Fairfax County Police Watch: 04/20/14

Wicomico NAACP leader calls for creation of police oversight board

Vanessa Junkin

SALISBURY — The way things are now in Wicomico County, law enforcement agencies are policing law enforcement officers.

The Maryland State Police Homicide Unit regularly investigates police-involved shootings, and for those incidents, the Wicomico County State’s Attorney’s Office makes decisions on whether to prosecute.

Mary Ashanti, president of the Wicomico County branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, would like to see citizens become more involved in the process.

At a Wicomico County Council meeting Tuesday, Ashanti brought up the suggestion for a police oversight board with subpoena power during the public comment session.

“The complaints we have is police are investigating themselves,” Ashanti said.

Ashanti said in a phone interview that ideally, the board would be made up of citizens, businesspeople, clergy and maybe also people with a law enforcement background who are not current law enforcement officers. The board would look at deadly force situations or other incidents involving police misconduct, she said.

The suggestion comes after three police-involved shootings, two of which were fatal, that happened within two months earlier this year in Wicomico County.

“It’s time for a movement,” Ashanti said at the meeting.

Police oversight boards

There are civilian police oversight boards in cities across the country and beyond.

Brian Buchner, president of the National Association for Civilian Oversight of Law Enforcement, said the biggest benefit of having citizens provide oversight is building a bridge between the community and its police department, which creates more trust.

This trust leads to decreased crime, Buchner said. Oversight agencies also help ensure that people’s civil rights are protected, he said.

Buchner said civilian oversight boards are normally part of local governments. That’s the case for the City of Philadelphia’s Police Advisory Commission, where Kelvyn Anderson is executive director.

Anderson said Philadelphia’s first police advisory board was formed in 1958, and the current agency was formed in 1994.

The initial board did not have subpoena power, Anderson said, which is something the agency now has.

Because officers are not just disciplined based on the findings or view of the advisory board, and the board doesn’t have control over the police commissioner’s decision, Anderson said the commission has more influence when it comes to overall policy issues.

Philadelphia police have done more training for dealing with mental health issues, for example, because of the oversight board, Anderson said.

“We’ve found that, again, those larger policy issues are areas where if we’ve done our homework, if we’re listening well to the community, we have useful things to say to the police department,” Anderson said.

Local ideas

Wicomico County has seen three police-involved shootings between February and March — two which resulted in the death of two suspects.

Ashanti noted that locally, when those police-involved shootings take place, they are investigated by other police –– even if the shooting does not involve the Maryland State Police, for example, that agency works with the other local departments.

She’d prefer that an objective board look at the case, and she’d rather have the FBI or U.S. Department of Justice investigate incidents rather than, for example, the state police.

Ashanti said she’s currently in the researching stages of this initiative and is interested in seeing what other areas do.

Tuesday was the first time that County Council President Matt Holloway had heard about this idea, but he said if the public and law enforcement are on board with the initiative, he would support something like this.

He wasn’t sure whether the council or county executive would take the lead on such an initiative; he said he’d need to learn more and get further input.

This may be a good time to get started on something like this, Holloway said, and it could help be more proactive than reactionary.

“This could be a step towards accomplishing that,” Holloway said.

Wicomico County State’s Attorney Matt Maciarello did not have information about the specifics of this plan, so he did not talk about it in particular. He did say he supports strengthening relationships between police and the community. Law enforcement officials regularly meet with community leaders and organizers and hear concerns, he said.

He noted how important these police-community relationships are, and that in the majority of cases, citizens are crucial.

“The police are there to serve the citizenry, and the citizenry are there to assist the law enforcement,” Maciarello said.

Police Oversight Commission called a 'mockery'

By: Erica Zucco

One of three Police Oversight Commissioners who stepped down from the group today called the commission a “mockery” of real civilian oversight.

All three of them said the group has no power, citing an April 10 message from the city attorney’s office as the final straw. They say they do not want to deceive citizens into thinking they do have effective civilian oversight.

“I think they're frustrated cause they're just not getting the kind of power and oversight that they need and so we're seeing people resign,” Ralph Arellanes of LULAC, who served on a task force to reform the POC, said.

