Armed with a blurry YouTube video and a flurry of blog and Twitter posts, several musicians claim that their crew members were roughed up by Philly bike cops late Sunday.
The musicians, who were among several bands that played the Bamboozle Road Show at the Theater of the Living Arts, took to the Web to post various accounts of their alleged encounter with a handful of officers in an alley next to the theater, on South Street near 3rd.
One musician, JD Perry of the band Valencia, claimed in a blog post that the officers had ticketed equipment vans that were parked in the side alley and then arrested a tour manager who protested the ticketing.
Perry contended at first that the officers then beat and arrested another man who tried to intervene. Later, he took down an Internet account of the incident that he had posted, noting: "I do not have a first-hand account of Police brutality."
Members of the Police Advisory Commission, a civilian oversight committee, were set to meet yesterday with several people who also claimed to have witnessed the incident.
No evidence of abuse was found in the mostly out-of-focus YouTube video, said Lt. Frank Vanore, a police spokesman.
A complaint has yet to be filed with the police Internal Affairs Bureau. "If a complaint is filed, it will be investigated thoroughly," Vanore said.
___________________________
http://www.chartattack.com/news/69028/bands-upset-with-philly-cops
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Two NYPD Officers Moreno & Mata Charged with Raping Semiconscious Woman
A New York police officer called to help a drunken woman get home safely has been accused of raping her as she lay face down in her bed, semiconscious and covered in vomit while his partner acted as a lookout, prosecutors said Tuesday.
Kenneth Moreno and Franklin Mata were suspended from duty and were scheduled to be arraigned Tuesday on charges of rape, burglary and official misconduct in the Dec. 6, 2008 incident in the East Village neighborhood of Manhattan, District Attorney Robert Morgenthau said.
Their attorneys said Monday they expected their clients to plead not guilty. Moreno's attorney Stephen Worth said his client was eager to confront the evidence against him. Mata's attorney, Edward Mandery, said his client denied the allegations.
New York Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly, who rarely speaks on pending cases involving officers because he may have to make internal decisions, called the allegations "disgraceful" and said he did not want the charges to tarnish the department's reputation for helping people.
"This is a shocking aberration in stark contrast to the outstanding work that the men and women of the New York City police department do every day on the streets of our city," Kelly said. "The public needs to know that the police are there to protect them. And I believe that they do."
The two officers were working the late shift in the 9th Precinct that night as the woman, identified as 27-year-old professional, was out drinking with friends at a bar in Brooklyn. Her blood alcohol was at least double the legal limit and possibly more, investigators said, when her friends put her in a taxi and told the driver to take her to her apartment in Manhattan.
When the driver got to her address, she was so drunk she couldn't get out of the taxi, so he called 911 for help, prosecutor said. Mata, 27, and Moreno, 41, responded within minutes. Surveillance tape shows them helping the woman into her building and leaving a few minutes later.
But the tape also shows the officers entering and leaving the building two more times, when they had been assigned to respond to other incidents in the precinct, prosecutors said. The officers were inside the building 17 minutes the first time they returned and 34 minutes the next time, prosecutors said.
While they were in the apartment, Moreno, who has been a police officer for 17 years, raped the woman as she lay physically helpless on her bed, Morgenthau said. Mata acted as a lookout for Moreno, and "knew his partner was having sex with a semiconscious woman," but did nothing to stop it, Morgenthau said.
The woman reported the sexual assault the next morning and was treated at Beth Israel Hospital and released, investigators said. She reported the charges to the sex crimes unit of the district attorney's office.
Both officers were indicted on first-degree rape charges, two counts of second-degree burglary for re-entering the apartment twice, and nine counts of official misconduct.
Mata, who has been an officer for three years, also was indicted on charges of criminal facilitation and tampering with evidence for refusing to hand over his memo book used to record shift details and for not stopping the rape, prosecutors said.
During the investigation, a packet of heroin was found in Moreno's police locker, and he was also charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance, prosecutors said.
_____________________
More Information & Photos: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/ny_crime/2009/04/28/2009-04-28_nypd_cops_charged_in_rape_of_druken_woman_they_escorted_home.html
Kenneth Moreno and Franklin Mata were suspended from duty and were scheduled to be arraigned Tuesday on charges of rape, burglary and official misconduct in the Dec. 6, 2008 incident in the East Village neighborhood of Manhattan, District Attorney Robert Morgenthau said.
Their attorneys said Monday they expected their clients to plead not guilty. Moreno's attorney Stephen Worth said his client was eager to confront the evidence against him. Mata's attorney, Edward Mandery, said his client denied the allegations.
New York Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly, who rarely speaks on pending cases involving officers because he may have to make internal decisions, called the allegations "disgraceful" and said he did not want the charges to tarnish the department's reputation for helping people.
"This is a shocking aberration in stark contrast to the outstanding work that the men and women of the New York City police department do every day on the streets of our city," Kelly said. "The public needs to know that the police are there to protect them. And I believe that they do."
The two officers were working the late shift in the 9th Precinct that night as the woman, identified as 27-year-old professional, was out drinking with friends at a bar in Brooklyn. Her blood alcohol was at least double the legal limit and possibly more, investigators said, when her friends put her in a taxi and told the driver to take her to her apartment in Manhattan.
When the driver got to her address, she was so drunk she couldn't get out of the taxi, so he called 911 for help, prosecutor said. Mata, 27, and Moreno, 41, responded within minutes. Surveillance tape shows them helping the woman into her building and leaving a few minutes later.
But the tape also shows the officers entering and leaving the building two more times, when they had been assigned to respond to other incidents in the precinct, prosecutors said. The officers were inside the building 17 minutes the first time they returned and 34 minutes the next time, prosecutors said.
While they were in the apartment, Moreno, who has been a police officer for 17 years, raped the woman as she lay physically helpless on her bed, Morgenthau said. Mata acted as a lookout for Moreno, and "knew his partner was having sex with a semiconscious woman," but did nothing to stop it, Morgenthau said.
The woman reported the sexual assault the next morning and was treated at Beth Israel Hospital and released, investigators said. She reported the charges to the sex crimes unit of the district attorney's office.
Both officers were indicted on first-degree rape charges, two counts of second-degree burglary for re-entering the apartment twice, and nine counts of official misconduct.
Mata, who has been an officer for three years, also was indicted on charges of criminal facilitation and tampering with evidence for refusing to hand over his memo book used to record shift details and for not stopping the rape, prosecutors said.
During the investigation, a packet of heroin was found in Moreno's police locker, and he was also charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance, prosecutors said.
_____________________
More Information & Photos: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/ny_crime/2009/04/28/2009-04-28_nypd_cops_charged_in_rape_of_druken_woman_they_escorted_home.html
Rochester Woman Claims Police Brutality
A Rochester woman is alleging brutality from two Gates police officers and is meeting with two investigators this morning to talk about the incident.
Terasa Harris, 49, today said at 9:30 p.m. March 27 she was sitting in her car in an empty parking lot on Chili Avenue when an officer approached her vehicle because of an expired registration. After that, she alleges that one officer lunged toward her from the passenger side to remove her keys while the second officer pulled her out of her vehicle and dragged her toward the patrol car.
She said she suffered scratches all over the left side of her face and her chin.
“I couldn’t believe this was happening,” said Harris, who was also a third-degree burn victim. “When I complained to the officers to tell them I was in pain and felt scratches on my face, one officer told me I ‘already had scars and a few more wouldn’t be noticeable.’”
Gates Supervisor Ralph Esposito today said he discussed the issue with Gates Police Chief David DiCaro and is waiting to read Harris’ statement before deciding whether an internal investigation will take place.
“We just want to get the firsthand account of what occurred that night before going forward,” Esposito said.
__________________
http://www.whec.com/news/stories/S902675.shtml?cat=566
Terasa Harris, 49, today said at 9:30 p.m. March 27 she was sitting in her car in an empty parking lot on Chili Avenue when an officer approached her vehicle because of an expired registration. After that, she alleges that one officer lunged toward her from the passenger side to remove her keys while the second officer pulled her out of her vehicle and dragged her toward the patrol car.
She said she suffered scratches all over the left side of her face and her chin.
“I couldn’t believe this was happening,” said Harris, who was also a third-degree burn victim. “When I complained to the officers to tell them I was in pain and felt scratches on my face, one officer told me I ‘already had scars and a few more wouldn’t be noticeable.’”
Gates Supervisor Ralph Esposito today said he discussed the issue with Gates Police Chief David DiCaro and is waiting to read Harris’ statement before deciding whether an internal investigation will take place.
“We just want to get the firsthand account of what occurred that night before going forward,” Esposito said.
__________________
http://www.whec.com/news/stories/S902675.shtml?cat=566
Monday, April 27, 2009
Officers Kenneth Moreno & Franklin Mata Charged with Rape
A grand jury in Manhattan has voted to indict two New York City police officers in the December rape of a woman who claimed she was sexually attacked after the officers escorted her from a taxicab to her apartment in the East Village while she was intoxicated, according to law enforcement officials and other people familiar with the case.
The grand jury last week charged both officers — Kenneth Moreno and Franklin L. Mata — though the details of the indictment were not immediately disclosed, according to the people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
The officers, who have been on modified duty, stripped of their guns and badges and working in administrative assignments, are expected to surrender on Tuesday morning and face arraignment in criminal court.
“Since I haven’t been advised of the formal charges, I am not in a position to comment at this time,” said Edward J. Mandery, a lawyer for Officer Mata.
Stephen C. Worth, a lawyer for Officer Moreno, said: “My client will appear in court tomorrow and enter a plea of not guilty. We look forward to a rigorous examination of the district attorney’s evidence.”
The case came to light in March when officials disclosed the nature of the investigation. Officials said the woman, who was not identified, went to the hospital on Dec. 7, the morning of the reported rape, and also contacted prosecutors who notified the Police Department’s Internal Affairs Bureau, law enforcement officials said.
Although both officers were at the woman’s apartment, only one of them is suspected of raping the woman, according to a person who has been briefed on the investigation. Investigators have been looking at a theory of rape in which someone has intercourse with a person too intoxicated to give consent, the person said. State law differentiates between rape under that circumstance and forcible sex.
Video surveillance helped internal investigators unravel what they say occurred.
The video, from a surveillance camera at a bar near the woman’s building, shows two uniformed officers helping her into the building at 1:10 a.m. and then returning twice over the next two hours — spending 34 minutes in the building during their final visit, according to the bar owner, who gave the video to the district attorney’s office.
