"The indictment claims Faulcon shot 40-year-old Lance Madison, who had severe mential disabilities, in the back as he ran away on the west side of the bridge. Bowen is charged with stomping and kicking Madison while he was lying on the ground, wounded but still alive." NEW ORLEANS – Four more New Orleans police officers have been charged in the deadly shootings of two people in Hurricane Katrina's chaotic aftermath and could face the most serious punishment yet — the death penalty — for the killings that have brought down a string of other officers.
Six current or former officers are charged in a 27-count indictment unsealed Tuesday. Five former New Orleans police officers already have pleaded guilty to helping cover up the shootings on the Danziger Bridge that left two men dead and four wounded just days after the August 2005 hurricane. In one instance, a mentally disabled man was shot in the back and stomped before he died.
The indictment charges Sgts. Robert Gisevius and Kenneth Bowen, officer Anthony Villavaso and former officer Robert Faulcon with deprivation of rights under color of law and use of a weapon during the commission of a crime. They could face the death penalty if convicted, though U.S. Attorney Jim Letten said prosecutors haven't decided whether to seek that punishment.
Sgt. Arthur Kaufman and retired Sgt. Gerard Dugue, who helped investigate the shootings, were charged with participating in a cover-up to make it appear the shootings were justified. Charges against them include obstruction of justice.
The five former officers who already have pleaded guilty in the Danziger case are cooperating with prosecutors while they await sentencing. They pleaded guilty to lesser charges than those in this week's indictment.
The case is one of several probes of alleged misconduct by New Orleans police officers that the Justice Department opened after the August 2005 storm. Last month, five current or former officers were charged in the shooting death of 31-year-old Henry Glover, whose burned body turned up after Katrina.
Attorney General Eric Holder said the Justice Department is working with city officials to restore residents' trust in the police department.
"Put simply, we will not tolerate wrongdoing by those who are sworn to protect the public," Attorney General Eric Holder said Tuesday in New Orleans.
Eric Hessler, a lawyer for Gisevius, said the indictment wasn't a surprise.
"We have long anticipated that this day may come," he said. "We're certainly ready to begin the process of defending him against these allegations."
Claude Kelly, a lawyer for Dugue, called the indictment "a travesty" and denied his client participated in a cover-up.
"This is just overreaching, Monday morning quarterbacking by the government," Kelly said.
Faulcon, who resigned from the department shortly after the storm, was arrested at his home in Houston on Tuesday. Gisevius, Bowen and Villavaso surrendered at FBI headquarters in New Orleans.
U.S. Attorney Jim Letten said prosecutors will ask for all four of them to be detained.
Some of the defense attorneys bristled at the arrest of Faulcon.
"They really didn't have to do that," said Frank DeSalvo, a lawyer for Bowen. "Nobody is going anywhere. We've never thought about doing anything other than face these charges."
Kaufman and Dugue weren't arrested. A date for the six men's initial court appearances wasn't immediately set.
The indictment claims Faulcon shot 40-year-old Lance Madison, who had severe mential disabilities, in the back as he ran away on the west side of the bridge. Bowen is charged with stomping and kicking Madison while he was lying on the ground, wounded but still alive.
His brother, Lance Madison, was arrested and charged with trying to kill police officers. He was jailed for three weeks and released without being indicted.
Bowen, Gisevius, Faulcon and Villavaso also are accused of shoooting at an unarmed family on the east side of the bridge, killing 17-year-old James Brissette and wounding four others.
All six officers are charged with participating in a cover-up. In court filings, police are accused of fabricating nonexistent witnesses, plotting to plant a gun to make it seem as if the shootings were justified and kicking spent shell casings off the bridge weeks after the shootings.
"This indictment is a continuing reminder that the constitution and the rule of law do not take a holiday, even after a hurricane," said Assistant Attorney General Thomas Perez, head of the Justice Department's civil rights division.
Dugue retired from the force earlier this year. Kaufman has been on paid sick leave.
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06:03 PM
Jul 14th, 2010
madcurl Member
Posts: 21401 From: In a Van down by the Kern River Registered: Jul 2003
Walking into his neighborhood convenience store for a $1 lottery ticket, Henry Stevens Amador hoped it would be his lucky day. But instead of walking out with three cherries and a thousand bucks, Amador was violently busted by San Jose police officers.
Afterward, a sergeant reportedly unlocked the handcuffs, helped clean the blood off his face and apologized.
It turns out they busted the wrong guy.
"This is a total abuse of their privileges and rights as cops," the cut and bruised 23-year-old told the Mercury News. He has hired an attorney.
Police confirmed the case of mistaken identity is being investigated by its Internal Affairs unit — they say officers thought he was a drug suspect.
"We are aware of the unfortunate set of circumstances regarding Mr. Amador," said Assistant Police Chief Chris Moore. "We are conducting a formal investigation into the incident and will take whatever appropriate steps are necessary."
From the violent and videoed arrest of San Jose State student Phuong Ho to controversial statistics about force being used in low-level street arrests, the San Jose Police Department has undergone several years of scrutiny over their uses of force. In reaction, the department has instituted a series of changes, which include an expanded early warning system to identify potential problem officers and a more rigorous review of force incidents.
Amador said that about 1 p.m. Friday he drove to the Shop 'N'
Save at Capitol Expressway and Silver Creek Road, a traffic light away from his house. His aim was to get a Cherry Double Doubler scratch ticket. The store was all out.
When he began walking out toward his car, Amador said he saw a man running and — about 75 feet away — get tackled by police.
The suspect was yelling "Help! Help!"
Then an officer came up to Amador with his gun pointed at him and yelled and pushed him, he reported. Another officer came from behind and knocked him to the ground, sending his cell phone and car keys flying.
"I guess I was too slow," Amador said.
Face down, Amador was not sure how many officers were on him. But it felt like a lot, four or five maybe. He heard them swearing at him and telling him to stop resisting. One of them, he said, kicked him square in the face. He said he blacked out but remembers an officer painfully yanking his handcuffed hands back.
Amador said he was dazed and not resisting.
"I had no reason to. Besides, how could I? I'm skinny," he said. "These are cops. They have the stamina of horses."
Afterward, they made him get to his own feet. The officer who kicked him in the face took photographs of his injuries. The EMTs were called. The victim declined medical treatment. A sergeant cleaned off his face and tape recorded his statement.
Amador recalls the sergeant asking him "Do you know why we had to use this type of force?"
Amador said he answered "Yes" even though he says now he did not. He said he was agreeing to everything the sergeant asked just to be through with the situation and get home. He was late to spell his girlfriend with child care for their 6-month-old daughter. Later he went to a hospital and received eight stitches in his eyelid.
Store employees said police have images from the incident, caught by a security camera that perches just above the strip mall wall where Amador was arrested. Police would not release the footage or say what it shows.
International law enforcement force guru Robert Koga, a former Los Angeles police officer, said such cases are difficult to evaluate just knowing the person was not, after all, the correct suspect. An officer can only act using whatever knowledge he or she has at the time. Officers looking for a dangerous felon who see a person closely fitting the description must take reasonable precautions as though the person was a dangerous felon.
