Fairfax County Police Museum: And now a word from Fairfax County Police Chief An...

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Todays sexual assault charges against your police: Rape case against cop begins

Todays sexual assault charges against your police: Rape case against cop begins: At first, she thought the officer was "cool," an alleged rape victim told jurors in an Orange County courtroom today. After ...

East Haven cops’ trial begins

HARTFORD >> Prosecutors on Monday said the government’s civil rights case against one-time East Haven Police Officers David Cari and Dennis Spaulding will show the two worked under the cover of law so they could break it.
The officer’s defense team argued the government is not telling the whole story.
Monday featured opening statements in U.S. District Court and testimony from a nun who acted as a legal adviser to a priest arrested in February 2009 after he videotaped the officers’ visit to a Latino-owned convenience store.
Tuesday will feature testimony from a fellow East Haven officer, a superior who worked above them.
But first Cari and Spaulding watched prosecutor Krishna Patel tell the jury about a “case about the use and abuse of police power” in her opening statement.
Alex V. Hernandez, Cari’s attorney, told jurors in his statement about the government’s “failure to tell them of important information” and that “you will hear no evidence he (Cari) profiled, no evidence of him (Cari) being violent to anyone and no connection between him (Cari) and his fellow officers to engage in a conspiracy.”
Hernandez also claimed prosecutors reached a deal with the Latino owners of the store in order for them to testify, but told jurors he would not elaborate until later in the trial. 
Cari, now retired, and Spaulding are two of four East Haven police officers indicted in January 2012 following a U.S. Department of Justice probe into racial profiling allegations. They are charged with conspiracy against civil rights, deprivation of rights for making arrests without probable cause and destruction of records during a federal investigation. 
Spaulding, who is suspended from the force, also faces charges of unreasonable force by a police officer.
His attorney, Frank J. Riccio, said in his opening remarks that he agrees “no one is above the law, not a citizen, undocumented alien, residential alien or even a priest.
“The government claims it’s (the indictment) the gospel truth and I’m not here to solve the mystery but to determine what occurred.”
Patel told jurors that the charges revolve around three specific incidents. The first was the Nov. 21, 2008, arrest of Moises Marin, the owner of the La Bamba restaurant, who prosecutors claim was beaten and jailed by Spaulding after he took photos of Spaulding sitting in his cruiser in Marin’s parking lot.
The second incident occurred on Jan. 21, 2009. Prosecutors allege Spaulding and Officer Jason Zullo arrested Jose Luis Albarracin and two friends in the La Bamba parking lot under false pretenses. Spaulding is accused of filing a false arrest report. Zullo, named in the indictment, pleaded guilty last year to a single count of filing a false police report after his cruiser was involved in a collision with a motorcycle.
Zullo will not be sentenced until the trial of Spaulding and Cari is finished.
The third incident occurred at the Latino-owned My Country Store at 677 Main St. on Feb 19, 2009. Cari arrested Rev. James Manship, pastor of St. Rose of Lima Church in New Haven, after Manship began videotaping Cari and Spaulding directing store employees to remove license plates attached to the wall.
Licensed immigration attorney Sister Mary Ellen Burns described at-length Monday her legal resume and her ties to Manship and the church. She acknowledged parishioners in the predominately Latino church had complained to Manship about the police in East Haven. Burns said she joined Manship in at least two meetings prior to his arrest where they spoke with Latinos and determined that one way to prove police harassment was to start filming.
From there, Hernandez questioned her about whether she thought communication was important to her job. She agreed, “not just religiously but in everyday lives,” she pointed out, and from there he led her to disclose that East Haven police officers were never invited to the two meetings.
Burns told Hernandez she warned Manship about interfering with police business but Hernandez then repeatedly questioned the extent of her criminal law background. 
More questioning led to an event not mentioned in the indictment.
Days before the My Country Store incident, Manship reportedly filmed Spaulding conducting a traffic stop. Spaulding’s report indicates Manship was standing between 5 and 10 feet away from his police cruiser. He told Manship several times to back away from his police cruiser, warning him about interfering. 
“Are you familiar with state statutes on stalking,” Hernandez asked Burns, to which she replied positively.
Another round of questioning dealt with Manship’s handheld 3-inch long camera, which Cari in his report claimed Manship was concealing. Hernandez had Burns answer questions about Manship’s height and the size of his hands. She estimated he stands at least 6-feet, 5-inches tall.

“Yes, I imagine his hands are proportionate size to his body,” she acknowledged.
In the video Cari can be heard asking Manship why he is filming.
Prosecutors later pointed out that the evidence bag holding the camera, which was in police possession for several weeks, did not list the times it was removed and inspected.
A second witness who oversees the software used by the East Haven Police Department also testified Monday. Timothy Murray, of East Haven-based NexGen Public Safety Solutions, said his company specializes in providing software for fire and police departments. As chief technology officer has can view whatever appears on department computer screens. 
Murray confirmed to prosecutor Richard J. Schechter that printed copies of in-cruiser computer correspondence between Zullo and Spaulding were accurate. The messages, archived since February 2009, show car-to-car chats. One message from Spaulding, posted more than a week after the My Country Store incident, shows he told Zullo “we are cops, we provoke, that’s our job, not to sit on our heels.”

Hernandez pointed out there was no evidence the message referred to the incident.
Monday’s trial saw several supporters and family members of Cari and Spaulding attend, including East Haven Police Detective Robert Ranfone. In an unrelated case, Ranfone was named in a lengthy internal affairs probe stemming from a January traffic stop in New Haven. Ranfone is currently awaiting a disciplinary hearing regarding the matter.
The trial will continue Tuesday at 9:30 a.m.

Murray will return to complete his testimony and several new witnesses will appear, including East Haven Police Capt. Joseph Slane and Sgt. George Kammerer.
Marin, the man prosecutors allege was beaten by Spaulding, will also testify.
The fourth officer arrested, Sgt. John Miller, pleaded guilty to lesser charges and will testify at a later date.

