Disgusting abuse of power
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"William Cooper, a 69-year-old retiree who suffered from the familiar variety of afflictions attendant to age, was startled awake on the morning of June 18 by two men who had barged into his home with their guns drawn and ready. Since he lived in a neighborhood in which home invasions (of the non-State-sanctioned variety) were commonplace, Cooper slept with a loaded handgun on his nightstand" snip end
An 83-year-old Upper East Side woman claims a sanitation agent chased her, threatened her with arrest and slapped her with a ticket for putting day-old newspapers in a city trash can.
“I froze,” Pitofsky told 1010 WINS’ Carol D’Auria. “He just frightened the hell out of me, scared me to death, I was terrified.” She said the worker demanded a form of identification and threatened to “put her away” if she didn’t comply. Pitofsky said it took the worker 25 minutes to write the summons and when she complained that it would cost her $100, she said he threatened to make it $300.
In December the same thing happened to an 80-year-old woman on the far upper West Side.
http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2011/07/05/elderly-upper-east-side-woman-say...
An 83-year-old Upper East Side woman claims a sanitation agent chased her, threatened her with arrest and slapped her with a ticket for putting day-old newspapers in a city trash can.
“I froze,” Pitofsky told 1010 WINS’ Carol D’Auria. “He just frightened the hell out of me, scared me to death, I was terrified.” She said the worker demanded a form of identification and threatened to “put her away” if she didn’t comply. Pitofsky said it took the worker 25 minutes to write the summons and when she complained that it would cost her $100, she said he threatened to make it $300.
In December the same thing happened to an 80-year-old woman on the far upper West Side.
http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2011/07/05/elderly-upper-east-side-woman-say...
Tom
Failure to yield to "police oppression"
How's the Maine Attorney Generals investigation into the killing of Kati Paulson by Kennebunk PD Officer Morneau coming along I wonder?
Received the following on June 2nd in response to a query made a couple of days previous
The investigation is continuing and should be completed within the next 30 days, at which time the Attorney General will issue a public report of the findings.
Sincerely,
Brian MacMaster
Director of Investigations
Office of the Attorney General
From: cfn@gwi.net [mailto:cfn@gwi.net]
Sent: Tue 5/31/2011 4:52 PM
To: Attorney General
Subject: General Complaint or Question Form
General Complaint or Question Form
----------------------------------
July 2nd would have been 30 days. Today's is July 7th.
Your name: charlie neville
*redacted*
Charlie
All citizens should learn from that Kennebunk shooting and to the all too numerous to cite similar situations from around the nation, that is, NEVER call the police for any domestic dispute, they are just there to put an iron fist on the situation.
They will do so however they see fit and will have no fear of the consequences. Cops are samurai, not to be trifled with.
"The officer said that he shot because he felt his personal life was in danger - that the car was 20 feet away from striking him," said Salt Lake County Attorney Sim Gill.
Gill determined that Officer Giles would have had to fire all eight rounds in less than a second, which was not possible. He also thinks the suspect's car was 60 to 90 feet away at the time of the shooting.
"So, therefore, he was not 20 feet away. His life was not in danger." Gill said.
SLC officer unjustified in May shooting, County Attorney says
What? A policeman lied? Just repeating over and over in a monotone: "I thought my life was in danger..."
Gee, no wonder they don't like vieotapes and opther evidence. It might show the truth.
Anyway, kudos to the SL County Attorney's office that would do an honest investigation.
Closer to home:
a slow-motion video created from cruiser-camera recordings shows that officers Robert Miller and David Schertz were not in the path of Mitchell's car when Miller fired two shots into Mitchell.
"You can see both officers are somewhere between the left rear door and left rear tire," said DeGrinney. "As far as I can see, nobody can be injured."
Weren't actually in danger? Doesn't matter. All they need to say is that they THOUGHT they were in danger.
Don't need a brilliant lawyer - it's the defense that cannot fail!
Hey, here's a question for you - where would this case be without the video? What if we had to rely on the statements made by the police?
Police shoot their own informant:
Rosendo Betancourt, the confidential law enforcement informant slain in a police shoot-out in South Miami-Dade last week...
Wearing masks, gloves and toting guns, the men hopped a fence onto the property. “Law enforcement made their presence known and ordered the four men to the ground,” the affidavit reads. “All four men failed to comply and were shot and killed.”