"Officers don't have extrasensory perceptions," Koga said.
Local cop advocates provoking and shooting legal Open Carry gunowners to get 2-weeks paid leave
Thomason has posted details of a shocking exchange that an East Palo Alto police officer, Detective Roderick Tuason, posted on his Facebook page concerning how to handle citizens legally and openly carrying firearms. In the exchange Tuason suggested that police should provoke gunowners who legally Open Carry, so they can “pop them” and get two weeks paid administrative leave.
In speaking with advocates of Open Carry in the Bay Area, the exchange has caused an outcry from the community. Whispers indicate that, ahead of Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests for internal policies and procedures, Police Officers on a number of local forces may be attempting to shield ANY discussions or written internal memos concerning policies and attitudes on how to police citizens exercising their legal right to openly carry unloaded firearms.
Additionally, knowledgeable sources indicate that some law enforcement agencies are actually putting citizens on internal WATCH LISTS just for contacting police departments to check-in to advise Open Carry, or simply to inquire about rules and regulations that they want to comply with!
See some of the exchange that took place on Facebook, then removed by the pinhead cop, Tuason.
So the officer "tweets" about shooting them (jurys out if he was actually serious) and recieving two weeks paid leave and is now in hot water and still recieves the two weeks paid leave. You gotta hand it to the police unions. They truely proctect and serve---their own.
[This message has been edited by madcurl (edited 07-21-2010).]
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12:28 PM
madcurl Member
Posts: 21401 From: In a Van down by the Kern River Registered: Jul 2003
The San Francisco Police Department is investigating an incident in which an officer is seen allegedly pushing a handcuffed woman into the pavement face first.
It was shot Sunday afternoon as two officers from the Taraval station were trying to arrest a woman they say was drunk and belligerent.
The woman was pushing a baby carriage, but as the officers tried to put her in a patrol car she pushed back yelling, "it's my baby in the street!" As one officer headed over to the stroller, the other dealt with the woman, apparently pushing her face down while she was handcuffed.
The Police Management Control Unit is investigating whether the use of force was justified. There is also an investigation going on over a baton-swinging brawl that involved cops and a dozen women after last month's pride celebration in San Francisco.
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08:44 PM
MidEngineManiac Member
Posts: 29566 From: Some unacceptable view Registered: Feb 2007
...............But it wasn't his daredevil stunt that has the 25-year-old staff sergeant for the Maryland Air National Guard facing the possibility of 16 years in prison. For that, he was issued a speeding ticket. It was the video that Graber posted on YouTube one week later -- taken with his helmet camera -- of a plainclothes state trooper cutting him off and drawing a gun during the traffic stop near Baltimore. ..................
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08:54 PM
Jul 26th, 2010
madcurl Member
Posts: 21401 From: In a Van down by the Kern River Registered: Jul 2003
I saw this on the news last night regarding two cities-Maywood and Bell, CA. It appears the cites were a "haven for misfit cops" and highly paid elected city officals.
The moral bankruptcy of some of California’s politicians and police is contributing to the fiscal bankruptcy of the state. The intertwined tales of Maywood and Bell, neighboring cities in Los Angeles County, should serve as a warning to the people of California and the United States.
Maywood, California made national headlines in recent weeks when, faced with the prospect of bankruptcy, the city fired its entire workforce and outsourced their jobs. It was ultimately the corruption of the city’s police department that forced it to take such drastic measures. Euphemistically known as a department of “second chances,” Maywood’s 37-man police force was a haven for “misfit cops,” according to a Los Angeles Times report from 2007:
“Among those on the job: A former Los Angeles County sheriff's deputy terminated for abusing jail inmates; a onetime Los Angeles Police Department officer fired for intimidating a witness; and an ex-Huntington Park officer charged with negligently shooting a handgun and driving drunk. . . . Even the newly appointed police chief has a checkered past: He was convicted of beating his girlfriend and resigned from the El Monte Police Department before he could be fired.”
By the spring of 2010, there were $19 million in claims against Maywood police, a total that exceeded the city’s yearly operating budget, nearly half of which was already devoted to funding its police department, according to the New York Times. Faced with a choice between declaring bankruptcy or laying off its entire workforce, Maywood took the latter option, rehiring some former workers as contractors, and outsourcing numerous city functions to other municipalities. Among these is the neighboring city of Bell.
Bell has also made national headlines in the last month. On July 15th, the Los Angeles Times reported that Bell officials had effectively turned the city into their own personal patronage machine, fleecing taxpayers to fund their exorbitant salaries, including nearly $800,000 a year for the city's top executive, almost $500,000 a year for its police chief and $100,000 a year for members of the city council.
Unless you are a member of the political class, average per capita income in Bell is under $25,000 a year. Understandably, residents erupted in protest. Since last week, the city’s top official and police chief have resigned and city council members have agreed to slash their own salaries.
Meanwhile, county prosecutors have opened wide-ranging investigations of the city’s administration. Allegations of serious voter fraud have also surfaced in recent days, potentially shedding light on the relation between the city’s political class and the corruption of its police force. According to the Los Angeles Times:
“A retired Bell police sergeant claimed in a lawsuit filed this week that off-duty Bell police officers in the 2009 election distributed absentee ballots to voters and told them which candidates to select.”
Ironically, the city’s former police chief, Randy Adams, had been lured out of retirement by the astronomical salary he was offered to combat corruption in Bell’s police department. Bloomberg News interviewed Adams shortly before he resigned: “Adams said he had been brought in to end corruption in Bell’s police department. Some of the former members of this force are in the federal penitentiary,” he said.
If there is any justice, they might soon be joined by current and former city officials.
Together, the tales of Maywood and Bell, California demonstrate how the moral bankruptcy of some of our politicians and police is literally bankrupting cities in the United States. There are few, if any, reports in the major media detailing the political affiliations of the elected officials in these two cities. However, they are most likely Democrats and Republicans.
Though these are extreme examples, there is no reason to pretend that such corruption is not to be found in every state of the union, unless you are one of the few among us who benefits from the system’s malignant dysfunction. It is time they are held accountable, not only in the courts, but also at the ballot box.
Consider declaring your independence from the bankrupt ideology that binds us to the two-party state. Consider supporting Independent and third party candidates for public office.
The city you save might be your own
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12:33 PM
madcurl Member
Posts: 21401 From: In a Van down by the Kern River Registered: Jul 2003
County DA Expanding Probe Of Bell, CA To Include Allegations Of Voter Fraud
snip-it:
"A former councilman and ex-police sergeant alleged voting irregularities. The ex-councilman charged that the city's election commissioner had falsified ballots, and the ex-officer said Bell policemen had handed out absentee ballots, told residents who to vote for, and in some cases collected the ballots."
The Los Angeles County District Attorney's office has expanded its probe of the city of Bell, widening the investigation from a scandal over inflated salaries to include allegations of voter fraud and possible conflicts of interest involving city businesses.
Bell City Council members have taken a lot of heat this month after it was revealed that many of them had inflated their salaries to $96,000 a year for part-time elected positions, with one city staff member banking nearly $800,000 a year.
