Ralliers Allege Police Brutality at Insomnia Cookies Protest

Protesters held a rally Friday to voice complaints of police brutality, claiming that the Cambridge Police Department injured a protester picketing outside of Insomnia Cookies the previous night.

Jason Freedman, the protester, sustained injuries to his face, back, and arms while being arrested by the police, claimed Geoffrey Carens, a Harvard library assistant and Industrial Workers of the World member.

Freedman was arrested on charges of assaulting a police officer, resisting arrest, and disorderly conduct, according to CPD spokesperson Daniel M. Riviello.

Freedman declined to comment Sunday.

Thursday night’s protest was one in a series of monthly pickets at the 65 Mount Auburn St. store that began in August, when several workers fired by the cookie shop made claims of labor rights violations. The protesters urge the company each month to increase wages and let workers unionize.

The picket on Thursday began at approximately 9:30 p.m., according to IWW member Christopher M. Perkins, who was present at the protest.

“We were chanting and holding signs, trying to make the point that Insomnia Cookies is unfair to its workers,” Perkins said.

More than a dozen CPD officers arrived at the scene approximately 20 minutes into the picket, according to Perkins.

Riviello wrote in an emailed statement, “Officers dispatched to this location were attempting to strike a balance between the freedom of speech of the [protesters] and the rights of pedestrians and business to access the public sidewalk.”

According to Perkins, the CPD officers approached a protester holding a megaphone and demanded that he turn it off. The protester complied.

“Nonetheless, they began pushing the person who was holding the microphone,” Perkins said.

Freedman then approached the CPD officers to demand that they not touch the protester with the megaphone, according to Perkins. One of the CPD officers then punched Freedman in the face, he said.

Genevieve Lechat, an IWW member who was also present at the protest, said that she took photos of Freedman as he was being assaulted. The photos, which have been circulated online and over email lists, seem to show a man that Lechat identified as Freedman being overpowered by several officers outside of Insomnia.

Riviello did not respond to a question about a photograph that seemed to show officers subduing Freedman.

Carens, who has previously supported labor movements at Harvard, wrote in an emailed statement that the police threw Freedman on the trunk of a vehicle and then on the ground, “pinning him partially under a parked car and on the curb as they piled on top of him.”

More Police Brutality Allegations

Another person has come forward claiming she was the victim of police brutality from an Atlantic City officer.
In only five years on the force, Officer Sterling Wheaten has already been named in half a dozen lawsuits. The latest comes from Janine Costantino, who claims Wheaten assaulted her at Caesar’s Casino last year.
“I couldn’t imagine this was actually happening,” she said.
Costantino says Wheaten arrested her brother after he got into an altercation with another patron.
“Wheaten had my brother in a headlock and his arms were limp and his legs were weak,” Costantino said. “I screamed out that it was police brutality and that I was videotaping it all.”
That’s when she claims Wheaten turned on her.
“He was running at me and he says, ‘Give me the phone you b**h,’” she said. “He grabbed my bun and he was slamming my forehead into the floor.”
Wheaten then arrested Costantino but court records show the charges against her were later dropped. Costantino says she’ll never forget what one officer told her the night of the incident.
“He’s like, ‘Oh, that’s your first mistake,’” she said. “You shouldn’t be videotaping police officers.”
Wheaten already made headlines earlier this year after video surfaced allegedly showing him releasing his K-9 on a man who was already face down on the ground. Lorenzo Langford, who was the Atlantic City mayor at that time, called the video “horrifying.”
NBC10 obtained an internal police report which shows that Atlantic City Police internal affairs investigated Wheaten 15 times between 2008 and 2010 for allegations of misconduct, some of those allegations being excessive force. Each time however, the department concluded Wheaten did nothing wrong or that there was not enough evidence to clearly prove he did something wrong.  Wheaten’s attorney told us she was confident internal affairs performed complete and thorough investigations. She did not respond to the latest lawsuit however.
“I get calls every day from people who have been brutalized and terrorized by the Atlantic City Police Department,” said Jennifer Bonjean, an attorney who is representing Costantino and others who are suing Wheaten. “It’s overwhelming the pattern that I’ve been able to establish just with these limited cases I’ve been involved in. I think the prosecutor’s office is turning a blind eye to many of these allegations. They have to be seeing the same police officers that we’re seeing.”
The Atlantic City Police Department is also at the center of another lawsuit from one of their own. Sergeant Mark Benjamin sued the department after claiming he received death threats for reporting police misconduct to his superiors.
The various allegations against the Department have caught national attention. The Reverend Al Sharpton visited Atlantic City on Wednesday to attend a rally speaking out on the department’s alleged police brutality.

KIDS AND COPS: GEE, WHAT COULD POSSIBLY GO WRONG?: Maui police officer charged after allegedly slappi...

KIDS AND COPS: GEE, WHAT COULD POSSIBLY GO WRONG?: Maui police officer charged after allegedly slappi...:  Maui authorities Wednesday charged a 46-year-old police officer for allegedly slapping his 13-year-old daughter, who fell and sustained ...

Todays sexual assault charges against your police: Fired Tucson cop arrested on new charge

Todays sexual assault charges against your police: Fired Tucson cop arrested on new charge: A former Tucson police officer fired earlier this year after a woman he arrested alleged he forced her to perform a sex act, has been arr...

This Week's Charge of Child Molestation by your Local Police: Seiling Police Chief Arrested For Child Sex Crime

This Week's Charge of Child Molestation by your Local Police: Seiling Police Chief Arrested For Child Sex Crime:   Meeks was arrested on a complaint of lewd molestation. The victim, under the age of 16. SEILING, Oklahoma - An Oklahoma police ch...

This Week's Charge of Child Molestation by your Local Police: Cop arrested on child porn charges

This Week's Charge of Child Molestation by your Local Police: Cop arrested on child porn charges: PEABODY — A retired Peabody police officer has been charged with storing and sharing child pornography on his computer. Joseph Ferrante...

The epidemic of mentally unstable cops in America: Veteran Boston cop commits suicide

The epidemic of mentally unstable cops in America: Veteran Boston cop commits suicide: A veteran of the Boston Police Department who appeared on a TNT reality series about cops has died of an apparent suicide.The law enforc...

Ex-Detective Guilty In Tax Case

A former Waterbury Ct. detective pleaded guilty Thursday to trying to mislead a federal Internal Revenue Service investigation of charitable contributions he claimed as deductions on his tax returns in 2007 and 2008.

Robert Liquindoli, 42, of Waterbury lost his job with the city police force when the IRS arrested him a year ago and could be sentenced to 10 months or more in prison when he returns to court, probably in February.

Liquindoli was ensnared by a federal investigation of retired IRS agent Thomas Thorndike, who opened a Waterbury-area tax preparation business that counted many area law enforcement officers as clients. Thorndike, who prepared Liquindoli's tax returns, was sentenced to six years in prison for tax fraud and was accused of falsifying returns in order to give clients undeserved deductions.

Waterbury When IRS agents accused Liquindoli of claiming questionable deductions, authorities said he lied to them and tried to create phony receipts to justify his claimed non-cash, charitable contributions.

Fired Pa. cop guilty of man's holding cell beating

PITTSBURGH (AP) — A western Pennsylvania police officer who was fired after he refused a random drug test last year has been convicted of beating a handcuffed prisoner in a holding cell and then trying to cover it up.