During the investigation, the authorities said, officials were unable to find Officer Mata’s memo book — a notebook officers use to log their activities and movements.
At some point after the officers escorted the woman back to her apartment, they were dispatched on a ”radio run,” to report to the scene of an accident, according to one person briefed on the investigation.
After finishing at the accident scene, the officers returned to the woman’s apartment, but they did not report that they had completed their run, the person said. Instead, according to the surveillance tape, the officers did not indicate that their duties at the accident site were completed until after they left the woman’s apartment for the final time, at 3:33 a.m., the person said.
In a search of Officer Moreno’s locker on Dec. 19, police officials found a packet of heroin, the authorities said. The drugs were believed to be unrelated to the rape allegations, but it is unclear why the heroin was in the locker.
The person familiar with the case said the officer could be charged with possession of a controlled substance — though the officer could argue that he had confiscated the heroin but simply forgot to formally turn it in as evidence.
Alicia Maxey Greene, a spokeswoman for the office of the Manhattan district attorney, Robert M. Morgenthau, declined to comment on the developments.
The grand jury last week charged both officers — Kenneth Moreno and Franklin L. Mata — though the details of the indictment were not immediately disclosed, according to the people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
The officers, who have been on modified duty, stripped of their guns and badges and working in administrative assignments, are expected to surrender on Tuesday morning and face arraignment in criminal court.
“Since I haven’t been advised of the formal charges, I am not in a position to comment at this time,” said Edward J. Mandery, a lawyer for Officer Mata.
Stephen C. Worth, a lawyer for Officer Moreno, said: “My client will appear in court tomorrow and enter a plea of not guilty. We look forward to a rigorous examination of the district attorney’s evidence.”
The case came to light in March when officials disclosed the nature of the investigation. Officials said the woman, who was not identified, went to the hospital on Dec. 7, the morning of the reported rape, and also contacted prosecutors who notified the Police Department’s Internal Affairs Bureau, law enforcement officials said.
Although both officers were at the woman’s apartment, only one of them is suspected of raping the woman, according to a person who has been briefed on the investigation. Investigators have been looking at a theory of rape in which someone has intercourse with a person too intoxicated to give consent, the person said. State law differentiates between rape under that circumstance and forcible sex.
Video surveillance helped internal investigators unravel what they say occurred.
The video, from a surveillance camera at a bar near the woman’s building, shows two uniformed officers helping her into the building at 1:10 a.m. and then returning twice over the next two hours — spending 34 minutes in the building during their final visit, according to the bar owner, who gave the video to the district attorney’s office.
During the investigation, the authorities said, officials were unable to find Officer Mata’s memo book — a notebook officers use to log their activities and movements.
At some point after the officers escorted the woman back to her apartment, they were dispatched on a ”radio run,” to report to the scene of an accident, according to one person briefed on the investigation.
After finishing at the accident scene, the officers returned to the woman’s apartment, but they did not report that they had completed their run, the person said. Instead, according to the surveillance tape, the officers did not indicate that their duties at the accident site were completed until after they left the woman’s apartment for the final time, at 3:33 a.m., the person said.
In a search of Officer Moreno’s locker on Dec. 19, police officials found a packet of heroin, the authorities said. The drugs were believed to be unrelated to the rape allegations, but it is unclear why the heroin was in the locker.
The person familiar with the case said the officer could be charged with possession of a controlled substance — though the officer could argue that he had confiscated the heroin but simply forgot to formally turn it in as evidence.
Alicia Maxey Greene, a spokeswoman for the office of the Manhattan district attorney, Robert M. Morgenthau, declined to comment on the developments.
Sheriff Charlie Morris Pleads Not Guilty to Money Laundering
A suspended Florida sheriff pleaded not guilty to money laundering and conspiracy charges on Monday, two days after two of his former deputies were killed by a National Guard soldier they were trying to arrest.
Okaloosa County Sheriff Charlie Morris and Teresa Adams, his administrative assistant, made no comments following the brief hearing.
On Sunday, Interim Sheriff Ed Spooner, who was appointed by Gov. Charlie Crist to take over the troubled department just eight weeks ago, met with his department's 300 employees to try and explain what went wrong in the weekend shooting that left two deputies and the man they were trying to arrest for domestic battery dead.
Another deputy, Anthony Forgione, died in July after he was shot by a suicidal man who had barricaded himself in a home.
"All the things that keep happening, it's like a scab that keeps getting peeled back over and over," said Larry Carter, the department's senior chaplain.
FBI agents arrested Morris in February while he was on a gambling trip to Las Vegas.
Morris and Adams were indicted by a federal grand jury Thursday in a scheme to create fictitious bonuses for department employees and pocket the money.
Carter said employees had been preparing a May memorial service for Forgione and trying to put Morris' arrest behind them when Deputies Burt Lopez and Warren "Skip" York were killed.
Lopez and York had no warning a confrontation would occur when they tried to arrest Joshua Cartwright, 28, in the parking lot of a gun range, Spooner said. The deputies used a stun gun to subdue Cartwright, but he was able to start shooting at them from the ground.
"Within seconds he sat up and began firing a weapon that came out of nowhere, it was somewhere on his body we assume," Spooner said as employees joined hands in prayer, cried and hugged Sunday night.
Cartwright was killed in a shootout at a roadblock after a car chase into a neighboring county. The deputies had gone to a shooting range to arrest him after his wife sought treatment for domestic abuse injures at an area hospital.
Spooner said the deputies had no information to make them think Cartwright would turn his weapons on them.
"This went from zero to 100 in a matter of minutes. In three minutes it turned from a passive discussion to a shooting, it was one heck of a mess," the sheriff said.
According to a domestic violence report, Cartwright's wife, Elizabeth Marie Cartwright, 21, told deputies after her husband died that he believed the government was conspiring against him and that he had been upset by Barack Obama's election.
Authorities said the National Guard solider was interested in militias and in weapons training.
Both deputies were shot in areas not protected by their bulletproof vests, Spooner said.
In the chase that followed, Cartwright's truck flipped on its side after spikes at a roadblock punctured the tires. The soldier came out shooting, Spooner said.
Investigators say Cartwright and deputies at the roadblock exchanged about 60 rounds in 30 to 40 seconds before he was killed.
Both Lopez and York had retired from careers with the Air Force at nearby Eglin Air Force Base when they joined the department. A joint visitation for the officers is planned for Wednesday in Crestview. Lopez's funeral is set for Thursday afternoon in Niceville, and services for York are scheduled for Friday morning in Pensacola.
Capt. J.D. Peacock said Lopez, a father of five, was especially good at defusing tense situations such as domestic abuse calls.
"He was the person you would want in a confrontation because he calmed people down," he said.
________________________
Other Information: http://www.abcnews.go.com/Blotter/story?id=7438388&page=1
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Corrections Officer Angelo Vickers Arrested for Molestation Teen
A corrections officer at Terrebonne’s Juvenile Detention center is accused of having sex with two teen inmates and offering the teenage girls favors in exchange, deputies said.
The officer denies the allegations.
Angelo Knighton Vickers, 47, 390 Monarch Drive, Houma, was arrested Thursday and charged with two counts each of molestation of a juvenile and sexual malfeasance in prison.
The investigation is ongoing, said Maj. Malcolm Wolfe of the Sheriff’s Office.
It’s unclear whether there are more victims.
The investigation began after a former inmate of the center contacted officials and claimed she had sex with a corrections officer while incarcerated, according to deputies. Another girl made similar allegations during the investigation.
In exchange for sex, Vickers offered the girls favors, such as free phone calls and snacks, deputies said. The inmates were 15 and 16 at the time.
The incidents happened within the past year, Wolfe said.
Vickers was questioned at the Sheriff’s Office before his arrest and denied the accusations, deputies said.
Vickers, who was fired after the allegations surfaced, worked as a corrections officer for Terrebonne Parish government, Wolfe said.
He has worked at the Juvenile Detention Center for six and a half years, said Jason Hutchinson, the center’s director. At the time of his arrest, Vickers was working as a watch commander, supervising a security team of about nine.
“We’ve all been devastated by this,” Hutchinson said. “We’re terribly disappointed. It’s a sad situation for everyone.”
Vickers is being held at the Terrebonne Courthouse Annex Jail on $200,000 bond.
_________________________
http://www.dailycomet.com/article/20090426/HURBLOG/904269979/1223?Title=Terrebonne-Juvenile-Detention-Center-worker-jailed-on-molestation-charges
The officer denies the allegations.
Angelo Knighton Vickers, 47, 390 Monarch Drive, Houma, was arrested Thursday and charged with two counts each of molestation of a juvenile and sexual malfeasance in prison.
The investigation is ongoing, said Maj. Malcolm Wolfe of the Sheriff’s Office.
It’s unclear whether there are more victims.
The investigation began after a former inmate of the center contacted officials and claimed she had sex with a corrections officer while incarcerated, according to deputies. Another girl made similar allegations during the investigation.
In exchange for sex, Vickers offered the girls favors, such as free phone calls and snacks, deputies said. The inmates were 15 and 16 at the time.
The incidents happened within the past year, Wolfe said.
Vickers was questioned at the Sheriff’s Office before his arrest and denied the accusations, deputies said.
Vickers, who was fired after the allegations surfaced, worked as a corrections officer for Terrebonne Parish government, Wolfe said.
He has worked at the Juvenile Detention Center for six and a half years, said Jason Hutchinson, the center’s director. At the time of his arrest, Vickers was working as a watch commander, supervising a security team of about nine.
“We’ve all been devastated by this,” Hutchinson said. “We’re terribly disappointed. It’s a sad situation for everyone.”
Vickers is being held at the Terrebonne Courthouse Annex Jail on $200,000 bond.
_________________________
http://www.dailycomet.com/article/20090426/HURBLOG/904269979/1223?Title=Terrebonne-Juvenile-Detention-Center-worker-jailed-on-molestation-charges
Chatham Officer Investigated for Firing Shots at Fleeing Vehicle
The Sangamon County Sheriff's department is investigating an incident in which a Chatham police officer fired shots at a fleeing vehicle after a traffic stop.
A 19-year-old Springfield man, Anthony Crawford Jr., was arrested shortly after the incident Friday night.
