Police State - Official Thread

[240 is Back]

Cops act like they're vindicated every time video shows them doing something the right way.

THEYRE SUPPOSED To..  it's their job!

Like some video showing them NOT breaking the law suddenly vindicates all those who are breaking the law. 

[Skip8282]

Good article from American Conservative:

Seven Reasons Police Brutality Is Systemic, Not Anecdotal


Darrin Manning’s unprovoked “stop and frisk” encounter with the Philadelphia police left him hospitalized with a ruptured testicle. Neykeyia Parker was violently dragged out of her car and aggressively arrested in front of her young child for “trespassing” at her own apartment complex in Houston. A Georgia toddler was burned when police threw a flash grenade into his playpen during a raid, and the manager of a Chicago tanning salon was confronted by a raiding police officer bellowing that he would kill her and her family, captured on the salon’s surveillance. An elderly man in Ohio was left in need of facial reconstructive surgery after police entered his home without a warrant to sort out a dispute about a trailer.

These stories are a small selection of recent police brutality reports, as police misconduct has become a fixture of the news cycle.

But the plural of anecdote is not data, and the media is inevitably drawn toward tales of conflict. Despite the increasing frequency with which we hear of misbehaving cops, many Americans maintain a default respect for the man in uniform. As an NYPD assistant chief put it, “We don’t want a few bad apples or a few rogue cops damaging” the police’s good name.

This is an attractive proposal, certainly, but unfortunately it doesn’t hold up to scrutiny. Here are seven reasons why police misconduct is a systemic problem, not “a few bad apples”:

1. Many departments don’t provide adequate training in nonviolent solutions.

This is particularly obvious when it comes to dealing with family pets. “Police kill family dog” is practically its own subgenre of police brutality reports, and most of these cases—like the story of the Minnesota children who were made to sit, handcuffed, next to their dead and bleeding pet—are all too preventable. Some police departments have begun to train their officers to deal more appropriately with pets, but Thomas Aveni of the Police Policy Studies Council, a police consulting firm, says it’s still extremely rare. In the absence of this training, police are less likely to view violence as a last resort.

2. Standards for what constitutes brutality vary widely.

“Excess is in the eyes of the beholder,” explains William Terrill, a former police officer and professor of criminal justice at Michigan State. “To one officer ‘objectively reasonable’ means that if you don’t give me your license, I get to use soft hands, and in another town the same resistance means I can pull you through the car window, [or] I can tase you.” The special deference police are widely given in American culture feeds this inconsistency of standards, producing something of a legal Wild West. While national legislation would likely only complicate matters further, local or state-wide ballot propositions should allow the public—not the police—to define reasonable use of force.

3. Consequences for misconduct are minimal.

In central New Jersey, for instance, 99 percent of police brutality complaints are never investigated. Nor can that be explained away as stereotypical New Jersey corruption. Only one out of every three accused cops are convicted nationwide, while the conviction rate for civilians is literally double that. In Chicago, the numbers are even more skewed: There were 10,000 abuse complaints filed against the Chicago PD between 2002 and 2004, and just 19 of them ”resulted in meaningful disciplinary action.” On a national level, upwards of 95 percent of police misconduct cases referred for federal prosecution are declined by prosecutors because, as reported in USA Today, juries “are conditioned to believe cops, and victims’ credibility is often challenged.” Failure to remedy this police/civilian double standard cultivates an abuse-friendly legal environment.

4. Settlements are shifted to taxpayers.

Those officers who are found guilty of brutality typically find the settlement to their victims paid from city coffers. Research from Human Rights Watch reveals that in some places, taxpayers “are paying three times for officers who repeatedly commit abuses: once to cover their salaries while they commit abuses; next to pay settlements or civil jury awards against officers; and a third time through payments into police ‘defense’ funds provided by the cities.” In larger cities, these settlements easily cost the public tens of millions of dollars annually while removing a substantial incentive against police misconduct.