So the informant "failed to comply"?
Hmmm.. Looks like dog poop. Smells like dog poop. Tastes like dog poop.
Good thing we don't step in it!
Police marksman shoots wrong woman
Oops!
Hmmm...
Police statement at the time:
the stand-off was ended when a marksman fired through a window when he thought he saw the suspect threatening the other woman.
Police statement now:
There were reports the second woman might have been a hostage, but Crump said it appeared they were working together.
The 'hostage' had several opportunities to escape, but never took advantage of them.
Hey, so, was the officer's judgement bad?
Or was it a good thing he shot the nasty lesbian?
Hey, just pick whichever story works. The police will make up whatever lie they need.
Two Tampa police officers will serve one week unpaid suspensions after one accidentally shot the other in a race for a key to an office desk they coveted, the Tampa Police Department said Tuesday.
Tampa officers punished after accidental shooting over desk key
Well, I feel a lot safer with these guys out there "protecting" me. How's about youse guys?
Of course, police only conduct these SWAT raids after a thorough investigation, and having established adequate "probable cause":
“They [police] were in my front yard, my rear yard; they had my house surrounded. When I opened the door to see what was going on, there was an officer with a gun out not far from my stomach,” she said. “I am still shaking.”
Officers informed Doreen they were looking for her 24-year-old son, David Fox.
The problem is David Fox, at least the David Fox from Lewis Street, is a third-year law student in Cincinnati and working for a government agency in Columbus.
Ooopsies!
Per the report, police initially detained Turner. He initially cooperated, but Turner then tried to leave. When the officers tried to stop Turner from leaving, he allegedly fought them.
One of the officers reportedly was struck in the back of the head with a bag containing two 24-ounce cans of beer. Another officer then drew his pistol and fired twice at Turner.
Former NFL running back fatally shot in altercation with police
"Citizen, I understand your concern, but we will be conducting a full investigation into the matter, and will be issuing a report with our findings. Please go on your way.
"Oh, by the way, you didn't videotape the incident, did you? If so, please give us your name and address, and a good time to raid your home... uhhh... I mean contact you."
In a grand jury indictment, Ring was charged with three counts of assaulting an officer, resisting arrest, and a parole violation.
However, the video footage shows deputies repeatedly telling Ring to stop resisting arrest while he is incapacitated laying facedown in the snow with at least two deputies on top of him.
The police LIED??!
No!
Anyway, the video doesn't show what was going on in the police officers' mind. For example, the police officer saw Ring beating his nice shiny boots with his face, and COULD HAVE snapped his handcuffs, picked up a rock, and delivered a deadly blow to one of the responding officers.
They needed to beat him to protect themselves - and the public. The video, in this case, doesn't tell the whole story.
SWAT raids junk man's house.
Scrap metal raid nets 'major' suspect
Here's the steely-eyed criminal mastermind:
Of course, before they conduct a SWAT raid, they perform a thorough investigation to make sure that they respect the 4th amendment rights:
Police aren't exactly sure about the scale of the operation.
police aren't sure who his buyer was.
The scale of Chappel's operation is unclear, Sheahan said.
Police said it appeared Chappel was not concerned with concealing his line of work. The vanity plates on his two work trucks, seized as evidence by police, read "Scrap 1" and "Scrap 2."
Hmmm...
Coming soon to a house near you:
...they heard their dogs bark and spotted a line of police cruisers coming up their driveway.
" ...police ran by us with bullet-proof vests and automatic rifles into our backyard," she said.
"They looked everywhere; in our showers, in our closets, everywhere. And at first, they were just so rude, I was just so mad and upset. I mean, what justification did they have to do this? I kept saying 'You're embarrassing us. Don't you think our neighbors see a SWAT team at our house?' "
Police raid Morrisonville family's home in search of fugitive
And the punch line:
A deputy U.S. marshal familiar with the incident called it a routine interview.
This is amazing - the police in this small town arrest a woman at a town meeting, over the objections of the mayor, who was presiding over the meeting -watch the first video:
http://www.wnd.com/?pageId=320829
After that video went viral, to the embarrassment of the police department, the police have reportedly decalired a "state of emergency" in that town, citing the possibility of "another Jared Loughner incident."