Sangamon County Sheriff Neil Williamson and Chatham Police Chief Roy Barnett declined to release the officer's name on Saturday. Barnett confirmed the officer is on leave and that the sheriff's office has been asked to handle the investigation.
Williamson said Chatham police arrested Crawford on an outstanding warrant for retail theft as well as driving on a suspended driver's license, fleeing and eluding a police officer and an equipment violation for not having a front license plate.
---------------
Information from: The State Journal-Register, http://www.sj-r.com
A 19-year-old Springfield man, Anthony Crawford Jr., was arrested shortly after the incident Friday night.
Sangamon County Sheriff Neil Williamson and Chatham Police Chief Roy Barnett declined to release the officer's name on Saturday. Barnett confirmed the officer is on leave and that the sheriff's office has been asked to handle the investigation.
Williamson said Chatham police arrested Crawford on an outstanding warrant for retail theft as well as driving on a suspended driver's license, fleeing and eluding a police officer and an equipment violation for not having a front license plate.
---------------
Information from: The State Journal-Register, http://www.sj-r.com
Tulsa PD Suspends 3 Officers in Drinking Probe
Drinking during a barbecue at the Tulsa Police Department's training center last year led to the totaling of a police car and the suspensions of three officers, Police Chief Ron Palmer told the Tulsa World.
Nearly 20 Tulsa police officers, including one who crashed the patrol car, drank alcohol during the cookout, an investigation has revealed.
The Oct. 16 cookout ended a week of training for the agency's Special Operations Team, Palmer said.
Officer Danny Bean told investigators that he drank two beers before heading home in his department- issued squad car, Palmer said. He reportedly knocked over a power pole and crashed into a security gate as he left the facility at 6066 E. 66th St. North.
Bean was suspended for 80 hours without pay and will not be allowed to take his new patrol car home for 120 days, Palmer said.
Neither Bean nor his lawyer, Scott Wood, returned telephone calls seeking comment.
Palmer said the suspensions were handed down this month and emphasize the increased level of responsibility that officers must meet.
"It should be a higher standard; there's no doubt in my mind," he said. "Anybody, lay person or police person, can see that it's conduct unbecoming" an officer.
The department's Internal Affairs Unit found that Bean was not given a field sobriety test and that his blood-alcohol level was never measured. Palmer said it also wasn't clear who brought the beer or how many officers were drinking at the event.
Several supervisors talked with Bean after the crash and said he didn't show any signs of intoxication, Palmer said.
Bean, who works in the department's Gilcrease Division, was a newer member of the Special Operations Team and stayed late to help clean up after the barbecue. He was driving nearly 55 mph when he rounded a curved stretch of road as he was leaving, police records show.
His 2007 Dodge Charger police car crashed into a power pole shortly after 10:30 p.m. and then hit a gate, according to an accident report. The cruiser, valued at $19,774, was destroyed.
Sgt. Luke Sherman, who was in charge of the barbecue, was suspended for five days without pay for failure to supervise and for conduct unbecoming an officer.
Capt. John Brooks was suspended for two days without pay and was removed as the Special Operations Team's interim commander for the same offenses, Palmer said.
The police union appealed the decision shortly after the officers were suspended, said Ron Bartmier, chairman of the union's board.
Bartmier would not discuss the appeal because it is an ongoing personnel issue.
Palmer said the department's lack of a specific alcohol policy likely is behind the appeal.
Beer isn't specifically banned at the training center, but Palmer said the department follows the city of Tulsa's broader rules about drinking, which prohibit city employees from drinking at work or coming to work drunk.
"It's my desire to make those policies stricter so there's no misunderstanding," he said.
Nearly 20 Tulsa police officers, including one who crashed the patrol car, drank alcohol during the cookout, an investigation has revealed.
The Oct. 16 cookout ended a week of training for the agency's Special Operations Team, Palmer said.
Officer Danny Bean told investigators that he drank two beers before heading home in his department- issued squad car, Palmer said. He reportedly knocked over a power pole and crashed into a security gate as he left the facility at 6066 E. 66th St. North.
Bean was suspended for 80 hours without pay and will not be allowed to take his new patrol car home for 120 days, Palmer said.
Neither Bean nor his lawyer, Scott Wood, returned telephone calls seeking comment.
Palmer said the suspensions were handed down this month and emphasize the increased level of responsibility that officers must meet.
"It should be a higher standard; there's no doubt in my mind," he said. "Anybody, lay person or police person, can see that it's conduct unbecoming" an officer.
The department's Internal Affairs Unit found that Bean was not given a field sobriety test and that his blood-alcohol level was never measured. Palmer said it also wasn't clear who brought the beer or how many officers were drinking at the event.
Several supervisors talked with Bean after the crash and said he didn't show any signs of intoxication, Palmer said.
Bean, who works in the department's Gilcrease Division, was a newer member of the Special Operations Team and stayed late to help clean up after the barbecue. He was driving nearly 55 mph when he rounded a curved stretch of road as he was leaving, police records show.
His 2007 Dodge Charger police car crashed into a power pole shortly after 10:30 p.m. and then hit a gate, according to an accident report. The cruiser, valued at $19,774, was destroyed.
Sgt. Luke Sherman, who was in charge of the barbecue, was suspended for five days without pay for failure to supervise and for conduct unbecoming an officer.
Capt. John Brooks was suspended for two days without pay and was removed as the Special Operations Team's interim commander for the same offenses, Palmer said.
The police union appealed the decision shortly after the officers were suspended, said Ron Bartmier, chairman of the union's board.
Bartmier would not discuss the appeal because it is an ongoing personnel issue.
Palmer said the department's lack of a specific alcohol policy likely is behind the appeal.
Beer isn't specifically banned at the training center, but Palmer said the department follows the city of Tulsa's broader rules about drinking, which prohibit city employees from drinking at work or coming to work drunk.
"It's my desire to make those policies stricter so there's no misunderstanding," he said.
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Captain Randy Burke Accused of Stealing $100
An internal investigation into theft and misconduct has led to the firing of a Bunnell Police Department captain.
According to the Daytona Beach News-Journal, Captain Randy Burke was fired after he was accused of stealing $100 meant as a gift for a former officer in 2007.
According to the internal investigation documents, police department employees pooled together $100 and some household items to help out fired officer Ed Culver.
Investigators say because Burke lived next door to Culver, they asked him to present the gifts to Culver.
When the department moved into its new facility, officers told investigators the household items were found in Burke's old office.
Investigators say Burke told them he forgot to give the donations to Culver.
The investigation couldn't confirm Burke stole the money, but concluded he did misappropriate it.
__________________________
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/state/orl-bk-bunnell-police-captain-fire-042509,0,243821.story
According to the Daytona Beach News-Journal, Captain Randy Burke was fired after he was accused of stealing $100 meant as a gift for a former officer in 2007.
According to the internal investigation documents, police department employees pooled together $100 and some household items to help out fired officer Ed Culver.
Investigators say because Burke lived next door to Culver, they asked him to present the gifts to Culver.
When the department moved into its new facility, officers told investigators the household items were found in Burke's old office.
Investigators say Burke told them he forgot to give the donations to Culver.
The investigation couldn't confirm Burke stole the money, but concluded he did misappropriate it.
__________________________
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/state/orl-bk-bunnell-police-captain-fire-042509,0,243821.story
Taser Policy Examined
The video, now made famous by youtube and other sites, shows San Louis Obisbo man Christopher Felch tasered by police at the Coachella Music Festival. Police asked the man to put his clothes on. He refused and resisted when officers tried dressing him. They eventually used their taser to subdue the man. Law enforcement's use of tasers varies which each department.
"Some departments are going to the taser prior to going to the baton or if theres an incident with a lot of people or a closed indoor area you may not want to use the pepper spray and therefore go directly to the taser so each department has there own policy and procedure that they follow," says David Chandler, President of the Coachella Valley Security Academy.
Three officers made the arrest, two from Indio P.D.and one Banning, he's the one who tasered the man police say was drunk in public. We couldn't reach the Banning Police Department for comment. Video shows the officers tasing the man several times after the first tase. Dozen sat and watched the incident unfold, making it hard for officers to use other non-lethal weapons.
"From somebody looking on from a distance it may look like it's excessive force but it's a lot less lethal then using a baton on someone or pepper spray on entire crowd," says Chandler.
There's a difference between a consumer taser and a law enforcement taser. The consumer taser's last 30 seconds so the victim can taser the suspect can drop the taser and run away. Law Enforcement taser's last 5 seconds just enough time for the officer to gain control of the suspect.
Some festival-goers supported Felch, some even going up and shaking the man's hand. They voiced their anger after police tasered the man. The incident has the internet community talking. Indio Police are confident they did what's right.
"Everybody's entitled to give there opinions and what not. All our purpose is that people are safe and enjoy themselves and be able to leave on there own terms and not break the law," says Indio Police Department's Ben Guitron.
-----------------------------
News Video: After the Arrest: Law Enforcement Taser Policy Examined (4/24)
"Some departments are going to the taser prior to going to the baton or if theres an incident with a lot of people or a closed indoor area you may not want to use the pepper spray and therefore go directly to the taser so each department has there own policy and procedure that they follow," says David Chandler, President of the Coachella Valley Security Academy.
Three officers made the arrest, two from Indio P.D.and one Banning, he's the one who tasered the man police say was drunk in public. We couldn't reach the Banning Police Department for comment. Video shows the officers tasing the man several times after the first tase. Dozen sat and watched the incident unfold, making it hard for officers to use other non-lethal weapons.
"From somebody looking on from a distance it may look like it's excessive force but it's a lot less lethal then using a baton on someone or pepper spray on entire crowd," says Chandler.
There's a difference between a consumer taser and a law enforcement taser. The consumer taser's last 30 seconds so the victim can taser the suspect can drop the taser and run away. Law Enforcement taser's last 5 seconds just enough time for the officer to gain control of the suspect.
Some festival-goers supported Felch, some even going up and shaking the man's hand. They voiced their anger after police tasered the man. The incident has the internet community talking. Indio Police are confident they did what's right.
"Everybody's entitled to give there opinions and what not. All our purpose is that people are safe and enjoy themselves and be able to leave on there own terms and not break the law," says Indio Police Department's Ben Guitron.
-----------------------------
News Video: After the Arrest: Law Enforcement Taser Policy Examined (4/24)
Detective Russell Littleton Arrested for Drunk Driving
An undercover Little Rock police officer was suspended for 30 days after being arrested for drunken driving and trying to get out of it by asking for "professional courtesy."
