The hero warrior cop is ready to get roided up, rape, and drink and drive
05-15-2015, 08:28 AM
#4701
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CA cops hate that there is now direct pressure to prosecute them for crimes.
California senators approve ban on grand jury investigations into police deaths | The Sacramento Bee
California senators approve ban on grand jury investigations into police deaths | The Sacramento Bee
Grand juries would be prohibited from investigating police shootings and cases where an individual dies from excessive force during an arrest under a bill passed Thursday by the California state Senate.
Protests sprouted up nationwide last fall after grand juries in Missouri and New York declined to indict white police officers who had killed unarmed black men during confrontations. The system, in which a jury of citizens weighs the evidence to decide whether to bring charges, came under fire for its secrecy.
Sen. Holly Mitchell, D-Los Angeles, who introduced Senate Bill 227, argued that the lack of transparency and oversight in grand jury deliberations, which do not involve judges, defense attorneys or cross-examination of witnesses, did not serve the public.
“The use of the criminal grand jury has fostered an atmosphere of suspicion that threatens to compromise the nature of our justice system,” she said.
By banning the use of grand juries, the decision to prosecute officers would rest solely with local district attorneys. Mitchell said forcing district attorneys, who are elected, to deal with these cases would provide accountability.
“The general public would then have an opportunity for recourse” at the next election, Mitchell said in an interview, whereas “referral to a grand jury can be a way to avoid having fingerprints” on a case.
The measure received some pushback from lawmakers who suggested it was an emotional response to controversy that could trample due-process rights, but it was ultimately approved by a 23-12 vote, with all of the “yes” votes coming from Democrats. It heads next to the Assembly.
Protests sprouted up nationwide last fall after grand juries in Missouri and New York declined to indict white police officers who had killed unarmed black men during confrontations. The system, in which a jury of citizens weighs the evidence to decide whether to bring charges, came under fire for its secrecy.
Sen. Holly Mitchell, D-Los Angeles, who introduced Senate Bill 227, argued that the lack of transparency and oversight in grand jury deliberations, which do not involve judges, defense attorneys or cross-examination of witnesses, did not serve the public.
“The use of the criminal grand jury has fostered an atmosphere of suspicion that threatens to compromise the nature of our justice system,” she said.
By banning the use of grand juries, the decision to prosecute officers would rest solely with local district attorneys. Mitchell said forcing district attorneys, who are elected, to deal with these cases would provide accountability.
“The general public would then have an opportunity for recourse” at the next election, Mitchell said in an interview, whereas “referral to a grand jury can be a way to avoid having fingerprints” on a case.
The measure received some pushback from lawmakers who suggested it was an emotional response to controversy that could trample due-process rights, but it was ultimately approved by a 23-12 vote, with all of the “yes” votes coming from Democrats. It heads next to the Assembly.
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05-15-2015, 08:30 AM
#4702
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cops hate DNA.
DNA sample taken from officer connected to Samantha Dean | KXAN.com
DNA sample taken from officer connected to Samantha Dean | KXAN.com
It’s been three months since the death of Samantha Dean, and authorities are still looking for details regarding her homicide case. On Tuesday, authorities carried out a search warrant on Austin Police Department Officer VonTrey Clark’s home and car, according to Clark’s attorney Bristol Myers. Bastrop County Sheriff Terry Pickering confirms his detectives executed a search warrant Tuesday.
When KXAN stopped by Clark’s listed address Wednesday, all was quiet. The silver Saab that public records show is registered to him was parked at the curb of the single-story house where he lives in Southeast Austin.
Myers said a DNA sample was also taken from Clark, along with several pairs of shoes and “essentially every electronic device in the house.”
When KXAN stopped by Clark’s listed address Wednesday, all was quiet. The silver Saab that public records show is registered to him was parked at the curb of the single-story house where he lives in Southeast Austin.
Myers said a DNA sample was also taken from Clark, along with several pairs of shoes and “essentially every electronic device in the house.”
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05-15-2015, 08:35 AM
#4703
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cops hate trivial things like actually being certified as a police officer.
Letter from DA to Attorney General: Possible police training problem NM Political Report
Letter from DA to Attorney General: Possible police training problem NM Political Report
In her letter, dated April 21, Brandenburg wrote that police work from officers who may not be properly certified could be called into question by the public.
“As you are already much aware, any defect in the certification of a law enforcement officer could call into question that officer’s authority to arrest, investigate, gain, and execute search and arrest warrants, and more,” Brandenburg wrote.
A full copy of the letter is available at the bottom of the post.
The letter was written to Balderas in his capacity as chairman of the New Mexico Law Enforcement Academy (NMLEA) Board, the group that oversees training and hiring standards for New Mexico law enforcement. In the letter to Balderas, Brandenburg wrote that she was alerted to the concerns that some officers may not have been properly certified or trained.
The letter referenced a complaint previously filed with the NMLEA Board by former APD trainer John Corvino, which ultimately lead to his lawsuit against APD. Corvino alleged that some APD trainers were not qualified to train officers and when he alerted NMLEA, he was unfairly reprimanded by his superiors.