L.A. County District Attorney Steve Cooley -- who's also the Republican nominee for state attorney general -- said yesterday that prosecutors have been gathering information on Bell since March, but was mum on the specifics of the voter fraud and conflict of interest allegations. He did describe the investigation as "multifaceted, rapidly expanding and full-fledged," the Los Angeles Times reports.
According to a Times source, prosecutors are looking at absentee ballots from the March 2009 City Council elections. That election has already drawn the interest of other investigators -- including the FBI and secretary of state -- after a former councilman and ex-police sergeant alleged voting irregularities. The ex-councilman charged that the city's election commissioner had falsified ballots, and the ex-officer said Bell policemen had handed out absentee ballots, told residents who to vote for, and in some cases collected the ballots.
The county D.A.'s probe was initially thought to only be targeting four Bell City Council members who were making close to $100,000 a year, accrued through big stipends the officials received for serving on city commissions. Many of the commissions would reportedly hold meetings for just a few minutes a month, or in tandem with other meetings. Cooley says his office is looking into these claims as well.
Reports of the salary inflation by the Times led to public outcry within the city of Bell, and led to several officials announcing Monday that they'd take a 90% pay cut.
To add to the council's troubles, State Attorney General (and Democratic gubernatorial nominee) Jerry Brown has also subpoenaed documents from the city going back to 2003, and the state's top fiscal officer has begun a review of the city's financial documents.
[This message has been edited by madcurl (edited 07-28-2010).]
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01:24 PM
avengador1 Member
Posts: 35468 From: Orlando, Florida Registered: Oct 2001
That is why there should be caps on public servant salaries. There is a real need to control this or it can be abused as shown above. The tax payers are the ones getting the dirty end of the stick on this as they have to pay for it. No wonder California is in such financial straights if there are towns like this there.
[This message has been edited by avengador1 (edited 07-28-2010).]
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05:46 PM
Aug 6th, 2010
madcurl Member
Posts: 21401 From: In a Van down by the Kern River Registered: Jul 2003
Former reserve San Jose cop arrested on suspicion of murder in Los Banos By Mark Gomez
Updated: 08/06/2010 02:37:14 PM PDT
A former San Jose reserve police officer is being held without bail in Merced County Main Jail on suspicion of killing her 65-year-old mother in Los Banos, according to law enforcement officials.
Denise Lai, 47, who resigned as a San Jose reserve police officer in March of 2008, is accused of killing her mother, Carolyn Ninomiya of Los Banos.
Police found Ninomiya's body Tuesday at 2:37 p.m. while doing a welfare check at her home, located inside a gated retirement community known as the Four Seasons, according to Los Banos police.
Lai, who lives in San Jose, was arrested Wednesday.
Lai served as a volunteer reserve officer in San Jose from April 29, 1993 through March 20, 2008, according to officer Jose Garcia, a San Jose police spokesman.
Harold Nutt, chief deputy district attorney of Merced County, said his office has not yet filed charges against Lai. Los Banos police have not yet provided prosecutors with their report.
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06:38 PM
PFF
System Bot
MidEngineManiac Member
Posts: 29566 From: Some unacceptable view Registered: Feb 2007
Did a California Highway Patrol officer violate the department's own policy on Taser use?
Tanisha Black of Union City said she had just picked her 3-year-old son up from the dentist and was headed to her neighborhood Starbucks to get the Frappuccino she craved because of her pregnancy. That's when a CHP officer stopped her.
"He says I am pulling you over because you were on your cell phone," Black recalled.
But that wasn't all. Unbeknownst to her she said her driver's license had been suspended because she missed a court appearance on traffic tickets. And so, Black said the officer told her, "I am going to tow the vehicle because your license is suspended as well and I need your keys. And I am like, 'I'm not going to give you my keys.'"
Black told him a friend could pick up her car from the Starbucks parking lot. But the officer said no, and told her, "I am going to tow the vehicle whether you give me the keys or not."
She finally said fine, and took her son inside Starbucks to go to the bathroom. After buying her Frappuccino, she came out to find a second officer. So she asked again.
Black said, "I wasn't being nasty, I wasn't being rude, I wanted answers. Why is it that I can't get anyone with a license to get my vehicle?"
But she said that officer didn't want to hear any more. "He said if you don't leave, get out of here with your son, then I am going to arrest you and he's going to go to Child protective Services," Black recalled.
Then Black said the other officer tried to grab her keys. "I had my phone, credit card, keys in one hand, Frappuccino in the other hand and I felt him touch my hand. Next thing I know he is trying to grab this hand with the Frappuccino and I am like this trying to juggle, you know, hold on. I don't need any confrontation, I am pregnant," she said.
In fact Tanisha Black was seven months pregnant. Black said next thing she knew, she felt a terrible pain through her body. The officer had shot her with a Taser and she fell to the ground.
"I just remember screaming 'Oh my God, oh my God, I am pregnant. You are Tasing me in my stomach. Are you really doing this to me over a suspended license?" Black recalled.
His answer according to Black, "He said he felt like he was in danger. He said you could have hit me at any moment. What was I going to do? Knock him out with a Frappuccino?"
Adam Goldman saw it happen from his window side table inside Starbucks and said Black didn't look like a threat. As for the CHP officer, Goldman said, "He seemed pretty quick to use the Taser."
Dr. Byron Lee, a cardiologist at UCSF, said he is concerned about that. "They get the impression that this is a safe thing to do, that I can do this without causing any permanent harm to my suspect," Lee said.
As a result Lee, an expert on Taser use, said when it comes to pregnant women, he would counsel officers not to do it.
Why? Because of the baby. "It comes with too many unknown risks. There could be effects on the baby's heart, maybe to the baby's brain," Lee said.
So, why would the Highway Patrol even allow officers to use Tasers on pregnant women? CBS 5 Investigates found the answer is, they do not. The CHP's own guidelines clearly state Tasers "should not be used against…women who appear to be pregnant."
Something Golden Gate Division's spokesman, Officer R. Crawford, confirmed.
CBS 5: "So you don't want to use it on someone who appears to be pregnant?"
Crawford: "Correct."
CBS 5: "Do not?"
Crawford: "Do not."
How did the officer in this case explain his use of a Taser to shock a woman 7 months along in her pregnancy?
"According to the officers she didn't indicate she was pregnant," said Crawford.
"He didn't see that she looked like she was pregnant?" CBS 5 asked Crawford.
"According to him, no," he responded.
Odd, since three Starbucks employees and Goldman all told CBS 5 Investigates that they could.
"I could tell she was pregnant when she first came into Starbucks," said Goldman.
CBS 5 asked Crawford: "Do you believe as a trained police officer that you know when you are seeing a woman who is pregnant?" Crawford responded, "Most of the time, yes."
But in the case of this pregnant woman, the officer reported at the scene he didn't see a thing in the police report. And based on that, Crawford said, "I think he acted 100 percent correctly."
So how does the CHP view the actions of these officers? "We're behind them 100 percent," said Crawford.