Walter R. Johnson, 38, of Oakdale, was convicted at a non-jury trial of simple assault and official oppression — the cover-up charge. An Allegheny County judge on Monday also sentenced him to two years' probation and two weeks in jail, though Johnson doesn't have to serve that time until January. Johnson's defense attorney, James Wymard, didn't immediately return a call for comment and the officer doesn't have a listed home telephone.

Johnson was a patrolman in Avalon, a tiny borough near Pittsburgh, when he threw the prisoner, 49-year-old Robert Szilagyi, into a holding cell wall so hard the man's jaw was broken and his teeth loosened — including one later found lodged in his airway. Avalon police alerted Allegheny County detectives after they learned surveillance video of the April 2012 beating existed following Johnson's firing last July.

According to a criminal complaint the detectives filed against Johnson, Avalon police first encountered Szilagyi after a report that he was fighting with another man that night. Police contend Szilagyi ran away before police arrived and was found hiding in bushes, then struggled and fought with officers while they were handcuffing him.

On that night, medics were called to take Szilagyi to a hospital after he was found to have injuries in the police station holding cell — though police at that time attributed the injuries to his earlier struggle with officers, according to the complaint.

The detectives determined, however, that security video from the holding cell showed Johnson walking Szilagyi to the cell at which point he "literally throws Szilagyi, with his hands still handcuffed behind his back, into the cell ... propelling the victim forward with such force as to cause him to leave his feet, hurtling head-first toward the floor and rear wall of the holding cell," according to their complaint.

Another officer enters the cell and leaves with Johnson, closing the door, before a third officer arrives and Szilagyi can be seen "with a large puddle of blood drops on the floor in front of him," the detectives said.

Online court records show Szilagyi pleaded guilty to simple assault, resisting arrest and disorderly conduct stemming from the earlier fight and encounter with police and was sentenced to a year's probation. He could not immediately be located for comment because he's in the county jail awaiting trial on charges including aggravated assault, drunken driving and burglary stemming from two separate and unrelated incidents earlier this year.

Szilagyi's criminal defense attorney for his April 2012 arrest said he couldn't comment on whether Szilagyi pursued a claim for his injuries, citing a confidentiality agreement. Federal and county court records show no record of a lawsuit.

Avalon police officials did not immediately return calls for comment on the verdict, or about the request for a drug test that prompted Johnson's firing.

Police officer convicted of DWAI

ALBANY, N.Y. -- A judge returns a verdict in the trial of an Albany police officer who lost his job after a drunk driving arrest.

The judge found Brian Lutz guilty of DWAI after a bench trial.

As a result, Lutz will have to pay $875 in court fees, complete the DMV's Drinker Driver Program and a attend a victim impact panel. The judge also suspended his license.

Lutz was arrested in December 2010 after police said he was asleep behind the wheel, and parked on the right lane of Interstate 787.

He plead not guilty to drunk driving charges back in March 2011. Lutz is currently suspended without pay.

Officer charged with lying to get search warrant

A decade after a federal judge publicly attacked his truthfulness, a Baltimore police officer has been charged with lying to get a warrant to search a Northwest Baltimore home, the state's attorney's office said.

Thomas E. Wilson III, a 19-year veteran of the department, lied when he said he saw a suspect leaving a house in the 5600 block of Wilvan Ave. carrying a black bag, according to the state's attorney's office. He faces charges of perjury and misconduct in office.

The Police Department declined to comment on the charges. Wilson could not be reached, and no attorney is listed for him in court records.

Other Baltimore officers have been implicated recently in fabricating details to secure authorization for arrests or searches. At the sentencing of officer Kendell Richburg in federal court last month, his attorney said the practice was widespread and driven by pressure on police to hit targets.

At the hearing, federal prosecutors said the FBI was investigating a number of officers who had made up information. Wilson worked in the same district as Richburg, but an FBI spokesman said the charges against him were not related to that inquiry.

In the Wilson case, the day after the search in May 2012, a man named Thomas Foster who lived at the Wilvan Avenue address was charged with gun and drug offenses. Prosecutors dropped those charges in December 2012, court records show.

In 2003, Andre M. Davis, then a U.S. District Court judge in Baltimore, said an affidavit in a separate drug case that Wilson filed seemed to be packed with "knowing lies." Davis also called Wilson's account of that bust "implausible and incredibly presented" before he threw out the case.

The Police Department disciplined Wilson for neglect of duty, stripped him of five days' pay and ordered him to remedial training. But his attorney told The Baltimore Sun in 2010 that the administrative trial board did not convict Wilson of an integrity violation.

Wilson stayed on the force, but a defense attorney used the judge's words against him in a case stemming from a 2008 arrest.

"His credibility is suspect," the lawyer told the jury. "This is a man who was chewed out in almost unheard-of fashion by a federal judge five years ago."

Wilson testified that in both instances he had been honest, even if he had been confused on some of the details in the 2003 case. The defendant was convicted, but granted a new trial by an appeals court, after it found prosecutors had gone too far to protect Wilson.

The defendant, Bryan Sivells, pleaded guilty to the lesser of the two charges he faced and received a four-year prison sentence, most of which he had already served.

Cops charged in Kentucky brothel slayings

After nearly 20 years, authorities believe they have finally solved the murders of two workers at a Kentucky massage parlor with the arrest of two former police officers -- including the lead investigator in the case.

After nearly 20 years, authorities believe they have finally solved the murders of two workers at a Kentucky massage parlor with the arrest of two former police officers -- including the lead investigator in the case.

Edward Carter and Leslie Duncan are among three men indicted in the late-night slayings of two young women at the New Life Massage Parlor in Oak Grove in western Kentucky. Carter and an Alabama man face murder charges while Duncan has been charged with complicity to murder.

Investigators are being tight-lipped about how the ex-cops were allegedly involved the deaths of Candace Belt, 22, and Gloria Ross, 18. Their battered, blood-soaked bodies were found in a back room of the parlor on Sept. 20, 1994, after co-workers left the building to get something to eat.

Locals long suspected police involvement, but authorities just couldn't come up with the evidence.

"At the time and for years to follow, everybody thought that it was a couple of police officers that were involved, but there was never any proof given," said Oak Grove Mayor Dan Potter.

"There were always potential suspects," said prosecutor Lynn Pryor. "No one felt comfortable bringing charges on them before now."

One person, at least, didn't hesitate to voice her suspicions early on: Tammy Papler, the madam who ran the brothel.

At a public meeting in 1997, Papler -- angered for being forced to shut down the parlor -- stood up and unleashed a slew of allegations, including the claim that she had been bribing police to keep her business open. She said after she stopped making the payments, the killings occurred.

Carter was paid to work as a janitor at the parlor, but the payments were in reality bribes to allow the brothel to remain open, Papler claimed. Duncan, meanwhile, sometimes demanded cash from her, she said.

Law enforcement officers were such a common sight at the parlor that soldiers from nearby Fort Campbell didn't think twice to come in when the police were around, she said at the time.

Papler couldn't be reached for comment Wednesday. But Pryor, the prosecutor, said the former madam would likely be called as a witness if the cases come to trial.

Relatives also said they had long believed that police were involved.

"There's a few of us that suspected the cops had something to do with it there," said Johnny Belt, Candace's uncle.

Duncan even came to the home of the victim's grandmother to express condolences.

"He came and sat at my mom's table and drank coffee, telling her how bad he felt," Belt said.

Bobby Combs, an ex-Oak Grove police officer, recalls taking orders from Duncan -- the case's lead detective -- at the murder scene.

"Oak Grove, as you can tell, messed it up," Combs said.

Eventually, the case was turned over to the local Christian County sheriff's office. But it languished, becoming the subject of an "Unsolved Mysteries" segment on TV. Kentucky State Police took over the investigation in 2006.