Brandenburg said she is now concerned with what the allegations mean for a number of APD officers.
In a phone interview, Brandenburg told New Mexico Political Report she would like to see an audit done to determine how many officers may have not been properly trained or certified as police officers. She estimated at least 100 officers may need recertification.
“If these officers aren’t truly certified then that needs to be taken care of immediately,” she said.
She added that there could be lawsuits filed questioning the legitimacy of previous convictions.
“As you are already much aware, any defect in the certification of a law enforcement officer could call into question that officer’s authority to arrest, investigate, gain, and execute search and arrest warrants, and more,” Brandenburg wrote.
A full copy of the letter is available at the bottom of the post.
The letter was written to Balderas in his capacity as chairman of the New Mexico Law Enforcement Academy (NMLEA) Board, the group that oversees training and hiring standards for New Mexico law enforcement. In the letter to Balderas, Brandenburg wrote that she was alerted to the concerns that some officers may not have been properly certified or trained.
The letter referenced a complaint previously filed with the NMLEA Board by former APD trainer John Corvino, which ultimately lead to his lawsuit against APD. Corvino alleged that some APD trainers were not qualified to train officers and when he alerted NMLEA, he was unfairly reprimanded by his superiors.
Brandenburg said she is now concerned with what the allegations mean for a number of APD officers.
In a phone interview, Brandenburg told New Mexico Political Report she would like to see an audit done to determine how many officers may have not been properly trained or certified as police officers. She estimated at least 100 officers may need recertification.
“If these officers aren’t truly certified then that needs to be taken care of immediately,” she said.
She added that there could be lawsuits filed questioning the legitimacy of previous convictions.
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05-15-2015, 09:58 AM
#4704
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cops gonna cop.
CHIEF: MIAMI BEACH POLICE SENT HUNDREDS OF OFFENSIVE EMAILS
CHIEF: MIAMI BEACH POLICE SENT HUNDREDS OF OFFENSIVE EMAILS
A handful of Miami Beach police officers sent hundreds of racially offensive and pornographic emails and possibly jeopardized dozens of criminal cases in which they are witnesses, the department's chief said Thursday.
An internal investigation revealed that two of the 16 officers were high-ranking within the Miami Beach Police Department and were the main instigators, Chief Daniel Oates told reporters. One has retired, and the other was fired Thursday.
Oates said the probe revealed about 230 emails demeaning to African-Americans and women or pornographic in nature. Many were depictions of crude racial jokes involving President Barack Obama or black celebrities such as golfer Tiger Woods. One shows a woman with a black eye and the caption, "Domestic violence. Because sometimes, you have to tell her more than once."
One of the racially offensive emails depicted a board game called "Black Monopoly" in which every square says "go to jail."
Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle said about 540 cases in which the officers were witnesses are being reviewed to determine if they are tainted racially. Some charges could be dropped as a result or prisoners freed from jail.
"These activities are a breach of trust. They are disgusting," Rundle said. "Our goal is to make sure our office reviews with a fine-toothed comb all of these cases."
An internal investigation revealed that two of the 16 officers were high-ranking within the Miami Beach Police Department and were the main instigators, Chief Daniel Oates told reporters. One has retired, and the other was fired Thursday.
Oates said the probe revealed about 230 emails demeaning to African-Americans and women or pornographic in nature. Many were depictions of crude racial jokes involving President Barack Obama or black celebrities such as golfer Tiger Woods. One shows a woman with a black eye and the caption, "Domestic violence. Because sometimes, you have to tell her more than once."
One of the racially offensive emails depicted a board game called "Black Monopoly" in which every square says "go to jail."
Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle said about 540 cases in which the officers were witnesses are being reviewed to determine if they are tainted racially. Some charges could be dropped as a result or prisoners freed from jail.
"These activities are a breach of trust. They are disgusting," Rundle said. "Our goal is to make sure our office reviews with a fine-toothed comb all of these cases."
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05-15-2015, 10:00 AM
#4705
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cops gonna cop.
SAN FRANCISCO POLICE UNDER FIRE FOR RACIST TEXTS
SAN FRANCISCO POLICE UNDER FIRE FOR RACIST TEXTS
Lawyers for several implicated officers characterized the text messages as "banter" and failed attempts at humor. In one, Sgt. Yulanda Williams was called racist and sexist names by one of the texting officers when she was promoted to sergeant in 2011.
"We really have not moved as forward as we thought," she said. "I'm not prepared to say this was an isolated incident. This is just the tip of the iceberg."
At least one of the accused officers, Michael Robinson, is white and openly gay. Another, Sgt. Ian Furminger, is white. Police officials have so far declined to release the racial composition of the other implicated officers.
Officer Rain Daugherty said in a lawsuit filed Monday to halt his termination that he is "deeply ashamed" of the texts he wrote and that they are "unreflective of his strong commitment to exemplary community policing of all San Francisco's diverse citizens." Daugherty argues that he and the other officers shouldn't be fired because the department obtained the inflammatory texts in December 2012 but didn't start the disciplinary process until two years later.
