the abridgment of the rights of the people

I believe there are more instances of the abridgment of the rights of the people by the gradual and silent encroachments of those in power than by violent and sudden usurpations.                                                                                                                         -James Madison

What would happen to you if you knowingly compromised the cops investigation?

Montville trooper accused of disclosing drug probe

           

By Dave Collins, The Associated Press

HARTFORD - A Connecticut state trooper accused of possibly compromising a drug investigation by tipping off his girlfriend about it was allowed to resign in "good standing" before a disciplinary proceeding, documents show.

Trooper J. Severin Bergeron, who quit in November 2013, was facing the possibility of being fired after an internal affairs investigator concluded he broke several rules and deceived his superiors, according to records obtained by The Associated Press through a Freedom of Information Act request.

Bergeron, 43, declined to comment to the AP. He left state police after less than four years, having worked at Troop F in Westbrook and Troop E in Montville, and is now an investment consultant in Rhode Island.

According to the internal affairs report, Bergeron's girlfriend, who is not identified, told him that her employers at a Jewett City store offered her a job selling "K2" synthetic marijuana. Bergeron admitted to his superiors that he told the woman not to take the job because state police were looking into potential drug selling at the store, the report said.

Authorities did arrest the store owners and seized a large amount of synthetic marijuana in February 2013. But state police believed Bergeron's disclosure of the investigation hampered the probe because other potential suspects were alerted, documents show.

The appearance of an improper relationship between Bergeron and the woman was reported to state police brass by a sergeant who filed a complaint in September 2012.

The sergeant forwarded a photo posted on Facebook that showed the woman sitting in a police cruiser wearing a state police hat, according to the internal affairs report. Bergeron told superiors he left the woman alone in his cruiser while he went inside a store to get some drinks, and he didn't give her permission to wear his hat, the report said.

State police say the woman was an unauthorized passenger in Bergeron's cruiser about 20 times.

The sergeant said that in another instance Bergeron wasn't answering his police radio and was found at the woman's home.

The internal affairs report said Bergeron misused state police databases numerous times to check if there were any warrants for the woman and deceived his superiors when asked about it.

State police said there were other investigations of Bergeron but declined to elaborate. The AP requested those reports but they weren't immediately released.

Officials at the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection, which oversees state police, said any state employee is allowed to resign in good standing if they submit two weeks' notice. The state Department of Administrative Services was checking Wednesday if that interpretation was correct, on a request by the AP.

Retired Col. Danny Stebbins, who was commander of the state police when Bergeron resigned, said the good standing status was akin to being considered innocent until proven guilty. 

In Fairfax, accountability goes only so far

Washington Post/ Letters to the Editor

In Fairfax, accountability goes only so far



March 9 

The axes are predictably falling in  Fairfax C ounty’s mishandling of the police shooting of John Geer [“ Fairfax official’s ouster sought ,” Metro, March 6]. Equally predictable:  They are falling  on subordinates rather than the primary officials. 

There is more than enough blame to go around for keeping the details of the Geer shooting secret and inadequately addressed for more than one year. But the targeted official, Cynthia Tianti, is a deputy county attorney. The man she reports to, the county’s chief legal adviser, David P. Bobzien, is being permitted to retire at his leisure after he “reorganizes” the office for which he has been responsible for 20 years.

According to County Supervisor John C. Cook (R-Braddock), the team investigating Geer’s killing “was operating without much input from the county attorney, and that shouldn’t be.” If Ms. Tianti is culpable in the handling of the case, surely Mr. Bobzien is at least equally so. So why should the county choose him to reorganize the office? 

Nor are we hearing anything about Commonwealth’s Attorney Raymond F. Morrogh (D), who claims he was frustrated by the county in his investigation, a laughable assertion given the powers inherent in his office. Similarly, nothing has been said about the tenure of Police Chief Edwin C. Roessler Jr. or Deputy County Executive David M. Rohrer, who oversees the police department. Regardless of their culpability, Fairfax County can never regain its reputation as a great place to live and work unless changes are made there as well.


Burton Jay Rubin, Burke

Whose the girl?

