Todays sexual assault charges against your police: Trial for ex-Sacramento officer accused in assault...

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Officer arrested on fraud charges

A Philadelphia police officer was arrested Tuesday and charged with committing fraud by requesting compensation for military leave even though he had retired from the military.

Officer Louis Fletcher, 34, a five-year veteran of the department, was charged with theft by deception and related offenses, police said.

Police Commissioner Charles H. Ramsey suspended Fletcher 30 days with intent to dismiss. Fletcher was assigned to the Ninth Police District, which covers the western half of Center City.

An investigation was launched after the department's Internal Affairs Division was informed Apr. 8 about Fletcher's alleged fraud. Investigators found that Fletcher submitted requests for military leave from January 2012 through March 2013, and was paid by the city a total of $3,788.94, police said.

Fletcher, however, had retired from the Navy in September 2011, police said. He also was charged with theft by unlawful taking or disposition, receiving stolen property, tampering with records and identification and unsworn falsification to authorities, police said.

NYPD Officer Charged In Connection With Videotaped Biker Attack

Investigators say undercover and off-duty officer Wojciech Braszczok was part of a motorcycle group that attacked the driver of an SUV.
Wednesday, October 9, 2013
An undercover New York City police officer has been arrested and charged in connection with the beating of an SUV driver last month by a group of motorcyclists. The attack was videotaped and went viral on YouTube.
Wojciech Braszczok, 32, was part of the motorcycle rally on Sept. 29. As The Associated Press says, the rally "began with a reckless motorcycle group ride on a Manhattan highway ... [and ended when] one motorcyclist was run over, and the SUV driver was dragged from behind the wheel and beaten on a street."
New York Police Department spokesman John McCarthy confirmed the arrest. The AP says NYPD internal affairs "began looking into the undercover detective's conduct because he didn't report having been at the rally until three days later. The expectation that police officers will act if they see crimes isn't the same for undercover officers."
The New York Post says video evidence allegedly shows that Braszczok, who was off-duty at the time of the incident, "shattered the window [of the SUV] with his gloved hand."
The Post says:
"Braszczok surrendered with his lawyer at Central Booking and was charged with rioting and criminal mischief — and he could face up to seven years in prison, sources said. ...
"Braszczok told authorities that he pulled up toward the end of the beating, leaving him no time to help victim Alexian Lien or his terrified wife and 2-year-old daughter in the SUV, sources said."
Lien, 33, had bumped a motorcycle. In the video, other riders then surround Lien's Range Rover, possibly smashing a window.
The AP says:
"There was no immediate response to phone messages left with Braszczok's attorney, Phil Karasyk. He had previously said the 10-year NYPD veteran only witnessed other bikers attacking the vehicle."
As The Two-Way's Mark Memmott wrote last week, "moments later, Lien drove off — striking at least one motorcycle rider ... Edwin "Jay" Mieses, who sustained serious leg and back injuries and was placed in a medically induced coma.
Last week we reported that one of two male bikers taken into custody earlier had been released by authorities. The second, Christopher Cruz has been charged with reckless endangerment and child endangerment.

9 Monroe police officers suspended after cases dismissed

MONROE, N.C. — 

Nine Monroe police officers will be suspended without pay for criminal cases that were dismissed because of incomplete investigations.

There could potentially be more disciplinary action against more senior members within the department.

Late Wednesday afternoon, the city manager released the names of nine employees at Monroe police that will be suspended without pay for five days as a result of the criminal case dismissals.

Of the nine officers disciplined, five are detectives, and all have worked at Monroe Police Department for several years.

The Union County District Attorney announced last month he had to dismiss 39 pending cases because those officers didn't complete investigations or file necessary paperwork and evidence.

The cases dismissed included suspected drug dealers, fraud and even a man who allegedly shot into a car with a toddler inside.

These suspensions will take place within the next two weeks.

Meanwhile, the city continues to make policy changes to ensure this never happens again.

Channel 9 was told within the next several days the District Attorney's Office will appoint an officer liaison to specifically deal with the filing issues.

The city is looking at buying a digital records system so it's easier for officers to submit paperwork.

Police video star suspended over donations

When Officer Reese Jenkins was injured on the job this year, he was floored by the number of calls and outpouring of support he received from his colleagues in the Baton Rouge Police Department.

Concerned co-workers donated some $500 to aid his recovery, entrusting their contributions to David K. Stewart, an officer who spread the word via email of Jenkins’ “financial demands” and the overwhelming circumstances he faced.

