Post stories of cops being unnecessarily violent, killing innocent people, and otherwise not living up to the standards they supposedly stand for.

I predict 1000+ pages

68 year old man shot to death by police in his own home after he accidentally triggered his medical alert service in his sleep
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/06/nyregion/fatal-shooting-of-ex-marine-by-white-plains-police-raises-questions.html?_r=1

3/29/2012 10:20:49 PM

A cop shoved me against a car once and got pissy when I dented it

3/29/2012 11:50:36 PM

The difference between a cop and a criminal is razor thin.

3/30/2012 1:11:33 AM

no, its simply government sanctioning.

Penalties in cases of police misconduct/law breaking should be more severe than those for the general public, not drastically less/none at all.

3/30/2012 11:12:07 AM

http://www.myspace.com/video/boilingfrogs/the-largest-street-gang-in-america/54162036

</thread>

3/30/2012 1:03:13 PM

Some actual justice for bad cops...

Jury finds deputy guilty of lying in videotaped takedown at Tamarac 7-Eleven
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/broward/fort-lauderdale/fl-cop-trial-wimberley-closings-20120504,0,6383161.story

5/5/2012 4:54:05 PM

^^wow

5/6/2012 1:09:32 AM

Shocking Video Of Kelly Thomas Beating Death Released --“See my fists? They are getting ready to fuck you up."-- Fullerton, California police officer Manny Ramos, just before he and five other cops beat Kelly Thomas to death.

http://www.pixiq.com/article/shocking-video-of-kelly-thomas-released-watch-with-caution

beyond fucked up.

5/8/2012 5:58:29 PM

^someone needs to take out some vigilante justice on pieces of shit like this

those cops should be dead

5/8/2012 6:36:10 PM

^^ at least somebody got it on video, and the cops who were involved are being charged and facing prison time. The sad fact is that, had there not been a video, they would have gotten off scot free. It's lame that cops will look out for each other, even in the light of shit like this, and it seems exceedingly rare that the ones we choose to protect and serve us rarely have the moral character to blow the whistle.

5/13/2012 4:41:07 AM

Considering what and who we're willing to pay to be police, police powers need to seriously be neutered.

You simply cannot have a workforce recruited from low-performers and have good outcomes. Just as we don't tell the stock boy to be the CEO, it makes no sense to give people who don't even have college degrees extreme authority over your life.

We wouldn't even give the same authority to family members, businesses, etc, but we give it to a bunch of people with questionable qualifications and judgement.

If we severely limit the cases where they can use force, they are going to have to figure out other ways to solve problems.

[Edited on May 13, 2012 at 11:34 AM. Reason : .]

5/13/2012 11:27:57 AM

Fun fact: All of Germany's police fired 85 bullets at people last year.

http://news.yahoo.com/german-police-used-only-85-bullets-against-people-155155175.html

5/14/2012 11:37:44 AM

Meanwhile, American cops fire that many bullets into a single person.

5/14/2012 12:33:04 PM

5/14/2012 1:20:31 PM

Does germany count jews as people?

5/14/2012 7:25:24 PM

Quote :

"American cops fire that many bullets into a single person."

By its own nature, deadly force can't be excessive.

5/14/2012 8:25:54 PM

I think the poor decision making and lack of accountability when using deadly force is the issue here.

but, to your point, the penalties should be just as severe when one round is fired needlessly as when almost 100 are.

5/15/2012 9:56:44 AM

I also bet that Germany does not have the same culture within a subset of teh population that values "thug" life and general ignorance as a favorable trait.

5/15/2012 12:02:32 PM

nor the same agressive, militaristic attitude towards non-violent crimes.

5/15/2012 12:07:14 PM

Quote :

"I also bet that Germany does not have the same culture within a subset of teh population that values "thug" life and general ignorance as a favorable trait."

Oh for God's sake, just say "Niggers" you piece of shit. At least the Neo-Nazis in Germany have the courage to actually be open about it, not like the pussy racists in America who have to express their bigotry through all kinds of circuitous proxies for "not-white"

[Edited on May 15, 2012 at 3:38 PM. Reason : .]

5/15/2012 3:36:20 PM

I have a feeling this thread will be all too active once the NATO demonstrations begin this weekend.

5/15/2012 3:39:45 PM

Mother of 3 arrested, abused for taking pictures of tourist attraction at airport

http://americanvisionnews.com/3369/mother-of-3-arrested-abused-for-taking-pictures-of-tourist-attraction-at-airport

reposting here from rtc407's thread in shit chat

5/15/2012 3:55:56 PM

http://www.richarddiguglielmo.org/

In 1996, Richard DiGuglielmo, 11 years on NYPD, was convicted of 2nd degree murder after a dispute in the parking lot of the family restaurant. at first everybody knew it was clearly self defense but the DA pulls the race card (shooter is white, dead guy was black) and jury convicts.

as if that isn't bad enough, the charges were vacated by the county court in 2008. the guy walks free for 2 years, until the NY supreme court reinstates the charges and makes the guy go back to jail to finish his sentence

i guess this isn't police brutality as much as it is a major miscarriage of justice...