5. Minorities are unfairly targeted.

“Simply put,” says University of Florida law professor Katheryn K. Russell, “the public face of a police brutality victim is a young man who is Black or Latino.” In this case, research suggests perception matches reality. To give a particularly striking example, one Florida city’s “stop and frisk” policy has been explicitly aimed at all black men. Since 2008, this has led to 99,980 stops which did not produce an arrest in a city with a population of just 110,000. One man alone was stopped 258 times at his job in four years, and arrested for trespassing while working on 62 occasions. Failure to address this issue communicates to police that minorities are a safe target for abuse.

6. Police are increasingly militarized.

During President Obama’s gun control push, he argued that “weapons of war have no place on our streets;” but as Radley Balko has amply documented in his 2013 book, Rise of the Warrior Cop, local police are often equipped with weapons powerful enough to conquer a small country. Police use of highly armed SWAT teams has risen by 1,500 percent in the last two decades, and many police departments have cultivated an “us vs. them” mentality toward the public they ostensibly serve. Although possession of these weapons does not cause misconduct, as the old saying goes, when you have a hammer everything begins to look like a nail.

7. Police themselves say misconduct is remarkably widespread.

Here’s the real clincher. A Department of Justice study revealed that a whopping 84 percent of police officers report that they’ve seen colleagues use excessive force on civilians, and 61 percent admit they don’t always report “even serious criminal violations that involve abuse of authority by fellow officers.”

This self-reporting moves us well beyond anecdote into the realm of data: Police brutality is a pervasive problem, exacerbated by systemic failures to curb it. That’s not to say that every officer is ill-intentioned or abusive, but it is to suggest that the common assumption that police are generally using their authority in a trustworthy manner merits serious reconsideration. As John Adams wrote to Jefferson, “Power always thinks it has a great soul,” and it cannot be trusted if left unchecked.

The good news is that the first step toward preventing police brutality is well-documented and fairly simple: Keep police constantly on camera. A 2012 study in Rialto, Calif. found that when officers were required to wear cameras recording all their interactions with citizens, “public complaints against officers plunged 88% compared with the previous 12 months. Officers’ use of force fell by 60%.” The simple knowledge that they were being watched dramatically altered police behavior.

Coupled with additional reforms, like making officers pay their own settlements and providing better training for dealing with pets, camera use could produce a significant decrease in police misconduct. It is not unrealistic to think that police brutality reports could be made far more unusual—but only once we acknowledge that it’s not just a few bad apples.



http://www.theamericanconservative.com/seven-reasons-police-brutality-is-systematic-not-anecdotal/

[Skip8282]

The "guy" wasn't even a scumbag...he was riding his bike with a knife that was perfectly legal.....the arrest has since been determined to have been illegal...he was doing nothing wrong........but the fact is that due to overpolicing, black guys get caught up in this type of thing all the time...the cops aren't racist per se.....they too get caught up in a system where their supervisors want arrests and tickets so as to make quotas......these quotas which are off the record, are to insure to the supervisor that the cops are actually working and not playing billiards somewhere

The legality of the arrest is still in question.  It won't change the fact that they should've given him medical attention, but the cops may have been justified in the arrest.

[andreisdaman]

The legality of the arrest is still in question.  It won't change the fact that they should've given him medical attention, but the cops may have been justified in the arrest.

its already come out that the knife was of a legal length

[Skip8282]

its already come out that the knife was of a legal length

That's not even the issue.  The issue is that the cop alleges it was a spring assisted knife and therefore illegal in Baltimore because the state does not have a preemption law.  They haven't let the public see the knife, so nobody knows what's really up.

[Skeletor]

Video Shows Deputy Smash Autistic Man’s Skull into the Ground, Killing Him for Joking Around

Mount Vernon, OH — A Knox County deputy is now being investigated after he fatally assaulted 33-year old David Dehmann on April 21. Dehmann was autistic and had Tourette’s Syndrome, and this was well-known by the local law enforcement.

Mount Vernon police picked up Dehmann on the 21st for being intoxicated but was released within a couple hours after being cleared by a hospital for release. At 7:43pm that same day, he was arrested near a public school for disorderly conduct – harm to self, at which point he was taken to Knox County Jail by MVPD Cpl. Travis Tharp when things took a turn for the worse.

During the booking process, Dehmann would not make it 15 feet into the station before his life would be ended.

The sickening surveillance camera footage of his killing was released last week which showed this deadly act of police rage.