The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, using records it obtained through a public disclosure request, says detective Russell C. Littleton completed his suspension in January. The newspaper says the 35-year-old also lost the privilege of taking an unmarked police truck home at night and had to have an interlock installed on the truck.
Littleton is an 11-year department veteran assigned to a U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives task force. He was arrested in August 2008 by Benton police, who say he tried to talk his way out of being arrested.
The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, using records it obtained through a public disclosure request, says detective Russell C. Littleton completed his suspension in January. The newspaper says the 35-year-old also lost the privilege of taking an unmarked police truck home at night and had to have an interlock installed on the truck.
Littleton is an 11-year department veteran assigned to a U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives task force. He was arrested in August 2008 by Benton police, who say he tried to talk his way out of being arrested.
Retired Deputy Terrence Greenwald Charged with Sexually Abusing Two Children
A retired Waukesha County sheriff's deputy was charged Friday with sexual crimes involving two children that occurred between July 1, 1997, and September 1, 2008, according to a criminal complaint.
Terrence L. Greenwald, 55, of Summit was charged with seven counts of first-degree sexual assault, three counts of second-degree sexual assault, eight counts of child enticement and one count of causing a child age 13 to 18 to view sexual activity. All the charges are felonies.
He was arrested on a warrant Friday, sheriff's Capt. Karen Ruff said.
Greenwald retired from the Sheriff's Department on Dec. 7, 2007, said Sue Zastrow of the Waukesha County Human Resources Division. He was hired as a correctional officer Oct. 10, 1992, and promoted to deputy Aug. 27, 1994.
According to the complaint filed in Waukesha County Circuit Court, the incidents involved Greenwald committing sexual acts individually with a boy and a girl. The girl told authorities that the first incident involving her that she could recall occurred when she was a first-grader in 1998. The last incident occurred in fall 2008, the complaint says. All of the sexual assault charges involve indecent touching, according to the complaint.
The boy told authorities that Greenwald exposed himself to the child in July 1997, when the boy was about 8, and that Greenwald caused the boy to view sexual activity in May 2004, the complaint says.
District Attorney Brad Schimel said Friday that he has appointed a special prosecutor from the Racine County district attorney's office to handle the case because the charges involve a former Waukesha County sheriff's deputy.
Former Officer Shane Alldredge Arrested for Domestic Violence
A former Arab police officer who just got out of prison is now back behind bars.
Investigators said Shane Alldredge was arrested on domestic violence charges. He told sheriff's deputies he would turn himself in this past Monday for these charges, but no one heard from him until 3 p.m. Friday.
Alldredge was paroled from prison just 11 days ago. Since then, his wife has filed a domestic violence charge and Cullman County sheriff's deputies issued an arrest warrant.
Alldredge was a former Arab police officer convicted in 2006 on ethics violations and sentenced to three years in prison. He was found guilty of soliciting sexual favors from women in exchange for dismissing traffic tickets and other charges.
The Alabama Board of Pardons and Paroles granted him parole and Alldredge was released April 13.
The Cullman County Sheriff said probation violation charges are pending.
____________________________
http://www.al.com/crime/huntsvilletimes/index.ssf?/base/news/124065093781170.xml&coll=1
Investigators said Shane Alldredge was arrested on domestic violence charges. He told sheriff's deputies he would turn himself in this past Monday for these charges, but no one heard from him until 3 p.m. Friday.
Alldredge was paroled from prison just 11 days ago. Since then, his wife has filed a domestic violence charge and Cullman County sheriff's deputies issued an arrest warrant.
Alldredge was a former Arab police officer convicted in 2006 on ethics violations and sentenced to three years in prison. He was found guilty of soliciting sexual favors from women in exchange for dismissing traffic tickets and other charges.
The Alabama Board of Pardons and Paroles granted him parole and Alldredge was released April 13.
The Cullman County Sheriff said probation violation charges are pending.
____________________________
http://www.al.com/crime/huntsvilletimes/index.ssf?/base/news/124065093781170.xml&coll=1
Suspended Officer Kyle Hunter Charged with Violating Protection Order
SCHENECTADY
Suspended Schenectady police Officer Kyle Hunter, charged last month with stealing his girlfriend's car, was arrested Friday and charged with violating an order to stay away from her, police said.
Hunter was arrested on a felony contempt charge for violating an order of protection after a complaint that he was near the woman's home, said Sgt. Eric S. Clifford, police spokesman.
Hunter was being held overnight in the city lockup and was expected to be arraigned Saturday morning, Clifford said.
At 12:25 a.m. Friday, police responded to a city residence to investigate a reported domestic disturbance involving Hunter.
Hunter allegedly damaged the woman's property and fled the residence before officers arrived. A thorough search was conducted to locate him, including the use of a Schenectady County Sheriff's K-9 Team.
The investigation continued later in the day and led police to Amsterdam where Hunter was arrested, Clifford said.
Hunter was charged March 27 with unauthorized use of a motor vehicle after police allege he fought with the woman, a corrections officer, then took her car without permission.
Hunter, an eight-year member of the force, was already the subject of an internal investigation for allegedly abusing the department's extended sick leave policy. He also lost his service weapon, but the department has declined to provide details about that prior incident.
Hunter was placed on unpaid leave for 30 days after the first incident and will be placed on another unpaid 30-day suspension beginning Tuesday, Clifford said.
Suspended Schenectady police Officer Kyle Hunter, charged last month with stealing his girlfriend's car, was arrested Friday and charged with violating an order to stay away from her, police said.
Hunter was arrested on a felony contempt charge for violating an order of protection after a complaint that he was near the woman's home, said Sgt. Eric S. Clifford, police spokesman.
Hunter was being held overnight in the city lockup and was expected to be arraigned Saturday morning, Clifford said.
At 12:25 a.m. Friday, police responded to a city residence to investigate a reported domestic disturbance involving Hunter.
Hunter allegedly damaged the woman's property and fled the residence before officers arrived. A thorough search was conducted to locate him, including the use of a Schenectady County Sheriff's K-9 Team.
The investigation continued later in the day and led police to Amsterdam where Hunter was arrested, Clifford said.
Hunter was charged March 27 with unauthorized use of a motor vehicle after police allege he fought with the woman, a corrections officer, then took her car without permission.
Hunter, an eight-year member of the force, was already the subject of an internal investigation for allegedly abusing the department's extended sick leave policy. He also lost his service weapon, but the department has declined to provide details about that prior incident.
Hunter was placed on unpaid leave for 30 days after the first incident and will be placed on another unpaid 30-day suspension beginning Tuesday, Clifford said.
Lethal Weapon: Tasers Kill
I thought the purpose of the Taser was to avoid lethal force… but I guess when you look at what T.A.S.E.R actually stands for (Thomas A. Swift’s Electric Rifle) and the occurrences of deaths by taser, we must remember the R stands for Rifle. What do rifles do?
According to Amnesty International:
More than 330 people are reported to have died since 2001 after being struck by police Tasers in the USA 90 per cent of those who died after being struck with a Taser were unarmed and many did not appear to present a serious threat.
Many were subjected to repeated or prolonged shocks – far more than the five-second “standard” cycle – or by more than one officer at a time.
Perhaps tasers were not meant to be lethal weapons…The facts show that they are indeed lethal in some cases.
So why does law enforcement continue to use them? Is it because they believe Tasers are a safe non lethal means to subdue people?
There were a number of Police officers that were tasered voluntarily during taser training classes. These officers were under the impression that the taser was safe with no lasting affects. None of the officers died, but some of them experienced serious health problems after being tasered and have filed lawsuits against Taser International! What does that tell you?
How many more people have to die before we understand that the T.A.S.E.R. does not qualify as a non lethal weapon? How many more people have to suffer health problems and taser related injuries before we recognize that the T.A.S.E.R. is not safe?
_______________________
For the rest of the story please visit: http://marenda.biz/2009/04/24/lethal-weapon-tasers-kill/
According to Amnesty International:
More than 330 people are reported to have died since 2001 after being struck by police Tasers in the USA 90 per cent of those who died after being struck with a Taser were unarmed and many did not appear to present a serious threat.
Many were subjected to repeated or prolonged shocks – far more than the five-second “standard” cycle – or by more than one officer at a time.
Perhaps tasers were not meant to be lethal weapons…The facts show that they are indeed lethal in some cases.
So why does law enforcement continue to use them? Is it because they believe Tasers are a safe non lethal means to subdue people?
There were a number of Police officers that were tasered voluntarily during taser training classes. These officers were under the impression that the taser was safe with no lasting affects. None of the officers died, but some of them experienced serious health problems after being tasered and have filed lawsuits against Taser International! What does that tell you?
How many more people have to die before we understand that the T.A.S.E.R. does not qualify as a non lethal weapon? How many more people have to suffer health problems and taser related injuries before we recognize that the T.A.S.E.R. is not safe?
_______________________
For the rest of the story please visit: http://marenda.biz/2009/04/24/lethal-weapon-tasers-kill/
Death of Jerard Drew While in Custody Being Investigated
Tulsa police and relatives of a man who died late Wednesday while in police custody offered differing versions of the chain of events that preceded his death.
But both police and relatives will have to await the results of an autopsy by the state Medical Examiner's Office, which will determine the cause and manner of Jerard M. Drew's death.
Drew, 38, who was wearing only boxer shorts when he died, had recently been prescribed prescription pain and anti-inflammatory drugs and might have been drinking alcohol Wednesday, but he was otherwise healthy, relatives said.
Police said Drew became unresponsive while they were trying to put leg shackles on him after he was pepper-sprayed but continued to resist officers' attempts to detain him.
The man was cursing and kicking at officers, at which time the officers decided to put leg shackles on him "to keep him from hurting officers or hurting himself," police spokesman Officer Leland Ashley said.
Drew's mother, Ruth Woodfork, said officers were chatting and laughing when she came upon them and her son, who was lying face-down and handcuffed on the grassy north side of the road in the 2700 block of West Edison Street.
Ashley said officers performed CPR until an ambulance arrived and took Drew to St. John Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead at 10:55 p.m.
Ashley said there was no indication that excessive force was used but that homicide detectives will investigate.
Six officers — Jeff Dosser, Jason Kelley, Jay Chiarito-Mazzarella, Naresh Persaud, Herbert Hardman and Sgt. Mike Williams — were placed on restrictive duty as a routine matter, he said.