While he was flattered by the response, it struck Jenkins as odd that the hat was being passed by Stewart, an officer with whom he was not particularly close.

“We never talk about my finances,” he later told an investigator.

Jenkins’ superiors shared his misgivings and began investigating Stewart this summer on suspicion of theft and malfeasance in office after Stewart kept the contributions for himself for several weeks.

Even though Stewart misled Jenkins about a credit union account that didn’t exist, detectives could prove no “criminal intent” in his actions and were told by a prosecutor recently that they didn’t have a case, according to police records.

An internal investigation, however, concluded Stewart committed “conduct unbecoming an officer,” prompting Chief Carl Dabadie to suspend him for three days. The Advocate reviewed the investigative records Tuesday, following their release in response to a public records request filed last month.

Efforts to reach Stewart on his cellphone Tuesday for comment were unsuccessful.

Dabadie did not respond to a request to discuss the case and the disciplinary action he chose. In an address to the Baton Rouge Rotary Club last month, he said he was trying to bring a greater level of accountability to the department “to ensure that we are producing the best possible service for this community.”

“It’s time that people be held accountable,” Dabadie said. “We’re going to do that, and we have been doing that.”

The Police Department began concurrent investigations in June after Jenkins, 37, returned to work from an injury that required arm surgery and had sidelined him since February.

The internal affairs inquiry sought to determine if Stewart had run afoul of any departmental policies, while detectives separately investigated whether he had broken any Louisiana laws.

The department routinely handles criminal investigations involving its own employees and only rarely calls upon an outside agency to conduct an independent inquiry.

On April 15, Stewart sent an email beseeching his colleagues to consider Jenkins in their prayers, and with their wallets.

Supervisors found the message unusual, but Stewart told them he had received approval to send it to the department.

“We have an officer in need,” the email said of Jenkins. “His circumstances are indeed overwhelming and are becoming worse because of financial demands.”

The message elicited a series of concerned calls and text messages from Jenkins’ brothers in blue. One came from Lt. Chris Becnel, of the Baker Police Department.

Baffled, Jenkins told Becnel he hadn’t told anyone he needed financial help, documents show.

Jenkins is quoted in police records as saying he was “doing fine” and knew where to turn if he ended up in a bind.

Nevertheless, Stewart was collecting cash contributions from a number of officers.

Two wrote checks for $100. Stewart also wrote a $100 check, but never gave any of the money to Jenkins, even after he returned to work.

After Stewart sent out the email, Dabadie’s secretary, Michelle Iverson, suggested the contributions be held in an account at the City-Parish Employees’ Federal Credit Union. Previous collections for officers wounded in the line of duty have been kept in such accounts.

At some point, after Jenkins called to thank Stewart for leading the collection effort, Stewart said that some of the donations had been deposited at the credit union.

But records show that when the recovering officer went there to collect them, he was informed that no account had been created in his name.

Stewart declined to provide a statement to detectives during the criminal investigation but told internal affairs officers he had been keeping the donations in an envelope at home.

“It’s been sitting up on my shelf where I keep my keys in my apartment, and for some odd reason I just kept forgetting it,” Stewart is quoted as telling internal affairs officers. “I wish I had brought it two weeks ago and I wouldn’t be in this mess.”

He added, “Man, I hope that fella don’t think I stole that money.”

The contributions were turned over to detectives as evidence, and it wasn’t clear from records whether Jenkins ever received any of the money.

Department emails show Jenkins requested at one point that the money be given to John Colter, a detective who was seriously injured in a motorcycle crash over the summer.

The three-day suspension wasn’t the first time Stewart has been admonished by his supervisors. He was verbally counseled last year after pulling over an off-duty Baton Rouge police officer for speeding and driving erratically in Livingston Parish.

The traffic stop, which occurred outside Stewart’s jurisdiction, was followed by a heated exchange between the officers that was captured on Stewart’s dashboard camera.

