71 replies to this topic

[Rogerdodger]

Here's an update on a previous story:
Cop under fire for beating, arresting man videotaping police...

On the night of March 20, Crooks, 36, was in his driveway, near East Desert Inn Road and South Maryland Parkway, videotaping police as they investigated a burglary report across the street. Crooks said that when he refused to stop filming, Colling arrested and beat him, with much of the altercation recorded by the camera.
http://www.lvrj.com/...-120494154.html
The video went viral on the Internet, and local activists and national "cop watch" blogs scrutiznized Colling's actions.
"Mr. Sheriff, show us the difference between what the officers did to Mitchell Crooks that night and kidnapping, beating and robbery," Otto said.

Colling has been on paid suspension since April 1.
Multiple supervisors in Colling's chain of command will review the internal affairs report and decide his punishment, if any, Schofield said.
"It seems like they're saying he was guilty, which is what I've been saying," Crooks said. "I really hope he gets fired."
That review could take several weeks.

Otto wrote a letter in April to Sheriff Douglas Gillespie demanding $500,000 to cover Crooks' medical care, pain and suffering. The Police Department has not paid anything, he said.

Edited by Rogerdodger, 30 July 2011 - 10:40 AM.

[Rogerdodger]

I love this reply from a reader:
I was arrested for 'recording a police officer without his permission' - allegedly a violation of a 'confidential communication'. In my letter to the editor I pointed out that the officer was not my doctor, not my lawyer - so he must be my wife and my question was, how drunk was I when we married, which one is the husband and did anyone save me a piece of the cake?

[Rogerdodger]

Chicago Brothers Allege Police Beating
Security tape allegedly shows a group of police officers beating two Chicago brothers Wednesday after apparently mistaking them for robbers while one was closing the store at which he worked.
Michael Ayala, 23, said officers assaulted him during an incident Wednesday after he was closing up shop Wednesday at 7911 Food and Liquor Store.

"He punched me in the ribs," Michael Ayala, who showed bruises on his upper arms from officers pinning him down, said of one aggressive officer.

He said at one point he blacked out. Adrian Ayala, his 18-year-old brother who was waiting for his brother outside the store, also was punched and kicked, he said.

Police let Adrian Ayala go, he said, but when a frustrated Michael Ayala yelled at officers that he had video tape of the incident, an officer he described as a sergeant "flipped" and put his head into a side window.

SECURITY VIDEO

Edited by Rogerdodger, 18 August 2011 - 03:40 PM.

[Rogerdodger]

When Tulsa's "Tower Man" initially came down off the tower, the Tulsa Police just couldn't wait to BLAST HIM with PEPPER BALLS.
Seeing the warm reception, he climbed back up for several more days, costing taxpayers thousands of dollars.
Those guys just love to shoot stuff and use their toys.

However we must give a bit of credit to the retired officer with wisdom and the patience of Job who finally befriended him and talked him down peacefully.

Tulsa police negotiator cited for patience, compassion in talking man down from tower

Good Job Tyrone Lynn!
"He talked about that he had a child that he didn't feel like he had provided for. He was very concerned about how women are being treated. ... He had a real sincere feeling about doing the right thing" Lynn said.
He added that he believes Sturdivant didn't intend to jump but instead wanted to become so weak from lack of food and water that he would eventually fall.

Tyrone Lynn has one son, an eighth-grader, still at home. His son Gabe Lynn plays football for the University of Oklahoma, and another son, Phillip Dillard, plays for the New York Giants.
An adopted son, Jarrett Lake, is a member of the University of Arkansas football team.

Maybe retired officer Lynn has done several good jobs.
Thank you.

Edited by Rogerdodger, 18 August 2011 - 06:42 PM.

[Rogerdodger]

Drunken Cop Arrested for Armed Street-Grab Rape...

I just hope that his judge is not Oklahoma's penis-pumping judge.

Edited by Rogerdodger, 20 August 2011 - 01:10 PM.