Ashley denied a request for a copy of the police report, saying such reports are not public documents.
Ashley said Dosser was on patrol when he reported seeing a man, wearing only boxer shorts, running in the 2700 block of West Edison Street just before 10 p.m.
The man fled, and the officer caught up with him in a drainage culvert just north of Edison, Ashley said.
The officer pepper-sprayed the man when he "clenched his fist in a menacing manner as if to punch the officer," he said.
The officer reported that the spray appeared to have very little effect on the man.
By this time, two more officers had arrived and helped detain Drew, Ashley said.
Woodfork said she could hear her son yelling from a block away.
"I could hear him screaming, 'Stop kicking me! Stop kicking me!' " she said.
By the time Woodfork made it to her son, he was unresponsive, she said.
"I'm not holding a grudge against anybody, because that's not God's will, but I think his life was taken before it should have been," Woodfork said.
"He's had his run-ins with the law, but he was changing his life," she said.
Oklahoma Department of Corrections records indicate that Drew had convictions for possession of a stolen vehicle, unlawful possession of a controlled drug, false impersonation and escape.
But both police and relatives will have to await the results of an autopsy by the state Medical Examiner's Office, which will determine the cause and manner of Jerard M. Drew's death.
Drew, 38, who was wearing only boxer shorts when he died, had recently been prescribed prescription pain and anti-inflammatory drugs and might have been drinking alcohol Wednesday, but he was otherwise healthy, relatives said.
Police said Drew became unresponsive while they were trying to put leg shackles on him after he was pepper-sprayed but continued to resist officers' attempts to detain him.
The man was cursing and kicking at officers, at which time the officers decided to put leg shackles on him "to keep him from hurting officers or hurting himself," police spokesman Officer Leland Ashley said.
Drew's mother, Ruth Woodfork, said officers were chatting and laughing when she came upon them and her son, who was lying face-down and handcuffed on the grassy north side of the road in the 2700 block of West Edison Street.
Ashley said officers performed CPR until an ambulance arrived and took Drew to St. John Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead at 10:55 p.m.
Ashley said there was no indication that excessive force was used but that homicide detectives will investigate.
Six officers — Jeff Dosser, Jason Kelley, Jay Chiarito-Mazzarella, Naresh Persaud, Herbert Hardman and Sgt. Mike Williams — were placed on restrictive duty as a routine matter, he said.
Ashley denied a request for a copy of the police report, saying such reports are not public documents.
Ashley said Dosser was on patrol when he reported seeing a man, wearing only boxer shorts, running in the 2700 block of West Edison Street just before 10 p.m.
The man fled, and the officer caught up with him in a drainage culvert just north of Edison, Ashley said.
The officer pepper-sprayed the man when he "clenched his fist in a menacing manner as if to punch the officer," he said.
The officer reported that the spray appeared to have very little effect on the man.
By this time, two more officers had arrived and helped detain Drew, Ashley said.
Woodfork said she could hear her son yelling from a block away.
"I could hear him screaming, 'Stop kicking me! Stop kicking me!' " she said.
By the time Woodfork made it to her son, he was unresponsive, she said.
"I'm not holding a grudge against anybody, because that's not God's will, but I think his life was taken before it should have been," Woodfork said.
"He's had his run-ins with the law, but he was changing his life," she said.
Oklahoma Department of Corrections records indicate that Drew had convictions for possession of a stolen vehicle, unlawful possession of a controlled drug, false impersonation and escape.
Friday, April 24, 2009
Reverend Harvey Burnett & Others Complain About Police Brutality
One local community activist worries that efforts to hear complaints are not being taken seriously.
Reverend Harvey Burnett and half dozen residents with complaints about police brutality brought their concerns to city hall today.
Burnett argues that the police department, Mayor Ardis and the States Attorney office are derelict in addressing complaints from residents about allged abuse by some police officers.
Rev. Harvey Burnett said, "When we do complete forms it seems that the forms evaporate in thin air. No action is taken, whatever action is taken they send out letters saying after investigating this we find there is no warrant for your particular claim."
Peoria Police Spokesman Doug Burgess said, "Any complaint is looked into, it's taken very seriously and we investigate every complaint we get. As far as allegations of complaints getting lost I know of no complaints that have been lost."
The group took their complaints to the city's legal department.
Each of the individuals is scheduled to meet with a city attorney to talk about their particular allegations.
Three Peoria police officers Jeremy Layman, Andrew Smith and Gerald Suelter were recently indicted for official misconduct, battery and mob action for allegedly abusing a man last May during a car chase.
__________________________
http://centralillinoisproud.com/content/fulltext/?cid=56112
Reverend Harvey Burnett and half dozen residents with complaints about police brutality brought their concerns to city hall today.
Burnett argues that the police department, Mayor Ardis and the States Attorney office are derelict in addressing complaints from residents about allged abuse by some police officers.
Rev. Harvey Burnett said, "When we do complete forms it seems that the forms evaporate in thin air. No action is taken, whatever action is taken they send out letters saying after investigating this we find there is no warrant for your particular claim."
Peoria Police Spokesman Doug Burgess said, "Any complaint is looked into, it's taken very seriously and we investigate every complaint we get. As far as allegations of complaints getting lost I know of no complaints that have been lost."
The group took their complaints to the city's legal department.
Each of the individuals is scheduled to meet with a city attorney to talk about their particular allegations.
Three Peoria police officers Jeremy Layman, Andrew Smith and Gerald Suelter were recently indicted for official misconduct, battery and mob action for allegedly abusing a man last May during a car chase.
__________________________
http://centralillinoisproud.com/content/fulltext/?cid=56112
Arizona VS Gant Changes Rules on Vehicle Searches
MADISON, Wis.
A recent U.S. Supreme Court limits the ability of police officers to search a vehicle after making an arrest, and the decision means changes for local law enforcement agencies after 28 years of standard procedures.
The deciding case, "Arizona v. Gant," took 10 years to make it to the high court. Citing the Fourth Amendment's guard against unreasonable searches and seizures, the Supreme Court's 5-to-4 decision ruled that enforcement should not come at the expense of privacy.
The court's ruling means that when an officer makes a traffic arrest, the decision to search the vehicle cannot start without a warrant, which is a change from the past three decades of warrantless searches.
Local drivers said they have mixed feelings about the ruling.
"If you got pulled over and arrested for something to begin with, you've kind of waived your rights to privacy," said Mark Spaith, an area driver.
But driver Tony Ried said police should have a warrant to search.
"They got to have a search warrant, because if you didn't have a search warrant, police be searching through your stuff, tearing your stuff up, pulling papers out," Ried said. "And then you got to go and put the papers back in. You got to clean up your van."
But Capt. Vic Wahl, of the Madison Police Department, said he's concerned that potential crimes might now be overlooked.
"With this decision, it really turns that area of the law on its head and really limited the situations now," Wahl said. "I do think there will be certainly instances where, two weeks ago, we would've discovered weapons, drugs or contraband that now we will not discover because of the restrictions from this ruling."
Defense attorney Stephen Mays said the decision rightfully puts citizens' privacy in the forefront.
"Constitutional protections are big," Mays said. "It's not one of those situations where you look to protect the 1 percent of the people that are out committing crimes, (but) rather the 99 percent of us that aren't. So I think it gives back a little bit of expectation of privacy."
There are exceptions to the new requirement. The Supreme Court ruled that police can search without a warrant if there is a threat to an officer's safety or if the officer believes the vehicle contains evidence pertaining only to the arrest.
The exceptions provide some gray areas for law enforcement, and those exceptions will weigh heavily on an officer's prerogative, WISC-TV reported. The Madison Police Department said it hopes to continue educating its force on the law's subtle details.
"You have officers that make decisions in a snap of a finger in a few seconds, dealing with very complicated legal issues every day out on the street," Wahl said.
Meanwhile, those supporting this ruling said they hope a dialogue on privacy rights remains on the minds of law enforcement.
_________________________
VIDEO: Watch The Report
Other information: http://www.deseretnews.com/article/1,5143,705299543,00.html
A recent U.S. Supreme Court limits the ability of police officers to search a vehicle after making an arrest, and the decision means changes for local law enforcement agencies after 28 years of standard procedures.
The deciding case, "Arizona v. Gant," took 10 years to make it to the high court. Citing the Fourth Amendment's guard against unreasonable searches and seizures, the Supreme Court's 5-to-4 decision ruled that enforcement should not come at the expense of privacy.
The court's ruling means that when an officer makes a traffic arrest, the decision to search the vehicle cannot start without a warrant, which is a change from the past three decades of warrantless searches.
Local drivers said they have mixed feelings about the ruling.
"If you got pulled over and arrested for something to begin with, you've kind of waived your rights to privacy," said Mark Spaith, an area driver.
But driver Tony Ried said police should have a warrant to search.
"They got to have a search warrant, because if you didn't have a search warrant, police be searching through your stuff, tearing your stuff up, pulling papers out," Ried said. "And then you got to go and put the papers back in. You got to clean up your van."
But Capt. Vic Wahl, of the Madison Police Department, said he's concerned that potential crimes might now be overlooked.
"With this decision, it really turns that area of the law on its head and really limited the situations now," Wahl said. "I do think there will be certainly instances where, two weeks ago, we would've discovered weapons, drugs or contraband that now we will not discover because of the restrictions from this ruling."
Defense attorney Stephen Mays said the decision rightfully puts citizens' privacy in the forefront.
"Constitutional protections are big," Mays said. "It's not one of those situations where you look to protect the 1 percent of the people that are out committing crimes, (but) rather the 99 percent of us that aren't. So I think it gives back a little bit of expectation of privacy."
There are exceptions to the new requirement. The Supreme Court ruled that police can search without a warrant if there is a threat to an officer's safety or if the officer believes the vehicle contains evidence pertaining only to the arrest.
The exceptions provide some gray areas for law enforcement, and those exceptions will weigh heavily on an officer's prerogative, WISC-TV reported. The Madison Police Department said it hopes to continue educating its force on the law's subtle details.
"You have officers that make decisions in a snap of a finger in a few seconds, dealing with very complicated legal issues every day out on the street," Wahl said.
Meanwhile, those supporting this ruling said they hope a dialogue on privacy rights remains on the minds of law enforcement.
_________________________
VIDEO: Watch The Report
Other information: http://www.deseretnews.com/article/1,5143,705299543,00.html
Officer Kevin Sowell in Trouble for Exchanging Threatening E-Mails with Teen
Officials with the DeKalb Police Department said a 15-year veteran of their department and an 18-year-old girl were exchanging e-mails that threatened her family.