Secret Service agents disrupted bomb investigation at White House

By Carol D. Leonnig and Peter Hermann March 12

Two Secret Service agents suspected of being under the influence while striking a White House security barricade drove through an active bomb investigation and directly beside the suspicious package, according to current and former government officials familiar with the incident.

These and other new details about the March 4 incident emerged Thursday from interviews and from police records obtained by The Washington Post.

The revelations spurred fresh questions Thursday from lawmakers about whether the newly appointed director of the Secret Service, Joseph P. Clancy, is capable of turning around the troubled agency.

Among lawmakers’ questions was whether Clancy, a 27-year Secret Service veteran appointed to his job last month after a string of embarrassing agency missteps, has been aggressive enough in his handling of last week’s incident.

Clancy placed the two senior agents involved in the incident in new “non-supervisory, non-operational” jobs pending an investigation — a less stringent approach than the service has taken in the past, when staffers suspected of misconduct were put on administrative leave or pressed to resign or accept demotion. Also, Clancy did not take action against a senior supervisor on duty that night who, according to officials briefed on the incident, ordered Secret Service officers to let the agents go home without giving them sobriety tests.

Through a spokesman, Clancy declined to comment on the case, saying he had referred the matter to be investigated by the Department of Homeland Security inspector general.

Clancy has told lawmakers he learned of the allegations Monday, according to people familiar with the discussions. That is five days after the incident, which involved two of his most senior agents, including a top member of President Obama’s protective detail.

Lawmakers did not learn of the episode, however, until it was reported by The Post on Wednesday.

On Thursday night, Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah), the chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, and the panel’s ranking Democrat, Rep. Elijah E. Cummings (Md.), sent Clancy a letter asking for a detailed briefing on the incident, which they called “extremely serious” and said raised concerns about the path to reforming the agency.

“This incident also raises important questions about what additional steps should be taken to reform the agency and whether the problems at the USSS run deeper than the recently replaced top-tier of management,” they wrote.

The lawmakers also cited the “zero tolerance” policy the service said it followed when it immediately moved to recall agents suspected of drinking during the job on presidential trips to the Florida Keys and Amsterdam in 2014, saying that standard “should apply to USSS managers and leadership just as it does to rank-and-file personnel.” The statement of zero tolerance was made in April 2014 by the agency’s then-spokesman, George Ogilvie — one of the agents now under investigation in connection with the incident last week.

Chaffetz said Thursday he was concerned that the events of March 4 suggest some in the Secret Service feel they are above the law. “The director needs to send a message. He needs to signal there is going to be new accountability in the agency,” he said. “We’re still learning all the facts, but I’m still not very impressed by how this is going.”

White House spokesman Eric Schultz said Thursday that the president retains full confidence in Clancy. Schultz said Obama learned about the incident “earlier this week” before The Post’s report and was “disappointed” by the news.

The March 4 incident unfolded on a hectic night for Secret Service officers guarding the White House.

About 10:25 that night, a woman hopped out of a blue Toyota near the southeast entrance of the White House on 15th Street NW and, holding a package wrapped in a green shirt, approached an agent.

“I’m holding a [expletive] bomb!” she yelled, according to a government official with knowledge of the incident.

The woman then put the object on the ground and retreated to her car, the official said. The agent ran to the car and opened the front passenger-side door and ordered the woman to get out. But she then put the car in reverse and accelerated, striking the agent with the open door. The agent reached inside the car and forced it into park, said the government official, but the woman was able to shift it back into drive and drive forward, again hitting the agent and forcing him to jump out of the way.

The woman then sped off.

Police quickly secured the area with tape and called an inspection team to check the package for potential explosive materials or other dangers.

But shortly before 11 p.m., the two high-ranking Secret Service agents, returning from a work party at a Chinatown bar about eight blocks from the White House, drove their government car through the crime scene. According to people familiar with the incident, they drove through police tape and then hit a temporary barricade, using the car to push aside some barrels. An agency official said Thursday that the car was not damaged.