Newark police officer found drinking at bar hours after calling off sick

NEWARK — A veteran police officer with the Newark Police Department has been suspended 180 hours without pay after he took sick time and was later seen drinking at a bar after the legal serving hours.
Officer Adam Pfannenschmidt called off of his shift July 20, but was seen 13 hours later, around 5 a.m. July 21, at the Harry Beasley Lounge in Fraternal Order of Police Lodge No. 127, consuming alcohol.
According to an internal investigation report obtained by The Advocate as part of a quarterly review, the sergeant on duty on July 21 was driving in the area of the FOP Lodge and noticed lights on in the building and cars in the parking lot around 5 a.m. when the lodge typically was not open.
The sergeant went inside through an unlocked door and found Pfannenschmidt with a beer in his hand and three other individuals inside the lounge area. Pfannenschmidt told the sergeant he had permission to be in the facility. The sergeant ordered Pfannenschmidt, the other man and two women, who were identified in the report as dancers at Club2K, out of the lounge. One of the women was identified as being Pfannenschmidt’s girlfriend.
During an interview with officers conducting the internal investigation, Pfannenschmidt said about 12 beers had been consumed and had not been paid for. Pfannenschmidt offered to pay for the drinks after the interview.
Pfannenschmidt said he was a trustee of the FOP Lodge and had a key to the facility, which is how the individuals got into the building after it had closed for the night.
In a follow-up interview, Pfannenschmidt said he had been in the lodge with one of the females after hours about 10 times in the past year. The drinks were put on a tab the other nine times, the internal investigation said.
On Aug. 9, Chief Steven Sarver found two allegations sustained against Pfannenschmidt and requested a predisciplinary hearing. That hearing was held Sept. 4.
Safety Director William Spurgeon imposed a 180 hour suspension without pay effective at 5 p.m. Oct. 3 for Pfannenschmidt’s misconduct.
According to previous internal investigations obtained by The Advocate, Pfannenschmidt and another officer were given a written reprimand in 2010 for being involved in a pursuit on Linden Avenue at a high rate of speed for about a minute.
In 2012, Pfannenschmidt was suspended for 40 hours without pay after lying to his supervisor about an injury sustained during a bar fight that resulted in an extended use of sick time.
Sarver said Pfannenschmidt has been with the department since December 2007 and “does a good job on a day-to-day basis.” Pfannenschmidt is a member of the department’s honor guard.
“His performance evaluations have been OK throughout the time he’s been here,” Sarver said.
Sarver said an agreement on the punishment was reached between the Ohio Labor Council, Newark’s Human Resources Director and Spurgeon that Pfannenschmidt would not contest the punishment.
Pfannenschmidt will be eligible to return to work Nov. 2.
A message requesting comment from the Licking County Fraternal Order of Police president was not returned by press time.
Also receiving discipline, according to internal investigations, were the following:
• Two detectives received oral reprimands for failing to give a Miranda warning to a suspect who later confessed.
• A patrol officer received an oral reprimand for taking time off without prior permission.
• A communications officer received a verbal warning for failing to dispatch an officer to a report of a bicyclist riding erratically in the road.

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Former National Park man struck and killed by drunk cop

 A former resident of National Park was killed on Oct. 4 in Staten Island when he was hit by an SUV driven by an off-duty cop who has since been charge with vehicular manslaughter and drunken driving, according to Staten Island Advance.

William Bruce Hemphill, Jr., 51, a resident of Tilghman, Md., was crossing the street in Mariners Harbor in Staten Island, New York, when Office Joseph McClean, 29, struck him with his 2010 Ford Escape, police said.

Hemphill landed on the hood of the car. A witness to the accident said he went to check on Hemphill and determined "he must have been dead on the scene right there," Staten Island Advance reported.

He was taken to Richmond University Medical Center in West Brighton and pronounced dead.

Police said McClean fled the scene in his car but returned within a half-hour. His blood-alcohol content was reported to be .073, which is below the legal limit of .08, however officers told the Staten Island Advance that he had an odor of alcohol, a flushed face, watery eyes and slurred speech which "typically tilt the scales toward a charge of driving while intoxicated."

Hemphill was a member of the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 25, and was working t the Great Lakes Dredge and Dock Company LLC in Mariners Harbor.

According to an obituary published in the South Jersey Times, Hemphill previously resided in National Park and is survived by a number of family members. Services will be held Thursday in Woodbury.

cop admits lying,

A 23-year veteran Dayton police officer says his firing this week for lying to his superior officer was an overreaction and vindictive.

The Dayton Police Department concluded that Ronald Horton, who was let go Tuesday afternoon, violated policy when he lied.

And whether Horton gets his job back -- the case is in arbitration, he told News Center 7's Layron Livingston on Wednesday night -- rests with how strongly he makes his case.

"He was not truthful in an investigation," Deputy Chief Robert Chabali said. "He was fired as part of an administrative investigation" that involved a violation of department policy.

Chabali said he could not go into detail about the firing, but noted there "was no safety issue" stemming from what Horton did or didn't do.

Horton, formerly a uniform officer assigned to Central Patrol Operations Squad 2, admits he lied to his supervisor, a sergeant, the morning of June 3 when he was asked where he was.

