Eat em up

We thought she had a gun

Woman falsely arrested for DUI files federal lawsuit

by Chris Patterson

MILWAUKEE -- A woman is filing a federal lawsuit after a Milwaukee County Sheriff's deputy allegedly arrested her for drunk driving to cover up his fault in a car accident.

According to federal documents, Tanya Weyker was traveling south on Howell Ave. when Deputy Joseph Quiles drove through a stop sign resulting in an accident. Weyker's car spun out of control, and struck a tree in a median barrier.

The lawsuit filed in federal court claims three other Milwaukee County Sheriff's deputies, Scott Griffin, Byron Terry, and Sergeant Matthew Paradise, responded to this accident the night of February 20, 2013. The lawsuit alleges all officers conspired to cover up Quiles' role in the accident by having Weyker falsely arrested for driving while intoxicated.

The federal lawsuit says Griffin, Terry and Paradise failed to intervene or prevent Weyker's arrest. The lawsuit also says they all willfully "ignored or disregarded" evidence indicating Quiles was at fault for this accident. Attorneys say all responding deputies filed false and inaccurate information saying Weyker was driving drunk.

Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke is also mentioned in this lawsuit. It says Sheriff Clarke became aware of the video that proved Quiles was at fault in the February 20th accident. The video was made available to Sheriff Clarke within one week of the incident.

The Milwaukee County District Attorney's Office declined to issue any charges against Weyker after blood tests showed she was completely sober. Assistant DA Ron Dauge noted, "A MCSO squad t-bones the driver's car as she is heading south on Howell Avenue. The squad failed to stop/yield to an auto in the active traffic lane. Although the defendant admits that she was driving 45 in a 35 (mph) zone, that speed isn't excessive, just a violation of the speed limit. Defendant was cooperative with police and consented to blood test. Blood test shows no alcohol, no drugs at all. So no evidence of impairment. Ticket was also written for 'imprudent speed.' 45 in 35 might be in excess of posted limit, but doesn't appear to be "imprudent." Further, driver's car suffered significant damage, both driver and passenger suffered injuries and were admitted into Froedtert as a consequence of the collision."

Former police officer charged with DUI makes initial court appearance

Written by Kevin Robison

CEDAR CITY – Jed Prisbrey Imlay, 32, appeared for his initial hearing at the 5th District Court in Cedar City on Tuesday. Imlay resigned from the Cedar City Police Department June 16 after being charged with driving under the influence while off duty – allegedly with a child in the vehicle – and leaving the scene of an accident after crashing in the parking lot of a little league baseball complex.

Imlay entered not guilty pleas through his attorney, Douglas Terry, to charges of driving under the influence of alcohol with a minor in the vehicle, a class-A misdemeanor, and leaving the scene of an accident that involved property damage, a class-B misdemeanor.

Prosecution is being handled by the Beaver County Attorney’s Office in order to avoid a conflict of interest with Iron County.

A review hearing is set for Aug. 12 at 9 a.m.

Persons arrested or charged are presumed innocent until found guilty in a court of law or as otherwise decided by a trier-of-fact.

Former Isle of Palms cop charged with pawning evidence

By RACHAEL MYERS LOWE

CHARLESTON, SC — A former Isle of Palms police officer was arrested Tuesday and charged with misconduct in office and breach of trust, the State Law Enforcement Division announced in a news release.

Dawn Caldwell, 45, worked in the evidence room at the Isle Of Palms Police Department. Between 2009 and 2013, the SLED warrant charges, Capt. Caldwell took items from the evidence room worth more than $2,000 and pawned them at a local pawn shop. She was also charged with pawning her department issued Glock pistol on two occasions.

The SC Law Enforcement Division investigated the case at the request of the Isle of Palms Police Department.

Caldwell was being held at the Charleston County Detention Center on Tuesday.

Ex-cop tied to suitcase deaths suspended 3 times

WEST ALLIS, Wis. - Newly released records show that a former Wisconsin police officer charged with dumping two bodies stuffed into suitcases along a highway had a lengthy disciplinary record, including three suspensions and four reprimands.

Fifty-two-year-old Steven Zelich is charged with two counts of hiding a corpse in Walworth County. Authorities say he's also a suspect in the women's deaths, although no homicide charges have been filed.

Zelich worked for the West Allis Police Department from February 1989 until he resigned in August 2001.