The video starts out showing Dehmann being completely cooperative. He maintained this cooperation throughout the entire process.

He’s seen helping the deputies to remove his clothing and his shoes. At one point, he even playfully pats one of the deputies on the back; something a child might do.

Most of the deputies in the room seemingly laugh it off as an innocent autistic man being silly because he’s drunk. This was apparent by the lack of restraints on Dehmann.

However, Deputy Chase Wright was not enjoying Dehmann’s shenanigans.

As Dehmann is walking past the officers, either drunkenly or playfully, he points his finger at them; never making actual physical contact. When he gets to deputy Wright, he points just like he did to the first, but he is swiftly met with physical retaliation. His hand is slapped and deputy Wright proceeds to slam the autistic and impaired Dehmann to the ground with so much force that when his head hit, it killed him.

Prior to the body slam, Dehmann can be seen with his arm up in what seems to be some sort of physical move. However, his fist is not closed and is fingers are out. He was obviously not trying to punch nor was he in any capacity to cause harm to Wright.

Dehmann’s family is left devastated. Dehmann’s step-mother Melissa spoke on the tragedy, saying “He might have had his issues in the past and everything, but he didn’t deserve to die because of this.”

The original statement by the KCSO stated,

    “While Dehmann was in the jail’s intake area he became aggressive with the jail staff making an aggressive move towards Deputy [Chase] Wright. Mr. Dehmann did attempt to hit Dep. Wright in the face causing Dep. Wright to place Mr. Dehmann into a take down hold, taking him to the ground to get control of him. Once control was gained it was found that Mr. Dehmann had hit his head on the floor during the incident. Mr. Dehmann was transported to KCH ER by Mount Vernon medics for a medical evaluation.”

When you watch the video below, it is all too clear who “became aggressive” in this situation.

http://thefreethoughtproject.com/video-shows-deputy-smash-autistic-mans-skull-ground-killing-joking/

(watch at around 5:12)

Another article with links to more videos:

Video: Sheriff’s office releases footage of April 21 incident

MOUNT VERNON — During an exclusive interview with Knox County Sheriff David Shaffer, the News was provided with details and video of the events that transpired after David Levi Dehmann was arrested by the Mount Vernon Police Department for being drunk and disorderly on April 21.

After his belongings are logged, Dehmann is seen to be led down the hall to be taken into a holding cell. According to Shaffer, Dehmann makes a gesture at the female jailer, then points at Deputy Chase Wright. Wright then swats Dehmann’s hand away and Dehmann makes another move toward Wright’s head. Wright reacts by moving his head back and to the side to avoid the action and then goes to place Dehmann in a takedown hold while placing his arm underneath Dehmann’s right shoulder, Shaffer explained.

Once Dehmann was secured, staff realized Dehmann was either passed out or unconscious and the emergency squad was called. He was taken to Knox Community Hospital where he was transferred to Grant Medical Center. Dehmann died on April 23.

See Friday’s edition of the News for more information from Shaffer about the incident.

http://mountvernonnews.com/story/2015/05/07/video-sheriffs-office-releases-footage-of-april-21-incident/

[illuminati]

Jeez & another killing ^^^^
This time a know mentally impaired man.

He pointed at me OH I know lets Smash Him To The Floor..
That seems like the appropriate response from a cop.

Ahh yes 'let's not judge to quickly on just the cctv footage
We don't have the whole background & picture'.
As some would say.

Does the above only apply to non police ?
As we see them acting on what they see without waiting
For all the info or background.

No doubt I will be called a cop hater & have authority issues
Again.

We are not allowed to question.

[Skeletor]

Police Said the Video Showing this Cop’s Excessive Force Did Not Exist, They Were Lying

Denver, CO — Officer Choice Johnson is currently on a mandatory 30-day vacation after shoving an innocent man down a flight of stairs and lying about it.

Had the surveillance camera footage never been released it would have been Johnson’s word against Brandon Schreiber’s, the man he assaulted. Schreiber would have most likely been convicted of a crime he did not commit.

Schreiber’s charges of assault and resisting were eventually dropped after this video surfaced. This was the first time, out of a whopping 17 complaints against officer Johnson that he was ever reprimanded.

