on sale now at amazon

on sale now at amazon
"I don't like this book because it don't got know pictures" Chief Rhorerer

“It’s becoming a disturbingly familiar scene in America - mentally unstable cops”

“It’s becoming a disturbingly familiar scene in America - mentally unstable cops”
“It’s becoming a disturbingly familiar scene in America - mentally unstable cops”

In the end, nothing will change, the cops will get away with it, their budget will get bigger, and nothing change




Fairfax County to hire expert to examine policies on information in police shootings
By Tom Jackman
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, responding to criticism that the county has not released timely information on the 2013 police killing of John Geer, voted Tuesday to hire an outside expert to help it review and revise the rules on disclosure in officer-involved shootings.
Fairfax officials have dealt with fatal police shootings before, and rulings on whether a shooting is justifiable are normally made by the Fairfax prosecutor within three or four months. But in this case, 16 months have passed since the death of Geer without a decision by local or federal prosecutors on whether the officer who shot him, Adam D. Torres, should be charged. Fairfax police have stood by their policy of not discussing a case before a charging decision is made.
Some police departments have policies stating that an officer’s name shall be released within a certain number of days or weeks after a shooting, while others do not have a policy. Fairfax’s policy states that the police shall release an officer’s age, length of service and assignment after a shooting, which Fairfax police refused to do in the Geer case until last week. County policy also holds that the chief may release an officer’s name only after a decision has been made on charging the officer and after a review of the officer’s safety.
After a year had passed, Geer’s family filed a civil lawsuit seeking the name of the officer and the circumstances of the shooting. Geer was standing, unarmed, in the doorway of his Springfield townhouse when Torres fired one shot into Geer’s chest, witnesses and police said. The police released Torres’s name last week, and the judge in the civil case ordered them to release far more information to the Geer family’s lawyers, though that has not yet happened.
“Fairfax County residents deserve a government that is open and transparent,” board chairman Sharon Bulova (D) said, “and they deserve to know the facts relating to the incident in a timely manner,” subject to the concerns of the investigation and the officer’s safety. “The Board of Supervisors does not believe it should take a court order, entered 16 months after the shooting, for information about an incident like this to be released.”
 John Geer was standing, unarmed, in the doorway of his Springfield townhouse when he was shot by a Fairfax County police officer, witnesses and police said. (Photo by Maura Harrington)
Bulova’s motion was not universally welcomed. Supervisor Gerald W. Hyland (D-Mount Vernon) said there was no need to seek outside assistance.
“I feel very strongly,” said Hyland, head of the board’s public safety committee, “that the staff we have, in our police chief, our former police chief and county attorney have the capacity to look at the rules we have been following to come back to the board to make recommendations as to how these rules or policies should be changed.”
Hyland was referring to Police Chief Edwin C. Roessler Jr., who has refused to discuss the Geer shooting at all; deputy county executive and former police chief David Rohrer; and County Attorney David P. Bobzien, whose office has resisted investigative requests from both local and federal prosecutors, both prosecutors have said.
Supervisor Pat Herrity (R-Springfield) reluctantly supported the idea, saying it was “too little too late.” He said it was the board’s “job to make policy, not hire an ‘outside expert’ to do our job for us.”
Tom Jackman is a native of Northern Virginia and has been covering the region for The Post since 1998.