The episode was caught on surveillance video. Investigators who reviewed the video of the incident initially said they could not be sure whether the pair drove very close to or over the suspicious item wrapped in the shirt, one law enforcement official said. But after reviewing more video later Thursday afternoon, the official said, they concluded that the agents’ government car drove directly next to the package.

Secret Service officers on duty that night considered the agents’ behavior to be erratic and suspected they were drunk, according to current and former officials familiar with the incident.

The officers wanted to arrest the agents — but a more senior supervisor at the complex told them to let the agents go, the officials said.

At 11:45 p.m. Wednesday, the police explosives team determined the suspicious item was not a threat and gave the complex the all-clear. The item was a book.

Secret Service officers found the woman they suspected in the incident two days later to question her about the threats on the White House, an agency official said. A police record said that she is from Pennsylvania and has had contact with the Secret Service in the past and that the agency had her photo on file.

On Thursday, a government official said a warrant for the woman’s arrest had been issued through a D.C. court, charging her with assault with a dangerous weapon, the car. The warrant remains sealed, and it was unclear Thursday whether the woman was in custody.

The Secret Service agents under investigation are Marc Connolly, the second-in-command on Obama’s detail, and Ogilvie, a senior supervisor in the Washington field office. Both men have declined to comment.

Alice Crites, David Nakamura and Eddy Palanzo contributed to this report.

 Carol Leonnig covers federal agencies with a focus on government accountability.

Crime in Ireland

Police brutality or business as usual

Portsmouth police officer charged with assault

By Gary A. Harki

The Virginian-Pilot

PORTSMOUTH

A police sergeant is on administrative duty pending an investigation and the outcome of a court case for simple assault, said Detective Misty Holley, spokeswoman for Portsmouth police.

Sgt. Robert Huntington was served with a summons Tuesday for an incident that allegedly occurred in the parking lot of a business in the 3300 of South Military Highway, said Kelly O’Sullivan, Chesapeake police spokeswoman.

The incident occurred about 11 a.m. Feb. 2 and involved another adult male, she said.

Former sheriff's investigator indicted in police brutality claim

Jonathan Bandler,

Former Putnam County sheriff's investigator Pat Castaldo was indicted Friday morning on three criminal charges Friday related to a July incident in which a shackled prisoner alleged he was beaten.

Former Putnam County sheriff's investigator Pat Castaldo was indicted Friday morning on three criminal charges Friday related to a July incident in which a shackled prisoner alleged he was beaten.

The indictment charges Castaldo, who retired last year as senior investigator, with filing a false instrument, an E felony; and official misconduct; and attempted assault, both misdemeanors.

Castaldo' attorney, Andrew Quinn entered a plea of not guilty. He also asked the court to disqualify Putnam County Adam Levy from prosecuting the case.

Quinn argued that Levy had a conflict because Castaldo is a potential witness in Levy's defamation lawsuit against Putnam Sheriff Donald Smith.

State Supreme Court Justice Robert Neary ordered Castaldo to turn in two firearms. He was then released without bail.

Putnam County paid the suspect, Kenneth DeFreitas, $35,000 last year after he filed a notice of claim alleging police brutality.

DeFreitas was charged with robbery in connection to heists at a supermarket and Putnam County National Bank. On July 3, Castaldo and Gerald Schramek, the chief of investigations for the Sheriff's Office, brought him into the courtroom at Carmel Town Hall. DeFreitas is alleged to have reached for Schramek's holstered gun but was subdued.

According to DeFreitas' notice of claim, he was lying face down, his hands and feet shackled, when Castaldo began kicking and hitting him. He claimed Castaldo at one point lifted him to his feet and punched him in the kidney.

Schramek, the third-highest ranking officer in the Sheriff's Office, was also under investigation in the case but was not indicted. He resigned two weeks ago.

The Sheriff's Office placed the two on "restricted duty" during an internal investigation and referred DeFreitas' allegations to the FBI, which declined to pursue charges against the two investigators.