Unlike officer Choice Johnson, the video did not lie.

Just like Schreiber, Armondo Prado was roughed up at the same bar by officer Johnson.

Prado was out with his sister and her friend in 2013 when her friend was asked to leave for being too drunk. The three were then violently thrown out of the bar by officer Johnson and Prado was slammed into the wall and punched multiple times.

Prado was charged and convicted of resisting arrest despite knowing that he did not resist. It was only his word against officer Johnson’s.

After the initial arrest, Prado’s sister, Angie Dena, contacted internal affairs to ask for the surveillance camera footage which could prove their case.

Internal affairs, in an overt lie, replied, “The HALO camera did not have footage.”

“I went back to the bar and counted about 5-7 cameras outside. All around and above the area where the incident occurred. Unless those were off the night of the incident they absolutely had to get some footage.” said Dena.

Through a public records request, the video was finally released.

“I feel like I can’t trust anybody in law enforcement,” Dena said after obtaining the footage police claimed never existed.

In his report, Officer Johnson stated that “Prado continued to actively fight with closed fists and kicks.” But when we look at the video, this is not the case.

“They don’t tell you the truth. They tell you stuff doesn’t exist, and they investigated themselves and cleared themselves,” explains Prado.

When asked to comment on why they lied and said the video did not exist, the DPD declined.

http://thefreethoughtproject.com/police-video-showing-cops-excessive-force-exist-lying/

[illuminati]

Police Said the Video Showing this Cop’s Excessive Force Did Not Exist, They Were Lying

Denver, CO — Officer Choice Johnson is currently on a mandatory 30-day vacation after shoving an innocent man down a flight of stairs and lying about it.

Had the surveillance camera footage never been released it would have been Johnson’s word against Brandon Schreiber’s, the man he assaulted. Schreiber would have most likely been convicted of a crime he did not commit.

Schreiber’s charges of assault and resisting were eventually dropped after this video surfaced. This was the first time, out of a whopping 17 complaints against officer Johnson that he was ever reprimanded.

Unlike officer Choice Johnson, the video did not lie.

Just like Schreiber, Armondo Prado was roughed up at the same bar by officer Johnson.

Prado was out with his sister and her friend in 2013 when her friend was asked to leave for being too drunk. The three were then violently thrown out of the bar by officer Johnson and Prado was slammed into the wall and punched multiple times.

Prado was charged and convicted of resisting arrest despite knowing that he did not resist. It was only his word against officer Johnson’s.

After the initial arrest, Prado’s sister, Angie Dena, contacted internal affairs to ask for the surveillance camera footage which could prove their case.

Internal affairs, in an overt lie, replied, “The HALO camera did not have footage.”

“I went back to the bar and counted about 5-7 cameras outside. All around and above the area where the incident occurred. Unless those were off the night of the incident they absolutely had to get some footage.” said Dena.

Through a public records request, the video was finally released.

“I feel like I can’t trust anybody in law enforcement,” Dena said after obtaining the footage police claimed never existed.

In his report, Officer Johnson stated that “Prado continued to actively fight with closed fists and kicks.” But when we look at the video, this is not the case.

“They don’t tell you the truth. They tell you stuff doesn’t exist, and they investigated themselves and cleared themselves,” explains Prado.

When asked to comment on why they lied and said the video did not exist, the DPD declined.

http://thefreethoughtproject.com/police-video-showing-cops-excessive-force-exist-lying/

Yes 'but there are hundreds of good police interactions
every day & they largely go unreported' I can hear being
Said by some whom are not posting replys to these incidents.

Institutionalised corruption in the police service, from the top down.
That's a huge problem.
Some need to accept this then things can be changed.

[Skeletor]

Man Kicked Out of Courtroom and Threatened with Jail For “Police Lie” Shirt

Greenville, SC– A South Carolina man was threatened with imprisonment over wearing a shirt that read “Police Lie” to a pre-trial conference on May 13.  Thomas Roy was at the Greensville Courthouse on Wednesday for a conference, not appearing for the actual courtroom proceedings, yet he was repeatedly threatened with arrest by the judge over his use of his first amendment right with the simple, and true, two-word statement on his shirt.