The 9th Circuit Court Of Appeals recently ruled that an officer can be held liable for injuries suffered by the use of a Taser. The ruling could prompt agencies to tighten their policies.
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03:34 PM
Pyrthian Member
Posts: 29569 From: Detroit, MI Registered: Jul 2002
I find it amazing how many times I either strongly agree with you or completely disagree with what you're saying.
In this case, I agree with you 100%. I even wonder how many of the articles that get posted in this thread would never have made headlines if the "victim" wouldn't have broken the law in the first place?
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03:49 PM
madcurl Member
Posts: 21401 From: In a Van down by the Kern River Registered: Jul 2003
I find it amazing how many times I either strongly agree with you or completely disagree with what you're saying.
In this case, I agree with you 100%. I even wonder how many of the articles that get posted in this thread would never have made headlines if the "victim" wouldn't have broken the law in the first place?
quote
Originally posted by cbs5investigates:
CBS 5 Investigates found the answer is, they do not. The CHP's own guidelines clearly state Tasers "should not be used against…women who appear to be pregnant."
The 9th Circuit Court Of Appeals recently ruled that an officer can be held liable for injuries suffered by the use of a Taser. The ruling could prompt agencies to tighten their policies.
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04:25 PM
CoryFiero Member
Posts: 4341 From: Charleston, SC Registered: Oct 2001
I just read the last few pages of the thread and don't quite understand.
It would be like me starting a thread that said:
"So many people claim teachers are bad, are they?" And then scour the web for every time a teacher does anything terrible
or
"So many people claim black people are bad, are they?" And then post a link every time a black person murders someone.
or
"So many people claim people with mustaches are bad, are they?" And then post every time anyone with a mustache does something bad. Curly, why do you hate cops so much?
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07:24 PM
CoryFiero Member
Posts: 4341 From: Charleston, SC Registered: Oct 2001
By Kevin Cole WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER « Metro/Region
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Two old comrades from the Omaha Police Department won a race against death Sunday when they revived a runner suffering a heart attack during Sunday's Cinco de Mayo 5-kilometer run.
Officers Adam Rokes, 44, and Richard Uryasz, 46, have been credited with using CPR to save the life of Juan R. Hernandez, 59, after he collapsed, apparently from a heart attack, about two miles into the race.
Hernandez was in fair condition Monday at the University of Creighton Medical Center. His family held a press conference at the hospital to thank the officers for their life-saving actions.
"A lot of the time our contact with the public is giving out traffic tickets or making an arrest so it makes us feel real good to be there when we are really needed," Uryasz said. "To see the smiles of the family is especially neat."
Rokes and Uryasz were in the same police academy class and were sworn in together 22 years ago. They both work for the department's traffic unit.
Rokes drove a cruiser on Sunday and Uryasz jockeyed a motorcycle as they helped keep the 5k runners safe. Both officers noticed race participants frantically waving for help near the intersection of Railroad Avenue and Y Streets about 8:30 a.m.
"Mr. Hernandez was on the ground and it was obviously not good," Rokes said. "He wasn't breathing and he had no pulse."
Rokes, who carries a CPR mask with him on or off duty, "because you just never know," began pushing air into the victim's lungs. Uryasz started chest compressions.
The pair worked together keeping Hernandez breathing for approximately two minutes until rescue personnel from the Omaha Fire Department arrived with a defibrillator and transported Hernandez to the hospital.
Rokes was nominated for the 2009 Omaha Crime Stoppers Officer of the Year for his work in helping arrest two suspects in separate hit-and-run crashes. Still, he called Sunday his best day on the job.
"I'm going to tell you that both of us said after yesterday, and 22 years on the job, ‘Today, we made a difference in someone's life,' " Rokes said. "It's a great thing."
Uryasz said he and his old comrade were "smiling ear to ear" when they got to the hospital and saw Hernandez sitting up and talking to a doctor.
"After they shut the door on the ambulance, we didn't know what happened to (Hernandez)," Uryasz said. "Then we got to the hospital and he was awake and talking. It's hard to describe the feeling that you get."
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07:29 PM
CoryFiero Member
Posts: 4341 From: Charleston, SC Registered: Oct 2001
WEIGH SCALES, Pa. -- Two police officers saved the lives of three passengers early Monday morning after they were trapped in a car that crashed into three trees and then caught fire along Route 61.
Police said the driver, Joe Vesnefski, of Shamokin, was speeding when his car slid off the right side of the road, bounced off two trees and finally came to a stop when it hit a third tree. The impact of the crash set the engine on fire and trapped the passengers in the back seat.
According to an eyewitness, Ralpho Township police officer Christopher Grow and Shamokin officer Mark Costa arrived on the scene about 1:25 a.m. near Badman's Hill Road.
"The car, a Pontiac, was completely smashed in front," said the witness, who asked that his name be withheld. "There were young men and a woman trapped inside the car. This could have been really bad."
The engine compartment was on fire, and the officers grabbed fire extinguishers from the back of their patrol cars and put out the blaze.
Costa and Grow, who both work overnight shifts, were unavailable for comment Monday evening.
Once fire and rescue personnel arrived, it took them about half an hour to cut the top off the vehicle and free the passengers from the back of the car.
Police said the three passengers in the car were Julieann Gusik, of Catawissa, and Steven and Matthew Valanoski, both of Coal Township.
Everyone involved in the crash was taken to Geisinger Medical Center in Danville.
Monday night, Vesnefski was listed in fair condition. The Valanoskies were both in serious condition, according to a nursing supervisor.
Gusik's condition was not available.
Assisting Ralpho Township, Shamokin and Coal Township police at the scene were fire and rescue personnel from Ralpho Township, Overlook, Elysburg and Shamokin.
McClatchy-Tribune News Service
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07:36 PM
Boondawg Member
Posts: 38235 From: Displaced Alaskan Registered: Jun 2003
VANTAGE, Wash. – The Kittitas County sheriff's office says a sheriff's team managed to rescue a disabled boat with seven people aboard that was being blown into rocks on the Columbia River shore near Vantage, Wash.
In a statement, the sheriff's office says the boat ran out of gas between Vantage and the Wanapum dam and was pushed by nearly 50 mph winds into rocks on the east side of the river. Its owner swam to shore to get fuel, leaving seven Yakima residents aboard.
Late Wednesday night, Cpl. James Nale and Cpl. James Woody swam a rescue line to the boat so it could be towed.
The Yakima Herald-Republic reports no one was injured. All those on the boat were wearing life jackets.
03-26) 15:36 PDT SAN FRANCISCO -- San Francisco prosecutors told judges Friday that they could not "ethically go forward" with 46 narcotics trials because of evidence problems arising out of the scandal at the Police Department's drug-analysis lab - signaling that the district attorney is likely to dismiss nearly all 750 pending drug cases in the city.
She added that Gascón "wants a very thorough investigation. We realized there was going to be fallout from the get-go. We work with the district attorney's office. They are going to do what they feel is the right thing to do. I have confidence in that process."
Guess what happened...
