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A Taos man claims he was falsely imprisoned and is suing several New Mexico State Police officers as well as the county jail after spending 31 days behind bars before seeing a judge.

Anthony Vargas, 51, was arrested June 26 on a warrant charging him with trafficking a controlled substance and possession of a controlled substance.

The Ranchitos Road resident’s saga began one day earlier when he was riding in a vehicle stopped by state police officers on State Road 522 near the Old Blinking Light.

State police officers cited the driver for an improper turn and spoke with both men about their activities that evening.

The officers also reportedly asked and received permission to search the vehicle. Officer Alexander Bennett reported finding three small bags in the glovebox, each containing what he suspected to be cocaine.

Both Vargas and the vehicle’s driver denied knowing anything about the bags. The vehicle’s driver was arrested on charges of possession of a controlled substance and trafficking a controlled substance while Vargas, the passenger, was released, according to court records.

But Bennett obtained a warrant for Vargas’ arrest the following day, charging him with the same offenses.

Vargas was arrested June 26 and booked into the Taos County Adult Detention Center.

A criminal complaint — a sworn statement containing the facts, the common name of the offense charged, and statutes — was not filed until July 27.

Vargas was not taken to see a judge until that day.

But New Mexico law states a defendant must be arraigned no later than four days after an arrest on new charges.

“Because a criminal complaint was not filed, Anthony Vargas spent 31 days in jail without being arraigned, without a preliminary hearing and without being charged,” attorney Alan Maestas said in a civil complaint filed Sept. 17.

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The lawsuit filed on Vargas’ behalf names Officers Bennett and David Saiz, who was training him, as well as their supervisor, Lt. Edwardo Martinez. The lawsuit also names the Taos County Adult Detention Center, which Vargas’ lawyer claims was negligent in protecting him.

In six counts, the lawsuit alleges false imprisonment and unlawful seizure, personal and bodily injury by the jail, violation of due process, negligent supervision by the state police, unlawful seizure and malicious prosecution.

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Police may have threatened to call child protective services if a Lansing woman didn’t answer questions without her attorney present shortly after a drug raid in July in Lansing’s north side, according to court records.

Victoria Roe, 25, was at home with her 14-month-old child when police, acting on a search warrant, made a forced entry. Police found about 1,444 grams of cocaine, $6,960, four handguns and scales that tested positive for cocaine residue during the raid, according to testimony. The street value of 1,400 grams of cocaine is between $140,000 and $210,000. The price varies on the quantity sold.

Roe’s remarks to police cannot be used in her prosecution, 54A District Court Judge Hugh Clarke ruled Thursday. But he also ordered her and her co-defendant, Donald Hicks Jr., bound over to trial in Ingham County Circuit Court on drug and weapons charges and denied a defense motion to suppress evidence found during the search.

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After reviewing the incident, the Hammond family’s attorney, Eric Bland, asserted that Hammond was shifting his car into park when someone shouted that Hammond had a gun. According to an affidavit signed by Morton, Hammond’s vehicle did not begin moving until after Tiller’s bullets tore into his body. Although Chief Covington insisted that Hammond was not shot from behind, an autopsy report conducted by medical examiner James Fulcher, M.D., revealed that two bullets struck Hammond in the back of his left shoulder and his left side.

Last month, a witness came forward who reportedly saw an officer planting evidence beneath Hammond’s body after the shooting. In a letter to the FBI, the witness also recalled seeing Seneca police officers lifting the teen’s dead hand and high-fiving Hammond after the incident.

After repeatedly begging investigators and prosecutors to release the footage of their son’s death, Hammond’s parents previously filed a plea with the state Supreme Court requesting state Attorney General Alan Wilson to take over the case. The pleading argues that 10th Circuit Solicitor Chrissy Adams is a potentially biased prosecutor due to the fact that she routinely works with the Seneca Police Department. While refusing to file criminal charges against Tiller, Adams continues to suppress the audio and dash cam footage that could possibly exonerate their deceased son.

On Monday, the family’s attorney filed a federal lawsuit against the Seneca Police Department, Chief Covington, and Lt. Tiller in order to subpoena the dash cam videos and police depositions. After suppressing the footage for over two months, Adams appears complicit in a possible police cover-up where witnesses and autopsy reports dispute the officer’s account.

By releasing the videos to Hammond’s family, Adams could either prove Tiller’s innocence or implicate him in their son’s murder. Her decision to withhold the footage does not bode well for Tiller’s defense.

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A Black teenager was pepper-sprayed by police in his North Carolina home after he was mistaken for a burglar.

Ricky and Stacy Tyler are outraged that their foster son, 18-year-old DeShawn Currie, was treated like a criminal after a neighbor called the authorities on the teen, accusing him of breaking into the Tylers' home, which they had just moved into in July.

The Tylers said that while they are still getting to know their neighbors, they were hurt that they would assume their son was a burglar. They also have three other young children.

The teen’s mother left the side door to their home unlocked so that he could get in after getting off from school early. But to Currie's surprise, three officers walked into the house.

"They was like, 'Put your hands on the door,'" the teen told ABC-WTVD. "I was like, 'For what? This is my house.' I was like, 'Why are y'all in here?'"

Currie said the officers pointed out pictures of the Tylers’ three younger children--who are white--on the mantle, assuming he was not a part of the family and didn't belong there. An argument reportedly ensued and the teen said one of the officers pepper-sprayed him in the face.

After a year of living with the Tylers, the teen says he’s comfortable with his new-found family, but that the recent incident is unsettling.

"I had moved into my room, and I'm feeling like I'm loved. And then when they come in and they just profile me and say that I'm not who I am. And that I do not stay here because there was white kids on the wall, that really made me mad,” he said.

The officers accused Currie of being threatening and belligerent, and argued that they pepper-sprayed him because he would not follow the their instructions. In a statement, the department also point out that the neighborhood had recently experienced criminal activity.

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Their two nephews were the targets of the raid and were arrested at the home, but police charged only one of them with drug crimes. He eventually pleaded guilty to a single charge: possession of drug paraphernalia.

In the lawsuit’s narrative, members of the DSP’s Special Operations Response Team entered a bedroom to find Lisa Hayes on a bed and Ruther Hayes cleaning her with a sponge bath. Lisa Hayes’s wheelchair was in the room; five other family members in the home had already told officers that Lisa Hayes could not move her legs.

But with weapons pointed at Lisa Hayes, the police officers used profanity and “shouted at her to do that which she could not: stand up,” the lawsuit says.

When Ruther Hayes tried to cover her with a sheet, the lawsuit says, officers pushed him down, punched him repeatedly and hit him twice with a stun gun. After the raid, Ruther Hayes was detained and charged with resisting arrest. The charges were later dropped.

Cerebral palsy makes speaking difficult and means Lisa Hayes relies on a wheelchair. In an interview, she said the raid made her fearful of even entering her mother’s home, where the raid took place.

“I feel not only degraded, humiliated; I feel like they didn’t treat me as a human being,” Hayes said Sunday. “I relive that day when they came in on me and them yelling at me to get up when they knew that I couldn’t get up.”

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Joshua Lyne, of Des Moines, was trying to protect his home when he fired six rounds into the shadows where he thought a burglar was crouched along his garage in the 300 block of East Diehl Avenue at 12:22 a.m. Tuesday.

In police reports, Des Moines officers say they responded to reports of a possible burglary and shots fired when they came in contact with Lyne.

Police say Lyne told the officers that he grabbed his .44 caliber handgun after his wife woke him up saying she had heard a noise outside.

Lyne said he stood at his backdoor, staring at what he thought was a person standing in the darkness near his garage, police say, before yelling to the figure that he was “legal” – an allusion to the fact that he was licensed to carry a firearm.

Police reports say Lyne claims that the figure took off and he fired six rounds – but wasn’t sure if he hit the person.

In response to the gun owner exercising his right to protect his property, the officers reportedly seized Lyne’s handgun – which was in his front shorts pocket – and confiscated his state permit to carry weapons.

Police say the firearm had one bullet loaded in the chamber and seven left in the magazine. They cited Lyne with a misdemeanor charge of “discharging a firearm in city limits.”

Castle Doctrine is part of American common law derived from the English system. Under English law, a man’s home was his castle. In the home and on ones own property, under British rule and in present-day America, individual rights are supposed to be ‘nonnegotiable.’

Iowa does not currently have a castle law under the modern political definition of the castle doctrine, which usually refers to “stand your ground” laws. Current law does however, protect citizens by not requiring retreat from aggressors within their home or place of business.