Channel 2 Action News reporter Amanda Rosseter spent the day digging through the officer’s personnel file and she found two offenses of conduct unbecoming – both within the past four months, and both over contact and e-mails with teenage girls.
DeKalb County police confirmed Kevin Sowell resigned two weeks ago after the department said it would fire him for two offenses – including a string of e-mails that threatened a young girl’s family.
The first offense allegedly took place in January. Sowell was suspended after he “developed a friendly relationship with a 16-year-old child,” according to officials. According to his file, after the girl’s parents requested that he discontinue contact, he continued with the child in person, by e-mail, and by a cell phone he purchased for her.
Just two months later, the second offense allegedly occurred. The internal affairs memo said, “The content of the messages was threatening in nature and spoke of violent acts towards the female’s parents” and said he “admitted to sending the correspondence.”
And another report noted, “They were both planning to harm her parents and sister-in-law. Instead of discouraging her, he responded in a manner that encouraged further thoughts on the act to harm.”
Channel 2 Action News went to Sowell’s DeKalb County home and knocked on the door to ask him about it, but no one answered the door.
Channel 2 Action News did ask DeKalb officials why Sowell was allowed to resign, even after Acting Police Chief William O’Brien "concurred with the termination," calling it "a very serious issue that cannot be taken lightly."
_______________________
Video: http://www.wsbtv.com/news/19274177/detail.html
Channel 2 Action News reporter Amanda Rosseter spent the day digging through the officer’s personnel file and she found two offenses of conduct unbecoming – both within the past four months, and both over contact and e-mails with teenage girls.
DeKalb County police confirmed Kevin Sowell resigned two weeks ago after the department said it would fire him for two offenses – including a string of e-mails that threatened a young girl’s family.
The first offense allegedly took place in January. Sowell was suspended after he “developed a friendly relationship with a 16-year-old child,” according to officials. According to his file, after the girl’s parents requested that he discontinue contact, he continued with the child in person, by e-mail, and by a cell phone he purchased for her.
Just two months later, the second offense allegedly occurred. The internal affairs memo said, “The content of the messages was threatening in nature and spoke of violent acts towards the female’s parents” and said he “admitted to sending the correspondence.”
And another report noted, “They were both planning to harm her parents and sister-in-law. Instead of discouraging her, he responded in a manner that encouraged further thoughts on the act to harm.”
Channel 2 Action News went to Sowell’s DeKalb County home and knocked on the door to ask him about it, but no one answered the door.
Channel 2 Action News did ask DeKalb officials why Sowell was allowed to resign, even after Acting Police Chief William O’Brien "concurred with the termination," calling it "a very serious issue that cannot be taken lightly."
_______________________
Video: http://www.wsbtv.com/news/19274177/detail.html
Officer Erik Hanson Arrrested for Child Rape
A Forks police officer was arrested Thursday and has been booked on charges of second-degree child rape, said Det. Sgt. Lyman Moores of the Clallam County Sheriff’s Department.
Forks Police Chief Mike Powell and the sheriff’s department have been investigating the officer since February when a 12-year-old girl reported the officer had inappropriate sexual contact with her, Moores said.
During the three month investigation, the accused officer, 33-year-old Erik Hanson, was in Iraq serving as a member of the National Guard Reserves.
Detectives interviewed the 12-year-old and as a result search warrants were served on Hanson, including phone records that supported the victim’s statement, Moores said.
Hanson was home on military leave when he was arrested by Clallam County Sheriff Detectives.
Moores said Hanson was off duty when the alleged incident occurred.
The case has been referred to the Clallam County Prosecutor’s Office for review and a charging decision.
__________________
More Information: http://www.peninsuladailynews.com/article/20090426/news/304269982
Forks Police Chief Mike Powell and the sheriff’s department have been investigating the officer since February when a 12-year-old girl reported the officer had inappropriate sexual contact with her, Moores said.
During the three month investigation, the accused officer, 33-year-old Erik Hanson, was in Iraq serving as a member of the National Guard Reserves.
Detectives interviewed the 12-year-old and as a result search warrants were served on Hanson, including phone records that supported the victim’s statement, Moores said.
Hanson was home on military leave when he was arrested by Clallam County Sheriff Detectives.
Moores said Hanson was off duty when the alleged incident occurred.
The case has been referred to the Clallam County Prosecutor’s Office for review and a charging decision.
__________________
More Information: http://www.peninsuladailynews.com/article/20090426/news/304269982
Sheriff Joe Arpaio Being Investigated Again
The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office arrested 22 people yesterday, including 14 illegal immigrants, as part of a crime sweep in the West Valley.
Sheriff Joe Arpaio said at least two of those arrested were violent criminals. The crime sweep is continuing Friday.
Arpaio has conducted similar sweeps in Mesa, Phoenix and Guadalupe. Critics of the sheriff, including the American Civil Liberties Union and Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon, charge the actions unfairly target Hispanics. The ACLU and Hispanic activists filed a federal lawsuit against MCSO’s sweeps, and the U.S. Justice Department is investigating its sweeps and raids.
Some of those raids have been conducted at businesses suspected of hiring illegal immigrants.
The sheriff has said many times that criticism of his actions is unjustified and he’s simply enforcing the law.
Arpaio on Friday derided attempts by political opponents to move forward some kind of county or state measure that would make sheriff’s positions appointed rather than elected. Some Arpaio critics are looking at a statewide referendum that would make sheriff and perhaps county prosecutor positions appointed by their county boards, not chosen by voters.
Arpaio was elected to a fifth four-year term in November.
“It’s never going to happen,” Arpaio said of his job becoming an appointed position. “I would leave in one second. I get my strength from the people.”
A recent poll by Rasmussen Reports shows Arpaio remains popular among Arizona voters -- more popular than President Barack Obama.
Sixty-eight percent of state voters have a favorable view of Arpaio, compared with a 53 percent approval rating for Obama and 57 percent for new Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer.
Forty-seven percent disapprove of Obama’s performance during his first months in office, compared with a 37 percent disapproval rate for Brewer and 26 percent for Arpaio.
The poll surveyed 500 likely voters in March.
Sheriff Joe Arpaio said at least two of those arrested were violent criminals. The crime sweep is continuing Friday.
Arpaio has conducted similar sweeps in Mesa, Phoenix and Guadalupe. Critics of the sheriff, including the American Civil Liberties Union and Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon, charge the actions unfairly target Hispanics. The ACLU and Hispanic activists filed a federal lawsuit against MCSO’s sweeps, and the U.S. Justice Department is investigating its sweeps and raids.
Some of those raids have been conducted at businesses suspected of hiring illegal immigrants.
The sheriff has said many times that criticism of his actions is unjustified and he’s simply enforcing the law.
Arpaio on Friday derided attempts by political opponents to move forward some kind of county or state measure that would make sheriff’s positions appointed rather than elected. Some Arpaio critics are looking at a statewide referendum that would make sheriff and perhaps county prosecutor positions appointed by their county boards, not chosen by voters.
Arpaio was elected to a fifth four-year term in November.
“It’s never going to happen,” Arpaio said of his job becoming an appointed position. “I would leave in one second. I get my strength from the people.”
A recent poll by Rasmussen Reports shows Arpaio remains popular among Arizona voters -- more popular than President Barack Obama.
Sixty-eight percent of state voters have a favorable view of Arpaio, compared with a 53 percent approval rating for Obama and 57 percent for new Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer.
Forty-seven percent disapprove of Obama’s performance during his first months in office, compared with a 37 percent disapproval rate for Brewer and 26 percent for Arpaio.
The poll surveyed 500 likely voters in March.
Officer Martray Proctor Charged with Manslaughter
Charlotte-Mecklenburg police Officer Martray Proctor was charged Thursday with involuntary manslaughter in the wreck last month that killed a 20-year-old woman.
Proctor, 24, turned himself in just after noon and was fingerprinted, photographed and released on $10,000 bond.
Proctor's attorney George Laughrun wouldn't discuss the case, but said: “We are going to plead not guilty – absolutely not guilty – to involuntary manslaughter.”
Involuntary manslaughter is punishable by 10 months to nearly five years in prison, and is generally defined an unintentional killing stemming from recklessness, negligence or an unlawful act.
Shatona Robinson was a popular cafe worker at The Pines retirement home in Davidson, where residents recalled her compassion and sunny nature.
Her cousin Crystal Robinson said she thinks the charge is fair. She'd feared Proctor might not be prosecuted.
“I was surprised and relieved they're actually taking care of it,” said Robinson, 29. “They're doing something about it and letting the officers know it's not OK for you to go out and speed and do what you want to do.”
Proctor, who has been cited three times for speeding in North Carolina, was driving his patrol car on Old Statesville Road on March 29 and collided with a 1991 Ford Escort. Robinson, the driver of the Escort, died at the scene. Three passengers in her car and Proctor were injured.
Proctor was en route to assist another officer who had made a routine traffic stop. Police Chief Rodney Monroe said Proctor was driving over 90mph with the siren off. The speed limit on that part of Old Statesville Road is 45.
Investigators said they received conflicting statements on whether Proctor had his emergency blue lights on. But police said an in-car camera that starts automatically when the blue lights come on never activated.
N.C. law and department rules require that officers obey posted speed limits unless their vehicle's blue lights and siren are activated.
Proctor has been on paid leave as police do an internal investigation into the wreck.
“This is a most tragic incident for both the Robinson family and the Proctor family, who, along with their friends and relatives, have been impacted the most,” police said in a statement Thursday.
Police and prosecutors on Thursday didn't have statistics on how many times officers have been involved in fatal wrecks. But they recalled only two other cases in which officers were charged in several decades.
District Attorney Peter Gilchrist declined to comment on the case against Proctor.
“We do not discuss the facts in pending cases,” he said.
Proctor has been ticketed for speeding three times, according to court records, twice before he became an officer.
In June 2007, he was stopped in Cleveland County and accused of driving 63 mph in a 35 mph zone, according to court records. The charge was later reduced to driving 44 mph in a 35mph zone and a clerk waived the case, documents show.