The DA's investigation and grand jury presentation has played out against a backdrop of continued animosity between Levy and Sheriff Don Smith, who each have $5 million defamation lawsuits pending against the other. The Sheriff's Office has argued that the ongoing feud makes it a conflict of interest for Levy to investigate any sheriff's employee.

Former Putnam sheriff's Investigator Pat Castaldo and Putnam District Attorney Adam Levy head to court Friday morning. David McKay Wilson/The Journal News

Levy recused himself in 2013 as the Sheriff's Office — with Castaldo supervising the probe — brought a child-rape case against the DA's former live-in trainer, Alex Hossu. But the district attorney still funded the defense and challenged the prosecution behind the scenes. Hossu was acquitted.

Castaldo's arraignment is expected to be handled by acting state Supreme Court Justice Robert Neary, who has scheduled it for 9 am so that he can get back to Westchester County Court for the resumption of jury deliberations in the Lacey Spears murder trial.

Who Faced Police Brutality In February

by Carimah Townes  Posted on February 27, 2015 at 2:12 pm

According to Killed By Police, an online database of fatal encounters between cops and civilians, more than 75 people died at the hands of police in February. Many of the incidents involved violent actions on the part of the deceased, yet fatalities come at a time when tensions between officers and civilians is at a fever pitch. Without question, officers who put their lives on the line to ensure public safety are thrust into high-intensity scenarios, and often have to make split-second decisions. But research shows that mentally ill people and minorities are disproportionately killed — and that fact lies at the heart of national outrage.

Over the past few decades, there’s been a widely-criticized dearth of national data on the number of people killed by officers, and in light of protests and and calls for police reform, the website has become one of the most comprehensive lists to date. However, Killed By Police does not include violent but non-fatal interactions with officers who used excessive force.

Excessive force suit settled for $10,000

A lawsuit filed against the Hanford Police Department alleging wrongful arrest and excessive force has reached a settlement.

The suit, filed by area businessman Michael Hamburger and his wife, Kristene Hamburger, part owners of the Artesia Building in downtown Hanford, was recently settled out of court for $10,000.

The case stemmed from a Sept. 20, 2012, incident that led to Michael Hamburger’s arrest. That night, police received a call regarding suspicious activity at the Artesia Building, located at the corner of Sixth and Irwin streets.

According to police, officers entered the building where they found Hamburger and his wife sleeping in a vacant upstairs office. Hamburger allegedly showed signs of intoxication and refused to provide any identification.

Following a brief struggle, Hamburger was taken into custody and held in the “drunk tank” at the Kings County Jail for six hours. He was later charged with obstructing, resisting or delaying an officer.

A Kings County judge dismissed the charge last February. Hamburger instead pleaded no contest to a lesser infraction of fighting or challenging to a fight in a public place. That charge stemmed from an incident that occurred earlier in the evening at the nearby Sequoia Club.

Hamburger’s ensuing lawsuit included claims of assault, battery, negligence, infliction of emotional distress, false arrest/false imprisonment and violation of constitutional and state rights. It further claims Hamburger suffered injuries, including three dislocated discs in his back and various cuts, bruises and scrapes to his hand, knee and face.

City Attorney Mario Zamora said the initial discovery process for the case included requests for medical reports from the Kings County Jail to verify Hamburger had such injuries when he was booked into the jail.

“That showed basically that he was fine,” Zamora said.

While $10,000 sounds like a lot of money, Zamora said, the settlement guarantees the case is over. According to warrant register documents from the city’s finance department, the city spent about $30,000 fighting the lawsuit since it was filed in September 2013.

Allowing the case to go to trial would likely have cost the city tens of thousands of dollars to interview witnesses and gather evidence in preparation for the proceedings.

The Hamburgers were represented by Visalia-based attorney Derek Wisehart, who could not be reached for comment.

Hanford police officers began using body-worn cameras since last summer, ensuring the department has an unbiased record of traffic stops, arrests and other calls for service. A department-wide camera program was rolled out in late September in an effort to hold both officers and citizens more accountable.

Chief Parker Sever said a number of potential complaints have already been diffused by sitting down with the accusers and having them watch the video of the incident. While it’s difficult to quantify lawsuits that were never filed, Sever said, the average number of lawsuits filed against the department appears to have declined.