The law provides civil immunity to persons who injure aggressors in defense of themselves, but does not provide civil immunity to persons who injure aggressors in defense of another.

The incident serves to illustrate the reality of diminishing civil-liberties in the United States and comes on the heels of multiple recent incidents in which individuals have been criminally charged for defending against intruders.

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A Brazilian referee is undergoing psychological evaluation after pulling out a gun while officiating a soccer match in the city of Brumadinho last weekend.

Gabriel Murta, the referee who is being questioned, pulled a handgun out after players from the Amantes de Bola team allegedly slapped and kicked him for not issuing a red card to the opposing team.

Murta reportedly went to the locker room to retrieve the weapon, returning it to the field and waving it around. Giuliano Bozzano of the Referees’ Association says Murta felt “threatened,” and used the gun in self defense.

Murta, who also serves as a police officer, potentially faces a lifetime ban from the league and will undergo psychological evaluation on Tuesday for the shocking incident.

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At 1:20 PM, a younger white male operating a dark sedan stopped on Erial Road and captured photos of the front of the school with a phone. The vehicle appears to have a missing front driver’s side hubcap.

At 1:30 PM, an older white male operating a small red vehicle, possibly a Ford, drove onto the property and circled the rear lot. The vehicle then drives onto the front lot, the male driver exited the vehicle, and appears to be capturing several photos of the school. An unknown passenger was also observed inside the red vehicle.

If you have any information or can identify the vehicles or the occupants, contact the Gloucester Township Police Department’s main number at 856-228-4500, or call our GTPD Anonymous Crime Tip Line: 856-842-5560.

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A Missouri woman sued the small-town mayor she says sent police and other city employees to harass her after she began regularly flipping him off.

Tina Warren filed a federal lawsuit last week against Bill Kirkpatrick, the mayor of Piedmont, accusing the elected official of retaliating against her for her one-finger political expression, reported the Riverfront Times.

The mayor directed city workers to remove Warren’s water meter and ordered Piedmont police to pull her over and order her to stop a petition drive against rising water bills, the suit claims.

Kirkpatrick also persuaded Wayne County Sheriff Dean Finch, two deputies and a state police narcotics officer to search her home three weeks ago for drugs, according to the suit.

That search turned up no evidence of illegal drugs.

Warren began “expressing her disgust” with the mayor after her water service went out for six days in April 2014, and she stopped to question city workers.

She claims Kirkpatrick told her to get back in her car and “go down the f*cking road,” so she began flipping off the mayor each time she encountered him.

Warren said city workers removed her water meter July 7, and she went to City Hall to ask why.

“You flipped us off,” a city employer says in a video she recorded of the encounter.

Workers agreed to replace the meter after a police officer intervened and Warren assured them she was flipping off the mayor, not maintenance workers.

City officials declined to comment on the lawsuit, filed Sept. 24 by the American Civil Liberties Union, but the city attorney denied Kirkpatrick would order workers to tamper with the water meter.

The city attorney said Warren should direct her anger at developers who improperly installed water lines, and he suggested the woman was frustrated because her protest had failed to stop water costs from increasing.

The ACLU, however, said Warren was being punished for her political expression — which attorneys argued was protected under the First Amendment.

“The mayor and police cannot use their power to intimidate individuals who communicate in ways that some may find offensive,” said Tony Rothert, legal director of the ACLU of Missouri.

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The controversial cop who said he was thrown in a psych ward for blowing the whistle on a quota system in the NYPD settled his case Tuesday for $600,000.

Adrian Schoolcraft had sued the city for a whopping $50 million in 2010 for his alleged unlawful detention at Jamaica Hospital.

He said his brothers in blue waged a campaign of harassment against him after he blew the whistle on cops using arrest quotas and fudging crime stats at the 81st Precinct covering Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn.

Schoolcraft’s claims against the hospital and two doctors still stand.

The case is to go to trial in Oct. 19, though that schedule could change in light of the deal.

The settlement includes backpay and benefits from Oct. 31, 2009 — the date Schoolcraft was hauled to Jamaica Hospital — through the end of 2015, filings show.

A source said the backpay and benefits will make Schoolcraft's settlement in excess of $1 million and that it’s highly likely he will retire from the force.

He remains suspended without pay.

Schoolcraft had said his own brothers in blue barged into his Queens home and declared him an emotionally disturbed person on Halloween 2009 because he’d blew the whistle.

The alleged architect of his detention was Stephen Mauriello, his commanding officer at the 81st Precinct who is now a deputy inspector.

Mauriello’s attorney Walter Kretz his client wasn’t happy about the settlement because he wanted the whole story to be told at trial. Schoolcraft secretly recorded Mauriello discussing crime stats.

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Several videos have recently emerged depicting an off-duty cop attacking innocent people and threatening them with a loaded gun in their faces. Instead of waiting for his fellow officers to locate the suspect, this rogue cop began assaulting innocent residents while refusing to even show his badge.

On September 24, surveillance video captured an off-duty cop approaching a small group of men and immediately hitting one of them in the head with the butt of his gun. As the innocent 20-year-old man drops to the ground with his hands up in the air, the enraged officer kicks him before turning around and walking away.

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Moments after beating down the wrong person, the cop was caught on cellphone video crossing the street and detaining another innocent bystander at gunpoint. As the second unarmed man sat on the curb with his hands up, the officer turned to someone off-screen and demanded, “Who the fuck is it?”

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As bystanders repeatedly ask the off-duty officer to show his badge, the cop ignores them while pointing his gun at the compliant young man on the curb. After a woman arrives to apparently stop the officer, he immediately begins chasing down another unarmed person. The witness recording the incident follows the cop repeating, “I’m recording him.”

“Aw, shut up,” the cop responds.




“Yeah. You going to jail,” the cameraman replies. “You didn’t show no badge!”

The video ends with the officer attempting to grab a third unarmed victim by the throat.

“He was saying, ‘I just want to know who fought with my son, who stabbed my son,'” a witness told ABC7. “He was just going crazy.”

According to witnesses, the off-duty cop’s son had been stabbed in a fight earlier that night a few blocks away. Instead of allowing his fellow officers to investigate the incident, the unidentified cop went rogue attacking anyone standing outside while aiming a gun in their faces.

The 20-year-old man seen being kicked on camera has retained an attorney and plans on filing a complaint with the prosecutor’s office and with federal agents. According to police, the officer in the videos remains on active duty.

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altimore police officer shot and wounded a man after he reached into his pocket to show the chapstick he was carrying.

John Rau was with his brother Monday night when he was stopped by police Major Byron Conaway, although the police department has not said why, reported WJZ-TV.

“All the guy said was, ‘What’s your name, sir?’ and I was like, ‘For what?’ and then he jumped out of the car with his gun and told me to put my hands up,” Rau said. “(The officer asked), ‘What you got in your hand?’ I had a cigarette in one hand, and I just put my hand in my pocket, because I was just putting chapstick on, and I said 10 times, ‘It’s chapstick, only chapstick, officer.”

Witnesses said the officer, who is black, shot the 40-year-old Rau, who is white, in the thigh when he reached into his pocket.

“You see the man walking across the street, the truck pulled right in front of him, pulled past him,” said a witness who did not want to be identified. “He jumped out the car, said, ‘Get on the ground.’ The man kept continuing walking. The police ran around the car with a gun in his hand and shot him. Nothing else was said, just ‘Get on the ground.'”

Ronald Birmingham, Rau’s brother, said Conaway threatened to shoot him, too, when he tried to assist his wounded brother.

“The officer clearly stated to me, ‘I got a bullet for you too,’” Birmingham said. “I said, ‘My brother’s bleeding,’ (but) he said, ‘Back up,’ and he kept pointing the gun and me and pointed the gun at my brother.”

Rau, who was not carrying a weapon, was hospitalized and is expected to recover from his wounds.

“If I wouldn’t have moved, I’d have been Freddie Gray — I’d be dead,” Rau said.

Police said the officer immediately rendered aid and applied a tourniquet, but Rau’s family angrily disputes their claims.

Dianna Warren, Rau’s sister, said Conaway stood over her wounded brother and held him at gunpoint until an ambulance arrived.

“He missed my brother’s artery by so much over that,” Birmingham said, holding up his brother’s chapstick. “There’s no way you can mistake this for a weapon.”

Rau had been on his way to meet Warren’s teenage son to walk the boy home from art class.

“How do you explain that to a 13-year-old?” Warren said. “He’s asking me, ‘If police stop me, should I run?’ I don’t want my child to run, but…”

Conaway, a 16-year veteran, was placed on administrative leave and has 10 days to make a statement to investigators.