MPD officer charged with DUI back on the job, reports to jail on weekends

Thomas Ray was arrested in Fayette County in September 2012. He was accused of driving an ATV, getting into an accident leaving the scene, and having a handgun while intoxicated.

According to documents from Fayette County Circuit Court, on August 30, 2013, Ray entered a plea arrangement in which some counts were dismissed and for others, he got probation.

A felony vehicular assault indictment was pleaded down to misdemeanor reckless driving, for which he was not eligible for diversion. He was sentenced to 30 days in jail. It is time he will serve over the course of 15 weekends.

So far, he completed three weekends.

Ray reports to the Fayette County Jail on Friday and leaves on Sunday. During the week, he reports to his day job as a police officer with Memphis Police Department.

MPD says Ray is on non-enforcement status -- desk duty. He will not be professionally disciplined until after an administrative hearing, which thus far has not happened in this case.

Officer charged with stealing gas retires

A Pawtucket police officer charged with stealing gas from the city has retired, the NBC 10 I-Team reported.Ken Provost was on the job for more than 30 years before he was arrested and charged by state police this summer.He told NBC 10 he put in his retirement papers on Friday.State police said he was caught on tape pumping city gas into a personal car and gas can. He's free on personal recognizance and due in court Wednesday

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Another HPD Officer Charged With Oppression

(HOUSTON)– A grand jury indicts a Houston police officer for official oppression.Officer Garret Lindsey is accused of kicking a man in the head while handcuffed to a bench.  According to court documents, the incident happened in January.

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Todays sexual assault charges against your police: Edmonds cop sentenced to year in jail for having s...

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Clay County Sheriff Pleads Guilty to Federal Wiretapping Charge

U.S. Attorney’s Office September 17, 2013

Southern District of West Virginia (304) 345-2200

CHARLESTON, WV—Clay County Sheriff Miles J. Slack pleaded guilty today to illegal wiretapping, a federal felony, U.S. Attorney Booth Goodwin announced. Appearing today in federal district court, Mr. Slack, who resigned as sheriff last Friday as part of his plea agreement with Goodwin, admitted to surreptitiously installing a keystroke logger on a computer belonging to the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia.
The compromised computer was a government computer assigned to Mr. Slack’s then-wife, Lisa Slack, who works in the office of a Clay County magistrate. Computers in the offices of circuit judges and magistrates throughout West Virginia are owned and maintained by the state’s Supreme Court and are connected to a central Supreme Court computer network.
Mr. and Ms. Slack were in the midst of a divorce when he illegally tapped her computer. Mr. Slack admitted that he intended to monitor his ex-wife’s activity on the computer, including messages she sent through Internet chat and e-mail programs. He said he also wanted to capture his ex-wife’s usernames and passwords for various Internet services. Mr. Slack acknowledged that the wiretap device he installed captured everything that was typed on his ex-wife’s computer, including information about court business and the personal information of defendants in Clay County magistrate court.
Mr. Slack installed the hidden device in late April of this year, and it remained in place for over two weeks.
“It’s a shame that Clay County’s chief law enforcement officer chose to illegally tap a government computer,” said U.S. Attorney Goodwin. “Our elected officials and law enforcement officers have to respect the law like everyone else. If they don’t, there are consequences.”
“These days, it seems like every detail of our lives is being bounced around the world on computer networks,” Goodwin continued. “Imagine learning that someone was secretly monitoring everything you did on your own computer, without any legal authority. It’s a very serious breach of privacy. That’s why the laws against wiretapping are so important.”
Keystroke logging devices can be purchased from a number of Internet-based sellers. The devices, usually one to two inches long, are attached to a computer’s keyboard cable. Once installed, they can intercept everything typed on the keyboard, including e-mail and information transmitted to Internet sites.
Because the devices are unobtrusive and normally hidden behind the computer targeted for surveillance, they can go undetected for long periods of time. Though small in size, some keystroke loggers can store two gigabytes of information, enough to record more than a billion keystrokes.
Slack served as a Clay County deputy sheriff for around 16 years. In early 2012, while acting as chief deputy for the Clay County Sheriff’s Department, Slack announced he was running for sheriff. Then-Sheriff Randy Holcomb, however, quickly demoted Slack to the rank of sergeant, a move that threatened Slack’s election bid. Under West Virginia civil service laws, deputy sheriffs other than the chief deputy may not run for public office. In order to remain in the race, Slack resigned from the department and became Chief of Police for Clay, West Virginia, the county seat of Clay County.
In the May 2012 primary election, Slack soundly defeated two other candidates for the Democratic nomination for sheriff, receiving nearly 78 percent of the vote. He ran unopposed in the November 2012 general election and took office January 1, 2013. Slack’s first projects as sheriff included expanding evening patrols and seeking funding for a new home confinement officer.
The case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the West Virginia State Police, with assistance from the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia. The prosecution is being led by Counsel to the United States Attorney Steven Ruby.
Slack faces up to five years in prison when he is sentenced on December 19, 2013, by United States District Judge John T. Copenhaver, Jr.