County board to review procedures in wake of police shooting
Lengthy investigation, lack of transparency central issues in Geer case
by Kali Schumitz
Fairfax County will hire an outside consultant to review its public disclosure rules, following a controversial police shooting in 2013.
In a resolution Tuesday, members of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors said the unprecedented length of the investigation into the officer-involved shooting death of John Geer has led to a lack of closure for the family and a perceived lack of transparency to the general public.
Geer was shot in the doorway of his home by a Fairfax County police officer in August 2013 when police responded to a domestic dispute. He was unarmed, although police have said they believed he had weapons inside the home.
After completing their internal investigation, county police turned the matter over to the county prosecutor’s office for review. Commonwealth’s Attorney Ray Morrogh determined that his office had a conflict of interest in the case and passed it on to the U.S. Department of Justice for review.
The Justice Department has provided little public information, even to county officials, about the status of its review.
In the meantime, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors directed the police chief and county attorney to comply with a court request for documents related to the case as part of a civil suit. A lawsuit has been filed against the county on behalf of Geer’s children.
“Although compliance with the judge’s order in the Geer case should go a long way to meet the demands for transparency relating to the shooting of Mr. Geer, the Board of Supervisors does not believe it should take a court order, entered 16 months after the shooting, for information about an incident like this to be released,” Board of Supervisors Chairwoman Sharon Bulova (D-At large) said, reading the motion that the board approved.
Bulova said she has reached out to Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring for assistance on the process of finding an independent expert to support the county’s policy review. The board asked that the contract be issued by March.
The measure did not receive the unanimous support of the board.
Supervisor Michael Frey (R-Sully) disputed the notion that the county has done anything wrong. It has been a year since the case was turned over to the Department of Justice, and it sat with the county prosecutor’s office for several months before that, Frey said.
“It is not the fault of any of our actions that the U.S. Department of Justice has not completed its investigation,” Frey said. “That is not anything that we did. There is no lack of transparency on our part.”
Supervisor Gerry Hyland (D-Mount Vernon) also voted against the motion because he believes the county has the resources to do such a review in-house.
Supervisor John Foust (D-Dranesville), who co-sponsored Bulova’s motion, said while he has faith in the abilities of county staff, he believes an independent review is necessary to alleviate the public’s concerns.
“There is a perception within the public that police should not be advising us on police disclosure procedures,” Foust said. “I think going outside for that expertise should go a long way toward addressing anyone’s concern.”
kschumitz@fairfaxtimes.com
Fairfax County Supervisors Seek Outside Help with Transparency
“Independent expertise” to advise on information disclosure policies.
 Fairfax County Board of Supervisors chairman Sharon Bulova (center) reads her statement calling for outside input on improving information disclosure policies. Photo by Tim Peterson.
By Tim Peterson
Eight days after offering the public the first of any kind of official explanation for officer-involved shooting of Springfield resident John Geer, the Board of Supervisors took another step.
Though they didn’t share any further information on the case, chairman Sharon Bulova and the panel returned from an extended closed session on Jan. 13 with a motion with the potential to affect government transparency.
“Until John Geer was shot on August 2[9], 2013,” Bulova’s motion statement reads, “the procedures adopted by the Police Chief for public disclosure regarding officer involved shootings seemed to establish a reasonable balance between the county’s duty to make timely disclosure and the concerns the police chief has expressed about conducting a professional investigation and the safety of officers involved in a shooting incident.”
The statement goes on to explain that the police policies don’t account for the way this particular case has been passed from the Fairfax County Police Department to the Commonwealth Attorney to the Department of Justice, all over the course of the past 16 months and change.
THOSE 16 MONTHS included a $12 million civil case filed against the county. As part of that case, a Fairfax Circuit Court judge has ordered more documents and records of the police action the day of the shooting be produced within the month.
#“The board is also aware of concerns expressed by some members of the public to the effect that the police chief should not be responsible for both establishing and implementing the policies for disclosures relating to police-involved shootings,” Bulova’s statement reads.
#There are no more admissions or revelations on the Geer case itself. Instead, Bulova claims to have “reached out to Attorney General Mark Herring for his suggestions for a process for us to identify professional organizations and/or resources that can work with us to review our policies and recommend appropriate changes.”
The idea would be to prevent such a delay from happening again, given a case with similar circumstances.
In addition to her attempt to connect with Herring, Bulova moved to direct the County Executive to locate “independent expertise in the field of Police Department operations and, specifically, in the area of policies and procedures with respect to information disclosures in the case of police involved shootings.”
The County Executive would also be charged with figuring out funding source and procedure for the board to retain such a resource.
Pat Herrity (R-Springfield) was the first of all the supervisors to weigh in on the motion.
“I reluctantly support the motion,” he said. “I think it’s too little too late. The actual motion gives no policy direction on transparency, though I believe that’s the intent.
“There’s no provision to engage our citizens in the process,” he continued. “This to me smells of outsourcing policy-making. I hope that’s not the intent. I believe we need to engage our citizens, engage our staff and have a transparency conversation on this topic.”
Supervisor John Foust (D-Dranesville) didn’t read the motion as an attempt to exclude the public, nor as too little too late. But, he conceded, “there is a perception in the public that police should not be advising us on police disclosure procedures. I think that’s legitimate.”
Supervisor Michael Frey (R-Sully) voiced his lack of support for the motion, saying: “Our role in the investigation was completed promptly. “It’s not any of our actions, or a result of anything we did that the U.S. Department of Justice has not completed their investigation over the course of a year. That’s not anything we did, there’s no lack of transparency on our part or any fault of our process.”
SUPERVISORS Cook (R-Braddock), Hyland (D-Mount Vernon), Hudgins (D-Hunter Mill), McKay (D-Lee) and Smyth (D-Providence) all signed on with the motion, acknowledging the benefit of looking at policy changes to speed up the information disclosure process.
“The community needs to know where does the buck stop?” said Hudgins. “It actually does stop with us. This gives us more than the opportunity to maintain the due diligence to the case that it needs. It gives us also an opportunity to work with the community, I hope.”
Bulova’s motion calls for contracting with whatever organization the County Executive, in consultation with the Attorney General’s office, comes up with by February or March.
The motion passed with only supervisors Frey and Hyland dissenting.

Facebook-organized Protesters in Fairfax Demand Justice for John Geer
Supervisors’ responsibility also highlighted.
 Jason McCormack of Centreville demonstrates for increased police accountability at a Jan. 8 protest in Fairfax. Photo by Tim Peterson.
By Tim Peterson
Mike Curtis of Manassas (left) and Nathan Cox of Richmond (right) spoke to media and demonstrators demanding an independent investigation of John Geer’s death.
Cars honked in acknowledgement as Centreville resident Jason McCormack stood alongside Chain Bridge Road in Fairfax, near the Fairfax County Courthouse, with a handmade sign that read “Cops Are Bound By The Law, Too.”
McCormack had joined several dozen protesters from around the state, braving freezing temperatures in the late morning on Jan. 8, demanding Fairfax County police answer for the shooting death of Springfield resident John Geer.
The protest was organized through a Facebook group called “Justice for John Geer” that at the time had nearly 700 members.
“I’m here for police accountability all across the board,” McCormack said, his head almost completely obscured by a Baltimore Ravens beanie and a grey and black scarf.
“I lived in the court across from the Geer’s house and it could’ve been my kids out playing when the shot was fired. It could’ve been a whole other story. We need to stop letting the gun be the first thing you pull.”
Following a domestic dispute with his longtime partner Maura Harrington, police had arrived at Geer’s home and spoke with him for over half an hour while he stood in his doorway, unarmed, with his hands raised and resting on the frame.
As he began to lower his hands, he was shot in the chest and died in his house without receiving medical attention.

By Tim Peterson
On the Monday before the demonstration, Fairfax County Board of Supervisors chairman Sharon Bulova came forward to release an explanation from the county for the first time in nearly 17 months since the Aug. 29, 2013 shooting.
Bulova’s statement came with a brief official account from the county of the events surrounding the shooting, that named the officer involved as PFC Adam Torres.
“I have been frustrated and disappointed with how long this investigation has taken,” she said, citing the case’s changing hands from the Commonwealth Attorney to the Department of Justice as a reason for the delay in information being released.
Protest organizer Mike Curtis of Manassas urged demonstrators and the public to demand more explanation from their public leaders.
“Don't just let her have her few minutes on the news and tell everybody she's for the same thing you are,” he said. “She needs to be held accountable too.”
Curtis is also one of the founders of the Justice for John Geer Facebook group.
He was joined in addressing the media and demonstrators by Richmond resident Nathan Cox, who founded the public interest Virginia Cop Block that seeks police accountability and transparency.
“If we don't hold our public servants accountable, things will just continue to run on a tyrannical type of basis,” Cox said. “We're out here today because of the lack of a legitimate investigation. I personally am not cool with the police investigating themselves. We're out here today to demand an independent investigation, no conflict of interest.”
Geer’s friends Jeff Stewart and Jerry Santos also attended the event.
“It’s encouraging that some number of people are paying attention, encouraging that something organized is taking place and encouraging we got the number out with the conditions outdoors,” said Santos.
“It’s really discouraging that the county continues to be tone-deaf and half-blind,” he continued. “They don’t get it that they’re on the wrong side of history, the wrong side of the law, the wrong side of decency.”
Curtis said the group plans to continue its mission of seeking justice for Geer through email campaigns, attending public meetings and organizing additional events.

