Showing posts with label police. Show all posts

Tuesday, July 18

I'll Bet America Pays Attention To This One!!

I think now, finally, a large part of the American population is going to sit up and demand answers, and not just about this case, but now they're going to start asking about all the cases; they're going to start looking at what we've been seeing (and talking about) for years: the nationwide problem of police officers who are too quick on the trigger, who are of the mindset that that gun on their hip gives them the right to do whatever to whomever they like with impunity, and in a lot of cases, who should never have been on the force period because of their stereotypical notions about 'class' (caste?). Yes, I said class; not race, although that can play a role, but IMO class is the trigger that set off this avalanche of needless deaths. They put on these blue uniforms, and they become a class unto themselves, one which many of them feel is above and better than everyone else. They feel that as the 'superior class', it is up to them to contain and correct the lower classes, and this is why you'll find all races, genders, and age groups represented in the complete picture, if you don't put any filters on your Search. You'll even find the mentally ill and the physically-challenged! (Of course the numbers are still going to be way skewed, with more blacks being killed than any other group.)

Here's the story that started my rant though:

Questions Remain Surrounding Fatal Minnesota Police Shooting

By AMY FORLITI AND JEFF BAENEN, ASSOCIATED PRESS

MINNEAPOLIS — Jul 18, 2017, 10:32 AM ET

An Australian woman who called 911 to report what she believed to be an active sexual assault was shot and killed by a Minneapolis police officer in a case that has left many relatives and neighbors searching for answers.

Justine Damond, aka Justine Ruszczyk, seen in 2015 photo

released by Stephen Govel Photography of New York, 6/17/17

There were no known witnesses other than the two officers in the squad car. A newspaper report said Damond was shot while standing alongside the car in her pajamas.

The Hennepin County Medical Examiner's office on Monday night said Damond died of a gunshot wound to the abdomen, and classified her death as a homicide. The report identified her as Justine Ruszczyk, but she had begun using her fiance's last name professionally ahead of their planned August wedding.

Her fianc?, {sic} Don Damond, said the family has been given almost no additional information.

Justine, her fiance Don, and
her stepson Zach

Friends & neighbors leave msgs of love

"We've lost the dearest of people, and we're desperate for information," he said. "Piecing together Justine's last moments before the homicide would be a small comfort as we grieve this tragedy."

Damond's family in Sydney issued a statement Monday saying they were trying to come to terms with the tragedy and understand why it happened. On Tuesday, her father spoke out publicly for the first time.

"We thought yesterday was our worst nightmare, but we awoke to the ugly truth and it hurt even more," John Ruszczyk told reporters. "Justine was a beacon to all of us. We only ask that the light of justice shine down on the circumstances of her death."

Minneapolis Mayor Betsy Hodges said early Tuesday that she too wants answers.

"I have the same questions everybody has: 'What happened?'" Hodges said in an interview on ABC's "Good Morning America."

Minnesota's Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is investigating the shooting. In a statement Monday, the BCA said more information would be provided once the officers have been interviewed.

The BCA said no weapons were found at the scene.

The officer who shot Damond was identified by his attorney as Mohamed Noor, a Somali-American. A city newsletter said he joined the police department in March 2015.

The attorney, Tom Plunkett, released a statement saying Noor offered his condolences to the family "and keeps them in his daily thoughts and prayers."

"Officer Noor is a caring person with a family he loves, and he empathizes with the loss others are experiencing," the statement said.

Noor was sued earlier this year after a May 25 incident in which he and other officers took a woman to the hospital for an apparent mental health crisis. The lawsuit claims Noor and the other officers violated the woman's rights when they entered her home without permission and Noor grabbed her wrist and upper arm. Noor relaxed his grip when the woman said she had a previous shoulder injury, the lawsuit says.

KSTP-TV reported that city records show Noor had three complaints on file. The station did not provide details on the nature of the complaints, but said one was dismissed with no disciplinary action and the other two are pending.