Former CCPD Officer Charged in Police Shooting

SELMA, TX - A former Corpus Christi police officer is facing charges for shooting two police officers outside San Antonio.
Authorities confirmed Jesse Hernandez Jr. used to work for CCPD. He was terminated about five years ago for misconduct.
Late Thursday night, police in Selma say he opened fire on two of their officers who were responding to a domestic disturbance call at a home where Hernandez was staying with his wife and kids. One of the officers fired back, hitting Hernandez twice. He was taken to the hospital and is now in Bexar county jail facing charges for aggravated assault on a public servant.
Both officers are expected to be okay.
In 2007, Hernandez was placed on administrative leave after shooting two suspects who rammed his patrol car.

police officer returning to work after plea of guilty

GALION — A veteran Galion police officer will return to work later this week after pleading guilty to dereliction of duty.
John Bourne, who has been on the force for seven years, pleaded guilty Thursday in Crawford County Municipal Court. He received a suspended 30-day jail sentence, was placed on non-reporting probation and ordered to pay court costs.
He pleaded guilty as charged to a fourth-degree misdemeanor.
Bourne was accused of stealing money from a resident during an arrest. He has been on paid administrative leave since Aug. 14.
On Aug. 4, Bourne and his partner, Officer Andrew Knee, went to a residence in the 300 block of Grove looking for a man wanted on a warrant. They contacted a 42-year-old man who was acting suspiciously, according to the police report.
When Bourne approached the man, he became “fidgety,” ran inside and admitted flushing an eighth of an ounce of marijuana down the toilet, police said.
Bourne arrested the man on charges of tampering with evidence and obstructing official business and seized more than $700 from him.
The next day, the Crawford County Prosecutor’s Office said it would not be charging the man and advised police to release him and return his property.
“(The prosecutor’s office) said the officer didn’t have reason to go into the house,” Galion police Chief Brian Saterfield previously told the News Journal.
The man was released Aug. 5, but didn’t get his property back until Aug. 13. He alleged that not all of his money had been returned and that he believed Bourne stole it.
While the man never made a formal, written complaint, Bourne was placed on paid leave.
Saterfield said Bourne probably would return to work Friday.
“It’s pretty much resolved,” the chief said.
Saterfield said he had no qualms about Bourne coming back to work. He declined further comment.
Bucyrus Law Director Robert Ratliff said he did not know if Bourne took any money and explained the charge.
“It’s essentially a negligent charge,” Ratliff said. “This seemed like the proper resolution.”

The Madison Police Department has suspended an officer couple

MADISON (AP) — The Madison Police Department has suspended an officer couple after a shooting incident involving alcohol at their home in rural Columbia County.

Investigators said Friday that Officers Gary and Emily House, who are married, were socializing with acquaintances Jan. 3. During the evening, their guns were fired from the backyard toward an unpopulated area.

Investigators believe no one was in danger, but Columbia County sheriff's deputies called to the scene determined that Cary House fired a gun under the influence. He was arrested on suspicion of intoxicated use of a firearm. He pleaded no contest to disorderly conduct and paid a $200 fine.

Internal affairs investigators found that Emily House had likely driven a vehicle while intoxicated the same evening. She was not charged but received a reprimand.

The investigation summary said Cary House was suspended without pay for 30 days, with 10 days held in abeyance for one year, for violating department policies involving firearms safety, unlawful conduct and the care and use of city-owned property.

Emily House was suspended for nine days without pay, with three days held in abeyance, for violating department policies involving unlawful conduct and firearms safety. Police said she handled but didn't fire a gun in the incident.

The investigation summary noted that Cary House was hired by the police department in 2008 and had four commendations on his record, while Emily House was hired in 2007 and had received 13 commendations.

Officer Suspended Criminal Investigation

LAKELAND | Another Lakeland police officer is under criminal investigation, although the department won't confirm what the case involves, Assistant Police Chief Larry Giddens said Monday.

A source, who asked not to be named, told The Ledger the allegations are of a sexual nature and happened while on duty.

The subject of the investigation, Julio Pagan, 31, was suspended with pay Friday night, Giddens said. The seriousness of the allegations facing Pagan caused Chief Lisa Womack to cancel her vacation plans.

"This is an active administrative and criminal investigation that is ongoing," Giddens said. "We will not be releasing any information about this case until the conclusion of the investigation."

Pagan, formerly of the Bartow Police Department, was hired by LPD in 2011 and is paid $43,789, according to LPD records. He did not return a call for comment Monday.

Pagan worked as a Bartow police officer from 2006 to 2011, when he left on good terms to take the job at LPD, according to Bartow's records.

LPD Detective Nick Marolda, who also is the president of the West Central Florida Police Benevolent Association, said he is aware of the investigation and said the union is waiting to hear the outcome of the criminal investigation before taking any steps to represent Pagan.

Following department policy, the criminal investigation into Pagan will be conducted before the administrative investigation begins.

The allegations are not part of the ongoing sexual misconduct scandal that has plagued the department for months, Giddens said. "This is a separate incident."Pagan's case comes as the department wraps up its monthslong investigation into sexual misconduct on and off duty by numerous officers and city employees. This new case also comes after numerous reforms in policy and procedure were put into place by Womack, who emphasized officer ethics at a recent presentation to the Lakeland Police Advisory Commission.

The advisory board is compiling its final report to present to the City Commission next month. The commission, which is made up of volunteers, was created by Lakeland Mayor Gow Fields and is tasked with reviewing a multitude of problems at LPD, including the large sexual-misconduct case involving numerous employees, and recommending reforms.

Officer with Alvarado Police Department Admits Leaking Law Enforcement Sensitive Information in Anabolic Steroid Investigation

U.S. Attorney’s Office September 17, 2013

Northern District of Texas (214) 659-8600

DALLAS—Brent Dickey, 42, an officer with the Alvarado, Texas Police Department, appeared in federal court today and pleaded guilty to an Information charging one count of misprision of a felony. He faces a maximum statutory penalty of three years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine. Dickey, a resident of Burleson, Texas, will remain on bond pending sentencing, which is set for January 8, 2014, before U.S. District Judge Ed Kinkeade. Today’s announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Sarah R. Saldaña of the Northern District of Texas.
According to documents filed in the case, in February 2010, Dickey was assigned to the Stop The Offender Program-Special Crimes Unit (STOP-SCU), a Johnson County law enforcement task force that investigated drug crimes occurring in the county. Dickey knew that a particular individual, Person A, was unlawfully distributing anabolic steroids, and he failed to make this felony known to some judge or other person in civil or military authority under the United States, such as a federal grand jury or an FBI agent.
On February 5, 2010, another STOP-SCU task force officer received information that Person A was unlawfully distributing anabolic steroids. This task force officer told Dickey that he planned to make a case against, and arrest, Person A. Unbeknownst to this task force officer, Person A had been supplying Dickey with anabolic steroids.
Two days later, Dickey went to Person A’s home and leaked this law enforcement sensitive information to Person A so that Person A would avoid getting caught, arrested or prosecuted, for this felony drug offense.
The FBI and the Texas Ranger Division of the Texas Department of Public Safety are investigating. Deputy Criminal Chief Assistant U.S. Attorney Gary Tromblay and Assistant U.S. Attorney J. Mark Penley are in charge of the prosecution.