“This is the first step in what we're trying to do,” he said. “We need to keep going, keep thinking this isn't the end, it's just the beginning.”

Gerry Hyland killed police oversight after the cops gunned down unarmed citizens...you  elected now toss him out. he works in the cops best interest and not yours., 

Cops accused of murdering a homeless man say the legal system isn't fair

APD officers want DA’s Office off case



By Mike Gallagher / Journal Investigative Reporter


Lawyers for two Albuquerque police officers facing murder charges in the shooting death of homeless camper James Boyd say District Attorney Kari Brandenburg’s office should be disqualified from prosecuting the men because she has “serious conflicts of interest” – including the fact that Brandenburg herself is under investigation by APD.
Brandenburg’s office charged officer Dominique Perez and retired detective Keith Sandy with open counts of murder this week. A judge will decide whether there is enough evidence to bind Perez and Sandy over for trial, and if so, which charge or charges they should face – first-degree murder, second-degree murder and/or manslaughter.
Defense attorneys Sam Bregman and Luis Robles on Thursday filed documents asking District Judge Alisa Hadfield to disqualify Brandenburg and her entire office from prosecuting the case.
“The politically charged nature of this case creates the impression of bias or impartiality that is imputed to the District Attorney’s entire office in light of the potential charges against District Attorney Brandenburg,” the motion states. “Recusal is appropriate, especially in light of the District Attorney’s personal conflict of interest with the Albuquerque Police Department.”
APD has investigated Brandenburg for possible bribery and witness intimidation in connection with an APD burglary and larceny investigation involving her 26-year-old son, Justin Koch. The detective and his supervisor found probable cause to charge Brandenburg but sent the case to the Attorney General’s Office for review in November. That review is still pending.
Brandenburg has denied any wrongdoing.
Her son has not been charged with the burglary and larcenies outlined in the report forwarded to the Attorney General’s Office, but he is awaiting trial on larceny charges in Sandoval County.
District Attorney Kari Brandenburg. (Dean Hanson/Albuquerque Journal) Kari Brandenburg has said her son has a serious drug addiction problem, but that she has practiced “tough love” and done nothing improper.
Koch was recently released from the Metropolitan Detention Center on a shoplifting charge when someone posted 10 percent of his $2,500 bail. Kari Brandenburg has said she has refused to post bail for him.
Boyd was shot after a four-hour standoff with numerous officers in the Sandia Foothills last March. He was armed with two small knives but in video of the shooting he appears to be turning away when he was fatally wounded.
Bregman says his client feared for the safety of a K-9 officer who was approaching Boyd with his dog and that the decision to charge the officers was a “terrible”one.
Shooting reviews
The motion also cites other alleged conflicts of interest including that the lead prosecutor in the case against the officers, Deputy District Attorney Deborah DePalo, was also the “on-scene” adviser from the District Attorney’s Office in the Boyd shooting.
“Debbie DePalo is going to be called as a witness in our case,” Bregman said. “How can she prosecute it?”
DePalo’s involvement in the prosecution was cited Wednesday in a letter from City Chief Administrative Officer Rob Perry to Brandenburg as a reason for barring another assistant district attorney from a fatal officer-involved shooting Tuesday night involving a convicted felon firing a gun and wearing body armor.
The motion by Bregman and Robles cites Perry’s letter as further evidence that there is a public perception of bias on Brandenburg’s part in the Boyd case.
Perry in his letter requested Brandenburg appoint a special prosecutor from outside her office to advise police investigating officer-involved shootings.
“It doesn’t matter how strong or weak the case is, it is public knowledge that she is under investigation for very serious crimes by officers from the Albuquerque Police Department,” Bregman said in a telephone interview Thursday. “The overarching issue here is that the justice system is only as good as the public perception of the justice system.”
Brandenburg’s spokeswoman said in an email that the office was “reviewing the motion and will gladly provide comment next week.”
She also said the district attorney would comment on Perry’s letter next week.
At a press conference in November, Brandenburg denied any wrongdoing in connection with the APD investigation involving her son. She said at the press conference at the office of Albuquerque attorney Peter Schoenburg that the first she knew of the APD investigation was when it was published in the Journal and said she had never been interviewed by APD.
The report, compiled by APD’s Burglary Unit, includes interviews of burglary victims who said they had either been reimbursed for thefts committed by their friend Jason Koch or promised reimbursement by Brandenburg after the crimes were committed in 2013.
According to the APD report, one couple said they had been promised reimbursement for their losses if they didn’t tell police or pursue charges against her son.
Perry said the city and district attorney should work together to avoid the conflict of having prosecutors advising and interviewing officers at the scene of a shooting and later prosecuting those same officers.
The motion also states that Perez and Sandy have been witnesses for the District Attorney’s Office in felony and misdemeanor cases as police officers, creating yet another conflict that should lead to the disqualification of Brandenburg’s office from the case.
A spokeswoman for District Attorney Kari Brandenburg on Wednesday evening said the office hadn’t received a letter from City Chief Administrative Officer Rob Perry asking that a special prosecutor be appointed to deal with fatal police shootings.
Therefore, the office couldn’t comment.
Perry provided the Journal with a receipt from the District Attorney’s Office showing the letter was delivered and signed for on Wednesday at 4:16 p.m.
The Journal forwarded the receipt Thursday morning to district attorney spokesman Kayla Anderson, who replied by email that the office still had not received the letter.

About 10 minutes later, at 11:28 a.m. Thursday, Anderson said the letter was found at the front receptionist desk. She said Brandenburg would comment on it next week.