Peter Simonson of the ACLU was on that task force too.

“We felt the police oversight commission and the Independent review office, in whatever way shape or form they take, should form a single system and ultimately that the IRO should respond to, be supervised by, the oversight body,” Simonson said.

That task force created eighteen recommendations, some of which city council is working on now. But most of the recommendations haven’t been put into action by city officials.

In the meantime, Richard Shine, Jennifer Barela and Jonathan Siegel resigned from the commission.

“It's unfortunate, maybe it's inevitable. The situation we have currently, we know that the POC and the IRO are in a state of complete uncertainty as they wait to see what the city council plans to do,” Simonson said. “They were extremely frustrated with the way in which the city attorney's office has construed the relationship between the IRO and the POC, construed the power of the POC to weigh in on policy matters and obtain certain kinds of data from the police department and so I think all of their concerns were completely legitimate, I can totally understand why they had the reaction they did and I know both Mr. Siegel and Mr. Shine and I think they are upstanding individuals, devoted to their community.”

In their letters, all three resigning commissioners said they hope the city will take action to reform the POC.

“I think they truly wanted to see an effective civilian oversight body process here in the city of Albuquerque and I think it’s a shame to lose them from the civilian oversight process. I hope that they can remain engaged because really they have committed literally thousands of hours on our community's behalf,” Simonson said.

3 Albuquerque police oversight members resign

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Half of the members of Albuquerque's Police Oversight Commission have resigned, citing a lack of independence and inability to provide any real citizen oversight of the troubled department.

The resignations Tuesday by three members of the civilian review board come less than a week after the U.S. Justice Department issued a scathing report on what it called excessive force and a culture of abuse and aggression at the Police Department. Albuquerque officers have shot at 37 men since 2010, killing 23.

The report also criticized the city's oversight system and limited powers in investigating cases of questionable police conduct.

Oversight commission members Jennifer Barela, Jonathan Siegel and Richard Shine sent their letters of resignation to Mayor Richard Berry, leaving just three members on the nine-member panel, which had three vacancies. Each city council member has the ability to appoint a member to the commission.

In his letter, Siegel said a series of decisions by the city attorney's office gives the board little power to do more than ratify the recommendations of an independent review officer, who Siegel says is "fully aligned with the chief of police."

"I cannot continue to pretend or deceive the members of our community into believing that our city has any real civilian oversight," he wrote.

Albuquerque's chief administrative officer, Rob Perry, thanked the commission members for their service and said, "We are hopeful that the City Council, which created this board and nominates its members, will work in consultation with the DOJ in continued efforts to reform and implement needed changes."

Photograph the Police: Photographer sues Caltrans, CHP over Willits arres...

Photograph the Police: Photographer sues Caltrans, CHP over Willits arres...: By GLENDA ANDERSON A freelance photographer who was arrested while covering protests against the controversial Willits highway bypa...

Former cop sentenced for fatal crash

TROY -- A former Rensselaer police officer was sentenced to prison for driving drunk and killing his childhood friend in a crash.

Mark Fusco pleaded guilty to first degree vehicular manslaughter Friday

afternoon. Fusco admitted he had a blood alcohol content of .18 or greater when

he crashed into a tree in East Greenbush on March 13, 2013. His passenger, Sean

Murphy, 22, was killed.

Fusco said he couldn’t remember why the two got in the car after taking taxis

all night. Murphy’s family said early reports that they had forgotten something

in a taxi and were trying to catch up were untrue.

Sean’s mother, Coreen, read the only victim impact statement during sentencing.

“I am so proud to call myself Sean's mother. It's all I’ve ever

wanted to be. He was the greatest son and person a mom could ever wish for. On

the morning of March 13th I was destroyed, my heart shattered and sadly since

day I wish every morning when I open my eyes that somehow I could trade places

with my son,” said Coreen. “Sean was the heart of our family we don’t know how

to go on without him.”

Fusco’s attorney said Fusco wanted to plead guilty immediately after the crash,

but he advised him against it. He also said Fusco resigned from the force days

after the crash.

