Paterson weighs $200K settlement in police brutality case involving go-go dancer

 Municipal officials have reached a tentative settlement in the lawsuit that a go-go dancer filed against Paterson earlier this year after a city police officer allegedly slammed the handcuffed woman to the floor in a holding cell at headquarters. The incident was taped by a police headquarters surveillance camera.

Among other six-figure settlements in the past three years were:

$710,000 for a lawsuit filed by a woman who said a police officer forced her to perform oral sex on him while she was in custody at police headquarters.

$400,000 for two lawsuits filed by men who said they were beaten by police wen they tried to collect a reward for returning a firefighter’s lost cell phone.

Green Bay pays man $20,000 in police brutality settlement

The City of Green Bay has agreed to pay $20,000 to settle a police brutality case. Anthony Basler, 34, accused officers of using batons, shackles and bodily force to injure his head, face, neck and other parts of his body in a 2010 incident inside his apartment.

Basler was charged with resisting arrest, disorderly conduct and pepper-spraying officers. But the Brown County district attorney's office later dropped the charges

Second Galesville officer suspended, demoted

The second cop accused of misconduct will be suspended, demoted and receive a pay cut, the judge assigned to the case announced Wednesday.

“There is substantial and credible evidence to terminate officer John Kamrowski,” judge Benjamin Proctor wrote in his ruling, but he should not be because of his “long and credible service.”

The case involving Kamrowski and officer James Brudos, who resigned last week, dragged on for a year — during which both officers were on paid leave, costing the city nearly $100,000 — and was based on several allegations of insubordination and other misconduct.

Kamrowski was accused of seven instances of misconduct, and Brudos was accused of 10 after an independent investigation into their actions in recent years. The accusations include repeated violations of city policies, refusal to follow orders or cooperate with superiors, overstepping authority and other offenses.

Windermere cop: I 'was told to stop vehicles based on the color of the driver's skin'

A Windermere cop named Alejandro Rivera is charged with conducting racially based traffic stopped used the term "Bravo vehicle" to describe cars driven by black motorists, another officer told prosecutors in documents released Friday.

Rivera said his field-training officer, Jason Darnell, told him to pull someone over because he was driving a "Bravo vehicle," court documents show.

When Rivera asked what that meant, Darnell replied, ""Bravo stands for 'black, stop it,' "

"I was told to stop vehicles based on the color of the driver's skin and some preconceived notions I guess he had of race," Rivera said.

Rivera said he made three such stops that month under pressure from Darnell and wrote speeding tickets even though the in-car radar was turned off, records show.

Darnell was charged in April with official misconduct and making threats against a public servant. Windermere police are investigating Officer Ryan Miller, who has been suspended but not been charged.

FBI informant payments derail sentencing hearing for 'best cop money can buy'

Donald Abraham Solomon, the former police chief in Washington County who called himself "the best cop money can buy" won a reprieve from sentencing on extortion charges when his attorney suggested that the key informant had been bought for even more. Solomon admitted to taking around $8,800 from an FBI agent he thought was a drug dealer in return for standing guard over two meetings and supplying two Tasers.

Chicago cop to be sentenced in gang case

 Antonio Martinez, a Chicago cop who pleaded guilty to committing armed robberies for a street gang could be sentenced to 12 years in prison. He admitted committing armed robberies for the gang in Illinois and northwest Indiana. Another  Chicago cop, Alex Guerrero, was sentenced to 19 years in prison. Guerrero also admitted committing armed robberies for the Latin Kings.

Galveston Police Seized Wrong Phone in Attempt to Destroy Evidence of Brutality, Lawsuit Claims

The city of Galveston, Texas is facing a lawsuit from Jarrett Anthony Neu over an allegation of police brutality that includes cops seizing the wrong cellphone.

Neu claims that Galveston police arrested him at 4:45 p.m. on March 11, without a warrant, at a Galveston apartment complex. He claims they lied about it in the police report. He claims they subjected him not only to threats, intimidation, insult and humiliation, but severe and cruel physical abuse and punishment by both physical beating and the repeated unnecessary and unwarranted deployment of a less-than-lethal Taser weapon on plaintiff. Plaintiff, who suffers from a pre-existing cardiac ailment, suffered permanent and debilitating injuries as well as permanent disfigurement and scarring at the hands of these police officers. During this police administered beating, officers realized that a citizen was filming the beating via cell phone and the officer's involved without a legal reason seized (the wrong) cell phone. Counsel for plaintiff has the cell phone that recorded the beating. The conduct of defendant violated plaintiff's rights under the 1st, 4th, 8th and 14th Amendments to the United States Constitution."

Courthouse News notes it’s the first time they’ve reported a claim that police took a wrong cellphone while trying to seize video evidence of brutality, a growing trend with the rise of phone cameras.

Cop Accidentally Shot and killed Hofstra Student

A Nassau County cop accidentally shot a Hofstra University student Friday morning as a robbery suspect held her in front of his body and tried to back out of a house. Seven bullets struck the suspect, identified by police as Dalton Smith, 30 years old, killing him, One bullet struck the student, Andrea Rebello, 21, in the head.

Tisbury Officer Facing Criminal Charges

Kelly R. Kershaw, a Tisbury Mass. Cop is facing several charges in Edgartown district court after allegedly interfering with firefighters trying to fight a dryer fire at her home.

According to documents filed in court, the Tisbury fire department responded to a dryer fire at Kershaw’s home. Kershaw showed signs of intoxication and was concerned about her pet chicken. She was repeatedly asked her to leave the fire scene. “Officer Kershaw was acting in [an] extremely aggressive manner towards us as we informed her that she had to leave the area,” Kershaw allegedly screamed and swore at the officers. “I informed her that she had to leave the yard now and she again yelled and threatened to kill me,” he wrote, adding that he knew that she was a sworn police officer with a valid license to carry firearms. Officer Marathas said that at one point, Officer Kershaw swung at him and hit him on his left forearm. 