SFPD Crime Lab Tech Not Likely To Be Charged SAN FRANCISCO -- The woman accused of stealing cocaine and other drugs at the center of the SFPD crime lab scandal may not be charged, KTVU learned from police sources Thursday.
KTVU has learned Deborah Madden was unlikely to be charged in San Francisco and a police source said the department was now trying to "move on" and learn from the scandal.
A source close to the investigation was "very confident" that the state attorney general will not file charges against Madden, the retired San Francisco Police crime lab technician accused of stealing cocaine and other drugs while on the job.
That source said it was unlikely the AG's office was willing to invest months of time and money to prosecute madden.
KTVU has also learned the police investigation centered on a special type of paper found in madden's house.
The paper is specifically used to wrap narcotics for testing in the police crime lab.
A source said San Francisco investigators "put all their eggs in one basket” by choosing to focus on the paper as proof madden stole from the job.
"I have not seen any evidence that affirmatively means that those papers were taken from that particular lab," said Madden's attorney Paul Demeester in a phone interview Thursday.
The news comes just two days after KTVU first reported a shake up in the SFPD command staff.
Assistant Chief Kevin Cashman and Investigative Commander John Loftus this week were demoted to the rank of captain.
Those two command staff members and Assistant Chief Morris Tabak -- who is expected to retire later this year -- all had roles in either supervising or investigating the troubled crime lab.
A source says disciplinary charges are expected against others at the crime lab.
Assistant chief jeff godown declined to talk about personnel issues, but said the department is focused on rebuilding the lab.
"After overseeing the lab investigation, there were definitely warning signs a long time ago that I think would've made a difference as far as had the warning signs been looked at," said Godown.
The Attorney General's office Thursday declined to comment, but Chief George Gascon was scheduled to hold a press conference Friday to address the status of the crime lab.
Madden still faces charges in San Mateo County for possession of a small amount of cocaine.
The perjury conviction of a former Chicago police lieutenant for lying about torturing suspects with electric shocks and Russian roulette is expected to ripple through the city's prisons and courts, stirring up appeals and lawsuits worth millions of dollars, legal experts said today.
A federal jury found former Lt. Jon Burge guilty of perjury and obstruction of justice Monday after a five-week trial in which five men convicted of crimes said the decorated former officer and cops under his command used an array of tortures to make them confess to crimes in the 1970s and 1980s.
"This is a midpoint in this whole process, not an endpoint," Jonathan Masur, an assistant professor at the University of Chicago Law School, told ABCNews.com. "First of all, there are most likely dozens, maybe even a hundred people, still in Illinois prison who were convicted pursuant to confessions they say were obtained through torture when Burge was still head of that police district."
Prosecutors alleged that Burge didn't act alone. One witness said Burge didn't actually participate in the torture, but looked on as other officers beat and suffocated him.
Others described Burge's men playing a version of Russian roullette with them, burning them, using electric shock on sensitive areas of their bodies, and suffocating them with typrewriter covers during their interrogations. Most of the victims were black men from the Chicago's South Side.
"I'm confident that as an attorney in any of these cases I would be raising hell," said Bernard Harcourt, a professor at the University of Chicago Law School, told ABCNews.com.
Part II Chicago Torture Case Will Likely Cost City Millions Burge, who is 62 and in ill health, is the only officer to be criminally charged in relation to torture, but federal prosecutors have hinted that there may be others. Burge was charged with lying in a civil suit in 2003 when he denied ever witnessing or participating in torture. He wasn't charged with the torture itself because the statute of limitations had run out.
Masur said the case is likely to generate a flood of criminal appeals and civil cases against Burge, his former superiors and the state attorney's office. He predicted tens of millions of dollars in civil judgments.
"The state of Illinois already spent $6 million on a study to determine what happened" in Burge's former police district, Masur said. "In addition to everything else, Burge has definitely cost the state of Illinois a lot of money."
Other officers denied any role in torture and no other perjury or obstruction of justice charges have been announced. But U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald has said the investigation into the decades-long cover-up was continuing.
Fitzgerald said after Monday's verdict that "a message needs to go out that that conduct is unacceptable," and asked others with evidence of torture to come forward. He said it was sad that it took until 2010 to prove in court that torture once occurred in Chicago police stations.
More than 100 victims have said the torture started in the 1970s and persisted until the 1990s at police stations on the city's south and west sides. Burge was fired in 1993. The lack of charges against Burge led to widespread outrage in Chicago's black neighborhoods. Community anger intensified when Burge moved to Florida on his police pension while his alleged victims remained in prison. It's unclear whether his pension would be affected by the verdict.
David Bates, who served 11 years in prison after he said officers under Burge's command coerced him into confessing to murder, called Burge the tip of the iceberg.
"To tap him out was easy, he's been marketed as the torture person," Bates, who did not testify at Burge's trial, told the Associated Press. "But it goes so far beyond Jon Burge."
Part II
Torture Litigation Will Not End With Lieutenant's Perjury Conviction Only one of Burge's former officers testified at the trial. Michael McDermott admitted that he only testified because he was afraid of losing his police pension and his job with the Cook County State's Attorney's office. McDermott, who was granted immunity from prosecution, told jurors he saw his former boss scuffle with a suspect and point a gun in the suspect's direction in the 1980s.
The Fraternal Order of Police said "hopefully this brings closure to this long-standing dispute" but legal observers said the police torture issue is hardly over in Chicago.
"It was certainly not isolated to Burge in his police district," Masur told ABCNews.com. "He was obviously just sort of the commander in charge of this operation and there were undoubtedly many, many police officers under his authority who were similarly engaged in torture and other activities. I don't know whether it spread to other police districts. It's not clear if it was going on in such a systematic way elsewhere."
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07:43 PM
madcurl Member
Posts: 21401 From: In a Van down by the Kern River Registered: Jul 2003
A pair of Denver friends have settled a lawsuit against the city after a controversial police beating that was caught on tape.
Beating victim Michael DeHerrera, 24, said he hopes the settlement will set the framework for the firing of the two Denver officers who threw him to the ground and beat him unconscious.
"It wasn't about money," DeHerrera told "Good Morning America," sitting next to his parents. "It was about making a point."
The April 2009 beating started when the two were kicked out of a Denver nightclub after DeHerrera's friend, Shawn Johnson, 25, used the ladies restroom and then got into a scuffle with the club's bouncer.
As Johnson was being arrested and roughed up by police, DeHerrera used his cell phone to call his father, a sheriff's deputy, for advice.
"I didn't know what to do. Because I'm not going to get involved with police," DeHerrera said. "I was frantic. I was yelling into the phone, 'They're beating up Shawn, they're beating up Shawn.'"
But when police officer Devin Sparks saw DeHerrera on the phone, he grabbed him and slammed him on the ground, repeatedly striking him with a metal club.
DeHerrera said he blacked out and doesn't remember anything until he woke up in the hospital with bruises, stitches and broken teeth.
DeHerrera's father, Pueblo County Sheriff's Deputy Anthony DeHerrera, said he heard his son yelling about Johnson being beaten and then heard the phone drop and a string of obscenities, along with what sounded like his son being hit.