The arrests have brought a fresh round of notoriety to the town of about 9,000 bordering the Fort Campbell post along the Kentucky-Tennessee border.

"It's kind of like knocking a scab off a wound," said the Rev. Dave Noffsinger, pastor of Maranatha Baptist Church in Oak Grove.

Carter, 43, and Frank Black Jr., 39, of Gadsden, Ala., were indicted late last week by a Christian County grand jury on two murder counts.

Carter was arrested in Warren County, Ohio. Black was taken into custody in Etowah County in Alabama. There were no records either man had yet hired an attorney, court officials in both states said. They are being held on $1 million bond and will be arraigned after being extradited to Kentucky, state police said.

Duncan, 50, is serving a three-year sentence for evidence tampering in the case. It was his arrest that broke open the case. Authorities wouldn't give further details. His attorney, Stephanie Ritchie, declined to comment on the case.

Investigators don't anticipate other arrests, said Kentucky State Police Trooper Stu Recke.

Carter and Duncan left the Oak Grove police force soon after the slayings. After leaving town, Duncan spent time working as a security guard at a discount store in Hermitage, Tenn., while Carter worked as a private security guard and police officer in a Louisville suburb.

State police offered few details about Black's alleged involvement, other than to say he was not a police officer. He was convicted of attempted rape in December 1995, and registered as a sex offender when he moved to Alabama.

Combs, the ex-Oak Grove police officer, said Papler has been vindicated with the arrests.

But city council member Barbara Jean Leavell disagreed.

"If you run a business like that, you're just as guilty," she said. "You might not have pulled a trigger or a knife ... but she was guilty of running that business."

Second Officer Suspended After DPD Shooting Of Mentally Ill Man

DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) – The Dallas police officer who witnessed his partner shoot an unarmed mentally ill man and then lied about what happened afterwards has been punished with a 15-day suspension.
Officer Christopher Watson was placed on restricted duty after home surveillance video showed a different story than what Watson swore to in a signed statement.
The video, taken on October 14, showed the victim, Bobby Bennett, with his arms at his side moments before Officer Cardan Spencer shot him. Both Spencer and Watson claimed Bennett lunged at them with the knife before Spencer fired the shot.
At the same disciplinary hearing, Police Chief David O. Brown stated Officer Watson would be investigated by Internal Affairs. Based on the results of that investigation, IA determined that Watson violated the department’s procedures by immediately approaching a possibly armed person. IA also determined Watson was untruthful in a sworn affidavit. Watson, who has been on the force since January 2008, does have the right to appeal his suspension.
Bennett’s mother initially called police on October 14, to report her son was acting violently and may have had a knife. After he was shot, officers charged him with aggravated assault. Those charges were dropped when surveillance video showed he did not threaten officers with a knife as the officers reported. Bennett, who has been diagnosed as paranoid schizophrenia, spent nearly a month in the hospital recovering from his injuries after the shooting.

Buffalo rookie police officer fired after being charged with growing marijuana at his home

James Hamilton’s Facebook photo shows him posed behind his Porsche Cayenne wearing sunglasses and a “Party All Day” T-shirt.

But the Buffalo police officer wasn’t celebrating Thursday after his arraignment on charges of operating a marijuana-growing operation in the basement of his Floss Avenue home on the East Side.

A six-month investigation led by the Police Department also resulted in Hamilton’s immediate dismissal from the force on which he served for less than a year.

“Like any organization, you have bad apples,” Police Commissioner Daniel Derenda said Thursday.

A rookie cop who was recently named Officer of the Month by his union, Hamilton faces multiple drug and weapons charges in connection with the marijuana-growing operation.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy C. Lynch said 82 marijuana plants and 4 pounds of loose marijuana were found in the basement of the home. Police also recovered a 12-gauge shotgun.

Hamilton, 29, was arraigned before U.S. Magistrate Judge H. Kenneth Schroeder, who entered a plea of not guilty on his behalf.

“My client is innocent,” defense lawyer Matthew Borowski said. “And he intends to fight these charges.”

Prosecutors said Hamilton’s arrest came on the heels of his sale Wednesday afternoon of two quarter-pound quantities of marijuana for $1,100 to a confidential source in the city’s Broadway-Bailey section.

Hamilton, who was under surveillance, was then called to Police Headquarters, where he was arrested. Later in the evening, police with a search warrant went to the home and found the pot-growing operation.

Derenda said the investigation started in May and was led by his Internal Affairs and Narcotics bureaus. He said the investigation, which included the federal Drug Enforcement Administration and the Erie County Sheriff’s Office, was welcomed by rank-and-file officers in his department.

100 Charges Have "Inadmissable Evidence" in Child Rape Case

A man accused of raping and molesting children had faced 105 charges, but now that's down to five. Prosecutors say that's because the Tallassee police officer investigating the case is now being investigated himself. Stephen Conrad came to court today to make a plea on his case, but that didn't happen -- instead, that plea has been delayed. And District Attorney, Randall Houston, says that's because Tallassee Assistant Chief, Chris Miles, was the lead investigator in the Conrad case -- but he illegally obtained the evidence and it can no longer be used.
"It calls into question everything with that officer and everything about the case," Said C.J. Robinson with the Elmore County District Attorney's office. He says it's a case that's left he and other investigators able to only prove five charges against Stephen Conrad, who is accused of raping and molesting eight children in the last 11 years.  Four of those children were family members. And the youngest was three months old.
Robinson says the lead investigator in the case, Tallassee Assistant Police Chief Chris Miles, physically coerced Conrad into confessing, as well as three co-defendants, including his wife, Brandy Conrad, Helen Gantt and Mark Jeffrey Ray. They were were charged with failure to report the sexual abuse of a child.

officer charged with felony

A Beech Mountain police officer has left the department and turned himself in to face a felony drug charge, according to police.Avery County Sheriff's Office received a complaint concerning possible illegal activity by patrol officer Josh Hernandez, according to Sheriff Kevin Frye. Frye forwarded the complaint to Chief Jerry Turbyfill of the Beech Mountain Police Department, who started an internal investigation.

officer charged with theft

SAYREVILLE — A borough police officer has been charged with stealing more than $20,000 from the Sayreville Housing Authority. According to the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office, Stephen Gulick was charged Nov. 14 with a count of theft by deception for allegedly collecting money from the housing authority between Feb. 2, 2012, and July 8, 2013. An investigation conducted by the prosecutor’s office and the Sayreville Police Department showed that Gulick allegedly collected federal money to subsidize the rent paid by a female tenant at a property he owned in Sayreville. He subsequently married the tenant, who then became ineligible for the housing assistance. However, Gulick allegedly continued to receive and cash checks paid by the housing authority on behalf of the woman.During the period the woman was ineligible to receive assistance, Gulick allegedly collected 18 checks totaling $20,466.

Norristown police officer charged with sexual assault of minor in Chester County

NORRISTOWN — A Norristown police officer has been charged with sexually assaulting a 12-year-old girl. Nicholas Santo, 47, of North Coventry, was arraigned in front of Chester County District Judge James DeAngelo on Sept. 18, according to Priya DeSouza, the Chester assistant district attorney prosecuting the case. His bail was set at the full amount of $25,000 which was later paid in full. According to the affidavit of probable cause, on Sept. 18 Chester County detectives received a report that a young girl had been sexually assaulted. The report stated Santo allegedly sexually assaulted the girl Sept. 13.