“I am...beyond sorry for causing your son to be taken away. Sean was my best

friend, he was my brother,” Fusco told the Murphy’s before sentencing. “Words

will never explain how truly sorry I am to both of you. I can’t imagine what

you're going through and it tears me up inside to think what I’ve done to such

good people.”

Former Athens cop indicted for bribery

By JOE JOHNSON

former Athens-Clarke County police officer was recently indicted by a Clarke County grand jury on bribery and other charges for allegedly trying to help a friend buy his way out of a DUI arrest.

Christopher Lee Burton, 35, had been on the police force a little more than three years when he was arrested and then fired in February 2012 for arranging the bribery attempt, officials said.

He and his friend, 63-year-old Julian Larry Anderson of Monroe, were both charged with bribery and conspiracy to commit bribery, according to the indictment filed April 8 in Clarke County Superior Court.

Burton was additionally charged with violation of oath by a public officer.

The alleged bribery scheme stemmed from Anderson’s arrest in August 2011 on charges of DUI and failure to maintain.

Athens-Clarke County Senior Police Officer Sean Palmateer arrested Anderson after seeing his car weaving on West Broad Street, according to police reports.

Anderson pleaded not guilty and was set to go to trial on the charges in March 2012. But as the trial approached, he allegedly asked Burton if he could help him out of his jam, authorities said.

According to the indictment, Burton told Palmateer that Anderson was a friend who would pay $2,000 if Palmateer would dismiss the criminal charges.

Burton then invited his fellow officer to a party Anderson was supposed to be attending, according to the indictment.

Palmateer immediately informed a supervisor that he’d been approached by Burton.

The alleged bribe offer made its way up the chain of command to Police Chief Jack Lumpkin, who asked the Georgia Bureau of Investigation to investigate.

A meeting between Palmateer and Anderson was subsequently arranged. When money changed hands between the suspect and the officer, the transaction was monitored by the GBI, authorities said.

The amount of the bribe was $3,500, according to the indictment.

Burton was arrested by the GBI on Feb. 16, 2012, and Anderson was arrested three days later.

Police: Kronenwetter cop hired prostitute multiple times

Shereen Siewert

WAUSAU — A Kronenwetter police officer arrested Thursday is suspected of hiring a prostitute multiple times in a six-month time span, police say.

Jason Rasmussen, 41, was arrested at about 6 p.m. Thursday on charges of soliciting a prostitute and encouraging probation violations by detective supervisors with the Wausau Police Department, according to a news release issued Monday. Rasmussen was hired by the Kronenwetter Police Department as a part-time patrol officer in July 2006 and was promoted to full time in July 2007, according to the Kronenwetter Police Department website.

An investigation began April 8 when a woman approached a Wausau police officer on an unrelated call and asked to speak with the officer privately, according to the release. The woman, whose name was not released, told the officer she exchanged sex for money with Rasmussen after Rasmussen responded to an ad for adult escort services she placed on the Internet classified site Backpage.com.

The woman told police Rasmussen first hired her as a prostitute in Green Bay, but sexual encounters for money also took place in Wausau and Kronenwetter, according to the release. The woman told police Rasmussen was aware she was on probation at the time the sexual encounters took place. Investigators confirmed and verified details of several transactions before questioning Rasmussen Thursday, police said.

Rasmussen cooperated with police during the investigation, which was launched with the “knowledge and full cooperation” of Kronenwetter Police Chief Dan Joling, according to the release.

Rasmussen was released shortly after his arrest. Wausau police, citing an ongoing investigation, on Monday declined a Daily Herald Media request for the police report.

“Any further release of information may compromise the investigation,” Wausau Police Capt. Greg Hagenbucher wrote in his news release.

Joling on Friday said Rasmussen “has been placed on administrative leave, pending an investigation into the matter.”

Official charges are expected to be filed in the coming days.

Denver detective suspended in prostitution probe

Wayne Harrison

DENVER - A Denver Police detective has been suspended after he was stopped by Lakewood Police with a known prostitute.

Lakewood Police said members of their Special Enforcement Team observed a 49-year-old female, known to engage in prostitution, enter a vehicle in the area of West Colfax Avenue and Ingalls Street on Thursday night. When police stopped the vehicle, the driver identified himself as a Denver Police officer who was not on duty at the time.