The video, which Roy posted to Facebook, begins as he is being confronted by the judge.

    “Mr. Roy, you leave here now with that shirt on, I’m the city judge, and do not come back into this building or on this property with that shirt on again, do you understand?” the judge tells Roy.

    “Am I breaking some kind of law?” Roy asks calmly.

    “-or you are going to be in contempt of this court.” the judge finishes.

    “Am I breaking some kind of law?” Roy asks again.

    “Sir, you’re violating the common law of this state, because that shirt and what it says puts at issue… witnesses against one another.  It’s baiting, and I’m not going to have it, and I’m in charge of this courthouse, and im telling you go now- or you’re going to jail,” the judge says.

Roy is then forced to reschedule his pre-trial conference and is escorted by a police officer to do so, and out of the building.

We spoke to Roy briefly about the incident, and when asked why he decided to wear the shirt, he explained that he has been beaten by the police numerous times. He also believes he has been being targeted for speaking to the press after witnessing a police chase which ended in a wreck that killed the driver.  Roy had been listening to the scanner and was following the state trooper to witness what was unfolding.

    “I commented on scene with the news on camera and since then it’s been crazy.” Roy told The Free Thought Project.

In October, we reported on citizen journalist Michael Burns from Florida, who had stopped to film people who were being harassed by police, and then ended up being their next target after he left to head home.  The cops gave him a bogus ticket, but instead of laying down and taking it Burns decided to fight it in court- in a “F*ck the Police” shirt.  He won.

http://thefreethoughtproject.com/man-repeatedly-targetedbrutalized-police-threatened-jail-police-lie-shirt/

[Skeletor]

Obama announces restrictions on distribution of military-style equipment to police

WASHINGTON –  President Obama is banning local police departments from receiving a range of military-style equipment from the federal government -- from grenade launchers to bayonets to certain armored vehicles -- as he implements the recommendations of a panel that examined the controversial gear giveaways in the wake of the Ferguson riots.

The White House announced Monday that Washington would no longer provide some military-style gear while putting stricter controls on other weapons and equipment distributed to law enforcement. The details were released in advance of an Obama visit to Camden, N.J., Monday afternoon where he met with youth and law enforcement.

Nine months earlier, scenes of heavily armed police in riot gear dispelling racially charged protests in Ferguson touched off a debate about federal programs that let local law enforcement apply for such equipment. The White House initially suggested Obama would maintain those programs, but an interagency group found "substantial risk of misusing or overusing" items like tracked armored vehicles, high-powered firearms and camouflage could undermine trust in police.

Speaking in Camden, Obama said the use of militarized gear by police can give the public the feeling that law enforcement is like "an occupying force."

In previewing the president's trip, the White House said that effective immediately, the federal government will no longer fund or provide armored vehicles that run on a tracked system instead of wheels, weaponized aircraft or vehicles, firearms or ammunition of .50-caliber or higher, grenade launchers, bayonets or camouflage uniforms. The federal government also is exploring ways to recall prohibited equipment already distributed.

With scrutiny on police only increasing in the ensuing months after a series of highly publicized deaths of black suspects nationwide, Obama also is unveiling the final report of a task force he created to help build confidence between police and minority communities in particular.

In addition to the new equipment-transfer bans, a longer list of equipment the federal government provides will come under tighter control, including wheeled armored vehicles like Humvees, manned aircraft, drones, specialized firearms, explosives, battering rams and riot batons, helmets and shields. Starting in October, police will have to get approval from their city council, mayor or some other local governing body to obtain it, provide a persuasive explanation of why it is needed and have more training and data collection on the use of the equipment.

The issue of police militarization rose to prominence last year after a white police officer in Ferguson fatally shot unarmed black 18-year-old Michael Brown, sparking protests. Critics questioned why police in full body armor with armored trucks responded to dispel demonstrators, and Obama seemed to sympathize when ordering a review of the programs that provide the equipment. "There is a big difference between our military and our local law enforcement and we don't want those lines blurred," Obama last in August.