Cop sued

PITTSBURGH (AP) - The American Civil Liberties Union has sued a white Pittsburgh police officer on behalf of a black teacher who claims he was wrongly arrested for commenting on the officer's driving.
The teacher, 38-year-old Dennis Henderson, had just left a community group meeting June 26 that addressed community-police relations when Officer Jonathan Gromek, who was driving by, heard Henderson criticize his driving and stopped. Henderson was jailed for about 12 hours following his arrest. The Allegheny County district attorney later had police drop charges including disorderly conduct and resisting arrest.
"Dennis Henderson, an award-winning Pittsburgh teacher, was arrested and jailed overnight simply for answering truthfully when a police officer asked him whether he had a problem with the way the officer was driving," according to the 12-page federal lawsuit filed Tuesday.
Gromek was pulled off patrol duty in July and assigned to the warrants office, a common outpost for officers awaiting possible disciplinary action, while the city's Office of Municipal Investigations reviewed the encounter.

City police spokeswoman Diane Richard said the office found the allegations to be true and that Gromek is awaiting police department action. The lawsuit says Gromek received a letter Oct. 1 advising that the city had determined he violated three broad police policies: conduct toward the public, conduct unbecoming and incompetence.
Gromek does not have an attorney listed in court records and a home telephone number listed in his name was disconnected Tuesday. An attorney with the city law department did not immediately return a message seeking comment. Only Gromek is being sued, but the city may eventually have to defend Gromek because he was acting within the scope of his official duties.
The stop happened shortly after Henderson left a meeting of the Community Empowerment Association, which seeks to address problems in poorer black neighborhoods. Among other topics, the group had discussed the lack of trust between some members of the black community and the police, particularly in high-crime areas like Homewood, the neighborhood where the meeting was held.
Henderson was speaking to a photographer for the New Pittsburgh Courier, a newspaper that covers the city's black community. Both were standing in the street next to Henderson's car while he retrieved a business card and spoke about a teaching award he recently received.
According to the lawsuit, Gromek's patrol car drove by close enough that both people pressed against Henderson's car for safety, at which point the teacher said, "Wow!" - referring to the speed with which the officer was driving down a narrow street.
Gromek then turned around, stopped and confronted both of them and asked Henderson, "Do you have a problem?"
Henderson asked for the officer's name and badge number so he could file a complaint about Gromek's driving.
Henderson then began recording the encounter on his cellphone, which he handed to the photographer once the officer told Henderson to put his hands behind his back. The officer eventually handcuffed the photographer and allegedly refused to explain why either Henderson or the photographer were taken into custody, the lawsuit said. The photographer was never criminally charged and released minutes later.
The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages for claims including false arrest, malicious prosecution, excessive force and retaliation against someone for his speech.

Appeal set for cop

A Chadbourn Police sergeant fired for conduct unbecoming an officer will speak before the town council Dec. 2.  Sgt. Brian Campbell was fired and another officer disciplined after they posted videos to the Vine.com social media website of themselves in uniform using racially-charged language, Mayor Fax Rector said.Cambell was fired after arguing with chief Steven Shaw, but there apparently is no official letter of dismissal or a reprimand for the video. The videos were removed and edited after Campbell was dismissed Oct. 23. The firing was upheld in a grievance hearing Nov. 11. Campbell notified Rector of his intent to appeal to the full council Dec. 2 at 6 p.m.

Ala. police officer accidentally shot himself, died of extreme blood loss

PHENIX CITY, Alabama — An eastern Alabama coroner says a police officer who died Nov. 10 accidentally shot himself. Russell County Coroner Aurthur Sumbry Jr. told the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer Tuesday that 30-year-old Phenix City police Sgt. Daniel Davis died of extreme blood after accidentally shooting himself in his leg.
Davis was found in the parking lot of an apartment complex and was later pronounced dead.
Investigators have said Davis was inside of an unmarked police car when his gun discharged.
Alabama Bureau of Investigation Sgt. Steve Jarrett says the probe into his death is ongoing.

Mich. cops charged with robbing daughter's phone thief

DETROIT — Two off-duty police sergeants robbed three men they apparently suspected in the theft of a cellphone belonging to the teenage daughter of one of the officers, prosecutors in Detroit said Monday.

Detroit Sgt. David Pomeroy and Sgt. Michael Notoriano, who works in the Detroit suburb of St. Clair Shores, are both charged with armed robbery, among other charges.

Notoriano's 16-year-old daughter and a friend bicycled to a Detroit gas station on July 20. Dwayne Weathington, 24, of Detroit grabbed Notoriano's daughter by her backpack, threw her to the ground, stole her iPhone and fled on foot, the Wayne County prosecutor's office said in a statement.

The phone was traced to a location on Detroit's east side where Pomeroy and Notoriano drove on July 21 and confronted three Detroit men, ages 26, 27 and 28, at gunpoint, prosecutors said.

The officers retrieved the girl's iPhone, struck one of the men in the face and took a handgun, cash and marijuana, prosecutors said.

Notoriano's lawyer, Todd Flood, told The Associated Press that his client and Pomeroy are "outstanding" and "highly decorated" officers.

Pomeroy, 47, and Notoriano, 42, both are charged with armed robbery, willful neglect of duty, unlawful imprisonment and failure to uphold the law. Pomeroy also is charged with larceny of a firearm and Notoriano with possessing a firearm during a felony, felonious assault and ethnic intimidation.

The prosecutor's office didn't identify the ethnicities of those involved.

The officers were arraigned Monday and a probable cause hearing was scheduled for Dec. 18.

The prosecutor's office filed unarmed robbery charges against Weathington. He hasn't yet been arraigned and doesn't have a lawyer, prosecutor's spokeswoman Maria Miller said in an email.

Associated PressCopyright 2013 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Probation in bribery scheme involving Wichita cop

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A Wichita man was sentenced to two years of probation for helping a former police officer try to bribe a witness. Forty-year-old Patrick Melendrez was sentenced Monday for conspiracy to commit wire fraud. He admitted that he helped former police officer Joletta Vallejo in the bribery scheme to help Vallejo keep her job.

Prosecutors say Vallejo didn't properly report alleged crimes against two people. During a police department investigation, Vallejo and Melendrez tried to bribe a witness to recant his statements to the department's professional standards bureau. Instead, the witness cooperated with an undercover investigation into the bribery attempt.Vallejo is scheduled to be sentenced Dec. 2.

Cop caught in bribery sting sentenced

Cigarette smuggler Mustafa Mohd Shaikh was caught in June 2011 on an undercover recording describing how having the protection of a longtime sheriff's investigator meant his enterprise could operate with impunity.

"Anything happens to you in Chicago, this guy will get you out," Shaikh was quoted in court records as telling an informant. "This guy is willing to protect. Nobody will touch you or come by you."

The "guy" he was talking about was Lawrence A. Draus, a 35-year veteran of the Cook County Sheriff's Department who extorted thousands of dollars in cash payouts to safeguard the cigarette smuggling operation, but to Draus' surprise the entire setup turned out to be an elaborate government sting.

On Tuesday, U.S. District Judge John Tharp sentenced Draus to 2½ years in prison for his role in the scheme, saying corrupt police officers are particularly dangerous because they weaken the public's trust in the criminal justice system.

Draus, 64, choked up as he described how his late father — a Chicago police officer for more than three decades — passed along some sage advice when Draus became a sheriff's deputy — "Never lose your compassion, be fair and honest, and be careful who you trust."

Draus, who was stripped of his police powers before retiring earlier this year while under indictment, paused to wipe away tears before apologizing for the "disgrace" he'd brought to his family and "all the honest police officers out there."