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The newspaper also obtained police reports from Hopewell Township Police under the state’s Open Public Records Act showing Hearns had been arrested three times on charges of simple assault and marijuana possession for fighting and bringing drugs to school prior to his near-fatal encounter with officers on Louise Lane near Calhoun Street.

Avilucea recorded the conversation with the AG’s investigators and informed them he was unwilling to cooperate with their investigation when the detectives asked to meet with him.

“I’m protected under New Jersey shield law as a journalist, and I’m not going to reveal my source on that,” Avilucea told the investigators, according to the recording.

Stemmer responded that he wanted to see if Avilucea was “interested in cooperating. If anything changes, you can give us a shout back.”

The newspaper has refused to identify its source on the mugshots despite pressure from investigators.

Last week, the newspaper learned from multiple sources the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office, responding to demands from the American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey and civil rights activists, had launched an investigation into the police leaks. The newspaper is aware that investigators visited at least one Mercer County law enforcement agency. It is believed those investigators seized computers as part of the probe.

Mercer County Acting Prosecutor Angelo Onofri previously told The Trentonian he was troubled about whoever provided the police records to The Trentonian.

Activists banded together at a news conference outside of the newspaper’s Perry Street office, demanding Mercer County police agencies investigate the source of the police leaks.

They sent letters to the heads of seven county law enforcement agencies demanding action be taken against the officer or officers who leaked the information.

Trenton Police Lt. Stephen Varn confirmed last week his department received the letter and had opened an internal affairs investigation.

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Mashpee police are investigating allegations that schools Superintendent Brian Hyde entered a house uninvited Tuesday morning to look for proof a teen trying to re-enroll at Mashpee High School lived at the address.

“I felt so helpless, harassed and violated,” said Marilyn King, who said Hyde went through her daughter’s things on the second floor of the family’s newly purchased house on Windsor Way while a police officer sat in a car outside.

“I was so upset. I said, 'We’re not doing anything wrong,'” said King, who said her daughter Isabel, 17, was sent home from high school crying shortly afterward.
“Who would do that to a student?” she asked.

“It was awful,” said Malee Tratt, of Plymouth, an independent nurse contractor who happened to be at the house on an insurance assignment.

She said Hyde, who arrived in a black Suburban accompanied by the police car, “just walked right past the grandmother” who opened the door and headed upstairs to the bedroom that King said belonged to her daughter.

Tratt said she could hear Hyde opening and closing drawers. “I’ve never seen a school go to this length because a child is in school,” she said.

Mashpee Police Chief Scott Carline said School Resource Officer William Cuozzo also went to the house at Hyde’s request but was in his car when Hyde entered the house.

“I don’t have a criminal complaint yet, although I do anticipate one,” Carline said. “We’ll do a full and thorough investigation as to what happened.”

King said she has been trying since late May to re-enroll her daughter at the high school.

King said Isabel had attended school in Mashpee since the fourth grade but left in November after King got divorced and the two of them moved to Florida.

Isabel said she finished her junior year at Okeechobee High School and hoped to re-enroll at Mashpee High School as a senior.

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The teen went to the school that day and printed out proof of the house sale from the Barnstable County Registry of Deeds website, King said.

King said her buyer’s agent also called the school to confirm the closing, and Town Clerk Deborah Dami spoke to school officials as well.

On Monday, Isabel went to Mashpee High to deal with school records and course placement, said King, a home-health worker originally from the Philippines whose first language is Tagalog.

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A high school guidance counselor then called and arranged a meeting for this morning, King said. “I said, 'I’ll be there.'”

Right after she hung up she saw Hyde walking up to her house. He looked “like a detective,” King said.

Hyde said, “‘I need to see if she lives here. I need to see where is her bedroom. And I want to see the clothes,’” King said. “And he went upstairs. I was shocked. I was dumbfounded.”

All Hyde found was a set of drawers and grocery and beach bags full of clothing because Isabel’s bedroom has not been set up yet, King said. She said Isabel and her grandmother are temporarily sharing a room downstairs with her.

After looking around upstairs, Hyde went out to get the police officer, whom King said she allowed into the house.

Hyde announced that Isabel would be sent home because he was not persuaded she lived there, said King, who believes Hyde is being vindictive because she spoke to a reporter.

But Hyde, who refused to answer a reporter’s questions on the phone or in person Tuesday, said by email that it was school policy for every new student to receive a home visit.

“The purpose is not just to verify residency but to meet our new parents/guardians,” he said.

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A subsequent search of the vehicle uncovered two small bags of marijuana, 3 scales, a water bong, and a loaded handgun under the drivers seat. The juvenile female was cited for OVI with other criminal charges pending in juvenile court.

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From: MILLIGAN, Clive Date: Mon, Sep 28, 2015 at 5:04 PMSubject: training videos for policeTo: “brett@brettsanders.me”
Hi Brett,We watched with interest your videos on law enforcement and the filming of/by police. Although we are different in some regards up here in Canada, we have been recently training our patrol officers (1400 member agency) on this current trending topic. We have titled it “Cops on Camera, How to Win on the Street and in front of Judge YouTube”!In essence we remind officers that they are operating in a public venue as public servants therefore they should allow the public to observe and film them in their duties. As long as the citizen doesn’t interfere or obstruct them in their performance of the task, then it is welcomed. Our lesson plan contains relevant rules of law (relating Canadian and U.S. examples) in relation to the Constitutional/Charter of Rights arena.
We also use YouTube videos of police interactions (both positive and negative for examples of each). We provide officers with verbal responses when faced with a person filming and/or challenging authority. The strips phrases encourage positive relations and may actually help if there is evidentiary value to the video. All in all the presentation is only about 45 minutes but we feel it is valuable and will assist in public safety and confidence in the police.

Would it be possible to reference your site in the lesson plan to accentuate our position? If not, no worries! I have found some excellent videos of positive interactions (White Plains trio) that we show to have officers model. Can you send me a link to anymore (good and bad)?

Thanks!
Best regards,

Clive

“Training officers for their day”
Clive Milligan, Sgt. 1395
Control Tactics Coordinator
Officer Safety Training Team
Vancouver Police Department
British Columbia Canada

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Except it has to go through a grand jury first, where this video won't be shown, and it will expressed that the officer had just apprehended a dangerous and resisting thief and used the necessary use-of-force within policy.

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This article is silly at best.

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they had probable cause, that's all they needed.

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they had probable cause...

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except they had probable cause to search him.

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The police has a reasonable suspicion the old man committed a crime, so they could stop and detain him. Then they had pretty good probable cause to search his person to find evidence of a crime. It wouldn't be unreasonable here to search him, even if he said no.

Now, when you say they could seize the cameraman's camera, or you talking about the guy who recorded this video? Because there's a HUGE difference between evidence of a crime and evidence used in commission of a crime.

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you completely agree the 13th amendment says "except the gov't"?

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what happened to the day when you could just be pulled over for being in violation of the law, take your ticket, and just try to fight it in court?

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I personally don't want people hanging air fresheners, or handicap placards, or nav systems in their windows blocking their views--especially in this state where I live.

This is not absurd whatsoever. One of the actually legitimate functions of our police force is to make sure your vehicle is safe to drive--obstructions of your view is not safe.

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Except people get pulled over for them all the time. Black, white, yellow, red. Doesn't matter.

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it is a ticketable offense.
that's like saying using gun specifically designed to kill someone is not murder.
It doesn't mean this cop wasn't using it as an excuse to gain RAS, and then hopefully find drugs, a stolen car, etc.

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How about you keep calm and not resort to violence? what does that solve? honestly. Do you think running around killing cops will make the current situation better or worse?

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agreed. This shouldn't have been posted here, and if anyone thinks this video represents brutality, they are morans.

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this video is stupid on all levels.

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A Florida police officer and sergeant were fired after a man who was arrested for skipping out on a $60 bar tab was kneed so hard it ruptured his spleen. He was then left screaming in pain a cell for two hours, the Orlando Sentinel reports.

Robert Liese, 41, was drunk when he was arrested last year. The handcuffed man broke some glass on a cell door when he banged his head into it. In response, Orlando Police officer Peter Delio reportedly entered his cell and kneed him in the side so hard that it ruptured his spleen. He was then left alone, lying on the ground with his hands and feet bound. He cried out for help 35 times over the course of two hours, but the officers ignored him. Because of this, Delio and Sgt. William Faulkner were fired Wednesday.

Liese is suing the city and Delio is facing criminal battery charges.

“I think it’s something they should have been doing a long time ago,” his attorney, William Ruffier told the Sentinel about the firing. “If they had done that a long time ago and said ‘this is not acceptable behavior’ then they wouldn’t be having the problems they are now having.”

