A grand jury has indicted Portsmouth, Virginia, police Officer Stephen Rankin on a first-degree murder charge related to the shooting of an unarmed teen in a Walmart parking lot, according to public Virginia court records.

William Chapman, 18, was fatally shot on April 22.

Police responded to a shoplifting call at a Walmart, after which the officer approached Chapman, according to Jon Babineau, an attorney for the teen's family.

There was a struggle between the officer, who has been fired, and Chapman before the shooting, according to a witness.

...

Christian Alexander Pean, a fourth-year medical student in New York City, had been anxiously texting his father in Houston throughout the morning to inquire about his younger brother, Alan Christopher Pean, a patient at St. Joseph Medical Center in Texas. The night before, on August 26, Alan had called his parents to tell them he was in the middle of a panic attack.

...

Frustrated that their concerns were dismissed but assured that their son was in good hands, Alan's parents left to their hotel a few blocks from the hospital. A few hours later, they received a call from St. Joseph Medical Center: Alan was being discharged and was ready to be picked up.

In the short time it took his parents to walk back to the hospital, however, something terrible happened to Alan. His parents were told when they arrived that their son was in the intensive care unit. When Christian heard the news, his mind immediately leaped to horrifying possibilities; as a Black man living in the US, he had been conditioned to fear the worst for himself and his family.

"My dad texts me and says, something happened, he's in the ICU," Christian said. "And one minute after, I asked, did they shoot him? I instantly thought that was what had happened."

Christian's worst fears proved true.

Somehow in the 10 minutes between the call to pick up Alan and his parents' arrival, two off-duty Houston police officers working security at St. Joseph were summoned by hospital staff to help them control Alan, who had allegedly become combative. During the violent encounter, according to the police and the family's legal team, Alan struck the two officers in the head, leaving one of them with a concussion. After using a Taser weapon to subdue Alan, one of the officers unholstered his gun and fired a single bullet into Alan's chest.

Fortunately, the bullet missed all of his vital organs. But the news utterly broke his parents. How, they wondered, could trained medical professionals have sicced armed police on their son, a registered mental health patient in the hospital's care?

It was beyond devastating for Christian, too. But it never surprised him that police came so close to fatally shooting his little brother in a space designed to care for people.

"That's what is sad about it," he told Truthout. "I trusted my brother to the system, and I still inherently had this fear that something like that could happen to him."

...

Three Northern California jail guards have been arrested after an inmate under their watch was found dead of multiple blunt trauma, authorities said Thursday.

Santa Clara County sheriff's spokesman Sgt. James Jensen said the deputies — Rafael Rodriguez, 27, Jereh Lubrin, 28, and Matthew Farris, 27 — remain in custody without bail.
Medical Examiner Dr. Joseph O'Hara said that Michael James Pipkin Tyree, 31, died of multiple blunt force injuries, "visceral lacerations" and internal bleeding.

Santa Clara County Sheriff Laurie Smith, her voice breaking and eyes tearing up, apologized Thursday to Tyree's family and said "the disappointment and disgust I feel cannot be overstated." She was flanked by 18 uniformed officers, and at least another dozen members of her agency in plain clothes attended a news conference.

She said the three officers, who she called "accused murderers," were treated as anyone else as they were handcuffed, booked and locked in protective custody in the same jail where Tyree was killed. They've since been transferred to an unnamed facility for their own protection, she said.

Exactly what happened leading up to Tyree's death remains murky.

Last Thursday, Tyree and other inmates in his jail wing were securely locked in their cells when the beating apparently took place. Smith refused to provide details but said the three officers were conducting a routine clothing search and left the wing.

She said about an hour later one officer re-entered the cell and issued a "man down" call. Tyree, naked and covered in feces and vomit, was declared dead by responding paramedics.

Smith said she apologized directly to two of Tyree's sisters earlier Thursday, and repeated her "profound sorrow" over his death.