Records obtained Wednesday by The Associated Press show he was suspended twice in 2001 for lying - for 20 days in May and two days in April.

He also received a one-day suspension in 1996 for failing to report an accident in which he was involved while on duty.

Highway workers discovered two suitcases containing female remains June 5 in the Town of Geneva, some 50 miles southwest of Milwaukee. Police identified one woman as Laura Simonson, 37, of Farmington, Minnesota. The second woman was identified through dental records as Jenny Gamez from Cottage Grove, Oregon.

Why Cops Get Away With Rape

By Paula Mejia

Truthout revealed last week that there is no organization keeping good data on sexual violence perpetrated by police. Universities are being pressured by students, alumni and human rights groups for more transparency regarding sexual assault cases on campuses, but sexual misconduct committed by on-duty police officers goes vastly underreported. Truthout also says that when police-perpetrated sexual violence is reported, shorter sentences or dismissed cases are more common.

Cases of police-perpetrated molestation, harassment sexual assault, rape and molestation have been all over the headlines recently. A former Washington, D.C., officer admitted that he forced teenagers to work as escorts out of his apartment, while a former Wisconsin police officer was arrested for murdering two women and stuffing them into suitcases. An officer in Texas was arrested on domestic violence charges and was recorded saying that his wife would benefit from being “cut by a razor, set on fire, beat half to death and left to die.” A former Georgia officer was sentenced to 35 years on child molestation charges after he forced himself on two girls and a woman while on duty.

Jennifer Marsh, vice president of victims services at the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network, told Truthout that her organization receives multiple reports of police-perpetrated sexual crimes each month via its anonymous hotline. Marsh is unsure how many of these cases result in an arrest, and how many times charges are dismissed because the officer’s word is taken over the victim’s, partly because of the power dynamics in such situations and partly because of how the rapists select their targets.

 “[Officers] tend to choose victims who would lack so-called credibility in the eyes of other law enforcement, whether it was somebody who was engaged in sex work or whether it is somebody who was intoxicated or who was using drugs, and then they use that justification for why that person cannot be believed,” Marsh said.

“Unfortunately, this is more the norm than the exception,” she continues. “It’s hard to do research and find reliable statistics on a topic that nobody wants to speak about.” An unofficial study by the Cato Institute’s National Police Misconduct Reporting Project found that sexual misconduct is the second greatest of all civilian complaints nationwide against police officers, at 9.3 percent in 2010. The organization noted that 354 of the 618 officers under investigation for sexual offenses were accused of engaging in nonconsensual sexual acts, and just over half of the 354 cases involved minors.

Within the criminal justice system, sex offenders are difficult to prosecute, but officers accused of sexual crimes are even tougher to convict. According to a U.S. Department of Justice survey, 60 percent of sexual assaults go unreported, only 3 percent of rapists will serve time in prison, and the numbers for cops are nonexistent. The study notes that these cops are typically unsupervised and, if arrested, often have to recount the crime to, well, other cops. The truth is that little accountability exists for law enforcement officials.

Consider the case of Nicole Smith. In a report, she describes in graphic detail the horrible violence she endured when a police officer raped her over 20 years ago. “He just started beating the shit out of me, and he had a gun,” she said. “I remember him telling me, ‘You’re never going home’.... I could feel the gun on my face.” The officer was off duty when the rape happened (the two were briefly dating at the time). But a study conducted by Bowling Green State University finds that more than half of reported police-perpetrated rapes between 2005 and 2007 occurred when an officer was on duty.

Smith isn’t sure if she would have talked to the police at all had a friend not taken her to the hospital after the attack. “My paranoia was beyond belief when I was talking to the police,” she said. When Smith pressed charges, the officer was already standing trial on charges of raping and assaulting another woman. That case was dropped, and Smith’s case ended in a plea bargain for a life sentence. Smith’s rapist was deemed eligible for parole after an initial five years, then again every three years, although she said he has a good chance of getting out as early as September 2015 due to recent changes in the state’s parole board operations.

The Department of Justice’s Office on Violence Against Women funded an initiative by the International Association of Chiefs of Police to develop policies and training standards to prevent police-perpetrated sexual misconduct. The American Prospect reports, however, that the organization fails to track progress within its local departments. In 2000, the Department of Justice and the International Association of Directors of Law Enforcement Standards and Training unveiled the National Decertification Index, a database compiled to prevent decertified officers from becoming rehired due to misconduct. The most recent version of the index contains reports from only 37 states.