Lakewood Police said the two were questioned and released while the investigation continued.

Denver Police identified the detective Monday evening as Michael Ryan.

Denver Police spokesman Sonny Jackson said Ryan is on administrative leave until the outcome of the investigation by Lakewood Police. Jackson said he will serve his leave at home and not in another capacity within the police department.

Police said Ryan has not been arrested or charged, but the investigation is continuing.

Former GPD Officer Charged With Destroying Evidence

A warrant charging a former Greenville police officer sheds new information on what he is accused of doing.

Heriberto Calles, age 40 of Winterville, was charged this morning with common law obstruction of justice, altering, destroying or stealing evidence of criminal conduct, and willfully failing to discharge duties.

Greenville Police Sergeant Joe Friday says Calles responded to a domestic disturbance at 305 East 13th Street on February 17. The next day, someone involved in the case came to the police department to provide more information. That's when other officers noticed irregularities in the original report, according to Friday.

Police say a closer look found Calles had destroyed photographic evidence to minimize the domestic disturbance case.

An arrest warrant says Calles told the victim and plaintiff in the domestic call "that this never happened and we (the police) were never here, you need to settle this on your own."

Another warrant says Calles destroyed pictures taken of the domestic violence incident, while telling two other officers to lie in the internal investigation.

The Greenville Police Department launched an internal investigation into Calles on February 24 and contacted the SBI on February 27, according to Friday.

Calles was placed on administrative leave with pay on March 3, and Friday says he submitted his resignation on March 7.

Police say the former officer was hired in January 2010.

"The arrest of Officer Calles serves as reminder that the law enforcement community in our city is not above the law and that the investigative process is intact and unbiased," said Chief Hassan Aden. "I want our community to know that the Greenville Police Department holds itself accountable to the highest ethical standards and all laws that govern our society. This case was self-discovered and pursued by the Internal Affairs Division of the Greenville Police Department. I want to reaffirm that maintaining the public's trust is a top priority of my administration."

Calles was given a $10,000 bond at the magistrate's office. He made a first appearance this morning before a District Court judge and now has a June 26th court date.

The case Calles is accused of destroying evidence never went to court. Police say the person who brought the case decided on March 20 to not prosecute.

Specifics on cop's evidence tampering arrest still unclear

By Devin Knight -

A Sylvester police officer facing multiple felony charges for his actions while on duty three years ago, is out on bond Wednesday, but additional charges could lie ahead.

The Worth Co. District Attorney requested the Georgia Bureau of Investigation to investigate Lt. George Hall, after the Sylvester Police Department arrested him Tuesday afternoon.

Sylvester Police Chief Robert Jennings said the department received a complaint on April 7th, stemming from an Incident on April 21, 2011. The chief declined to comment on specifics of the case, but said Hall was taken into custody after the department conducted an investigation.

He was charged with tampering with evidence, false statements and violation of oath of office. "When you find evidence, there's a certain way it's supposed to be handled," said Chief Jennings. "And if it's not handled that way then it's called tampering with evidence. So there was a mishandling of evidence the way he did it, and the purpose for which he handled the evidence."

Jennings said Hall's actions likely won't compromise previous cases he was involved with as an officer. He said his department is committed to serve and protect the public.

"We have good officers here," he said. "And anytime we get a complaint on an officer, it's fully investigated."

"Since the GBI Is gonna do a follow up investigation on some of the stuff we did uncover, then at this time we don't want to say anything else," said SPD Chief Robert Jennings. Hall is currently suspended with pay.

Hall was taken to the Worth County Jail, but was released after posting $15,000 bond Tuesday. The Worth County Clerk's Office was awaiting copies of warrants from the Worth County Sheriff's Office Wednesday, before moving forward with arraignment papers.

Jennings said Hall could face further charges following another investigation by the GBI, but declined to comment further.

Assistant GBI Agent Mark Pro confirmed his offices were contacted after Hall was arrested, but declined to comment on the extent of the investigation.