Lakewood cop already convicted on federal charges for stealing donations

Skeeter Manos, a Lakewood cop already convicted on federal charges for stealing donations from a fallen officers’ fund has admitted to identity theft and forgery in a Pierce County superior court. He tried to cover up the theft of $159,000 from a fund established after four Lakewood cops who were killed in a coffee shop on Nov. 29, 2009.

City of Portland to pay $35,000 to settle civil lawsuit alleging false arrest, battery during anti-police march

The City of Portland would pay $35,000 to settle a lawsuit brought by a man who was injured during a March 2010 anti-police protest, under an ordinance that will go before city commissioners Wednesday. The encounter, captured on television footage, resulted in injuries to Clifford Richardson. He was treated at OHSU Hospital after his head and face struck the pavement during a scuffle with an officer, according to city records. 

Hearing waived for D.C. officer accused in cocaine ring

 Washington, D.C. cop Jared Weinberg charged with laundering money for a California-to-Pittsburgh cocaine ring was released on his own recognizance.  Weinberg was arrested at his precinct on a complaint filed by federal prosecutors in Pittsburgh. He is charged with conspiracy to commit money-laundering for the drug ring, believed to have sold as much as four tons of cocaine between 2000 and 2009.

Another drugged up cop

ASHLAND, Kentucky — Melvin Charles Schoch Jr. a Kentucky cop entered a guilty plea in federal court to  charges of attempting to possess oxycodone with intent to distribute and possessing a firearm during the commission of a drug crime. According to the plea agreement, Schoch entered a home looking to take prescription pills and money under the guise of serving a search warrant. Court records show that neither drugs nor cash were found.

Weasel cop stealing more than $50,000 from his police union

 Robert John Lucking, A Park City Itah cop  has been charged with multiple counts of theft for allegedly stealing more than $50,000 from his police union and embezzling money from his department’s evidence room. 

Does this sound right to you?

A Fairfax County cop says his police cruiser was struck by another car on Gallows Road when the driver ran a stop sign. The cops say the car struck the cop car in the back quarter panel, making the cruiser spin and strike a utility pole. The cop car has a smashed tail light. The driver then fled the scene. The only description the cops have is that the car was a dark four-door sedan.

So the cop didn’t get a license plate, a make or model of the car and he didn’t chase the bad guy?

Yeah…well….you know…that could happen.

No really, it could happen.

Does this sound right to you?

A Fairfax County cop says his police cruiser was struck by another car on Gallows Road when the driver ran a stop sign. The cops say the car struck the cop car in the back quarter panel, making the cruiser spin and strike a utility pole. The cop car has a smashed tail light. The driver then fled the scene. The only description the cops have is that the car was a dark four-door sedan.

So the cop didn’t get a license plate, a make or model of the car and he didn’t chase the bad guy?

Yeah…well….you know…that could happen.

No really, it could happen.

Today's police brutality reports

A Providence Police Department internal investigation is underway following an incident early Sunday morning that left a local man with injuries that he claims were caused by a police officer.  Eric Rodriquez, 27, showed Target 12 2 black eyes and several scrapes and bruises on his face and body. He says a police officer stopped him while he was walking on Potters Avenue near Harriet Street, just before 1 in the morning on Sunday. "I still don't know why they stopped me. And I didn't deserve this," Rodriguez says, referring to his injuries. "At one point, my eyes were swollen shut, worse than they are now. He hit me repeatedly in the face, and then moved my face to the other side and hit me repeatedly on that side"

Indianapolis settles Brandon Johnson's police brutality lawsuit for $150,000

It has been three years since Indianapolis teen Brandon Johnson was beaten by police officers as he challenged the arrest of his brother. At the time, then-Police Chief Paul Ciesielski called it one of the worst cases of excessive force he had seen in 23 years. Then-Public Safety Director Frank Straub issued a public apology. His mother settled a federal lawsuit against the city of Indianapolis for $150,000. 

Two Marion SC Police officers were fired Friday after they were charged this week following an investigation by State Law Enforcement Division. Sgt. Eric Walters and Frankie Brown were booked Thursday at the Marion County Detention Center on charges of assault and battery, first degree and misconduct in office. The case stems from an incident April 2 when a woman was hit with a Taser multiple times, the arrest warrant says. 

Wheeling, West Virginia: A former sheriff will spend a year in federal prison for his role in the beating of a robbery suspect. He will also serve 18 months’ probation and pay his victim $1,850. ow.ly/kZ6u0  The Cato Institutes National Police Misconduct NewsFeed Daily Recap 05-11-13 to 05-13-13   http://www.policemisconduct.net/national-police-misconduct-newsfeed-daily-recap-05-11-13-05-13-13/

Strasburg, Virginia: A police officer lost his job over accusations that he used excessive force against a suspect in a drug case, falsified records and violated safety rules without a threat to life. Said the chief in a letter to the officer, “Although you deny the allegations, the evidence in this case is overwhelmingly against you in all three allegations.” ow.ly/kZ2LL The Cato Institutes National Police Misconduct NewsFeed Daily Recap 05-11-13 to 05-13-13   http://www.policemisconduct.net/national-police-misconduct-newsfeed-daily-recap-05-11-13-05-13-13/

Leland police officer in wrongful arrest claim resigns

A Leland Police officer resigned last week, days after the town received a letter from a man saying he was wrongfully arrested by the officer.The letter was sent to the town by Katherine Parker of Tin Fulton Walker and Owen law firm, who represents Darryl Langley. Langley also contends that Smith allowed the removal of $10,000 worth of work equipment stolen from his house in June 2011. Smith and former Officer Andrew Correll responded to a call to assist Langley's former girlfriend Aimee Coleman in retrieving items from Langley's house. Correll resigned from the police force in Nov. 2012 after being cited for affray in a street fight outside of a Wilmington bar.