But he did not announce a ban in December with the publication of the review, which showed five federal agencies spent $18 billion on programs that provided equipment including 92,442 small arms, 44,275 night-vision devices, 5,235 Humvees, 617 mine-resistant vehicles and 616 aircraft. At the time, the White House defended the programs as proving to be useful in many cases, such as the response to the Boston Marathon bombing. Instead of repealing the programs, Obama issued an executive order that required federal agencies that run the programs to consult with law enforcement and civil rights and civil liberties organizations to recommend changes that make sure they are accountable and transparent.

That working group said in a report out Monday that it developed the list of newly banned equipment because "the substantial risk of misusing or overusing these items, which are seen as militaristic in nature, could significantly undermine community trust and may encourage tactics and behaviors that are inconsistent with the premise of civilian law enforcement." The Justice Department did not respond to an inquiry about how many pieces of equipment that are now banned had been previously distributed through federal programs.

The separate report from the 21st Century Policing task force has a long list of recommendations to improve trust in police, including encouraging more transparency about interactions with the public. The White House said 21 police agencies nationwide, including Camden and nearby Philadelphia, have agreed to start putting out never-before released data on citizen interactions like use of force, stops, citations and officer-involved shootings. The administration also is launching an online toolkit to encourage the use of body cameras to record police interactions. And the Justice Department is giving $163 million in grants to incentivize police departments to adopt the report's recommendations.

Ron Davis, director of the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services at the Department of Justice, told reporters he hoped the report could be a "key transformational document" in rebuilding trust that has been destroyed in recent years between police and minority communities.

"We are without a doubt sitting at a defining moment for American policing," said Davis, a 30-year police veteran and former chief of the East Palo Alto (California) Police Department. "We have a unique opportunity to redefine policing in our democracy, to ensure that public safety becomes more than the absence of crime, that it must also include the presence of justice."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2015/05/18/obama-announces-restrictions-on-distribution-military-style-equipment-to-police/

[Skeletor]

Supreme Court Allows for Unscrupulous Cops to be Sued for Deliberately Concealing Evidence

Los Angeles, California – This week, it was reported that the U.S. Supreme Court will allow a lawsuit against the LAPD for covering up evidence that would have prevented a man from sitting in jail for 27 months prior to his trial. Lawyers for the LAPD recently filed an appeal, arguing that since the man had not stood trial yet, that it was OK for them to conceal the evidence during his detainment. However, the Supreme court has now struck down the appeal, allowing the lawsuit to continue.

The lawsuit was initially filed by Michael Walker, a man who is now dead after his health mysteriously deteriorated during his time in prison, and shortly after his release. His lawyer said that he suffered from alcoholism, which may have played a role in his poor health.

His lawsuit will move forward though, and should he win, his mother will inherit the reward. This case also brings to light the fact that police officers many times withhold evidence until a suspect’s trial, leaving them to needlessly sit in jail for many months, and in some cases even years. This is in blatant violation of a detainee’s right to a fair and speedy trial.

In the case of Walker, he was mistakenly arrested because someone thought that he looked like a man who had recently robbed a store. However, there was no evidence to convict him. Even after he was arrested, the string of robberies that he was blamed for continued to take place, but the police actually said that the robberies ceased, and used that as an excuse to keep him behind bars for even longer.

This is where the concealed evidence comes into play. The detectives who testified that the crime spree had ceased, Steven Moody and Robert Pulido, later testified that they did in fact know about the following robberies. This testimony was only made after the judge ordered that the detectives disclose the information.

As soon as these facts came to light, prosecutors dropped the charges, and Walker was released after spending 27 months in jail as an innocent man. Soon after, he sued the LAPD, along with Steven Moody and Robert Pulido, but then lost the battle for his health and his life.

http://thefreethoughtproject.com/supreme-court-lawsuit-lapd-withholding-evidence/

[Skip8282]

Supreme Court Allows for Unscrupulous Cops to be Sued for Deliberately Concealing Evidence

Los Angeles, California – This week, it was reported that the U.S. Supreme Court will allow a lawsuit against the LAPD for covering up evidence that would have prevented a man from sitting in jail for 27 months prior to his trial. Lawyers for the LAPD recently filed an appeal, arguing that since the man had not stood trial yet, that it was OK for them to conceal the evidence during his detainment. However, the Supreme court has now struck down the appeal, allowing the lawsuit to continue.