Spokane International Airport police officer accused of child rape

SPOKANE, Wash. -- The Spokane County Prosecutor’s Office is pursing incest and child rape charges against an Airport Police officer.

Spokane Airports released a statement Wednesday. It said the officer had been suspended without pay pending the outcome of an investigation.    

Airport officials said the part-time reserve commissioned Airport Police officer, had been employed since 2002.

KREM 2 News has not released the suspect’s name in order to protect the identity of the victim. 

Wife had accused killer policeman of rape

By Jenny Johnson, Salt Lake City

A Utah police officer who killed his wife, their two children, his mother-in-law and then himself received text messages from his wife just hours earlier threatening to leave him and take their children and confronting him for raping her, documents show.

A Spanish Fork Police report shows Joshua Boren and his wife exchanged heated texts the night and morning before the January killings.

In them, Kelly Boren confronted her husband about raping her and told him their marriage was over. The couple had been separated.

Joshua Boren’s therapist told authorities that Boren drugged his wife and videotaped himself sexually assaulting her on more than one occasion.

Kelly Boren learned of the assaults when she discovered the tapes in 2013, said Spanish Fork Police Lt. Matt Johnson. She did not report the assaults to police because she didn’t want to ruin her husband’s career, the report says.

The night before she was killed, Kelly Boren brought up the alleged sexual assault again, texting the word “rape” to her husband four times, the documents show.

The next morning, Kelly Boren told her husband she would take the children, prompting Joshua Boren to reply by text: “Don’t involve the kids, they are innocent.”

Joshua Boren had worked for the Lindon Police Department for only three months. Before that, he was a Utah County sheriff’s deputy for seven years. He used the service weapon when he killed his family members and himself, authorities said. Toxicology reports show he had no drugs or alcohol in his system.

Police said the state medical examiner confirmed what investigators believed: Joshua Boren shot his wife Kelly Boren, 32, his 55-year-old mother-in-law, Marie King; and his two children, 7-year-old Joshua “Jaden” and 5-year-old Haley, before killing himself.

The shooting happened at the family’s home in Spanish Fork, a city of about 37,000 located 80km south of Salt Lake City. 

NYC officer pleads not guilty in suburban shooting

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. — A New York City policeman has pleaded not guilty to charges of attempted murder, assault and drunken driving.

Suspended Officer Brendan Cronin is accused in connection with the apparently random shooting attack on two men in a car at a suburban intersection on April 29. Cronin was off-duty.

The passenger in the car was hit six times. The driver, who was not hit, was at Thursday's arraignment.

He said he wanted Cronin to see his face. He said Cronin saw only the back of his head during the shooting.

A judge signed orders of protection demanding that Cronin stay away from the two men. They have served notice that they plan to sue Cronin and New York City.

Cronin and his lawyer left the courthouse without commenting.

Cop posed as tipster, then busted New Brunswick journalist

By Brian Amaral | NJ.com 

NEW BRUNSWICK – Charlie Kratovil thought he was going to get a scoop about the Police Department.

Instead, the New Brunswick journalist got arrested.

Kratovil, who is the editor of New Brunswick Today, released an audio recording of what he says transpired Tuesday night, after he was accused of violating a temporary restraining order.

Kratovil says he received a phone call Tuesday night from an anonymous tipster. The man, who didn't give his name, told Kratovil he could tell him which police officer threw away a book of traffic tickets, which Kratovil reported on earlier this month. The city is investigating the claim.

Kratovil and the man agreed to meet at Starbucks on George Street. When Kratovil showed up, he was arrested.

I-Team Investigates: Was last year’s deadly officer shooting of Springfield man justified?

By Jeff Goldberg

SPRINGFIELD, Va. (WJLA) – Nearly one year after a Springfield man was fatally shot by a Fairfax County Police officer, the question remains: was gunfire justified? The case in question is still open and unresolved.

On Aug. 29, 2013, John Geer was shot and killed by an FCPD officer following a 50-minute standoff at his Springfield townhome. The 46-year-old was unarmed.

The ABC 7 I-Team is investigating why so many questions remain unanswered.