Meriden Police Brutality Case Going to Trial

After failing to have police brutality charges against him dismissed, Meriden police officer Evan Cossette is going to trial. Cossette, indicted by the federal government last year, is accused of shoving a prison whose hands were cuffed while being held inside a holding cell at the Meriden Police Department in 2010.
The victim received a head injury as a result. Cossette, the son of Police Chief Jeffry Cossette, was indicted by a grand jury that issued two counts, including a charge that Evan Cossette lied on official police reports about the incident. Under the indictment, Cossette is charged with one count of use of unreasonable force by a law enforcement officerand  one count of obstruction of a federal investigation by preparing a false report, which carries a maximum prison term of 20 years and a fine of up to $250,000.

More drunk and drugged up cops

Los Banos, California: The police department’s second highest ranking officer has been convicted of drunken driving, according to a county assistant district attorney. ow.ly/kUREk   The Cato Institutes National Police Misconduct NewsFeed Daily Recap 05-11-13 to 05-13-13

http://www.policemisconduct.net/national-police-misconduct-newsfeed-daily-recap-05-11-13-05-13-13/

East St. Louis, Illinois: A police officer was among seven people named in a federal indictment, alleging they operated a cocaine distribution ring. He has been charged with possession and conspiracy to distribute more than 5 kilograms of cocaine. ow.ly/kYscD The Cato Institutes National Police Misconduct NewsFeed Daily Recap 05-11-13 to 05-13-13

http://www.policemisconduct.net/national-police-misconduct-newsfeed-daily-recap-05-11-13-05-13-13/

Lorain police officer Hite guilty of physical control; charged with drunken driving pleads no contest in court

LORAIN —Officer Todd Hite, 33, pleaded no contest yesterday to the charge of drunken driving.  Hite was fined $750 and will have a 150-day license suspension back dated to Nov. 22, 2012, the date of the offense Graves said. Hite also will complete the Driver’s Intervention Program, a one-day treatment session.

Self-glorification

  We should build a rose garden to the memory of citizens killed by the Fairfax County Police. Don’t chuckle over it. There are enough people in this county willing to finance and promote the project.

   Just as the Fairfax County cops best bud Gerry (With a G, dearie) Hyland wants to tax our food, the cops decided to a mid-day self-glorification rally on company time. They have that much of our money to spare.  The manufactured event, a memorial service held at the Public Safety Rose Garden located behind police headquarters, was to recognize police officers killed in the line of duty.

  We should recognize police officers who sacrifice their lives for the public good. But in all fairness to the people of Fairfax County, we have done that and done that many times.

   Considering the enormity of police budget, the over gross overhead of assistant/deputy police chiefs, combined with the extremely generous paychecks and golden retirement parachutes we give the Fairfax County police …SHOULD’T THE COPS BE DOING THIS SORT OF THING ON THEIR OWN TIME AND AT THEIR OWN EXPENSE?

    This is to say nothing of issue that the Fairfax County Police spend an inordinate amount of time promoting themselves which is what the parade in the rose garden was about and which leads us to the question that if the cops were forced to put on the display in the rose garden on their own clock instead of ours, would they be conducting these self-serving ceremonies at all?  No, probably not because these sort of high drama gatherings are for the sake of illusion, a means of telling the taxpayer “Don’t look at what we take. Look at what we give”

    But they do take. They take a lot, especially when we factor in that Fairfax County cops, by and large, don’t live in this country which is very generous to them. Their paychecks are spent in Prince William County. The homes they buy are there as well. Their kids take short buses, no doubt, to Louden schools.  

   Yet the enormous overhead cost of redundant and unnecessary staff in the police department comes out of our counties budget. Same with the fat paychecks we give them and lucrative retirement deals they weaseled out of us. Our county pays for it.

    And what is this “Public safety rose garden?”  Why are we paying for this? If the cops want their own garden, they should build one out of their pockets and not ours. And why do they get one at all? Does the County assessor get an apple grove in his honor or garbage collectors a field of lilies?  Enough is enough.

D.C. police officer faces Pittsburgh hearing in drug ring case

A District of Columbia police officer charged with laundering money for a California-to-Pittsburgh cocaine ring under indictment since 2009 is free on bond pending a preliminary hearing next week before a federal magistrate here.

Jared Weinberg made a brief initial appearance today in federal court in Pittsburgh following his arrest Monday at his precinct in Washington, D.C., where he has been a police officer for a little more than a year.

He is charged with conspiracy to commit money-laundering for the ring, believed to have sold as much as four tons of cocaine between 2000 and 2009.

Officer Weinberg is accused of laundering drug proceeds for Damon Lewis Collins, identified as a California drug supplier for a trafficking organization run by Robert Russell Spence of Coraopolis.

Mr. Spence and Mr. Collins are among some two dozen alleged members of the ring under indictment here since 2009.

A separate indictment handed up in 2012 has charged six others with money-laundering, including Officer Weinberg's father, Howard Weinberg.

Several ring members have pleaded guilty, including Montel Staples, the former athletic director and basketball coach at now-closed Duquesne High School.

Prosecutors said Mr. Staples was a go-between who passed cocaine money to his brother, Tywan Staples, of Oakland, Calif., from Mr. Spence.

An affidavit prepared by the Criminal Investigation Division of the IRS says Officer Weinberg and his father rented apartments in and around Baltimore for Mr. Collins to use in the cocaine business.

The IRS estimated Mr. Collins laundered more than $2 million by structuring cash deposits into his own bank accounts and the bank accounts of 13 other people, including Officer Weinberg.

Structuring is a technique used by drug organizations to conceal the source of funds and evade currency transaction reports.