During an internal affairs investigation, Delio said he heard noise coming from Liese’s cell but said he didn’t know it was Liese — though Liese was the only one in the cell. After kneeing him, Delio bound his feet together

“While on the ground, Liese can be heard and seen through the audio/video writhing in pain crying out for medical attention 35 times over the next 1 hour and 50 minutes,” wrote Deputy Chief Robert Anzueto in Delio’s termination letter, which was obtained by the Sentinel. “The conduct outlined in the investigation cannot be tolerated by an employee of the Orlando Police Department and undermines the employee’s credibility as a law enforcement officer.”

Faulkner was fired after he told internal affairs investigators Liese said he didn’t need medical help, though video clearly shows he was begging for it while the officers ignored him.

Liese was taken to a hospital when paramedics were finally called and received emergency surgery for his ruptured spleen, the Sentinel reports. He pleaded no contest to minor crimes including resisting arrest without violence and defrauding an innkeeper. His lawsuit against the police department is pending.

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A police officer in East Tennessee was suspended for three days for refusing to shoot a skunk that had bitten a child.

The Kingsport Times-News reports that Mount Carmel police Officer David Dean violated department policy July 27 when he gave his service weapon to fire Chief Ryan Christian, who killed the skunk so it could be tested for rabies.

Dean, Christian and animal control officer Eddie Seabolt responded to a report of a 6-year-old child who was bitten by the animal. Seabolt says it was Dean's responsibility to kill the skunk. Mount Carmel prohibits animal control officers from euthanizing animals.

In a written statement, Dean said he told Seabolt it's difficult for him to shoot animals unless they're trying to eat him.

The skunk didn't test positive for rabies.

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A Deptford police officer on trial for the shooting death of his friend has been found guilty of murder and aggravated manslaughter, a jury announced this afternoon.

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The Jan. 5, 2013, shooting followed a night of drinking in which James Stuart, now 31, consumed as many as 8 to 10 alcoholic beverages, according to testimony. He had a BAC of .14 when Deptford officers drove him to the hospital for a blood test.

Stuart claimed that he did not know the gun was loaded, saying he had made the pistol safe to show it to his friend earlier that night.

After Compton died on Jan. 11, 2013, Stuart was charged with murder, manslaughter and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose.

The jury spent hours reviewing Stuart's testimony about what happened as the two watched a movie at Stuart's home.

While the two watched "Dredd," Compton asked the police officer to show him his gun, Stuart testified. The two began dry firing the weapon at Stuart's television.

At some point when Stuart was either asleep or out of the room, he said, Compton loaded and unloaded his Glock 27, inadvertently leaving a live round in the chamber of the pistol.

Stuart claims that he woke up shortly afterward and aimed the gun at the TV. It was a few minutes before 5 a.m. Just when Stuart was about to pull the trigger, he heard Compton begin to speak.

"I started to pull back the trigger and I heard Dave start to speak," Stuart testified. "When I turned to look at him, I guess my hand turned with me. I heard a loud boom."

Upon realizing what had happened, Stuart said, he moved the pistol, along with his police service weapon and an antique revolver that he had been showing to Compton, to his bedroom in order to clear the room for paramedics.

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A chaotic exchange involving more than a dozen Richmond police officers and Virginia Union University student Maurice Neblett left him bruised, swollen and shaken last year, according to a $2.3 million civil suit filed last week.

Neblett was falling asleep in bed around 10:30 p.m. on Feb. 14, 2014, when officers in pursuit of marijuana kicked in his door with a warrant listing a non-existent address, the suit states.

The officers placed Neblett in a chokehold, the account continues, and “proceeded to strike the plaintiff with their fists, feet, knees and blunt instruments which included, among interest and belief, the butt of a handgun.”

Richmond police spokesman Gene Lepley declined an interview request, citing department policy against commenting on pending legal matters.

Neblett at the time lived at 531 W. Bacon St., building two, apartment 2120; the warrant was secured for 601 W. Bacon St., building two, apartment 2120, the suit states.

An officer obtained the search warrant after saying he had smelled marijuana in the area. The officer said he spent about a month watching the home, said Jonathan Arthur of the firm Thomas H. Roberts & Associates, who is representing Neblett.

“After a 30-day investigation I would expect that they would get the address correct,” Arthur said.

No marijuana was seized from the home, although police did take a lawfully purchased and legally registered firearm, he said.

After what Neblett described as five to six minutes of pummeling, an officer with a shaved head and scar underneath his eye whispered in Neblett’s ear, ‘Who has the most power, us, or the Bloods?’ the suit states.

He then told Neblett, “We should have done this to your brother but it does not matter because he will be gone for a very long time. You will too,” according to the complaint.
Neblett says that he is not and has never been affiliated with the street gang. Now 25, he is pursuing criminal justice studies at VUU. He had applied to the Richmond Sheriff’s Office before the incident, Arthur said.

Neblett asked the officers to take him to VCU Medical Center for treatment after the incident.

“He suffered substantial bruising and swelling,” Arthur said. “We have reason to believe he was violently beaten.”

After making the request, Neblett said he overheard an officer ask his subordinates who wanted to be an “assaultee.” Neblett was charged with the felony assault of two officers.

Those charges were dismissed within a month of his arrest, but his lease was terminated and he was barred from the apartment complex following the incident.

In the ensuing months Neblett says he has suffered from anxiety, post-traumatic stress, loss of sleep and a “profound and insurmountable loss of trust in the state, the city and their law enforcement officials,” the suit states.

The seven-count complaint includes allegations of negligence; malicious prosecution; assault; battery; false imprisonment; and unlawful search.

Arthur said he has obtained limited information about the incident by filing open records requests with the department. He hopes more details will emerge in court.

“I think people absolutely have a right to know what’s being done in their name behind closed doors over a plant,” Arthur said.

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A Federal judge won’t stop an Alabama school district from punishing students with pepper spray for minor offenses, but he ordered school resource officers to come up with a new policy for using the nonlethal devices.

U.S. District Court Judge Abdul Kallon ruled Wednesday that six Birmingham students sprayed by SROs with Freeze+P during fights were entitled to a total of $40,000 in excessive force claims, reported AL.com.

The Southern Poverty Law Center — which filed a federal lawsuit five years ago against the school district, the police chief and six SROs — claimed police used chemical irritant 110 times on 300 students, most of whom were black.

More than 1,200 other students in the predominantly black school district were also exposed to pepper spray during those incidents, the SLPC reported.

The judge said he was “profoundly disturbed” by testimony in the case, saying the SROs named in the lawsuit “uniformly displayed a cavalier attitude toward the use of Freeze +P—in a display of both poor taste and judgment.”

“One defendant joked that Freeze +P is a potent nasal decongestant for individuals with sinus problems,” Kallon found.

Testimony revealed that SROs used chemical irritant against students who talked back or challenged their authority.

Kallon said officers left him with the impression that they didn’t believe spraying teens with pepper spray was “a big deal” — even though their own expert’s testimony showed Freeze+P causes “severe pain.”

However, the judge refused SPLC’s request to temporarily stop the use of pepper spray in Birmingham City Schools and instead gave police six weeks to develop new training and policies on its use.

Kallon rejected the SLPC request because the civil rights group had conceded there were some scenarios where the use of Freeze+P could be justified in school.

Police argued that pepper spray was a less harmful option for subduing unruly students, but they argued the department already had adequate training and policies governing its use.

The judge said Birmingham Police Chief A.C. Roper should remind SROs that enforcing school discipline is not part of their job description, and he said the chief should train his offices that pepper spray is “not suited for general crowd control.”

Kallon also set guidelines for assisting students and bystanders blasted with pepper spray.

SROs must allow students to wash themselves off at a shower or sink once they have been subdued, and police must keep sweatsuits in various sizes at schools so students may change clothing, if necessary.

Those sweatsuits must be replaced by the end of the week, if they are used, and students must be given sealable bags to take home their contaminated clothes, the judge ordered.


Police disagreed with the court’s findings and were considering how to respond.

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The Georgia State Patrol fired a trooper involved in a violent crash that killed two teenagers.

Channel 2 investigative reporter Aaron Diamant confirmed the agency already disciplined the trooper in two previous crashes.

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Six days after the crash that took their lives, we learned it's not the first time Trooper Anthony Scott, a 26-year-old former U.S. Marine, has been disciplined.

Authorities say Scott was driving 90 mph in a 55 mph zone on Georgia Highway 1 in Carroll County last Saturday just seconds before his cruiser struck and killed two teenagers in a small Nissan. GSP said Scott's crusier hit the car going about 65 mph.

