A woman was arrested this week and had her child taken from her after she called 9-1-1 to report that she was being attacked by her husband. When police arrived on the scene just after noon on Tuesday, they found a man attempting to strangle his wife in the presence of a small child.

The man was taken into police custody, but they did not stop there. They also attempted to place the child in government custody, and when the mother objected to them taking away her child, they arrested her as well.

As any caring mother would do, the woman attempted to prevent the police from stealing her baby, at which point they became violent with her, even using a stun gun on her.

The police said that the woman became “combative” and attempted to grab the officer’s pepper spray, but she was fully within her rights trying to save her child from a government kidnapping. If the police would not have tried to take her child away, the situation would have likely ended with the abusive husband getting arrested, as it should have.

Now the concerned mother is facing felony charges of disarming a police officer, child neglect, as well as resisting arrest and obstructing.

Texas police chief was jailed Wednesday on accusations he sexually abused a 14-year-old girl including sticking his hands down her pants and placing his fingers inside her while they were both inside his office.

Mayfield Police Chief Kevin Coffey, 49, whom we’ve written about here and here, would also spank the girl and “dry hump her on his desk” as well as have online video chats with her where he would strip naked and have her act sexual for him so he could **********.

Coffey, who kept in contact with the girl for two years, would tell the girl he had a strong desire to tie her up and gag her as well as to have intercourse with her, but wanted to wait until she was 17, the now 16-year-old victim told investigators.

Coffey, who turned himself into the Ellis County jail Wednesday afternoon in front of news cameras, is charged with four felony counts of indecency with a child (sexual contact), indecency with a child by exposure, sexual assault of a child and sexual performance of a child.

He was also official terminated today, so the local media now refers to him as the “former chief,” something that should have been done months ago. Especially considering he is also being investigated for the same behavior towards another 16-year-old girl.

Two King County sheriff’s deputies are facing possible termination for dishonesty after an internal investigation found they falsely accused an African-American bus driver of using a profanity during a heated conversation last year.

The investigation turned on a startling twist: The Metro Transit driver was wearing his own personal body camera he later used to assert the accusation was a lie.

...

The brief argument culminated months of tension between Caballero, supervisor of a Metro Transit squad, and driver Kelvin Kirkpatrick, who had previously reported that Caballero’s deputies were not doing their job on the overnight shift.

Caballero, referring to the f-word, filed a complaint about an hour after the incident, alleging Kirkpatrick yelled and said, “You got three (expletive) deputies out here that don’t do nothing.”

Shoblom wrote a separate report at Caballero’s request, stating she also heard Kirkpatrick yell and use the profanity.

What Caballero and Shoblom didn’t know was that Kirkpatrick was wearing glasses with a built-in video camera. The recorded video showed Kirkpatrick did not use profanity during the exchange.

Rather, Kirkpatrick can be heard saying, “I’m expressing how frustrated I am at the fact that I got three deputies that don’t do anything when I need help!”

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He noted the investigation showed the importance of body cameras, something he said he supports for his deputies if the Legislature deals with public-disclosure issues.

Without Kirkpatrick’s video, Urquhart said, it would have been the word of two deputies against the driver, tipping in favor of the deputies.

Metro Transit spokesman Jeff Switzer confirmed Wednesday that Kirkpatrick was cleared of any wrongdoing stemming from the accusation, but said the incident prompted the agency to send a bulletin to all drivers clarifying they were not to wear personal body cameras while working. Metro is looking into further policy developments, he added.

The encounter, which was captured on a dashboard camera, showed O'Callaghan striking Alesia Thomas — a mother of two — with an open hand and kicking her in the crotch. The officer then can be seen smoking a cigarette on the street, as Alesia Thomas fell unconscious.

Watch the Alesia Thomas arrest video

A video released by the Los Angeles County Superior Court shows the arrest of Alesia Thomas on July 22, 2012. Los Angeles Police Officer Mary O’Callaghan was convicted June 5 of assault under color of authority.

Sandra Thomas, who works as a medical assistant, asked why O'Callaghan didn't show her daughter more sympathy and try to revive her.

...

“Mother to mother,” O'Callaghan, a 50-year-old mother of three, said through tears, “I am extremely sorry for the loss of your daughter.”

Those were O'Callaghan's first public comments since Alesia Thomas' death and her arrest for assault.

O'Callaghan, a Marine veteran who had been with the LAPD for nearly 18 years, said she prays every day for Alesia Thomas' children.

After the emotional testimony, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Sam Ohta sentenced O'Callaghan to 36 months in jail, with the last 20 months suspended, meaning she could be released within five months with good behavior.