Tarpon Springs cop resigns, accused of having affair with felon

Tarpon Springs cop resigns, accused of having affair with felon

TARPON SPRINGS — A Tarpon police detective resigned last month before the conclusion of an internal affairs investigation that found he was having an affair with a convicted felon and often traveled to her mobile home while on duty to have sex with her, officials announced Wednesday.

According to internal affairs documents, Detective John Loibl maintained a relationship with Nickole Carter, 31, and visited her up to several times a week during his shift. Loibl also drove Carter, on probation for drug charges, to probation office appointments in his unmarked police car.

Loibl, 49, was married at the time.

Carter told investigators she met Loibl the summer of 2011 at Busch Gardens while they both waited in line for an amusement ride. They stayed in touch, became friends and eventually began an affair.

When Carter moved from Tampa to Tarpon Springs in October 2012, Loibl helped her find a job at a Subway restaurant and arranged for her to stay at the Hillside Mobile Home Park on U.S. 19. Loibl drove to her home, both in Tampa and later in Tarpon Springs, in his police car during his shift to have sex with her while her children were at school, records show. She told her probation officer she was Loibl's "mistress."

"I think he's a great man. I didn't ever feel forced to do anything," she told investigators. "It was just good to have somebody to actually treat me and my kids good, like nobody ever has."

Loibl took Carter and her three children out to dinner. He bought hamsters for the children, ages 7, 9 and 11, and gave Carter cash to help her with rent and her electric bill, she told investigators.

On July 26, Loibl texted his supervisor: "I don't feel well. My stomach is a mess. … I'm going to go ahead and call out." That same day, Loibl drove Carter in his police car to Perry — a 342-mile round trip. He fueled his police car with gas from a city pump, records show.

Three days later, the Tarpon Springs Probation and Parole Office told police that Loibl might be involved with Carter. Loibl had driven her to the office for a monthly meeting with her probation officer, who recognized him, police said.

Police Chief Robert P. Kochen ordered an internal affairs investigation. On July 30, Loibl was placed on administrative leave with pay.

On Aug. 13, he resigned. He was uncooperative with investigators and didn't show up for his internal affairs interview, police spokesman Capt. Jeffrey Young said.

Had he remained at the department, Loibl would have been terminated, Kochen said.

The chief called Loibl's behavior "disgraceful," adding that "no agency is immune from certain people doing things like this."

Loibl was hired by the department in September 2005. In 2006, Loibl received additional training after investigators found he had improperly documented evidence. In 2007, he was spoken to twice for tardiness, Young said.

In December 2010, Carter was sentenced to 18 months probation in Hillsborough County on a controlled substance possession charge. Earlier this year, she violated her probation by traveling from Pinellas to Hillsborough, where she was arrested for marijuana possession, police said.

State records show Carter was also convicted of DUI property damage in November 2010. She was sentenced to one year of probation, and her driver's license was suspended for six months.

Loibl and Carter could not be reached for comment Wednesday.

Because Loibl had not completed 10 years at the department, he will not receive pension benefits, Young said.

'Dirty DUI' Cop Convicted of Extortion and Honest Services Fraud

Stephen Tanabe, a former deputy with the Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office, has been convicted of two counts of extortion under color of official right, three counts of wire fraud on a deprivation of honest services theory, and one count of conspiracy to commit honest services fraud.

According to evidence presented at trial, Tanabe conspired to and engaged in a scheme to take bribes in exchange for his services as a deputy sheriff, thereby depriving the people of Contra Costa County of their right to his honest services.

Specifically, the evidence showed that Christopher Butler, a former Antioch Police Officer turned private investigator, was hired by wives and ex-wives engaged in divorce and child custody proceedings to arrange “stings” against their spouses, whom they told Butler had a propensity to drive under the influence of alcohol.

Butler used “decoys” to entice the sting targets to bars in downtown Danville, where Tanabe was assigned to patrol, and encourage them to drink.

For one sting, Tanabe joined Butler in a bar while off-duty, watching two attractive young women working for Butler drink with a sting target. Evidence showed that, in exchange for a promise of cocaine, Tanabe notified an on-duty deputy that the sting target was about to drive away, having been lured by the prospect out of a hot tub with the two women.

For two other stings, the evidence showed that Tanabe, then on-duty, waited outside the Vine Bar in Danville and then arrested the targets in exchange for a Glock handgun.

“This conviction confirms that Stephen Tanabe did not serve his community with honor or integrity but instead set up unsuspecting citizens and abused the public trust,” said United States Attorney, Melinda Haag. “Law enforcement officers are hard-working, honorable men and women who work selflessly every day to keep us safe. Stephen Tanabe is the exception, and he does not deserve the badge he was wearing.”

The maximum statutory penalties for honest services wire fraud under 18 U.S.C. §§ 1343 and 1346, conspiracy to commit same under 18 U.S.C. § 1349, and extortion under color of official right under 18 U.S.C. § 1951, are 20 years’ imprisonment; $250,000 fine; and five years of supervised release. However, any sentence following this conviction will be imposed by the court after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statute governing the imposition of a sentence, 18 U.S.C. § 3553.