Retired East Haven police sergeant to be sentenced

EAST HAVEN Ct.  Retired Sgt. John Miller, one of four officers the FBI arrested in January 2012 following a Department of Justice probe into racial profiling allegations, will be sentenced on Feb. 12, according to federal court records.
Miller pleaded guilty in September 2012 to a single charge of deprivation of rights to be free from the use of excessive force by a law officer.”
He had been charged with a total of 10 counts and was originally scheduled to be sentenced last February.
Miller’s attorney, Donald Cretella, said his client felt the decision “was the best thing for his family.”
“He pleaded guilty to one charge of punching one guy who wasn’t a minority,” Cretella said at the time.
Miller, 44, admitted to punching a man during a January 2012 arrest on Thompson Street. Court reports indicated the man — identified only by his initials as “N.D.” — had already been handcuffed by two officers when Miller popped him.
Cretella said Miller “lost his cool” during the incident and added that his client was “adamant about not doing anything to any minorities.”
The announcement of Miller’s sentencing comes roughly a month after Officers David Cari and Dennis Spaulding were found guilty in federal court of a pattern of civil rights abuses. Cari’s case revolved around his arrest of a New Haven priest in February 2009.

Parents Blame City Cops for Son's Suicide

By MATT REYNOLDS 

SANTA ANA, Calif. (CN) - A teenage boy posted on social media that he was about to kill himself, and Huntington Beach police knew it, and found his address, but did nothing to stop it, the late boy's parents claim in court.
     Seventeen-year-old Matthew Cline shot himself in the head on July 17 at his home in Huntington Beach, his parents, William and Kathleen, say in the lawsuit against the City of Huntington Beach, in Superior.
     Matthew was a high school senior on the varsity football team. His mother found him after she returned from the gym.
     Matthew's parents say that on July 16, their son posted on iFunny: "My name is Matthew Cline. This will be my last post on ifunny as I will be committing suicide tonight."
     The parents say in the complaint that Huntington Beach police knew of the post, and knew Matthew's address, but did not send a squad car to the home or warn the Clines.
     Had it done so, Matthew would "be alive and well today," the Clines claim.
     According to the lawsuit, Ana Gutierrez, a teenager in Los Baños, in Northern California, alerted police after reading Cline's iFunny post, then finding his Facebook page and discovering that he lived in Huntington Beach.
     The parents claim that a Doe police officer, identified in the lawsuit as "Rodriguez," took the call and "lulled" Gutierrez into believing police would intervene and do everything they could to stop Matthew Cline.
     Rodriguez did locate Cline's address in Huntington Beach, hours before Cline killed himself, the parents say. But police neither called the parents nor dispatched officers to the house.
     Rodriguez's police report is attached to the court filing as an exhibit. It states: "I attempted 2-3 phone calls but no one answered. Due to the fact we were unable to determine where the Mathew Cline lived who made the post, no units were sent to any of the addresses we located under that name."
     The parents call that a "blatant, bad-faith" lie: "Approximately 20 hours after the HBPD received the call from Gutierrez, Matthew shot himself in the head and committed suicide at his Dovewood [Drive] residence. Had the HBPD made contact by sending a unit to the Dovewood address, or even just telephoning the Clines, Matthew Cline would be alive and well today."
     Responding officers "immediately recognized" Cline as the person who had posted on iFunny, and questioned neighbors about the post, the parents claim.
     "In addition, HBPD claimed that they had called plaintiff William Cline's cell-phone number upon receipt of the call from Gutierrez, substantially prior to Matthew's suicide, but the Clines received no phone call to warn them, either to their cell phones or their residence phone," the complaint states.
  

cop arrested in connection with '94 double homicide

A former Kentucky police officer was arrested over the weekend on a 1994 double murder charge, the Warren County Sheriff’s Office announced this morning.

Edward Carter, 43, was taken into custody without incident at the Days Inn motel off Bards Road and Interstate 71 in Deerfield Township early Saturday, said Lt. Eric Johnson.

Carter, who has been living in Mason, was one of three men indicted Friday by a Christian County grand jury in the shooting and stabbing deaths of two prostitutes inside a massage parlor in 1994 in Oak Grove, Ky., where he used to work as a police officer.

Warren County sheriff’s detectives were able to establish, with the use of the License Plate Reader system (LPS), that Carter was in Mason in August of this year.

Jury selection beings in trial of Oklahoma police officer charged in teen's death

OKLAHOMA CITY — Jury selection has begun in the trial of a Del City police captain charged in the shooting death of an unarmed teenager.
About 50 prospective jurors appeared Monday in Oklahoma County District Court for the trial of 48-year-old Capt. Randy Harrison. Harrison is a 23-year-veteran of the Del City Police Department and has pleaded not guilty to first-degree manslaughter in the March 14, 2012, death of 18-year-old Dane Scott Jr.
An affidavit filed by police says Harrison was trying to arrest Scott after a car chase and took a handgun from the teen. As Scott ran away, Harrison fired four times with the fourth shot striking Scott in the back.
The affidavit says Scott was unarmed and was posing no threat of death or great bodily harm.

Officer Charged With Theft by Deception

Theft by deception charges have been filed against a New Jersey police officer accused of improperly accepting more than $20,000 in rent subsidies paid by a municipal housing authority. Acting Middlesex County Acting Prosecutor Andrew Carey says Sayreville officer Stephen Gulick turned himself in this week and was released on his own recognizance. A telephone number for Gulick, who has been on the force for 14 years, could not be located Saturday. Carey says Gulick got the money from the Sayreville Housing Authority to subsidize the rent paid by a female tenant at a property he owned. The woman's name was not disclosed. Gulick subsequently married the tenant, who then became ineligible for the housing assistance. But authorities say he continued to receive and cash checks on her behalf

Controversy Brewing Over Arrest, Tasering of 14-Year-Old-Boy

Was excessive force used by Tullytown police when they tasered a 14-year-old last week?
That’s the question raised publicly via social media when an images of the bloodied and busied boy spread over the weekend.