It's all up to the police testimony - even if the evidence contradicts it:
Just before the officers opened fire, Kade said he called out to the victim in a loud voice, “Police — show us your hands,”
But:
One neighbor, Wanda Young, said she never heard the officers issue a warning to Webb. Chris Hatfield, another neighbor, said he didn’t hear the deputies warn Webb.
Officer takes the stand in police shooting suit
They deliberately had the sirens off, parked 1/4 mile away, and snuck up on the victim. Witnesses said they didn't hear them idenitify themselves.
But, of course the chief deputy concludes of the shooting:
“I did find it was appropriate.”
And the punchline:
Griffith said earlier the defense might attempt to show that Webb had it in for law enforcement officers but indicated in opening arguments that his client’s husband counted a number of policemen as friends, among them a deputy sheriff who sang at his funeral.
They were probably going to say he hated Navy Seals, too.
And now, for the undisputed facts:
CIVIL ACTION NO. 5:09-cv-01253
MARY WEBB, et al., Plaintiff,
v. RALEIGH COUNTY SHERIFF’S
DEPARTMENT, et al.,
Defendants.
MEMORANDUM OPINION AND ORDER
Although Plaintiff claims that she never saw Mr. Webb consume alcohol or marijuana that
night, Mr. Webb’s autopsy report shows that he had a blood alcohol level of .22 at the time of his death. 2 (Webb Dep. 30-31; Autopsy Report 8). At 12:09 a.m. on July 4, 2006, Amy Smith, a neighbor of the Webbs, called the Raleigh County Sheriff’s Department on its administrative line to complain that Mr. Webb was “shooting a gun at his house” with what she assumed was a pistol or a shotgun. "
Yup, the cops should have filled out a report and called it a night.
To all: It is useful when we get the benefit of some "facts" from someone other than "the media" (who did such a great job avoiding disclusure of Popkowski's death threats), the cops (interested parties at best) or the deceased's family lawyers (hired to say what is in their client's advantage to be said).
I have looked at 251 Cabell Heights Road, Beckley, Raleigh County, West Virginia, on google earth. You should, too. At that urban compact zone kinda residential neighborhood, a VERY drunk Mr. Webb was shooting an AK-47 at midnight. We know his wife, the plaintiff, testified that he had NOT been drinking. Presumably, either the ME was on the take, or the cops shot him with bullets made of alcohol.
As to what is left at issue in the trial -- I leave that to the jury. I've never been to West Virginia, nor been subjected to Webb's undisputed suburban midnight drunken fusillades. A summary judgment motion only determines the UNdisputed facts. The disputed ones get tried before a jury. Jurors get to hear the real evidence. The news, and the plaintiff in some cases, just gets to make it up and feed it to the rest of us.
PS: Maybe his wife didn't see him drinking to get to a .22. I used an online calculator, and, assuming he'd been drinking over four hours, it indicated a consumption of around 8 or so standard beers to get to half that -- a %.11. If consumed over about 4.5 hours, I come up with around ten beers using this calculator: http://celtickane.com/projects/blood-alcohol-content-bac-calculator/
PPS: I am surprised the news didn't report this: "Ms. Smith called the administrative line as opposed to 911 because she wished to remain anonymous to avoid repeated threats to her by Mr. Webb. (Smith Statement 53-54, July 23, 2009)."
PPPS: I was struck by both the similarities and differences between this case and Tom Connolly's Osama dance on the eve of the TABOR vote. Everyone was amazed that Tom didn't get shot (including Tom). Tom was NOT drunk, it was broad daylight, and his gun didn't (and couldn't) shoot.
And the area in which Tom Connolly didn't shoot or get shot? A good deal more remote than the residential area within which Mr. Webb was shooting.
Oh, and as for poor Larry Chappel, who was arrested, unhurt, for Receiving stolen property, Criminally receiving junk and POSSESSION OF FIREARM BY A FELON? Now they would KNOW he was a felon before they executed the WARRANT. I wonder if they also knew about the firearms, and therefore sent SWAT?
"It is quite difficult to explain 12K $$ worth of stolen air conditioners identifiable by serial number in your garage. Is this a "shocking abuse of power"? I thought it was the job of police to arrest, without harm if possible, thieves who prey on the rest of us. I'm not sure where the abuse is. They had a warrant, got the right guy with the goods, and didn't hurt him in the process.
