CBS/AP) LOS ANGELES - Mary O'Callaghan, a Los Angeles police officer, was
charged with assault Thursday for allegedly kicking a woman seven times in the
groin, abdomen and upper thigh during an arrest in which the woman ultimately
died, her attorney said.
Officer O'Callaghan, an 18-year veteran, was charged by Los Angeles County
prosecutors with felony assault under color of authority, lawyer Robert Rico
said.
"She's never had a sustained complaint of this type for anything," Rico said.
"She has an exemplary record and she's shocked by the decision of the DA's
office to file these allegations and looks forward to proving her innocence in
court."
O'Callaghan, 48, faces arraignment Tuesday and has been relieved of duty
without pay pending an administrative hearing.
The Police Commission, a civilian oversight board, reviewed the July 22, 2012
incident and issued a report concluding that O'Callaghan used unreasonable force
on Alesia Thomas, 35, when she was restrained and in the backseat of a
cruiser.
The report contained a detailed description of the incident, which was also
caught on a police car camera. The department has not released the videotape of
the incident and denied a request for a copy from The Associated Press, citing
the ongoing investigation.
According to the report, video shows Thomas' "eyes roll back and her body
roll toward the driver's seat" before officers reported that she appeared
unconscious. Thomas didn't appear to be breathing when she was removed from the
back seat. She arrived at the hospital in full cardiac arrest and was pronounced
dead by a doctor there.
An autopsy found that Thomas had cocaine in her system when she went into
cardiac arrest, but left her cause of death as "undetermined" because the
struggle couldn't be excluded as a contributing factor. Thomas, who had a
history of bipolar disorder, had no internal injuries or bruising, according to
the coroner's report.
O'Callaghan was one of several officers involved in the incident, but the
only one whose actions were found to violate department policies. None of the
other officers were identified by name in the commission's report.
The altercation between Thomas and authorities occurred after officers
tracked her to her South Los Angeles apartment to arrest her on suspicion of
child endangerment. Police said she'd abandoned her 3-year-old and 12-year-old
children at a police station in the middle of the night because she was a drug
addict and couldn't care for them. Officers at the station learned the children
expected their grandmother to pick them up.
The visit to Thomas' home quickly escalated into a prolonged struggle as
officers tried to take the 228-pound Thomas into custody while she had cocaine
in her system and appeared "fidgety, wide eyed, sweating" and later
"incoherent," even asking officers to let her go and telling them on several
occasions to kill her, the commission report states.
When O'Callaghan arrived on the scene, the officers were trying to place
Thomas in the backseat of the patrol car. O'Callaghan allegedly repeatedly used
profanity while trying to get Thomas into the car and secure her in the backseat
while Thomas continued to struggle, kicking her legs toward the window and at
O'Callaghan.
Thomas complained of being unable to breathe at one point, but the reports
states the officers said they didn't hear her.
The commission specifically noted O'Callaghan's "apparent indifference" to
Thomas, but wasn't able to determine whether O'Callaghan deliberately kicked
Thomas or was just using her foot to push her into the car. But they determined
that the decision to use her foot or leg to move Thomas into the cruiser was
"ineffective and inappropriate."
Prosecutors declined to file a charge of involuntary manslaughter, citing
insufficient evidence to prove that the conduct caused Thomas' death, according
to a press release from the district attorney's office.
The assault charge is punishable by up to three years in state prison,
prosecutors said.
Attorney Benjamin Crump, who is part of a team of attorneys representing
Thomas' children in a suit against the LAPD, said he still had not seen the
video of the incident despite repeated requests.
"It is unconscionable that in this day and age LAPD officers would treat a
person like they treated her," Crump said. "This further reignites our demand to
release that firsthand eyewitness account that is the surveillance video. We
demand it. The truth is going to come out."
LAPD Chief Charlie Beck said in a statement that the department worked
closely with the district attorney's office on preparing and filing this case.
He called the case troubling but said it demonstrated that the department "will
hold our officers accountable for their actions."
As for the other officers involved, three have been placed on non-field
assignments at other stations and an internal investigation is ongoing regarding
potential misconduct. A fourth was allowed to return to the field after it was
determined that the officer's role was minor.
We called the Fairfax County police for help....the punks they sent threatened to arrest us. One cop tells my wife that if she keeps crying he'll arrest her and the other cop, La Forge or something, says to me "You call the police this what you get" I said that was wrong and he said "Go ahead, say more fuck'n thing prick" and I thought "Well if you insist".
Todays sexual assault charges against your police: officer charged in alleged peeping
Todays sexual assault charges against your police: officer charged in alleged peeping: A Mt. Pleasant reserve police officer was arrested after being caught peering into a teenager’s apartment window — the second time he was...
Cops In The Bronx Arrested Innocent People To Make Quotas
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) — An attorney on Tuesday claimed some
NYPD detectives in the Bronx lied and arrested innocent people over a period of
several years, in an effort to meet quotas.
As 1010 WINS’ Stan Brooks reported. Peter Tilem, a former
New York City prosecutor, called it “testi-lying,” charging that rogue
narcotics detectives in the Bronx were arresting innocent people on drug charges
and testifying against them in court during a 10-year period starting in the
mid-1990s.