The Star Tribune, citing three people with knowledge of the shooting, said the officers pulled into the alley in a single squad car, and Damond talked to the driver. The newspaper's sources, which it did not name, said the officer in the passenger seat shot Damond through the driver's-side door. A BCA spokeswoman did not return messages seeking to confirm that account.

Neighbor Joan Hargrave called the killing "an execution."

"This is a tragedy — that someone who's asking for help would call the police and get shot by the police," Hargrave said.

Officials said the officers' body cameras were not turned on and a squad car camera did not capture the shooting. Investigators were still trying to determine whether other video exists.

It's not clear why the officers' body cameras were not on. The department has phased in body cameras for all of its officers over the last year. Department policy allows for a range of situations in which officers are supposed to turn cameras on, including "any contact involving criminal activity" and before use of force. If a body camera is not running before use of force, it's supposed to be turned on as soon as it's safe to do so.

Once the investigation is complete, Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman would decide whether to charge the officer. Freeman would not comment on the broader case Monday, but said both officers likely should have turned on their body cameras as they were approached by Damond in an alley.

Officials said the officers' body cameras were not turned on and a squad car camera did not capture the shooting. Investigators were still trying to determine whether other video exists.

Damond's business website indicates she relocated to Minneapolis and worked as a yoga instructor, meditation teacher and personal health and life coach.

Originally trained as a veterinarian, Damond indicated on the site that she was "most passionate about supporting individuals and organizations to discover the power and potential within their own brains and hearts."

Nancy Coune, administrator at the Lake Harriet Spiritual Community in Minneapolis, said Damond came to Minneapolis about three years ago to be with her fianc?, {sic} and she had been teaching and speaking at the center for more than two years.

Damond's mother was Australian, and she spent her formative years there, but also spent some of her early childhood in the Buffalo, New York, area, said Peter Suffoletto, a cousin of Damond's father.

DISCLAIMER: The opinions expressed in this blog are strictly those of the blog's owner, and in no way express the views of Blogger or Google.

Saturday, October 22

The Tragic Death of Deborah Danner, Age 66

Here's a fatal shooting with a twist; no longer is it just young black males who've been stopped for something.
The officer who shot the victim is Sgt. Hugh Barry, an 8 year veteran of the NYPD. The victim is Deborah Danner, a mentally ill woman that the police were already aware of from having had calls about her before. At the time of this article, the names were not being released, but have been since then.
Why didn't he just use his Taser on her? Initially she had a scissors, which in my mind would be a lot more dangerous than a bat, and he was able to talk her into putting it down. Then she picks up a bat and swings so he shoots her? What imminent danger was he in? Here we have a trained police officer up against a mentally ill but still able to be talked to 66 year old woman; he couldn't just grab the bat from her? Oh no, that's right, he had to hold on to his gun with one hand, after all, he was in fear for his life from this woman that he had just talked into putting down the scissors!

Police Cite Self-Defense as Sergeant Fatally Shoots Bronx Woman, 66

picture of mentally ill black woman fatally shot by police officer

Deborah Danner

A police sergeant responding to a call about a 66-year-old woman acting irrationally in a Bronx apartment fatally shot her after she tried to hit him with a baseball bat on Tuesday, the police said.

Officers went to a seventh-floor apartment at 630 Pugsley Avenue in the Castle Hill neighborhood a little after 6 p.m. in response to a neighbor’s complaint, the police said.

About 10 minutes later, the sergeant entered the apartment and found the woman, who was alone, in a bedroom holding a pair of scissors, Assistant Chief Larry W. Nikunen, commanding officer of patrol for the Bronx, said at a news conference.

The sergeant persuaded the woman to drop the scissors, but she then grabbed a baseball bat. As she tried to hit him, the sergeant fired twice and struck her in the torso, Chief Nikunen said. She was pronounced dead at Jacobi Medical Center.