The national shit storm that won't go away

Marchers in Annapolis echo nationwide call
Anti-police brutality protesters disrupt Seattle City Council meeting

Marchers in Annapolis echo nationwide call
By Mark Puente, Justin George and Colin Campbell 
Hundreds of protesters descended upon Annapolis Thursday
Hundreds of Marylanders joined noisy demonstrations at the State House in Annapolis and on downtown Baltimore streets Thursday to call for an end to police brutality and other misconduct.
They packed a hearing room on the second day of the 2015 General Assembly session and vowed to monitor legislative proposals aimed at police misconduct. Later, about 130 demonstrators gathered at the Inner Harbor and marched downtown, blocking President and Pratt street intersections for hours.
"We have to take a stand against police violence and police brutality," the Rev. Heber Brown III shouted into a megaphone in Annapolis. "We're here today because other people are getting away with murder."
A "March on Annapolis" flier outlined the protesters' legislative demands, which include changing a state law that provides procedural safeguards for officers accused of misconduct. They called for strengthening Baltimore's civilian review board and tapping independent prosecutors to handle police brutality investigations.
Thursday's protests, part of a nationwide effort to voice concerns about police, coincided with what would have been the 86th birthday of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.
To energize the crowd, speakers asked what the civil rights leader would do about the anger permeating the country in the aftermath of police killing unarmed blacks.
The deaths of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo., Eric Garner in New York and Tamir Rice in Cleveland at the hands of officers have helped to focus national attention on police conduct.
Baltimore police have drawn scrutiny in the death of Tyrone West. A Baltimore Sun investigation showed that the city has paid nearly $6 million since 2011 in settlements and court judgments for plaintiffs who alleged brutality and other misconduct.
Sixty demonstrators, a mix of retirees, students and ministers, boarded a bus at the Alameda shopping center in Baltimore early Thursday for Annapolis. They carried phones, coffee cups and signs denouncing police violence against unarmed citizens.
Protesters gathered at Lawyers Mall to demand that lawmakers change a state law so police face swifter justice when they commit misconduct. Standing underneath a statute of Thurgood Marshall, speakers led the crowd in chants of "We want justice," "Black lives matter" and "No justice, no peace."
"We want to make a stand on this day!" yelled Baltimore's Farajii Muhammad, as several dozen police officers and troopers watched the crowd. Officers made most people remove wooden sticks from signs.
The Rev. Stephen Tillett, pastor of Asbury Broadneck Methodist Church in Annapolis, told the crowd that many Americans have knee-jerk reactions to the nationwide protests. He stressed that nobody opposes police officers.
"It's an anti-brutality protest," he bellowed. "We support the good cops."
The Rev. Donald Palmore of Baltimore said he rode on one of two buses from Baltimore to show support for the effort to equip police with body cameras.
"It would protect the police as well as the public," he said.
After 30 minutes, the crowd marched up the street to the Taylor House of Delegates Office Building.
"Everybody has the power and influence to bring about change," said Baba Staton, a law student from Baltimore.
Demonstrators stood shoulder-to-shoulder at the entrance of the building, like soldiers in formation. Their shouts vibrated down the block.
"The next funeral I go to is where we bury injustice!" shouted Chinedu Nwokeafor of Baltimore.
It took about 30 minutes for the obedient protesters to pass through metal detectors in the building.
The crowd gathered in front of the hearing room of the House Judiciary Committee, where legislative proposals supported by the group are likely to be heard. Any changes to Maryland's decades-old law enforcement Bill of Rights, which provides procedural safeguards when officers are accused of misconduct, could come before the committee.
The demonstrators are not alone in seeking changes to the police Bill of Rights. Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake and Police Commissioner Anthony Batts have said that police officials need more power to address misconduct quickly.
Protesters stood silently as the committee read its roll call. Del. Jill P. Carter, one of several lawmakers who wants to loosen protections in the Bill of Rights, thanked the crowd for attending.
"Justice is our top priority," the Baltimore Democrat said.
Brown, pastor of Pleasant Hope Baptist Church in North Baltimore, vowed that people would pack that room to keep a watchful eye on legislation.
"If you don't do the will of the people, you will be in retirement after the next election," he said about lawmakers.
Del. Curt Anderson, who chairs Baltimore's House delegation, said the number of protesters shows other lawmakers "that we in Baltimore City face unique challenges."
Two groups gathered in Baltimore later Thursday. One group met at the Inner Harbor and the other outside the U.S. attorney's office on South Charles Street.
Tre Murphy, a 19-year-old activist who staged a sit-in at a Baltimore City School Board meeting last month to protest the closure of several schools, said his group demands change from lawmakers.
"They're used to folks being there one time," he said. "This is not a one-time thing. We're going back there. ... We're going to get our legislation passed by any means necessary."
Garland Nixon, 53, a retired Maryland Natural Resources Police major and a board member of the ACLU of Maryland, said he saw first-hand the need for an amended officer Bill of Rights and stronger Civilian Review Board.
"The Constitution gives everybody all the rights they need," he said. "Law enforcement should be held to a higher accountability, not a lower one."
At McKeldin Square, a large group of mostly college-age and young adults formed a circle chanting loudly and singing "We Shall Overcome."
Amenhotep "Cruz" Omegasoul, 26, said he came to "show some solidarity for everyone participating in the struggle" on King's birthday. "It's definitely important today," Omegasoul said. "But more importantly it's important to fight every day, to fight for justice, to fight for equality every day."
Protesters decried the arrest of activist Sara E. Benjamin, 23, earlier in the day, and her name became a group rallying cry.
Police said she wasn't arrested for demonstrating but for an unrelated matter. Court records show she had an outstanding warrant for failing to appear at a court hearing stemming from a second-degree assault charge in September 2013.
At about 5:30 p.m., as downtown workers left parking garages for the commute home, demonstrators poured onto Pratt Street and headed east toward President Street. Large groups of uniformed police officers escorted them, and the demonstration became a rolling roadblock for commuters.
"The police are blocking off roads so the group can protest the police," one observer tweeted.
Intersections on President Street and in Harbor East faced logjams until just before 7 p.m., when protesters broke up.