Smith said the day after Tyree was declared dead, the guards — who had begun working their regular shift — were removed from duty, stripped of their weapons, uniforms and peace officer status. It took several more days for them to be arrested.
They currently are on unpaid administrative leave, Smith said.

Attorney Paula Canny, representing Tyree's family, commended the sheriff for an "extraordinary" response.

"This could have been dragged out," Canny said.

Canny urged community members to think about "how we, as a system, treat mentally ill people" and said she hopes the district attorney will bring the officers to justice.

...

The Department of Justice (DOJ) announced sweeping new rules Thursday concerning the use of cell-site simulators, often called stingrays, mandating that federal agents must now obtain a warrant in most circumstances.

The policy, which takes effect immediately, applies to its agencies, including the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF), the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the United States Marshals Service, among others.

"Cell-site simulator technology has been instrumental in aiding law enforcement in a broad array of investigations, including kidnappings, fugitive investigations and complicated narcotics cases," Deputy Attorney General Sally Quillian Yates said in a statement. "This new policy ensures our protocols for this technology are consistent, well-managed and respectful of individuals’ privacy and civil liberties."

The move comes after federal agencies, most notably the FBI, have tried to tightly control information about stingrays for years. The FBI and the Harris Corporation, one of the primary manufacturers of the devices, have refused to answer specifics questions from Ars.

Not only can stingrays be used to determine location by spoofing a cell tower, but they can also be used to intercept calls and text messages. Once deployed, the devices intercept data from a target phone as well as information from other phones within the vicinity. For years, federal and local law enforcement have tried to keep their existence a secret while simultaneously upgrading their capabilities. Over the last year, as the devices have come under increased scrutiny, new information about the secretive devices has come to light.

Ars has previously reported that while stingrays have been used at the local level for serious violent crimes, they have also been used to investigate ATM robberies, and 911 hangups.

In 2015, federal authorities have shown a willingness to open up a little about the technology, although the FBI declared in January that it has a right to use the devices in public without a warrant.

...

My name is Serg Gonzalez, I am a former New York City Police Officer.
I say former because I made some mistakes that cost me my job.

There is so much more to my story but I would like to focus on a particular incident that occurred Sept. of last year upon arriving late to sign in to Internal Affairs Bureau.

My supervisor Det. Robert Massey ordered me into a small side room with no windows, he then ordered me to empty my pockets on the table.

When I asked why I was being searched, Det. Massey explained that it was ordered by his supervisor Sgt. Fallon because of lateness and I couldn't leave until I did so.

I emptied my pockets on the table and emptied the contents of my wallet.

Upon reviewing my possessions he told me I was free to leave now and not to tell anyone this happened.

In New York City, It is illegal to search someone for drugs, even if you know they are present.

Even if you go in there pockets and feel the alleged contraband, you cannot pull those out of someones pocket.

you would be surprised how many bags of weed tend to get stuck to someones keys in certain neighborhoods.

You can only search for weapons or hard objects that can be used as weapons.


A month later once again I was late and once again ordered into the small windowless room, only this time I recorded what was to take place.

Sgt. Fallon had ordered I be strip searched for lateness, I was ordered to remove my clothing.

Det. Massey acknowledged that what he was doing is illegal, strip searches are not allowed in the dept.

He creepily insisted it was to teach me a lesson, I refused at first but Det. Massey once again made it clear that I didn't have much of a choice and could not leave until I did what I was told, take my cloths off.

I emptied my pockets on the table, he then ordered me to take my pants and shirt off.

I reluctantly did unbutton my shirt and raised my arms, exposing my chest and back, I pulled my shorts down to the base of my ***** as well as exposing the top region of my buttox, I wasn't wearing underwear and refused to drop them all the way.

Det. Massey then closely inspected, his face within inches of my pubic region and bottox looking for needle ****** or any other ridiculous sign of drug use he knew he wouldn't find.

I remember the look on his face while he did this to me but what reassured me was listening to the recording, he is obviously enjoying this.