The chief said there had been “several incidents involving this individual with similar types of calls” in the past, but he did not have details of the previous calls.

The names of the sergeant, whom Chief Nikunen said was an eight-year veteran of the New York Police Department, and the woman were not released. The chief said the sergeant had a Taser, which was not used. Why it was not used will be part of an investigation.

In a statement, the Bronx borough president, Ruben Diaz Jr., called the shooting “an outrage,” noting that the police were aware of the woman’s history and that the sergeant had a stun gun. He called on Eric T. Schneiderman, the state attorney general, and Darcel D. Clark, the Bronx district attorney, to investigate.

“While I certainly understand the hard work that our police officers undertake to keep the streets of our city safe every single day, I also know what excessive force looks like,” Mr. Diaz said in the statement.

By CHRISTOPHER MELEOCT. 18, 2016

PUBLISHED IN THE NEW YORK TIMES

Saturday, October 8

Now, Let's See What Happens to This Parent...

There have been many cases of parents accidentally leaving a young child in a hot car for several hours, only to return and find the child either unconscious or already dead. In each case that I can recall, the parent who had been responsible for leaving the child was always arrested, jailed, and prosecuted. I wonder if it will be the same in this case...

3-Year-Old Daughter of Miss. Police Officer Dies After Being Left in Patrol Car

The Long Beach, Miss., Board of Aldermen voted unanimously to fire Police Officers Cassie Barker and Clark Ladner. Barker's daughter died after being left alone in a patrol car for four hours.

Long Beach, Miss., Police Officer Cassie Barker with her daughter Cheyenn FACEBOOK

The Board of Aldermen of the city of Long Beach, Miss., voted unanimously Tuesday to fire two police officers involved in the hot-car death of the 3-year-old daughter of one of the officers, the Sun Herald reports.

Initially, the officers were placed on paid leave pending the outcome of an investigation into the death of 3-year-old Cheyenn Hyer, daughter of Police Officer Cassie Barker, the Sun Herald reports.

However, the board decided to terminate Barker as well as Police Sgt. Clark Ladner, per the recommendation of Police Chief Wayne McDowell.

Barker’s daughter Cheyenn died Friday after being left alone in a patrol car, according to the report. Hancock County Sheriff Ricky Adam said the patrol car was running with the air conditioner on when investigators got to the scene. Cheyenn (some news organizations are spelling her name as Cheyenne) was left unattended in the car for four hours while Barker “was visiting” Ladner, authorities said. Both officers were off-duty at the time Cheyenn was found.

Temperatures at the time of the incident were in the high 80s to low 90s, with the heat index reaching more than 100 degrees.

Adam said that an arrest could follow once investigators obtain additional information. Investigators are working to determine whether criminal charges will be filed in the case. Chief Deputy Don Bass said Ladner did not know that Cheyenn was in the car while he and Barker were inside.

Barker will have 10 days to file an appeal with the Civil Service Commission regarding her firing, the Sun Herald notes.

On Monday, Chief Investigator Glen Grannan revealed that deputies learned that Barker had also been involved in an unrelated incident that resulted in her having to go through the state Department of Human Services “so she could have her child back,” the Sun Herald reports. That incident also involved Cheyenn.

“I’ve spoken with the male officer involved, but I’ve not spoken with the female officer, not as far as the official internal investigation, because of medical reasons,” Long Beach Police Chief Wayne McDowell said. “The mother is in shock. I will talk to her soon.”

Read more at the Sun Herald.

Sunday, October 2

And Now The Truth Comes Out!!

New Video Reveals Sacramento, Calif., Police Tried To Run Over Black Man Before Fatally Shooting Him

The disturbing incident—even condemned by one of the officer’s brothers—was apparently even worse than initially thought, as departmental video shows that the officers tried to run Joseph Mann over twice.

According to recently released dash-cam video from a July altercation, two Sacramento, Calif., police officers attempted to run over an African-American homeless man—twice—before they shot and killed him in a hail of bullets.