On November 28th, 2014, Officer Matt Peters, badge #013, of the Jackson Police Department, in Michigan, entered the home of Eddie Harris and shoot Mr. Harris's family dog, Kane. I've obtained the in-car dash cam footage, and open mic audio from the police dept., by submitting a FOIA request. The only editing done to this footage is the addition of subtitles. Read the police report and watch the video.

Original FOIA request-http://youtu.be/vW7v2m1g0eA

This is a video that was taken right after Off. Matt Peters shot Kane. At the end you can see the layout of the stairway. See for yourself.-http://youtu.be/IQhBNdnStyg

1:47 Audio begins.
2:03 Officer's talking
2:13 Officer Peters opens front doors
2:20 Officer Peters knocks on hallway wall
2:21 Harris- " Who the **** is it? "
2:23 Officer Peters- " Po-lice "
2:24 Kane start to growl from top of stairs, starts down
2:28 Officer Peters- " ******* dog! "
2:30 Officer Peters shoots Kane

Heins said the department has received dozens of "disruptive" and "threatening" phone calls, many from out-of-state residents, regarding the incident.

"It's very disturbing the calls that we are getting because they are very threatening, they hope the officers die, and in my opinion these are mentally unstable people calling here wishing officers would die, wishing officers would get shot," Heins said. "Many of the calls are going to my secretary, so now I have civilians dealing with these really threatening phone calls that are very upsetting from people who aren't even in the state voicing their uneducated opinion."

Heins said anytime an officer discharges his or her weapon, the department takes it seriously. He added he thinks the officer acted appropriately Nov. 28, given the circumstances.

"I won't say it was blown out of proportion," Heins said. "At the end of the day the officer had to protect himself from being attacked by the animal, and that's exactly what he did."

Elias Silva, 38, of Connecticut, says in court papers that he met up with a pal in the Meatpacking District on May 10, 2013, and, after cocktails, went back to his Honda Accord, where he caught some Z’s in the back as he waited for a friend to return.

But Silva says he rudely woken by a cop who told him to leave. After Silva protested, arguing he was legally parked, the cop ordered him out of the car and arrested him, according to his Manhattan federal court lawsuit.

His lawsuit says the officer “stated to the NYC District Attorney’s Office that he observed the plaintiff operating a motor vehicle immediately prior to the time of arrest and that the plaintiff was in an intoxicated condition.”

“At no time did [Silva] sit in the driver’s seat of the vehicle, put the keys in the ignition or otherwise operate his vehicle,” his suit says.

Silva also accuses the officer of falsifying a sworn police statement.

Silva’s DWI charge was dismissed in November 2014 following an 18-month legal battle.
His suit alleges false arrest and malicious prosecution and calls for a jury trial and $1 million in damages.

“We’ll review the allegations,” a city Law Department spokesman said.

Between May 1 and June 25, nearly 30 people were killed in what are believed to be homicides in the Distict of Columbia. Just this week, a pregnant woman was stabbed here while riding her bike home from work. The downtown-adjacent, recently gentrified neighborhood of Logan Circle has seen nine robberies, one homicide, two incidents of sexual assault, and two other assaults between late May and late July, in addition to 4 burglaries, 43 reports of theft, 44 reports of theft from a car, and 11 stolen cars—and that's all within 1,500 feet of the neighborhood's center. Expand your crime-report search out to the corners of the neighborhood, and you'll see more of all of the above. Or look at my neighborhood, Mount Pleasant: 7 robberies, 1 assault, and 45 incidents of property crime within a quarter mile of the main drag during June and July. The neighborhood around the Reason offices has seen just one robbery with a gun in this time, but also 33 other property crimes. And these are all what are considered "nice" neighborhoods within the district.


So what have D.C. cops been busying themselves with this summer? Well, between July 14 and today, they've arrested 50 men for soliciting prostitution.

Priorities!

Questions, in the wake of the video: What are the rules? Not policies or politeness – specifically, what are your rights when you’re pulled over by police?

Jim Harrington, director of the Texas Civil Rights Project, speaks with Texas Standard about the footage of the arrest, point-by-point. Here’s a transcript of the conversation, edited for brevity and clarity:

The trooper asks, “You mind putting out your cigarette please?” And Ms. Bland says, “Well, I’m in my car – why do I have to put out my cigarette?” Does she have to put out her cigarette?

“No, she doesn’t have to put out her cigarette. And you wonder why the officer is even bothering with that. This is part of his escalation of the whole event that unfolded, unfortunately.”