Tilem, who is now in private practice, has demanded a
full-scale investigation.
“We’re asking for the Police Department and District
Attorneys to help in identifying any people who were arrested falsely and may
or may not be sitting in jail,” he said.
One former officer, Genaro Morales, testified that he knew
of officers who lied under oath in the Bronx narcotics unit when he was there
between the mid-1990s and 2006, according to a New York Post report. Morales
claimed that detectives were under severe pressure to meet quotas, and talked about
one specific incident where he claimed police locked up a man who had done
nothing wrong, the newspaper reported.
Both the NYPD and the Bronx District Attorney’s Office
refused to comment on the charges.
Police Officer Charged With Hit-And-Run Of Teenager
Earlier this year, 18-year-old Dean Drukker was hit by an undercover police vehicle in Manchester, New Hampshire. The teenager suffered serious injuries. The vehicle fled the scene after the accident.
New DNA tests confirmed that Drukker’s blood was found on the undercarriage of the police vehicle, UnionLeader reports. The driver in question was Manchester police Sgt. Stephen Coco, who was off-duty at the time. He has been charged with two felony counts of conduct after an incident for his hit and run, but he has yet to be indicted.
Drukker’s attorney, Marc Hathaway, claimed that the charges had been reduced to misdemeanors. One of the charges alleges that Coco was “attempting to access information on a cell phone” when the accident occurred.
Drukker, however, disagrees with the charges being reduced.
“We believe it’s clearly a felony,” Drukker said.
The Drukkers claim that Dean and Noah were walking in the road when they noticed a car approaching. They moved to the side of the road and began walking single file, but the vehicle hit both of them, throwing Noah and running over Dean. Dean was knocked unconscious and left extremely bloody as Coco drove away.
New DNA tests confirmed that Drukker’s blood was found on the undercarriage of the police vehicle, UnionLeader reports. The driver in question was Manchester police Sgt. Stephen Coco, who was off-duty at the time. He has been charged with two felony counts of conduct after an incident for his hit and run, but he has yet to be indicted.
Drukker’s attorney, Marc Hathaway, claimed that the charges had been reduced to misdemeanors. One of the charges alleges that Coco was “attempting to access information on a cell phone” when the accident occurred.
Drukker, however, disagrees with the charges being reduced.
“We believe it’s clearly a felony,” Drukker said.
The Drukkers claim that Dean and Noah were walking in the road when they noticed a car approaching. They moved to the side of the road and began walking single file, but the vehicle hit both of them, throwing Noah and running over Dean. Dean was knocked unconscious and left extremely bloody as Coco drove away.
officer charged with theft of public money
SAN FRANCISCO — A San Francisco police officer was charged with theft of public money after officials said he spent his days at home when he should have been walking a beat.
The San Francisco Chronicle reportsundercover officers watched 52-year-old Ronald Gehrke go home repeatedly over a period of months while he was on duty.
An investigation was launched after a neighbor wrote to police brass wondering why Gehrke's department cruiser was often parked in the driveway of his house near Lake Merced.
The 19-year department veteran faces 10 misdemeanor counts. He has been suspended without pay. If Gehrke's found guilty, he could face a year in jail and will likely be fired.
The officer is due back in court Oct. 24, when a judge will schedule a trial.
The San Francisco Chronicle reportsundercover officers watched 52-year-old Ronald Gehrke go home repeatedly over a period of months while he was on duty.
An investigation was launched after a neighbor wrote to police brass wondering why Gehrke's department cruiser was often parked in the driveway of his house near Lake Merced.
The 19-year department veteran faces 10 misdemeanor counts. He has been suspended without pay. If Gehrke's found guilty, he could face a year in jail and will likely be fired.
The officer is due back in court Oct. 24, when a judge will schedule a trial.
Cop Out on Bail After Alleged Extortion Arrest
A Burbank police officer was out on bail Wednesday after being arrested this week for allegedly trying to extort more than $100,000 from his girlfriend's estranged husband. A court complaint outlines that Anthony Valento is suspected of asking for the payment with the promise of getting reduced or dropped domestic violence charges against Jeremy Bassett.
Pittsburgh police employees remain off job
Four Pittsburgh police employees have been on paid leave for eight months, and their representatives said Wednesday they still don't know why. Acting police Chief Regina McDonald placed Ganster, manager of the police Office of Personnel and Finance, on a paid but unexplained leave the first week of March, Difenderfer said. Deputy Chief Paul Donaldson said Ganster's status has not changed.
McDonald placed personnel and finance civilian employees Tammy Davis and Kim Montgomery and Officer Tonya Montgomery-Ford on paid leave in February. Donaldson referred questions on their status to Public Safety Director Mike Huss, who declined to comment.
Montgomery-Ford, a master police officer, earned $103,877 in total pay in 2012, according to payroll records. “She's sitting at home getting full pay,” LaPorte said. “There has not been another conversation about it.”
Ganster earned $72,542 during 2012, Davis $44,047 and Montgomery $41,218, according to records.