The department says the texts were part of the corruption investigation and couldn't be disclosed to administrators until the criminal cases concluded.
It all started at the Henry Hotel in San Francisco's gritty Tenderloin neighborhood.
Hotel residents arrested in police raids began complaining in late 2010 to their public defenders that officers had entered their rooms without warrants and, on occasion, stole their valuables.
Public defender Jeff Adachi and his staff then obtained and sifted through 18 months of video surveillance captured by the hotel's security cameras. The videos showed officers entering the building then leaving with bags and other items that were never accounted for in evidence logs or court proceedings. The video also appeared to show officers entering rooms without warrants or permission from the residents.
The public defenders used the videos to confront and contradict officers' testimony, leading to several criminal cases being dismissed. Adachi also called a news conference to announce his findings, releasing the incriminating videos.
Taking note, federal authorities launched an investigation and charged six police officers with corruption and related charges. Investigators twice searched Furminger's cellphone, unearthing numerous offensive and racist texts with fellow officers. They included slurs against blacks, Mexicans, Filipinos and gays, and feature officers repeatedly using the phrase "white power."
Furminger is currently serving a 41-month prison sentence in a Colorado prison. He is appealing his conviction, and his attorney Mark Goldrosen declined comment.
In a court filing, Furminger denied that he was "a virulent racist and homophobe." The court filing said Furminger's "close friends include many persons of different races and different sexual orientation."
"We really have not moved as forward as we thought," she said. "I'm not prepared to say this was an isolated incident. This is just the tip of the iceberg."
At least one of the accused officers, Michael Robinson, is white and openly gay. Another, Sgt. Ian Furminger, is white. Police officials have so far declined to release the racial composition of the other implicated officers.
Officer Rain Daugherty said in a lawsuit filed Monday to halt his termination that he is "deeply ashamed" of the texts he wrote and that they are "unreflective of his strong commitment to exemplary community policing of all San Francisco's diverse citizens." Daugherty argues that he and the other officers shouldn't be fired because the department obtained the inflammatory texts in December 2012 but didn't start the disciplinary process until two years later.
The department says the texts were part of the corruption investigation and couldn't be disclosed to administrators until the criminal cases concluded.
It all started at the Henry Hotel in San Francisco's gritty Tenderloin neighborhood.
Hotel residents arrested in police raids began complaining in late 2010 to their public defenders that officers had entered their rooms without warrants and, on occasion, stole their valuables.
Public defender Jeff Adachi and his staff then obtained and sifted through 18 months of video surveillance captured by the hotel's security cameras. The videos showed officers entering the building then leaving with bags and other items that were never accounted for in evidence logs or court proceedings. The video also appeared to show officers entering rooms without warrants or permission from the residents.
The public defenders used the videos to confront and contradict officers' testimony, leading to several criminal cases being dismissed. Adachi also called a news conference to announce his findings, releasing the incriminating videos.
Taking note, federal authorities launched an investigation and charged six police officers with corruption and related charges. Investigators twice searched Furminger's cellphone, unearthing numerous offensive and racist texts with fellow officers. They included slurs against blacks, Mexicans, Filipinos and gays, and feature officers repeatedly using the phrase "white power."
Furminger is currently serving a 41-month prison sentence in a Colorado prison. He is appealing his conviction, and his attorney Mark Goldrosen declined comment.
In a court filing, Furminger denied that he was "a virulent racist and homophobe." The court filing said Furminger's "close friends include many persons of different races and different sexual orientation."
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05-15-2015, 10:34 AM
#4706
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govt hates when it's tough to steal your money without commiting a crime.
IRS Drops Asset Forfeiture Case Against NC Business Owner After Media Scrutiny | Washington Free Beacon
IRS Drops Asset Forfeiture Case Against NC Business Owner After Media Scrutiny | Washington Free Beacon
Federal prosecutors have dropped an attempt to seize $107,000 from a North Carolina small business owner using asset forfeiture laws following several weeks of media scrutiny.
According to the Institute for Justice, a public interest law firm, the Internal Revenue Service and Justice Department moved Wednesday to voluntarily dismiss their case against Lyndon McLellan.
Last summer, IRS agents seized $107,000 from McLellan, who owns a small convenience store in rural North Carolina, using civil asset forfeiture laws. McLellan had unknowingly violated so-called “structuring” rules that prohibit businesses from making deposits less than $10,000. He was not charged with a crime, but his entire bank account was seized.
Structuring rules are intended to stop businesses from using small deposits to avoid triggering federal reporting requirements by banks, but civil liberties advocates such as the Institute for Justice say the IRS has used the obscure rules to seize the bank accounts of small business owners without charging them with a crime.
The New York Times reported on McLellan’s case, as did many other news outlets.
“I’m relieved to be getting my money back,” McLellan said in a press release from the Institute for Justice, which is representing him. “What’s wrong is wrong, and what the government did here is wrong. I just hope that by standing up for what’s right, it means this won’t happen to other people.”
The Institute for Justice said the IRS was violating policies announced last November that were supposed to prevent the agency from pursuing structuring cases against small business owners except in cases where it has probable cause that other criminal activity is occurring.