Anti-police brutality protesters disrupt Seattle City Council meeting
Posted by Daniel Beekman and Steve Miletich
The Seattle City Council temporarily suspended its weekly briefing Monday morning after people upset with the Seattle Police Department’s handling of recent anti-police brutality demonstrations began shouting and singing.
Several council members left the council chambers after audience members broke up a presentation by representatives from the ports of Seattle and Tacoma.
Many people who had shared concerns during a public comment period at the beginning of the briefing raised their fists in the air and sang the words, “Justice for Mike Brown,” a reference to the fatal police shooting last year in Ferguson, Missouri, that didn’t result in an indictment of the officer.
During the public comment period, speakers chastised the police department for responding to mostly peaceful demonstrations by dispatching officers armed with pepper spray and dressed in riot gear.
Former state Senate candidate Jess Spear, of the Socialist Alternative party, asked why officers had “used their bikes as weapons” against demonstrators.
The briefing resumed after Councilmember Bruce Harrell conferred with several demonstrators. Seattle Police Chief Kathleen O’Toole and other Seattle Police Department officials began answering questions as part of scheduled appearance to discuss their handling of the local protests that followed the Ferguson, Mo., decision and the subsequent one by a Staten Island-grand jury not to indict a white officer in the choking death of a black man.
O’Toole said her department’s goal is to facilitate peaceful protests while protecting all members of the public and property, including demonstrators and officers.
She told the council the department’s Office of Professional Accountability, which handles internal investigations, was looking into one complaint against an officer stemming from the protests. That case involves a use of force, OPA Director Pierce Murphy said afterward.
O’Toole reiterated her message during an impromptu sidewalk discussion with several protesters that occurred outside of City Hall after the council meeting.
She told the group she was open to suggestions for handling protests in the future and urged them to officially report any complaints.




Officer Charged With Murder Shot Man in Back


ROCKY FORD, Colo. 

Investigators say a police officer who killed a man while patrolling a rural Colorado community shot him in the back after stopping him on the street and following him home even though the man wasn't an imminent threat.
The Colorado Bureau of Investigation found James Ashby aggressively pursued Jack Jacquez, 27, after stopping him Oct. 12, according to court documents released Thursday.
The bureau's investigation concluded Ashby fatally shot Jacquez even as Jacquez was moving away.
Jacquez was skateboarding on a street when the officer approached him. Ashby said Jacquez cursed at him and walked erratically before heading toward the yard of what turned out to be his house.
Ashby told authorities he suspected Jacquez was trying to burglarize the home. He also said he thought Jacquez was getting ready to strike him with a baseball bat.
However, the officer's account was contradicted by the evidence and a man who was doing a ride-along with him that night, according to Ashby's arrest affidavit.
Ashby was fired after being arrested in the shooting. His lawyer did not return a call seeking comment.
The ride-along witness, Kyle Moore, said Jacquez said something about going home when Ashby stopped him. Jacquez did not use an expletive, Moore said, and he walked straight toward the home after talking with the officer.
Ashby told authorities he was standing near an entrance to Jacquez's house when he shot Jacquez, whom he said was inside the house holding a bat that he grabbed after entering.
The officer said he feared Jacquez was "loading up" to strike him in the head with the bat. However, the autopsy showed Jacquez was fully facing away from Ashby when he was shot, and his body couldn't have been turned in a way to get ready to strike the officer, according to the affidavit.
Moore didn't witness the shooting but said he heard Ashby yelling at Jacquez to show his hands and to drop a bat.
The shooting prompted demonstrations in the city on Colorado's southeastern plains.
Ashby is being prosecuted at a time when police tactics are under review nationwide following the fatal shooting of an unarmed 18-year-old in Ferguson, Missouri, and the chokehold death of an unarmed man in New York City.
Grand juries declined to charge officers in those cases, but this week two Albuquerque police officers were charged with murder in the shooting death of a knife-wielding homeless man that led to violent protests.




We need therapists not cops to handle these things


Police veteran suspended 30 days
Investigation finds sergeant poorly supervised traffic stop, which led to ‘unnecessary arrest.'
By Michele Dargan
Sgt. Michele Pagan will be suspended without pay for 30 days after an internal investigation cited her for poor supervision of a traffic stop and the “unnecessary arrest” of an 83-year-old woman.
Public Safety Director Kirk Blouin notified Pagan of his decision in a three-page document dated Jan. 6. Pagan also will be placed on one year of probation.
Pagan, 45, has until Tuesday to file a written appeal.
A 20-year-veteran of the department, Pagan was one of the most visible faces of the Police Department when she worked as a business and community relations officer, patrolling the business districts on a bicycle. She was promoted to sergeant in November 2012 and moved to the night shift.
According to the Dec. 4 internal investigation report, the traffic stop began at 7:42 p.m. July 11, when Officer Kristen Swift saw a car swerving in the 1200 block of South Ocean Boulevard and turned on her overhead lights and sirens. The car didn’t pull over until the 800 block of South County Road.
The driver told Swift she was hard of hearing and wasn’t sure she wanted her to stop. Pagan arrived at 7:45 p.m.
Swift and Pagan took 34 minutes before deciding to charge the woman with failure to yield to an emergency vehicle, which was determined to be the wrong charge. Pagan then went to the woman’s driver side window, spent two minutes there and returned to Swift. That’s when Pagan told Swift she thought the woman was impaired and that she should conduct roadside sobriety tests.
By the time Swift asked her to perform field sobriety tests, the woman had been sitting in her car for 38 minutes, the report said. She was unable to do a one-leg stand, although she was asked to do it on an inclined road in a one-inch wedged heel shoe. She also was unable to complete a “walk and turn” task, which also should have been done on a flat surface with flat-bottom shoes or barefoot, the report said. A third officer arrived on scene and later said he thought the woman was impaired.
The woman was charged with DUI at 8:45 p.m. and taken for a breath test at the Palm Beach County Jail. Both breath samples came back with an alcohol content of zero. She also gave a urine sample, which tested negative for drugs or alcohol.
The woman, a South Palm Beach resident, was released from jail at 5:30 the next morning.
The State Attorney’s Office declined to file the DUI charge and dropped the failure to yield to an emergency vehicle charge, according to court records.
Swift resigned from the Palm Beach Police Department in September and now works for the Fort Lauderdale Police Department.
Capt. Mick Keehan, who conducted the investigation, concluded Pagan failed to supervise the incident properly.
“During the lengthy amount of time [the woman] sat in her vehicle, Sgt. Pagan never suggested other options for Officer Swift to take,” the report stated. “Sgt. Pagan could not recall the conversation that she had with [the woman] to make her believe that she was impaired.”
The field sobriety tasks were improperly supervised by Pagan, the report stated. One task was administered improperly, and Pagan failed to take into consideration that the elderly woman didn’t have the ability or fine motor skills to perform tasks involving balance.
“As the shift supervisor, Sgt. Pagan was ultimately responsible for the arrest,” the report said.