Greenwood officer suspended

GREENWOOD, Ind. (Daily Journal) – A 13-year veteran of the Greenwood Police Department has been suspended and the chief is asking that she be fired after repeatedly showing up late for work and violating multiple other departmental rules.

According to 24-Hour News 8′s news gathering partner The Daily Journal, Officer Paula Redd has been suspended with pay until a hearing by the police merit commission May 8, when the board will consider Chief John Laut’s recommendation to fire the officer.

Redd has 20 days to file any statements in her defense or to dispute the allegations of repeated tardiness and other violations. She also would be able to speak at the hearing. She could resign and avoid a hearing.

Michigan man who spent 5 years in prison for wrongful arson conviction sues officers, county

BOON TOWNSHIP, Michigan — A man who spent five years in prison for a wrongful arson conviction has sued a northern Michigan county, three sheriff's deputies and a state trooper.

Forty-year-old Victor Caminata was convicted in 2008 of burning a house in Wexford County's Boon Township where he lived with his girlfriend and children. It's near Cadillac.

The University of Michigan law school's Innocence Clinic found arson experts who concluded an improperly installed wood stove caused the fire.

A judge overturned the conviction last July.

Caminata filed a federal lawsuit Feb. 28, saying the county and officers violated his constitutional rights against false arrest and for due process by withholding evidence that could have cleared him.

The county denies Caminata's rights were violated, while the state says the trooper has immunity in the case.

Thunder Bay police officer charged after collision

Second officer charged with red light violation in recent weeks

Thunder Bay police have charged a member of the police service with failing to stop for a red light.

The charge stems from a collision last Thursday that sent four people to hospital, including two children.

It happened when a marked police cruiser collided with another vehicle near the corner of Arthur and Franklin streets just after 7:30 p.m. on April 10th.

Police say the officer involved was en route to a service call, but it was not an emergency. According to a police news release, the officer was not seriously injured in the incident, and is "back to work on her regular schedule."

A similar collision in March led to another officer being charged with a red light violation. Police said he was en route to a robbery at a Mac's convenience store when his cruiser collided with a compact sedan at Victoria Avenue and Waterloo Street.

In that incident, the officer behind the wheel was accompanied by a civilian who was on a ride-along. Both suffered minor injuries, as did the driver of the other vehicle.

Yonkers cop skips arraignment to be treated, lawyer says

Will David

YONKERS – A three-year veteran of the Yonkers Police Department who was arrested on drug charges earlier this month didn't show up for his arraignment Wednesday because he was in a medical facility, his lawyer said.

Officer Scott R. Stefanik's hearing in City Court was adjourned until May 12, when he will be officially charged with seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, a misdemeanor.

On Thursday, attorney Andrew Quinn declined to characterize the type of medical facility his client had been admitted to, saying only that he was getting the treatment he needed.

Stefanik was suspended without pay from the force after his arrest. Quinn said according to police records, 12 methadone pills, three diazepam pills and two small bags of cocaine were confiscated from Stefanik.

Stefanik was arrested about 9 p.m. April 3 after a drug investigation near Locust Hill Avenue. Stefanik, who was off-duty, was arrested by members of the Internal Affairs Unit.

Stefanik was assigned to the communications division at the time of his arrest. He is the son of Scott V. Stefanik, a 16-year police veteran, who has not been implicated in any criminal activity, police said.

Bellevue cop fired after failing to arrest fellow officer

A Bellevue police officer was fired Wednesday after failing to arrest a fellow officer he had pulled over for an alleged DUI.
The incident happened Nov. 20, 2013 when Officer Andrew Hanke was pulled over on Interstate 90 near Issaquah. Bellevue police say Officer Doug Brennan did not arrest Hanke, who was off-duty, and let him be driven home by a family member.
Police spokesperson Carla Iafrate said Brennan notified a supervisor about what happened and Chief Linda Pillo was notified the next morning.
Brennan was placed on administrative leave in February while his actions in the case were investigated. Chief Pillo determined Brennan violated numerous department policies, including ethics violations and false information, Iafrate said.
“This entire incident has been difficult for everyone involved. It is unfortunate that two good people have had their careers with BPD ended over this,” said Deputy Chief Jim Jolliffe in a statement. “We have a duty to the community, and the good men and women of this police department to uphold our high standards of integrity and professionalism.”
Brennan was a 15-year veteran of the department. He was a traffic accident investigator and a member of the bomb squad.
Hanke was charged by the Issaquah city prosecutor in December. He resigned from the department in January.
Hanke is the same officer who was involved in a highly publicized incident at a Seattle Seahawks game in 2012 in which he was accused of aggressive and obscene behavior. The incident prompted the chief to remove him from the Bellevue police bomb squad and suspend him for 30 days.