The case began in 2008 when one of the accused ring members, Ruben Mitchell of Stockton, Calif., brought a bag onto a flight from Oakland to Pittsburgh that was too big to fit into the overhead compartment.

The plane stopped over in Las Vegas, where the bag ended up on a carousel while the flight continued on to Pittsburgh with Mr. Mitchell.

When no one claimed the bag in Las Vegas, officials opened it, found 19 kilos of cocaine and called the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration in Pittsburgh to watch Mr. Mitchell when he arrived.

At the airport, drug agents watched Mr. Mitchell as he frantically looked for his bag.

DEA began building its case and arrested him in Idaho in 2009. Prosecutors said the ring had initially mailed coke from California to Pittsburgh, but as the operation grew larger, members started using couriers on flights.

Marinette police officer charged with writing checks to himself out of police account

MARINETTE - A former Marinette police officer has been charged with fraud for allegedly writing himself checks from the Marinette Police Explorers bank account.

According to the criminal complaint, Ryan Ilse wrote himself two checks from the account. One was for $180, which he cashed at Curry's Food, and the other was for $300, which he cashed at Brown's Corner.

When Ilse cashed the checks, he reportedly told the clerks at the stores that the checks were for overtime he had worked for the police department. He later admitted that he used all the money for gambling.

Ilse has been charged with two counts of Theft by Fraud. Each count is punishable by up to nine months in prison or a $10,000 fine.

2 California Borough officers suspended after leaving post while on-duty

CALIFORNIA, Pa. —

Two California Borough police officers have been suspended as a result of an incident last Friday that the police chief believe put the public at risk.

California Borough Police Chief Rick Encapera said the problem goes back to last Friday night when the on-duty officers weren’t where they were supposed to be.

Police said a bar fight broke out at Sigz Bistro located off the California University campus and spilled into the street.

Channel 11’s Jodine Costanzo confirmed that three California Borough officers were on-duty, but two, officers Justin Schultz and Terry Childs, left for a couple hours for an unauthorized errand miles away in the city of Washington, leaving one officer patrolling the entire borough on a busy Friday night.

Outraged students and business owners packed a California borough meeting Thursday night where council voted unanimously to suspend those Schultz and Childs for 30 days without pay.

Encapera said their actions created a public safety issue even though nearby departments provided backup.

Also, at the meeting Thursday night, many accused Schultz and Childs of unprofessional conduct and using excessive force.

Encapera promised that the accusations will be investigated, but the department’s trust and reputation have been called into question.

The average cop is a weasel ad here's why

Hamilton County, Ohio: A former sheriff’s deputy was sent to prison for two years for stealing $150,000 in gold from his employer. He was caught during a sting operation. ow.ly/kPlWT

Caseyville, Illinois: The police chief has been charged with two felonies, both alleging official misconduct. He is accused of using a vehicle seized by police for his own personal use. He is also charged with taking luggage purchased by the village and using it for himself. ow.ly/kRMzx

Newark, New Jersey: A police officer admitted in federal court to fraudulently receiving $60,000 in federal public housing assistance for a home he owned in the city. He remains suspended without pay, but has agreed to voluntarily resign his position. ow.ly/kRFUV

McKenzie, Tennessee: A police chief has been accused of stealing city property, including a tractor and two street sweepers. The items were valued at over $10,000 and went missing while he was the chief. ow.ly/kQkd1

Jail more of em

Update: Wilcox County, Georgia (First reported 10/25/12): The former sheriff was sentenced to ten years in prison for assaulting an inmate inside of the county jail and for conspiring to cover up the incident. “Today’s sentence reflects that law enforcement officers who assault inmates in their custody and make false statements erode the trust of the people that they have sworn to protect,” said the Deputy Assistant Attorney General for the civil rights division. ow.ly/kRGn8

Mansfield police officer suspended

MANSFIELD — Mansfield police Sgt. Billy Locke has been given a 15-day suspension without pay following an off-duty weekend incident involving another officer.

The second officer, Lauren Cross, was not disciplined because she is already on suspension for an earlier unrelated incident. Mansfield aldermen on Monday are expected to consider a recommendation to fire Cross.

Locke was punished for violation of department policy addressing conduct unbecoming an officer. “As a rule, police officers are held to a higher standard on and off duty,” Assistant Chief Gary Hobbs said.

The disciplinary action handed down to Locke was sparked by a dispute between him and Cross at a Bossier City night club. Both were under the influence of alcohol. Bossier City police responded to a call made by Cross, Hobbs said

No arrests were made. Locke’s suspension. effective Wednesday. was decided after a Bossier City police report was reviewed and the facts of the situation were evaluated, Hobbs said.

This not the first time Locke and Cross have been in trouble for off-duty behavior. They were suspended in September for 10 days without pay for an incident that took place during a Mansfield festival.

More drunk and drugged up cops and why the hell doesn't the Justice Deparment do something?

Abilene, Texas: A police officer has quit after being arrested on charges of public intoxication and firing a gun in a public place. ow.ly/kPZkE

Jacksonville, Florida: A police officer with a history of DUI got another one in a hit-and-run involving several vehicles. It is her third DUI. ow.ly/kPMby

Bethel, Alaska: A police officer is being charged with being intoxicated while on the scene of a police shooting. He was not the officer shooting, but he was assisting at the scene. The state is charging him with three misdemeanors: two counts of DUI and one count of misconduct involving a weapon. ow.ly/kRN6M

Bethel police officer charged with DUI

BETHEL, Alaska (AP) — A Bethel police officer is fighting charges that he was drunk when he showed up armed to assist another police officer at a crime scene.

KYUK-AM (http://bit.ly/10vEl54) reports Samuel Symmes, now employed as a police department dispatcher, is contesting two counts of driving under the influence and one count of weapons misconduct.

Symmes and his attorney, Myron Angstman, contend tests performed on blood samples taken from Symmes were not accurate.