"The last thing we heard was, 'We've got to get rid of the phone, they're recording us,'" Anthony DeHerrera said.
Both Sparks and officer Randy Murr declined to comment.
The incident was also caught on tape by Denver's H.A.L.O. camera system, a network of surveillance cameras meant to deter and capture crime.
When DeHerrera's parents found him in the hospital after a round of phone calls ended with Denver police telling them there was no reason to come down, they were floored.
"Nothing could prepare us for what we saw," Denise DeHerrera said, recalling her son's swollen "lopsided" head and numerous stitches. "He was basically covered from head to toe in bruises."
Did Camera Catch Excessive Force? Police Watchdogs Disagree While the video may seem damning, Ron Perea, Denver's manager of safety, said the video doesn't tell the whole story. The camera, he said, missed Johnson and DeHerrera, both intoxicated, shoving police officers.
"I saw nothing that proved excessive force," Perea said. "When you look at it in its entirety and see what occured, I don't believe the officers acted excessively."
But Denver's independent police watchdog disagrees and said the officers should be fired. Richard Rosenthal, Denver independent monitor, pointed to Sparks' police reported claining that DeHerrera "spun to his left attempting to strike me with a closed right fist." The video, Rosenthal, proves Sparks' report is inaccurate, calling it "pure fiction."
[This message has been edited by madcurl (edited 08-20-2010).]
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07:49 PM
Aug 22nd, 2010
madcurl Member
Posts: 21401 From: In a Van down by the Kern River Registered: Jul 2003
Today while heading to the local Safeway store an elderly lady (85 yrs old) sitting on a bench called me over. As I approached her she I thought she was confusing with someone else for I didn’t recognize her as one of my neighbors on my block, but that wasn't the case.
Me: Yes. Elderly lady: Can you help me. I'm scarred and I don't know how to get home. Me: What Happened? Elderly lady: I'm afraid to walk through the park to go home. There are some bad boys or something there. Can you call the police? Me: Did they assault you? Elderly lady: Please help me. Call the police Me: Okay, hold on.
I dialed 911. A dispatcher quickly answered (got to love small towns). Dispatcher: 911 can I help. Me; There's an 85 yrs old lady who can't find here way home and she's afraid to walk through the wooded park, because there's teenagers running around. Dispatcher: State the emergency-Police, paramedics, fire. Me: Police. Dispatcher: What's the race? Me: Caucasian Dispatcher: Does she have any weapons? Me: Huh. She's 85 years old and can't find her way home! No. She doesn't have weapons. Dispatcher: What is she wearing, blah, blah, blah?
After giving the dispatcher my name and what was needed I notice the lady reaching into her big ole purse and she was about to hand me a wad of money. I told her, "no-put that back in your purse." At that moment a friend of mine was coming out of the store and said hello. "What's going on? Every time I see you-you're on the phone blah, blah, blah." After realizing the situation he was ready to go because his wife wanted him to get home right away-yeah right!
Anyway, five minutes later the local squad car showed up (lieutenant or something). I waved him over and he rolled down the passenger side window where I briefed him on the situation. Now, everybody’s attention is focused on the officer, the lady, and now me. He parked the cruiser and came over. At this time I said, "You can take it from here." I entered the store and purchased my deli meat later to find they were gone (guess the officer dropped her at home).
Still I was wondering, "With all of the various people coming and leaving the store-why did she pick me to aid her? Keep in mind that my next door neighbor had her purse stolen at the same parking lot while loading her groceries into the van. Somebody was watching her and while she turned her back-the thief reached around and nabbed her purse (Her husband found the purse in a nearby Burger King garbage can minus the $500 bucks).
Given my Harley Davison attire (black leather/black jeans/slick shoes) you'd think I would be the last person she'd ask for help, but I guess I meet her requirements. My g/f said I was the elderly lady's best choice.
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02:07 AM
Boondawg Member
Posts: 38235 From: Displaced Alaskan Registered: Jun 2003
Given my Harley Davison attire (black leather/black jeans/slick shoes) you'd think I would be the last person she'd ask for help, but I guess I meet her requirements. My g/f said I was the elderly lady's best choice.
Maybe old folks trust people who still wear animal...... Good job, my friend.
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02:45 AM
Tony Kania Member
Posts: 20794 From: The Inland Northwest Registered: Dec 2008
Attended the Cops for Kids car show in downtown Spokane last night. I did not know about it, but one of my employees called me, wondering if I would do him a favor. He needed to pick up a 12 guage from his cousin. I told him, that if all is ok, we could do that. But, also that if the opportunity does not work out, due to a gun scare, we could not grab the weapon. Well, you could imagine a downtown scenario, with 140 + cars at the show, children everywhere, and a large police prescence, there seemed no way to accomplish Andy's goal.
What I did is this, I walked over to a Lt. that was wotking one of the areas, told her of our dilema, and wondered if there was any way that an officer could escort us from one vehicle to my Fiero. She immediatly said yes! She also said that is a welcome sight to have someone come up and actually ask for help from the department in this way. Very courteous. She walked with us to the first vehicle, put a blanket around the gun, and then casually carried the fire arm over to the trunk of my Fiero. After a few words of thanks from me, she was off on her way like nothing had ever happened.
Moral is this.... If you give respect, you get respect. Period.
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01:58 PM
Tony Kania Member
Posts: 20794 From: The Inland Northwest Registered: Dec 2008
Madcurl..... Even though there are things that tick me off about you, GREAT JOB with that elderly lady. I too would think that a large, black man, wearing Harley gear would be a great choice for protection. She obviously made the right choice, and is safer for it.
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02:04 PM
Doug85GT Member
Posts: 9704 From: Sacramento CA USA Registered: May 2003
I just saw the Denver Police night club beating video. That was sickening. I hope the FBI throws them all in jail. Even the operator of the police camera should lose their job. It was obvious that they were zooming out and focussing away from the beating to protect the officers.
I can't help but think that if there was no video, then nothing would have been done. The officers involved made up a story to coverup for each other. Even their internal affairs investigation was a sham.
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02:21 PM
Aug 27th, 2010
madcurl Member
Posts: 21401 From: In a Van down by the Kern River Registered: Jul 2003
Philippine security forces stormed a bus packed with Hong Kong tourists overnight to end a dramatic hostage crisis that unfolded live on global television, leaving eight people and the gunman dead.
The day-long ordeal began when a disgruntled ex-policeman armed with an M-16 assault rifle and dressed in combat pants hijacked the bus in Manila's tourist district in a desperate bid to get his job back.
Police eventually killed the gunman but not before he had shot eight of his hostages dead.
The gunman, identified as 55-year-old former police captain Rolando Mendoza, had stopped the bus, which initially had 25 people on board, across a wide road in Manila's biggest park.
Police surrounded the bus after Mendoza told a radio station that he had killed two people and would kill more. Police initially tried to storm the vehicle but were repelled by automatic weapon fire. They eventually stormed the bus, killing the gunman and then evacuating hostages.
Philippine president Benigno Aquino said eight tourists were confirmed killed, while the Red Cross reported another seven were in hospital with unspecified injuries.