He was at home, using the restroom, when he was supposed to be on his way to a scrap yard in the 300 block of West Washington Street to assist another officer. The call involved suspected illegal scrapping, which turned out to be a dispatch run that was cleared without incident.

But it was too late by then, Horton said. He had advised dispatch that he would be delayed. "I told them I was at Main [Street] and Great Miami [Boulevard], actually I was at Main and Babbitt [streets]."

Later that same day, when his sergeant asked him where he had been, Horton said, "I did tell him at first that I was at home. I wasn't truthful then."

Horton said he came clean the next day. He said he's done this kind of thing before -- going off duty -- during his shift. In the past, he said he has told dispatch where he was.
"This time, for some particular reason, there's a problem."

Usually, he said, officers go to the nearest and most convenient facility when nature calls. Horton claims there is bad blood between him and his supervisor -- whom he did not identify by name.

"I know it's a vendetta," Horton said.

Two years shy of his pension, he answers "of course" when asked whether he'd like his job back. The termination is in arbitration. He doesn't know whether he will prevail.

"I was fired, I think unjustly," Horton said, noting that he could understand his being suspended or put on desk duty as punishment. But to be terminated, he said, "just for going home to use the restroom, I just don't understand it."

Andrea Rebello's family petitions for police files

The family of a Hofstra student accidentally shot and killed in May by a Nassau police officer during an off-campus hostage standoff has asked a judge to order the release of all records related to the case.
The request was filed in Nassau Supreme Court after the family appealed to Nassau police for documents but only received partial records of the May 17 shooting of Andrea Rebello, said David Roth, the family's lawyer.
The county has refused to turn over all but a few records, citing the investigation into the shooting, which also killed Dalton Smith, the Hempstead ex-convict police said took Rebello hostage during a home invasion.
"The NCPD's refusal to provide almost all information requested is unfair and unreasonable," Roth wrote in the Sept. 30 filing in Nassau Supreme Court.
The petition names Police Commissioner Thomas Dale, County Executive Edward Mangano, the police department and the county. It asks a judge to declare the denial of the records "arbitrary, capricious, an abuse of discretion and erroneous as a matter of law."
Nassau County attorney John Ciampoli said the county would review the petition. "It is puzzling to me why these attorneys are attempting to drag this matter out piecemeal in the courts and have not handled this in a more traditional fashion wherein they bring an action against the county."
In August, the family's lawyers filed papers saying they intended to sue the county for wrongfully causing Rebello's death. No suit has been filed.
Roth said the timing of the lawsuit's filing is irrelevant.
"All we're asking for is what we're entitled to," Roth said.
The family first raised questions about the shooting shortly after police said Smith barged into the Uniondale rental home about a block from campus that Rebello shared with three students, including her twin sister.
Police said Smith demanded money, jewelry and took four students hostage. Responding officers, including Nikolas Budimlic, arrived within minutes of a 911 call. Budimlic confronted Smith as he held Rebello in a headlock, a handgun at her head, police said. Smith pointed the gun at Budimlic, who fired. Smith was hit seven times, and an eighth bullet hit Rebello in the head.
In August, a Nassau judge ruled that the medical examiner must turn over Smith's autopsy report to the family. Lawyers said it was key to get the report to determine how the bullets entered his body, the size and shape of the bullet holes, and other details.
Ciampoli said the family has the report but Roth said it's "incomplete" and is missing numerous files and photographs.
"We've requested that they rethink their position, instead of narrowly construing the judge's order, and turn over the full materials," Roth said.
With Robert Brodsky

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Brooklyn judge rules that NYPD officers used excessive force in fatal Tasering

Chief Magistrate Steven Gold ruled that Officer Nicholas Marchesona and deceased Lt. Michael Pigott used excessive force and violated the constitutional rights of Iman Morales when they Tasered him in Bedford Stuyvesant, causing him to fall to his death.

A Brooklyn judge ruled that NYPD cops used excessive force and violated the constitutional rights of a mentally ill man they Tasered on a building ledge, causing the victim to fall to his death.

The wrongful death lawsuit filed by the mother of Iman Morales can now proceed to a civil trial by jury in Brooklyn Federal Court.

Chief Magistrate Steven Gold rejected arguments to throw out the suit against the city, Officer Nicholas Marchesona and deceased Lt. Michael Pigott, who gave the fateful order on Sept. 24, 2008 in Bedford Stuyvesant. Pigott later committed suicide after he was criticized by police brass.