“We just got our first complaint since we implemented the program in July,” Sever said Monday. “The video clearly exonerates the officer.”

The cameras cost about $40,000 paid using asset-forfeiture money seized by the department’s K-9. Sever said that investment could pay off if it avoids costly legal fees associated with fighting a lawsuit.

Zamora said claims of excessive force by police often play off ambiguity, where the court must decide whether they believe the police or the plaintiff. Because video removes that ambiguity, Zamora said, the body cameras are likely to deter future lawsuits.

“If we had that in this case — if it’s as we say — this case would never have been filed or would have been over much quicker,” Zamora said.

In recent years, the city has found itself shelling out thousands of dollars for complaints filed against the police department.

In December 2013, the city was ordered to pay $465,000 to Lemoore resident Isaac Miller, whose civil lawsuit claimed he had been wrongfully arrested for an assault that allegedly took place in 2010 in the parking lot outside of a Hanford restaurant.

Several months later, the city paid out a $70,000 settlement to Gunnar Ohnstad, who sued for claims of unlawful arrest and malicious prosecution related to a 2012 arrest.

Florida cop suspended for slapping homeless Fort Lauderdale man 

BY MEG WAGNER

Video showed Fort Lauderdale cop Victor Ramirez push a homeless man and slap his face at a bus station.

 Ramirez told the man he wasn't allowed to be at the bus station before he smacked him. The video continued as Ramirez handcuffed the man and led him away from the terminal.

Video showed Fort Lauderdale cop Victor Ramirez push a homeless man and slap his face at a bus station.

A Florida cop slapped a homeless man after the man asked to use the restroom, video showed.

Fort Lauderdale Police suspended Officer Victor Ramirez after video caught him trailing the man at a bus station before knocking him to the ground and hitting him.

Ramirez is the second South Florida officer this week to be investigated for misbehavior caught on camera: On Monday, a Broward County deputy dragged a mentally ill woman through a court, video showed.

Fort Lauderdale City Manager Lee Feldman called the footage of Ramirez “clearly disturbing,” WSVN reported.

The man who took the video — only identified as “Alex” — said he started recording when he sensed tension between the cop and homeless man Bruce Laclair.

The five-minute clip showed Ramirez follow Laclair at the terminal. Just a few seconds in, the cop took Laclair by the arm and shoved him to the ground.

“You’re not supposed to be here,” Ramirez said.

Laclair explained he was looking for the bathroom. Ramirez ordered the man to get up. Then, he slapped Laclair across the face, the video showed.

“I’m not f---ing around with you. Don’t f---ing touch me,” Ramirez said.

The video — partially obstructed by a bench in the foreground — did not appear to show the man touch the cop.

The video rolled as Ramirez handcuffed Laclair, explaining he wasn’t allowed to be at the bus station and leading him away from the stop to his police cruiser.

Rameriz, a nine-year force veteran, has three other complaints on his file, the department said.

"He's evil. I don't know what his problem is," Laclair told the TV station. "For the way he treated me, I think he should be out of the force. He should not be a law enforcement officer. He's not like the rest of them."

He continued: “I think most of law enforcement are very good and they're very generous about letting you go on little things.”

San Francisco Police Officer Hits Homeless Man With Baton, Uses Pepper Spray

By Lisa Fernandez

A San Francisco police officer was caught on Muni video striking a homeless man with a baton and pepper spraying him when the 36-year-old rider wouldn’t get off the bus at the end of the line. Christie Smith reports. (Published Thursday, Feb 26, 2015)

A San Francisco police officer was caught on Muni video striking a homeless man with a baton and pepper spraying him when the 36-year-old rider wouldn’t get off the bus at the end of the line.

San Francisco Public Defender Jeff Adachi released the roughly 4-minute video Thursday showing the Feb. 11 event at Cabrillo and La Playa streets near Ocean Beach.

Its release comes two days after a Fort Lauderdale police officer was suspended without pay after being caught on camera slapping a pushing a homeless ground to the ground.

