CHICAGO (CN) - Two men falsely charged with attempted murder spent 17 months in Cook County Jail awaiting trial though no evidence connected them to the crime, and the trial judge who acquitted them criticized the police's "pathetic" investigation, the men claim in court.

Vernell and Antwyone Green sued Chicago and its police Dets. James Scannell and Lorenzo Sandoval, on Aug. 15 in Federal Court.

"Vernell and Antwyone Green were wrongfully arrested, charged and prosecuted for attempted murder and related charges. There was no evidence whatsoever suggesting their guilty of any crime. The victim of the shooting did not identify them at the scene even though he had known them from grade school," the complaint begins. "Nonetheless, plaintiffs were arrested, and incarcerated for 17 months while they awaited trial. After the bench trial, the trial judge declared the investigation 'pathetic' and acquitted plaintiffs of all charges."

At least a dozen teenagers assigned to work with police departments as part of the Boy Scouts' Law Enforcement Explorers program have allegedly been sexually abused by officers during the past year. In the past five years, such molestations number at least 25, according to criminologists' research released June 25, 2003.

Sponsors have promised reforms to the program, which attracts tens of thousands of teens annually.

In a column published Tuesday in The Washington Post titled, "I’m a cop. If you don’t want to get hurt, don’t challenge me," Dutta responds to mounting criticism of the policing tactics on display in Ferguson, Missouri, amid the hyper-militarization of law enforcement and accusations that officers have violated the First Amendment rights of both demonstrators and journalists covering the events.

he Kansas City Police Department disciplined one of their officers for posting a false photo of Michael Brown to his personal Facebook page with the caption saying "Michael Brown is a pillar of the Ferguson community."

While some claim he has free speech, WKYC tracked down the social media policies of some local police departments to see if our officers are held to a higher standard.

The four-page policy for the Cleveland Police Department. Included in it is a ban on posting anything that lowers the esteem of the police in the eyes of the public.

Other jurisdictions we spoke with have similar policies but know it's a tricky thing because of some of the good that comes with social media.

CHP says officer may face serious beating charges

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A California Highway Patrol officer who was videotaped repeatedly striking a woman on the side of a Los Angeles freeway could face serious charges, the agency said Wednesday after forwarding its investigation to the district attorney.

Officer Daniel Andrew, who was put on a desk assignment after the incident, was removed from duty and put on paid administrative leave, the CHP said.

The agency didn't reveal if it made a recommendation to prosecutors but said in a news release that its report outlined potentially serious charges he could face. It didn't specify possible charges.

The July 1 incident sparked outrage as video showed Andrew hitting Marlene Pinnock, 51, several times on the side of Interstate 10.

Andrew said in his report that Pinnock was a danger to herself and had tried to walk into traffic lanes. Drivers had called emergency dispatchers to report that a barefoot woman was on the freeway shoulder who appeared drunk or high.

Pinnock has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and was off her medication for two to three months before the altercation with Andrew, said Pinnock's attorney Caree Harper.

In an interview with The Associated Press, Pinnock said she believed the officer was trying to kill her.

"He grabbed me, he threw me down, he started beating me," she said. "I felt like he was trying to kill me, beat me to death."

Pinnock filed a lawsuit against CHP Commissioner Joe Farrow and Andrew in federal court for civil rights violations. The lawsuit claims excessive force, assault, battery and a violation of her due-process rights.

A Florida police officer was standing nearly 90 feet away from an unarmed suspect when he fired an assault rifle at his vehicle, according to newly released documents.

Orlando police officer David Johnston was indicted on two counts of firing into an occupied vehicle and discharging a weapon in public over the February incident.


...

Police found Lattimore on the fifth floor of a nearby parking garage. He allegedly fled in his car and officers on the fifth floor fired a combined three shots.

Lattimore proceeded down to the first floor, where Johnston had retrieved an AR-15 from his police cruiser and stood at a garage gate. When Lattimore reached the first floor, Johnston fired on his car, breaking his driver’s side and rear windows.

The school board in Compton, California, has voted to arm campus police officers with AR-15 rifles, according to the Los Angeles public radio station KPCC. Some parents and students are expressing discomfort, citing the same sorts of concerns sparked by the militarized police force of Ferguson, Missouri.

...

If we encounter an active mass murderer on campus with a rifle or body armor, our officers may not adequately be prepared to stop that suspect. School Police Officers will undergo a training course, followed by a shooting proficiency test on a firing range and a written exam. The rifles are designed for increased accuracy and use rifled ammunition than can pierce body armor. The safety of our Students, Staff, and Parents are very important to us.

Police Cadet Michael William Little, of Knoxville, Tennessee was shot and killed after he opened fire on his ex-girlfriends family, killing one of the guests at the home, and wounding several others. Little allegedly became hostile when he showed up at the house 2 weeks after him and his ex-girlfriend Ashley Womack broke up.

When Little arrived, tensions escalated quickly, and after a quick argument he ran to his car to retrieve his handgun. He then waked to the back porch and began to open fire on Ashley and her entire family. During the incident, 28-year-old Travis Wegener, a visitor to the home, was shot and killed.

Read more at Police Cadet Goes on Shooting Spree At Family Party, Armed Party Goer Takes Him Down | The Free Thought Project