Gold concluded that although the victim was wielding a long fluorescent light bulb, he was essentially trapped on the ledge and did not pose an immediate risk to the safety of the officers who could have simply retreated from the reach of the bulb.

"The police might have waited for the arrival of the airbag or merely aimed the Taser at Morales ready to fire if the situation escalated," Gold wrote in his decision.Instead, Pigott ordered Marchesona to fire a Taser dart even though Morales was perched 10-feet above the sidewalk. NYTPD guidelines advise against using the 50,000-volt device against a subject standing on an elevated surface.

The cops also failed to give Morales warning that he was about to be Tasered, Gold noted.

"We are gratified that the court rejected the city's claim of immunity for the senseless death of Iman Morales," said lawyer Seth Harris who represents the victim's mother in the suit.

Marchesona testified that Pigott had not anticpated Morales would seize up and pitch forward landing head-first on the pavement.

"(Pigott) thought that maybe (Morales) would have collapsed. I mean coming straight down, possibly, maybe, breaking a leg, but nothing probably worse than that," Marchesona said, according to court papers.

A spokeswoman for the city Law Department had no immediate comment on the decision

New CCPD Officers on Paid Leave While Under Investigation

CORPUS CHRISTI - The most recent class of Corpus Christi Police Department cadets is off to a rough start with two officers including the class president now on suspension.

We learned Monday afternoon that the two officers in the last phases of their training were under investigation for misconduct.

The police department would not go into detail about what exactly what they did to get themselves suspended, so we found out for ourselves.

According to the police union president, officer Bryan Cantu had a disagreement with his girlfriend over a week ago, became distraught, and allegedly put a gun to his head.

Chief Floyd Simpson would not release details when we spoke to him late Monday. "What I don't want to do is cloud the issues by talking about specifics in the investigation in the media... Once the investigation is done I will make a determination on whether or not he's worthy to be on our department," Simpson told us.

Cantu's father is a longtime Corpus Christi police officer.

Bryan Cantu's academy classmate, Spencer Christian, was arrested by Dallas police over a week ago. He's charged with assault on a family member and impeding breath. He was picked up after a car accident in Arlington and shipped back to Dallas, according to Arlington police.

Christian and Cantu are both on paid leave as internal affairs conducts an investigation. They're facing severe disciplinary action and alleged misconduct could cost them a career in law enforcement.

"i think it's an honor to serve and I have an expectation that employees that work here on the pd will feel the same way and that's how we are going to proceed," says Chief Simpson.

Simpson was quick to point out these officers were in their final stages of training and were working under the supervision of experienced officers.

Fairfax County Police Watch: Winthrop police officer charged with distributing ...

Fairfax County Police Watch: Winthrop police officer charged with distributing ...: - He put on a uniform, a badge and even carried a gun, but now 34-year-old Bledar Naco is behind bars, charged with a federal offense of ...

Winthrop police officer charged with distributing drugs

- He put on a uniform, a badge and even carried a gun, but now 34-year-old Bledar Naco is behind bars, charged with a federal offense of distributing cocaine.

Naco had been a Winthrop auxiliary police officer for more than a year when Police Chief Terence Delehanty says he got a disturbing phone call.

"I received a phone call from the Lynn Police Chief he said he had information from his sources in his department that we had an auxiliary police officer dealing cocaine from the cruiser, the auxiliary police cruiser, and in uniform," Chief Delehanty says.

Chief Delehanty says he notified the FBI, and together with Revere Police they set up a five month undercover surveillance and sting operation to catch Naco in the act.

"We wanted to have a solid case to prosecute and wanted to make sure we knew what case we were presenting and the facts and the information we received were actually true," he said.

Court paperwork shows Naco was arrested last Thursday night in the parking lot of Nick’s Place, a Winthrop family restaurant where he also worked.

The documents allege he had just sold $100 worth of cocaine to an undercover officer from his Mercedes parked in the lot.

"Nothing came up in the background checks, certainly we did our due diligence in doing those checks and it’s just unfortunate," said Chief Delehanty, "but in any organization you have a certain percentage that will take advantage of their position of power."

Chief Delehanty says it’s important to note that Naco was not a full-fledged officer; he was a volunteer, assisting the department with traffic posts and monitoring buildings in the town.

"It’s extremely frustrating and of course the public sees a person in uniform doing something bad, they don’t know the distinction between auxiliary and regular police officers," said Chief Delehanty, "and so if affects all of our reputations, it tarnishes our badges."

 Court documents allege that Naco admitted to agents after his arrest that he had been selling cocaine for about a year. Naco is being held in federal custody pending a detention hearing later this week.