However, the new guidelines did not appear to help McLellan. His case came up during a congressional hearing in February, where IRS Commissioner John Koskinen said, “If that case exists, then it’s not following the policy.”
However, federal prosecutor Steve West was not deterred. After learning that the details of the case had been given to a congressional committee, West wrote to McLellan’s attorney in an email: “Whoever made [the document] public may serve their own interest but will not help this particular case. Your client needs to resolve this or litigate it. But publicity about it doesn’t help. It just ratchets up feelings in the agency. My offer is to return 50 percent of the money. The offer is good until March 30th COB.”
McLellan did not accept the offer, and as a result, he will get 100 percent of his money back. However, McLellan still had to pay for a lawyer, not to mention $19,000 to have his business audited. The government also refuses to pay for interest earned on money after it has been seized. The Institute for Justice said it will continue to litigate McLellan’s case.
McLellan’s case is the third high-profile structuring case that federal prosecutors have dropped in recent months.a
According to the Institute for Justice, a public interest law firm, the Internal Revenue Service and Justice Department moved Wednesday to voluntarily dismiss their case against Lyndon McLellan.
Last summer, IRS agents seized $107,000 from McLellan, who owns a small convenience store in rural North Carolina, using civil asset forfeiture laws. McLellan had unknowingly violated so-called “structuring” rules that prohibit businesses from making deposits less than $10,000. He was not charged with a crime, but his entire bank account was seized.
Structuring rules are intended to stop businesses from using small deposits to avoid triggering federal reporting requirements by banks, but civil liberties advocates such as the Institute for Justice say the IRS has used the obscure rules to seize the bank accounts of small business owners without charging them with a crime.
The New York Times reported on McLellan’s case, as did many other news outlets.
“I’m relieved to be getting my money back,” McLellan said in a press release from the Institute for Justice, which is representing him. “What’s wrong is wrong, and what the government did here is wrong. I just hope that by standing up for what’s right, it means this won’t happen to other people.”
The Institute for Justice said the IRS was violating policies announced last November that were supposed to prevent the agency from pursuing structuring cases against small business owners except in cases where it has probable cause that other criminal activity is occurring.
However, the new guidelines did not appear to help McLellan. His case came up during a congressional hearing in February, where IRS Commissioner John Koskinen said, “If that case exists, then it’s not following the policy.”
However, federal prosecutor Steve West was not deterred. After learning that the details of the case had been given to a congressional committee, West wrote to McLellan’s attorney in an email: “Whoever made [the document] public may serve their own interest but will not help this particular case. Your client needs to resolve this or litigate it. But publicity about it doesn’t help. It just ratchets up feelings in the agency. My offer is to return 50 percent of the money. The offer is good until March 30th COB.”
McLellan did not accept the offer, and as a result, he will get 100 percent of his money back. However, McLellan still had to pay for a lawyer, not to mention $19,000 to have his business audited. The government also refuses to pay for interest earned on money after it has been seized. The Institute for Justice said it will continue to litigate McLellan’s case.
McLellan’s case is the third high-profile structuring case that federal prosecutors have dropped in recent months.a
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05-15-2015, 11:53 AM
#4707
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bad cop wants his job back.
Officer in head kick incident wants job back | New Mexico News - KOAT Home
Officer in head kick incident wants job back | New Mexico News - KOAT Home
An Albuquerque cop who was fired for standing by during an excessive-force incident wants his job back.
The incident happened back in February 2011. Surveillance video was rolling as Officers John Doyle and Robert Woolever tried to arrest a man for crashing his car and taking off.
The video shows Doyle rearing back and kicking the man several times.
Later that year, both officers were fired.
APD said Woolever was fired because he did not stop Doyle from using what officials thought was excessive force, and because his police report made no mention of Doyle's repeated kicks.
Woolever's attorney appealed his termination in front of the city's personnel board Wednesday afternoon.
The board deferred its decision to a later date.
The attorney, former APD officer Thomas Grover, believes his client did nothing wrong.
"If his termination is upheld ... what we're telling to cops is, 'You know what, go ahead let the bad guys run, don't chase them,'" said Grover. "Officers report what they did, other officers see and report what they did."
A city lawyer says what she saw in the surveillance video is grounds for termination.
"Every officer has a constitutional obligation to stop another officer from using deadly force or excessive force," said Kathryn Levy.
Doyle is also appealing his firing.
The incident happened back in February 2011. Surveillance video was rolling as Officers John Doyle and Robert Woolever tried to arrest a man for crashing his car and taking off.
The video shows Doyle rearing back and kicking the man several times.
Later that year, both officers were fired.
APD said Woolever was fired because he did not stop Doyle from using what officials thought was excessive force, and because his police report made no mention of Doyle's repeated kicks.
Woolever's attorney appealed his termination in front of the city's personnel board Wednesday afternoon.
The board deferred its decision to a later date.
The attorney, former APD officer Thomas Grover, believes his client did nothing wrong.
"If his termination is upheld ... what we're telling to cops is, 'You know what, go ahead let the bad guys run, don't chase them,'" said Grover. "Officers report what they did, other officers see and report what they did."