Investigators in the case have made nothing public about their investigation, and have not said whether they plan to charge the officer involved in the shooting.

But Brad Garrett, a former FBI hostage negotiator and expert on criminal investigations, says the delay in answers should not lead to conclusions.

“It does seem like a long time, even to me,” Garrett said. “You can't assume because time has gone on that this case leads towards we wanna charge him [or] we don't wanna charge him."

On the night in question, Geer had been fighting with his common-law wife, who called 911. He admitted to police he had been drinking and had a gun in the house, but not on him. Witnesses report that at one point, while standing in the doorway, Geer slowly lowered his hands before a gunshot was fired.

“Does it really fit the parameters of a justifiable shooting?” Garret said. “At this point, we don’t know.”

In February, Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney Ray Morrogh turned the case over to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, citing a conflict of interest.

Garrett says prosecutors may still not have all the evidence they need to make a decision. Prosecutors are likely interviewing witnesses and law enforcement, looking at the history of Geer and the officer in question, and reviewing the circumstances—all to get it right.

“Really, the last thing you wanna do in a case like this, particularly involving police officers, is to charge them, but you don’t have the back-up to potentially convict them,” Garrett said.

Jeff Stewart, Geer’s close friend, spoke with ABC 7 in February, expressing frustration felt by family and friends over the waiting.

“At this point, we’re looking for answers,” Stewart said. “We don’t know, because we haven’t been told anything.”

The frustration is also shared among Geer’s neighbors, like Chris Mizera.

“Something like that happens in your neighborhood, you want answers, you wanna know exactly what happened,” Mizera said. “And that hasn’t been answered yet.”

Trial Date Set For Woman Suing City Of Tallahassee Over Police Brutality

by Greg Angel

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) --  A federal judge will begin hearing testimony next year in a lawsuit filed against the City of Tallahassee Police Department on behalf of a woman claiming police brutality.

Hon. R. Hinkle of the United States District Court of North Florida in Tallahassee is scheduled to begin hearing opening arguments in the Christina West case beginning May 4, 2015.

West gained national attention following the release of video of her August 2013 DUI arrest. She was accused of drunk driving, losing control of her van and then crashing into a bedroom of a home in the Killearn neighborhood.

Officers had faced scrutiny for their handling of West during the arrest. Police say she slipped out of her handcuffs and became combative.

Dashcam video shows officers slamming her onto the ground. West sustained a broken orbital bone along with scrapes and bruises to her body.

In the federal lawsuit filed in March of 2014, West claims "...the handcuffs had fallen from Mrs. West's wrists because they were too big."

Named in the suit is the the City of Tallahassee as well as four officers with the Tallahassee Police Department. They include Officers Chris Ormerod and Matthew Smidt, and Sergeants George Creamer and William Faust. Among the allegations, the suit claims the officers used excessive force during the arrest and fabricated evidence.

While a Leon County Grand Jury cleared the officers of any wrongdoing, each were disciplined by Tallahassee Police Department with varying suspensions.

West eventually pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor reckless driving charge in the case.

Philadelphians slam police brutality

During a meeting with a US Justice Department team in Philadelphia on Thursday, a group of people lashed out at the Police Department for a long history of unjustified shootings of blacks by white police officers.

Angry residents -- most of them African American, including several mothers who said their sons had been unjustly shot by the police – were present at the meeting, Philly.com reported.

The two-hour long City Hall meeting was part of an investigation into the department’s use of deadly force.

The Philadelphia Police Department has recently launched a probe to investigate officers’ alleged use of brutality on citizens.

Philadelphia Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey was present as investigators invited the public to talk about their experience with the department and where they think police violated their duties.

In 2013 Ramsey called for an investigation when he read the figures that showed police had fatally shot or wounded 52 people in 2012, according to Philly.com.

Many people said they lacked trust in police. They also accused the police of viewing them more as their enemies rather than as respected tax-payers. Some angrily called for cops involved in fatal shootings to be jailed, according to WPVI.

Here are a few statements made by people at the meeting:

-- "We believe it's hard to get justice for the citizens of police-involved shootings because police view them more as their enemies rather than as respected, tax-payers who pay their salary and who they are supposed to protect."

-- "Philadelphia is angry. We are angry and we are tired of waiting and we are tired of being studied and analyzed. We want some results."

-- "The problem begins at the top. The district attorney and the police commissioner.”

