Former Little Rock cop gets 104 months for drug escort duty

Little Rock cop Mark Anthony Jones, 46, was sentenced today to 104 months in prison for taking money to serve as an escort to what he believed were shipments of marijuana through the city. He and his brother, also a Little Rock, officer, were under surveillance in a sting operation.

Jones had entered a plea agreement. His brother, Randall Robinson, was convicted earlier on a marijuana charge, but a mistrial was declared on other charges. He'll be retried in the spring. According to the government, they provided escort in marked patrol cars and failed to respond to a shooting report while at the task in March 2012.



NEWS RELEASE

Christopher R. Thyer, United States Attorney for the Eastern District  of Arkansas; Randall C. Coleman, Special Agent in Charge of the Little Rock Field Office of the  Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI); and Stuart Thomas, Chief of the Little Rock Police  Department, announced Mark Anthony Jones, age 46 of Little Rock was sentenced by United States District Judge James M. Moody to 104 months in federal prison to be followed by four years  of supervised release. Jones was immediately taken into United States Marshal custody  following the sentencing.

“As I said when Jones was arrested, we owe it to this community and, more importantly, to  the upstanding individuals who wear the badge of the LRPD to hold those who break the law  accountable for their actions,” stated Thyer. “This case was carefully investigated and the facts  speak for themselves. Jones’ choice to sell his career for cash is disheartening. My hope is, this  sentence will serve notice to all other law enforcement officers that disregard of the law will result  in prosecution. No one is above the law. To those who valiantly serve with integrity, I applaud  you and thank you for your service.”

“The sentence imposed today sends a strong message to anyone in law enforcement who  would betray his or her oath to protect and serve the public," stated Acting FBI Special Agent in  Charge Howard S. Marshall. "The vast majority of us who respect the badges we wear and who  are committed to public service will band together to aggressively investigate these egregious,  criminal activities. In many of these investigations, they start with a tip from a concerned  citizen. We are grateful for those who come forward to report corruption to us and we continue  to encourage people to do so.”

Chief Thomas added, “I hope the message is clear that allegations of corruption will be  diligently investigated and prosecuted. The men and women of this Department who participated  in this difficult and demanding investigation demonstrated professionalism, integrity, and  confidentiality to the highest degree. This Department is appreciative our partnership with the   United States Attorney’s Office and the Little Rock Office of the FBI which, without hesitation,  provided the resources and expertise necessary to fully investigate this matter and ultimately bring  it to a successful conclusion today.”

Jones was arrested May 24, 2013 and pled guilty June 28, 2013, to one count of attempting to aid and abet the possession with intent to distribute approximately 1,000 pounds of marijuana.

The facts in the Plea Agreement state that Jones had been a policeman with the Little Rock Police Department since 1988. Early in 2012, Jones traveled with a Confidential Informant (CI) to Los Angeles, California to meet the informant's purported supplier of marijuana. During dinner, the supplier (who was actually an undercover FBI agent) and Jones engaged in recorded conversation about marijuana loads being brought into Little Rock. After returning from  California, the CI contacted Jones regarding a truckload of 1,000 pounds of marijuana coming into  Little Rock. Jones was asked to and agreed to provide security for this load. He recruited his  brother, another LRPD officer to be the 2nd escort to protect against an arrest by other law  enforcement.

On March 22, 2012, Jones and his brother provided the protection while driving marked  patrol cars. The delivery was divided in two vans of a purported quantity of approximately 500  pounds of marijuana in each van. The FBI set-up surveillance of the activities including aerial  surveillance. The facts state that during the time Jones and his brother provided the escort, they  “overheard on their police radio a call for shots fired near their location. They were the officers  closest to the shooting, but did not respond because they were following the vans.” Jones didn’t  respond to the call until he had completed the escort of the vans – approximately one hour later.

Jones was audio and video recorded by the FBI later that day meeting with the CI who paid him $10,000 in cash for the escort - $5,000 for Jones and $5,000 for his brother.

On July 15, 2013, Jones’ brother, Randall Tremayne Robinson, was found guilty of Count  3 of the Superseding Indictment for distribution of marijuana in August of 2009. The jury hung  on all other counts. A second Superseding Indictment was filed August 7, 2013. The trial has  been set for March 17, 2014 before United States District Judge James L. Moody. An indictment  contains only allegations. All defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

This investigation was conducted by the Little Rock Field Office of the Federal Bureau of  Investigation in cooperation with, and with substantial support from, the Little Rock Police  Department. Assistant United States Attorneys Pat Harris and Anne Gardner have prosecuted  this case for the United States.

cop gets 36-month R-I in graft case

A police inspector with N M Joshi Marg police, who was arrested for graft in 2006, was Thursday convicted and sentenced to 36 months of rigorous imprisonment, while a sub-inspector, who was also arrested in the same case, was acquitted. ACB officers said inspector Prashant Pandit and sub-inspector Jagdish Giri were arrested by 2006 after they allegedly demanded Rs 50,000 from an arrested suspect in lieu of his release. Pandit was the investigating officer in the case, police said.

South Barrington cop pleads guilty

A South Barrington police officer has been sentenced to probation after pleading guilty to forgery, possession of a controlled substance and official misconduct.
Keith Baker, 31, of Bartlett, was sentenced Wednesday to 24 months of intensive probation, which includes random drug tests and a curfew among other requirements, in exchange for his guilty pleas. He was also ordered to pay $1,404 in fines, court records show

Fairfax County Police Watch: cumulative damage.

Fairfax County Police Watch: cumulative damage.: It’s about cumulative damage. It took the Fairfax County Police four days to report to the public, the people who pay them and provid...

cumulative damage.

It’s about cumulative damage.

It took the Fairfax County Police four days to report to the public, the people who pay them and provide them a $300 million a year budget, that the man they shot in killed in a homeless shelter assaulted a cop with a baton. The baton was taken from the cop.  We pay for the cops training on how and when to use the baton. There were two cops at the scene. How and why he got the cops baton is a question for another day.

Another question would be why didn’t one of the two cops use a taser on the man? It takes the same amount of time to reach for, unholster, unlock, point and shoot a taser as it takes to let off the three bullets the cop fired that night.