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NYC cop surrenders in motorcycle-SUV assault case

An off-duty New York Police Department undercover detective apparently seen on video pounding on an SUV during a melee with motorcyclists has surrendered.

Police spokesman John McCarthy confirmed Tuesday the undercover officer is in custody. Charges are pending.

Two people familiar with the case say the detective was on a motorcycle and was seen on video hitting and kicking the SUV when a biker rally spiraled into violence. They weren't authorized to discuss the inquiry and spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity.

The driver was pulled from his SUV on Sept. 29 after hitting a Massachusetts motorcyclist. The driver's wife says he was fleeing to protect her and their 2-year-old.

Four bikers have been charged in the case. One of them was arraigned Tuesday on assault and other charges. His attorney says he'll fight the charges.

So hows that investigation of the John Geer killing going?

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Court: website alleging police corruption shouldn’t have been shut down

Local cops posted text, audio showing claimed corruption—then their bosses sued.
Lafayette, Louisiana is known as the capital of Cajun culture—and it'll now also exist as a reference point in First Amendment case-law.

On Monday, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals overturned a lower court ruling that previously allowed a website created by current and former members of the Lafayette Police Department, describing allegations of top-to-bottom corruption, to be shuttered. (City officials denied the site's allegations.)
Initially, the Lafayette Police sued the owners of the site and got a magistrate judge to order that the site be “closed and removed immediately.” This was a way for that court to avoid influencing a prospective jury pool in a related civil case.
But in today's unanimous decision, the three judges wrote:
We disagree, however, with the Lafayette PD Defendants’ implicit suggestion in their briefs (made explicit at oral argument) that the Officers have a complete “either or” choice between filing a lawsuit and exercising their First Amendment rights. This area, as the district court recognized, demands a nuanced approach to the delicate balance between the necessity of avoiding a tainted jury pool and the rights of parties to freely air their views and opinions in the “market square” now taking form on the electronic square known as the Internet. The district court faithfully and carefully addressed numerous precedents surrounding the use of “gag orders” and applied a careful and nuanced approach in much of the challenged order. When it came to the Website, however, the nuanced approach gave way to a more wholesale striking of its entire content—indeed, the very website itself.

Woman To Fight Wrongful Arrest

WHEELING - Bonnie Grewe, who was arrested days after publicly criticizing Wheeling police and then exonerated when another woman confessed to the crime, will meet with a lawyer this week to pursue wrongful arrest charges.

James Villanova, a Pittsburgh-based lawyer, confirmed that he will meet with Grewe to discuss the case. He declined to comment further.

Villanova already is Grewe's attorney in an ongoing lawsuit against a real estate company.

Grewe declined to comment on the wrongful arrest charge or a possible lawsuit.

At least two officers identified Grewe, 51, as the woman seen on video surveillance stealing a wallet last week from a retail store on Chapline Street.

Hours after the theft, Grewe criticized the police department during a community meeting in East Wheeling for their investigation and arrest of her son, Cory Henry, on "false allegations."

The meeting, which was led by Delores Wiggins, president of the Ohio Valley Black Caucus, was advertised as an opportunity to "stand against the corruption" of city police, municipal judges, county magistrates and prosecutors.

Grewe turned herself in to police Monday after learning there was a warrant for her arrest. She "profusely proclaimed her innocence" that day, a police report states.

Wiggins said that following Grewe's arrest, a "liaison" of the Black Caucus in Wheeling noticed the resemblance between Grewe and 50-year-old Wheeling resident Geraldine Goeller. That woman subsequently contacted Goeller, who admitted to the crime, according to Wiggins.

Police were provided with that information, and Goeller admitted to officers she was the one who stole the wallet that day, according to court filings.

Police provided that information to the prosecutor's office, which dropped the case again Grewe on Thursday.

Goeller turned herself in to police later that night and was charged with petit larceny.

Police Chief Shawn Schwertfeger took responsibility for the misidentification, but denied it was a police retaliating against Grewe. He remarked how similar Grewe and Goeller look.

Wiggins said Grewe and Goeller "could pass for twins."

cop who witnessed Alexian Lien beating suspended.

The  cop who went on to witness the Alexian Lien beating and did nothing to avail the situation has been this evening put on suspended leave.