Police brutality has been a matter of concern across the US in recent years. The Justice Department is under intense pressure to review the use of deadly force by law enforcement officers.

Congresswoman says CHP officer should be fired for beating video, police brutality

By TAMI ABDOLLAH 

LOS ANGELES — A congresswoman said Wednesday that video of a California Highway Patrol officer repeatedly punching a woman he had pinned on the side of a Los Angeles freeway is unjustifiable police brutality.

Rep. Maxine Waters said the officer should be fired for "viciously" punching the woman and the CHP must thoroughly investigate.

She called the incident a "brutal attack" and said "there is nothing that can justify the officer punching a helpless woman on a freeway."

"This type of police brutality happens too often with African-Americans and we have seen it time and time again," Waters said in a statement. "Based on the video shown of the patrol officer's forceful punching of Marlene Pinnock, this is enough to demand his dismissal."

Her comments followed similar expressions of outrage and demands for a full investigation over the last week from civil rights activists and groups including the ACLU of Southern California.

CHP Commissioner Joe Farrow met with community leaders Tuesday and vowed to complete a comprehensive investigation in weeks instead of the usual months. He says he was shocked by the video and the department's reputation has been wounded.

The CHP said the woman was walking on Interstate 10 west of downtown Los Angeles, endangering herself and people in traffic, and the officer was trying to restrain her. The woman had begun walking off the freeway but returned when the confrontation occurred.

The now-viral video shot July 1 by a passing freeway driver shows Marlene Pinnock, 51, being repeatedly punched as she's straddled by the officer on the shoulder of the freeway.

The officer, who has one and a half years on the job, hasn't been identified and is on desk duty pending completion of the internal investigation.

Sgt. Denise Joslin said officials are working in conjunction with the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office on the investigation. Members of the Los Angeles Police Department also offered their support and assistance and the U.S. attorney's office was briefed and consulted about the investigation, she said.

The investigation will primarily focus on the video itself and the officer's reason for using force, Farrow said.

Water said she will organize women to speak out about police brutality again and "demand justice and reforms that will create change within law enforcement to prevent this kind of abuse from continuing to happen."

For now, Pinnock remains in the hospital under a psychiatric hold. Her family found her covered in bruises, ice packs and taking pain medication.

"I'm just so overwhelmed," daughter Maisha Allums told reporters Tuesday. "I can't believe a CHP officer that was supposed to protect my mom and help my mom beat her like a — I can't even say like a dog because if it was a dog getting beat like that he would have been in jail."

Police Brutality Statistics In The United States Fell By 60 Percent When Cops Wear Video Cameras

     

Police brutality statistics apparently fell by 60 percent in one California town when all police officers were required to wear portable video cameras while on the job.

In a related report by The Inquisitr, a video of a CHP officer punching a fallen woman 11 times in the face went viral after it was filmed by a passing driver. But another video was even worse since it showed Albuquerque police shooting two suspects in the back, never mind when a homeless man was shot in the back.

The city of Rialto, California did a controlled study where the city’s 70 police officers were required to wear a video camera that recorded all of their interactions with the public. In 2012 alone complaints against Rialto police officers fell by 88 percent, while use of force by officers fell by almost 60 percent.

Rialto Police Chief William A. Farrar says it is not just his officers that behaved better when a camera was known to be watching:

“When you put a camera on a police officer, they tend to behave a little better, follow the rules a little better. And if a citizen knows the officer is wearing a camera, chances are the citizen will behave a little better.”

Cities like New York, Albuquerque, Fort Worth, and Oakland are considering implementing police cameras and even England is starting to adopt the practice with small-scale trial programs.

Of course, one huge negative to outfitting every cop with a camera is public privacy concerns. But even the American Civil Liberties Union, which is usually quick to protest anything that might infringe upon personal privacy, says that the notable drop in police brutality statistics is worth it:

“Although we generally take a dim view of the proliferation of surveillance cameras in American life, police on-body cameras are different because of their potential to serve as a check against the abuse of power by police officers.”

This is important because the Bureau of Justice Statistics once claimed the police brutality “rate was 6.6 complaints per 100 full-time sworn officers,” with 84 percent of these complaints targeting larger police departments. Out of the complaints that were officially investigated, “eight percent of the complaints were officially sustained, that is, there was sufficient evidence to justify disciplinary action against the officer or officers.” This means that for their report the police brutality statistics recorded a rate of 0.528 percent, mean that about one in 200 police officers actually did commit an action requiring discipline in that time frame.