A city lawyer says what she saw in the surveillance video is grounds for termination.
"Every officer has a constitutional obligation to stop another officer from using deadly force or excessive force," said Kathryn Levy.
Doyle is also appealing his firing.
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05-15-2015, 11:56 AM
#4708
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cops love cameras--when they can turn them off before murdering someone--but hate all others.
Brendon Glenn, who was unarmed at the time, was shot and killed by LAPD on Venice Beach. Although the security footage in front of Cairo Cowboy captured the tragic event, police refuse to release the footage fearing it would cause severe backlash from the community.
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05-16-2015, 08:07 AM
#4710
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People love making **** up to incriminate law-enforcement officers:
It's a well-known and much researched phenomenon within the academia of jurisprudence that eyewitness testimony is one of the least reliable forms of evidence available.
Witness Accounts in Midtown Hammer Attack Show the Power of False Memory
A police officer shot David Baril on Wednesday at Eighth Avenue and 37th Street as Mr. Baril began swinging a hammer at another officer. Witnesses recalled seeing things that did not happen.
RICH DOCHERTY
MAY 14, 2015
By JIM DWYER
The real world of our memory is made of bits of true facts, surrounded by holes that we Spackle over with guesses and beliefs and crowd-sourced rumors. On the dot of 10 on Wednesday morning, Anthony O’Grady, 26, stood in front of a Dunkin’ Donuts on Eighth Avenue in Manhattan. He heard a ruckus, some shouts, then saw a police officer chase a man into the street and shoot him down in the middle of the avenue.
Moments later, Mr. O’Grady spoke to a reporter for The New York Times and said the wounded man was in flight when he was shot. “He looked like he was trying to get away from the officers,” Mr. O’Grady said.
Another person on Eighth Avenue then, Sunny Khalsa, 41, had been riding her bicycle when she saw police officers and the man. Shaken by the encounter, she contacted the Times newsroom with a shocking detail.
Non-embeddable video of a guy chasing a police officer down the street while hitting him with a hammer, then being shot:
http://video1.nytimes.com/video/2015...ce_wg_240p.mp4
“I saw a man who was handcuffed being shot,” Ms. Khalsa said. “And I am sorry, maybe I am crazy, but that is what I saw.”
At 3 p.m. on Wednesday, the Police Department released a surveillance videotape that showed that both Mr. O’Grady and Ms. Khalsa were wrong.
Contrary to what Mr. O’Grady said, the man who was shot had not been trying to get away from the officers; he was actually chasing an officer from the sidewalk onto Eighth Avenue, swinging a hammer at her head. Behind both was the officer’s partner, who shot the man, David Baril.
And Ms. Khalsa did not see Mr. Baril being shot while in handcuffs; he is, as the video and still photographs show, freely swinging the hammer, then lying on the ground with his arms at his side. He was handcuffed a few moments later, well after he had been shot.
There is no evidence that the mistaken accounts of either person were malicious or intentionally false. Studies of memories of traumatic events consistently show how common it is for errors to creep into confidently recalled accounts, according to cognitive psychologists.
“It’s pretty normal,” said Deryn Strange, an associate psychology professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. “That’s the hard thing to get our heads around. It’s frightening how easy it is to build in a false memory.”
In one study, Dr. Strange showed people a film of a car accident in which five people, including a baby, were killed. The film was edited to remove segments of the accident. Then she tested the subjects 24 hours later on what they recalled. People were able to accurately describe what they had, in fact, seen, Dr. Strange said, but a significant number — 36 percent — also professed to have strong memories of parts of the crash that had actually not been shown to them.
“They are more likely to do that when they are upset about the event — if they are getting intrusive thoughts about it, or talking to other people about it,” she said.
A leading researcher in the field of witness memory, Elizabeth Loftus of the University of California, Irvine, said there was ample evidence that people found ways to plug holes in their recollections.
“If someone has gaps in their narrative, they can fill it in with lots of things,” she said. “Often they fill it with their own expectations, and certainly what they may hear from others.”
These are not the knowingly untrue or devious statements of people who are deliberately lying. False memories can be as persuasive as genuine ones, Dr. Loftus said: “When someone expresses it with detail and confidence and emotion, people are going to believe it.”
Said Dr. Strange, “It is surprising to the average person how quickly memories can be distorted.”
That was certainly Ms. Khalsa’s response.
“I feel totally embarrassed,” she said on Thursday, after having seen the video.
She now believes that she saw the initial encounter and then looked away, as she was on her bicycle. In that moment, the man began the attack, which lasted about three seconds until he was shot. “I didn’t see the civilian run or swing a hammer,” she said. “In my mind I assumed he was just standing there passively, and now is on the ground in handcuffs.”
“With all of the accounts in the news of police officers in shootings, I assumed that police were taking advantage of someone who was easily discriminated against,” she added. “Based on what I saw, I assumed the worst. Even though I had looked away.”
Her own certainty was gone, Ms. Khalsa said.