 It’s a worthy question because we have a police force that shoots both the rich and poor alike and they could damn well kill you or someone you love, so the cops should be questioned about their all too frequent use of force.  

Being the cops doesn’t mean having permission deadly force doesn’t mean you have to do it, a point seemingly lost on the Fairfax County Police.    

If the cops don’t have tasers, why don’t they have them? At $300 million a year, they should be able to buy a taser factory. If they can afford a PR department, they can afford tasers.   

This is what will happen. The Internal Affairs office, AKA Pinocchio Central, will look at the case to determine where the department is exposed, cover that hole, and then announce the cops have investigated the cops and that the cops are innocent of any wrong doing, cowardly behavior, overreacting and/or just generally bad decision making.

If, in secrecy, they determine that the cops in question over reacted, will they secretly fire those cops and you’ll never hear about it? If they do, that isn’t right. It’s our government not theirs. Hell, 8 out of 10 Fairfax County cops don’t even live here. We have a right to know.

 While we’re on the subject, what happened to the cop who gunned down Sal Culosi? How about the cop who shot David master to death over a house plant? Are they still on the force? Have they been fired? The department never released the information.

Departmental critics, which are nation wide at this point (Google the killing of Sal Culosi) have cited the County cop’s love of secrecy but secrecy doesn’t have a damn thing to do with it.  It’s all about arrogance and contempt. And the price for secrecy, arrogance and contempt of the public, by government operatives, is suspicion, doubt and distrust by the public of government.

So what?

Well that’s the part the rank and file cops don’t get. It’s about cumulative damage. In a century of cameras everywhere and the internet, it’s just a matter of time before a Fairfax County cop is recorded shooting someone and goes trial for it. It won’t matter if the cop was right in using deadly force. 

As more and more information about the shoot first think later mentality of the police is made public, it all adds up, the more juriors will have to consider about the cops motive.   

Fairfax County Police kill another unarmed man.

     According to the latest reports, the homeless man gunned down the shoot-happy Fairfax County police was unarmed.  It appears that the cops panicked, but that isn’t really what happened.  According to witnesses, when the man attacked the police, one of the cops pulled out his service revolver and fired three shots at the man killing him.

     Here’s what they could have done instead;

     There were two cops and one man, with more cops on the way. They could have tried to psychically restraint him. We paid for their training in psychically restraining a person. They know how to do.

     They could have used clubs on him. We gave them the right to do it and no one would have blamed them if they did.

     They could have tased him. We trained them to use the taser. We gave them the right to do it and no one would have blamed them if they did.

     But they shot him dead.

     At first glance, a scared cop looks to be fault in this killing. But that isn’t it. What killed that man is the culture of contempt that rules over the Fairfax County Police Department and in a few months, it will kill others as well. The cop who pulled the trigger along with every cop on the Fairfax County Police force and every citizen in Fairfax County knows that nothing will come of this.

    Watch and see. Just like the killing of the unarmed John Geer in Springfield earlier this year, nothing will become of this killing either.

   Watch and see. This is as far as this story is going to go. In the end, once again, the Fairfax County cops will investigate the Fairfax County cops and find the Fairfax County harmless in the incident.

Why even bother reporting this?

Fairfax County officer fatally shoots man during fight at homeless shelter.

The gun happy Fairfax County police shot and killed another citizen. Just like the killing of the unarmed John Geer in Springfield earlier this year, nothing will become of this.  

This is as far as this story is going to go. In the end, once again, the Fairfax County cops will investigate the Fairfax County cops and find the Fairfax County harmless in the incident.

The news says that the department’s Criminal Investigations Bureau and an Internal Affairs unit are investigating the incident….so what?   The results will never be made public even though the public has paid the cops ($300 million) for those results. 

 Just like the killing of John Geer in Springfield earlier this year, nothing is will become of this.  This is as far as this story is going to go. In the end, once again, the Fairfax County cops will investigate the Fairfax County cops and find the Fairfax County harmless in the incident

The Fairfax County cops bank on the fact that the electronic media probably won’t report the story and if they do it will get, perhaps, 15 seconds of air time, and, since TV news doesn’t do follow stories, the cops are safe on that front. 

The print media, which has done an excellent job holding the Fairfax County Police accountable for their butchering, could be a problem for the cops on this, so Internal Affairs, whose primary job is not to establish the truth but to protect the department from bad publicity, will stall the issue for a few years and eventually even the print media will forget about it.  

Just like the killing of John Geer in Springfield earlier this year, nothing is will become of this.  This is as far as this story is going to go. In the end, once again, the Fairfax County cops will investigate the Fairfax County cops and find the Fairfax County harmless in the incident

The County’s elected officials cower at the thought of confronting the cops and won’t dare raise the issue, besides; the guy they killed this time was homeless and probably mentally ill, so he was of no value to elected officials. Think we’re wrong about that?  Watch and see because not one of them will raise a squeek over this.

In the end, once again, the Fairfax County cops will investigate the Fairfax County cops and find the Fairfax County harmless in the incident. But that’s an old story and not really relevant. 

The real story isn’t in the cop’s willingness to gun people down. The real story is in the departmental culture of contempt that tells the cops its okay to shoot first and think later. 

Todays sexual assault charges against your police: police officer on trial in sexual assault case

Todays sexual assault charges against your police: police officer on trial in sexual assault case: FORT WORTH — Lawyers for a police officer accused of sexually assaulting a woman told the jury that the woman is pursuing a lawsuit st...