Butler entered into a cooperation plea agreement with the government on May 7, 2012, and was sentenced on September 25, 2012, to 96 months in prison.

Tanabe, 50, was originally indicted on December 15, 2011. The superseding information on which he was tried filed June 12, 2013. Sentencing is scheduled for December 11, 2013, at 10:00 a.m., before U.S. District Judge Charles R. Breyer.

This Week's Charge of Child Molestation by your Local Police: Former DFW Cop Sentenced For Child Porn

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Wildwood cop who kicked handcuffed suspects to be resentenced

  

Wildwood police Sgt. David Romeo, convicted of official misconduct for kicking two handcuffed suspects, is scheduled to be resentenced Oct. 10.

The resentencing hearing was scheduled after an appellate panel found that, while Romeo is not entitled to a new trial, the sentencing judge should determine whether Romeo should face the mandatory minimum sentence, five years, without the possibility of parole.

In March 2010, a jury found Romeo guilty of kicking car burglary suspects Gilbert Haege and Louis McCullough as the two men were face down on the ground and handcuffed.

Two months later, Superior Court Judge Raymond Batten sentenced Romeo to five years in state prison. But Romeo wasn’t taken into custody that day in May 2010 and instead was allowed to remain free on bail while he appealed his conviction.

At that hearing, Batten said, “The defendant yet denies culpability, yet displays no remorse.”

Batten sentenced Romeo to five years with the possibility of parole after serving one year, over the protests of prosecutors who wanted no parole option.

The recent state appellate rulings addressed both Romeo’s request for a new trial and the state’s request that his sentence be revisited.

The appellate panel denied Romeo’s request for a new trial but has said the sentencing judge should determine whether the state’s request that Romeo face the mandatory minimum sentence without the possibility of parole should be granted.

Romeo, who was taken into custody Sept. 12, is being held at the Atlantic County jail without bail until his Oct. 10 hearing.

The official misconduct charge stems from a July 24, 2007, incident in which Wildwood police officers were pursuing two men who reportedly were breaking into cars parked near the Boardwalk.

Three other officers, Detectives Walter Cubernot and Edward Ramsey and Patrolman Roger Lillo, were investigating the series of burglaries and eventually arrested Haege and McCullough

In court, Cubernot testified about Haege’s demeanor at the time.

“He was lying face down with his arms behind his back and had handcuffs on,” Cubernot said. “He just laid there. The fight was over. He gave up. I mean, he was done.”

Romeo, who had been promoted to sergeant in April 2007, came to the scene from the police station and, according to Cubernot, Lillo and Ramsey, kicked the two unarmed, handcuffed men.

At trial, Romeo testified that he saw a weapon — a Leatherman multitool — on the ground.

“I saw the knife on the ground. It was a threat. I had to get the knife,” Romeo said.

But the other officers testified the men were not a threat and that no weapon was on the ground. Cubernot said he found the Leatherman in one of the suspect’s pockets and placed it in evidence.

Ramsey said Romeo gave Haege “a sweeping kick … in the face.”

The officers said Romeo acted intentionally and that they were stunned and shocked by what they saw.

During the trial, then-Assistant Prosecutor Matthew Weintraub placed a handcuffed foam mannequin on the floor and had Ramsey kick it to demonstrate to the jury what happened. Jurors took notes, some getting out of their seats to watch as Ramsey played the part of Romeo.

The appellate court found no basis for a new trial, noting it found no evidence of prosecutorial misconduct and agreed that the court acted properly when it allowed the jury to hear evidence of prior bad acts by Romeo.

There was no evidence that the jury was not properly instructed, the appeals court found.

“We affirm the defendant’s conviction but remand for resentencing consistent with this opinion,” the decision reads.

Romeo joined the Wildwood Police Department in 1994. His last day with the department was May 21, 2010.

Officer convicted in Danziger Bridge shootings asks to be released from prison after getting new trial

Former New Orleans police sergeant Arthur Kaufman, who won a new trial this week after being convicted in 2011 for his role in helping cover up the Danziger Bridge shooting, is seeking a chance to get out of prison on bond. (Ted Jackson, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune archive)

In the wake of a ruling granting a new trial for five former police officers convicted for their roles in the post-Katrina Danziger Bridge shooting, the cop serving a six-year prison term for aiding in the cover-up is asking to be released from prison on bond.

Attorneys for former police Sgt. Arthur Kaufman, 57, made their motion for bond Thursday morning. Kaufman is currently in a Virginia prison with a release date of 2017.

Stephen London, an attorney for Kaufman, asked for a $100,000 personal surety bond, which was the bond granted for Kaufman leading up to the 2011 trial. Of the five officers who stood trial in 2011, Kaufman was the only one allowed to remain free on bond in the lead up to trial.

This week's blockbuster ruling by U.S. District Judge Kurt Engelhardt granting a new trial blasted federal prosecutors for "grotesque" misconduct based on their anonymous posting of inflammatory comments about the Danziger case and other federal matters on NOLA.com. The prosecutors outed as NOLA.com commenters were not the prosecutors who tried the Danziger case. But one -- Jan Mann -- was a high-ranking supervisor, and another was a Justice Department lawyer with a role in the Danziger case.

An attorney for ex-offier Anthony Villavaso, who was sentenced to 38 years in prison for his role in the Danziger shooting, earlier this week said he also intends to seek release for his client. By Thursday morning he had not filed a request.

"We intend to seek our clients release on bond and feel that he is an excellent candidate for release," Roger Kitchens had said immediately after Engelhardt's ruling. The other ex-cops who were granted a new trial are Kenneth Bowen, Robert Gisevius and Robert Faulcon.

A new trial date has not been set, but the judge indicated he wanted to move swiftly. It's unclear if the Justice Department plans to challenge the ruling.