The Sacremento Bee reports that one of the officers says “f–k this guy” in the final minute before they shot Joseph Mann. Moments later, the driver says, “I’m going to hit him.”

“OK. Go for it. Go for it,” his partner responds.

The Bee reports that Officers Randy Lozoya and John Tennis gunned their vehicle toward Mann during the July 11 incident, backed up, turned and then drove toward him again, based on dashcam video released by police. They stopped the car, ran toward Mann on foot and shot him 14 times. He was obviously running away from them.

After a private citizen gave news outlets video from the incident, police released dashcam video on Sept. 20 and called a news conference that day.

The Sacramento News and Review reports that the videos seem to contradict the department’s initial statement that its officers resorted to lethal force only after de-escalation tactics failed.

Lozoya and Tennis are currently on “modified duty,” according to a police spokesman.

Dispatchers told officers that Mann was seen with a knife and a gun. Police have never reported finding a gun.

In the dashcam video from the car used by Lozoya and Tennis, the officers attempt to hit Mann as he crosses a side street but miss him. The car screeches, reverses and then turns onto a street to continue the pursuit.

In the next audible clip, an officer says, “We’ll get him. We’ll get him.” They stop the car, exit and then chase Mann on foot.
Seconds later, they fired 18 shots at Mann, hitting him with 14. Their gunfire is heard on the dashcam video.

A toxicology report found methamphetamine in Mann’s system.

The Sacramento City Council will propose a use-of-force policy designed to restrict lethal force to be debated on Oct. 13. Other council members are calling for quicker release of video in police shootings, greater powers for a civilian oversight commission and other reforms.

“They are officers that shouldn’t be in uniform,” said Robert Mann, Joseph Mann’s brother, according to the Bee. “If this is their state of mind when they go to work, this doesn’t serve anyone well.”

Both officers are named as defendants in a federal lawsuit filed last month against the city by Mann’s relatives, according to the Sacramento News and Review. The lawsuit says Mann displayed “overt signs of being in the midst of mental crisis” and officers should not have used lethal force—including a car—against him.

The Bee notes that the incident occurred four days after a sniper shot five police officers during a Black Lives Matter demonstration in Dallas.

Wednesday, July 27

Is This the Lesson Young Children Should Be Learning?

It used to be, children were taught that the man in the blue uniform was our friend; if you were ever in trouble, he was the one you should go to. You should always do what he said, and you should never lie or even hold back in the information you give him. Wow....

Now, if we teach children anything where the cops are concerned it's probably lessons in how to avoid ever getting stopped in the first place, and how to position the dash cam to catch everything!

Is this the lesson all children are being taught though? I don't think so , unfortunately I think some children are learning a lesson that will cause more separatism and elitism than anything else. Once again, it's not a racial divide for the most part, although it can be seen as a color divide. The colors aren't the expected black vs white though, the colors are blue vs all the colors of the rainbow. In my opinion, the belief and fear of being hurt or killed when you're doing anything 'while being black' is unfortunately a valid one. Blacks are just the most visible target, that 'thin blue line' stands against every other race when you come down to it.

What lesson are children getting from all this? I think the children of police officers are getting a lesson which may, through no fault of their own, get them hurt or even killed. They're going to grow up believing that they are superior to everyone else because their parent is in law enforcement. They will also feel invincible, that whatever they do is okay because they won't be punished. (Look at what's happened in the Freddie Gray case!)

Even worse, what about the lessons they will learn about what happens to the people who try to put a chink in that wall? The ones who seek justice for the injured and dead? The 'whistle-blowers'? A couple hundred years ago , people were afraid to tell on others because they knew what would happen to them. (lynchings, burnings, assaults) It will become that way again, if we continue down the path we're on. Here's a story I"ve been following:

Man Who Filmed Eric Garner’s Death Sues NYC for $10,000,000

Ramsey Orta, the New York City man who filmed Eric Garner’s death, recently accepted a plea deal on weapons and drug charges and is likely to spend the next four years in prison.