McDonald has said she suspended the employees until an FBI investigation into the police department is completed. FBI spokeswoman Kelly Kochamba declined to comment.
Davis and Montgomery-Ford were business partners of indicted former police Chief Nate Harper. Davis, Montgomery-Ford, Cmdr. Eric Holmes and Sgt. Barry Budd formed a company — called Diverse Public Safety Consultants LLC — in February 2012 with Harper. Kim Montgomery is Tonya Montgomery-Ford's mother.
Difenderfer said Ganster went to Public Safety Director Michael Huss on Feb. 9 with concerns about spending from an unauthorized account at the Greater Pittsburgh Federal Credit Union. She was one of eight city employees with a debit card tied to a credit union account.
She told investigators that Harper used money from the account to buy riot shields for police during the Group of 20 economic summit in 2009 and outdoor furniture and ashtrays for a deck at police headquarters. Difenderfer likened the credit union to a “petty cash” drawer that Harper used at his discretion. Difenderfer said Ganster went to Huss because she learned money from the credit union account paid for a promotion party for Holmes.
A federal grand jury indicted Harper in March on charges he diverted more than $70,000 from the police department's special events office into a private account and spent $31,986 of the money on personal expenses. He is charged with four counts of failing to file tax returns and plans to plead guilty on Friday.
McDonald placed personnel and finance civilian employees Tammy Davis and Kim Montgomery and Officer Tonya Montgomery-Ford on paid leave in February. Donaldson referred questions on their status to Public Safety Director Mike Huss, who declined to comment.
Montgomery-Ford, a master police officer, earned $103,877 in total pay in 2012, according to payroll records. “She's sitting at home getting full pay,” LaPorte said. “There has not been another conversation about it.”
Ganster earned $72,542 during 2012, Davis $44,047 and Montgomery $41,218, according to records.
McDonald has said she suspended the employees until an FBI investigation into the police department is completed. FBI spokeswoman Kelly Kochamba declined to comment.
Davis and Montgomery-Ford were business partners of indicted former police Chief Nate Harper. Davis, Montgomery-Ford, Cmdr. Eric Holmes and Sgt. Barry Budd formed a company — called Diverse Public Safety Consultants LLC — in February 2012 with Harper. Kim Montgomery is Tonya Montgomery-Ford's mother.
Difenderfer said Ganster went to Public Safety Director Michael Huss on Feb. 9 with concerns about spending from an unauthorized account at the Greater Pittsburgh Federal Credit Union. She was one of eight city employees with a debit card tied to a credit union account.
She told investigators that Harper used money from the account to buy riot shields for police during the Group of 20 economic summit in 2009 and outdoor furniture and ashtrays for a deck at police headquarters. Difenderfer likened the credit union to a “petty cash” drawer that Harper used at his discretion. Difenderfer said Ganster went to Huss because she learned money from the credit union account paid for a promotion party for Holmes.
A federal grand jury indicted Harper in March on charges he diverted more than $70,000 from the police department's special events office into a private account and spent $31,986 of the money on personal expenses. He is charged with four counts of failing to file tax returns and plans to plead guilty on Friday.
RI state police official suspended with pay
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — Rhode Island state police have suspended a high-ranking officer with pay while an undisclosed allegation is being investigated.
The Providence Journal reported Thursday that State Police Col. Steven O'Donnell confirmed disciplinary action has been taken against 45-year-old Lt. Col. Wilfred Hill, the agency's third-highest ranking officer. O'Donnell declined to comment on the allegation, saying he couldn't give details of an internal matter.
State police legal counsel Lisa Holley said Hill was placed on administrative leave Tuesday, and Massachusetts State Police are helping in the Rhode Island State Police investigation to avoid appearance of conflict of interest.
The 22-year veteran was promoted in April. The job includes overseeing the state police training academy, sheriffs, capitol police, fire marshal and the emergency telephone system.
The Providence Journal reported Thursday that State Police Col. Steven O'Donnell confirmed disciplinary action has been taken against 45-year-old Lt. Col. Wilfred Hill, the agency's third-highest ranking officer. O'Donnell declined to comment on the allegation, saying he couldn't give details of an internal matter.
State police legal counsel Lisa Holley said Hill was placed on administrative leave Tuesday, and Massachusetts State Police are helping in the Rhode Island State Police investigation to avoid appearance of conflict of interest.
The 22-year veteran was promoted in April. The job includes overseeing the state police training academy, sheriffs, capitol police, fire marshal and the emergency telephone system.
Cop fired who mistook lethal rounds
PORTLAND, Ore. -- Portland Police Chief Mike Reese has fired an officer who critically wounded a man with a shotgun he mistakenly thought was loaded with beanbag rounds.
The Police Bureau said in a statement that Officer Dane Reister was notified of his dismissal on Tuesday. Reister shot William Monroe in June 2011.
Police had been called because Monroe, who had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, was acting oddly by tossing discarded flowers toward children in a park. Reister was indicted on an assault charge and has pleaded not guilty.
Earlier this year, the Portland City Council agreed to pay more than $2 million to settle a lawsuit filed on behalf of Monroe. Daryl Turner, the president of the police union, declined to comment on the firing.