Do you think cop should be required to wear video cameras at times in order to prevent police brutality, or do you consider the privacy concerns more important?

U.S. Naming a Monitor for the Police in Newark

By KATE ZERNIKE

NEWARK — The federal government will appoint a monitor to oversee this city’s Police Department as it moves to address longstanding allegations of brutality, discrimination and neglect of civilian complaints, officials said on Wednesday.

The monitor will be part of the response to an investigation begun by the Justice Department three years ago that has uncovered a pattern of constitutional violations by the police of New Jersey’s largest city. But accusations that the Newark Police Department abused residents and brushed aside their complaints predate, and ignited, the riots that tore apart the city 47 years ago this month.

While the Justice Department has stepped up investigations of police misconduct during the Obama administration, and while New Orleans and Seattle have been put under similar oversight in the past few years, the appointment of a monitor remains a relatively rare step. Civil liberties groups and some black leaders have periodically called for federal intervention since the riots.

Some, including the city’s new mayor, Ras J. Baraka, argue that mutual suspicion of Newark’s 270,000 residents and its police hurts the city as it struggles to deal with crime, including its highest murder rate in nearly 25 years.

Former Mayor Cory A. Booker, a fellow Democrat who is now a United States senator, resisted calls for a federal monitor. But at a news conference to announce his administration’s goals, Mr. Baraka, who as a councilman was an outspoken critic of police misconduct, seemed to welcome the coming appointment, saying the city would “cooperate fully and completely” with a monitor and with any plans to remedy failings identified by the investigation.

Mr. Baraka said the results of the investigation were to be announced at a news conference on Thursday. Officials later said it would be rescheduled, probably until later this month, but they confirmed the broad outlines of the plan for the monitor.

The United States attorney for New Jersey, Paul J. Fishman, began looking into Newark’s police practices in 2010 and announced a formal investigation the following May. On Wednesday, a spokeswoman for Mr. Fishman, Rebekah Carmichael, declined to discuss the findings, saying only that the investigation was nearly completed and that its results “and any necessary reforms” would be announced soon.

The New Jersey chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union also formally petitioned the Justice Department to begin an investigation in 2010, alleging in a 96-page filing that the department failed to respond adequately to lawsuits and complaints that included wrongful arrest, unlawful stops and searches and physical abuse.

The department, the petition said, repeatedly brushed aside civilian complaints. In 2008 and 2009, there were a total of 261 complaints of excessive force, unlawful arrests or searches, and bias; the department sustained just one, involving an improper search.

More recently, the civil liberties union has criticized the department for its excessive reliance on stop-and-frisk tactics. From last July through December, the Newark police made an average of 2,093 stops a month, or 91 per 1,000 residents — compared with the New York Police Department’s rate of eight stops per 1,000 residents. The group said the tactics discriminated against black residents, who make up 52 percent of Newark’s population but accounted for 75 percent of the stops.

Mr. Baraka, unveiling the recommendations of his transition team on Wednesday, talked about the need to foster respect between those who serve Newark and those who live here.

Udi Ofer, the executive director of the civil liberties union in New Jersey, said the federal oversight fit into that ambition. “This is a historic moment for Newark, one that could bring about reforms to the Police Department that will last for decades,” Mr. Ofer said. “We hope that he will use this opportunity to build a police force that is respectful of civil rights and that is accountable to the people of Newark.”

Still, Mr. Ofer said that a federal monitor was just the first step, and that he hoped the federal plans would also include the creation of a permanent civilian complaint review board, with the power to issue subpoenas and to discipline police officers for misconduct.

Police misconduct should not be investigated internally but by an outside organization

By Ira B Robins and Salvatore E. Rastrelli

Why is “Archangels of Justice” necessary?

A California Highway Patrolman beats a woman. The report he wrote about the incident is false and misleading. The Deputy Chief states that no independent investigation is necessary and that their Internal Affairs Division has integrity and will do a thorough review of the case. Exactly who recognized their integrity? Yep! They did. The CHP could face a large civil lawsuit and the offending officer, who is one of them, could face criminal charges, but that probably won’t happen. Only independent investigations, from outside of the departments involved, will get to the truth of the matter.