5/15/2012 4:22:54 PM

Not really police brutality but a police state:

http://dissenter.firedoglake.com/2012/05/17/police-preemptively-raid-apartment-arrest-activists-ahead-of-nato-summit/

Chicago police have reportedly engaged in a preemptive raid against activists that planned to protest the NATO summit. The raid is believed to have taken place late last night in the Bridgeport neighborhood of Chicago.

The National Lawyers Guild reports:

…Police broke down a door to access a 6-unit apartment building near 32nd & Morgan Streets without a search warrant. Police entered an apartment with guns drawn and tackled one of the tenants to the floor in his kitchen. Two tenants were handcuffed for more than 2 hours in their living room while police searched their apartment and a neighboring unit, repeatedly calling one of the tenants a “Commie faggot.” A search warrant produced 4 hours after police broke into the apartment was missing a judge’s signature, according to witnesses. Among items seized by police in the Bridgeport raid were beer-making supplies and at least one cell phone...

5/17/2012 11:35:06 PM

hmmm, if only there was a thread for such a post.

5/18/2012 12:07:54 AM

^^ So America is becoming like Columbia, Iran, Zimbabwe, Pakistan, etc?

5/18/2012 6:02:56 AM

http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/Long-Beach-Police-Pot-Marijuana-Shop-Raid-Arrests-Excessive-Force-Investigation-161366395.html

Quote :

"A raid on a marijuana dispensary in Long Beach was caught on video showing officers smashing surveillance cameras and stepping on a suspect, moves that prompted accusations against the officers of excessive force. More than a dozen police raided THC Downtown Collective in the 300 block of Atlantic Boulevard on June 19, officials said. The video was posted to YouTube by user "Long Beach Raids" on July 1. Officials said they learned about the video on July 3. The two-minute-long video (below) opens to show a man surrendering to police, three of whom surround him while two put him in handcuffs. One of the officers is seen stepping on volunteer employee Dorian Brooks' back with both feet before stepping on his neck, with what Brooks described as 300 pounds of pressure. The video, which was being recorded at an off-site location, then cuts to an officer pointing at the recording camera before another looks up and smashes the lens. "They noticed there was a camera that was on the wall right above my head, so they proceeded to smash it with a metal rod," said Brooks, adding that the camera shattered on him. "I wasn't able to protect myeslf because my hands were cuffed." "I felt violated; I felt disrespected," Brooks said. The video cuts again and reopens on a man donning a tshirt and backwards baseball cap with what appears to be a badge hanging from his neck. This man, apparently behind the dispensary’s counter, also smashes the recording camera. Footage from after the raid shows a disheveled room, with portions of the ceiling removed and scattered on the floor, strew with boxes, electrical cables and other objects. Dispensary employees claim the raid caused tens of thousands of damage, and police took the collective's ATM and cannabis. "A thorough review into what occurred during that operation will be conducted once all of the facts have been collected. This is a personnel matter and we are unable to discuss any further details," Lisa Massacani, with LB police, wrote in a statement. Police said the dispensary was operating under state compliance, but did not have a city permit. Five people were arrested in the raid, according to Long Beach police: Dallas Alexander, 31, of Long Beach, was arrested on suspicion of operating an unpermitted marijuana dispensary, serving as a looking for illegal activity and on an outstanding warrant from another jurisdiction; Fernando Garcia, 50, and Mario Sanchez, 31, both of Los Angeles, and Landon Alexander, 22 of Long Beach were arrested on suspicion of operating an unpermitted marijuana dispensary and obstruction; Dorian Brooks, 28, of Long Beach, was arrested on suspicion of operating an unpermitted marijuana dispensary "

7/5/2012 9:04:14 AM

8/30/2012 9:40:43 AM

Honestly, that wasn't much after you take into account that they pulled like 4 big bags of drugs off of him.

8/30/2012 9:53:01 AM

^uh, no. there was no reason for any of that rough physical contact (kick included), except when the guy resisted getting in the vehicle, and even then, I don't think the best actions were taken. just because this guy is carrying drugs doesn't mean he should be kicked, have his hair pulled, be thrown on a hood, etc. He didn't appear to be resisting during those times, so the police's actions were uncalled for.

