Octopus Overlords

According to an indictment filed yesterday in the U.S. District Court for the District of Missouri, four officers—Dustin Boone, Randy Hays, Christopher Myers, and Bailey Colletta—"encountered" a man they believed to be a protester, identified only as L.H.

Boone, Hays, and Myers allegedly took L.H. to the ground and beat him "while he was compliant and not posing a threat to anybody," the indictment says. "This offense resulted in bodily injury to L.H. and included the use of a dangerous weapon, that is: shod feet and a riot baton."

L.H. was not actually a protester. He was an undercover detective and 22-year veteran of the police department. His full name is Luther Hall, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports, and he apparently suffered severe injuries. His jaw muscles became inflamed after he was kicked in the face, causing him to have trouble eating and lose 20 pounds. He has also had issues with his tailbone, neck, and back, with the latter two requiring surgery.

After realizing L.H. was a cop, Boone, Hays, and Myers allegedly proceeded to cover up their actions. They're accused of falsely claiming that he resisted arrest, as well as trying to persuade him not to report their actions. The three officers also allegedly lied to potential witnesses in an effort to influence their testimony. Myers stands accused of destroying L.H.'s phone in another attempt to obstruct the investigation.

GreenGoo wrote: ↑Fri Nov 30, 2018 5:14 pm Niagara, Ontario police officer shoots a fellow officer over a disagreement. Not necessarily in the same vein as the thread, but being a cop he had easy access to a gun, and being a cop likely gave him more of a sense that his actions were acceptable than if a non-cop shot another non-cop. Who knows. We also don't know details yet, or whether the victim had pulled and/or fired at the shooter. Maybe it was self defense. Maybe. Still, a cop shot another cop because they disagreed. That's behaving pretty badly in my book. If details come out showing it was warranted, I'll happily withdraw my furious internet judgment.

CBC Article

Lorini wrote: ↑Mon Dec 03, 2018 9:21 pm When will people's constitutional rights be enforced? Instead of police 'families' and protection of themselves at all costs. When? The story is about the trial of three of the nine officers present at an unjustified police shooting in Chicago.

In the case playing out now in a Chicago courtroom, the three officers — David March, Joseph Walsh and Thomas Gaffney — have denied that they covered up for the officer who shot Laquan McDonald and tried to make the shooting appear justified.

Lorini wrote: ↑Mon Dec 10, 2018 8:43 am More serious police issues in phoenix. They arrest a blind man trying to find a urinal to use the bathroom. Some of these stories are pretty horrific. This assault on people's constitutional rights has to stop. One way is to vote in your local elections. I did and now the new Sheriff for Los Angeles County is removing managers from their positions temporarily so that an accounting can be done of exactly how effective they really are.

There, he was treated like a serious criminal, charged with aggravated assault on an officer, a felony. He denies punching the officer.

LawBeefaroni wrote: ↑Mon Dec 10, 2018 9:55 amWhy doesn't he DA/SA just throw it out?

Paingod wrote: ↑Mon Dec 10, 2018 10:48 am

LawBeefaroni wrote: ↑Mon Dec 10, 2018 9:55 amWhy doesn't he DA/SA just throw it out?

Probably worried that if they start tossing cops out as unreliable, it'll create an unpleasant chain reaction. Cops not giving them what they need to prosecute, and juries hearing that the prosecutors were dismissing allegations by the cops. Apparently they think it's better to let justice stagger blindly, looking for a urinal, than to point it to an electric fence.

Rollins told the Herald she is standing firm with her 15-item “no prosecute” list she announced during the election. The list includes crimes from shoplifting and trespassing to drug possession and resisting arrest — what she calls nonviolent and quality of life crimes.

LawBeefaroni wrote:See also: Boston.

Rollins told the Herald she is standing firm with her 15-item “no prosecute” list she announced during the election. The list includes crimes from shoplifting and trespassing to drug possession and resisting arrest — what she calls nonviolent and quality of life crimes.

Still not quite up to Chicago standards where armed carjackings are considered non-violent vehicular tresspass. But getting there.

Critics say the cops, the judge and hospital may have violated the civil rights of the suspect, subjected him to medical risk, and exposed the city and the hospital to a lawsuit.

“The whole thing is cuckoo nuts to me,” said the suspect’s defense lawyer, Charles Keller. “What country are we living in?”

So, was it worth the risk? The X-ray was right. The scope found no drugs.

And when they were done, St. Joe’s sent the suspect a bill for $4,595.12.

Moliere wrote: ↑Wed Dec 19, 2018 8:38 pm Syracuse cops insist on an anal probe for drugs

Critics say the cops, the judge and hospital may have violated the civil rights of the suspect, subjected him to medical risk, and exposed the city and the hospital to a lawsuit.

“The whole thing is cuckoo nuts to me,” said the suspect’s defense lawyer, Charles Keller. “What country are we living in?”

So, was it worth the risk? The X-ray was right. The scope found no drugs.

And when they were done, St. Joe’s sent the suspect a bill for $4,595.12.