"It's horrible, and it's horrible for the parents to lose their girls. You know, they're so young," student Anna Peardon said.

Chinchilla and Lindsey died in the crash that also sent two teenage boys to the hospital.

Even though the Nissan turned in front of the cruiser, GSP said Scott's lights and sirens were not on and he was not heading to an emergency call.

"He's crushed. He's devastated. He regrets the action he took that night," said Capt. Mark Perry with the Georgia State Patrol.

Still, GSP fired Scott Friday.

Meantime, Diamant confirmed Scott, who joined GSP in 2011, had been disciplined for two prior crashes.

"Both of them the contributing factor was misjudged clearance, nothing to do with speed or reckless driving, but he did receive a verbal warning for the first, a letter of instruction for the second, and then this is his third," Perry said.

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The California Highway Patrol is investigating claims made by a motorcyclist in Oakhurst who says an officer endangered his life during an unconventional traffic stop, and he has the video evidence from his GoPro to prove it.

In the video, Hunter Smith is riding on Road 426 when the officer pulls out in front of him and breaks abruptly. Smith says the maneuver almost caused him to crash.

The CHP officer wrote Smith a ticket for speeding, but the video of the traffic stop has thousands of views on Facebook and residents in Oakhurst don't like what they see.

The video also caught the attention the California Highway Patrol in Oakhurst who say they're investigating the incident.

"Any allegations against our officer's conduct is always taken seriously and given a thorough fair and impartial investigation," said Oakhurst CHP Commander Jason Daughrity.

Smith says he hopes sharing the helmet-cam video will promote safety for other motorcyclists on the road.

"I'd like a little more awareness for people riding motorcycles. It is different if you don't have four wheels and air bags around you at any moment you could crash and that one crash can take your life," said Smith.

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On 10/1/15 around 11:30pm I was arrested for not giving my name when officers responded to my residence for a noise complaint. After I was taken away in cuffs literally less than one minute later my neighbor Benjamin Michael Frostad enters my apartment twice; stealing my gaming headset, Nike Air Jordans, propane torch, watch, wallet and my cell phone. Thankfully he was caught on my livestream and my mods called the Police to inform them of the burglary and now he is in Jail on felony charges. My property was returned to me and I'm currently fighting for my erroneous charges to be dismissed.

5:57 -The thief makes his first appearance.
8:05 -Arrested.
10:30 - 11:58 -Robbed he comes in twice in this time.
28:40 -Cops finally secure my home.
11:58 - 28:40 -video is dead meaning nothing recorded but my wall and door lol

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A Bucks County police officer is charged with theft and tampering with evidence after authorities said a trail camera recorded him taking a level from a home construction site and he later deleted the images.

Roy G. Ferrari, 66, of New Hope was charged Thursday with tampering with evidence, tampering with public information and theft. His bail was not immediately available.

The charges were filed by Bucks County Detectives for an incident that happened July 4 while Ferrari was on duty, authorities said.

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Morgan Ehne said she and her husband, Charles, had purchased the property in 2014 and began prepping the site for demolition and new home construction. The Ehnes had numerous tools and equipment at the site and during the winter, they saw tracks in the snow leading up to an extension cord that was missing.

The Ehnes installed a trail camera as a result of the extension cord theft, along with other nuisance debris and signs of trespassing on the property.

Charles Ehne told police that he had viewed images captured by the trail camera that showed a man entering their property July 4 and taking a level that Ehne had purchased online for about $25.

Authorities reviewed the images and recognized the man taking the level as Ferrari.

Bellizzie told detectives the level was not in the police department's evidence room nor in Ferrari's department-issued vehicle. Detectives said there were no police reports or property sheets filled out by Ferrari that he had collected the level for safekeeping or investigative purposes.

Authorities then asked Ferrari to view the photos on the trail camera to see if he could determine who committed the theft. Although Ferrari thought he was talking to Ehne, police said he was actually talking to a Bucks County detective.

During the conversation, Ferrari said he saw all the images on the trail camera and said he only saw one of the property owners and surveyors on the images.

Ferrari then drafted a Solebury Township police report that failed to identify any of the images. Authorities said Ferrari then deleted the trail camera footage so it could be returned to the owners. The camera images were later recovered by detectives.

Ferrari was interviewed Sept. 21 and admitted to taking the level from the property. Ferrari said he took it "during a moment of weakness, citing a momentary lapse in judgment."

The stolen level was found in a shed in Ferrari's backyard.

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A Danbury police officer has been placed on paid administrative leave after he was arrested on grand larceny charges in a series of vehicle break-ins, police said.

The Duchess County Sheriff's Department notified Danbury police that one of the department's officers, Anthony Ramos, 28, of Pawling, New York, had been arrested.

Ramos and another man, William Tyson, 26, of Pawling, were charged with fourth-degree larceny, a felony.

Danbury police relieved Ramos of duty and put him on administrative leave immediately after finding out about his arrest because of the "seriousness of the charges" to "protect the integrity of the Danbury Police Department," police said.

Deputies from the Dutchess County Sheriff's Office responded to Arthursburg Road in LaGrange, New York at about 1:40 a.m. on Friday to investigate a reported car break-in. Ramos and Tyson were found near the reported incident and the investigation linked them to the larceny and others in the area, police said.

Police took both men into custody on accusations of going into unlocked cars and stealing property from them at multiple homes.

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An off-duty El Paso police officer was arrested on suspicion of driving while intoxicated after a crash Tuesday night, police officials said.

About 7 p.m., Eduardo Chavez, 31, was driving a Ford Explorer when he crashed into a wall on a curve on Gateway South Boulevard near the César Chávez Border Highway, police said.

Police said that there were no other people or vehicles involved in the crash.

Chavez was checked at a hospital, jailed and later released on a $1,000 bond.

Officials said that Chavez has been with the Police Department for seven years and is assigned to the Pebble Hills Regional Command Center. He has been placed on administrative duty pending the outcome of administrative and criminal cases.

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A Wright County Sheriff’s deputy was arrested Monday morning on suspicion of drunk driving.

Buffalo police say 55-year-old Craig Canton drove his car to the Wright County Courthouse Monday morning to report for bailiff duty.

A fellow sheriff’s office employee believed he was intoxicated and reported him.

Canton agreed to take a breath test, and then was taken to Wright County Jail, where he awaits criminal charges.

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State agents arrested a South Miami police officer for allegedly having inappropriate interactions with underage girls.

South Miami cop Joe Mendez walked out of the Broward County Jail on $42,000 bond around 8 p.m. Tuesday. The officer spent hours at the jail being booked in, having his mugshot taken and awaiting bond. When he saw our cameras he had lots to say about the allegations that he possessed child pornography and contributed to the delinquency of a minor. Specifically, he had a message for the community.

“They know who I am,” he said. “They know I didn’t do anything.”

But the Florida Department of Law Enforcement says Mendez, the former coordinator of the South Miami Police Explorers Program for young people 14 to 20 years old, did lots wrong.

They accuse him of buying alcohol for a pair of underage female cadets, asking them to play truth or dare with him and asking to show him their private parts. Mendez denied all of it.

“Detective were you playing truth or dare with underage girls?” a reporter asked.

“I have no comment,” he replied.

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Authorities said a complaint of misconduct from a fellow officer in June 2014 triggered an investigation into allegations he had inappropriate interactions with a number of female cadets in the program and that the interactions may have been sexual in nature. He is also accused of buying alcohol for the girls.

His arrest affidavit said on more than one occasion with a minor female he would play a game of truth or dare or a game of chair-air. According to the affidavit, he would ask them to flash him (show their breasts). If they did not, he would tell them to drink and hand them alcohol. It allegedly didn’t stop there.

FDLE Special Agent Donald Cannon said agents searched Mendez’s home and they took several electronic devices.

“We found what we know to be child pornography on there,” Cannon told CBS 4 News.

Mendez denied that, too.

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But investigators say Mendez told them that he took over leadership of the Explorers after having trouble in his marriage and needing another focus. Mendez coordinated the South Miami Police Explorer program from 2009-2014.

FDLE says Mendez admitted purchasing alcohol for two underage girls. Again, Mendez denied that.

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A former Moundsville police officer pleaded guilty Wednesday morning to third-degree sexual assault of a teenage girl.

Ben Davis admitted to having a relationship with the teenager, as well as the distribution and display of obscene material to a minor. Davis was a Moundsville officer at the time of the crimes.

He was sentenced to 1-5 years for both charges, but will serve only 1 year in prison. He will also register as a sex offender for life.