Another drunk cop

SOMERSET, Ky. (WKYT) - Pulling people over is a part of Sergeant Jason Griffith's job as an officer for the Somerset Police Department, but having the lights behind him is another story.
"Well, the case is fresh and we don't have all of the facts in front of us just yet," said Attorney Scott Foster, representing Sgt. Griffith.
According to the arrest citation, which we acquired courtesy of the Commonwealth Journal, Sgt. Griffith was arrested by a Department of Fish and Wildlife officer Sunday night on suspicion of driving under the influence.
"It obviously bothers him and upsets him that he's taken away from his career over this," answered Foster on Griffith's behalf.
The Department of Fish and Wildlife says Officer Lucas Tucker was on his way home when he noticed a truck driving all over Highway 80 in Pulaski County. Tucker attempted to stop the truck, but the Department of Fish and Wildlife says the truck ignored Officer Tucker. The truck finally stopped at the Somerset city limit. The arrest citation says Griffith was "crossing all lanes, going into the grass and shoulder on both sides of the road.". The report said Tucker could smell an odor of alcoholic beverage and that Sgt. Griffith was reportedly swaying outside his truck. The report said Griffith refused his field sobriety test and breath test.
Foster has a lot of questions about the validity of the arrest. "I've got to do some research on the topic, but there are some questions about the authority of a fish and wildlife officer to enforce the criminal laws in the State of Kentucky."
The Department of Fish and Wildlife say they have jurisdiction statewide and explain that they can act in "life threatening situations." The Department of Fish and Wildlife said Officer Tucker called the Somerset Police in to assist, and once on scene they identified the driver as Sgt. Griffith. A spokesman for the Fish and Wildlife said the Somerset Police requested that Officer Tucker complete his arrest report.
"There's some statutory language that tends to indicate they may not," added Foster.
At this time, Foster explained that Sgt. Griffith is on paid administrative leave, per department policy, and he said the 20-year vet has an otherwise sterling career.
"There's been no prior issues with him, no prior arrests or criminal complaints, or no other issues of that nature," said Foster.
However there's another twist, Foster said he is investigating a claim of a prior incident between Sgt. Griffith and the arresting officer.
"There is an indication that in the past Mr. Griffith stopped this gentleman and cited him," adding, "I don't know if there's an animus between the two."
While there is still more to sort out, Foster said the sergeant will have his day in court on November 18th, Foster said his client will enter a "not guilty" plea.

Brown may review policy after NYPD Kelly silenced

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) - Brown University may have to consider changing its policies on public lectures after New York City Police Commissioner Ray Kelly was shouted down by community members and students as he tried to give a speech about his department's stop-and-frisk policy, a spokeswoman for the Ivy League school said Wednesday.
Spokeswoman Marisa Quinn said it is valuable to have such events open to the public, but they need to be conducted as a free exchange of ideas. Both Brown students and members of the general public disrupted the event, she said.
Brown President Christina Paxson said in a letter to Brown students, faculty and staff that she planned to contact Kelly to "convey my deepest regret for the manner in which he was treated." Quinn said Wednesday the two have spoken.
Paxson also called a meeting of the Brown community Wednesday evening.
Kelly declined to comment Tuesday and again Wednesday through spokesmen for the New York Police Department.
The NYPD contends stop and frisk has made the city safer. But a federal judge recently ruled the practice of stopping individuals who the police think look suspicious violated the civil rights of minorities. The city is appealing.
Kelly had just begun to speak Tuesday when protesters began shouting and would not let him continue. The disruption went on for about 30 minutes before university officials put an end to the event and cleared the room.

Students opposed to Kelly's visit first petitioned the university to cancel the lecture, said Jenny Li, a Brown student who helped organize the protest. When the university did not cancel the event, "we decided to cancel it for them," Li said. She called the protest "a powerful demonstration of free speech."
Brown's public lectures are typically free and open to the larger community, and protests have disrupted talks there before. A few years ago, a man who did not attend Brown threw something at then-Rep. Patrick Kennedy during a talk. In another instance, New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman had a cream pie thrown in his face by two people, at least one of whom was a student. In both those instances, the talks continued.
Ross Cheit, a Brown professor and member of the faculty at its Taubman Center for Public Policy, which hosted the lecture, said that while Kelly expected some protests, he appeared to be taken by surprise that he wasn't allowed to speak.
Also, contrary to what some demonstrators claimed Tuesday, Kelly was not paid for his appearance and was never going to get an honorarium, Cheit said.
Providence Public Safety Commissioner Steven Pare, who attended the Tuesday event, said Wednesday he wanted to hear Kelly speak and was disappointed he didn't get to hear him answer questions about the NYPD practice.
"When you shut people down, whether you're pro or con, we all lose as a community," Pare said.
Pare said his own department had discussed practicing stop and frisk after a rash of shootings, but eventually rejected the idea.
"From some readings and some perspectives, it has been successful at reducing crime, but at what cost?" he said.
The Associated Press on Wednesday attempted to contact several people involved in the protest, but they either did not return messages or they declined to comment.

Lawsuit accuses Roxbury police of making false arrest after ignoring part of phone message

 A Pennsylvania man is suing the Roxbury Police Department and two of its officers, claiming he was falsely arrested after they deliberately ignored part of a recorded telephone message.
Joe Paszkowski, 65, of Columbus, Pa., was charged with threatening to kill by means of hanging, but the charge was dropped after a Morris County grand jury returned a “no bill” and refused to indict him, according to court records.
The suit says that in the recorded message in April that resulted in his arrest, Paszkowski told a person in Roxbury, “I’m going to hang both of you … so bad. I’m coming up to New Jersey … I’m going to … have a prosecutor look into the case for what you did.”
But in his reports, Officer John Sylvester included only the first part of the message, and “deliberately and maliciously” left out the second part mentioning the prosecutor, said Paszkowski’s attorney, Joel Rachmiel.
Those words “clearly negate any threat to kill another by hanging,” Rachmiel said.
Paszkowski says he was arrested and held at a jail in Pennsylvania, where the “stress and anxiety” caused by the “baseless charge” made him suffer breathing problems, which necessitated his hospitalization.

Cops and the women they abuse: officer charged with domestic battery

Cops and the women they abuse: officer charged with domestic battery: PUTNAMVILLE -- A 29-year-old  Greencastle Police officer has been charged in a domestic battery case, Indiana State Police at the Putnamvil...

Durant officer charged with DUI appears in court

DURANT, OK -- A Durant Police officer charged with driving under the influence of alcohol pleaded not guilty Wednesday.
OHP says 36-year-old Brandon Carbaugh crashed his pickup truck on State Highway 91 earlier this month.
Troopers say he was arrested and taken to MCSO, but was not booked into jail because he was injured.
Durant Police say he is on administrative leave.
Carbaugh is set to appear in court for a disposition December 12th.