Suspended Bloomfield officers appear in court

BY THOMAS TAUCHERT

Two suspended Bloomfield police officers were back in a Newark courtroom on Monday as a motion of discovery was made by the defense regarding a police report on Marcus Jeter, the man both officers arrested in June 2012.

"(The officers) are accused of falsifying reports but we've never seen them," said Charles Clark, attorney for Sean Courter.

Prosecutor Betty Rodriguez indicated that something should be able to be worked out with the defense counsel.

Courter and Orlando Trinidad are accused of conspiracy, official misconduct, tampering with public records and false swearing. The pair arrested Jeter on the Garden State Parkway. Two dashboard camera videos later showed Jeter's driver side window being shattered before he is pulled from the vehicle. Police maintain he was repeatedly ordered out of the vehicle but refused and proceeded to lock all doors.

Trinidad's new attorney, Frank Arleo, was also in court. Arleo replaces Patrick Toscano, who Judge Michael Ravin dismissed from the case due to his representation, years ago, of a witness set to testify in this case.

Courter and Trinidad are due back before Judge Ravin on Friday, May 16.

Colchester Police Complete Investigation Into Officer Charged with DUI

Joe Gullo

COLCHESTER, Vt. - The Colchester Police Department wrapped up their internal investigation into an officer charged with DUI.

Colchester Police say Officer Jeremy Wyskiel, 36, violated the department's conformance to law and conduct unbecoming rules. A substantial discipline package has been imposed on Wyskiel.

 Wyskiel is accused of driving home drunk from a bowling alley in Colchester during the early morning hours of March 24. Court documents say Wyskiel took a breath test and blew a 0.217%, which is almost three times over the legal limit of .08%

Wyskiel was on paid administrative leave until the internal investigation was completed. He has not returned to duty as he has been on sick leave since April 7. The department says they don't know when Wyskiel will return to work.

Wyskiel pleaded not guilty to one count of driving under the influence last month.

Search warrants in King City cop corruption case will remain sealed for now.

by Mary Duan

A Monterey County Superior Court judge has agreed to keep search warrants served on the King City Police Department, a police sergeant and a city technology contractor sealed for another 90 days as investigation into apparent widespread police corruption in that city continues.

The warrants, served on the Soledad home of Sgt. Bobby Carrillo, King City Police headquarters and the King City home of IT consultant Ken Tippery on Jan. 17 were due to be unsealed April 20. But Chief Assistant District Attorney Terry Spitz confirmed DA investigators requested the 90-day clock be reset on April 14, citing the ongoing investigation.

The Jan. 17 warrant service came more than a month before DA investigators, backed by Monterey County Sheriff's deputies, FBI agents and Salinas police, went on a pre-dawn raid Feb. 25 and arrested the acting police chief, the former police chief, the acting chief's brother and two King City cops—including Carrillo—on a variety of charges. A third officer surrendered later at the sheriff's office.

Carrillo, along with Acting Chief Bruce Miller and his brother, Miller's Towing owner Brian Miller, allegedly engaged in an ongoing scheme to tow and impound vehicles that Carrillo pulled over while on duty. Prosecutors allege Carrillo targeted impoverished, undocumented Latinos in the scheme—on the theory the victims would be too frightened of deportation or other backlash to complain—seizing their cars and swinging the towing and impound business to Brian Miller.

When the victims couldn't afford to retrieve their cars from impound, they were sold. Prosecutors claim that for every 10 or 15 cars Carrillo had towed, Brian Miller kicked one back to him for free. In all, they say Carrillo seized upwards of 200 cars.