Now, the New York Post reports, Orta is suing the city for $10 million. He says that he was arrested on trumped-up charges in retaliation for recording the controversial arrest that sparked protests.

“Despite the murder of Eric Garner by the NYPD, Ramsey Orta, who filmed the incident, is the only person present at the incident who is going to prison because the NYPD engaged in smear tactics, in cooperation with the news media, and prepared a tactical plan to set him up for retaliatory arrests,” the lawsuit reads.

Earlier this month, Orta pleaded guilty to charges of peddling heroin in 2015 and hiding a firearm in a woman’s pants in 2014. He is expected to be sentenced to four years in prison in October, the Post notes.

The spokesperson for the city’s Law Department told the Post that it will review all the accusations.

Sunday, June 5

Did Anyone Ever LOOK At It Before Saying He Was Faking?

     Those who work in law enforcement seem to have all developed this very negative, jaded view of those who suffer the misfortune to be incarcerated for whatever reason. There are certain "facts" that are believed to be the 'Gospel According to Law', and no matter what evidence there may be to the contrary, they are not going to go against their gospel. Here are the facts:
                  1. All convicts lie.
                  2. All convicts who ask to see the doctor are just drug-seeking.
                  3. Even if there are wounds which look bad, the convict is lying about it,                 they were probably already there before he was arrested.

     This gospel appears to have been in use when a 22 year old Florida man who had been jailed for armed robbery and resisting arrest died in the hospital following being bitten by the K-9 unit dog during the arrest. (I guess I'd resist too if I was being chased by a dog that I KNEW would take a chunk out of whatever part he could grab if I stopped!!)

Fla. Inmate Accused of ‘Faking It’ Before Dying From Police Dog Bite

According to the article I read (see the title link above) "Max Gracia, 22, would likely still be alive if he had been given proper medical care and not punishment after his repeated pleas for help." That's what is so sad about this, to think that if one person in authority had bothered to check, this young man would still be here. Does human life mean so little now?

This young man had not only been bitten, the dog had held on to his leg for three minutes! Can you imagine? Pinch yourself on the arm, and then hold it like that for three minutes. Personally, I doubt if you make it to one minute; you won't if you're doing it right! It will hurt too much for too long! Now just imagine that dog's teeth buried in your arm for that long, and of course the dog has been trained to hold on no matter what so he's not just standing there quietly; he's snarling, and tossing his head, and squeezing his jaws together every time you draw a breath (which causes you to move slightly). Just imagine how much pain that would be!! Then you manage to pull away from the animal without losing your arm, jump over a chain link fence, and dive into a lake. Now you're in this dirty water with open animal bites for who knows how long; you're finally picked up and taken to jail and you're thinking "Well at least I'll get some treatment now." WRONG!! You're taken to the jail alright, but you are not only not given any treatment for the wounds, you are told you're faking the pain so you can't have any pain meds! Then as if to add insult to injury, they're going to move you to a new cell with a camera so that they can 'monitor' you, but because you are incapable of getting up off the floor and walking to the new cell you are cited for punishment!!

Now by this time, Gracia's leg should have shown obvious signs of infection and inflammation; did no one ever actually LOOK at it?? And if they did, how can they justify saying that he was faking? There is just something totally off about this whole thing; it is my understanding that when a person is incarcerated they are automatically 'examined' (if you can call it that) by someone with medical training to assess the person's physical and mental state before they are thrown into 'gen pop' (general population - allowed to move freely among other inmates). If this was done, then someone should have seen his leg had a serious wound; why wasn't some kind of treatment given?

