who is afraid of never knowing when my life might end, never knowing when I might be … gunned down by a vigilante or a security guard or a police officer,” marcher Ahmad Greene-Hayes in New York told CNN. “That fear, that trepidation is rooted more so in my connection to my ancestors … who were enslaved, those who were beaten during the civil rights movement…. So there's a longstanding history that I'm connected to."

The US Justice Department is investigating the deaths of Eric Garner and Michael Brown.

"It's important to recognize as painful as these incidents are, we can't equate what is happening now to what happened fifty years ago," President Obama said in a televised interview this week with BET, a network that reaches predominately young African-Americans. "If you talk to your parents, grandparents, uncles, they'll tell you that things are better – not good, in some cases, but better…. The reason it's important for us to understand that progress has been made is that then gives us hope that we can make even more progress.”

Still, Obama said, “This isn't something that is going to be solved overnight…. This is something that is deeply rooted in our society. It's deeply rooted in our history.”

 Police Chief Explains Disciplinary Action Against Officers for Excessive Force

CORPUS CHRISTI (Kiii News) - Two Corpus Christi police officers used excessive force while arresting a self-confessed killer, according to the findings of an investigation following the arrest of Sammuel Toomey in September.

Toomey admitted to shooting and killing three of his neighbors at a Flour Bluff trailer park and severely injuring a child. Dashcam video released by the Corpus Christi Police Department shows the two officers as they make the arrest. Toomey was already in handcuffs when the officers were found to have used excessive force.

Now, Officer Daniel Jimenez, a four-year veteran, has handed in his resignation in lieu of being fired. Jimenez worked in the uniform patrol division. Senior Officer Michael Smotherman has been suspended without pay for his actions. He will have been with the CCPD for seven years in January.

In a statement released Wednesday, Police Chief Floyd Simpson said "this was one of the toughest decisions that I have had to make during my nearly 30 years as a police officer," and adds that he finds himself "having to defend the civil rights of a man who, through self admission, killed three defenseless members of the community. This was a difficult decision. It's one that I had to make. As a department, we must be accountable to those whom we serve, each and every day."

Toomey was found dead in his cell at the Nueces County Jail while awaiting trial. The Nueces County Sheriff's Department said the 64-year old man strangled himself with his uniform pants.

LITTLE SILVER COP CHARGED WITH ASSAULT

A Little Silver police officer was charged with simple assault Friday following an alleged domestic violence incident in Sea Bright a day earlier, authorities tell redbankgreen.

Joseph Glynn, Jr., 26, was issued a summons in his hometown of Middletown for a disorderly persons violation after the purported victim reported the matter to police there, according to Charlie Webster, spokesman for the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s office.

According to the complaint filed by the victim, whose identity authorities withheld, the incident occurred as the two were in a vehicle in Sea Bright Thursday evening, Webster said.

It was not immediately clear how Glynn was notified of the charge, but he reported to the Middletown police station Friday and was served with the summons, Webster said.

Glynn was not arrested, and the charge is one that presumes no bail is required, Webster said. No court date was immediately available.

Wesbter said that in compliance with state Attorney General rules, Glynn has surrendered his weapon and is on desk duty in Little Silver pending resolution of the matter.

Last March, former Little Silver cop Steven Solari, 41, was sentenced to a five-year term in state prison for assaulting an arrest subject in the borough stationhouse in December, 2009. The state Department of Corrections website indicates he’s being held at the Central Reception and Assignment Facility in Trenton.

Former Buffalo cop caught on video faces sentencing today

A former Buffalo police officer who pleaded guilty to civil rights violations will be sentenced this morning in U.S. District Court.

John A. Cirulli, who had been working in the Northwest District, resigned in May and pleaded guilty in federal court to two misdemeanor counts of deprivation of rights under color of law, stemming from the arrest of John T. Willet in April.

A video of that arrest, recorded on a phone by a bystander, shows Cirulli kicking and slapping the handcuffed Willet while he was facedown on the sidewalk and yelling for Cirulli to stop hitting him. Cirulli also hit Willet in the face as Willet sat in a police car.

Cirulli could face up to two years in prison.

Meanwhile, Willet pleaded guilty in May to charges of misdemeanor drug possession and A former Buffalo police officer who pleaded guilty to civil rights violations will be sentenced this morning in U.S. District Court.

John A. Cirulli, who had been working in the Northwest District, resigned in May and pleaded guilty in federal court to two misdemeanor counts of deprivation of rights under color of law, stemming from the arrest of John T. Willet in April.

A video of that arrest, recorded on a phone by a bystander, shows Cirulli kicking and slapping the handcuffed Willet while he was facedown on the sidewalk and yelling for Cirulli to stop hitting him. Cirulli also hit Willet in the face as Willet sat in a police car.

Cirulli could face up to two years in prison.

Meanwhile, Willet pleaded guilty in May to charges of misdemeanor drug possession and