In October 2005, authorities in Gaston County stopped Proctor for driving 86 mph in a 60 mph zone, according to court documents. The charge was later reduced to 74 mph in a 60 mph zone. Proctor received a prayer for judgment, which typically means the driver admits to an infraction, but does not receive points on their driver's license. Proctor paid $110 in court costs, records show
In the third case, Proctor was cited for driving 30 mph in a 20 mph zone in 2003 in Cleveland County, records show. He paid a fine and court costs, records show.
Proctor, who works in the department's north division, has not had any complaints lodged against him and has never been disciplined by his superiors since becoming an officer, officials said.
CMPD said it conducted a background check on Proctor in February 2007 and hired him the next month.
The department looks into the driving histories of all prospective officers during background searches, officials said. A history of speeding tickets does not automatically disqualify a candidate from becoming an officer. But offenses such as driving while impaired, negligent accidents, incidents of road rage and recent violations could disqualify a job candidate, they said.
Sworn officers are not required to inform the department of speeding tickets they get on their own time. If their license is suspended or revoked or if they are cited for a crime more serious than speeding, such as drunken driving, they must inform the department.
On Thursday, Crystal Robinson said the family hasn't heard from Proctor.
“We forgive him, but it's hard to forget,” she said. “You have to believe in God – that's the only way. If you didn't you'd be angry forever.”
Proctor, 24, turned himself in just after noon and was fingerprinted, photographed and released on $10,000 bond.
Proctor's attorney George Laughrun wouldn't discuss the case, but said: “We are going to plead not guilty – absolutely not guilty – to involuntary manslaughter.”
Involuntary manslaughter is punishable by 10 months to nearly five years in prison, and is generally defined an unintentional killing stemming from recklessness, negligence or an unlawful act.
Shatona Robinson was a popular cafe worker at The Pines retirement home in Davidson, where residents recalled her compassion and sunny nature.
Her cousin Crystal Robinson said she thinks the charge is fair. She'd feared Proctor might not be prosecuted.
“I was surprised and relieved they're actually taking care of it,” said Robinson, 29. “They're doing something about it and letting the officers know it's not OK for you to go out and speed and do what you want to do.”
Proctor, who has been cited three times for speeding in North Carolina, was driving his patrol car on Old Statesville Road on March 29 and collided with a 1991 Ford Escort. Robinson, the driver of the Escort, died at the scene. Three passengers in her car and Proctor were injured.
Proctor was en route to assist another officer who had made a routine traffic stop. Police Chief Rodney Monroe said Proctor was driving over 90mph with the siren off. The speed limit on that part of Old Statesville Road is 45.
Investigators said they received conflicting statements on whether Proctor had his emergency blue lights on. But police said an in-car camera that starts automatically when the blue lights come on never activated.
N.C. law and department rules require that officers obey posted speed limits unless their vehicle's blue lights and siren are activated.
Proctor has been on paid leave as police do an internal investigation into the wreck.
“This is a most tragic incident for both the Robinson family and the Proctor family, who, along with their friends and relatives, have been impacted the most,” police said in a statement Thursday.
Police and prosecutors on Thursday didn't have statistics on how many times officers have been involved in fatal wrecks. But they recalled only two other cases in which officers were charged in several decades.
District Attorney Peter Gilchrist declined to comment on the case against Proctor.
“We do not discuss the facts in pending cases,” he said.
Proctor has been ticketed for speeding three times, according to court records, twice before he became an officer.
In June 2007, he was stopped in Cleveland County and accused of driving 63 mph in a 35 mph zone, according to court records. The charge was later reduced to driving 44 mph in a 35mph zone and a clerk waived the case, documents show.
In October 2005, authorities in Gaston County stopped Proctor for driving 86 mph in a 60 mph zone, according to court documents. The charge was later reduced to 74 mph in a 60 mph zone. Proctor received a prayer for judgment, which typically means the driver admits to an infraction, but does not receive points on their driver's license. Proctor paid $110 in court costs, records show
In the third case, Proctor was cited for driving 30 mph in a 20 mph zone in 2003 in Cleveland County, records show. He paid a fine and court costs, records show.
Proctor, who works in the department's north division, has not had any complaints lodged against him and has never been disciplined by his superiors since becoming an officer, officials said.
CMPD said it conducted a background check on Proctor in February 2007 and hired him the next month.
The department looks into the driving histories of all prospective officers during background searches, officials said. A history of speeding tickets does not automatically disqualify a candidate from becoming an officer. But offenses such as driving while impaired, negligent accidents, incidents of road rage and recent violations could disqualify a job candidate, they said.
Sworn officers are not required to inform the department of speeding tickets they get on their own time. If their license is suspended or revoked or if they are cited for a crime more serious than speeding, such as drunken driving, they must inform the department.
On Thursday, Crystal Robinson said the family hasn't heard from Proctor.
“We forgive him, but it's hard to forget,” she said. “You have to believe in God – that's the only way. If you didn't you'd be angry forever.”
__________________________
Sgt. Burney Hayes Accused of Biting Teen on Nose
A Lake Wales police officer who was named the 2008 Public Servant of the Year by the Lake Wales Area Chamber of Commerce has been charged with biting a teenager's nose.
As a lieutenant last year, Lake Wales police Sgt. Burney Hayes received the Lake Wales Area Chamber of Commerce's 2008 Public Servant of the Year award. Saturday, Sgt. Burney Hayes, 48, who is also a coach for the Lake Wales High School junior varsity team, is accused of biting a player's nose during a football game in Winter Haven on Oct. 16, 2008.
According to the State Attorney's Office, which received the complaint on March 2, Hayes denied biting the student but said he placed his teeth over the student's nose.
"But I did not bite because if you are talking you can't bite," Hayes said, according to the complaint affidavit.
When a State Attorney's Office investigator called Hayes on April 17, Hayes said he didn't understand why the State Attorney's Office was looking into the matter because he was acting like a coach that night, the affidavit states.
The student who allegedly was bitten stated that Hayes had previously disciplined him by slapping him on the head. Despite these incidents, the student stated that Hayes has done a lot for him and considers him a positive role model, according to the affidavit.
Hayes told an attorney while under oath that he was at the game in a coaching position and what he did during halftime was a "motivating factor for a group of young men who were whining."
He said the team was losing 21-7 at halftime but later won the game "when everybody stopped whining and started playing."
According to the affidavit, the student at the center of the alleged incident acknowledged that he was bitten and that he stated he was scared, embarrassed and mad for a short time, but forgot about the incident.
Four of the seven students interviewed as witnesses claimed they saw the biting incident and three of them claimed they saw teeth marks.
One student said he was "intimidated by what Coach Hayes did and backed up because he did not want it to happen to him," according to the affidavit.
"He stated that he felt it could happen to him or any other player if they got out of line," the affidavit states. "He stated that Coach Hayes could 'snap at any given time and get super mad quick.' "
Lake Wales Police Chief Herb Gillis said Hayes has been placed on administrative leave. Hayes' hearing on this case is set for May 20.
Hayes recently was demoted from lieutenant to sergeant because of insubordinate behavior against Gillis, the police chief said.
Hayes appealed the demotion with Lake Wales City Manager Tony Otte, but a hearing determined the discipline was appropriate, Gillis said.
---------------------------------
http://www.theledger.com/article/20090423/NEWS/904235078/1338?Title=Coach-Had-Faced-Other-Reprimands
As a lieutenant last year, Lake Wales police Sgt. Burney Hayes received the Lake Wales Area Chamber of Commerce's 2008 Public Servant of the Year award. Saturday, Sgt. Burney Hayes, 48, who is also a coach for the Lake Wales High School junior varsity team, is accused of biting a player's nose during a football game in Winter Haven on Oct. 16, 2008.
According to the State Attorney's Office, which received the complaint on March 2, Hayes denied biting the student but said he placed his teeth over the student's nose.
"But I did not bite because if you are talking you can't bite," Hayes said, according to the complaint affidavit.
When a State Attorney's Office investigator called Hayes on April 17, Hayes said he didn't understand why the State Attorney's Office was looking into the matter because he was acting like a coach that night, the affidavit states.
The student who allegedly was bitten stated that Hayes had previously disciplined him by slapping him on the head. Despite these incidents, the student stated that Hayes has done a lot for him and considers him a positive role model, according to the affidavit.
Hayes told an attorney while under oath that he was at the game in a coaching position and what he did during halftime was a "motivating factor for a group of young men who were whining."
He said the team was losing 21-7 at halftime but later won the game "when everybody stopped whining and started playing."
According to the affidavit, the student at the center of the alleged incident acknowledged that he was bitten and that he stated he was scared, embarrassed and mad for a short time, but forgot about the incident.
Four of the seven students interviewed as witnesses claimed they saw the biting incident and three of them claimed they saw teeth marks.
One student said he was "intimidated by what Coach Hayes did and backed up because he did not want it to happen to him," according to the affidavit.
"He stated that he felt it could happen to him or any other player if they got out of line," the affidavit states. "He stated that Coach Hayes could 'snap at any given time and get super mad quick.' "
Lake Wales Police Chief Herb Gillis said Hayes has been placed on administrative leave. Hayes' hearing on this case is set for May 20.
Hayes recently was demoted from lieutenant to sergeant because of insubordinate behavior against Gillis, the police chief said.
Hayes appealed the demotion with Lake Wales City Manager Tony Otte, but a hearing determined the discipline was appropriate, Gillis said.
---------------------------------
http://www.theledger.com/article/20090423/NEWS/904235078/1338?Title=Coach-Had-Faced-Other-Reprimands
Sgt. Jeff Reagan Arrested for DUI
A veteran South Lake Tahoe police officer has been placed on administrative leave after being arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence.
The Nevada Highway Patrol says Sgt. Jeff Reagan was off duty when he was stopped early the morning of April 16 in Carson City, Nev., by a trooper.
NHP spokesman Chuck Allen says preliminary tests indicate Reagan's blood alcohol content was about 0.12 percent—1 1/2 times the legal limit.
Reagan, who works in the detective division, also is the subject of an internal affairs investigation by Police Chief Terry Daniels.
In 2005, Reagan was charged with domestic battery after being accused of pushing his wife out the back door of their home in Minden. But the charge was later dropped.
_______________________
Information: http://www.tahoedailytribune.com/article/20090424/NEWS/904239969/1056/NONE&parentprofile=1056
The Nevada Highway Patrol says Sgt. Jeff Reagan was off duty when he was stopped early the morning of April 16 in Carson City, Nev., by a trooper.
NHP spokesman Chuck Allen says preliminary tests indicate Reagan's blood alcohol content was about 0.12 percent—1 1/2 times the legal limit.