Cop who shot beanbags at WWII vet John Wrana says he was 'in fear for my life'
Brian Jackson/Sun-Times
Park Forest Police Officer Craig Taylor was just following orders.
That’s what the 11-year department veteran testified on Thursday, taking the stand in his own reckless conduct trial at the Markham courthouse.
Taylor is accused of using “unjustified” and “unreasonable” force when he fired a shotgun loaded with beanbag rounds at 95-year-old World War II vet John Wrana, who died hours later from his injuries on July 27, 2013. Police were called to the Victor Centre of Park Forest, an assisted living center, after an increasingly agitated Wrana refused to go voluntarily to a hospital to get checked for a possible urinary tract infection.
Before heading to the Victory Centre, where the vet was waving a knife and making threats, Taylor said his commanding officer told him to bring the “less lethal” shotgun.
When a plan was later devised to subdue Wrana, who barricaded himself in his room, it was the commanding officer who instructed Taylor to wield the shotgun, the officer said.
The plan: If Wrana refused to drop his knife, an officer would crack the door open and fire a Taser into Wrana’s room. If that didn’t work, it was Taylor’s turn to persuade the vet.
The Taser “malfunctioned,” and soon Taylor found himself facing the irate Wrana, who was across the room, holding the knife above his head and shouting, “Don’t come in my room or I will kill you!” Taylor testified.
Wrana refused to drop the knife and took steps toward him, so Taylor said he fired.
The muscular officer, who testified that he likes to lift weights and work out, said he was “afraid” and “in fear for my life.”

“I felt like I had to do something to stop him,” said Taylor, who fired five beanbags at the vet and eventually knocked the knife out of his hand with the fifth shot.


The Cop crime wave continues




Miami-Dade Cop Arrested Over Road Rage Incident
Durham police officer charged with assaulting wife
Dallas officer charged with family violence assault a second time
Two Florida police officers charged with battery
Suspension cut in half for Georgetown officer who shoved students
Cop Gets Drunk, Shoots a Motorist and Gets a $500 Fine
Syracuse Police Officer Suspended with Pay After DWI Arrest
Ticket-Fixing Ex-Cop Pleads Guilty to Conspiring to Kill a Witness
Man sues Denver cops for shooting him in back in excessive-force case



Miami-Dade Cop Arrested Over Road Rage Incident
A Miami-Dade Police officer who allegedly shot at a Miami-Dade Corrections officer over a road rage incident turned himself in
Steve Litz reports.
A Miami-Dade Police officer who allegedly shot at a Miami-Dade Corrections officer over a road rage incident turned himself in Tuesday and was booked on multiple charges.
Jonathan Lang, 42, surrendered to police and now faces charges of discharging a firearm from a vehicle, aggravated assault with a firearm, and tampering with physical evidence.
Lang’s story started when corrections officer Georgina Illa said a driver in a white car cut her off on the Turnpike near Southwest 153rd Street. Illa said as she went to pass the car, someone threw out a cup of some liquid and then pulled out a gun and shot.
The bullet went through Illa’s taillight, through her trunk, and then lodged in the rear seat of the car. Illa said she flagged down an officer driving nearby, who then pulled the suspect’s car over. Illa said she also stopped and that’s when one of the officers on the scene told her a Miami-Dade Police Officer fired his gun.

Durham police officer charged with assaulting wife
DURHAM, N.C. — A Durham police officer has been placed on administrative leave after being charged with assault, police said Wednesday.Cpl. James John Cartwright, 41, of Knightdale, was charged with assault on a female and interfering with emergency communications.Wake County deputies said Cartwright's wife alleged that he assaulted her Tuesday night in their car on Interstate 440.Cartwright has been employed by the Durham Police Department since 1998 and is assigned to the Patrol Bureau.

Dallas officer charged with family violence assault a second time
By NAHEED RAJWANI
A Dallas police sergeant was arrested this week on a misdemeanor charge of family violence assault — his second such arrest since 2012.
Sgt. Paul Figueroa, a 20-year veteran at the Dallas Police Department, turned himself in Wednesday to the Collin County sheriff’s office, police said. He was charged with a class A misdemeanor in connection with an incident that occurred Nov. 1.
Details of the incident were not immediately available, so it’s unclear whom he’s accused of assaulting.
Figueroa is assigned to the north central patrol division and has been placed on administrative leave pending an internal affairs investigation, police said.
This is the second allegation of family violence for Figueroa in Collin County. In 2012, Murphy police arrested him on a misdemeanor charge of family violence assault.
A police report states Figueroa and his wife got into an argument after celebrating her birthday at a restaurant.
Murphy officers saw her walking home, barefoot, and asked her what had happened.
“He pushed me out, pulled my hair, slapped me on my face,” she told officers, according to the police report. “This is not the first time he ever got physical with me.”
Figueroa was arrested and placed on administrative leave while the Dallas Police Department’s internal affairs division investigated the claims.
DPD concluded Figueroa didn’t violate any departmental policies after his wife signed an affidavit saying the investigation process made her “uncomfortable” and she did not wish to pursue charges against him.
Records show she changed her story and said Figueroa had pulled her hair to keep her from trying to get out of the car, the affidavit states.
“I never wanted any of this to happen,” she wrote in the affidavit. “I did not initiate contacting police. I am not in fear of my life, safety.”
Collin County court records show Figueroa and his wife divorced last year.