The disgruntled former policeman was sacked over extortion and drug crime allegations and was demanding his job back.
"The hostage-taker was killed. He chose to shoot it out with our men," police Colonel Nelson Yabut told reporters.
"On our first assault, Captain Mendoza was sprawled in the middle of the aisle and shot one of our operatives. On our second assault we killed him."
Police could be seen removing a body from the front of the bus before entering the vehicle.
The end of the 11-hour drama came more than an hour after police commandos had moved in to break windows and surround the bus following a series of shots.
The driver of the bus was seen running to safety after the first flurry of gunshots.
For much of the day the gunman had appeared to be negotiating calmly with police and nine hostages - six Hong Kong residents and three Filipinos, mostly women and children - had been released in stages.
Mendoza had asked for food for those remaining on the bus, which was delivered, and fuel to keep the air-conditioning going during the heat.
One of the survivors hit out at the Philippine authorities, saying they acted too slowly.
"There were so many people on the bus -no one came to our rescue. Why?" the woman, who identified herself as Mrs Leung, said at the scene in comments broadcast on Hong Kong's Cable TV.
"We were in fear for so many hours. I find it really cruel."
Mr Aquino defended the actions of the police, saying authorities had initially believed Mendoza would surrender, suggested by the release of some of the hostages, but the situation later deteriorated.
Mendoza's brother, Gregorio, told a local TV station that his brother was upset by his dismissal from the force.
Hong Kong has now issued its top level "black" travel alert for the Philippines.
A chartered plane has brought family members of the tourists involved from Hong Kong to Manila.
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06:16 PM
PFF
System Bot
Sep 1st, 2010
madcurl Member
Posts: 21401 From: In a Van down by the Kern River Registered: Jul 2003
Bakersfield music store owner Artie Niesen is gracious, even in victory.
Niesen, who used a security video to fight a parking ticket he received several weeks ago in front of Front Porch Music, has received notification from the Bakersfield Police Department that he doesn't have to pay the citation after all.
"I'm happy it was dismissed," Niesen said.
Then adding with a grin, "And I love the Bakersfield Police Department."
The longtime retailer saved a whopping 20 bucks for his trouble. But it wasn't about the money, he said.
As The Californian reported in June, the dispute started when Niesen arrived at work at 11:30 a.m. on June 2. A few minutes later, he saw the meter maid chalk his tire.
Niesen knew he had a full hour before he could be ticketed.
But about 20 minutes later, Niesen said, the police service technician came back around. She stopped and began writing him a ticket.
Naturally Niesen protested. But the service tech insisted she marked his tire at 10:30 a.m., not 11:30 a.m., Niesen said. The comments box on the citation had "10:30" entered.
When he called the traffic supervisor to complain, Niesen was told there are procedures through which he could contest the citation.
Fortunately for Niesen, the Nile Nightclub next door has a security camera installed outdoors. With the help of Nile employee Frank Kruz, Niesen reviewed the tape.
The image was grainy, but it showed Niesen arriving in his orange Porsche at 11:28 a.m. with his little dog, Ginger.
The video also confirmed that the citation was written at about noon. Between 10:30 and 11 a.m., very few cars are seen parked in the diagonal spaces.
After the incident in June, Bakersfield Police Capt. Joe Bianco said the department welcomes challenges to parking tickets and moving violations. Mistakes can happen, he said.
On Tuesday, Bianco maintained the same attitude.
"Without the benefit of a forensic investigation, it appears the video is accurate," Bianco said Tuesday. "We dismissed the citation."
Bianco said it's possible, though not probable, that the video could have been altered. But in this case, the right thing to do was to give the benefit of the doubt to Niesen and dismiss the ticket.
"We used this as an opportunity to look closely at what we are doing," Bianco said.
It's important, he said, that the department strive for accuracy in all its dealings with the public. It was determined, however, that the procedures currently in place are sufficient.
Since the original incident, the one-hour parking signs on that section of 19th Street have been replaced with two-hour parking signs.
And everyone in the store swears the meter maid has never returned.
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02:57 PM
Sep 3rd, 2010
madcurl Member
Posts: 21401 From: In a Van down by the Kern River Registered: Jul 2003
After the tasering (three times mind you) the elderly man was arrested, jailed, and charged FOR resisting arrest, but the judge dismissed the charge. Keep in mind, this happened in June 2009. Can you say, "LAWSUIT."
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03:17 PM
madcurl Member
Posts: 21401 From: In a Van down by the Kern River Registered: Jul 2003
ORLANDO, Fla. -- An Orlando police officer is being investigated for bad behavior.
When a resort security guard watched four men get out of an Orlando police cruiser and appeared to be drunk, he thought the patrol car was stolen. However, an internal investigation showed the off-duty officer was just driving friends around during a weekend getaway.
The cruiser also had the officer's weapons and police equipment inside. The officer had an assault rifle and all of his department-issued equipment in the car. He got in trouble for giving rides to his friends.
When a Marriott hotel security officer saw Officer Keith Gibson drive past him at a high-rate of speed, he thought there was an emergency call at the hotel. But then he saw the officer and three other men tumble out of a marked Orlando police car wearing football team apparel.
The security guard said Officer Keith Gibson appeared to be intoxicated as he was stumbling.
Security called 911, because the guard thought someone had stolen the patrol car. Officers arrived on scene and ended up towing Gibson’s car.
“We tried to locate the people who got out of the car, but nobody knew where they went,” Barbara Jones of the Orlando Police Department said.
Officer Gibson told investigators his car was in the shop, so he had to use his patrol car. There was a football coach convention at the hotel and admitted he drove friends in his patrol car.
When asked about his alleged drunken behavior, Gibson denied being drunk. He said he had been drinking the night before, but didn't get behind the wheel until six or seven hours later.
“I wear orthopedics in my shoes. If it appeared to be that I was stumbling, I was walking on the heels of my shoes,” Gibson stated in a report.
“The problem is you don't pull up in front of a Marriott with a bunch of people and pile out of a marked police car,” Jones said.
Gibson was given a two-day suspension and lost his car privileges for 30 days, but not for being drunk, an investigator said. Police said, “Due to conflicting testimony and his troubling recollecting of certain facts in the incident, this investigation was unable to validate Officer Gibson was intoxicated.”
This isn't the first time Gibson has been in trouble. In 2006, a judge dropped fraud charges after he agreed to complete community service and pay some fines.
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05:04 PM
Sep 11th, 2010
madcurl Member
Posts: 21401 From: In a Van down by the Kern River Registered: Jul 2003
-- A second body found in a Hercules home was cleverly hidden in a downstairs closet but still should have been found by officers, the city's police chief said Friday, adding he was disappointed in his department's response.
Officers who had been looking for suspected homicide victim Frederick Sales for almost two weeks failed to find the body until Thursday, when a corpse was located in a downstairs closet at 1066 Crepe Myrtle Drive, said Police Chief Fred Deltorchio.
The body was wrapped in plastic and was "well concealed," Deltorchio said. "There was a modification made to make it look like there was a wall there."