Adachi, who has been releasing a string of proactive videos of police officer conduct, said this officer “dramatically” escalated his use of force and was “overreacting to a minor conflict.”

San Francisco Police Chief Greg Suhr defended Officer Raymond Chu, basing his conclusion on the video, the police report and the bus driver's statements.

"I'm comfortable since it has been held over for trial and viewed by the District Attorney that they’re not seeing anything as shocking as Mr. Adachi would have anybody believe," Suhr said.

Suhr added that Chu, a 10-year veteran of the police department, was simply responding as he was trained.

The District Attorney's Office also did not immediately back down from Adachi's assertions.

“We are reviewing all the evidence to make sure the case was handled appropriately,” San Francisco District Attorney’s spokesman Max Szabo said. “The court has ordered the defendant to seek mental health treatment.”

It was nearly two weeks ago that Chu responded to a report of a person sleeping on a 5-Fulton about 11 p.m.

The video shows Chu trying to rouse 36-year-old Bernard Warren for more than 30 seconds before Warren awakens, disheveled and disoriented. At first, Chu is gentle. “Hey buddy,” Chu is heard saying several times.

When he finally wakes up, Warren appears to have trouble standing and walking. Chu begins pushing him toward the exit. On his way off the bus, Warren, who Adachi said has a slurred speech impediment, slowly mumbles over his shoulder to Chu, “Don’t touch me. I could beat your a--.”

Chu becomes enraged. He can be heard yelling: “Dude, f---king what did you say?” and shoves and kicks Warren off the bus, as the homeless man staggers in the street. At another point, he shouts at Warren, "Get off the f---ing bus."

As Warren walks away, Chu brandishes his police baton, yelling “We done here? We done here? Yeah, keep walking.”

Chu then follows Warren and strikes him with the baton as Warren continues to stumble in the street, all of which is captured on video.

Chu wrote in his police report that Warren approached him with clenched fists and that he hit Warren in the legs five times with a baton before deploying his pepper spray into Warren’s eye, which can be seen at minute 2:32 in the video.

Warren was arrested for threatening an executive officer. After two weeks in jail, Warren was released, said his attorney, Deputy Public Defender Andrea Lindsay.

A jury trial is scheduled for March 6. He faces up to a year in jail if convicted.

Adachi called Chu's response to Warren the second case of excessive police force this year. In January, a private citizen released footage of an officer trying to dump a paralyzed man from his wheelchair.

 NBC Bay Area's Christie Smith and Bay City News Service contributed to this report.

OPD Officer Peter Delio used excessive force in 2014 arrest, probe finds

By Desiree Stennett Orlando Sentinelcontact the reporter

Handcuffed man sues after spleen ruptured by cop during arrest

Officer Peter Delio suspended for 40 hours after excessive-force investigation

OPD: Excessive force will not be tolerated, discipline will be severe

An Orlando police officer used excessive force when he kneed a handcuffed man so hard in the abdomen that the man's spleen was ruptured during an arrest last year, an internal investigation found.

OPD officer hit handcuffed man so hard his spleen ruptured, lawsuit alleges

Officer Peter Delio was orally reprimanded and suspended for 40 hours without pay for his actions during the August 12 arrest. Robert Liese, the suspect who was injured, has filed a $75,000 federal lawsuit against Delio. His spleen had to be surgically removed.

According to the internal affairs investigative report, Liese was struck while inside a holding cell at a downtown police substation on Washington Street after he was arrested at a bar.

Liese smelled strongly of alcohol and had trouble keeping his balance when police arrived. He had ordered 12 shots of Jack Daniels whiskey at the Underground Public House on South Orange Avenue but could not pay his $60 tab, according to the report.

He told police he had offered to wash dishes to cover the tab but the manager refused.

Although Liese didn't fight off Delio as he was handcuffed, Liese's arrest report said he first refused to pull his legs into Delio's patrol car and after Liese was pushed inside, "he began head butting the inside of the patrol car while yelling and screaming."

Liese told police that he was hurt in a car accident the day before the arrest. He said he tried to tell Delio that he was in pain and needed time to get inside the car, the internal investigative report said.