Symmes was off duty Oct. 2 when he responded to a call for assistance from another officer. The officer had contacted 24-year-old Sam Alexie Jr. in a neighborhood near Brown's Slough. Bethel police said Alexie was intoxicated and pointed a rifle at the other officer, who fired at Alexie and killed him.

Prosecutors in charging documents said Symmes arrived in a police car and was ordered to secure the scene.

His behavior, prosecutors said, at first appeared normal. However, he fell at least twice.

The first time he dropped to his knees. He fell again and hit his head, but said he was not hurt. However, he was later found slumped over the steering wheel of his car and taken by ambulance to a Bethel hospital.

Police in a press release about the shooting said conditions were slippery and that an unidentified officer had fallen on slippery stairs and had suffered a severe concussion.

A sample of Symmes' blood at the hospital indicated the presence of alcohol. Prosecutors said an analysis of the blood sample at the state crime law showed an alcohol level three times above the legal limit.

Prosecutors have requested a DNA sample from Symmes to prove the accuracy of the blood tests.

Symmes through his attorney wants the request rejected. In court documents, Symmes attorney said it's the state's responsibility to prove his client's guilt and that taking a DNA sample months after the incident would violate Symmes' privacy.

A judge has not ruled on the request.

Symmes resigned from the police department six days after the shooting. He was hired several months later as dispatcher.

City Manager Lee Foley said the community should not jump to conclusions. Symmes did not play a role in the fatal shooting.

"And he shouldn't be judged in the community," Foley says. "If we're going to judge somebody, let it be done in an official capacity and then let's see how everything falls out."

Judge: Recently arrested Indy police officer charged in fatal 2010 crash must stay in jail

INDIANAPOLIS — A suspended Indianapolis police officer who was arrested on drunken driving charges a few weeks ago must remain in jail while he awaits trial on similar charges in a fatal 2010 crash, a judge ruled Thursday.

Allen County Judge Allen Surbeck ordered David Bisard to be held without bond during a hearing in Fort Wayne, where the fatal crash case was moved because of extensive publicity in central Indiana. Bisard was at the Marion County Jail since he was arrested following an April 27 crash in Indianapolis, but was moved to Allen County Jail last week.

"I think we showed by convincing evidence that this latest arrest showed not only disdain for the court, but that he is a danger to the community," Deputy Prosecutor Denise Robinson told reporters outside the courthouse in Fort Wayne.

Bisard's attorney, John Kautzman, had no comment. And Marion County Prosecutor Terry Curry had no official comment, spokeswoman Peg McLeish said.

Bisard, 39, is scheduled to go to trial in October for the 2010 crash in which his patrol car hit two stopped motorcycles, killing one man and seriously injuring two other people. He is charged with reckless homicide, drunken driving and other charges. If convicted on those charges, Bisard could face 20 or more years in prison.

Bisard's case has had a three-year delay due to legal wrangling over admission of blood tests that showed he had a blood-alcohol level more than twice the legal limit. The Indiana Supreme Court ruled in December that the blood tests could be admitted into evidence.

Bisard had been free on bond and was allowed to keep his driver's license while awaiting trial. He was arrested last month on misdemeanor drunken driving charges after a pickup truck he was driving ran into a guard rail along a winding, narrow road through a wooded area in the northeastern Indianapolis community of Lawrence. No one was injured.

A blood test showed he had a blood-alcohol level of 0.22 percent, according to court documents. The state's legal limit to drive is 0.08 percent.

Bisard's driver's license was suspended following the most recent crash, and prosecutors asked for Bisard's bond to be revoked, too. Curry said a condition of Bisard remaining free while awaiting trial was that he not be arrested again.

Bisard has been suspended without pay from the Indianapolis Police Department since the 2010 crash. Members of the Indianapolis Fraternal Order of Police had been paying Bisard's legal bills, but they voted to stop doing it five days after Bisard's second arrest.

The 2010 case drew intense local media coverage as police officers' handling of the crash scene and evidence stirred public distrust and led to disciplinary action against several high-ranking officers, including the demotion of the police chief.

IMPD's David Bisard to remain in jail until trial in Fort Wayne

FORT WAYNE, IND. — Louisa Montilla-Wells squeezed the hand of Mary Mills when the decision was announced — then their eyes welled up.

An Allen County judge had just ordered suspended Indianapolis police officer David -Bisard to remain in jail until his trial in October. Judge John Surbeck said a second drunken-driving arrest made Bisard too much of a risk to let free.

“I was so happy,” Mills said. “I didn’t really know what to expect after all the ups and downs in this trial.”

Bisard is facing several charges in an alcohol-related crash in 2010 that killed motorcyclist Eric Wells, the husband of Montilla-Wells, and critically injured Mills and Kurt Weekly, who now is Mills’ husband.

While Mills, who arrived at the hearing on a motorcycle, and Montilla-Wells hugged, ¬Bisard’s face registered no visible reaction at the ruling. For much of the hearing he had sat slumped, staring down toward the orange slippers he wore with the striped jail jumpsuit.

Marion County Deputy Prosecutor Denise Robinson argued that the second drunken-driving arrest on April 27 in Lawrence made him too dangerous to be released.

“The fact that the accident happened at 2 p.m. showed significant alcohol problems that the defendant is not able to control,” Robinson said.

Surbeck agreed, saying Bisard “demon¬strated his instability, and this misconduct poses a risk of safety for another person in the commu¬nity.”

“It is clear that the conduct in the April 2013 arrest does demonstrate instability and disdain for authority,” Surbeck said.

The case was transferred to Allen County by Marion Supe¬rior Court Judge Grant Hawkins, who said the pretrial publicity Bisard had received in ¬Indianapolis would make it difficult for an impartial jury to be selected in the state capital.