Armstrong County police officer charged with having guns on college campus

Police at a Massachusetts college campus last week filed a criminal complaint against a law school student who is also a part-time Armstrong County police officer after guns were discovered in the on-campus apartment where he was staying.
William DeForte, 42, of Clinton will be notified by summons by the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth Department of Public Safety to appear for arraignment on charges of carrying a firearm without a university license and storing his handguns and ammunition improperly.
It is illegal in Massachusetts for anyone to bring a gun onto a college campus, even if they are a police officer, without dispensation from the public safety chief, according to John Hoey, assistant chancellor of public affairs.

Michael Hart, Skokie Police Officer, Charged With Battery In Alleged Brutality Caught On Video

A Skokie, Ill. police officer has been charged with felony aggravated battery and official misconduct after he was captured pushing a female arrestee into a jail cell, resulting in the woman sustaining multiple serious facial injuries.

According to Cook County State's Attorney Anita Alvarez, officer Michael Hart, 43, of Gurnee, Ill., "became irate" after helping with the fingerprinting and photographing of 47-year-old Cassandra Fuerstein and shoved the 110-pound Chicago woman into a concrete bench during her March 10 arrest on DUI charges, ABC Chicago reports.

Fuerstein had been disregarding Hart's commands, prosecutors say.
The attack shattered several bones in Fuerstein's face and the woman required reconstructive surgery including a titanium plate in her cheek, according to NBC Chicago. She also has had vision and dental problems since the shoving.

Video of the shoving was released earlier this month by Feuerstein's attorney, Torreya Hamilton, after Feuerstein filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against the officer. The video prompted an outcry and over 1,000 people signed a Change.org petition calling for Hart's arrest.

Hart was ordered held on $75,000 bond and faces up to five years in prison if convicted. Hart's attorney, Jed Stone, told the Chicago Tribune his client "cannot believe after 19 years of serving Skokie that his career has come to an arrest. … I don't think pushing her into a cell is a crime."

As a result of the charges, Skokie officials have put Hart on administrative leave while they complete an internal investigation that could lead to disciplinary action, Patch reports.

Hart filed a complaint against Feuerstein after the incident for resisting a peace officer. Those charges were later dismissed after Cook County prosecutors reviewed the evidence. Feuerstein pleaded guilty to drunk driving.

The epidemic of mentally unstable cops in America: Lexington Police Officer Charged With Harassment P...

The epidemic of mentally unstable cops in America: Lexington Police Officer Charged With Harassment P...:  Scott County family says Officer Keith Spears verbally confronted their 13-year-old son, who was refereeing a youth soccer match, and grabb...

Macedon Police officer Edward O'Konsky suspended

Canandaigua, N.Y.

A Macedon police officer has been suspended without pay after allegedly stealing money from the bargaining unit representing the town’s police officers and removing and using a piece of evidence from the department.

Macedon Police said Edward O'Konsky, 38, of Farmington, alleged stole nearly $2,200 from the Macedon Association of Police Officers over the course of a year.

O'Konsky is charged with fourth-degree grand larceny, first-degree falsifying business records, official misconduct, two counts of tampering with physical evidence and petit larceny. He was arraigned on the charges and is due back in court next month.

The epidemic of mentally unstable cops in America: It isn't the job, its the type people they hire fo...

The epidemic of mentally unstable cops in America: It isn't the job, its the type people they hire fo...:  According to the The Badge of Life website, www.badgeoflife.com “More cops commit suicide than are killed by felons.   In 2011, there w...

Hartford Police Sergeant Under Review For Accidentally Firing Gun Into Neighbor's House While Off-Duty

WINDSOR— An off-duty Hartford police sergeant who accidentally fired his gun through the wall of his home and into the bedroom of a 12-year-old girl in the neighboring house is not facing criminal charges.
The neighbors of Sgt. Eric Smith's neighbors were satisfied with an apology, according to Capt. Tom LePore of the Windsor Police Department.
"There was no desire on the part of the victim to have an arrest made," LePore said. "As a matter of fact they said they did not want their neighbor to be arrested for that."
According to an incident report from Windsor, a resident of Village Lane called police on Sept. 25 after his daughter found a bullet in her bed. The daughter told police that three days earlier she had discovered a hole in her bedroom wall just underneath the window.
Police examined the bullet hole and determined the shot came from a southerly direction. An officer then went to Smith's residence, which is just south of the caller's house.
Smith told Windsor police that on the evening of Sept. 24, he was in his bedroom unloading his off-duty handgun when he accidentally fired one shot, the incident report states. Smith said he checked the hole in his bedroom wall with a screwdriver and thought the bullet had stayed inside the wall. He also said he checked outside for evidence that the bullet had exited the wall and found none, according to the report.
Windsor police spoke with a sergeant from Hartford police Internal Affairs division, who stated that the "situation would be addressed internally," the report states.
The case was closed by Windsor police, though the report gives no explanation of the discrepancy between when Smith reported the accidental shot and when the girl reported finding the bullet hole. The report does not indicate whether anyone was inside the neighbor's home at the time of the shot.
LePore said that although Smith could have been charged with reckless endangerment or unlawful discharge of a weapon, he did not receive special treatment.
An internal affairs investigation into the matter is almost complete, but disciplinary action against Smith has not been determined, said Lt. Brian Foley, head of the Hartford police Major Crimes division. The investigation is currently in the "command review stage," Foley said.
Although no criminal charges were filed, LePore said this sort of incident should have been reported immediately.
"I can't actually understand why he didn't report it to his agency, number one, or how he didn't see that it penetrated his house," LePore said. "I mean those are all very good questions."

Officer accidentally fires gun in Westminster police locker room

A Westminster police officer accidentally shot a mirror last month while dressing for his shift in a locker room at the police station. No one was injured and the department is conducting an internal administrative review of the incident, according to Chief Jeff Spaulding.