He said he thrashed around in the back of the patrol car because being pushed inside aggravated his pain. Liese didn't remember anything that came next.

When he was put in the holding cell, police say, Liese was still irate, his arrest report said.

"Once inside, Liese then walked up to the window and head butted the glass," Delio wrote in Liese's arrest report.

The reinforced 1/4 inch thick safety glass was shattered causing $500 in damage.

After the glass broke, police say, Liese walked away from the door. That's when Delio entered the room and delivered the blow to Liese's stomach as the man was attempting to sit down, investigators say.

"Sgt. Michael Faulkner disapproved Officer Delio's response and stated that Liese did not present a level of resistance requiring the response that was provided," the internal investigation found.

Faulkner, who viewed surveillance video the night of the incident, filed the complaint that same night.

"The Orlando Police Department has had a few incidents that have been covered extensively in the media lately," spokeswoman Sgt. Wanda Ford said in a written statement. "It is very unfortunate the great work done by so many of our other officers are being overshadowed by these cases.

"Excessive force of any kind or inappropriate behavior will not be tolerated and the discipline will be severe. The Orlando Police Department expects more from our officers and certainly our citizens expect more as well."

Justice Department Finds Pattern of Police Bias and Excessive Force in Ferguson

Police officers in Ferguson, Mo., have routinely violated the constitutional rights of the city’s black residents, the Justice Department has concluded in a scathing report that accuses the officers of using excessive force and making unjustified traffic stops for years.

The Justice Department, which opened its investigation after a white Ferguson police officer shot and killed a black teenager last summer, says the discrimination was fueled in part by racial stereotypes held by city officials.

The report’s findings were summarized by a federal law enforcement official. The full report is expected to be released on Wednesday. A separate report is expected to clear the officer, Darren Wilson, of any civil rights violations in the shooting of Mr. Brown.

Officer Charged In Fight Fired From Memphis Police

Memphis Police said they have fired Officer Craig Brewer, who was involved in a Christmas Eve bar brawl.

The 36-year-old Brewer was fired Feb. 20. Brewer was charged with aggravated assault and simple assault after a fight Dec. 24, 2014, with several men outside at TJ Mulligan's in Cordova.

Police said the fight took place just before 1:30 a.m. Dec. 24 outside the TJ Mulligan's establishment in the 2800 block of Houston Levee Road. Three male victims told police that while inside the restaurant they were involved in a verbal altercation with three male suspects.

All six men left the restaurant and the verbal altercation escalated into a fight in the parking lot, police said. The suspects -- Brewer; Johannes Vosloo, 35; and Charles Williams, 33 -- fled in a black Ford Taurus.

Police said a witness was able to get a car's tag number and provided the information to the officers on the scene.

Officer Brewer has been relieved of duty and is currently on non-enforcement status. He has been employed with MPD since October of 2010 and is assigned to Mt. Moriah Station.

Brewer, who is out on bond, is due in court March 9 for a preliminary hearing.

The case for a national IQ standards for cops continues

Sheriff's report: Tribal officer accidentally shot suspect

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) - Santa Fe County authorities say a tribal police officer accidentally shot a burglary suspect following a pursuit from the Santa Fe area to Espanola.

A Sheriff's Office report says the suspect was grazed on the back of an arm when shot by a Pojoaque Pueblo tribal officer while being handcuffed.

The shooting occurred Saturday in a restaurant parking lot where the chase ended. Tribal and Espanola police had joined sheriff's deputies in the pursuit.

The shooting is under investigation by New Mexico State Police. A State Police spokesman, Sgt. Chad Pierce, declined to release information on the investigation.

Amherst Student Sues Over False Arrest, Smashed Phone

Pepper sprayed and charged down for filming the police

Abigail Tracy

A University of Massachusetts Amherst student is suing the Amherst police for smashing his iPhone after charging him during a disturbance. Thomas Donovan alleges that he was assaulted and falsely arrested for filming an arrest last March.