More than a dozen reporters and photographers from Indianapolis and local news outlets covered the late-afternoon hearing in Allen Superior Court.

Bisard has been free on $10,000 bond since the day of his arrest in August 2010, but Marion County Prosecutor Terry Curry asked Surbeck to revoke that bond after the recent ¬arrest.

Harrison County deputies accused of false arrest

CLARKSBURG – Two Harrison County sheriff’s deputies are accused of unlawfully entering a Lost Creek man’s home and falsely arresting him.

William J. Cunningham and Cory M. Heater and are named as co-defendants in a seven-count civil rights suit filed by Saylen D. Houston. In his complaint filed May 6 in U.S. District Court, Houston, 33, alleges the pair lacked probable cause to both enter his home and later arrest him two years ago following an altercation with his ex-girlfriend.

According to the suit, Cunningham and Heater received a call at an unspecified time on May 13, 2011, concerning a disturbance at Houston’s home. A neighbor called to report his ex-girlfriend was beating on his door.

Upon arrival, the suit says Cunningham and Heater encountered April Nicole Fultineer, who initially ignored them. However, she later said “Saylen is inside by himself,” and informed them the front door was locked.

After they knocked on his door, the suit says Houston peered out a large picture window nearby and asked if Cunningham and Heater had a warrant. When they told him they didn’t, Houston denied them entry, he claims.

However, the suit says Cunningham unholstered his pistol and kicked open the door. After entering, Houston alleges Cunningham and Heater “took him to the floor, and beat him about the head, face, neck, back, sides and legs with closed fists and with feet.”

In the suit, Houston avers that Cunningham and Heater lacked probable cause to enter his home as he was never violent with Fultineer, who never was reported or observed to be “‘agitated, hysterical or out of control.” Also, their use of force in subduing him, Houston says, was “objectively unreasonable” as he posed no threat, including making an attempt to evade or resist arrest.

After subduing him, Houston alleges Cunningham and Heater threw Houston down a flight of stairs in the course of taking him to their cruiser. After placing him in the backseat, Cunningham sprayed him with mace, he claims.

According to the Harrison Magistrate Court Clerk’s Office, Houston was charged with one count each of obstructing, assault on a police officer and resisting arrest. In exchange for pleading guilty to the obstructing and no contest to the resisting charges, the Harrison County Prosecutor’s Office on Jan. 7 agreed to dismiss the assault charge.

Magistrate Mark Gorby sentenced Houston to a concurrent term of five days in jail on each charge, but suspended it in lieu of 40 hours community service. Also, he assessed Houston $585.80 in court costs.

In his suit, Houston says Cunningham and Heater’s actions resulted in him incurring, among other things, “bruising, lacerations, internal injuries, facial fractures, orthopedic injuries [and] emotional distress.” In addition to claims against Cunningham and Heater for violating his constitutional rights, Houston makes claims against Sheriff Albert Marano and the Harrison County Commission for negligence in failing to properly train and supervise them.

In West Virginia, sheriffs and county commissions are co-employers of deputy sheriffs.

In his suit, Houston seeks unspecified damages, court costs and attorneys fees. He is represented by Lewisburg attorney Robert J. Frank.

The case is assigned to Judge Irene B. Keeley.

Murrieta Cop Arrested on Suspicion of Stalking

Chad Michael Bennett, 39, was being held in lieu of $250,000 bail at Robert Presley Detention Center following his arrest Wednesday on suspicion of stalking. 

W.Va. officer charged after crash found dead

WILLIAMSON, W.Va. (AP) — A Williamson police officer charged with drunken driving after crashing his cruiser in Kentucky has been found dead.

Williamson Police Chief Dave Rockel tells media outlets the body of 27-year-old Jefferson Taylor III of McCarr, Ky., was found Monday in his hometown. Kentucky State Police are investigating the cause of death.Taylor was off duty when he crashed his cruiser on April 30 in Hardy, Ky. He was suspended without pay afterward.Taylor had been with the department nearly two years.

Rockel believes Taylor had been staying in the area with his parents.

City mulls paying $525,000 to settle cop misconduct cases

One cop stripped of police powers but still works for department

The City Council Finance Committee on Monday recommended paying out $525,000 to settle two cases of alleged police misconduct, one involving an officer stripped of his police powers who still works for the department.
If approved by the full council Wednesday, the city would pay $325,000 to settle a case involving Officer John Haleas, who was considered the department's top enforcer of drunken driving laws before prosecutors accused him of falsifying police reports.
In the case, Julio Martinez Jr. accused Haleas of beating him and falsely accusing him of driving under the influence after handcuffing him to a bar in March 2006, said Leslie Darling, a top city attorney. Martinez, a hemophiliac, suffered a head injury that required medical treatment that cost $106,000, Darling said.
In 2008, Haleas was stripped of his police powers. Last year, he pleaded guilty to misdemeanor obstruction of justice, years after a felony case against him fell apart. He served a one-day suspension and now works in the police records department earning nearly $81,000 a year, which Ald. Willie Cochran, 20th, called "unacceptable."
Aldermen also recommended paying $200,000 to settle a case filed by a man who was run over by a police squad car chasing him in May 2009. Officers at first said RL Johnson fell, but that was inconsistent with his injuries, Darling said. A video recording of the incident is missing, she added.

Deputy Chief John Hunter pleads guilty in police misconduct case

Nassau County police commander pleaded guilty Wednesday to official misconduct for trying to help derail burglary charges against the son of a man who donated money to police causes.
Under a plea agreement with prosecutors, former deputy patrol chief John Hunter avoided jail time. He was sentenced instead to 3 years of probation and 500 hours of community service.