On Sept. 15, Officer Elias Cuadro, a two-year member of the department, was changing from his civilian clothes into his uniform when the gun discharged as he went to holster the pistol, according to Spaulding.

“It is apparent that he inadvertently placed his finger on the trigger while holstering the weapon, causing the gun to discharge,” Spaulding said.

The mirror was damaged and had to be replaced, costing $386, according to Spaulding.

Cuadro has not been placed on leave and will keep his police powers while the investigation takes place, Spaulding said.This is the second time a firearm was accidentally discharged in approximately the last 10 years, according to Spaulding. The other incident occurred in October 2010.

Durant Police Officer charged with Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol

BRYAN COUNTY, OK -- According to online court records a Durant Police Officer has been charged with "Driving a Motor Vehicle Under the Influence of Alcohol".

Records show that on Friday a letter was sent to 36-year-old Brandon Carbaugh notifying him of the charge. Nearly two weeks ago, OHP says, while off duty, he crashed a pickup on State Highway 91 in Bryan County. Troopers say he failed a field sobriety test and was arrested and taken to MCSO with arm and leg injuries. Authorities say he was not booked into jail because he did not receive a medical release. At last check, Durant Police told News 12 that Carbaugh was put on paid administrative leave. 

Bryant police chief suspended over steak dinner

BRYANT, Ark. —  The police chief in Bryant has been suspended for five days for seeking reimbursement for a steak dinner purchased at a Florida strip club.
Bryant Mayor Jill Dabbs says Chief Mark Kizer will begin serving his unpaid suspension next week. This week, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported that Kizer and school resource officer Lee Ledbetter were each reimbursed for steak dinners from a restaurant connected to an upscale strip club in Orlando, Fla.
They were in Florida for a work conference on school resource officers.
The newspaper reports ( http://bit.ly/19DwDrH) that the council also approved spending $20,000 for an audit of its city finances, including travel expenses.
Kizer had no immediate comment Thursday night but said earlier that he and Ledbetter visited the steakhouse at the recommendation of their hotel concierge.

Three officers suspended over dispute

An internal investigation stemming from a dispute between a supervisor and a patrolman has led to a three-day suspension for a third officer at Vermilion Police Department.

Last month, administrators began probing the rift between Vermilion police Sgt. Aaron Bolton and Officer Craig Howell.

The long-running feud centered on Howell’s relationship with his own girlfriend and Bolton’s disapproval of the relationship, according to internal police documents the Register obtained through a public records request.

Bolton also accused Howell of profiling women by age and appearance during traffic stops, according to the documents.

After speaking to Howell about the allegations, police supervisors determined they were unfounded.

In a formal complaint dated Sept. 10, Howell said his friction with Bolton started in April. That’s when Howell started dating a woman who was friends with Bolton and Bolton’s wife, according to the complaint. Bolton made it clear he didn’t approve of Howell’s relationship with the woman, the document stated.

Other events transpired in the months that followed, but Howell never made a formal complaint — that is, until Bolton sent an email to the commander of Erie County’s Special Response Team. The email suggested Howell wasn’t suited for the unit.

At that point, Howell sent his supervisors a three-page letter detailing his formal complaints against Bolton.    In short, he accused Bolton of various misdeeds, such as providing Howell’s private address to a resident during a police ride-along, and making false allegations about misconduct. He also accused Bolton of namecalling and defamation, among other things.

Supervisors interviewed Bolton, Howell and a third officer, David Jones, about the allegations.

The bulk of the investigation’s findings have since been sent to Vermilion law director Ken Stumphauzer for review.

Jones was suspended for three days. Police documents show Jones played a part in driving a police ride-along passenger past Howell’s home. The passenger was previously engaged to Howell’s girlfriend.

“While the lion’s share of the blame for that incident rests on another’s shoulders, you still bear your share of the blame for failing to recognize a malicious and inappropriate act and partaking in it,” police Chief Chris Hartung wrote in a disciplinary letter to Jones. “You and you alone answer for your integrity and cannot allow your actions to be guided by those of questionable character.”

Judge says police emails didn't hurt defense in Indianapolis officer's reckless homicide trial

FORT WAYNE, Indiana — The judge in the reckless homicide and drunken driving trial of an Indianapolis police officer has ruled that police emails with daily summaries of the proceedings didn't reveal anything unduly prejudicial against the defense.
Allen County Judge John Surbeck declined Tuesday to strike the testimony of a police captain who had read the emails before being called as a witness in the trial of David Bisard.
Surbeck also denied a request for a directed verdict by defense attorney John Kautzman after he argued the state failed to prove its case against Bisard.
Bisard is on trial for charges stemming from an August 2010 crash into two motorcycles that killed a man and seriously injured two other people.
Surbeck estimates the case will go to the jury for deliberations on Monday.

Fairfax County Police Watch: Somerset police officer charged with DUI

Fairfax County Police Watch: Somerset police officer charged with DUI: SOMERSET, Ky. (WKYT) - A Somerset police officer has been suspended, after being arrested on a DUI charge. Kentucky Fish & Wildl...

Somerset police officer charged with DUI

SOMERSET, Ky. (WKYT) - A Somerset police officer has been suspended, after being arrested on a DUI charge.

Kentucky Fish & Wildlife officials tell us one of their officers stopped Somerset Police Officer Jason Griffith on Highway 80 Sunday night.

Police say the Fish & Wildlife officer smelled a strong odor of alcohol on Griffith, but Griffith refused field sobriety tests.

Police say Griffith was not on duty at the time. He's been suspended with pay, pending the outcome of court proceedings.

Decision Weeks Away on Police Officer's Suspension

A decision on whether or not the suspension of a Dothan police officer was justified is more than a month away.

In Judge Butch Binford’s courtroom today, Corporal Raemonica Carney went up against the City of Dothan. In May, Carney was suspended for 10 days and put on desk duty after the personnel board found controversial Facebook posts made by Carney violated the Police Department’s social media policy.

The posts made by Carney were about former Los Angeles Police Officer Christopher Dorner who went on a killing spree in February before killing himself.