•           A Milwaukee County Deputy Sheriff ran a stop sign and seriously injured the woman who had been driving the other car. The Deputy Sheriff claimed that the woman was at fault. Other deputies charged her with drunk driving.  In a few days The Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Department found that the woman was not drunk nor under the influence of drugs and videos of the accident clearly show that the Deputy had run the stop sign and was at fault. It took almost a year for the charges against the woman to be dropped. Now the Deputy has filed for complete disability claiming that he had been injured in the accident. It certainly looks as if he should be charged with perjury or filing a false report.  Sheriff David Clarke has been proactive in this cover-up.

•           The Albuquerque, New Mexico, Police Department has been actively involved in the wholesale slaughter of 26 people in the past four years.  The Crap Bag District Attorney has just buried her head in the toilet and allowed this to go on for more than 14 years. Now the United States Department of Justice is involved and working out a deal to oversee the Department. But if you think they will be charging any of these police officers you will probably be wrong.

As stain of police misconduct grows, Council should reopen Cariole Horne pension case

With all the disturbing news about Buffalo police lately, it’s good to be able to say something positive. It’s too bad it’s about a brave cop whom the Police Department apparently mistreated.

Cariol Horne, who is African-American, was fired in 2008 after she tried to stop a white officer she said was choking a suspect during an arrest two years earlier. Anyone who believes that couldn’t have happened hasn’t been following the harrowing tale of suspended officer Robert E. Eloff who, if reports are correct, was a one-man crime wave.

The Horne case and issues surrounding it are a mess, starting with the firing of Horne. Gregory Kwiatkowski, the officer she says was choking a suspect, won a defamation suit against Horne and also won a lawsuit filed by the man who was allegedly choked.

Recently, though, Kwiatkowski, now retired, was indicted on charges that he used unnecessary and excessive force in connection with a separate incident. That indictment has prompted the Buffalo Common Council to consider Horne’s request to be granted pension benefits.

This should be a no-brainer. There are problems in the Buffalo Police Department, as exemplified by the Eloff case, the bribing of officers by a tow-truck operator and, also associated with Eloff, the recently posted video of a gang of officers attacking and severely beating a man outside a bar on Chippewa Street. No charges were filed against that man, Christopher J. Kozak, who was not even arrested; indeed, Eloff later gave him a ride back to his hotel.

In the Horne case, there is reason to believe the department fired the wrong person. Indeed, commenting on the raft of brutality reports coming out of the Police Department, Horne noted that, “If the message they want to give is that an officer is going to be fired if they stop it, then that’s the wrong message.”

Buffalo needs cops who will stand up for the law. If Horne had seen a civilian attacking another person, it would have been her duty to intervene. Why does that change when it’s a police officer who has crossed a line? Did that happen? The evidence is conflicting, but Horne and her supporters haven’t wavered; meanwhile, evidence of police misconduct is mounting.

Horne was fired after 19 years of service, only one year short of what the state requires to obtain pension benefits. Without them, she says, she has faced a “really rough” time, financially, emotionally and physically.

The Common Council should do what it can to rectify this matter and it should insist that the Police Department take appropriate steps to deal with a culture that seems to have given a number of officers reason to believe that they can attack citizens when they want and for whatever reason they like.

Jury awards $250,000 to ATF agent over arrest

CAPE GIRARDEAU (SMNS) -- A federal jury Thursday awarded $250,000 to a federal agent who sued a state trooper, alleging false arrest and false imprisonment, the agent's attorney reported Friday.

Ryan Becker of Jackson, a special agent for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, sued trooper D.W. Crank of the Missouri State Highway Patrol, claiming Crank violated his civil rights by arresting him without probable cause.

On March 6, 2012, Becker was driving on Interstate 55 in New Madrid County when he saw Crank's vehicle parked at the side of the road, said Becker's attorney, Stephen Walsh of Poplar Bluff.

As Becker was driving, a pair of tractor-trailers in front of him tried to move over, presumably to stay out of Crank's way, but one braked quickly in front of Becker, Walsh said.

Crank pulled Becker over, telling him he was following the truck too closely and had almost hit it, Walsh said.

He said Crank then told Becker, "You reek of alcohol."

But Walsh said in court that Crank testified he could not smell alcohol coming from Becker's mouth and that Becker did not appear physically or mentally impaired.