“It makes me think about everything in life,” she said.
http://mobile.nytimes.com/2015/05/15...?_r=1&referrer
A police officer shot David Baril on Wednesday at Eighth Avenue and 37th Street as Mr. Baril began swinging a hammer at another officer. Witnesses recalled seeing things that did not happen.
RICH DOCHERTY
MAY 14, 2015
By JIM DWYER
The real world of our memory is made of bits of true facts, surrounded by holes that we Spackle over with guesses and beliefs and crowd-sourced rumors. On the dot of 10 on Wednesday morning, Anthony O’Grady, 26, stood in front of a Dunkin’ Donuts on Eighth Avenue in Manhattan. He heard a ruckus, some shouts, then saw a police officer chase a man into the street and shoot him down in the middle of the avenue.
Moments later, Mr. O’Grady spoke to a reporter for The New York Times and said the wounded man was in flight when he was shot. “He looked like he was trying to get away from the officers,” Mr. O’Grady said.
Another person on Eighth Avenue then, Sunny Khalsa, 41, had been riding her bicycle when she saw police officers and the man. Shaken by the encounter, she contacted the Times newsroom with a shocking detail.
Non-embeddable video of a guy chasing a police officer down the street while hitting him with a hammer, then being shot:
http://video1.nytimes.com/video/2015...ce_wg_240p.mp4
“I saw a man who was handcuffed being shot,” Ms. Khalsa said. “And I am sorry, maybe I am crazy, but that is what I saw.”
At 3 p.m. on Wednesday, the Police Department released a surveillance videotape that showed that both Mr. O’Grady and Ms. Khalsa were wrong.
Contrary to what Mr. O’Grady said, the man who was shot had not been trying to get away from the officers; he was actually chasing an officer from the sidewalk onto Eighth Avenue, swinging a hammer at her head. Behind both was the officer’s partner, who shot the man, David Baril.
And Ms. Khalsa did not see Mr. Baril being shot while in handcuffs; he is, as the video and still photographs show, freely swinging the hammer, then lying on the ground with his arms at his side. He was handcuffed a few moments later, well after he had been shot.
There is no evidence that the mistaken accounts of either person were malicious or intentionally false. Studies of memories of traumatic events consistently show how common it is for errors to creep into confidently recalled accounts, according to cognitive psychologists.
“It’s pretty normal,” said Deryn Strange, an associate psychology professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. “That’s the hard thing to get our heads around. It’s frightening how easy it is to build in a false memory.”
In one study, Dr. Strange showed people a film of a car accident in which five people, including a baby, were killed. The film was edited to remove segments of the accident. Then she tested the subjects 24 hours later on what they recalled. People were able to accurately describe what they had, in fact, seen, Dr. Strange said, but a significant number — 36 percent — also professed to have strong memories of parts of the crash that had actually not been shown to them.
“They are more likely to do that when they are upset about the event — if they are getting intrusive thoughts about it, or talking to other people about it,” she said.
A leading researcher in the field of witness memory, Elizabeth Loftus of the University of California, Irvine, said there was ample evidence that people found ways to plug holes in their recollections.
“If someone has gaps in their narrative, they can fill it in with lots of things,” she said. “Often they fill it with their own expectations, and certainly what they may hear from others.”
These are not the knowingly untrue or devious statements of people who are deliberately lying. False memories can be as persuasive as genuine ones, Dr. Loftus said: “When someone expresses it with detail and confidence and emotion, people are going to believe it.”
Said Dr. Strange, “It is surprising to the average person how quickly memories can be distorted.”
That was certainly Ms. Khalsa’s response.
“I feel totally embarrassed,” she said on Thursday, after having seen the video.
She now believes that she saw the initial encounter and then looked away, as she was on her bicycle. In that moment, the man began the attack, which lasted about three seconds until he was shot. “I didn’t see the civilian run or swing a hammer,” she said. “In my mind I assumed he was just standing there passively, and now is on the ground in handcuffs.”
“With all of the accounts in the news of police officers in shootings, I assumed that police were taking advantage of someone who was easily discriminated against,” she added. “Based on what I saw, I assumed the worst. Even though I had looked away.”
Her own certainty was gone, Ms. Khalsa said.
“It makes me think about everything in life,” she said.
http://mobile.nytimes.com/2015/05/15...?_r=1&referrer
It's a well-known and much researched phenomenon within the academia of jurisprudence that eyewitness testimony is one of the least reliable forms of evidence available.
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05-16-2015, 03:54 PM
#4712
While there are justifiable shootings all the time,It can and does happen that the police just **** up and attack someone for no real reason. Last week I was pulled over by a police officer,I was doing 5 under the
limit,he came up upon me at better than 100 mph. I pulled to the side of the road in to a parts store. i got the blue lights,why?For pulling over in to a closed business.When asked why he was driving so fast,the officer
replied my truck "fit the Description" of another vehicle that they have been looking for.But could explain why he didnt have cause,before I pulled over. He caused the stop to be "legal",by scaring the hell out of a
person just trying to get home at 3 Am,after a 10 hour shift.