Lawsuit in 3...2...1

At least two doctors resisted the police request. An X-ray already had indicated no drugs. They saw no medical need to perform an invasive procedure on someone against his will.

The notes from police and doctors suggest some tension, a standoff. At one point, eight police officers were at the hospital. A doctor remembers telling officers: “We would not be doing that.”

The hospital’s top lawyer got pulled in. He talked by with the judge who signed the search warrant, which was written by police and signed at the judge’s home.

When they were done, the hospital lawyer overruled the doctors. The lawyer told his doctors that a search warrant required the doctors to use “any means” to retrieve the drugs, records show.

GreenGoo wrote: ↑Wed Dec 19, 2018 11:12 pm Is this the same one from years ago? The description sounds identical. Like, exactly the same.

LawBeefaroni wrote: ↑Wed Dec 19, 2018 11:20 pm

GreenGoo wrote: ↑Wed Dec 19, 2018 11:12 pm Is this the same one from years ago? The description sounds identical. Like, exactly the same.

Think that was a nurse in Utah who refused to take blood from an unconcious patient. She got manhandled and possibly arrested (not sure). Don't remember if the hospital ended up drawing the blood or not.

GreenGoo wrote: ↑Wed Dec 19, 2018 11:12 pmIs this the same one from years ago? The description sounds identical. Like, exactly the same.

GreenGoo wrote: ↑Wed Dec 19, 2018 11:12 pm Is this the same one from years ago? The description sounds identical. Like, exactly the same.

A Louisiana police department issued a Facebook post Saturday declaring that some of the region's methamphetamine had been infected with the Zika virus. If you're wondering how that's even possible, you're not crazy: It isn't. The cops made it up.

"WARNING," blared the post from the Harahan Police Department. "If you have recently purchased meth in any area of Louisiana it may be contaminated with the Zika Virus." It then encouraged meth users to bring their drugs to the police for free testing or to ask for a home visit from the cops:

It is not in fact possible for meth to be contaminated with Zika. Of course, a meth user with the virus could hypothetically transmit it by sharing a needle. But that's not because the drug itself is contaminated; it's because the sick person's blood carries the virus.

In short, the post was untrue. Chief Tim Walker has admitted as much to The New Orleans Advocate, explaining that Officer Keith Moody, who wrote it, wanted it to be "attention-getting."

A statement posted on Facebook by the Opp Police Department on Tuesday blames a spike in area homicides on the idea that young people have turned away from God and "embraced Satan."

Pyperkub wrote: ↑Thu Jan 03, 2019 8:44 pm Forgot to post this idiocy earlier:

A statement posted on Facebook by the Opp Police Department on Tuesday blames a spike in area homicides on the idea that young people have turned away from God and "embraced Satan."

All good police work starts with identifying the motive. Let's go with Satan made them do it!

Body camera footage obtained by Reason appears to show a now-fired Florida sheriff's deputy blatantly lying about the results of a roadside drug test during a traffic stop last year.

The video shows the April 17, 2018, traffic stop of Florida resident Steve Vann by former Jackson County Sheriff's deputy Zachary Wester. Vann was subsequently charged with possession of methamphetamines and paraphernalia as a result of the traffic stop, but state prosecutors later dropped those charges as part of a review of more than 250 cases that Wester was involved in since his hiring in 2016.

State prosecutors have dropped criminal charges in more than 100 cases involving Wester after body cam footage released last September showed the officer allegedly planting drugs in a car during another traffic stop. A Florida judge also vacated the sentences of eight people whose convictions were based on evidence and testimony by Wester. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement launched an investigation into Wester, and several people have filed federal lawsuits against him.

A man arrested by Illinois police for stealing what turned out to be his own car has come to an out-of-court settlement with a Chicago suburb.

Northwestern University PhD student Lawrence Crosby was 25 when the incident happened in 2015.

A woman called the police when she saw him trying to fix a loose part on his car and thought he was a thief.

Evanston City Council will vote on the final settlement next week but a lawyer said it would be $1.25m (£960,000).

Timothy Touhy, the lawyer representing Dr Crosby, revealed the sum to the Chicago Tribune newspaper.

Dr Crosby, who is African American, told CBS Chicago that he hoped the incident would raise awareness of unconscious racial stereotyping.

The student got out of the car arms raised when asked, but was allegedly tackled when he did not immediately lie on the ground as ordered.

He was reportedly struck at least 10 times. A dash camera filmed the arrest.

Officers determined he was the owner of the car at the scene but detained him for disobeying police and resisting arrest.

Their use of force was justified, an Evanston Police spokesman said, as they thought it was a case of car theft.

A St. Louis police officer was charged with manslaughter Friday for allegedly shooting a colleague as the two played Russian Roulette, authorities said.

Officer Nathaniel Hendren, 29, shot Officer Katlyn Alix, 24, in his apartment in the city’s Carondelet neighborhood early Thursday in the presence of a third officer, police said.

Max Peck wrote: ↑Wed Jan 23, 2019 12:13 pm Man 'arrested for stealing his own car' wins settlement

A man arrested by Illinois police for stealing what turned out to be his own car has come to an out-of-court settlement with a Chicago suburb.