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An Audubon police officer is facing charges after an incident outside his Westmont home.

Thomas Gorman, 37, allegedly tried to take the gun of an on-duty Audubon police officer during an altercation Thursday in the first block of Utica Avenue, according to a criminal complaint.

A gun was fired during the 4:45 p.m. confrontation, but no one was injured, according to the Camden County Prosecutor's Office.

The on-duty officer, who was not identified, was in uniform and "acting in the performance of his duties" when he went to Gorman's home, according to the complaint. Gorman lives at the property with his wife, also an Audubon police officer, according to online records.

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Mark Tyrell Fowlkes had a bad day.

For you or me, that means realizing that there's no credit left on our Starbucks card or our co-workers being annoying or getting a flat tire. For Fowlkes, it meant the Long Beach Police Department forcibly pulling something out of his ass.

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...Officers believed that Fowlkes was not being cooperative displaying his anus and thought he was trying to push something in there. One Sergeant testified that he believed Fowlkes was trying to force an object further into his anus in order to destroy evidence. That's not how anuses work. That's not how any of this works. But to prevent Fowlkes from further hiding or destroying something in his anus, Sargeant Michael Gibbs “delivered a drive stun tase to the center portion of the defendant’s back” and the officers handcuffed him. Officers claim they could see a plastic bag protruding from Fowlkes. With Fowlkes cuffed, tased, and under the control of five officers, the officers decided that immediate action was needed to protect evidence. Sargeeant Michael Gibbs gloved up and pulled the object out of Fowlkes' rectum without seeking a warrant, without medical training or medical personnel, and "without the assistance of anesthesia, lubricant, or medical dilation," producing blood and feces.

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The Ninth Circuit found the warrantless visual strip search reasonable, including the visual body cavity search, mostly on the grounds that the government arrests so many people it would be impractical to get warrants to strip-search them, and because jail safety is important because the government arrests so many people. As Dilbert would say, that's not being circular, it's having no loose ends.

But the Court noted actual limits on intrusions into our bodies. "Therefore, while visual cavity searches that do not require physical entry into a prisoner’s body are generally permissible without a warrant during the jail intake process, physical cavity searches generally are not." Did the Court recognize a general rule against sergeants yanking things out of our asses without a warrant? Not exactly. It's the Ninth Circuit, sure, but this is still America. The Court avoided a broad rule. "We need not and do not determine whether a warrant is required to seize evidence discovered during a visual strip search from an inmate’s body because the officers’ conduct here was unreasonable for other reasons." The Court decided that the search was unreasonable — and thus violated the Fourth Amendment — because the officers violated the jail's own written policies requiring a medically trained person conduct cavity searches, because Fowlkes posed no immediate threat, because the officers had no training in such measures that would let them evaluate whether they were safe or necessary, and because the officers did not take any steps to minimize trauma:

Here, the LBPD officers did not take adequate steps to minimize Fowlkes’ physical trauma. They did not, for example, use lubrication or ensure that the removal was conducted under sanitary conditions; they did not seek the guidance or assistance of medical personnel; and they did not assure themselves that removing the object from Fowlkes’ rectum was safe—indeed they did not know the size, shape, or substance of the object. Further, they did nothing to mitigate his anxiety or emotional trauma. They did not, for example, offer him options for removing the contraband or secure his compliance; they did not (and could not) assure him that the removal was safe or being conducted by a trained professional; and they did not (and could not) assure him that the procedure was legal and in keeping with LBPD policy rather than an arbitrary show of force.

The Ninth Circuit — bless its heart — seems to think that physical and emotional trauma were a bug, not a feature, of the officers' approach. But at least we know: there are limits to the judiciary's willingness to let cops conduct medical procedures on you.

So the Ninth Circuit reversed Fowlkes' conviction — on the one count arising from the drugs found in his rectum. It upheld the rest of the conviction.

Isn't justice majestic?

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Const. Benjamin Caunter: While on duty in 2012, the Toronto drug squad investigator contacted an escort and met her at a hotel. He said he didn't want to pay because he "did not like the way she looked." They got in an argument and he showed the woman and her friend his badge and gun. She didn't perform any sexual acts.

The officer was also busted for spending 73 hours of police time surfing the web over three months, including hours spent scouring an escort website. His 2013 disciplinary decision notes that "taxpayers of this city" were deprived of nine days of work.

Officer's defence: Caunter's lawyer told the hearing the officer had a sterling employment history and was undergoing turmoil in his personal life. He had sought counselling on his own.

Discipline: Docked 18 days pay.



Sgt. Christopher Jackson: The OPP supervisor directed seven officers in his Caledon platoon in 2014 to "make false notebook entries" that they had been conducting a RIDE check to catch impaired drivers. In reality, they spent the hour hanging out at Tim Hortons. They claimed they checked 64 vehicles. "The knowledge that a group of on-duty officers led by their supervisor, falsely created records of duties not performed would be offensive to the general public," the OPP official wrote in a 2015 decision disciplining Sgt. Jackson.

Officer's defence: Jackson's lawyer told the hearing the officer had been dealing with personal and family health problems and on that night did not live up to the expectations of the OPP.

Discipline: Docked 60 hours pay.



Const. Wing Tam: In uniform, the Toronto officer visited the House of Lancaster, a west-end strip club, in 2011. He didn't tell dispatch where he was. He went into the manager's office with one of the women and allowed pictures to be taken of her wearing his handcuffs and with him holding her by the wrist. He had been previously disciplined four times, including skipping out of traffic court to work a paid-duty assignment.

Officer's defence: Tam's lawyer told the hearing his client was at the club because his wife makes costumes for dancers, including ones at the club. He said the visit was nothing more than a professional interaction.

Discipline: Docked five days pay in 2012.



Sgt. Jeremy Boyko: The Toronto cop's platoon was scheduled to do a special project focused on combating crimes in their west-end division in 2012. Instead, Sgt. Boyko suggested the officers go to a condo where one of them lived, where they ate snacks and watched TV until their shifts were almost over. His notes claimed he was on foot patrol.

"The behaviour of Sgt. Boyko has damaged the reputation of the Toronto Police Service and the public trust," the presiding officer said in disciplining the officer in 2013.

Discipline: Demoted for one year and docked 20 days pay.



Const. John Madeley: Late for a union meeting, the Toronto officer took a police cruiser and sped through the city, repeatedly sounding his sirens and using evasive manoeuvres — including driving on a highway shoulder — to bypass traffic. The cruiser's in-car camera caught the 2011 incident. "Numerous vehicles can be seen taking evasive action in an effort to move out of the way for the emergency vehicle. It is my opinion that Const. Madeley's driving did in fact create unsafe conditions for other users of the highway," the presiding officer said in disciplining Madeley, who had been previously sanctioned for drinking and driving.

Officer's defence: His lawyer said Madeley was motivated to get to the union meeting on behalf of the members but realizes he did not demonstrate good judgment.

Discipline: Docked two days pay in 2012.



Const. Adam Ford: While on duty in 2010, the York Region detective attached an electronic tracking device to a car belonging to his former brother-in-law and business partner. He did not have a court order and was caught on surveillance video.

Ford "used knowledge that he acquired as a police officer to install a tracking device," the presiding officer ruled in his 2010 disciplinary decision. "The public needs to be assured that they will not be subjected to police misconduct that results in the use of investigative techniques that constitute an unreasonable search."

Officer's defence: Const. Ford said he installed the device out of concern for a family member, but wanted to apologize for the "very poor decision" he made.

Discipline: Docked 88 hours pay.



Const. Suhail Khawaja: The Toronto officer pulled a woman over and wrote her tickets for several driving infractions in 2012. He told her if she took the tickets to court he would try to help her through the court process. He also asked if her employer could get his son a job. "The driver was left with the impression … that her ability to get his son a job would impact the manner in which her provincial offences matters would be resolved," according to a 2013 agreed statement of facts.

Officer's defence: Khawaja's lawyer told the tribunal "the matters were not related and the conversation, while ill advised, was innocent."

Discipline: Docked eight days pay.



Const. Tyson Mayer: At the request of a friend, the OPP officer accessed an internal investigation report into a stolen snowmobile trailer in 2013. He told his friend he was a suspect in an investigation and shared details of the report. "It is difficult to think of anything more offensive than a police officer divulging matters which are his duty to keep secret," the presiding officer said in a 2014 decision disciplining the officer.

Officer's defence: The presiding officer noted he believed Mayer was "genuinely ashamed and embarrassed" by his misconduct.

Discipline: Docked 60 hours pay.