Reagan, who works in the detective division, also is the subject of an internal affairs investigation by Police Chief Terry Daniels.
In 2005, Reagan was charged with domestic battery after being accused of pushing his wife out the back door of their home in Minden. But the charge was later dropped.
_______________________
Information: http://www.tahoedailytribune.com/article/20090424/NEWS/904239969/1056/NONE&parentprofile=1056
Correctional Officer Kenon Arnold Charged with Sexual Contact with Inmate
A correctional officer at the Hamilton County Workhouse has been indicted by the Hamilton County Grand Jury for having sex with a female prisoner.
Kenon Dontae Arnold, an employee of the Corrections Corporation of America, is charged with having sexual contact with an inmate.
The indictment says on Dec. 9 he "did unlawfully engage in sexual contact or sexual penetration" with the female prisoner.
Arnold, 28, of 5220 Hickory Woods Lane in Hixson, had no prior record except for a seat belt case and for having a loud muffler.
___________________________________
Kenon Dontae Arnold, an employee of the Corrections Corporation of America, is charged with having sexual contact with an inmate.
The indictment says on Dec. 9 he "did unlawfully engage in sexual contact or sexual penetration" with the female prisoner.
Arnold, 28, of 5220 Hickory Woods Lane in Hixson, had no prior record except for a seat belt case and for having a loud muffler.
___________________________________
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Officer Reginald Watson Charged with Sexual Abuse of Minor
A Baltimore schools police officer was arrested Wednesday after being indicted by a grand jury on charges that he sexually assaulted a 16-year-old student.
Reginald Watson, 35, is charged with sexual abuse of a minor, fourth-degree sex assault and second-degree assault for an incident that occurred Feb. 19 at Masonville Cove Community Academy, formerly Benjamin Franklin Middle School, in the 1200 block of Cambria St.
Details about the allegations were not available.
Watson, of the 2200 block of Fleetwood Ave., was indicted on Tuesday and arrested Wednesday and was being held on $50,000 bond. He has a bail review scheduled for Thursday morning in Baltimore Circuit Court.
__________________________
http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/news/education/blog/2009/04/baltimore_schools_reginald_wat.html
Reginald Watson, 35, is charged with sexual abuse of a minor, fourth-degree sex assault and second-degree assault for an incident that occurred Feb. 19 at Masonville Cove Community Academy, formerly Benjamin Franklin Middle School, in the 1200 block of Cambria St.
Details about the allegations were not available.
Watson, of the 2200 block of Fleetwood Ave., was indicted on Tuesday and arrested Wednesday and was being held on $50,000 bond. He has a bail review scheduled for Thursday morning in Baltimore Circuit Court.
__________________________
http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/news/education/blog/2009/04/baltimore_schools_reginald_wat.html
Chief Michael Daley Arrested for Drunk Driving
Police Chief Michael Daley was arrested in North Hampton on drunken driving charges, the Portsmouth Herald reported today.
Daley has been placed on paid administrative leave and has announced he will retire June 1, though the latter was not attributed to his arrest.
Daley was arrested by North Hampton police at 1:41 a.m. April 11 and charged with driving while intoxicated and transporting alcohol, according to Lt. John Scippa of the North Hampton Police Department.
"I can’t confirm anyone’s employment, but I can confirm that a Michael J. Daley was arrested for DWI and transporting alcohol at North Hampton State Beach," Scippa said.
Asked what brought Daley’s vehicle to the attention of a North Hampton officer, Scippa would not comment.
"I can’t get into the details of the case because the matter is pending in court," the lieutenant said. "I can confirm the arrest and that his car was towed."
___________________
Daley has been placed on paid administrative leave and has announced he will retire June 1, though the latter was not attributed to his arrest.
Daley was arrested by North Hampton police at 1:41 a.m. April 11 and charged with driving while intoxicated and transporting alcohol, according to Lt. John Scippa of the North Hampton Police Department.
"I can’t confirm anyone’s employment, but I can confirm that a Michael J. Daley was arrested for DWI and transporting alcohol at North Hampton State Beach," Scippa said.
Asked what brought Daley’s vehicle to the attention of a North Hampton officer, Scippa would not comment.
"I can’t get into the details of the case because the matter is pending in court," the lieutenant said. "I can confirm the arrest and that his car was towed."
___________________
Officer James Schwab Arrested for Drunk Driving
A Warren police officer was arrested Tuesday for allegedly driving under the influence, Warren Police Commissioner William Dwyer said.
Dwyer said officer James Schwab was arrested by the Sterling Heights Police Department for "operating under the influence of liquor."
Dwyer said Schwab was relieved of his duties immediately and that any disciplinary actions will be considered after an investigation.
___________________
http://www.detnews.com/article/20090423/METRO/904230454/1361/Warren+police+officer+arrested+for+drunken+driving
Dwyer said officer James Schwab was arrested by the Sterling Heights Police Department for "operating under the influence of liquor."
Dwyer said Schwab was relieved of his duties immediately and that any disciplinary actions will be considered after an investigation.
___________________
http://www.detnews.com/article/20090423/METRO/904230454/1361/Warren+police+officer+arrested+for+drunken+driving
Officer Peter Maroney Accused of Using Pepper Spraying & Striking Mentally Ill Man
A police officer accused of using excessive force against an elderly patient at the VA Medical Center in Durham has been fired.
Peter Maroney was informed of his termination Wednesday, according to his attorney.
Maroney maintains he did nothing wrong Oct. 28 when he used pepper spray on the patient, who has a history of mental illness, before striking the man four times with his nightstick.
A security camera captured the incident on video. The tape has been turned over to the FBI for review to determine whether criminal charges are warranted.
An initial review by Maroney's commander, then-VA Police Chief Gerard Ousley, found no wrongdoing. But an administrative review board then examined the video and determined that Maroney had used excessive force.
After the incident, the 20-officer department was audited; and Ousley was reassigned.
Maroney's attorney, Jason Wunsch of Lillington, said Thursday that his client has yet to be interviewed by the FBI.
The fired officer, who served in the Army as a military police officer before joining the VA's police force seven years ago, plans to appeal his dismissal.
"The legal fight has just begun," Wunsch said. "He's very upset. Obviously, he does not agree with the decision."
Citing the ongoing criminal investigation, officials at the Durham VA denied a Freedom of Information Act request filed in February for the hospital's internal administrative report of the incident. The News & Observer appealed that denial March 10, but as of Thursday no decision about whether to release the document had been made in Washington.
In an interview last month, Maroney said the incident began when he and his supervisor were called and told a patient was causing a disturbance in one of the Durham center's clinics. Maroney and another officer were escorting the patient to an isolation room when Maroney says the man hit him in the face.
Maroney pepper-sprayed the patient. When that failed to subdue him, Maroney said he hit the man with a baton on his forearm and hand before pushing him to the ground and handcuffing him.
Maroney said that he was not trained to consider a patient's age or mental state when using pepper spray or his baton.
The VA's training manual says that officers are permitted to use only that amount of force "necessary and reasonable to overcome the resistance being offered ... without using excessive force." The policy goes on to say that when using their batons, officers "must be trained to use it properly in order to obtain the desired results when used, and at the same time avoid bringing criticism upon themselves or the Department of Veterans Affairs."
___________________
Peter Maroney was informed of his termination Wednesday, according to his attorney.
Maroney maintains he did nothing wrong Oct. 28 when he used pepper spray on the patient, who has a history of mental illness, before striking the man four times with his nightstick.
A security camera captured the incident on video. The tape has been turned over to the FBI for review to determine whether criminal charges are warranted.
An initial review by Maroney's commander, then-VA Police Chief Gerard Ousley, found no wrongdoing. But an administrative review board then examined the video and determined that Maroney had used excessive force.
After the incident, the 20-officer department was audited; and Ousley was reassigned.
Maroney's attorney, Jason Wunsch of Lillington, said Thursday that his client has yet to be interviewed by the FBI.
The fired officer, who served in the Army as a military police officer before joining the VA's police force seven years ago, plans to appeal his dismissal.
"The legal fight has just begun," Wunsch said. "He's very upset. Obviously, he does not agree with the decision."
Citing the ongoing criminal investigation, officials at the Durham VA denied a Freedom of Information Act request filed in February for the hospital's internal administrative report of the incident. The News & Observer appealed that denial March 10, but as of Thursday no decision about whether to release the document had been made in Washington.
In an interview last month, Maroney said the incident began when he and his supervisor were called and told a patient was causing a disturbance in one of the Durham center's clinics. Maroney and another officer were escorting the patient to an isolation room when Maroney says the man hit him in the face.
Maroney pepper-sprayed the patient. When that failed to subdue him, Maroney said he hit the man with a baton on his forearm and hand before pushing him to the ground and handcuffing him.
Maroney said that he was not trained to consider a patient's age or mental state when using pepper spray or his baton.
The VA's training manual says that officers are permitted to use only that amount of force "necessary and reasonable to overcome the resistance being offered ... without using excessive force." The policy goes on to say that when using their batons, officers "must be trained to use it properly in order to obtain the desired results when used, and at the same time avoid bringing criticism upon themselves or the Department of Veterans Affairs."
___________________
Trooper David Volz Arrested for Stealing Mulch
State police say a trooper has been charged with stealing truckloads of mulch from a central New York business.
They say 28-year-old David Volz of Oriskany was arrested Thursday morning after investigators found that he used a borrowed dump truck to take mulch from Mohawk Valley Mulch Inc. in Rome without paying for it.
Trooper Jack Keller says the business owner noticed someone on his property late Wednesday night and called Rome police, who handed Volz over to state police.
He has been charged with petit larceny and ticketed for traffic violations involving the truck.
Keller says Volz joined the state police in May 2006 and now faces internal disciplinary charges. His phone number isn't listed and police didn't know if he has a lawyer.
They say 28-year-old David Volz of Oriskany was arrested Thursday morning after investigators found that he used a borrowed dump truck to take mulch from Mohawk Valley Mulch Inc. in Rome without paying for it.
Trooper Jack Keller says the business owner noticed someone on his property late Wednesday night and called Rome police, who handed Volz over to state police.
He has been charged with petit larceny and ticketed for traffic violations involving the truck.
Keller says Volz joined the state police in May 2006 and now faces internal disciplinary charges. His phone number isn't listed and police didn't know if he has a lawyer.
___________________
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)