The lawsuit was initially filed by Michael Walker, a man who is now dead after his health mysteriously deteriorated during his time in prison, and shortly after his release. His lawyer said that he suffered from alcoholism, which may have played a role in his poor health.

His lawsuit will move forward though, and should he win, his mother will inherit the reward. This case also brings to light the fact that police officers many times withhold evidence until a suspect’s trial, leaving them to needlessly sit in jail for many months, and in some cases even years. This is in blatant violation of a detainee’s right to a fair and speedy trial.

In the case of Walker, he was mistakenly arrested because someone thought that he looked like a man who had recently robbed a store. However, there was no evidence to convict him. Even after he was arrested, the string of robberies that he was blamed for continued to take place, but the police actually said that the robberies ceased, and used that as an excuse to keep him behind bars for even longer.

This is where the concealed evidence comes into play. The detectives who testified that the crime spree had ceased, Steven Moody and Robert Pulido, later testified that they did in fact know about the following robberies. This testimony was only made after the judge ordered that the detectives disclose the information.

As soon as these facts came to light, prosecutors dropped the charges, and Walker was released after spending 27 months in jail as an innocent man. Soon after, he sued the LAPD, along with Steven Moody and Robert Pulido, but then lost the battle for his health and his life.

http://thefreethoughtproject.com/supreme-court-lawsuit-lapd-withholding-evidence/

And, as usual, no consequences for the detectives.

 

[avxo]

And, as usual, no consequences for the detectives.

 

Yep... You testify in court to something you later acknowledge you knew was a lie. How are you not charged with perjury and criminal contempt of Court? Amazing.

[andreisdaman]

Yep... You testify in court to something you later acknowledge you knew was a lie. How are you not charged with perjury and criminal contempt of Court? Amazing.

agreed...but this is why these things are allowed to go on...the system doesn't police itself......there are DA's who also bring charges againast defendants and withhold evidence and nothing happens to them either..I find that to be amazing as well

[Agnostic007]

APD officer arrested, charged with DWI

http://www.kvue.com/story/news/local/2015/05/22/apd-officer-arrested-on-dwi-charge/27826793/

(Sent from KVUE NEWS)

[Skeletor]

APD officer arrested, charged with DWI

http://www.kvue.com/story/news/local/2015/05/22/apd-officer-arrested-on-dwi-charge/27826793/

(Sent from KVUE NEWS)

Is this the PD you work at?

[M4tad0r]

RAW: Virginia cop pepper-sprays stroke sufferer in the face, here's a nice contribution.

Police work at it's best.

[Agnostic007]

Is this the PD you work at?

yes. Its pretty widely known if you get stopped and you are showing signs of intoxication, you're going to jail. Chief even made it policy recently that if you are caught DWI you are getting fired if the evidence indicates it's likely you were 

[Skip8282]

APD officer arrested, charged with DWI

http://www.kvue.com/story/news/local/2015/05/22/apd-officer-arrested-on-dwi-charge/27826793/

(Sent from KVUE NEWS)

Sums up the sentiment for the most part:

Cops act like they're vindicated every time video shows them doing something the right way.

THEYRE SUPPOSED To..  it's their job!

Like some video showing them NOT breaking the law suddenly vindicates all those who are breaking the law. 

[Skip8282]

And now, let's see things from a more honest perspective:


APD firings, suspensions reduced or overturned


AUSTIN -- Austin Police Chief Art Acevedo has reinstated or reduced the suspensions of several police officers in high-profile disciplinarycases -- reversals that sometimes were the result of private negotiations between the officers and Acevedo.

In other cases, police union officials said Acevedo unilaterally reduced officers' suspension as officers were fighting their discipline.

In the past two years, Acevedo has reduced the discipline for at least seven officers, which represents about 7 percent of all suspensions he has imposed during that time, a KVUEDefenders/Austin American-Statesman investigation found.

Among them was the high-profile January dismissal of Officer Ricardo Zapata, who was fired after state troopers arrested and charged him with drunken driving. Acevedo then reinstated him with a 90-day suspension.

In another case, Acevedo reduced the suspension of Officer Brian Yarger to a written reprimand after he said Yarger used excessive force while trying to get a suspect into a patrol car.