Carney’s attorney, Sonya Edwards, stated that the suspension was a violation of Carney’s first amendment rights, while the city’s attorney Kevan Kelly argued that substantial evidence was presented at the personnel board making the suspension fair.

Judge Binford did not rule today, he gave the city 21 days to submit a case brief. Then Carney’s attorney will have 14 days to respond. Once the response is in, Judge Binford will decide if the personnel board was equipped to make the ruling or if the case should go before an appeals court.

Hattiesburg police officer suspended for not apologizing to mayor

HATTIESBURG, MS (WDAM) - A Hattiesburg police officer is on suspension indefinitely for reportedly refusing to apologize to Mayor Johnny DuPree regarding a traffic incident last week.

Sources both inside and outside HPD tell News Seven that the officer apparently sounded his siren after pulling up behind a car blocking the right-of-way on Hall Avenue . The driver of the car was talking to an occupant of another car that was pulled off on the shoulder of the road.  We're told the occupant of that second car was Mayor DuPree. We're also told the driver of the car blocking the road pulled onto the shoulder allowing the officer to pass. 

According to individuals with knowledge of the case, Chief Frazier Bolton suspended the officer after he refused an order to apologize to the mayor.  HPD spokesman, Lt. Jon Traxler, confirmed the officer was suspended for insubordination but refused to discuss details of the incident.  Traxler says the officer will remain suspended until internal affairs completes their investigation.

PEPPER SPRAY COP AWARDED $38,000?

Remember pepper spray cop? He's the campus police officer at the University of California, Davis who decided to handle a seated line of peaceful, non-threatening Occupy demonstrators in the most rational way he could: by calmly firing a stream of pepper spray directly into their eyes from close range, like a landscape gardener squirting pesticide at some overgrown flowerbeds.
At first, everyone was outraged at Officer John Pike's blasé manner of temporarily blinding peaceful protesters, then the internet got involved, turned the image into meme—photoshopping Pike into basically every pop culture image ever created—and everyone kind of forgot about it. Until last week, when it emerged that he has been awarded $38,000 in workers compensation by California's Department of Industrial Relations—more than the $30,000 each of his victims received—for the "psychiatric injuries" he's experienced since that day in November of 2011. UC Davis will foot the bill, in addition to the $70,000 the school paid him in salary while he was on adminstrative leave.

Funeral held for Detroit cop who died 6 months after hit by idiot cops bullet

The funeral for Patrick Hill, a 37-year-old father According to police, Joseph opened fire on officers on April 2, and they returned fire, killing him. Sgt. Jeffrey Pacholski was wounded but recovered. Investigators said a pellet from an officer's shotgun ricocheted off the hood of a car and struck Hill.

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Raytown police officer charged with stealing

Raytown police officer was charged Friday with stealing drugs and jewelry from the department’s evidence room. Jackson County prosecutors charged Justin M. Pool, 35, with three counts of stealing a controlled substance and two counts of theft of property. All five charges are felonies.
He allegedly stole the items, including oxycodone pills and gold jewelry, in January, when still a member of the department, according to prosecutors.

Read more here: http://www.kansas.com/2013/10/25/3078711/former-raytown-police-officer.html#storylink=cpy

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Black Actor Says Cops Arrested Him After Macy's Watch Purchase

New York suddenly has a list of “Shopping While Black” scandals unfolding. After high-end department Barneys was accused of racial profiling by a pair of young people, a rising Hollywood actor had a similar situation happen to him over the summer at Macy's. Rob Brown, 29, says that after buying his mother a $1,350 watch for her graduation, plainclothes officers accused the star of HBO's Treme for possessing a fake card back in June.

With the recent slamming of Barneys by Trayvon Christian and Kayla Phillips for being accused of grand larceny as Brown was, things aren't going well for the retail giants in the big city. Brown sat down with the New York Daily News, and spoke on the incident that landed him in cuffs and late for his mother's graduation.

The Finding Forrester actor is suing Macy's for unspecified damages, and also reached out to Christian regarding his case. From the Daily News: Brown, who made his movie debut starring opposite Sean Connery in 2000's “Finding Forrester,” says he'd been shopping at Macy's flagship store because he wanted to buy a graduation present for his mother, Myra, who received a degree from Metropolitan Community College. He settled on a $1,350 silver Movado watch with gold trim.

Brown said he purchased the last one, the display model, and strolled over to a Sunglass Hut in the store while he was waiting for it to be cleaned. He said he saw some $350 Prada shades he liked and was also going to buy those — but while he was waiting for them to be tightened, he was suddenly swarmed by “at least three” plainclothes officers. Brown, a Brooklyn native, thought at one point he was being robbed before he says the cops paraded him around the store, and taking him to a holding cell where he was held for 45 minutes.

After the cops checked Brown's records, the actor says an officer took him to his mother's graduation which he says he was late for. “To be late for my mother's graduation ceremony — that was devastating,” Brown said. Brown vented on Twitter in June after the incident, clearly angered for getting fingered for a crime he didn't commit. On Wednesday (Oct. 23), Brown reached out to his followers to connect him Christian. Hit the gallery to see photos of Brown speaking with the Daily News, and showcasing some of his acting roles. -- -

Hollywood police officer arrested on DUI charges

HOLLYWOOD — DiIvory Edgecomb, a Hollywood cop and former star running back for the Florida Atlantic Owls, was arrested by his own department on DUI charges in September and immediately relieved of duty with pay. Edgecomb, 27, was placed on administrative leave Sept. 30, the day of his arrest.
As is customary, he was forced to turn in his badge, department-issued gun and squad car, said Lt. Osvaldo Perez.