Brian Miller has been charged with conspiracy and bribery, while Bruce Miller is accused of accepting a bribe—one of the towed and impounded cars. Carrillo is charged with conspiracy, accepting a bribe and bribing an executive officer.

Other officers arrested that day on charges unrelated to the towing scheme are Jaime Andrade (charged with possession of an assault weapon and illegal storage of a firearm); Mark Allen Baker (making criminal threats against a citizen); and Mario Alonso Mottu Sr. (embezzlement, related to a department owned vehicle allegedly transferred to him by former Chief Nick Baldiviez, who's also charged with embezzlement).

It remains totally unclear why investigators served a warrant on Tippery, the IT contractor, but the morning of the arrests, District Attorney Dean Flippo confirmed computers had been seized from Tippery's home. In a bizarre turn of events, Tippery was on a ride-along with former Soledad Police Officer Jesus Yanez when Yanez shot and wounded a man he claimed was armed with a firearm. Yanez, also a former King City officer, was dismissed from the Soledad Police Department in March. Tippery has previously been convicted of child molestation, but had the misdemeanor case that dated back to the late 1990s dismissed after successfully completing probation.

It's widely believed that the first round of arrests won't be the last one. The sealed warrants include statements of probable cause—the statement a law enforcement official crafts before seeking a search warrant—that lays out the facts of a case.

One thing likely still under investigation: money that went missing following a botched bank robbery at the Central Coast Federal Credit Union on March 25, 2013. King City police quickly arrested the suspects, who have all since pleaded no contest and started serving their prison sentences. But there was $6,000 missing by the time the stolen money—$24,352—was recovered, booked into evidence and then turned over to the FBI.

Video Contradicts Testimony of 5 Chicago Cops

by Tim Lynch

From the Chicago Tribune:

One by one, five police officers took the witness stand at the Skokie courthouse late last month for what would typically be a routine hearing on whether evidence in a drug case was properly obtained.

But in a “Perry Mason” moment rarely seen inside an actual courtroom, the inquiry took a surprising turn when the suspect’s lawyer played a police video that contradicted the sworn testimony of the five officers — three from Chicago and two from Glenview, a furious judge found.

Cook County Circuit Judge Catherine Haberkorn suppressed the search and arrest, leading prosecutors to quickly dismiss the felony charges. All five officers were later stripped of their police powers and put on desk duty pending internal investigations. And the state’s attorney’s office is looking into possible criminal violations, according to spokeswoman Sally Daly.

“Obviously, this is very outrageous conduct,” a transcript of the March 31 hearing quoted the judge, a former county prosecutor, as saying. “All officers lied on the stand today. … All their testimony was a lie. So there’s strong evidence it was conspiracy to lie in this case, for everyone to come up with the same lie. … Many, many, many, many times they all lied.”

What would have happened here had there been no video? What about other cases handled by these cops? Was this the very first instance of dishonesty?

Wrongfully arrested man sues city of Pittsburgh, police

Brian Bowling

Two Pittsburgh police officers ignored clear evidence that a library security guard was innocent when they arrested him on Sept. 16 for the armed robbery of Dana's Bakery in Homewood, the man claims in a federal lawsuit filed Thursday.

DeAndre Brown, 26, of Lincoln-Larimer is suing the city, Detective Nicholas Bobbs, Officer Frank Welling and as yet unnamed police supervisors for false arrest, wrongful imprisonment, malicious prosecution and intentional infliction of emotional distress.

A city spokesman couldn't be reached for comment.

Brown, a security guard at the Carnegie Library in Homewood, was attending a work-related seminar four miles away at the main branch in Oakland on Sept. 10 when the bakery was robbed, the lawsuit says.

Despite video surveillance, sign-in sheets and eyewitnesses confirming he was at the seminar, police charged him with the robbery based on a bakery employee identifying Brown, a frequent customer, as the robber when he came into the store the next day, the lawsuit says.

Brown spent 36 days in jail and another 13 days on electronic monitoring until the District Attorney's Office withdrew the charges, the lawsuit says.