Two Florida police officers charged with battery
By Barbara Liston
ORLANDO, Fla. (Reuters) - Florida prosecutors on Friday announced the filing of misdemeanor battery charges against two Orlando police officers in unrelated 2014 incidents involving the arrests of black men.
Officers Chase Fugate and William Escobar were suspended with pay pending the outcome of separate internal investigations to determine whether their actions violated department policy, according to a police press release.
The investigations come as scrutiny on police has been heightened in recent months by the killing of unarmed blacks by white officers, raising questions about police treatment of racial minorities.
The press release from the office of State Attorney Jeff Ashton offered no details of the specific actions that led to the charges.
Fugate faces two misdemeanor charges of battery for his June 14 arrest of a 22-year-old black man who fled as Fugate attempted to stop him from driving a car reported as stolen, according to the police report of the arrest.
Escobar faces two charges of battery and two charges of perjury, all misdemeanors, stemming from a March 15 incident.
That night, Escobar and his partner checked out a group of people arguing in the street amid the odor of marijuana, and arrested two black men, ages 24 and 33, according to the police reports of the arrests.
Both men were charged with resisting arrest and one with battery on an officer.
Both officers will receive summonses and court dates from the clerk of court, which is standard procedure for misdemeanor charges.



Suspension cut in half for Georgetown officer who shoved students
 Claire Osborn
The Georgetown Police Department has agreed to reduce the suspension of a police officer who tripped and pushed students on a soccer field from 40 days to 20 days, according to the settlement agreement released by the city of Georgetown on Friday.
The city has also agreed to pay Officer George Bermudez $3,966.96 for 16 of the days he was suspended, according to the agreement. Bermudez has already served the 40-day unpaid suspension he originally received.
Bermudez filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in September alleging that Georgetown Police Chief Wayne Nero had discriminated against him because two other Georgetown police officers – who were white – received less or no punishment for more severe violations of the department’s use of force policy, said Robert McCabe, Bermudez’s attorney.
Nero has declined to comment about the settlement or about Bermudez’s allegation of discrimination.
Bermudez’s case received widespread attention after cellphone videos showed him tripping one student and pushing others rushing onto a field April 19 after the Vandegrift High School girls’ soccer team won a championship game.
Bermudez has been a Georgetown police officer since 2005.



Police officer on paid leave after tripping students
Claire Osborn
The Georgetown Police Department has placed Officer George Bermudez on paid administrative leave after video surfaced this weekend showing him tripping and pushing students who were rushing onto a field after a soccer game.
Bermudez’s actions were not appropriate measures for a crowd control situation, said agency spokesman Roland Waits. He said the matter has been referred to the internal affairs unit of the Georgetown Police Department.
Bermudez was chosen as an outstanding police officer for the Georgetown Police Department last year, Waits said. He said Bermudez has been with the department since 2005 as a school resource officer at Georgetown High School, where the soccer game was held Saturday.
Bermudez has no history of reprimands or disciplinary action, Waits said.
Earlier: A Georgetown police officer was filmed tripping and pushing students as they rushed onto a field Saturday after a state championship soccer game at Georgetown school district athletic complex, said Police Department spokesman Roland Waits.
The officer can be seen about eight seconds in the YouTube video in the bottom middle of the screen tripping a student and grabbing another student.
The officer’s name has not been released. Officials are investigating the incident Monday morning to determine whether the officer should be placed on administrative leave, Waits said. The officer was on duty when the incident happened during the state finals of a soccer tournament, Waits said.
After Vandegrift High School won the final game, students rushed onto the field to celebrate, Waits said.
The girls soccer team at Vandegrift High School in the Leander school district had just won the state championship against Wylie East High School when the incident occurred, said Pam Waggoner, the president of the Leander school board.
The players from Wylie East High School had just left the field when students from Vandegrift High School jumped a fence separating the bleachers from the field about 6 p.m. Saturday, said Waggoner, who was at the game.
Students were excited because it was the first time in the school’s five-year history that a sports team has won a state championship, she said. The Vandegrift soccer team won in the last two minutes of the game, she said. When the students fans ran onto the field, “it wasn’t a chaotic situation,” she said. “It was over as fast as the kids got on the field.”
Waggoner said she didn’t see what happened with the Georgetown officer but she did talk to a male student limping off the field who said the officer had tripped him. “He’s still a little hurt,” she said.
She said when students rushed on the field, some of them did pile on top of the soccer players and the officer could have been concerned about that. “I’m sure he was just trying to keep the players safe; it was just his method in which he chose to do it that’s questionable,” Waggoner said.
Parents who were in the bleachers filmed what happened with the officer, she said. “They were pretty upset,” Waggoner said. “I wasn’t even out of the stadium before they were putting it on YouTube,” she said.



Cop Gets Drunk, Shoots a Motorist and Gets a $500 Fine
By Tom Boggioni / Raw Story
An off-duty Louisville police officer was acquitted by jury of one charge and fined $500 on another after shooting a motorist while off-duty and after a night of drinking at a friend’s house, reports WDRB.
Officer Chauncey Carthan had been charged with wanton endangerment and driving under the influence for the 2012 incident when the he pulled over a motorist, initiating a confrontation that ended up with the officer shooting the suspect, Ishmael Gough, in the leg.
After deliberating three hours, the jury acquitted Carthan on the endangerment charge, but found him guilty on the lesser charge, with the officer paying a fine and not serving time in jail.
According to court records, Carthan left his friend’s home on the evening of Sept. 4,  after an evening of drinking. While on his way home, he pulled Gough over for speeding and identified himself as a police officer, although Gough disputed that. Gouch stated the out of uniform cop was aggressive, while pointing a gun at him and demanding he get on the ground without ever saying what he had done wrong.
A witness who called 911 described the incident to the dispatcher saying, “He’s got his gun, he’s saying he’s police though, but dude’s begging for his life down here on the ground.”
After being asked by the dispatcher if the man with the gun was a police officer the woman said, “Yeah, he said he’s the police, but I don’t know. He ain’t got no uniform, no badge, no nothing- but he’s got this pistol pointing at the dude.”
Prosecutor Nick Mudd argued that Carthan should serve time jail, saying, “He was a drunk off-duty cop, driving a taxpayer car, with his taxpayer gun, going home.”
Following the indictment, Carthan resigned from the police department and he still faces a civil suit from Gough.

Syracuse Police Officer Suspended with Pay After DWI Arrest
SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- The Syracuse Police officer arrested for driving drunk and resisting arrest has been suspended with pay. The Onondaga County Sheriff's Department confirms that officer Ty Cogan has been suspended since his arrest in December Investigators say Cogan's blood alcohol level was twice the legal driving limit when he was pulled over along Route 370 in the village of Liverpool.
Officials say Cogan struggled with a Liverpool Police officer and a deputy, which resulted in minor injuries for all three involved. He was charged with aggravated DWI and resisting arrest among other charges.