Chemist testifies blood test showing Indianapolis police officer was drunk was accurate

FORT WAYNE, Indiana — A chemist who ran the Swedish government's forensic lab for 30 years testified Friday that the blood test that indicated a suspended Indianapolis police officer was legally drunk at the time of a fatal accident was accurate.
Alan Wayne Jones estimated that David Bisard, who faces reckless homicide and other charges, probably had eight to 10 drinks the night before the crash and perhaps two more in the morning to "steady his nerves," The Indianapolis Star reported (http://indy.st/169xVdu ).
The blood tests on Bisard after the crash in his patrol car that killed Eric Wells and badly injured two others in 2010 have been central to the case. Prosecutors were allowed to present test results from two vials of blood taken from Bisard after the crash, despite defense arguments that one wasn't properly drawn according to Indiana law and the other was mishandled by police evidence technicians who removed it from refrigerated storage.
Tests showed Bisard had a blood-alcohol level of 0.19, which is more than twice Indiana's legal limit of 0.08 percent. The Indiana Supreme Court in ruled in December that the blood tests could be admitted into evidence.

Prince George’s officer suspended from duty after police say he crashed cruiser while drunk

PALMER PARK, Md. — Prince George’s County police say an officer has been suspended from duty after he crashed his cruiser while under the influence of alcohol. Police say Cpl. Rodney Lewis was off-duty and wasn’t acting in a law enforcement capacity at the time of the crash, which occurred early Friday morning on the Capital Beltway in northern Virginia.

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Dallas PD fire officer who shot mentally ill man; could face aggravated assault charge

DALLAS -
The Dallas police officer who shot a mentally ill man in a disputed incident caught on tape was fired Thursday.

Police Chief David Brown also announced Officer Cardan Spencer would be charged with first degree aggravated assault. But a judge reportedly refused to sign the arrest warrant and now the case will be referred to a grand jury.

Spencer was fired for violating DPD's deadly force policy and its procedures on mentally ill people. Spencer had a hearing on Thursday morning.

"We are not going to sweep officer misconduct under the rug," Brown said at a press conference. "An officer's actions must reasonable and necessary."

A police report said Bobby Bennett, 52, threatened Spencer and another officer with a knife last week and then Spencer fired his gun at him.

But video captured by a neighbor's camera shows Bennett didn't appear to move toward the officers at all until he crumpled to the ground from a gunshot.

Bennett's mother, Joyce Jackson, said her son suffers from schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. He is still hospitalized recovering from the shooting. "I hope this situation will help the police with training in dealing with the mentally ill," she said.

She's hoping for a harsher punishment for Officer Cardan Spencer. "Officers are not above the law, okay," said Jackson.


Chief Brown said Bennett told detectives he was suicidal and wanted officers to kill him. He had a similar run in with cops in Euless in 1998.

Police will continue to investigate the second officer involved in the case. Although Officer Christopher Watson did not fire his weapon, he was the one who filed the police report.

The chief said Watson has admitted to remembering things out of order or that didn't happen, possibly because of the stress of the situation.

He will remain on restricted duty until the investigation is complete.

Officer Spencer was very emotional and expressed regret about what happened, the chief said.

"Cops are not superhuman. They have fear. But that fear has to be real," Brown said.

"He was very upset like anyone would expect, very disappointed and feels very betrayed by the department," said President of the Dallas Police Association Ron Pinkston.

The FBI is also investigating the case to determine if Bennett's civil rights were violated.

Milltown Police Officer Charged With Overtime Theft

A 24-year veteran officer was charged with filing vouchers for work he never performed, collecting over $4,000 in the process.

The Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office announced the indictment of a Milltown police lieutenant Thursday on charges of filing overtime vouchers and collecting money for work he never performed.

Douglas R. Cole, 47, is facing charges for theft by deception, official misconduct, engaging in a pattern of official misconduct, and tampering with public records or information.

According to the prosecutor's office, between Dec. 5, 2011 and July 19, 2012, Cole allegedly filed vouchers for payment on work that he never performed for 17 different jobs while working for the borough. He received a total of $4,920.30 in monetary compensation for the vouchers, the prosecutor's office said. 
Cole, a 24-year veteran of the force, is also alleged to have collected more than $200 for 16 of the 17 jobs he claimed to have been working, which established an official pattern of misconduct, according to the prosecutor's office.

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PCPD Officer Charged With Battery Over Pepper Spray Incident

PANAMA CITY - A former Panama City Police Officer is charged with battery for spraying a shoplifting suspect in the face with pepper spray.
Cpl. Bernie Willburn retired last month after the Florida Department of Law Enforcement launched an investigation into the incident that was caught on his dashboard camera.
In a  video the girl seen in the back seat is Veronica Bowles. According to the FDLE's investigative summary, obtained by Newschannel 7, she was arrested June 25 after she stole $3.55 worth of ice cream from the downtown marina's Ship's store.
Stanley Jones, the Marina Director, flagged down two officers on Segways after he says he watched Bowles take the ice cream, walk across the parking lot and start eating it.
When officers approached Bowles at the bus stop, she said you're here to "f**k with me" about the ice cream and then offered to pay for it. But it was too later. Jones wanted to press charges. Bowles said they would regret, then threw change and her sunglasses on the ground. She then stomped on the sunglasses, breaking them into pieces.
The officers placed her in cuffs and Bowles started kicking them.
Willburn arrived on the scene and placed Bowles in his patrol car. She started kicking in the back seat and then spit on Wilburn before he could close the divider.
Bowles continued to kick and scream, despite several warnings from Wilburn that he would pepper spray her if she didn't calm down. After four and a half minutes, Wilburn opened the door and sprayed her in the face.
Wilburn said that's how he was trained to handle the situation and that he followed PCPD policy.
But the FDLE determined Wilburn's actions were not justified and that there was enough probable cause to charge him with battery if Bowles filed a complaint.
Bowles filed a complaint September 30. Wilburn was later charged with simple battery.
Bowles was charged with retail theft and battery on a law enforcement officer.

OPD officer charged with forging traffic ticket

An Ocala Police Department officer was arrested Friday on a warrant for forging a woman's name on a traffic ticket.

Officer Daniel Fitzpatrick -- a three-year officer with nothing but good reviews and commendations in his record -- turned himself in on the third-degree felony charge of uttering a forged instrument.

Authorities gave no motive for the alleged crime.

The case came to light on Oct. 17, when Shautauqua Scott, 36, of Ocala, came to OPD to ask about a notice to appear in court on a citation for driving while her license is suspended, according to an arrest affidavit. She said the officer had given her a warning, not a ticket.