The narcotics officer, whose identity is not being released has also gone on to be stripped of his gun and badge pending an outcome of an internal affairs investigation.
The cop at the time, off duty, is said to have been riding with the Frontline soldiers club at the time of the Alexian Lien beating.
The nypost is also reporting that NYPD spokesperson John McCarthy has gone on to say that internal affairs is trying to determine whether any other officers were also present at the beating and who hadn’t immediately reported it. It is understood the suspended undercover cop waited until as late as Wednesday night, four days after the beating to come forward.
Authorities have also since gone on to reveal that it has acknowledged there were at least five off duty cops who went on to witness the Alexian Lien beating. At present it is not understood if those officers participated in the beating or if they made any effort to come to the aid of Lien.
According to investigators, the undercover narcotics cop declined to intercede in Lien’s beating because he feared it would break his cover.
That said a source has now gone on to reveal that the detective told the beating was in the process of breaking up, and the level of danger for the overmatched Lien was diminishing. The source also went on to tell that the undercover claimed that somebody was already calling police when he arrived at attack site on the Henry Hudson Parkway.
The UK’s dailymail goes on to note that undercover cops are required by protocol to immediately report being a witness to a crime.
Uniformed officers are required to take police action if they see a crime occurring, but the rules are murkier for undercover officers who face blowing their cover, confusing civilians who don’t realize the undercover is really a cop and ruining years long investigations.
Although the suspended cop has said he was not involved in the actual beating of Lien, it is understood he has now gone on to hire a lawyer.
The nydailynews also goes on to note that the narcotics cop opted to leave once he knew police were on their way and several people had rushed to Lien’s aid. Behavior which has since been called into question.
The suspension comes after increasing public scorn of the biker’s actions and calls that what many perceive to be reckless and aggressive action to be reigned in. It is believed that the officer has now been assigned to desk duty pending further investigation.

White Plains cop said sacked over killing of ex-Marine in own home

A police officer in White Plains has been sacked, allegedly for using a racial epithet during an encounter in which a fellow officer shot and killed a 68-year-old former Marine.

Officer Steven Hart’s dismissal was announced Monday by White Plains Police Commissioner David Chong, who refused to explain why the cop was fired. But attorney John Pappalardo said the firing stems from a deadly encounter in 2011 between police and resident Kenneth Chamberlain Sr. — an incident first reported by the Daily News. Police went to Chamberlain’s apartment after his medical alert device went off. The device recorded one of the cops using the racial slur, according to his family’s lawsuit.

cop arrested, accused of soliciting bribe

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A Hayward police officer solicited a $500 bribe from a suspect in exchange for letting the woman slide in a prescription forgery case, authorities said.

Romeo Aberin, 30, was arrested Monday after Alameda County prosecutors charged him with extortion under color of authority and receiving a bribe by an executive officer, both felonies. Aberin, a patrol officer since joining the department in 2007, posted $50,000 bail and turned in a letter of resignation, officials said.

The case stems from an investigation last month in which Aberin interviewed Tammy Spencer, an employee of a clinic, and determined that she had stolen blank prescription pads and forged prescriptions for friends, police said.

Instead of arresting Spencer, Aberin tried to use her as a confidential informant, telling her that she had two weeks to come up with information relating to drug trafficking and money laundering, police officials said.

However, Aberin "never notified the department of his actions or intent" and failed to follow policies mandating how officers deal with informants, said Hayward police Sgt. Mark Ormsby.

Two weeks later, on Sept. 13, Aberin allegedly arranged to meet Spencer at her workplace. The two met while Aberin was off duty, and he reminded her of what he wanted from her, officials said.

"When the victim advised Aberin there was no useful information to give him, he proceeded to ask for cash in exchange to dismiss reporting any criminal activity against the victim," Ormsby said. "Out of fear and duress, the victim complied."

Authorities said Spencer gave Aberin $500 that she withdrew from an ATM, police said, while secretly recording the interaction on her cell phone.

The next day, she reported Aberin to the San Leandro Police Department. Aberin admitted to taking the $500 but "contended she provided the money willingly," investigators said in an affidavit. Spencer was not arrested.

Aberin's arrest comes nine days after Livermore police arrested another Hayward officer, Richard McLeod, 38, on charges that he abused numerous girls when he previously worked as a teacher at an after-school program in Livermore. McLeod is being held without bail.

Protesters Demand Arrest Of Cop Who Fatally Tasered Teen

MIAMI BEACH, Fla., Oct 6 (Reuters) - More than 200 people marched through Miami Beach on Sunday, clogging tourist-filled sidewalks to demand the arrest of a policeman who fired a stun gun at a graffiti artist who died in police custody.

The protesters alleged that Officer Jorge Mercado used excessive force when he used a Taser on Israel Hernandez-Llach, 18, during an arrest attempt in August.