HPD officer will spend almost 3 years in federal prison for extortion
By Lynn Kawano
HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - Even before the sentencing hearing started Wednesday morning, former Honolulu Police Officer Roddy Tsunezumi was emotional.
He wiped tears from his eyes numerous times and repeatedly turned to look at his family and girlfriend sitting in the gallery.
The former HPD Traffic officer pleaded guilty to extortion. Tsunezumi, and an accomplice Jeremy Javillo, convinced the owners of a Honolulu bar that they were the target of a robbery plot. Tsunezumi suggested they pay $15,000 for protection and said if he didn't, they could be in danger.
One of the owners testified at the hearing that he and his wife suffered from psychological and emotional distress as a result. He said they would barricade themselves in their home out of fear and got a gun permit.
Tsunezumi also admitted to taking part in an elaborate scheme to sell stolen cars.  It was his accomplice, Jeremy Javillo, who ended up working with the FBI to set up Tsunezumi. Court documents detail the scheme saying Officer Tsunezumi would buy junked cars at auction and would send Javillo to steal a similar car.  Tsunezumi would then switch the Vehicle Identification Number or VIN and sell the stolen car. One of the vehicles used to set up Tsunezumi, was the white pickup truck shown here.
Police sources say at least one other HPD officer purchased one of the stolen cars. That officer, a motorcycle cop, is on administrative leave as the investigation into his role continues.
Tsunezumi's attorney pointed out during the hearing, that numerous letters were written on the officer's behalf to tell the court that the 9-year veteran of the force was a good man who did a lot of work for the community.
Tsunezumi also read from a statement saying he started going to church and volunteering after resigning from HPD and from the Air National Guard.
Even the Assistant U.S. Attorney, Kenneth Sorenson told the judge that Tsunezumi was cooperative after his arrest and helped them with other criminal cases.
But in the end, Federal Judge Derrick Watson called Tsunezumi's behavior 'reprehensible' and a 'violation of the public's trust' in law enforcement. He sentenced him to the maximum in the range, 33 months in federal prison.
Tsunezumi was allowed two weeks at the request of the U.S. Prosecuting Attorney who said he needed the former officer's help with an ongoing case. He will surrender to authorities on January 28.

Ticket-Fixing Ex-Cop Pleads Guilty to Conspiring to Kill a Witness
A former police officer convicted in a case that led to the NYPD's ticket-fixing probe has pleaded guilty to conspiring to kill a witness, selling counterfeit DVDs, ticket fixing and other charges.
Jose Ramos, 45, was sentenced to up to 23 years in prison following Tuesday's plea. The sentence will run concurrently with the 12 to 14 years he's already serving for attempted robbery and drug charges after being convicted in October.
Prosecutors say Ramos turned his two Bronx barbershops into a front for drug dealing and stolen goods.
The ticket-fixing investigation against more than a dozen officers sparked a debate over the informal practice of police squashing tickets or minor summonses as favors for friends and relatives.

Man sues Denver cops for shooting him in back in excessive-force case
By Kirk Mitchell
A man has sued the city of Denver and five police officers claiming that he was shot in the back and in the finger while lying on the ground with his hands above his head in surrender even though he was an innocent bystander during the arrest of a friend.
Michael Valdez filed the lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Denver against the city of Denver and officers Peter Derrick III, John McDonald, Robert Motyka Jr., Jeff Motz and Karl Roller, after he had to be resuscitated in a hospital emergency room.
A finger in Valdez's left hand was partially amputated, he underwent a small bowel resection and suffered multiple fractures in his back, which left bone fragments in his spinal canal. Valdez was in a wheelchair for a year, suffers constant pain and has regained only partial use of his legs and feet, the lawsuit says.
"Tragically, as if his physical injuries were not enough, the Denver Police Department and the defendant officers fabricated criminal charges against Mr. Valdez," the lawsuit filed Thursday says.
He was charged with five counts of attempted first-degree murder and five counts of first-degree assault in one case and two counts of first-degree murder in a second case even though officers knew he wasn't involved, the lawsuit says. Denver prosecutors held him in jail long after learning that Valdez was innocent, the lawsuit says.
"Defendants recklessly, knowingly, intentionally, willfully and wantonly arrested and imprisoned Mr. Valdez with no probable cause or reasonable grounds for believing that Mr. Valdez attempted to kill, injure or menace any police officer," the lawsuit says.
Ron Hackett, Denver police spokesman, said Friday he could not comment about the case because it is in litigation.
The Denver District Attorney's Office dismissed 19 felony counts against Valdez on March 19, 2013. He was then released after he spent two months in the jail "in agonizing pain and without the use of his lower limbs," the lawsuit said.
Valdez is seeking unspecified compensatory and punitive damages as well as attorneys' fees, according to the lawsuit filed by Laura Menninger of the Denver law firm Haddon, Morgan and Foreman.
The lawsuit is the latest in a string of complaints in which Denver law enforcement officers have been accused of excessive force, including a case in which Denver paid $6 million to the family of homeless street preacher Marvin Booker.
"Defendant Denver exhibits deliberate indifference to or tacit approval of its police officers' misconduct, which is Denver's official custom, policy and practice," the suit says.
Motyka, a sergeant, and three other Denver police officers were sued in 2011 after they entered a home and arrested the wrong people, members of a family Mariachi band and not drug-dealing brothers who had previously moved from the rental home. A jury awarded the family $1.8 millionfollowing a September trial.
On the afternoon of Jan. 16, 2013, Valdez accepted a ride in a red Dodge pickup truck driven by his friend John Montoya. Valdez didn't know that his friend had been involved in an incident in which the same pickup was used in a crime, also that morning, the suit says.
Police tried to pull the truck over, but Montoya sped away and led police on a chase until he crashed into a tree at West 39th Avenue and Osage streets.
Valdez and another woman exited the truck several minutes later with their hands in the air and lay down on the ground several feet from the truck.

"While prone on the ground with his face in the grass and his hands extended overhead, Valdez was shot by the defendant officers, once in his back and once to his fourth finger as he tried to shield his head from gunshots," the lawsuit says.