     What has been happening with law enforcement on the street for several years is now invading other facets of the system as well. It's not just uniformed officers on the street shooting or choking the people they've sworn to 'serve and protect', it's not just the guards in the jails looking the other way while drugs flow freely in and out their doors, now it's the so-called 'medical staff' withholding necessary treatment and those who work guarding the injured and ill sanctioning it by looking the other way! So many people are saying that we should "stop playing the race card"; I would be glad to stop playing it if someone could/would show me proof that it's happening to other races on the same scale (relatively) that it's happening to blacks. I would be grateful to anyone who could send me some links to proof that I am wrong, that it is not happening on a much larger scale to African Americans (both male and female) than anyone else.
     Max Gracia, 22, died in the hospital from dog bites which were allowed to fester until they became infected, resulting in E. coli infection and then septic shock.

"The medical examiner ruled Gracia's death a homicide."
(The full article can be read at this link.)

Tuesday, December 23

Perhaps This is Why They Don't Want Cameras?

A lot of people (myself included) wonder why on earth the police departments of this country would NOT want to use lapel cams or other means of filming each encounter they have with an alleged criminal. It seems like it would put a halt to all of this debate about whether or not people, especially black males, are being 'profiled' or 'targeted', and we would no longer have these major protests and demonstrations going on all over the country. Perhaps this is one reason:

Caught on Camera: Cop's Accidental Shooting
NBC News Channel Albuquerque police officer's lapel camera captures an accidental firearm discharge and its aftermath. KOB's Caleb James reports. Published December 18th 2014, 12:20 pm

A New Mexico police officer was wearing a lapel camera which was filming as the officer entered a vacant apartment on an upper floor of the building. As he entered he appears to stumble, and as he explains "I fell down, and I guess my trigger finger went down at the same time." (NBC News Channel Video, 0:26 seconds in)

Back to my statement that perhaps this is one reason why police departments are loathe to adopt personal cameras on their uniforms, let's indulge in a moment of supposition. Two officers, partners, go into an empty apartment ostensibly looking for someone they are chasing. One officer stumbles, falls, gun goes off, shooting and killing someone in the apartment downstairs who, coincidentally(?) happens to be a drug dealer in the neighborhood that was suspected of killing a police officer, but has not been charged because of the usual stuff, witnesses against him who either recant or disappear, evidence in police custody which is somehow damaged or stolen, etc. (If you've watched any of the crime shows on television in the last 10 years you know exactly what I'm talking about! lol) Now, although to some that would seem a wild and completely farfetched, out of the realm of possibility theory, actually it isn't; after all, I came up with it, right? So these two cops (or perhaps only one of them) go into the vacant apartment; through some means (perhaps the second one is outside watching the windows) and he lets the first one know where the occupant is in the apartment. The officer inside then shoots down through the floor into the apartment below, hopefully hitting the occupant. Even if he doesn't kill him though, it could be made to seem a warning by the police to the dealer. It could be explained away as the accidental discharge of a firearm, case closed. With a lapel cam however, it would be a little more difficult to successfully pull it off, since the lapel cam could not only show the movements of the officer, it could tell what was said at the time. In this video you've got him talking on his radio to other officers, asking about the outcome of the shot; I'm sure the conversation would have gone quite differently if the situation was as I've theorized! This is perhaps one of the things that police departments are considering when they debate the issue of lapel cams.

Now I'm not saying that all police departments are harboring 'bad' cops in their midst who might be subject to go off in a fit of rage and beat someone to death while wearing the cam; what I am saying is that cops stick together. They stick up for one another, they 'cover each other's backs', they protect their 'brothers'. If there is any possibility of an officer losing his temper and perhaps bringing a subject 'down' a little too forcefully, they do not want to take any chances that an incident will be recorded, not by one of their own. So we get all these excuses and justifications and rationales for why police departments should not be required to use them, and we get more and more people brutally punched, kicked, beaten, and killed, and more and more officers being acquitted by grand juries. It just seems to me that it would be an easy way for officers to prove their own innocence and their victim's guilt, IF that is the case.

As always, this post is strictly the opinion of the author, and does not in any way represent Blogger.

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