Acevedo said he reduces discipline for a variety of reasons prior to an officer appealing their case to an arbitrator, including witnesses who will not participate in the arbitration and the cost of taking such cases to a hearing.

We are a business, he said. We run our organization like a business, and we are in the business of holding officers accountable when they re wrong, supporting them when they re right, and making our business decisions on whether to pursue litigation i.e. arbitration based on the business needs and outcomes.

Yet the police union said Acevedo s reductions in certain cases highlight what they deem excessive discipline at times.

You shouldn t ever be put in a position of giving an officer a bunch of days off, and then saying, Oh, never mind, said Sgt. Wayne Vincent, president of the Austin Police Association.


http://www.kvue.com/story/news/2014/05/26/2458344/


As an aside, one of the things about a civil service system is they evaluate consistency in punishment.  That is to say, the same punishment is expected to be applied to the same infractions.  So, if drinking and driving is acceptable in one case, it's a tough argument to claim that a cop should be fired for it in another case.


But yea...no systemic problems to see here. 

[240 is Back]

But yea...no systemic problems to see here. 

Some people are okay with police corruption and abuses as long as it doesnt affect them personally.

some people are okay with criminal activity if they support the person doing it. 

[Agnostic007]

Sums up the sentiment for the most part:

However the Skips of the world can say "cops never arrest cops" or "the blue line is alive and well" all day long and we're supposed to just accept that as fact... first time we post something showing that's not the case, you roll out the ol' "Cops are supposed to do that" sign... classic... 

[Agnostic007]

Some people are okay with police corruption and abuses as long as it doesnt affect them personally.

some people are okay with criminal activity if they support the person doing it. 

what has your comment got to do with the article?

[Agnostic007]

And now, let's see things from a more honest perspective:


APD firings, suspensions reduced or overturned


AUSTIN -- Austin Police Chief Art Acevedo has reinstated or reduced the suspensions of several police officers in high-profile disciplinarycases -- reversals that sometimes were the result of private negotiations between the officers and Acevedo.

In other cases, police union officials said Acevedo unilaterally reduced officers' suspension as officers were fighting their discipline.

In the past two years, Acevedo has reduced the discipline for at least seven officers, which represents about 7 percent of all suspensions he has imposed during that time, a KVUEDefenders/Austin American-Statesman investigation found.

Among them was the high-profile January dismissal of Officer Ricardo Zapata, who was fired after state troopers arrested and charged him with drunken driving. Acevedo then reinstated him with a 90-day suspension.

In another case, Acevedo reduced the suspension of Officer Brian Yarger to a written reprimand after he said Yarger used excessive force while trying to get a suspect into a patrol car.

Acevedo said he reduces discipline for a variety of reasons prior to an officer appealing their case to an arbitrator, including witnesses who will not participate in the arbitration and the cost of taking such cases to a hearing.

We are a business, he said. We run our organization like a business, and we are in the business of holding officers accountable when they re wrong, supporting them when they re right, and making our business decisions on whether to pursue litigation i.e. arbitration based on the business needs and outcomes.

Yet the police union said Acevedo s reductions in certain cases highlight what they deem excessive discipline at times.

You shouldn t ever be put in a position of giving an officer a bunch of days off, and then saying, Oh, never mind, said Sgt. Wayne Vincent, president of the Austin Police Association.


http://www.kvue.com/story/news/2014/05/26/2458344/


As an aside, one of the things about a civil service system is they evaluate consistency in punishment.  That is to say, the same punishment is expected to be applied to the same infractions.  So, if drinking and driving is acceptable in one case, it's a tough argument to claim that a cop should be fired for it in another case.


But yea...no systemic problems to see here. 

Oh my god..you caught us..... damn you.... 

The officer mentioned in the article was prior to the Chiefs policy I mentioned and the main reason the policy was implemented. The arbitrator would have likely ruled that since historically APD has allowed officers to seek help to deal with the issue in lieu of termination, it would be unfair to start with this officer without prior notification of policy change. So the Chief came out with a policy change, made a video that all were required to view and sign off on.. This will be the first case since the policy revision. It will be interesting to see if it holds up under arbitration.