Bucks County District Attorney David Heckler said the actions of the borough police officer who fired a single taser barb toward the 14-year-old handcuffed boy as he ran toward busy Route 13 in an attempt to escape “seems appropriate.”
The mother of the boy, Marissa  Sargent,  and many on social media are calling into question whether the officer’s actions were “appropriate.”
“I know what my son did was wrong, but look at the picture, you think he deserved all that for retail theft?” she told LevittownNow.com exclusively on Saturday morning.
Sargent also alleged her son’s rights were violated because police officials “wouldn’t let me see him at the police station.”
“He’s a minor, I’m his parent, and I should’ve been able to talk to him while I was there” she said.
According to court paperwork first obtained by LevittownNow.com on Friday, the boy was taken into custody along with Jordan Gibson, 19, who has no fixed address, and another passenger, who was not identified in court papers. The arrest came after Tullytown police were called to the Walmart for the group of that were accused of shop lifting $31.93 worth of merchandise on Tuesday at about 2:30 p.m. The F-150 driven by Gibson allegedly sped at “high speeds” through the Levittown Town Center shopping and was then chased by police onto Route 13. Police said the F-150 struck the rear of a car before officers trapped in as it drove into the Route 13 construction zone and took the three retail theft suspects into custody.
Heckler said as the 14-year-old boy sat handcuffed in the back of patrol car he somehow managed to escape and ran for it. A Tullytown officer gave chase on foot, repeatedly yelled for the boy to stop and warned him he would use the taser, Heckler said. After the boy did not comply, Heckler said the officer fired his taser to stop the boy from running handcuffed into busy afternoon Route 13 traffic, where construction barriers would have likely trapped him in the lanes of travel.
“If he would have ran out there and been hit by a cement truck, you’d be hearing a hoo-ha about it,” Heckler said.
One question that will need to be answered is how in fact did a boy handcuffed in the back of a patrol car get free, Heckler said.
Sargent claims the boy was struck in the face by the taser barb and “punched” several times in the face also causing a nasal fracture as the minor and his uncle left Walmart and were approached by authorities.  ”He’s going to need surgery now,” she said.
“A mystery shopper”, Sargent said, “saw Jordan take a BB gun from a case and put it  into my son’s backpack.”
The alleged BB gun was not listed in the probable cause affidavit filed against Gibson.
Heckler said the boy was actually struck in the shoulder by one prong of the barb and the other stuck in his cheek.
“[The boy] probably turned around to see if the officer was chasing him when the barb caught his cheek,” the district attorney said. “With handcuffs there was nothing to break his fall as his legs gave out.”
The boy was taken to Lower Bucks Hospital and treated for his injuries. He was released a short time later and taken to the Bucks County Juvenile Detention Center in Doylestown Township a short time later.
The boy’s family said he was released from jail on Friday.
The image of the boy circulated on social media shows swelling and bloodied wounds. Heckler said the boy’s wounds looked considerably worse as swelling set in.
Heckler said the boy did not report police brutality when youth officials talked to him during the week. He added that it was his understanding the boy was on probation, however if the family does lodge a report “county detectives will look into it further.”
Officials confirmed Saturday night that no formal complaint has been filed by the boy or his family with the district attorney’s office or Tullytown police.
“The police department is aware of the misinformation that has been circulating on social media about an arrest made by Tullytown officers. A thorough review of the incident is underway,” Tullytown Police Chief Dan Doyle told LevittownNow.com via phone interview.
Sargent, when asked on Saturday if she was going to file a complaint against the Tullytown Police Department, said, “we’ll be doing that  Monday.”

Court date set in police corruption suit

BENTON HARBOR A court date has been set for a lawsuit against the city of Benton Harbor.

Three men, previously charged with drug crimes, are suing the city over a drug scandal involving two former police officers. The men claim the city encouraged officers Andrew Collins and Bernard Hall, who are now serving prison time for planting drugs on suspects.

According to the Herald Palladium, the lawsuit claims as many as 80 others were wrongly arrested. Several cases were dismissed in 2008, when an internal investigation found drugs in the officers' lockers, and found that they created fake police reports and warrants.

Trial has been set for December 3rd

Chad Palmer, Georgia Deputy Sheriff, Suspended After Dressing In Blackface With Inmate Stripes

A South Georgia deputy sheriff who was photographed dressed in blackface and inmate stripes at a Halloween party has been suspended without pay. Chad Palmer, a 15-year veteran of the Camden County Sheriff's Office, allegedly told people at the private party that he was dressed as a Camden County inmate, and he was "picking cotton" in the photo, First Coast News reported.

Omaha detective who sold addresses sentenced to 3 years' probation

As an Omaha police detective, Kevin Cave sold addresses he found in a law enforcement database on the side, picking up about $16,000.

As a result, Cave lost his job, his city pension and now he’s a convicted felon.

A federal judge on Friday sentenced Cave to three years probation and fined him $8,000. Cave could have received six months in prison.

The Nebraska Criminal Justice Information System database contains information on suspects and witnesses, criminal histories, driver’s license information and other data.

Cave, 37, of Bellevue gave leads from that database to car dealerships and repossession companies on the location of vehicles they wanted back from owners who had defaulted on loans.

The database is restricted to legitimate police work, and Cave’s misdeeds over 29 months were an abuse of power, “a violation of trust,” said Jan Sharp, chief criminal prosecutor for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Omaha.

This Week's Charge of Child Molestation by your Local Police: Warren cop gets nearly five years for sex with stu...

This Week's Charge of Child Molestation by your Local Police: Warren cop gets nearly five years for sex with stu...: A 63-year-old ex-cop was ordered to serve at least 57 months to 15 years in prison for having sex with a 16-year-old female student whom he ...

Jason Nevill resigns from Barrie Police Service

Jason Nevill has resigned.

Barrie Police released a statement Friday afternoon stating that late Thursday, through his legal counsel, Nevill tendered his letter of resignation with the Barrie Police Service.

Chief Kimberley Greenwood has accepted his resignation; effective immediately.

Nevill is no longer employed by the Barrie Police Service.

***

After being convicted of assault, Barrie Police Const. Jason Nevill plans to tender his resignation.

Nevill’s lawyer, David Butt, made the announcement during a Police Services Act hearing yesterday.

Nevill, who was convicted of assault causing bodily harm and sentenced to a year in jail earlier this fall, with six months concurrent for fabricating evidence, plans to resign this week, his lawyer said.

The criminal charges came after Nevill responded to a Nov. 20, 2010 mischief call at the Bayfield Mall, where 25-year-old Jason Stern was arrested for being drunk in public and assaulting police with the intent to resist arrest.

Months later, a video of the altercation surfaced and then-chief, Mark Neelin called the OPP to investigate. Charges against Stern were dropped and Nevill was charged.

After the conviction, Barrie Police Chief Kimberley Greenwood brought a five Police Services Act charges against him, including unlawful use of authority, deceit and discreditable conduct.

If Nevill does resign, the Police Services Act charges against him would be stayed.

“His resignation is not yet effective. It has to be in writing and it has to be accepted by the chief,” Insp. Dave Hossack said.

“My feeling is, he’s done the right thing — for the first time. But he hasn’t done it yet. Hopefully, it will be a good day for the service.” 

Protesters Stage Rally Against Police Brutality In North Chicago

Attorney Kevin O’Connor told the crowd that while the community has a new police chief, and police Tasers have been taken away, not all is well. He accused Chief James Jackson of being lax in enforcing rules designed to minimize misconduct and physical violence by officers, and said Mayor Leon ‘Rockingham has not told officers to stay in line.
“The rules are not being enforced and they’re not cleaning house,” O’Connor said. “If you tell someone it’s okay, your actions are okay, we’ll even promote you for what you did, it’s not going to convince others that they have to conform their conduct to the appropriate rules.
O’Connor has filed close to a dozen lawsuits alleging excessive use of force and other misconduct by North Chicago officers. In the past week O’Connor has filed yet another suit, involving the October 2011 arrest of parolee Jarred McGill, whom he said police initially mistook for his brother.
“We have a situation where a man, who was minding his own business, is grabbed, beaten, knocked to the ground, tased, then charged with 15 (counts); they automatically revoked his parole and then all 15 charges were dropped and he was put back into jail,” O’Connor said.
O’Connor said that McGill served nearly a year in jail before being released.
The city’s attorney has refused comment. O’Connor said that McGill’s arrest occurred 11 days before the controversial fatal beating of Darrin Hanna by several of the same police officers.
The rally did not limit itself to problems in North Chicago. Lake County (Ill.) Coroner Dr. Thomas Rudd said he has had problems convincing State’s Attorney Mike Nerheim to reopen the investigations into several cases