Northwestern University PhD student Lawrence Crosby was 25 when the incident happened in 2015.

A woman called the police when she saw him trying to fix a loose part on his car and thought he was a thief.

Evanston City Council will vote on the final settlement next week but a lawyer said it would be $1.25m (£960,000).

Timothy Touhy, the lawyer representing Dr Crosby, revealed the sum to the Chicago Tribune newspaper.

Dr Crosby, who is African American, told CBS Chicago that he hoped the incident would raise awareness of unconscious racial stereotyping.

The student got out of the car arms raised when asked, but was allegedly tackled when he did not immediately lie on the ground as ordered.

He was reportedly struck at least 10 times. A dash camera filmed the arrest.

Officers determined he was the owner of the car at the scene but detained him for disobeying police and resisting arrest.

Their use of force was justified, an Evanston Police spokesman said, as they thought it was a case of car theft.

LawBeefaroni wrote: ↑Sat Jan 26, 2019 8:27 am What the everloving F?

A St. Louis police officer was charged with manslaughter Friday for allegedly shooting a colleague as the two played Russian Roulette, authorities said.

Officer Nathaniel Hendren, 29, shot Officer Katlyn Alix, 24, in his apartment in the city’s Carondelet neighborhood early Thursday in the presence of a third officer, police said.

So much wrong there. Why are on-duty cops hanging out at home with an off-duty officer (who was married, btw)? Why are they playing Russian roulette? Presumably it wasn't a duty weapon either since no one uses revolvers anymore so why were they playing with a random gun? Plus the initial report was "mishandling of a weapon" and "accidental discharge" before the state police and city attorneys got involved.

The St. Louis circuit attorney's office has publicly criticized police, saying they obstructed an investigation into last week's fatal shooting of an officer and prematurely labeled it an accident.

Over the last eight years, a handful of faculty members in the [University of Texas at Dallas]'s criminology department awarded top grades to students in courses they never took, according to the May 2018 report by the UT System and other records obtained by The Dallas Morning News.

Over the last eight years, a handful of faculty members in the university's criminology department awarded top grades to students in courses they never took, according to the May 2018 report by the UT System and other records obtained by The Dallas Morning News.

The students were mostly police officers enrolled in a special master’s degree program designed to help them move up the ranks of law enforcement. They were told they would receive credit for non-college training courses they took outside the university. But the way the instructors awarded that credit was a big problem.

“Students were instructed to formally enroll in UT Dallas courses, with the proviso that they need not attend class or submit any class material, but would be given a grade of ‘A’ in the class,’’ an administrator wrote in a letter to three faculty members putting them on notice that the university is seeking to fire them.
...
Turmoil has roiled the school since the problem was discovered in late 2017. UTD is no longer accepting students for the program. It has returned thousands of dollars in tuition to students. And it was forced to create new policies in defending its program to accreditors.

The situation also raises questions about how effectively UTD administrators oversee faculty members. The practices persisted for several years despite red flags, documents show.
...
The university says it doesn’t know how many of the program’s 80-plus graduates received improper grades and credits, citing incomplete records. But it told The News it had identified at least 10.

Benson has told accreditors that the students were “innocent actors’’ who believed their professors were following standard procedures for transferring credit.
...
Taylor helped found The Caruth Police Institute of Dallas, a leadership development and officer training program affiliated with the Dallas Police Department. He also has taught at the Institute for Law Enforcement Administration in Plano.

Those connections gave him an inside track to recruit students for the UTD master’s program. The program’s policies he helped create allowed students at both institutes to swap work there for up to nine hours of credit at UTD; the idea was that the coursework was virtually equivalent. Worrall also had worked for Caruth. Cohen has worked at the Plano institute since 2016.
...
It’s unclear whether UTD administrators examined the instructors’ ties to the institutes or even knew about them. A school spokesman said they do not comment on individual employees.

“We specifically asked why it wasn’t a conflict of interest, and it was never answered,” said Nadine Connell, an associate professor within the criminology department who had concerns about the issues.

Cohen told students from Caruth and the Plano institute that for certain criminology classes at UTD, they wouldn’t need to do any work but would still receive credit and top grades, UT System investigators found.

Jarrod Bruder, the executive director of the South Carolina Sheriff’s Association who frequently lobbies for law enforcement interests at the Statehouse, said that without the incentive of profit from civil forfeiture, officers probably wouldn’t pursue drug dealers and their cash as hard as they do now.

If police don’t get to keep the money from forfeiture, “what is the incentive to go out and make a special effort?” Bruder said. “What is the incentive for interdiction?”

Pyperkub wrote: ↑Tue Feb 05, 2019 1:45 pm I, uh, fuck.

Jarrod Bruder, the executive director of the South Carolina Sheriff’s Association who frequently lobbies for law enforcement interests at the Statehouse, said that without the incentive of profit from civil forfeiture, officers probably wouldn’t pursue drug dealers and their cash as hard as they do now.

If police don’t get to keep the money from forfeiture, “what is the incentive to go out and make a special effort?” Bruder said. “What is the incentive for interdiction?”