Ex-Edwardsville police chief gets 18 months for embezzling city funds

A federal judge sentenced a former Edwardsville police chief Wednesday to 18 months at a federal prison camp for stealing towing fees from a city fund.

James S. Bedell, who resigned in October, heard U.S. District Judge Michael J. Reagan pronounce the sentence. Bedell pleaded guilty in April to four federal counts of embezzlement and theft from the city while he was Edwardsville's police chief.

The money was stolen from tow fees and used to support Bedell's gambling habit, Assistant U.S. Attorney Norm Smith said.

Smith argued for a 21 month prison sentence for Bedell, saying it was Bedell who brought the idea of a lock box and charging a $300 towing fee to the City Council on April 9 2012.

During his closing statement, Smith said he didn't think the harm was in the $138,000 that was stolen.

"The damage was done to the reputation of police officers and to the city. If citizens don't trust the police, if the citizens don't respect the police, they are reluctant to cooperate," Smith said.

"The defendant was the one who brought the idea to the City Council to start collecting a $300 tow fee. He said it was being done other cities. The City Council approved an ordinance to create the $300 tow fee. Two months later after the money starts coming in, he starts taking money out of the cash box and started embezzling," Smith told Reagan.

"Did he come up with the idea he could steal money? Smith asked. Then he said he could not say whether or not he did. But, he made it abundantly clear that it was just shortly after he came up with the idea and got council to approve it that Bedell started stealing the money.

Bedell's attorney, John P. Rogers of St. Louis, said Bedell's crime was a non-violent offense.

He told Reagan that Bedell was lonely and bored because he was not able to sell his home in Napersville for four years and had to be departed from his wife all that time on the Edwardsville job.

He said Bedell took responsibility for his actions early, had no previous criminal history, had a stellar law enforcement career and educational background along with his long, stable married life. He said the father of two boys had suffered embarrassment already and didn't allow his sons to attend the sentencing "for fear of them seeing him in this moment."

Rogers said Bedell, 57, is undergoing treatment for "stress and gambling addiction." He argued that Bedell did not need a stiff sentence because he was not likely to be in court again for anything like what he was there for Thursday morning.

What put federal agents onto Bedell's scheme was a payment made with a Quick Trip money order that ended up in Bedell's personal bank account, Smith said.

On Oct. 5, 2012, the FBI served a search warrant at Bedell's house. During his conversation with the FBI, Bedell explained the procedure for money getting into the lock box.

"He said anybody could get into the lock box using a butter knife. And, he said he didn't know how the money got into his account," Smith said.

After Bedell realized the federal investigation was focused squarely on him, he came clean Rogers said.

Reagan told Bedell he had read all of his letters of support, acknowledged his stellar career and education. He said he didn't have the luxury, though, of choosing good or bad and sentencing on that alone. He said he had to sentence the whole person - the good and the bad - the two faces of James Bedell.

He said Bedell's crime was serious, protracted and calculated.

"It was like a house of cards," Reagan said. He told Bedell he didn't know how he thought he wouldn't get caught. He, too, pointed out that Bedell came up with the tow fee idea and then stole from it. Reagan said it was sophisticated.

Reagan said he found a dozen bad cop cases that had been in federal court in recent years from the metro-east. He told Bedell, "Police are a safety net. ... Bad cops lend more to chaos than safety."

Reagan said sentencing Bedell to probation would not promote respect for the law. He pointed out the hardship individuals who had to pay the tow money had to deal with. "And then a cop took the money. It's just bad ... bad," Reagan said.

Reagan said he has no doubts that Bedell won't end up back in court, but unless he kicks his gambling addiction, he will go back to gambling.

Bedell apologized to the court, his family, fellow police officers ,friends, and the city of Edwardsville for his criminal actions He said his apology was especially made to his wife of 36 years and best friend for 41 years.

"I can't fix this. I am indebted to you for the rest of my life. I hope you can forgive me someday. I will never forgive myself," he said.

He added, "I am praying for leniency and mercy in your sentencing. I made a terrible decision. And, it has cost me dearly."

Hearing officer went too far in Lubbock police officer's suspension review, appellate court rules

An Amarillo appeals court has agreed with the city of Lubbock that a hearing officer overstepped his authority in reducing a police officer’s suspension for excessive force.

A three-judge panel of the Seventh Court of Appeals on Friday, Sept. 13, reversed 72nd District Judge Ruben Reyes’ ruling that the city had no standing to appeal the hearing officer’s decision regarding Lubbock police officer Christopher Hennsley’s suspension to the court.

The appeals court remanded the case to Reyes for reconsideration.

Then-Chief Dale Holton suspended Hennsley indefinitely — in essence firing the officer — in June 2010 for using excessive force and violating several other police policies during a January 2010 traffic stop.

Hennsley, then an 11-year member of the force, appealed. Hearing officer William McKee in November 2011 reduced the suspension to 15 days and awarded him back pay.

McKee reduced the suspension because he refused to consider any charges in Holton’s indefinite suspension order that hadn’t also been raised in the initial complaint Capt. Scott Hudgens wrote. Hudgens’ memo started an internal affairs investigation of the incident.

McKee held that there was no reason Hudgens’ original complaint could not have been amended while the internal affairs investigation continued.

The Seventh Court of Appeals decided state law didn’t allow McKee the discretion to pick and choose which parts of Holton’s suspension order would be reviewed.

The case arose from a traffic stop near the La Kumbia nightclub on Avenue Q that involved several Lubbock police officers.

A police dashboard video shows Hennsley smashing the rear window of the Ford Mustang he and another officer pursued in their vehicles.

The video also shows Hennsley running up to one of the vehicle’s occupants, who had left the car with his hands up, and kicking him in the stomach.

Other charges against Hennsley including making a misleading radio call, trying to subdue a resisting person without holstering his handgun, using his stun gun without warning other officers and discharging the stun gun with one hand while he had his handgun in the other hand.