Valley Falls Outraged Over Reported Auxiliary Police Misconduct

VALLEY FALLS, Kan. (WIBW) -- Disgruntled citizens in Valley Falls gathered to voice their opinions on what they're calling auxiliary police misconduct.
The reason why many of them are so heated has them wondering how their council is running their city.
Residents describe last Saturday night in downtown Valley Falls as total mayhem, and it had Wednesday's council meeting in mayhem as well.
Saturday night, residents reported teenagers drag-racing and speeding up and down the city's main street. The icing on the cake for them was finding out an auxiliary police officer and councilman, Todd Harrington, was part of it.
 Another auxiliary member, Doug Wildeman was reported to have been driving around town with a young girl in his lap.
"He was turning the siren on and off, the headlights on an off, the flashers on and off, hit the airhorn a couple times," said witness Lee Kahn of Valley Falls. "He floored it and he gunned it at maximum speed. I assumed it was a police officer so I came in to City Hall to file a written complaint, only to find out it wasn't even a police officer driving the car, that it was a civilian."
Valley Falls city council approved its auxiliary police program April 25. It gives civilians the right to drive in police cars and patrol the city. The council said having a civilian on patrol will make kids feel comfortable with hanging out downtown. Harrington said in the meeting that the city council's goal was to have the kids all in once place so they would be easier to watch. He also said he wanted the atmosphere to be similar to when he was a teen, hanging out downtown.
"They are afraid to be uptown when the cops are up there. They get run off," Harrington said.
Many Valley Falls residents and parents are outraged that civilians were patrolling that Saturday when the situation got out of control. One trained patrolman was reported to have been filling out paperwork while two auxiliary members were out in police cars.
"We pay officers to do their job. I don't think people who aren't qualified should be doing something like that," resident Pat Reyley said. "As taxpayers, if something was to happen to the patrol car, who's going to pay for that? Us."
Residents say the auxiliary program test-run did nothing but encourage reckless behavior in the town's youth.
"This is the night to come and tear up our community. This is the town to be in at that night because they know there's no police around to do anything about it. That concerns me," Julie Trower said.
13 News received information from an anonymous source that the mayor, Charles Stutesman was going to fire the chief of police Josh Pence about the whole situation, but decided against it and reappointed him.
As it stands, the auxiliary program was tabled at Wednesday's meeting and will no longer be in effect for the time being.
No arrests, citations or tickets were given out on Saturday night. Two Jefferson County police officers were called to downtown Valley Falls when the teenagers were there.

6 Police Misconduct Settlements Worth Millions

When police abuse their authority everyone loses. Victims may get hurt or even lose their life, police damage their credibility and taxpayers end up shouldering huge payouts to victims and their families.

Last week, the Los Angeles Police Department settled a lawsuit brought against it by two women officers mistakenly shot at during the Dorner manhunt in February. The settlement will cost the city $4.2 million and attorneys called it "a bargain."

Parents of Dancer Shot and Killed by Police After Jumping Ship Settle for $2.5 Million

Paul Hirschfield, 37, was one of the dancers on a boat chartered for a gay pride party in San Diego on July 19, 2010.
At about 11 p.m., he jumped into the San Diego Bay and was shot and killed by Harbor Police during an altercation as they were trying to get him out of the water.
Police said he fought with an officer and tried to grab his gun. Hirshfield's parents filed a wrongful death lawsuit, pointing out that he was unarmed and shot in the back.
The victims parents settled the case for $2.5 million

Women Shot at During Dorner Manhunt Settle for $4.2 Million

Two women mistakenly shot at by Los Angeles police during the manhunt for Christopher Dorner earlier this year reached a $4.2 million settlement.
Emma Hernandez, 71, and her daughter Margie Carranza, 47, where delivering newspapers when police officers fired about 100 bullets at their pickup truck on February 7, 2013.
Dorner reportedly drove a pickup truck, but the women's vehicle did not match the make, model or color of Dorner's.
Los Angeles city attorney Carmen Trutanich said the agreement was a "no brainer because costs were going to skyrocket."
"We got out of this thing pretty cheaply all things considered," he said according to the Los Angeles Times.

$3.5 Million Settlement After Police Kill man Inside Connecticut House

Heavily armed police charged into a home in Easton, Conn. with guns drawn and flash grenades exploding when they shot and killed Gonzalo Guizan, who was "quietly watching porn" on TV at the time.
According to reports, the raid took place because police were under pressure to "do something" about Ronald Terebesi, the home owner. Terebesi would entertain exotic dancers in his home and was "considered a blot on an otherwise pristine neighborhood." He was also reportedly using drugs and his house had been shot at by the boyfriend of one of the dancers.
The Guizan family settled their lawsuit $3.5 million in February 2013.

Homeless Man's Mother Settles for $1 Million

On July 5, 2011, Kelly Thomas, a 37-year-old homeless man with schizophrenia, was stopped by two officers for allegedly trying to break into cars at a bus depot in Fullerton, Calif.
The officers beat him and used a Taser several times, eventually leaving him unconscious. Thomas was treated by paramedics and was taken to the hospital, but died five days later after being taken off life support.
The City of Fullerton gave a $1 million settlement to Cathy Thomas, the victim's mother.

Family of Deceased Beer-Drinking Celtics Fan Settles for $3 Million

David Woodman died after sustaining injuries during an arrest while celebrating the Boston Celtics 2008 NBA championships. His family settled a lawsuit with the city of Boston for $3 million.
Police apprehended Woodman who was drinking beer near the Fenway area with a group of fans. Woodman collapsed, according to reports, and was taken to a hospital where he died 11 days later.
An investigator's report concluded he died of a pre-existing heart condition. However, his family said they believed police lied about what happened during their son's arrest. Woodman had more than a dozen abrasions, bruises, cuts or lacerations that were not mentioned in the investigator's report.