Residents voice police brutality concerns to AC City Council

ATLANTIC CITY -
Emotions were running high at the Atlantic City City Council meeting Wednesday night as residents called for action in addressing what they say are cases of police brutality.
Prior to the meeting a group gathered to hold a press conference in the city hall lobby.
"We're not blind to it,” said Steven Young of the National Action Network.
“Everybody knows about it, everybody sees it. Now its time to do something about it and take action."
The parents of David Castellani were also in attendance. They say since a police dog was used on their son's arrest in June, more and more people have come forward with stories of alleged police brutality.
"Its horrible for the citizens, its horrible for the tourism, it's a epidemic problem that we've seen since my sons case has come to light," said David’s father, David Castellani
Once upstairs in the City Council chambers, several residents came forward with alleged cases of police brutality. Tensions flared and one man was even briefly escorted from the room. After the testimony of residents, several council members voiced a need for answers.
"2014 wont be the same, you wont be basically in front of us screaming about brutality. Believe it or not we do understand," said Councilman Frank Gilliam.
"Its time, its time something is done so we'll respond," said Council President William Marsh.
Police Chief Ernest Jubilee was in attendance and upon the request of council, he explained the internal affairs process of reviewing complaints.
"I understand the frustration of the citizens I heard speak tonight but I can’t rush the investigation that makes for a sloppy investigation so it does take time," said Chief Jubilee.
The Chief says he does have the ability to send results from cases for further investigation and that brutality has not place in his department.
"I don't nor the police department does not tolerate police brutality so when it’s exposed, the officer is disciplined," said the Chief.
Something residents hope happens sooner rather than later.
"Hopefully take action,” said Castellani.
“Not only against the officer involved but take action to revamp the police department and to get to where they're to help the citizens, to protect and serve them not to brutalize them."

Concerns Over Police Brutality Once Again Arise in Dover

DOVER, Del.- In Dover, concerns over police brutality continue to take center stage. On Wednesday night, nearly 50 community members gathered at the Mount Zion AME Church in downtown Dover to discuss what they call police brutality in their home city.
At the event were state legislatures and community leaders as well as members from legal groups like the NAACP and the ACLU. Many, such as Shawn Russell, also told their stories of what they call police brutality.
"I left work," he said as he told the crowd about his incident that took place on September 25. "After work, I was pulled over by Troop 2, and they forced me out of the vehicle. They had guns drawn on me. They searched me, handcuffed me, searched me several times, searched his vehicle.
Russell said the police were looking for drugs in his car, but didn't find any after an extensive search. He said he is now looking for a lawyer so that he can sue the state police for harassment. After hearing about the incident, WBOC reached out to State Police, but since this allegation is so new, they have not yet released a statement on the incident.
The meeting follows two separate allegations of police brutality directed at the Dover Police Department. The accusations were made by Antonio Barlow and James Wilson, both African-American men who said they were treated unfairly and with "excessive force" by the police officers.
Wilson has already filed a suit for $50 million in damages from the police. Barlow has not filed for a lawsuit, as of Wednesday night. Dover police maintains that their department has never allowed police brutality. They have also told WBOC that they have video that proves the police department acted appropriately when arresting Barlow, although they have not released this footage.
Russel, who maintains he was treated unfairly, said he didn't know where to turn after the incident.
"It still feels like I have nobody to turn to for help," he said. "But I'm going to continue to try to get help because if this has happened to me, it's happened to other people.
Roy Sudler Jr. from the Social Action Commission, chaired the discussion at the meeting. He said people should not jump to rash conclusions about these incidents. He said the event was all about opening up a dialogue with the police department.
"We're trying to assist law enforcement agencies," he said. "But at the same time to help bridge that gap of trust and mistrust between the community and the law enforcement agencies."

CA Police Brutality Coalition Calls Andy Lopez Killing 'Police Terrorism'

SANTA ROSA – A statewide police brutality organization is noting that on October 22 – the same day that thousands of people were protesting "police terror" across the country and at the State Capitol in Sacramento – a Santa Rosa Sheriff's Deputy gunned down 13-year-old Andy Lopez.

"We are heartbroken and outraged that Andy Lopez was murdered by Erick Gelhaus of the Sonoma County Sheriff's Department. We demand police terror on American citizens stop immediately. We demand Justice for Andy Lopez, his family and his community," said Christina Arechiga of the CA Statewide Coalition Against Police Brutality.

She said that even as hundreds gathered at the Capitol representing labor, students, community groups and more than 50 families whose loved ones were murdered by police (the CA Statewide Coalition Against Police Brutality), they learned "about the horror happening in Santa Rosa."

The Coalition issued a letter to Santa Rosa District Attorney Jill Ravitch, demanding "Erick Gelhaus (be) charged immediately for the murder of Andy Lopez." http://www.poormagazine.org/node/4954

The letter continued:

"It is an abomination that the police are allowed to investigate themselves. When Santa Rosa PD investigates the Sonoma County Sheriff & then the Sonoma County Sheriff investigates the Santa Rosa PD those 2 departments are not conducting “independent” investigations. When there is no 3rd party doing an entire investigation then the people cannot rely on the information being complete or untainted.

"We are aware that there were witnesses that the police never interviewed, there have been witnesses that have been harassed after speaking to the media and there are other citizens stepping forward about the mental state of Erick Gelhaus. Additionally, with Erick Gelhaus’ obsession with guns and preparing for 'war zones,' we have a plethora of information that suggest that he premeditated killing in the line of duty and knew the importance of being able to 'articulate' to his superiors how he felt he was in 'fear of his life' in order to get away with murder if need be.

"Andy Lopez was given LESS than 10 seconds to understand what was happening and comply, no reasonable person believes that he was fully aware of the situation. Andy Lopez is dead and we are disgusted at law enforcements tactics of demonizing this boy. He was a boy being a boy, playing with toys, walking in his own neighborhood. Our efforts to protect this child and his family from this slander will not cease.

"This behavior by the Sonoma County is terrorism. We will not allow blatant murder to happen at the hands of law enforcement...a badge is not a license to kill and it does not grant extra rights.

"On February 1, 1960 four young black men took seats at a Woolworth’s segregated lunch counter in Greensboro, NC – by July of that year Woolworth’s integrated all of its stores. Like Rosa Parks resisted and like Cesar Chavez organized. So will the movement behind Andy Lopez.

"We will not allow this murder to go unanswered for. If an indictment of penal code 187, murder is not filed against Erick Gelhaus those responsible will answer to the people. We await you doing the right thing. " 

This Week's Charge of Child Molestation by your Local Police: Norristown police officer charged with sexual assa...

This Week's Charge of Child Molestation by your Local Police: Norristown police officer charged with sexual assa...: NORRISTOWN — A Norristown police officer has been charged with sexually assaulting a 12-year-old girl. Nicholas Santo, 47, of North Coventr...

This Week's Charge of Child Molestation by your Local Police: Cop in fed court on child-porn charge

This Week's Charge of Child Molestation by your Local Police: Cop in fed court on child-porn charge: ALBUQUERQUE (KRQE) - The Albuquerque police officer at the center of a federal child pornography investigation made his first appearance in ...