The next part: “Step out of the car.” Ms. Bland says, “You do not have the right.” He interrupts – “I do have the right, step out of the car or I will remove you.” Does he have the right, first, to order her to step out of the car, and second, to actually physically remove her from the car?

“He does not have the right to say get out of the car. He has to express some reason. ‘I need to search your car,’ or, whatever; he needs to give a reason. He can’t just say ‘get out of the car’ for a traffic offense.”

It’s one thing to say he has a reason; it’s another to say he has to give a reason. He may have had probable cause, or thought he had it, we don’t know. Does he have to state it?

“He doesn’t have to state probable cause; he has to state some reason … And that’s part of the training that he should have had about how to de-escalate a situation. She’s clearly upset about what happened, particularly – as we know later on – that she moved over because he was tailing her. … He should be working on de-escalation. That’s the key. ”

Ms. Bland says, “I refuse to talk to you other than to identify myself.” Is she right or wrong?

“She’s right. Unfortunately, officers don’t like it when you know the law. In this case, even if you are right, you are still in danger. And that’s what we see unfolding here.”

The trooper says, “I am giving you a lawful order.” Now, is the is the lawful order to extinguish the cigarette, or to get out of the car, or neither?

“You can’t tell why. Certainly, telling her to put out the cig was not a lawful order. Just saying ‘Get out of the car,’ in and of itself, without an explanation, is not lawful. And you see him say that throughout the video without ever saying why [or] what’s going on here. It’s clear to me that he’s trying to assert authority that he probably does not have under the law, and he’s escalating the situation because he is upset. [He] doesn’t exercise the training that he needs to be exercising to de-escalate this situation.”

“I’m gonna yank you out of here,” is what the trooper says. Can he physically “yank” her out of her vehicle?

“He can’t do that either, unless she’s posing a threat to his welfare and safety. What he should have done was just wait for backup, if he couldn’t de-escalate it himself. But you don’t just pull somebody out of the car, and point that taser in her face. What if it had gone off? She’d have permanent brain damage.”

She says, “Dont touch me, I’m not under arrest.” Trooper says, “You are under arrest. She says, “Under arrest for what?” He then turns to his shoulder mounted radio, and asks for another unit. Does he have an obligation as a law enforcement officer to tell her why she is under arrest?

“Yes. He needs to – it’s not clear to her what’s going on. He needs to tell her, ‘You’re under arrest because …,’ but you can’t really tell her that. Because you can’t tell from the video that there’s any reason to have her under arrest.

She asserts her right to record this with her cell phone. That’s a right that has been clearly established. Is that true?

“She has a right to do that. But that’s another example where the officer perceives this as a challenge to his authority – and it further escalates the whole scenario.”

When he says “get out of the car, or I will light you up,” he is apparently referring to the use of a taser. Is that a legitimate threat? Is that something that’s okay for officers to do in that situation?

“No – here’s the situation where he is clearly violating her constitutional rights. This is excessive force on the part of the officer – to take that taser and point it in her face and say, ‘I’m going to harm you.’ Taser is the last recourse to a gun. And if he can’t get her out, he can’t de-escalate it, he’s got to wait for another officer to come and talk through this.”

Right now, the trooper has been placed on administrative duty. He’s not on leave, he’s still working for DPS. It’s our understanding that there is a violation of policy here – he should not have allowed it to escalate.

We are talking about a certain level of discretion that the state apparently entrusts with its troopers. Should officers have that much discretion?

“He clearly exceeded that. … The discretion here is, how do you de-escalate the situation? He could have just given her the ticket and walked away. Just like that. But he had to go through this confrontation. Of course, there are questions of race that come up here. And the fact that this is an out-of-state car moving through the town – and we know in Texas that’s a pretty typical profiling event. What bothers me a lot is that troopers are supposed to be the best-trained police officers we have in the state. This guy is clearly out of control – clearly shouldn’t be out on the streets dealing with people – [given] this level of escalation that he provokes.”

A Georgia K9 officer at Savannah State University died earlier this month after his handler mistakenly left him in a hot car – the second such police dog death in the state this month and the fourth nationwide since mid-June.

Baston, a 7-year-old German shepherd, passed away on July 10 at his handler's home in Rincon, Georgia, after being left in the car for three to four hours, according to police reports.

Authorities say that Baston was forgotten in the back seat of the car after his unidentified handler brought in food to his family at home. The handler then had dinner and fell asleep before realizing he left the K9 in the car. But by the time the handler reached the car, Baston was dead.

The windows had been rolled up and the engine was turned off. Baston was rushed inside and put into a cool bath – but it was too late. Weather reports show temperatures that day reached above 95 degrees.