We exchanged some words and he let me go after about 15 minutes.

Strip searches are illegal and in the 5 years I was an active police officer and 5 years I spent suspended have never conducted one or seen one happen, I was sexually assaulted.

</p><p>A local constable will be charged with&nbsp;shooting a man outside a Whitehall Township home&nbsp;last year while trying to arrest him for&nbsp;unpaid parking tickets, Lehigh County prosecutors announced Thursday.</p><p>District Attorney Jim Martin said Howard W. Altemos Jr. has been charged with aggravated assault and reckless endangerment, based on a recommendation from the Lehigh County grand jury. The man who was shot and left paralyzed, Kevin McCullers, will also be charged with resisting arrest, Martin said.</p><p>A message left for attorneys representing Altemos, of South Whitehall Township, was not immediately returned.</p><p>The grand jury recommended charging a second constable, 55-year-old Carlos Bernardi, who also opened fire during the July 17, 2014, incident, Martin said.</p><p>Bernardi struck a tire of the car McCullers was driving, and Martin said he declined to charge Bernardi because prosecutors would not be able to prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt.</p><p>&quot;He acted prudently and carefully,&quot; Martin said of Bernardi.</p><p><strong>Constables can only use deadly force if they are in imminent danger of seriously bodily injury or death, Martin said.</strong></p><p>&quot;That ceased to exist at the time Mr. McCullers was shot,&quot; Martin said.</p><p>...</p><p><strong><span style="color:rgb(54, 54, 54)">The 39-year-old McCullers&nbsp;</span>was shot<span style="color:rgb(54, 54, 54)">&nbsp;as he attempted to drive away from the constables, and was left paralyzed after the shooting.</span></strong></p><p id="241">

</p><p>Bombshell revelations from a&nbsp;Russian website&nbsp;that leaked explosive secret audio recordings of a Florida Sheriff have revealed extreme racism and targeting of black citizens. The recordings acknowledge&nbsp;that Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw and his Chief Deputy, Michael Gauger, created&nbsp;a secret investigative unit for the purpose of&nbsp;engaging in illegal investigations&nbsp;of dissidents to find evidence of any crime,&nbsp;to subvert their First Amendment rights.</p><p>During the&nbsp;horrifying audio, &nbsp;Palm Beach County Sheriff&rsquo;s Office Detective Kenneth &ldquo;Mark&rdquo; Lewis begins talking about the city of Riviera Beach, a predominantly black city in Palm Beach County. In explaining why there is so much crime in Riviera Beach, Det. Lewis tells a woman identified only as &ldquo;Jessica&rdquo; that &ldquo;Unfortunately, this city is run by a bunch of dumb blacks.&rdquo;</p><p>The conversation shifts to&nbsp;the treatment of black citizens, and Det. Lewis tells Jessica he pulls over black&nbsp;citizens in new cars because he knows they can&rsquo;t afford to be driving new cars. &ldquo;And,&rdquo; adds Lewis, &ldquo;It&rsquo;s just plain fun.&rdquo;</p><p>Such racially-charged statements are rarely heard directly from Law Enforcement officers, but in this case, Det. lewis was speaking to a romantic interest he met online. An interest<br />that didn&rsquo;t share the same goal; her interest was to catch Det. Lewis admitting to crime and corruption, to which Lewis admitted in droves.</p><p>The numerous criminal activity was originally broken by&nbsp;Gossip Extra, the&nbsp;Palm Beach Post&nbsp;and&nbsp;PINAC&nbsp;before being&nbsp;reported here. This story, however, comes as no surprise&nbsp;Sheriff Ric Bradshaw told drivers to &ldquo;run protesting thugs over,&rdquo; as&nbsp;reported here.</p><p>...</p><p id="171">