Fired Minnesota police chief pleads not guilty in sexual misconduct case

AUSTIN, Minn. — A former police chief in southern Minnesota has pleaded not guilty to felony sexual misconduct.
Forty-three-year-old Jason Mindrup of Waltham pleaded not guilty Thursday to first- and third-degree criminal sexual conduct.
The Brownsdale City Council voted last week to fire Mindrup as police chief.
According to the complaint, a woman accused Mindrup of sexually assaulting her after leaving a Waltham bar on Aug. 31. Mindrup denied those accusations. Court files say he told investigators the woman asked to go to his house, but he instead drove her back to the bar where she had left her phone and purse.
Mindrup had been on paid administrative leave since early September while the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension investigated

Skokie cop resigns after battery charges

A Skokie police officer charged with shoving a woman face-first into a cell bench has resigned rather than face possible firing, village officials said.
Skokie officials had told Michael Hart that they would seek to fire him, and his resignation took effect Friday, according to a news release from the village. In late October, Cook County prosecutors charged Hart with aggravated battery and official misconduct.
Mayor George Van Dusen said in the news release that village officials expect officers to treat people with "the utmost professionalism."
"When officers fall short of that expectation, it is our responsibility to take proper action, as the village has done in this case," he said.
In an episode caught on video in March, Hart shoved Cassandra Feuerstein from behind into a police station cell after the officer became irate that she wouldn't look into the camera for a booking photo after a drunken driving arrest, prosecutors said. Feuerstein, of Chicago, fell and hit her face on the bench, breaking her eye socket and loosening teeth, prosecutors said.
Feuerstein, who pleaded guilty to drunken driving, is suing the village and Hart.
Hart's attorney, Jed Stone, said that he believes people are judging the officer too harshly based on a video circulated widely online. Stone said what Hart did was not "an intentional act" nor a crime.
"The citizens of Skokie have lost a good cop," he said. "I would urge the public to stop, look at all of the evidence, not make a judgment until they've seen everything and understand that for 19 years this man served the people of Skokie and served them with honor and distinction."
Stone said that Hart realizes his law enforcement career is over and "wants to move on."

Appeal hearing rescheduled for Evansville police officer accused of misconduct

EVANSVILLE — The scheduled appeal hearing for an Evansville police officer accused of misconduct while on-duty was pushed back by Police Merit Commission members Friday morning.
Due to a city attorney’s illness, commissioners moved the hearing for officer Steve Hicks to Dec. 16.
Police Chief  Billy Bolin recommended that Hicks be suspended 21 days without pay and be terminated from his job with the department for an undisclosed incident at a local bar while on-duty in August.
Hicks, who is currently suspended with pay, appealed the disciplinary recommendation. Merit board members will hear testimony and will either affirm or amend Bolin’s recommendations during the Dec. 16 meeting.

officer suspended following arrest of woman

A woman says an Austin police officer slammed her to the ground and seriously hurt her during an arrest. Charges against her were dropped and the officer has been suspended for eight days.
He says he didn't do anything wrong.
"I hear Vanessa crying. She ain't doing nothing to them. She ain't doing nothing to nobody."
That is the voice of Vanessa Price's husband. He used his cell phone to record video of her arrest last May. He rushed to his friend's house after he says while talking on the phone, he heard Vanessa being roughed up by a police officer.
"Why do you have my wife in custody," he shouted. "Why did you tackle my wife sir?"
Shortly before the arrest, several couples met at a South Austin home for a get-together.
Vanessa says one guest got too intoxicated to drive home.
"We didn't want her driving home so we called a cab for her. She, I guess got into a fight with the cab driver. Police were called out," Vanessa Price said.
Vanessa says she went outside to see what was going on. According to APD, Officer Jermaine Hopkins told her she was detained and to sit on the curb. In the disciplinary memo, it is noted that Vanessa never gets closer than 20 to 30 feet from Hopkins. Vanessa then called her husband and was told to hang up.
When she failed to comply, she says this happened...
"He slammed me to the ground," she said. "I had bruises on my face. I had scratches from the stickers in the grass. I had to do physical therapy for eight weeks for my shoulder and my arm."
Vanessa was charged with interference with public duties and resisting arrest.
"I used to have a huge admiration for [police]. I used to feel really safe, now I don't at all. I don't trust them to make the right decision," Vanessa said.
On Thursday Officer Hopkins was given an eight day suspension.
The department disciplinary memo states "officer Hopkins' chain of command had concerns regarding Officer Hopkins' handling of the call for service and the arrest of Mrs. Price."
His supervisors filed an internal affairs complaint and contacted the county attorney's office to request charges against Price be dropped.
The memo also states, "Hopkins stated that he would not have handled the situation any differently and that he believes that the charges filed against Mrs. Price were valid."
Hopkins plans to appeal.
Sgt. Wayne Vincent, president of the Austin Police Association backs him up.
"Officers are very uncomfortable if they have someone under detention, letting someone make a phone call," Vincent said. "We've had instances where that phone call resulted in other people showing up at the scene. So, when someone is detained by the police they may ask them not to make that phone call it's for the safety of the officer."
Because of his appeal, the department will not comment on the issue or release the dash camera video. Vanessa says eight days isn't good enough.
"I'm surprised he's working there at all. I don't think he should be able to make these kinds of calls," Vanessa said.
The homeowner was also arrested that night. He was the person who approached Officer Hopkins and gave him the intoxicated woman's keys. He said trying to do the right thing. He says Hopkins arrested him immediately. He was charged with furnishing alcohol to a minor and public intoxication. He has an attorney and is fighting those charges

Eduardo Raposo, Fall River cop drunken driving case

Fall River Police Lt. Eduardo M. Raposo - who was arrested Jan. 12 on drunken driving charges in Somerset - is back on duty.
Raposo, 55, has been assigned to be the commander of the Fall River Police Department's Staff Services, which encompasses communications and the record room, said Fall River Police Detective JD Costa.
Raposo's case - which was transferred to New Bedford District Court shortly after his arraignment in Fall River - was disposed on March 26, records show.
On the charge of operating under the influence, Raposo pleaded to sufficient facts, meaning that he does not admit guilt, but rather that prosecutors had enough evidence to convict him at trial. His case was continued without a finding until March 25, 2014, meaning that the case will be dropped if he is not arrested on new charges and abides by the term of his probation. He was also ordered to complete an alcohol education program and lost his license for 45 days, according to court documents.
Raposo received the same disposition on charges of leaving the scene of property damage and negligent operation of a motor vehicle, according to court documents.
Raposo, a 25-year member of the police department, was on sick leave due to a “significant illness” at the time of his Jan. 12 arrest, police said.
On Jan. 12, Somerset police said Raposo, who at the time was a patrol Watch Commander, was intoxicated behind the wheel when he rear-ended and side-swiped a vehicle at the intersection of Route 6 and Gardners Neck Road in Swansea. The vehicle’s occupants were not seriously injured, according to court documents.
Swansea Police Officer Richard Gibeau stopped Raposo’s BMW about a half-mile from the accident. Gibeau wrote in his report that Raposo was unresponsive and stared ahead when Gibeau first asked for his driver’s license and registration.
After asking him again for his license, Gibeau said Raposo told him, “You know me.” Gibeau said he then recognized Raposo because they had worked on a case several years prior, according to court records.
According to Gibeau’s report, Raposo slurred his words and said that he had been drinking. Raposo asked Gibeau several times if he could bring him home, and became irate when Gibeau asked him to step out of his vehicle, according to court documents.
“I’m a (expletive) cop. Can’t you give me a ride home?” Raposo asked Gibeau, according to the incident report.
A few minutes later, Gibeau said, he grabbed Raposo’s arm and removed him from the vehicle. Raposo was unsteady on his feet and had to be held by two officers so that he would not fall, court records said.
Gibeau arrested Raposo at the scene, and drove him to the Swansea Police Station for booking. While traveling to the station, Gibeau said, Raposo told him that he had just passed his house, according to court documents.

This Week's Charge of Child Molestation by your Local Police: Ex-police officer convicted of child sex abuse

This Week's Charge of Child Molestation by your Local Police: Ex-police officer convicted of child sex abuse: WASHINGTON (AP) — A D.C. police officer has been convicted of sexually abusing a girl who participated in his church choir.A Superior Court...