Snooping confidential databases: At least 25 officers have been busted in the past five years for improper searches of internal databases, checking on former lovers, colleagues and business partners. Some of the officers then shared the confidential information to outsiders to help with custody battles or court disputes.



Const. Hezekiah Tai: The Durham Region officer chatted up a waitress at a Richmond Hill bar in 2013 and learned she lived in Ajax, near his patrol zone. She wouldn't give him her number. The next day, while on duty, he searched the waitress and her family on a police database. He left his post and parked his cruiser outside her family home.

When confronted by internal investigators, he initially claimed his interest in the woman was strictly professional. Months earlier, he had been disciplined for a similar incident involving "inappropriate professional conduct in relation to a female." In that case, he told the force in a handwritten note: "I've learned from this and it won't happen again."

Officer's defence: In a joint submission at his 2014 disciplinary hearing, the prosecutor and defence lawyer noted that Const. Tai chose to plead guilty at the first opportunity, owning up to his misconduct.

Discipline: Docked 120 hours pay.



Const. Ian Parker: The veteran OPP officer made inappropriate searches on a police database of 124 people — including former girlfriends, private citizens, fellow OPP officers, their spouses and their children.

On seven different shifts, he spent upwards of nine hours of taxpayer-funded time making these improper computer searches. "The misuse of these information databases for personal reasons by Provincial Constable Parker is a violation of that (public) trust and a serious misconduct," a senior OPP officer said at the constable's 2014 disciplinary hearing.

Officer's defence: Parker's lawyer told the hearing that the officer's improper searches were out of curiosity and there were no ulterior motives. The officer's apologized to colleagues affected by his misconduct.

Discipline: Docked 30 hours pay.



Const. Lisa Peck: The OPP officer checked internal databases for non-police reasons more than 550 times, accessing everything from photographs to confidential driver profiles and addresses.

Internal investigators found the checks, which focused on at least 23 people over six years, were done using the account of a suspended officer who had special database restricted to authorized users.

Officer's defence: Peck told investigations she searched the databases out of curiosity and didn't save or share any of the information. Her lawyer told the hearing she took immediate and full responsibility for her misconduct.

Discipline: Docked 30 hours pay in 2014.



Const. Sonny Deshpande: The veteran OPP highway patrolman with the Whitby detachment was busted for a string of misconducts in 2013 after being put under surveillance by Durham police investigating a cocaine trafficking ring. There was no evidence tying him to the drug crimes but he was caught making 16 improper searches on police databases, as well as extensive time-theft. Over the course of 13 shifts, he spent more than 45 hours not doing police work and instead hung out at home or with friends.

Deshpande had previously been disciplined in 2010 for walking out of a Superstore with a cart full of groceries without paying.

Officer's defence: Deshpande's lawyer told the hearing that by pleading guilty the officer showed remorse for his misconduct.

Discipline: In 2015, he was demoted to a lower pay grade for 18 months.

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Officer Paul Leitgeb, 49, who is now retired from the NYPD, has been arrested in connection with the murder of his wife.

42-year-old Tricia Odierna was found dead inside her home on October 1st. Shortly after her body was found, New York State Police, Metro North Police, Suffolk County Police, and Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office began an extensive manhunt for Officer Leitgeb.

Officer Leitgeb was eventually found on the Appalachian Trail five days later. According to police, Officer Leitgeb had attempted suicide, as he had cut his wrist and his throat. Officer Leitgeb and State Troopers were in a tense standoff, where he threatened further harm to himself, as well as the responding officers – he was armed with a box cutter.

Officer Leitgeb is currently recuperating from his self-inflicted wounds at Mid-Hudson Regional Hospital in Poughkeepsie. He will be arraigned whenever he is released from the hospital. He is facing charges of second-degree murder.

Tricia Odierna was the proud mother of 2 beautiful children, 7-year-old twins, Alicia and Jake. Tricia had also taken in three nephews after the death of one of her sisters.

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Members of the Somali Human Rights Commission met with police in Richfield, Minnesota on Tuesday after a local officer was caught on video pushing and hitting a 19-year-old man following a traffic stop, KARE-TV reported.

“He said, ‘Leave my city, and don’t come back for the rest of tonight or I’m going to tow your car,'” Kamal Gelle said of his encounter with the officer last Saturday, which was posted on Twitter.

Gelle told the Minnesota Star-Tribune that when he was initially pulled over near a park, he did not have his license with him and that he was not immediately able to give the officer his insurance information.

At that point, he said, the officer gave him a citation for careless driving and Gelle drove away. A short time later, however, he pulled over to talk to his brother on the phone. The video begins with the officer approaching Gelle and yelling at him, before shoving him and ultimately hitting him on the head.

“He’s a cop,” Gelle said. “He had two dogs in the car barking. He had a gun. With everything that’s been going on with police … I got scared. I thought I was going to be a victim.”

The officer was placed on administrative leave, and Gelle, who is of Somali descent, joined members of the commission for a meeting with Police Chief Mike Koob. Richfield is a suburb of the Minneapolis-St. Paul area, where most of the state’s Somali-American population resides.

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A Providence police officer was arrested after allegedly threatening to kill his doctor.

Authorities told NBC 10 News that Patrolman Scott Logan was accused of sending several threatening texts to his doctor in Johnston, as he was apparently unhappy with his treatment. He was apprehended in Johnston while he was driving home around 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday.

It’s his third arrest in as many months, and his second in a about week for allegedly threatening someone.

Last week, Logan was accused of sending serious threatening messages to three of his superior officers at the Providence Police Department, where he is on suspension following a gun charge.

In August, he was accused of having a gun with a scratched off serial number.

While sources say a gym bag with a Colt pistol was found on Broad Street, Logan told police that a former girlfriend had given him the gun and asked him to turn it in.

He said he left the gun in his bag, forgot about it, and then accidentally left the bag on top of his cruiser. A grand jury indicted Logan earlier this month.

The 45 year old is no stranger to discipline.

In April, a resident snapped a picture of Logan sleeping in his cruiser and posted it to Twitter.

Police said he was up late the night before, helping to resolve an incident with a mentally ill man and a machete.

Authorities told NBC 10 he was disciplined, but won't say how. He's protected under the Law Enforcement Officers’ Bill of Rights.

A review of media archives shows this latest indictment is not Logan's first.

He was arrested 1997 and later indicted on charges of assault with a dangerous weapon. Then 28 years old, and off duty at the time, the officer was accused of breaking into his ex-girlfriend's Woonsocket house and pointing a gun at her and her new boyfriend. He was cleared of the more serious charges and found guilty on one count of disorderly conduct.

In June 1998, while out on suspension for the incident with his ex-girlfriend, media reports show Logan was involved in a road rage incident after a bachelor party.

He and another off-duty officer chased a car on route 95 when the other officer fired three shots.

The men in the other car were arrested.

It's unclear if Logan or the second officer were disciplined or cleared.

On Wednesday, Logan was charged with felony cyber-stalking/harassment and disorderly conduct. He pleaded not guilty during his arraignment in Providence Superior Court.

He is being held at ACI without bail as a violator on the gun charge and is due in Superior Court on Thursday.

Evan England, spokesman for Providence Mayor Jorge Elorza, told NBC 10 Logan's latest arrest is "another troubling development" and Logan remains suspended without pay as the legal process plays out, and after that appropriate action will be taken.

England said they hope Logan "will seek any treatment that he may need."

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After getting arrested and tased over a simple parking ticket, a store clerk has filed a lawsuit against the officer who used excessive force against him. Although the officer claimed that the clerk stood in a threatening position before he was forced to deploy his Taser, recently released dashcam video revealed that the officer lied and had no reason to lawfully detain the clerk.

On May 31, 2014, Officer Dale Secor approached a car parked perpendicular in a driveway and attempted to look through its tinted windows. When Short Stop Mini Mart clerk Damian Words saw the officer checking out his car, he stepped out of the store and crossed the street towards Secor. Before even speaking with Words, the officer immediately radioed for backup.

“You can’t park on the sidewalk,” Secor told Words.

“But you can’t go in nobody’s car,” Words responded.

“I can tow your car,” Secor replied.

Instead of writing a ticket or asking Words to move his car, Secor can be seen on dash cam video ignoring the clerk’s explanation while ordering Words to hand over his identification.

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Although Secor was able to remove the Taser probe in Words’ chest, the store clerk had to wait ten minutes for paramedics to remove the probe in his arm. In his arrest report, Secor claimed that he feared Words may have had a weapon, but no weapon was found at the scene. Secor also wrote that Words, “bladed his body and got into a power stance” a moment before Secor fired his Taser.