Donovan was arrested during an annual pre-St. Patrick’s Day celebration known as the Blarney Blowout. According to Donovan’s lawsuit, the Amherst senior was filming the police officers make an arrest with his phone when he was approached by a police officer in full riot gear who tried to make him stop recording the scene. In the film, Donovan shouts at the officer that he has “freedom to fucking film” at which point the police officer sprays him with pepper spray, approaches him, and tells him that he’s going to be arrested. Donovan keeps recording, and another officer approaches him, knocks his phone out of his hand and subsequently tries to stomp it to pieces with the sole of his shoe. The phone, however, was protected by its case and managed to film the entire incident, reported local news sources.

Based on the footage, all criminal charges brought against Donovan during the altercation were dropped, and the university, which had temporarily suspended him, revoked the suspension. Jesus Arocho, Andrew Hulse and John Does One, Two and Three are named as defendants in the suit.

“The goal of the lawsuit is to obtain money damages to compensate Mr. Donovan, as well as to vindicate his first Amendment right to videotape officers in public,” David Milton, an attorney representing Donovan, told the Daily Hampshire Gazette.

NYC cop who said he was punished for complaining about arrest quotas gets lawsuit reinstated

 by: JENNIFER PELTZ , Associated Press

NEW YORK — A police officer who said he was punished for complaining about arrest quotas got his lawsuit reinstated Thursday after an appeals court said his criticisms were covered by free speech protections.

The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals overturned a lower court's decision dismissing Officer Craig Matthews' suit, marking the second time the case has been thrown out and revived on appeal. The courts have yet to rule on the merits of Matthews' suit — so far, the legal fight has centered on the extent of his First Amendment rights as a government worker.

The New York Civil Liberties Union, which represented Matthews, hailed the ruling as a victory for such employees' free speech protections.

"Today's decision protects the ability of police officers to speak out against this kind of misconduct when they see it," associate legal director Christopher Dunn said in a statement. "New York City's finest should be applauded when they expose abuse, not abused and retaliated against."

The city Law Department said it was reviewing the decision.

The New York Police Department has said it doesn't have arrest or summons quotas.

Matthews' suit said his Bronx precinct did have arrest quotas, supervisors kept color-coded records of who met them and officers were punished when they fell short. Matthews said he was harassed and got bad evaluations and assignments when he objected, the suit said.

A trial court judge ruled last year that Matthews' complaints were not constitutionally protected because he spoke as an NYPD employee in the course of doing his job, not as a citizen. The Supreme Court has allowed some limits on public workers' speech rights, saying that government couldn't function if every workplace decision could become a First Amendment case.

The city argued that Matthews' criticisms stemmed from his official duties and so weren't protected speech.

Appeals judges disagreed, noting that the officer had no role in setting or giving feedback on police policy.

"Matthews's speech to the precinct's leadership in this case was not what he was 'employed to do,'" the judges wrote. "He spoke as a citizen."

The ruling positions the case to return to a trial court for further proceedings.

Smack'n the old lady around, a favorite cop past time

Woodstock police officer charged with domestic assault

QUECHEE, Vt. —A Woodstock police officer has been charged with domestic assault, state police said.

Vermont State Police arrested Mark McComas, 45, a former employee of the Hartford Police Department on Tuesday.

McComas is currently a Police Officer for the Woodstock Police Department.

Police say McComas assaulted someone at a Quechee home twice in February.

McComas was lodged at the Southern State Correctional Facility.

Bail was set at bail set at $2500.

Vermont State Police is handling the investigation.

McComas was scheduled to be arraigned Wednesday afternoon.

Lawrence cop suspended after domestic battery arrest

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

LAWRENCE – A Lawrence, Kansas, police officer is suspended after being arrested on charges related to domestic violence.

The police department says the woman, while in a relationship with patrol officer, reported that he battered and threatened her last month.

The officer was arrested on suspicion of aggravated battery, criminal threat, aggravated assault, domestic battery and kidnapping.

He’s is a three-year veteran of Lawrence’s police force.

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His first court appearance is Wednesday, and the investigation is continuing. He is being held in the Douglas County Jail without bond.