The body has not been identified, and the cause of death has not been determined. A forensic odontologist used by Contra Costa County was redirected Friday to San Mateo County to help identify victims in the deadly natural gas pipeline explosion in San Bruno.
The two-story home is the same one where on Aug. 28 police found the body of Sales' father, 73-year-old Ricardo Sales, who they say was fatally bludgeoned the day before by killing-spree suspect Efren Valdemoro.
The home was scoured for evidence that day, but "obviously we did not conduct a good search the first time around," Deltorchio said. "I'm very disappointed in the department's response - how we handled it."
Hercules police detectives and members of an FBI crime lab found the second body.
Authorities in Hercules and Vallejo are investigating whether Valdemoro killed five people, including his girlfriend, Cindy Tran - who owned the home in Hercules and rented rooms to Frederick and Ricardo Sales - and two women in Vallejo.
Valdemoro had been fighting with Frederick and Ricardo Sales, police said, over his suspicion that one of them was romantically involved with Tran.
For the past week, searchers had been picking through a mountain of compacted trash at a dump in Pittsburg where garbage from Hercules is deposited. They were working on the theory that Valdemoro killed Frederick Sales and tossed his body in an office park trash bin.
Valdemoro was shot dead Aug. 31 by two California Highway Patrol officers after a freeway chase that ended in Richmond. Tran, 46, was found dead in her Acura, which Valdemoro had been driving.
Valdemoro also knew the homicide victims in Vallejo - Segundina Allen, 63, and her friend Marcaria Smart, 60. Their bodies were found Aug. 31 at Allen's home, authorities said, one in a shallow grave in the backyard and one in a bedroom closet.
Authorities are looking into whether Allen's husband, 72-year-old Charles Rittenhouse, was living in his home for days without noticing the bodies. Rittenhouse has not been charged in connection with the killings. Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-b...TD.DTL#ixzz0zCkDJaz2
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03:42 AM
Sep 16th, 2010
madcurl Member
Posts: 21401 From: In a Van down by the Kern River Registered: Jul 2003
"Tampering with or fabricating physical evidence in connection with the September 5th beating of Andrew Collins."
DALLAS -- One police officer has been fired and three may face felony charges for the taped beating of a chase suspect.
Dallas Police Officer Kevin Randolph was fired Wednesday in connection with the excessive force investigation.
He, along with Officer Paul Bauer, may face misdemeanor assault and official oppression charges, as well as felony charges of tampering with or fabricating physical evidence in connection with the September 5th beating of Andrew Collins.
Officer Henry Walter Duetsch may also face a felony charge for tampering with evidence.
He returned to a squad car and turned the dashboard camera away from the assault according to Dallas Police Chief David Brown.
Brown said Wednesday he is recommending the charges to the Dallas County district attorney.
The officers pursued Collins for allegedly riding his motorcycle on a South Dallas sidewalk at about 9:15 p.m.
After he was stopped officers beat him with a police baton and fists while he was on the ground.
It is not clear from the video if Collins voluntarily pulled over or was bumped by the squad car.
Randolph hit Collins repeatedly with his baton and his partner, Bauer, struck Collins with his fist, police said.
Off camera, Collins can be heard begging for mercy.
Collins had visible bruises on his thigh and blood-clotting.
Video from a second car arriving after Collins was handcuffed recorded the scene for several minutes.
Then an officer can be seen walking toward the car, whistling. The camera then moves so Collins and the officers are no longer visible.
The next day, an anonymous tip left on the desk of a Dallas police sergeant asked the officer to pull video of the chase and crash.
On September 8th Chief Brown viewed the video and called in the FBI to investigate possible civil rights violations.
By Monday police had interviewed 30 people about Collins' arrest, including all of the 22 officers who responded.
None of the officers were supervisors.
Brown asked for calm and trust in the police department from Dallas residents when they see the video, which was released after his news conference Wednesday.
"Every citizen deserves a measure of respect," he said. "As chief of police for the city of Dallas, I expect citizens to hold me accountable for insuring that Dallas officers treat all citizens with fairness and compassion. No one is above the law of this great country. I am appealing to the calmer voices of the community and the police department to examine the evidence in this case and the department's investigative thoroughness and transparency."
Brown added that though there was early speculation the assault was race-related, the investigation has not revealed evidence to support those claims.
"We currently don't have evidence to that effect, and we have to deal with the facts, and the facts have to matter before we jump to those conclusions," said Brown.
Collins is black.
Of the 22 total officers who responded to the scene, at least two are Hispanic and one is black.
She arrived at the scene after the arrest to wait with the motorcycle for a wrecker.
Brown cited a transcript of the dash-cam video during the pursuit to indicate that raw emotion and premeditation were factors in the assault, not Collins' race.
"'Keep us going, I'm gonna kick the sh*t out of him,'" Brown read from transcript.
No racial slurs were heard on the radio transmissions or recordings, he said.
Brown dropped a charge of resisting arrest against Collins on Monday.
[This message has been edited by madcurl (edited 09-16-2010).]
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07:45 PM
madcurl Member
Posts: 21401 From: In a Van down by the Kern River Registered: Jul 2003
(09-17) 15:28 PDT OAKLAND -- One of four Oakland police officers fired for allegedly falsifying search warrants has won his job back through arbitration, his attorney said today.
Officer William Burke, an eight-year veteran, was fired by the city last year after officials said that he had lied on affidavits for search warrants in drug cases and lied to internal affairs investigators.
But arbitrator John Wormuth concluded that Burke had followed proper procedures and never intentionally lied to internal affairs.
Terry Bowman, Burke's attorney, said, "Billy Burke was thrilled that the arbitrator recognized that there was no justification for his termination. He feels vindicated and is thrilled to be back at work."
Three other officers, John Kelly, Francisco Martinez and Karla Rush, were also fired by the city last year. A hearing officer recommended last year that seven other officers who had been facing possible firing be allowed to keep their jobs.
Police officials have declined to comment on the matter, saying state law bars police from discussing personnel matters.
The officers told judges that substances seized from drug suspects had been identified by the police crime lab as narcotics when, in fact, they had not, city officials said. Those false statements were used to persuade judges to issue warrants that police relied on to gather more evidence.
But Burke said he relied on a commonly used search-warrant template and failed to delete a reference in it, making it appear as if he had already received lab results.
"(Burke's) failure to proofread his warrant before submitting it to the court hardly rises to the level of deliberate, intentional and willful reception," Burke's attorneys wrote. Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-b...PM.DTL#ixzz0zpi1URCy
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07:38 PM
ryan.hess Member
Posts: 20784 From: Orlando, FL Registered: Dec 2002
I told him, that if all is ok, we could do that. But, also that if the opportunity does not work out, due to a gun scare, we could not grab the weapon. Well, you could imagine a downtown scenario, with 140 + cars at the show, children everywhere, and a large police prescence, there seemed no way to accomplish Andy's goal. 
GREAT JOB with that elderly lady. I too would think that a large, black man, wearing Harley gear would be a great choice for protection. She obviously made the right choice, and is safer for it. 