[Rogerdodger]

Mass. Police Shut Down 12-Year-Old's Green Tea Stand...

List of lemonade stands being closed down by various government agencies is long and growing

Edited by Rogerdodger, 26 August 2011 - 01:31 PM.

[Rogerdodger]

Cops sued for ticketing motorists who flash headlights to warn of speed traps...

Campbell says he did what he always does: flashed his lights on and off to warn drivers coming from the other direction that there was speed trap ahead.
Campbell says the FHP trooper wrote him a ticket for improper flashing of high beams. Campbell says the trooper told him what he had done was illegal.
But later Campbell learned that is not the case. He filed a class action suit which says "Florida Statue 316.2397" -- under which Campbell was cited -- "does not prohibit the flashing of headlights as a means of communications, nor does it in any way reference flashing headlights or the use of high beams."

However, the FHP trooper who wrote the ticket either didn't know or didn't care. "You could tell in his voice he was upset," Campbell says. "He was professional, he wasn't rude... but you could tell he was irritated."

However, the lawsuit says the FHP is well aware they are wrongfully applying the state law and they are doing it as a means of generating revenue. In 2005, a court order was even issued saying the state law doesn't prohibit the flashing of vehicle headlights.

Campbell isn't the only one. Since 2005, FHP records show more than 10,429 drivers have been cited under the statute.

Edited by Rogerdodger, 26 August 2011 - 08:04 PM.

[Rogerdodger]

Former Tahlequah officer charged in thefts from motorists
Cherokee County prosecutors have filed charges accusing a former Tahlequah police officer of stealing a total of $1,660 from the wallets of three motorists during traffic stops, records show

Edited by Rogerdodger, 29 August 2011 - 07:46 PM.

[Rogerdodger]

Man Faces LIFE IN JAIL For Recording Police...

Prosecutors in Allison’s case are deliberately attempting jail an innocent man for life for an activity that they know full well is not illegal. If anything, they should be the ones being charged with illegal conduct and official oppression.
This behavior is reflective of a predatory system that seeks to criminalize all first amendment activities.
It also highlights how petrified the system is about the public being able to document and record acts of police brutality.
Allison has chosen to reject the plea bargain and fight to clear his name via a jury trial, arguing, “If we don’t fight for our freedoms here at home we’re all going to lose them.”

A judge is expected to rule on when the case will go to trial over the next two weeks.

As another report concerning the Allison case documents, in every other example where people have been arrested for recording police officers, the charges have been dropped and the case thrown out of court. Despite this fact, the state is so desperate to make an example out of Allison that an assistant from the Attorney General’s Office was recently sent to speak against him during a hearing.

In the meantime:

Judge: Police dash cam not subject to open records laws
Joey Senat, an Oklahoma State University professor and expert on open records, said, "I would say it's an important blow to the public's need to know.
"These dash-cam videos certainly help us determine what really happens at a situation involving a law enforcement officer. To have a judge say they are not a public record just points to the backward way in which our Open Records Act treats law enforcement records.

I see why the police don't us filming them!
New Mexico State Trooper Caught Having Sex On Security Camera

Edited by Rogerdodger, 31 August 2011 - 10:41 PM.

[Rogerdodger]

UPDATE: NM cop taped having sex on hood of cruiser won't be charged...
State police spokesman Tim Johnson said the investigation has been completed and the case is currently in the disciplinary process. He said investigators don't believe any criminal acts occurred but that the officer will be held accountable for his actions.

Appeals Court Rules It Is Not Illegal To Film Police...
“The filming of government officials engaged in their duties in a public place, including police officers performing their responsibilities, fits comfortably within these principles [of protected First Amendment activity].,” said the Court.
Despite the ruling, state authorities in Illinois are still trying to prosecute 41-year old mechanic Michael Allison for recording police officers in public.
Allison faces a life sentence on five separate counts of “eavesdropping” that add up to 75 years.

Edited by Rogerdodger, 01 September 2011 - 05:52 PM.