8/30/2012 11:19:29 AM

Quote :

"no, its simply government sanctioning. Penalties in cases of police misconduct/law breaking should be more severe than those for the general public, not drastically less/none at all."

Thats the crux of the entire debate, really.

Providing motivation to exercise these changes is what will be the primary roadblock towards acceptance of it as the way things need to be.

The last hurdle would be actually getting law enforcement to execute these sanctions on each other. And that will NEVER HAPPEN.

8/30/2012 12:05:24 PM

Seeing the kick in the throat... that's on the boundary of what I would call attempted murder

8/30/2012 12:17:51 PM

Quote :

"Honestly, that wasn't much after you take into account that they pulled like 4 big bags of drugs off of him"

i find it very troubling that you would say that. that was a blatant case of police brutality. ok, he had illegal drugs on him, and he deserved to get arrested (if you agree that keeping drugs illegal somehow benefits our societs, which we won't get in to), but he in no way deserved to be kicked in the throat while he was cooperating on the ground, have his hair yanked after he was willingly cuffed, etc.

8/30/2012 12:29:36 PM

Yeah, police are supposed to be in the investigation adn enforcement business, not the prosecution or punishment business. That's why we have courts and prisons.

Too many cops think they're Judge Dredd or part of some imaginary "thin blue line" that is holding back an inevitable wave or violence and barbarism. It's a bullshit mentality and actions like this are the inevitable result.

8/30/2012 12:45:54 PM

Nurse mouths off to cops after stopping her for talking on her phone while driving, and gets slammed onto asphalt twice.

http://news.yahoo.com/lapd-commander-removed-probe-rough-arrest-054751139.html

8/30/2012 4:54:01 PM

A kick in itself is not brutality, but I just don't see the reason for that one.

[Edited on August 30, 2012 at 7:03 PM. Reason : ...]

8/30/2012 7:03:27 PM

I don't know. I'm not crazy about what happened, but I'm at least willing to see what the officer has to say for why he did that. Maybe he thought the guy swallowed some drugs or something and was trying to keep them down. I have no idea. It was definitely a little rough but I'm pretty sure that guy is going to be fine minus a bruise or two. That guy is going to be in prison for years though. Getting roughed up a little by a cop is the least of his worries.

Look, I hate seeing police brutality as much as the next person. But this is fairly tame compared to most of the stuff that gets posted here. I'm not ready to hang this cop based on a 5 minute video from a camera phone with no context.

8/30/2012 7:55:33 PM

Quote :

"Cop Claims Teen Assaulted Him, Video Shows He Assaulted Teen"

Quote :

"Prince George's County, Maryland police officer Corporal Donald Taylor, a 13-year-veteran, claimed that after catching up to an aggressive youth who swung at him and began to flee, the youth reached for his gun, at which point he fired his gun at the youth in self defense. Despite this tale, newly released surveillance footage obtained by Fox 5 News shows the officer running up behind the youth, then smashing him in the head with his gun in a surprise attack, which triggered his gun to fire in the process. The youth, 19-year-old Ryan Dorm, "spent about four months in jail before prosecutors dropped the charges against him," NBC Washington reports. "Well, the video contradicts what the officer originally wrote in his charging documents,” said Dorm’s lawyer, Jimmy Bell. “What it shows is that my client didn't lie. They print my client is a criminal. They put his face on television saying he committed these crimes, and he didn't." Taylor was charged with second-degree assault last month. Dorm and his lawyer filed a $10 million lawsuit against the police department and Taylor. Unfortunately, as is the norm in these cases, police will simply rob taxpayers to pay a settlement. As to the cop's punishment, last we heard back in August of this year, he was on "administrative leave" with pay for the past six months. The old saying, "crime doesn't pay," doesn't apply if you're a police officer."

http://www.informationliberation.com/?id=40815

Video in link.

9/4/2012 3:53:56 PM

The cop should be punished for being an idiot, but damn, the dude's buddy was wearing a ski mask at a gas station and he tried to leave when the cops approached the friend. Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.

9/4/2012 8:22:12 PM

The cop should be prosecuted for assault and battery and probably a considerable amount more (discharging a weapon in a populated area, maybe assault with a deadly weapon, etc.).

Last time I checked wearing a ski mask in the winter is not illegal. What's more I don't think pistol whipping someone and then making up a story, charging them with a crime, and perjuring yourself is not the kind of thing you want to gloss over.

Fuck the police.

9/4/2012 9:06:09 PM

Actually, a lot of places have local ordinances against wearing masks in public, some states have laws against it.

9/4/2012 10:00:06 PM

^NC does

9/4/2012 11:45:43 PM

Fair point, wearing a mask is illegal in certain areas. Ironically enough in many cases that law is something that was established to prevent clan meetings.