Greg
limit,he came up upon me at better than 100 mph. I pulled to the side of the road in to a parts store. i got the blue lights,why?For pulling over in to a closed business.When asked why he was driving so fast,the officer
replied my truck "fit the Description" of another vehicle that they have been looking for.But could explain why he didnt have cause,before I pulled over. He caused the stop to be "legal",by scaring the hell out of a
person just trying to get home at 3 Am,after a 10 hour shift.
Greg
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05-18-2015, 07:15 AM
#4716
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the problem with policing is the citizens.
Troy to pay photographer $30K to settle civil rights case - Times Union
Troy to pay photographer $30K to settle civil rights case - Times Union
The city has agreed to pay a former Troy Record photographer $30,000 to settle a freedom of speech and the press civil rights case pending in U.S. District Court in Albany, according to documents filed with the City Council's Finance Committee.
Jeff Couch filed the lawsuit Feb. 21, 2014 claiming that his First Amendment rights were violated when he was arrested while taking pictures of the execution of a search warrant by Colonie police on Oct. 31, 2011 at 575 Congress St.
...
The lawsuit resulted from Officer Jason Valente's actions when he told Couch to stop photographing at the Congress Street scene. Couch identified himself as a photographer for the Troy newspaper and continued to take pictures.
The search warrant was part of the investigation into Chad Brothers, 32, who died in what police called a violent and bizarre confrontation with officers at Gold's Gym in Latham. Brothers was shocked with a Taser stun gun at the gym.
Valente then arrested Couch for jaywalking, handcuffed him and took him to the police station after two other police officers refused to do so, according to the lawsuit filed on Couch's behalf by attorney Elmer Robert Keach III.
The lawsuit claimed the city and Valente violated Couch's freedom of speech and freedom of the press, and alleged false arrest, malicious prosecution and excess use of force. The city also was accused of failing to properly train its police officers.
The Rensselaer County District Attorney's Office dropped the jaywalking charge against Couch.
Valente was suspended in early 2014 for 10 days without pay following an Internal Affairs investigation into the jaywalking ticket he issued in October 2011 to Couch, according to police and City Hall sources.
Jeff Couch filed the lawsuit Feb. 21, 2014 claiming that his First Amendment rights were violated when he was arrested while taking pictures of the execution of a search warrant by Colonie police on Oct. 31, 2011 at 575 Congress St.
...
The lawsuit resulted from Officer Jason Valente's actions when he told Couch to stop photographing at the Congress Street scene. Couch identified himself as a photographer for the Troy newspaper and continued to take pictures.
The search warrant was part of the investigation into Chad Brothers, 32, who died in what police called a violent and bizarre confrontation with officers at Gold's Gym in Latham. Brothers was shocked with a Taser stun gun at the gym.
Valente then arrested Couch for jaywalking, handcuffed him and took him to the police station after two other police officers refused to do so, according to the lawsuit filed on Couch's behalf by attorney Elmer Robert Keach III.
The lawsuit claimed the city and Valente violated Couch's freedom of speech and freedom of the press, and alleged false arrest, malicious prosecution and excess use of force. The city also was accused of failing to properly train its police officers.
The Rensselaer County District Attorney's Office dropped the jaywalking charge against Couch.
Valente was suspended in early 2014 for 10 days without pay following an Internal Affairs investigation into the jaywalking ticket he issued in October 2011 to Couch, according to police and City Hall sources.
Last edited by Braineack; 05-18-2015 at 07:42 AM.
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05-18-2015, 07:15 AM
#4717
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the problem with police it the citizens.
Fort Worth officers suspended after accusing supervisor in prostitution case | The Star Telegram The Star Telegram
Fort Worth officers suspended after accusing supervisor in prostitution case | The Star Telegram The Star Telegram
Four police officers have been suspended without pay for allegedly trying to implicate their supervisor in a prostitution case as retaliation for changes made to their job assignments.
The four officers — J.C. Williams, C. Cespedes, D. Shaw, and J. Pittman — notified internal affairs that they believed their narcotics sergeant was having sex with prostitutes or trying to cover for prostitutes and their clients.
They also indicated that the narcotics lieutenant might be involved, according to disciplinary letters filed with the Civil Service Commission on Tuesday.
The letters, signed by Police Chief Rhonda Robertson, state that the officers did not have a “legitimate reason” to believe such misconduct was being committed.
Rather, the letters allege, the officers had joined in a “premeditated act” to retaliate against the two supervisors that “could have resulted in them [the supervisors] being devastated and humiliated not only professionally, but also personally.”
Read more here: Fort Worth officers suspended after accusing supervisor in prostitution case | The Star Telegram The Star Telegram
The four officers — J.C. Williams, C. Cespedes, D. Shaw, and J. Pittman — notified internal affairs that they believed their narcotics sergeant was having sex with prostitutes or trying to cover for prostitutes and their clients.
They also indicated that the narcotics lieutenant might be involved, according to disciplinary letters filed with the Civil Service Commission on Tuesday.
The letters, signed by Police Chief Rhonda Robertson, state that the officers did not have a “legitimate reason” to believe such misconduct was being committed.