According to the lawsuit, Crank took Becker to his patrol car, where Becker declined to participate in field sobriety tests.

Walsh said an "incredulous" Becker told Crank he had just left work and asked Crank to call his supervisors and then to give him a portable breath test, which Crank refused to do, instead handcuffing Becker and taking him to the New Madrid County Jail.

About 30 minutes later, Becker was given a breath test, which returned a blood alcohol level of zero, the lawsuit stated.

In the suit, Becker alleged Crank arrested him without probable cause, violating his Fourth Amendment right to be free from unreasonable search and seizure.

The suit also claimed Crank misused the handcuffs, causing pain to Becker's wrist and shoulder; caused emotional harm and distress; and damaged his professional reputation.

The jury verdict was not immediately available on the federal court website, pacer.gov.

Former Scranton area police officer charged with drug trafficking

Former Scranton area police officer charged with drug trafficking 0 comments

The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced this week that Robert F. Evans, Jr., 38, Moosic, Pa., is charged with distributing oxycodone on numerous occasions between August 2012 and July 29, 2013. At the time of the offense, Evans was employed as a police officer with the Hughestown Borough Police Department.

U.S. Attorney Peter Smith stated that the charge is the result of an investigation conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Pennsylvania State Police. Prosecution is assigned to Assistant U.S. Attorney John Gurganus.

Devils Lake jail officer charged with sex assault

DEVILS LAKE, N.D. (AP) - Authorities have charged correctional officer with sexual assault for allegedly having sexual contact with an inmate at the Lake Region Law Enforcement Center in Devils Lake.

Jonathan Defoe has been charged with one count of sexual assault, a Class C felony.

Ramsey County State’s Attorney Lonnie Olson says Defoe allegedly had sexual contact with a female inmate. Court documents show the incident occurred on July 3.

The maximum penalty for Defoe’s charge is five years.

Springfield police officer charged with misdemeanor in panhandler shooting

SPRINGFIELD, Missouri — A Springfield police officer faces a misdemeanor assault charge after shooting a fleeing panhandler in early May near a grocery store.

Greene County Prosecuting Attorney Dan Patterson announced Thursday a charge of third-degree assault against Jason Shuck, 35. Shuck faces up to one year in jail if convicted.

A probable cause statement shows that Springfield resident Eric Butts, 27, was standing outside the store with a cardboard sign saying he had lost his job, had a pregnant wife and was "in need of help." Police were called because Butts had an outstanding arrest warrant for failing to appear in court on a parole violation.

Shuck told investigators he instead meant to shoot Butts with a stun gun, but the probable cause statement notes that the right-handed officer had to reach across his body for the much lighter Taser attached to the left side of his belt. Butts was wounded in the lower back and suffered serious intestinal injuries that require him to use a colostomy bag, the Springfield News-Leader (sgfnow.co/1kIOBwp) reported.

Police Chief Paul Williams that Shuck is on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of the case. He added that Shuck could keep his job even if convicted, subject to the department's own inquiry.

"The internal investigation is separate from the criminal investigation, and it is in process," he said.

Shuck's attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment Friday. Butts has hired a lawyer to pursue a possible civil lawsuit against the city.

The officer told a Springfield police detective that "the best explanation that I have is that my ... brain was saying Taser ... but my body moved faster than my brain," according to the probable cause statement.

Former Greene County prosecutor Darrell Moore said he can't recall another case in the past three decades where a police officer in the county was criminally charged for an officer-involved shooting.

"I think it sends a good message to the public that law enforcement and prosecutors believe that law enforcement officers should be held to the same standard as civilians when it comes to deadly force — that it should be justified," he said.

Patterson, the current prosecutor, said Shuck was charged with a misdemeanor rather than a felony because the investigation pointed toward criminal negligence.

Police officer charged with murder out on bail

TAMPA, FLA. — A retired Florida police officer charged with murder in the shooting death of a fellow moviegoer during a dispute over texting was expected to go home last night after being released from jail on bond, his lawyer said.

Bail was set at $150,000 for Curtis Reeves, 71, who has been in jail without bond since the January shooting at a Tampa-area movie theater. A judge ordered Reeves under house arrest, and he is only to leave home to shop for groceries, seek medical care or attend religious services.

As a condition of his bond, Reeves must surrender any personal firearms.