</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Bombshell revelations from a&nbsp;Russian website&nbsp;that leaked explosive secret audio recordings of a Florida Sheriff have revealed extreme racism and targeting of black citizens. The recordings acknowledge&nbsp;that Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw and his Chief Deputy, Michael Gauger, created&nbsp;a secret investigative unit for the purpose of&nbsp;engaging in illegal investigations&nbsp;of dissidents to find evidence of any crime,&nbsp;to subvert their First Amendment rights.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>During the&nbsp;horrifying audio, &nbsp;Palm Beach County Sheriff&rsquo;s Office Detective Kenneth &ldquo;Mark&rdquo; Lewis begins talking about the city of Riviera Beach, a predominantly black city in Palm Beach County. In explaining why there is so much crime in Riviera Beach, Det. Lewis tells a woman identified only as &ldquo;Jessica&rdquo; that &ldquo;Unfortunately, this city is run by a bunch of dumb blacks.&rdquo;</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>The conversation shifts to&nbsp;the treatment of black citizens, and Det. Lewis tells Jessica he pulls over black&nbsp;citizens in new cars because he knows they can&rsquo;t afford to be driving new cars. &ldquo;And,&rdquo; adds Lewis, &ldquo;It&rsquo;s just plain fun.&rdquo;</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Such racially-charged statements are rarely heard directly from Law Enforcement officers, but in this case, Det. lewis was speaking to a romantic interest he met online. An interest<br /><br />that didn&rsquo;t share the same goal; her interest was to catch Det. Lewis admitting to crime and corruption, to which Lewis admitted in droves.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>The numerous criminal activity was originally broken by&nbsp;Gossip Extra, the&nbsp;Palm Beach Post&nbsp;and&nbsp;PINAC&nbsp;before being&nbsp;reported here. This story, however, comes as no surprise&nbsp;Sheriff Ric Bradshaw told drivers to &ldquo;run protesting thugs over,&rdquo; as&nbsp;reported here.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>...

This entire ordeal was over a tinted license plate cover that can be purchased at auto parts stores throughout the state of Florida.

According to Florida Statute 316.605(1),

“…all letters, numerals, printing, writing, and other identification marks upon the plates regarding the word “Florida,” the registration decal, and the alphanumeric designation shall be clear and distinct and free from defacement, mutilation, grease, and other obscuring matter, so that they will be plainly visible and legible at all times 100 feet from the rear or front.”

Despite the low quality of the video, we can see on the officer’s own dashcam that Vargas’ plate was legible.

The precedent set after failing to hold Fitzpatrick accountable is that police can initiate violence against citizens for no reason, even innocent mothers, in front of their children, and this is “following procedure.”

The chief of police in Clatskanie, Oregon was suspended in August after officers said that he compared black people to monkeys. The city council then allowed the chief to resign from his job without ever addressing the charges of on-duty racism.

KOIN Channel 6 reported that Police Chief Marvin Hoover was placed on paid leave in early August after two officers claimed that Hoover made offensive, racist statements that shocked them.

Court documents say that Hoover “made monkey sounds and moved around the room with his hands under his armpits in an offensive manner” during a discussion about the arrest of a black city resident.

“As Chief Hoover was comparing African-Americans to monkeys, I began to become extremely uncomfortable,” Officer D. Alex Stone said in the complaint. “I have never been in a work environment where a manager, especially an executive officer, is openly racist.”

Stone said of a woman he arrested, “I relayed several of the arrestee’s remarks such as, ‘When you look at me, my black skin and my nappy hair, all you see is an animal,’” said Officer Stone in the incident report. “Chief Hoover interrupted me and said ‘That’s what she is.’”

Since filing his complaint, Stone said that he and his wife have been harassed by other officers eager to protect Hoover.

“I’ve already faced a lot of retaliation, my wife’s been forced off the road twice,” Stone said. “I’ve had people in the community yelling the N-word at me.”

Clatskanie resident Aimee Driskill said that she is appalled by the city’s kid-gloves treatment of Hoover.

“It feels disgusting to be honest with you,” Driskill said. “The reason why I am really affected by this is because I have seen my father being mistreated by police officers.”