Rather, the letters allege, the officers had joined in a “premeditated act” to retaliate against the two supervisors that “could have resulted in them [the supervisors] being devastated and humiliated not only professionally, but also personally.”
Read more here: Fort Worth officers suspended after accusing supervisor in prostitution case | The Star Telegram The Star Telegram
Last edited by Braineack; 05-18-2015 at 07:41 AM.
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05-18-2015, 07:16 AM
#4718
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the problem with policing is the citizens.
Miami Ex-Officer Gets 2 Years? Prison For Gambling Bribes « CBS Miami
Miami Ex-Officer Gets 2 Years? Prison For Gambling Bribes « CBS Miami
A former Miami police officer has been sentenced to two years in prison for accepting thousands of dollars in bribes from an illegal gambling operation.
A federal judge last week also sentenced 24-year-old Jerry Sutherland to perform 150 hours of community service and pay a $2,000 fine. Sutherland must forfeit $3,400 he was paid in bribes. He pleaded guilty to extortion.
Court documents show that while working for the Miami Police Department, Sutherland accepting 10 bribe payments from the gambling operation. Sutherland admitted providing protection for the operation, arranging for charges to be dropped against one of its employees and increasing police presence at a rival gambling house to discourage customers.
Sutherland also admitted requiring a vendor to paint the helmets of a football team he managed free of charge.
A federal judge last week also sentenced 24-year-old Jerry Sutherland to perform 150 hours of community service and pay a $2,000 fine. Sutherland must forfeit $3,400 he was paid in bribes. He pleaded guilty to extortion.
Court documents show that while working for the Miami Police Department, Sutherland accepting 10 bribe payments from the gambling operation. Sutherland admitted providing protection for the operation, arranging for charges to be dropped against one of its employees and increasing police presence at a rival gambling house to discourage customers.
Sutherland also admitted requiring a vendor to paint the helmets of a football team he managed free of charge.
Last edited by Braineack; 05-18-2015 at 07:41 AM.
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05-18-2015, 07:17 AM
#4719
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the problem with policing it the citizens.
Former prosecutor files complaint against D.A.
Former prosecutor files complaint against D.A.
A former city prosecutor has charged in a complaint to the state Supreme Court that the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office knowingly used a police officer as witness in an untold number of cases although he admitted committing perjury.
"Thousands of defendants were not afforded their proper due process rights," former Assistant District Attorney Andrew Justin Thomson said in his complaint dated Wednesday.
Thomson's complaint to the high court's Disciplinary Board alleged the District Attorney's Office allowed Officer Christopher Hulmes to testify for more than three years after he admitted in 2011 to a city judge that he perjured himself in a case he was involved with.
Last month, the D.A.'s Office filed charges of perjury against Hulmes, who has been suspended from the force pending firing.
"Thousands of defendants were not afforded their proper due process rights," former Assistant District Attorney Andrew Justin Thomson said in his complaint dated Wednesday.
Thomson's complaint to the high court's Disciplinary Board alleged the District Attorney's Office allowed Officer Christopher Hulmes to testify for more than three years after he admitted in 2011 to a city judge that he perjured himself in a case he was involved with.
Last month, the D.A.'s Office filed charges of perjury against Hulmes, who has been suspended from the force pending firing.
Last edited by Braineack; 05-18-2015 at 07:40 AM.
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05-18-2015, 07:18 AM
#4720
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the problem with policing is the citizens.
Feds Say Florida Cops Filed 215 False Reports In Credit-Reporting Scam | Cop Block
Feds Say Florida Cops Filed 215 False Reports In Credit-Reporting Scam | Cop Block
Federal officials say a network of dirty Miami-Dade County police officers and other local cops wrote at least 215 falsified police reports for $200 to $250 a piece, that a local credit repair agency paid them for, in order to claim their customers were victims of identity theft when they were not.
Prosecutors claim for several years, the agency, ran by Vanessa and Mario Perez, made more than $322,000 by clearing up the blemished credit reports.
Vanessa Perez started working in the credit repair business in 2009 when she incorporated Credit Doctor & Associates and Networth. Later, the woman opened FSM Group and Consolidated Financial Services with her husband Mario.
The false ID theft claims provided the couple’s clients with an official excuse for their bad credit histories so they could get negative items removed from their reports. The Perezes were paid $1,500 by each of their customers for their services.
In turn, the customers could boost their credit scores with reporting agencies in order to obtain credit cards, loans and other financing again.
Prosecutors claim for several years, the agency, ran by Vanessa and Mario Perez, made more than $322,000 by clearing up the blemished credit reports.
Vanessa Perez started working in the credit repair business in 2009 when she incorporated Credit Doctor & Associates and Networth. Later, the woman opened FSM Group and Consolidated Financial Services with her husband Mario.
The false ID theft claims provided the couple’s clients with an official excuse for their bad credit histories so they could get negative items removed from their reports. The Perezes were paid $1,500 by each of their customers for their services.
In turn, the customers could boost their credit scores with reporting agencies in order to obtain credit cards, loans and other financing again.
Last edited by Braineack; 05-18-2015 at 07:40 AM.
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