"He was sentenced like a prisoner when he goes before a firing squad," Hernandez-Llach's father, Israel Hernandez Bandera, said on the steps of Miami Beach City Hall.

Friends, family and supporters carried signs reading "Paint is temporary, death is forever" and chanted "No justice, no peace" in English and Spanish.

Hernandez-Llach was prolific graffiti artist nicknamed "Reefa," and the march was led by the Justice for Reefa Committee and the American Community Council. Marchers asked that Mercado be fired and arrested and that the Miami Beach Police Department change its policy regarding use of stun guns.

Police discovered Colombian-born Hernandez-Llach spray-painting the wall of an abandoned McDonald's early on the morning of Aug. 6. The teenager fled, evading police for several minutes before he was cornered and stunned with the Taser.

He died shortly afterward and friends who were with him told Reuters they heard and saw officers celebrating and high fiving while the young man's body lay on the ground.

Medical examiners have yet to release a toxicology report or cause of death. Miami Beach Police have declined to comment pending an ongoing investigation.

The teenager's father submitted a letter late last month to the U.S. Department of Justice and President Barack Obama alleging that police used excessive force and refused to provide him with information regarding the incident.

"I'm not an investigator, just a broken father who wants answers," he wrote.

He said his son's body showed signs of mistreatment, including an injury to the forehead, after it was turned over to the family for the funeral.

"My biggest concern is was it due to the Taser or was it from blows (by police)," said his father.

Hernandez-Llach's sister, Offir Hernandez, disputed speculation that her brother was on drugs at the time of the incident, but said that according to friends he had smoked marijuana that morning.

"He took care of himself," she told Reuters. "He was very healthy and wouldn't even drink sodas and ate salads and fish. He'd never put acid in his body."

Hernandez-Llach's family has also filed a lawsuit in Miami-Dade County Circuit Court against the Miami Beach Police Department and Mercado, seeking an undisclosed amount for damages and alleging the police used "unnecessary, excessive and unconstitutional force."

The Colombian-born artist was slightly built and unarmed, and "officers had no reasonable basis to fear for their own safety or the safety of the public," the lawsuit said.

Mercado was named in several prior complaints according to police Internal Affairs reports obtained by Reuters. He was disciplined for failing a drug test in 2011 but was exonerated in several other cases, including punching a man in the face during an off-duty fight in a men's room in 2007.

Philadelphia narcotics officer charged with DUI in crash that injured teen after Eagles game

UPPER DARBY, Pennsylvania — A Philadelphia narcotics officer has been charged with drunken driving for a suburban crash following an Eagles game that injured a teen driving another vehicle.
Online court records don't list an attorney for 42-year-old Levaun Rudisill, who faces a preliminary hearing Oct. 30 before an Upper Darby district judge.
Upper Darby police say Rudisill was returning from a Sept. 15 football game when he crossed into oncoming traffic and hit a car driven by an 18-year-old boy head on. The other driver was treated and released for his injuries at Delaware County Memorial hospital.
Philadelphia police spokesman Lt. John Sanford says Rudisill has been restricted to desk duty while the charges are pending in court.
Upper Darby police Superintendent Michael Chitwood says Rudisill failed a field sobriety test and refused a blood test.

Former Cop, Convicted Embezzler Arrested on DUI Charge

A former Bartow County Sheriff's Office captain who has spent a year in federal prison found himself Saturday on the wrong side of the law, again.

Brenton James Garmon, now 41, pleaded guilty in May 2008 to embezzling more than $80,000 of funds seized by BCSO's Narcotics unit, which he headed from about 2004 to 2007, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. 

Garmon, then 36, who used some of the money to stop foreclosure proceedings on his home, was sentenced to serve a year and a month in federal prison.

He was released in May 2009, according to the Federal Bureau of Prisons, and was to be supervised for the following three years. The current Aquafil employee also was ordered to repay $80,493.78 to the sheriff's office.

In an unrelated incident, a sheriff's deputy Saturday about 12:30 a.m. spotted the blue 1994 Ford Ranger driven by Garmon. He allegedly failed to stop for a stop sign at Peeples Valley and Cass-White roads, and was pulled over.

Garmon allegedly smelled of alcohol, and said he had been drinking since 10 a.m. Friday, consuming about six beers, and had just drank a beer shortly before leaving his home, according to the BCSO report, above.

A breath test for the presence of alcohol performed on Garmon registered 0.98. He was arrested and charged with DUI and failure to obey a stop sign, and has since bonded out of jail