Chief Justice Brian Quinn and Justices James T. Campbell and Mackey K. Hancock were the panel that heard the case.

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Law Enforcement Officer Charged with Credit Card Fraud

The Franklin County Sheriff's Office requested the assistance of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement in relation to a credit card fraud investigation.

The investigation involved the purchase of two golf carts using stolen credit cards in the Tallahassee area.  One of the suspects in the investigation was Jeffrey Tyrone Lockley aka "Bonjo".

A FDLE Special Agent obtained arrest warrants for the following charges: 1 Count Racketeering, 1 Count Scheme to Defraud, 2 Counts Dealing in Stolen Property, 3 Counts Fraudulent Use of a Credit Card and 5 Counts of Grand Theft (more than $300.00 less than $10,000).

Lockley was arrested on the 12 felony charges on September 11, 2013, by FDLE Agents in Apalachicola without incident. Lockley was booked into the Franklin County Jail and is being held on a $160,000.00 bond.

Lockley is a former Apalachicola Police Department Officer and a Department of Corrections Officer. This was a joint investigation between the Franklin County Sheriff's Office and the FDLE.

Baton Rouge Police Officer Arrested

The Baton Rouge Police Department has announced the arrest of an officer from their department today.

A press release states that Taylor DeRousselle, 24, Geismar, was charged with misdemeanor Simple Battery.

Investigators say DeRousselle was involved in a physical altercation while off duty at The Varsity Theater on September 7th. He is accused of punching an employee of the establishment in the face.

According to the report, a bouncer at The Varsity saw DeRousselle involved in an argument with another person. The bouncer says he broke up the argument and attempted to escort DeRousselle out. Before he could make it to the door, DeRousselle flashed his Police ID and shouted “I am a fucking cop, I will arrest everyone here.”

The report states that the victim raised his arms in an effort to show no aggression, but a few seconds later, DeRousselle took a deep breath and struck the man once in the left side of his face with a closed fist.

A witness on the scene who observed the incident corroborated the victim’s account. The victim presented medical records to investigators showing that he had a hairline fracture to his left cheek.

During questioning DeRousselle admitted to striking the victim.

DeRousselle has been a Baton Rouge Police Officer for seven months and is currently assigned to Uniform Patrol, 4th District.

He was arrested this morning and booked into the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison. He has also been placed on administrative leave pending an internal investigation.

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N.C. Officer Charged In Death Of Unarmed Black Man

A North Carolina police officer has been charged with voluntary manslaughter in the shooting death of an unarmed black man.

Officer Randall Kerrick of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department fired 12 shots, ten of which hit 24-year-old Jonathan Ferrell, according to authorities.

Ferrell, who had played football for Florida A&M University, was seeking help after crashing his car, according to authorities.

When he knocked on a woman’s door, she called 911 — alarmed to find Ferrell on her doorstep.

When officers arrived at the scene, authorities say Ferrell ran toward officers. When a Taser failed to stop his approach, Kerrick fired.

Still No Jury in Retrial for Former Officer Charged with Manslaughter

LITTLE ROCK, AR - The Little Rock Police officer charged with manslaughter, Josh Hastings, was in court Thursday for day four in his case against the state, who's accusing him in the wrongful death of a teenage robbery suspect.

The case isn't as far along in the process as some inside the courtroom thought it would have been.

"The court felt like we were getting too low on potential jurors, and we would bring this other group in," explained defense attorney Bill James. "We hoped it wasn't going to happen, but the judge decided that needs to be done, so that's what's happening."

Court started Thursday with six seated jurors, meaning halfway to finalizing the jury box and officially swearing them in. That quickly changed however, when one was sent home for personal reasons.

Those inside the courtroom expected that they would begin to bring in witnesses Friday morning, but that changed about lunch time Thursday when the judge sent everyone in the current jury pool, including the seated jurors, home for the day and brought in 60 new faces to start the process all over with them from the beginning.

The court wanted a bigger pool of prospective jurors to pull from to fill the seven remaining seats plus the two alternates.

They are closer to seating the jury, but this has all been done once before and resulted in a hung jury.

"This is a process that requires we be attentive and diligent," Judge Wendell Griffen said.

The previously seated jurors will return Friday afternoon.

It's possible opening testimony will begin Monday. Judge Griffen still expects the proceedings to be finished by October 4.

Amity fires police officer charged in shoplifting case

 AMITY — The police officer charged with shoplifting hundreds of dollars in groceries has been fired by the township.

Following a Local Agency Police Tenure Act Hearing on Sept. 10, the Amity Township Board of Supervisors voted unanimously on Sept. 18 to terminate Cpl. Glenn A. Oesterling, effective immediately.

Township Solicitor Brian F. Boland said Oesterling would be notified by certified mail.

Supervisor Richard L. Gokey was absent from the meeting.

Oesterling, a 12-year veteran of the police force, was charged in July for two incidents of retail theft and receiving stolen property. He was subsequently suspended without pay.

Boland said the found the evidence of the charges credible and convincing.

Oesterling, 35, reportedly walked out of the Upland Square Giant on both June 12 and June 18 without paying for the merchandise he allegedly put into blue reusable shopping bags in the shopping cart he was pushing.

According to a criminal complaint filed by West Pottsgrove Police, a loss prevention officer with the Giantobserved a man leave the store on June 12 without paying for six items worth $38.04 in the reusable bags.

The loss prevention officer used store surveillance footage to confirm what the items were and that the man “bypass(ed) all points of sale,” the complaint states.

In the footage, the suspect was observed pushing a shopping cart with a child’s car attachment on the front and three small children riding on the cart in different positions.

Following that incident, the loss prevention officer printed photos of the man and “placed them in the office for review by other loss prevention officers.”

Almost a week later, on June 18, another loss prevention officer observed a man matching the June 12 photos enter the store. The man was pushing a cart with the same three children in the same type of cart with blue reusable grocery bags.