Still, fuck that cop in particular and the police in general.

9/4/2012 11:55:20 PM

If they were written for the Klan, they put in an exemption for them too... as long as they ask permission.

§ 14-12.8. Wearing of masks, hoods, etc., on public property.

No person or persons shall in this State, while wearing any mask, hood or device whereby the person, face or voice is disguised so as to conceal the identity of the wearer, enter, or appear upon or within the public property of any municipality or county of the State, or of the State of North Carolina. (1953, c. 1193, s. 7.)

§ 14-12.11. Exemptions from provisions of Article.

The following are exempted from the provisions of G.S. 14- 12.7, 14-12.8, 14-12.9, 14-12.10 and 14-12.14:

(1) Any person or persons wearing traditional holiday costumes in season;

(2) Any person or persons engaged in trades and employment where a mask is worn for the purpose of ensuring the physical safety of the wearer, or because of the nature of the occupation, trade or profession;

(3) Any person or persons using masks in theatrical productions including use in Mardi Gras celebrations and masquerade balls;

(4) Persons wearing gas masks prescribed in civil defense drills and exercises or emergencies; and

(5) Any person or persons, as members or members elect of a society, order or organization, engaged in any parade, ritual, initiation, ceremony, celebration or requirement of such society, order or organization, and wearing or using any manner of costume, paraphernalia, disguise, facial makeup, hood, implement or device, whether the identity of such person or persons is concealed or not, on any public or private street, road, way or property, or in any public or private building, provided permission shall have been first obtained therefor by a representative of such society, order or organization from the governing body of the municipality in which the same takes place, or, if not in a municipality, from the board of county commissioners of the county in which the same takes place.

[Edited on September 5, 2012 at 12:24 AM. Reason : Regardless the cops record of complaints should be considered toward his punishment ]

[Edited on September 5, 2012 at 12:24 AM. Reason : and appropriate measures should be taken.]

[Edited on September 5, 2012 at 12:25 AM. Reason : ,]

9/5/2012 12:22:55 AM

The reason all these cops get paid administrative leave instead of losing their jobs and facing actual charges is that they are protected by some of the most powerful unions in the country. Police administrations cannot simply fire bad or heavy-handed cops for fear of lawsuits from high-powered union lawyers. It is similar to the problem that school administrations face in terms of trying to fire tenured teachers, only instead of kids not learning anything with a bad teacher, you get people brutalized by thug cops.

If you really want meaningful police reform including accountability, then you have to advocate limits to the power of the public employee unions that corrupt our local governments when left to their own devices. This is an uncomfortable position for those on the Left, who traditionally ally with organized labor.

[Edited on September 5, 2012 at 10:18 AM. Reason : 2]

9/5/2012 10:12:09 AM

Quote :

"The cop should be prosecuted for assault and battery and probably a considerable amount more (discharging a weapon in a populated area, maybe assault with a deadly weapon, etc.). "

All of the above and anything else that can stick. I may give cops the benefit of the doubt, but I've always been of the opinion that cops (or any public official) who violates the trust of their office should have every bit of the book thrown at them, and automatically serve maximum time if convicted.

9/5/2012 1:19:43 PM

Paid administrative leave is not a vacation; its a non-punitive way of saying don't come to work until we or an outside agency has completed their investigation. You basically get stripped of your gun, badge, vehicle etc until the conclusion of the investigation.

During this leave, your job is to be at the beck and call of the administration so you can do interviews, etc.

This investigation could be criminal and/or administrative. In the case of a serious excessive force complaint or use of deadly force, you have the administrative investigation done by your agency that determines if you violated rules/policy and is most cases, a criminal investigation by an outside agency to see if you violated the law.

Sounds like a sham to have police investigating police right? Well, in this State, when the SBI comes knocking its a criminal investigation - in a use of deadly force, you are the suspect. Its investigated just like any other homicide and if you decided to talk with the SBI, you get the whole battery; Miranda rights, etc.

9/5/2012 2:00:04 PM

but you're still gettin paid for bashin some poor guy's skull in and shooting him in the process

9/5/2012 2:16:13 PM

And when the investigation is over, you get canned or put back to work.

9/5/2012 2:36:49 PM

And, in the very rare instance that you actually do get canned, it's okay, because you can easily get hired in the next town over or by the county sheriff. It's all part of the police's "professional courtesy."

Police unions are a massive problem, any public sector union is honestly. It's also problematic that personal culpability is buffered by taxpayers being the ones who pay for police misconduct.

I can't decide which is worse, prosecutorial immunity or police "professionalism."

[Edited on September 5, 2012 at 3:32 PM. Reason : asdfsf]

9/5/2012 3:31:51 PM