Chicago's Surpasses $27 Million Set Aside for Settlements in Less Than a Month

The city of Chicago has already surpassed the $27 Million it set aside for settlements in 2013.
The city reached settlements in two cases of police misconduct in January reaching $33 million. The first case settled for just over $10 million was for a man who had been wrongfully convicted for murder. A second $22.5 million settlement was reached for a woman with a bipolar disorder who was attacked, raped and injured when she fell from a 7th floor window after police released her in one of the city's most dangerous neighborhoods.
In March, Boston officials agreed to settle three lawsuits totaling $7 million. The largest of the three was for $4.5 million for the wrongful death of Rekia Boyd, who was shot by an off-duty cop. Boyd was walking on the street, when the policeman shot his weapon blindly over his shoulder at a group of men.

City to pay $325,000 to hemophiliac beaten by cop, falsely charged with DUI

Officer John Haleas indicted on four counts each of official misconduct and perjury and two counts of obstruction of justice as he leaves the Criminal Court House at 26th & California after his arraignment

Chicago taxpayers will spend $325,000 to compensate a hemophiliac falsely charged with DUI, then beaten by a Chicago Police officer while handcuffed to a metal bar in a holding room.

Julio Martinez was treated for a possible skull fracture after a May 2009 beating administered by Chicago Police Officer John Haleas, who was once Chicago’s most prolific officer in making DUI arrests, only to be stripped of his police powers after being accused of falsifying drunken driving arrests. 

Haleas wracked up 718 arrests in 2005 and 2006, only to have 156 of those cases dismissed after his arrest. Two Cook County prosecutors were the original witnesses to the officer’s alleged failure to give a DUI suspect a field sobriety test or tell the man he could refuse to take a Breathalyzer test.

He was indicted and relieved of his police powers in 2008 and pleaded guilty four years later to misdemeanor attempted obstruction of justice.

Haleas received a five-day suspension subsequently reduced to a one-day suspension by the Police Board. He is now assigned to the Records Division.

The $325,000 settlement was approved Monday by the City Council’s Finance Committee, but not before aldermen demanded to know why Haleas was still being paid by Chicago taxpayers. 

“The exposure that we’re seeing from people like Mr. Haleas — it’s just compounded more and more when a decision is not made” to fire him, said Ald. Scott Waguespack (32nd).

Ald. Willie Cochran (20th), a former Chicago Police officer, added, “We didn’t hire him to work in the Records Division without any sworn [powers]...Here we are again in the same situation with an officer who committed a criminal act. Other officers…can testify and represent the city well. This person cannot, but he’s been given continuing employment status after admitting to this wrongdoing? . . . That we would support a person like this continuing to get a payroll check? I don’t think that’s appropriate.”

Terry Ekl, an attorney representing Martinez, was equally incensed.

Ekl also represented a diminutive bartender beaten by former Chicago Police Officer Anthony Abbate in a case that culminated in a $850,000 damage award and a precedent-setting finding that a “code of silence” in the Chicago Police Department played a role in the videotaped beating.

“The city is still paying him the same amount of money to sit in an office to answer a telephone when police officers should be on the street protecting citizens,” Ekl said.

“It’s reprehensible. It’s part of the failure of the Chicago Police Department to appropriately investigate and discipline police officers engaging in misconduct, which is a part of the code of silence.”

The Finance Committee also approved a $200,000 settlement to an alleged robbery suspect who suffered a severe leg injury after being run over by a Chicago Police officer in May, 2009.

The officer initially denied running over plaintiff R.L. Johnson, then admitted hitting Johnson, but inisisted it was an accident. Video from the squad car camera in the lead pursuit vehicle is “missing” and has not been located, Deputy Corporation Counsel Leslie Darling said.

The injured man was “found with drugs on his person,” but had no weapon and the robbery victim declined to press charges.

“The court has ruled that it will allow argument that the missing video was deliberately destroyed, although we have no evidence of such destruction,” Darling said.

Cop charged with destroying evidence

Former Nebraska police officer James Kinsella has been charged with felony tampering with evidence, misdemeanour obstruction and theft over the arrest of Octavious Johnson last month, KPTM reports.
As Juaquez Johnson filmed his brother being beaten in the street in front of their home, officer Matthew Worm warned him he would be arrested if he stepped onto the street again.
After ignoring the directive the officer chased Mr Johnson, who ran into his home and hid behind the wheelchair of a disabled relative.
As more officers followed him into the home a third brother, Demetrious Johnson, began to film the unfolding incident on his mobile phone.
Police allege that a short time later Kinsella took the memory card from Mr Johnson's phone and destroyed it.
Sergeant Aaron Von Behren has also been charged with misdemeanour accessory to a felony and obstructing government operations over the incident.
A police investigation found the arresting officers' use of force had been within acceptable limits but the men were fired over the incident.
Omaha Police Chief Todd Schmaderer said police would cooperate fully with the investigation.

More idiots at work

Center City, Pennsylvania: Three men and one woman have filed a federal lawsuit against the police claiming that they were mistreated by an officer. The encounter was recorded by one of the men. ow.ly/kGoua

Idiots at work

Grand Rapids, Michigan: Allegations have surfaced that police officers are abusing their power, making arrests for trespassing when people have done nothing wrong and no one’s asked them to leave. A lawsuit has been filed against the GRPD by the ACLU. http://ow.ly/kGsEw

Nassau County, New York (First reported 02-21-13): A former police chief has pleaded guilty to official misconduct and conspiracy charges. He was one of the three police officials who prevented the arrest of a teenager whose father was a police benefactor. http://ow.ly/kGBUs

Cops sued

New York, New York: Three men have said that police officers confronted them, sometimes violently, searched their clothing, and discovered small amounts of marijuana, according to a civil rights lawsuit. The suit contends that the officers routinely stop black and Latino men without cause and then falsely claimed the marijuana was in public view, making it a low-level misdemeanor, which allows for sentences of up to three months in jail. ow.ly/kGpb5