Interesting that you have used a photo of Chappel that was deliberately distorted to make him look wider, and meaner, that was distributed to support this ludicris charge. I've posted the original booking photo. Anyone who is familiar with copying graphics will instantly recognize the deliberate distortion.
By the way, he's not accused of stealing the air conditoners, but then why let FACTS get in your way. I'm sure that most of the scrap dealers will have handled stolen material at one point or another, and I am sure that all of them check serials numbers of any items brought in.
So, all you're left with is innuendo, and blown-up accusations - which is your stock-in trade.
As far as the other case, look carefully at what you have posted - all you offer is the police lies and smears. The FACTS show that he wasn't "shooting a gun at his house." Your "expert witness" - Ms. Smith - couldn't even get her basic facts right.
But let's kill Mr. Webb based on the hysterical complaints of a neighbor that had no idea what was going on.
And how does her calling the administrative line show a true INCREASE in her fear?
Like the cop waiting patiently for Popkowski to meander out of the woods - the facts you present refute your underlying claims.
Sad.
Tom:
The photo you grabbed looks better? I grabbed one from an article I consulted. I'm glad you agree they are the same guy. You know -- the felon with the firearms and $12k of stolen AC units in his garage.
I am not passing judgment on either case, unlike you. In both cases, a jury will decide what issues there are that remain undisputed. In the meantime, I'm content to let our system decide cases on evidence. You prefer to rely on the media, whenever they report what you like.
Perhaps you can persuade someone to create a system of "justice" based on your "system". It will be interesting to see how it fares.
Finally, you have suggested that my "stock in trade" is "innuendo, and blown-up accusations". Apparently only you fail to appreciate the irony of that statement after your disastrous screed against law enforcement in the Popkowski case. You are the crown prince of innuendo and false accusation.
(PS: It is why I went to the court documents -- not to the press or little plays in my head)
Two policemen are recovering after they were shot by fellow officers as they tried to arrest a man on child pornography charges outside a crowded move theatre.
Police officers shoot each other as they try to arrest child porn suspect at Harry Potter screening
Hmmm... Looks like the SL DA's office has the guts to perform REAL investigations:
For the second time this month, the Salt Lake County District Attorney has declared an officer-involved shooting unjustified.
... found that Jared Cardon, who fired his gun at a fleeing vehicle, wasn’t legally justified in doing so, because he didn’t have a reasonable belief his life was in immediate danger. ...several civilian witnesses confirmed the car was not traveling toward Cardon.
“One of them said they actually saw the vehicle actually trying to avoid the officer...”
Second Officer-Involved Shooting Deemed Unjustified
Finally taking on the tired old "he was trying to drive over the officers" excuse.
So, do you think that there is a concentration of these incidents ONLY in the Salt lake area? Or do you think that the DA's office there just has the guts to take on the police lies?
Ooops!
Led by FBI Special Agent Karen Springmeyer, about a dozen officers used a battering ram to enter Adams' rented Orchard Street home in a search for Sondra Hunter, then 35.
But Hunter hadn't lived at that address for almost two years
Denise Adams, said seeing the red dots from the officers' targeting lasers crawl across her children's faces also has cost her faith in law enforcement.
Bellevue family sues FBI over 'terrifying' raid'
Perhaps Ms. Adams should be added to the growing legion of citizens that are disgusted with police abuses. You know, the people that police supporters believe should be medicated.
So armed men barge into his home, he refuses to submit to them, and unarmed - he chases them away.
He calls the cops to tell them what happened, and they go to his house to make a report - and shoot his dog.
Family hires attorney after police shoot dog
At this point, William was handcuffed and put into the police cruiser. The officer then started to berate William, stating: “I should blast you in the mouth right now … I’m close to caving in your head.” and “you’re just a stupid human being!”
Video: Police officer threatens concealed-carry driver with execution, beating
Tom
that last video is something else, that cop should be jailed, he should spend serious time with the skinheads from block c. to think we let people like that patrol our streets
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I do think the police should say "pretty please" first and of course all these law abiding citizens will immediately comply so no physical action is necessary to control a situation.