The loss prevention officer followed the man, later identified as Cpl. Oesterling, around the store as he allegedly placed items into the reusable bags.

After moving toward the service desk, “the defendant then bypassed all points of sale and then exited the store,” the loss prevention officer told police.

The loss prevention officer stopped Oesterling in the store vestibule, where “the defendant then identified himself as a ‘cop,’” according to the complaint.

West Pottsgrove Police responded and the loss prevention officer alleged there were 53 store items totaling $296.35 in Oesterling’s possession. 

Officer charged with falsifying time sheets while working off-duty

In the second such case this year, a Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officer was arrested Thursday on charges that he falsified time sheets while working off duty.

Detectives charged Officer Michael Thompson with eight counts of obtaining property by false pretense, saying he falsified time sheets while working for the Berewick Homeowners Association.

CMPD hired Thompson on May 17, 2007. He was assigned to the Steele Creek Division.

Thompson has been placed on unpaid administrative leave pending a criminal and internal investigation, police said.

“The actions of this officer do not reflect the character of the dedicated men and women that wear the badge of the CMPD with honor,” Police Chief Rodney Monroe said in a statement. “We will continue to hold officers to the highest standards and accountable for their actions.”

In May, another CMPD officer was arrested for allegedly falsifying time sheets for his off-duty job at the Arboretum shopping center.

Jeffrey Taylor, 46, faces a felony charge of obtaining property by false pretense, records show.

Taylor has worked in the department for 24 years. He was placed on unpaid administrative leave after he turned himself in.

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Residents Voice Concerns About Police Misconduct, Racial Profiling

Pittsburgh residents brought their concerns about police misconduct to City Council Tuesday during an open forum.
Concerned citizens brought up many issues, including a lack of diversity on the police force, racial profiling and overly aggressive policing in communities with high crime rates.
Rashad Byrdsong, president and CEO of the Homewood Community Empowerment Association, said law-abiding citizens of his community are stuck in a difficult situation.
“These type of shootings, homicide, crimes, in a lot of these distressed communities promote more aggressive policing,” Byrdsong said. “So we’re caught right in the middle between a lot of the gang activity and the more aggressive policing that’s going on in our community.”
Beth Pittinger, director of the Citizens Police Review Board, said she’s already fielded more complaints about police conduct this year than in all of last year.
“And once again, they focus predominately on their conduct toward the public and unbecoming conduct, which generally means their demeanor and how they speak to people,” Pittinger said. “Rude and discourteous seems to continue to plague us as a major problem.”
Pittinger, Byrdsong, and others also came to find and offer solutions, asking the city to help plan a conference to address issues of race-based police misconduct.
“The board would like to sponsor and facilitate with some of our partners … major conference that would involve having experts in both social reform and community responsibility and law enforcement,” Pittinger said.
Councilman Ricky Burgess was interested in the idea and said he plans to pursue it further.
Some at the forum, including City Council President Darlene Harris and former president of the Pittsburgh Fraternal Order of Police Dan O’Hara said most officers are not participating in any kind of misconduct or racial profiling.
“99.9 percent of our workforce always does the right thing,” O’Hara said. “Occasionally you’re going to have, in any large organizational structure, regardless of whether it’s the police or any business, you’ll have a problem employee or a situation occur, a misunderstanding with the public.”
Byrdsong was not buying this argument. He said the city needs to take a good look at the culture within the department.

“You can’t talk about the few bad apples being isolated from the culture that perpetuates the bad apples,” Byrdsong said. “The bad apples come from the bushel, so we have to actually look at the bushel, what’s going on there, that creates the bad apples."
Burgess held that the main problem with community-police relations in neighborhoods like Homewood is that there are two competing narratives at play, both of them false.
“You have the police officers who believe the community doesn’t like them, that the community disrespects them, that the community is complicit in the illegal drug trade and complicit in protecting family members and friends from the consequences of illegal activity,” he said. “I think on the other side you have the community who believes that the police hate them and the police disrespect them and … are trying to rob them of their constitutional rights through profiling.”
Burgess recently introduced three pieces of legislation to address the lack of community confidence in the police department, which he says has reached crisis level.
Two of the pieces would bring in experts from Kansas City to participate in a summit on how to address these issues, and a third would create a smartphone app that allows citizens to report police misconduct in real time.

Possible Police Misconduct Surrounding Whitney Houston’s Death

BEVERLY HILLS (CNS) – A former Beverly Hills police SWAT supervisor claims he lost his job after reporting a colleague for removing a sheet from atop Whitney Houston’s naked body and making inappropriate comments at the scene of her death in 2012.

A claim filed last week by police Sgt. Brian Weir alleges that then-Det. Sgt. Terry Nutall disturbed the scene after Houston’s death, NBC4 reported.

Weir’s claim is the precursor to a civil lawsuit, which is expected to be filed in the next 30 days, according to NBC4.

Despite having “no legitimate law enforcement … or other proper and legal purpose,” according to the claim reported by NBC4, Nutall “knelt beside and leaned over the decedent, removed the sheet and/or other covering from the body … to an area below the pubic region.”

Nutall allegedly then made “inappropriate comments … that the decedent ‘looked attractive for a woman of her age and current state,’” according to Weir. “Damn, she’s still looking good, huh?” Nutall is alleged to have said.

Lt. Lincoln Hoshino disputed the allegations, saying that Nutall, who has since been promoted to lieutenant, had a legitimate reason for being at the scene. Hoshino said the police department was unaware of any inappropriate conduct.

The 48-year-old singer-actress drowned in a bathtub at the Beverly Hilton on Feb. 11, just hours before a pre-Grammy Awards party thrown at the hotel by her mentor, Clive Davis. The Los Angeles County coroner’s office determined cocaine use and heart disease contributed to her death, with evidence that she used cocaine shortly before slipping under the water in the tub.