But Secor’s dash cam video revealed that the officer provided false information in his report. During the moments before Secor fired his Taser, Words remained calm with his empty hands exposed and not standing in a threatening position. He simply wanted to know why Secor was arresting him over a parking ticket.

Secor also wrote in his report that Words was listed as a known gang member after running his license plate. But federal records and state records in Kansas, Missouri, and Michigan reveal that Words is not a gang member and has no history of violent crime.

Charged with failing to comply with an officer and resisting arrest, Words only pleaded guilty to parking illegally. He paid a $50 fine. Words also filed a lawsuit against the Kansas City Police Department and Officer Secor for unnecessary and excessive use of force over a mere parking ticket.

The video below highlights two key points: the power of a cop’s word against yours and the power video has to expose lies.

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The Houston Police Department has launched an internal investigation into the ticket-writing habits of a senior police officer after the KHOU 11 I-Team began asking questions about his behavior on the road.

David Carter, an officer on the force since 2002, has been temporarily relieved of duty, meaning he no longer has a badge or police powers during the probe.

The I-Team discovered Carter wrote several speeding tickets to drivers without ever pulling them over.

Emanuel Morfin was baffled when he received a speeding ticket by certified mail for doing 90 mph in a 60 mph zone on the North Freeway. Morfin said he wasn’t anywhere near the area at the time.

“Actually I was down south in South Texas, so I'm like, well how am I speeding in Houston if I'm out of town?” Morfin said. “It was kind of ridiculous I was kind of shocked.”

The I-Team discovered it wasn't the first time Carter sent tickets by certified mail without ever making a traffic stop.

"You have an officer who is abusing their discretionary authority,” said Criminal Justice Professor Larry Karson with the University of Houston-Downtown. "You have no idea who's driving that car. You're sending that ticket to a registered owner, who may or may not be behind the wheel.”

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Karson said there’s another problem—one that puts the public at risk. According to records, Carter wrote that he paced the alleged violator in his personal car, not in his patrol car.

"He's actually making the situation worse, because what he's doing is he's becoming another vehicle flying down at 90 miles an hour and no one knows that he is a police officer,” Karson said. “All they know it's another crazy person on the highway.”

The I-Team again tried to get answers from the 13-year HPD veteran, but got nowhere.

I-Team: “Can you explain that, sir? That's a reasonable question and the public deserves an answer."

"Excuse me," he said, walking to his car.

Carter is being paid during the investigation, but must remain home during work hours while it continues. As for the citizens he mailed tickets, the city’s legal department ultimately dismissed the cases.

“I do not believe the citizens had any knowledge of the citations. Therefore, I did not think it was in the interest of justice to prosecute the cases and asked that all of the citations be dismissed,” said Randy Zamora, criminal law division chief with city’s legal department.

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Two Darien officers have been arrested and placed an paid administrative leave after they were arrested by Connecticut State Police.

41-year-old James Martin and 38-year-old Daniel Ehret, both 10 year veterans of the Darien police force, have been charged with reckless endangerment, breach of peace, and unlawful discharge of a firearm.

This all comes after police responded to an Aug. 1 call of shots fired in the town of Darien. Officers arrived to find the exterior of a vehicle belonging to James Martin riddled with numerous gunshots.

Darien Police Chief Duane Lovello says that the two officers involved were placed on paid administrative leave after the incident occurred. “The allegations leading to the arrests are disturbing. I cannot conceive of anything that would lead police officers to do something so profoundly dangerous and wholly irresponsible. This conduct is intolerable and does not reflect the professional values or the ethical, responsible, and moral conduct we demand of Darien police officers and their duty to the public we serve,” Chief Lovello said in a statement.

A separate internal investigation will begin and Darien police say that those findings will determine the course of disciplinary measures taken against those officers.

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A Louisville Metro Police officer faces a jury trial this week, accused of intentionally misleading a grand jury about a man she said shoved her, cursed at her and attempted to flee arrest.

Prosecutors allege Officer Leslee Wagner perjured herself when she recounted to a January 2014 grand jury an altercation involving repo man Adam Hannahs, who attempted to repossess a car in her apartment complex's parking lot around 3 a.m. Sept. 5, 2013.

That testimony led to misdemeanor and felony charges against Hannahs, 35, of Lexington.

"Many of the things she stated happened that day simply weren't true. They didn't happen," said assistant commonwealth's attorney Emily Cecil. "Leslee Wagner has to create this whole story to justify her actions from that day."

Perjury allegations arose when a video of the incident recorded by Hannahs surfaced, highlighting discrepancies between the confrontation and Wagner's testimony.

But those inconsistencies were not intentional, said Wagner's attorney, Steve Schroering.

"You're also going to see she did not intentionally make one false statement to the grand jury," Schroering told jurors Tuesday in opening statements. "She made some mistakes in the minor details about what happened, but the guts of what happened is 100 percent accurate even four months later."

She and her husband — who was an LMPD officer at the time — were awoken by the sound of a car alarm at their home in the 11000 block of Perthshire Lane. Larry Wagner went outside first, and Leslee Wagner soon followed.

Hannahs was disturbing the peace by setting off the car alarm, and as a courtesy officer for the apartment complex, Wagner's husband was investigating the noise, Schroering said.

When confronted, the man was "extremely uncooperative," Leslee Wagner wrote in an arrest citation. He put his hands into his pocket where a knife was visible before he walked away cursing, she said, calling him "extremely irate" during the grand jury presentation.

Hannahs' recording shows Leslee Wagner brought out a badge after the altercation began, refuting her testimony that her husband showed his badge upon confronting Hannahs. Schroering said his client believed her husband did leave their home with his badge.

Wagner also testified that Hannahs responded to Larry's badge by cursing at the off-duty officers, saying, "I don't give a f---" and "That doesn't mean s---."

Hannahs does not curse in the video. He does say, "I don't care. Let's get a uniform, a uniformed officer." Schroering noted the man whose car was being repossessed, who was on scene, did once mention Larry Wagner was an officer.

In court Tuesday, Hannahs maintained he wasn't sure if the Wagners were actually officers, as they were dressed in pajamas, barefoot and acting as though it were their car being repossessed. He testified Leslee Wagner did flash a badge as she neared him but it was too dark to see clearly.

On the video, Wagner's husband asks Hannahs for identification and tells him, "There's two police cars. I'm going to bring you a badge. I'm going to bring you an ID card with my picture on it, and you're gonna give me an ID."

Hannahs repeatedly states he wants a uniformed, on-duty officer. The two go back and forth, with the Wagners both eventually yelling and pointing their guns at the man.

Leslee Wagner also told the grand jury Hannahs pushed her as he tried to flee. Hannahs testified Tuesday she did make contact with his forearm but he jerked it away and started running, believing he would be shot. In his opening statement, Schroering said his client was pushed, albeit off camera.

Neighbors who were eyewitnesses told police investigators they never saw Hannahs shove Wagner, the LMPD investigation found.

Prosecutors Cecil and Critt Cunningham also highlighted the Wagners' language toward Hannahs.

On the video, Leslee Wagner is heard cursing at the man when telling him to get on the ground. Later, once Hannahs is in handcuffs, Leslee Wagner is heard telling Hannahs she is going to shoot him in the face before using a slur against him.

Wagner's on-camera language was "rude, aggressive or improper," but that's not what the trial is about, Schroering told the jury.

Following an internal LMPD Public Integrity Unit Investigation that concluded Wagner's testimony was "at best, inconsistent with the video evidence," Wagner was charged with two counts each of first-degree perjury and false swearing.

The third-degree assault, resisting arrest and disorderly conduct charges against Hannahs were ultimately dropped.

Wagner, a 13-year veteran of the police department, is currently assigned to the Homicide Unit's Cold Case Squad. Her husband has since retired and does not face any charges.

The trial is set to resume Wednesday morning before Jefferson Circuit Judge Judith McDonald-Burkman with more prosecution witnesses. Wagner is eventually expected to take the stand.

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Two Incompetent Fairfield, Iowa Police Officers fired at a car occupied by two teenage kids, all because the frightened teenagers decided to ‘run’ after the police mistakenly misread their license plate. Officer Kathryn Blumhagen misread the plate when she ran it through the system. When the plate came back, she believed the plates and/or the car was stolen because they didn’t match. Thus, her inability to read lead to a potentially deadly situation.

In the dash cam video, you can see that Officer Blumhagen is having fun violating department policy. Though her comments, it’s clear that she’s enjoying the high-speed chase, setting aside public safety for some ‘thrill ride’.

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