OPD Sgt. Chas Maier reviewed a video of the traffic stop, in which police say Fitzpatrick told the driver she was getting a warning. Maier also viewed the ticket at the Clerk of Courts Office and interviewed Scott, who said she never signed a citation.

On Friday, Scott said she has seen a copy of the ticket and that the signature on it is not hers.

"He tried to get it close to it," she added.

If her sister hadn't noticed the case online, Scott said, she would have missed the court date and had a warrant for her arrest

Berkeley Copwatch alleges police misconduct in death of Kayla Moore

Members of the community gathered once again to demand justice for Kayla Moore, a transgender individual who died in Berkeley Police Department custody in February, by presenting a report to the city’s Police Review Commission on Wednesday night.
In its report, Berkeley Copwatch highlighted allegations of police misconduct and a dearth of mental crisis services that it said contributed to the death of Moore, who had a history of mental health issues. About 50 people, in addition to six commissioners and four Berkeley police officers, attended the meeting.
In the eight months since Moore’s death, the three-member People’s Investigation — a partner of Berkeley Copwatch — has probed and analyzed what transpired about midnight Feb. 13.
Close to tears and in a shaky voice, Moore’s sister Maria Moore said to the commission, “The (People’s Investigation) report is the most heartbreaking thing I’ve ever read.”
The investigation included interviews with witnesses and residents, reviews of BPD documentation and research on nationwide trends of similar incidents. It recommends disciplinary action be taken against officers who were present at the time of Moore’s death and policy changes be made in how police handle mental health crises.

Police: Misconduct hidden

Editorial

Police officers have dangerous jobs. When they stop a car or search a house, they never know whether a drug-crazed person will open fire at close range. The tragedy of two state troopers killed in their squad car beside I-79 in Clay County last year provides grim evidence.
Dealing with violent drunks, stoned pillheads, raging ex-husbands and the like creates emotional tension. It takes a rare personality for an officer to remain calm and professional during such confrontations.
Unfortunately, some officers fail the test. An endless string of lawsuits accuse West Virginia police of severe beatings and other misconduct that cost taxpayers millions in settlements. While wearing guns and possessing legal authority to kill, a few officers lose control.
For example, Trooper Gary Messenger II was sentenced to seven years in federal prison for the savage beating of a Welch man, who was awarded $1 million by taxpayers.
For example, South Charleston troopers beat lawyer Roger Wolfe so badly that spinal fluid came out his nose, and $200,000 damages were paid to the victim.
For example, four recent lawsuits accused troopers in Logan County of an ugly string of brutal attacks. One report said taxpayers shelled out $91,000 for state lawyers defending against the allegations.
For example, a State Police report said 13 troopers were fired for misconduct in 2009, and 19 others resigned to avoid discipline. Of 226 accusations against troopers that year, roughly half were sustained by department examiners.
Back in 1990, a teenage Lincoln County boy complained that a trooper beat him with fists and clubbed him with a heavy flashlight. This case reached the state Supreme Court, which ruled in 1995 that all State Police complaints must be examined impartially by a neutral party. As a result, the department created a Central Log of Complaints -- but it has remained concealed in secrecy.

In a democracy, the public is entitled to know what government agencies do and how taxpayer money is spent. The Charleston Gazette has fought numerous court battles that forced public actions -- such as ethics rulings against lawyers and doctors, or restaurant inspection scores, or the outcome of lawsuits alleging misconduct by government officials -- to be revealed to the people.
When State Police refused to disclose matters in the Central Log of Complaints, the Gazette sued to bring this public information into the sunshine. Police leaders said such a disclosure would violate the privacy of troopers -- even if each trooper's name was blacked out.
Now this suit is before the state Supreme Court. The newspaper's attorney argued that revealing complaints against troopers is no different than revealing complaints against lawyers and doctors -- two examples in which the court previously ordered disclosure.
We hope the five high court justices will let West Virginians know this vital information about their armed officers.

Americans Protest against Police Brutality

The rallies were held in over 30 US cities, including in New York and Los Angeles, where local activist groups gathered to bring awareness to the importance of stopping police violence, Al-Alam reported.

Organizers say that the aim of such demonstrations have been to bring forward a united, powerful and visual coalition supporting individuals and families victimized by police brutality in the US.

Participants say they gather each year to bring about change for their children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, one they rightfully deserve - freedom, justice, equality and respect.

Numerous human rights observers have raised concerns about increased police brutality in the country in the wake of the September 11, 2001 attacks.

An extensive report prepared for the United Nations Human Rights Committee tabled in 2006 states that in the US, the "War on Terror" has "created a generalized climate of impunity for law enforcement officers, and contributed to the erosion of what few accountability mechanisms exist for civilian control over law enforcement agencies".

"As a result, police brutality and abuse persist unabated and undeterred across the country," the report said.

Studies have shown that most police brutality goes unreported and the process of filing a complaint is difficult and often intimidating.

Abner Louima, police brutality victim, to stump for Brooklyn DA candidate Ken Thompson

Abner Louima, the Haitian immigrant who was sodomized by cops in a Brooklyn police station bathroom in 1997 is returning to the borough — to stump for a new district attorney.
Louima will appear with Brooklyn DA Democratic nominee Ken Thompson and Rev. Al Sharpton on Saturday, which will be followed up with a series of church visits across the borough on Sunday, a spokesman for Thompson’s campaign said Thursday.

Police brutality lawsuit moves forward in Meriden Ct.

A U.S. District Court judge this week denied a motion to dismiss a civil lawsuit claiming that former police officer Evan Cossette used excessive force against a prisoner and interfered with his medical needs during an arrest in October 2010.

Robert Methvin filed a federal lawsuit in 2011 against Cossette claiming the officer used his knee to strike him in the mouth after he was handcuffed and lying face down on concrete. Methvin suffered cuts to his mouth and face that required sutures.

Cossette, son of Police Chief Jeffry Cossette, asked the court to dismiss the lawsuit because Methvin had pleaded guilty to interfering with police during his arrest, and because police officers are allowed some discretionary use of force when handling combative subjects.