Write-up below by Angela Caputo originally published on May 1st on Chicagoreporter.com.

Rennie Simmons - photo by Marc Monaghan

A small group of officers who have cost the City of Chicago millions in police misconduct lawsuits remain on the force with few signs of discipline.

Rennie Simmons won a $99,999 settlement from the City of Chicago in 2009 that stemmed from a federal lawsuit he filed alleging that Chicago police lieutenant Glenn Evans framed him with a false battery charge to cover up his own misconduct.

Glenn Evans watched from the side of his West Pullman home as a tall man with a wide frame limped up the walk. “Get off my property,” he shouted. But that didn’t stop the man from stepping slowly and steadily forward until he slapped the bright orange paper—a water-shutoff notice—on a drain pipe of Evans’ single-story brick home.

Evans, a lieutenant with the Chicago Police Department, called his fellow officers. “There’s a guy here claiming to be from the water department,” he said, according to court documents. “Send a squad car.”

Evans tore the paper off the pipe and crumpled it up in his hand. Rennie Simmons, the water department employee, turned and snapped a picture, as per protocol. Each has his own take on what happened next. Their stories come together with Simmons pinned to the ground.

Within minutes, two officers had Simmons’ wrists locked in handcuffs and told him to get into the backseat of a squad car. At the 5th District station on East 111th Street, Evans signed a battery complaint. According to the police report, Evans claimed that Simmons shoved him and said, “I got something for your ass” and then “went to the trunk of his car [to get] an unknown object.”

Simmons, who is partially paralyzed on the right side of his body, the aftermath of a stroke he suffered in 2003, said he tried to protest, saying that he was attacked without provocation. But it was the city worker’s word against the lieutenant’s. It would be up to a judge to sort the incident out.

For Evans, his day in court wasn’t his first—or his last. Ultimately, the battery charge against Simmons was tossed, in part because Cook County Circuit Court Judge Adam Donald Bourgeois Jr. found Evans’ witness less than convincing. “Lieutenant,” Bourgeois said as he closed out the hearing on Sept. 17, 2007, “the next time you pick somebody to come in here as a witness, make sure they lie a little better.”

Simmons went on to file a federal lawsuit alleging that Evans tried to pin a false criminal charge on him to cover up his own misconduct. That same year, a second man opened a similar case against Evans.

In 2009, the city settled both cases out of court for a combined payment of $118,999, making Evans part of a small—but costly—group of officers who were named in multiple police misconduct lawsuits that led to city payments in recent years.

The near impunity with which these officers—dubbed “repeaters” for their recurring legal troubles—are allowed to operate, along with the mounting legal cost to defend them, are glaring evidence that the city’s effort to stem police misconduct is falling short of the mark, The Chicago Reporter found.

Of 441 police misconduct lawsuits that led to city payments between January 2009 and November 2011, nearly a third—or 145—involved the “repeaters,” shows a Reporter analysis of federal and state court records. This small group—140 in all—proved costly. Despite making up 1 percent of the police force, they accounted for more than a quarter—or $11.7 million—of all damage payments incurred from police misconduct lawsuits. The city defended a good number of those officers in additional cases as well; nearly a third of the 140 officers were named in at least five misconduct lawsuits since 2000.

But the Reporter found that some fine print in the police union contract and a state statute routinely shields the “repeaters” and any others sued for misconduct from investigations by the Independent Police Review Authority—which was created to help investigate police misconduct—and the police department itself.

The result: Eight in 10 of the “repeaters” remain on the job with few signs of discipline.

As far as Ilana Rosenzweig, the chief administrator of the review authority, is concerned, it’s ultimately up to the police department to track lawsuits and complaints throughout an officer’s career to identify patterns of misconduct. “I can’t say if [the police department] is doing that or to what degree they’re doing that,” she said. “But that’s something that should occur.”

A lack of transparency around what’s being done to vet alleged beatings,

frame-ups and unlawful searches raises one question in the mind of Craig Futterman, an attorney who founded the Civil Right and Police Accountability Project at the University of Chicago’s Mandel Legal Aid Clinic: “Who’s policing the police?”

Ralph Price, the police department’s lead attorney, said the department routinely meets with the city’s law department to review allegations of police abuse that are outlined in lawsuits.

“We don’t shut our eyes and ignore it. Absolutely not,” Price said. “There is definitely a follow-up between litigation and a review of department policy and training.”

Futterman agrees that the Chicago Police Department has programs—like an early warning system—in place to flag abusive officers. But too few officers are required to participate. The result, Futterman said, is that “The Chicago Police Department has allowed a few bad apples to abuse vulnerable people with impunity.”

* * *

Between January 2009 and November 2011, the City of Chicago paid $45.5 million for damages in 441 lawsuits involving claims of police misconduct—a rate of $5.54 annually per city resident, the Reporter found. That’s more than twice as much as Los Angeles’ $2.66, and roughly half as much as New York City’s $9.93 between 2009 and 2010. These figures don’t include the untold number of legal fees picked up by taxpayers to cover the officers’ legal defense.

“These [payments] have been a cloud over what happens at City Hall for decades,” said 2nd Ward Alderman Bob Fioretti, who sponsored the new police accountability legislation that was adopted in 2007 to empower outsiders, like Rosenzweig, to investigate and root out police misconduct.

A vast majority, 75 percent, of the 441 police misconduct cases were based on excessive force and false arrest allegations, and most of the cases were closed with settlement agreements hashed out by attorneys. The city rarely acknowledged liability in such deals.
That’s a rub for some police officers who think the city is too quick to strike deals that leave them little room to clear their names. In Lieutenant Evan’s case, one of the five lawsuits in which he was named did go to trial, and a jury found him not liable for covering up facts in another officer’s shooting.

But the settlements don’t necessarily say much about culpability, said attorney Standish Willis who specializes in civil rights law. Some lawsuits are settled simply for expedience’s sake. In others, either the plaintiff or the city had a strong case, and in striking the deal, costs could be minimized.

The Reporter found that the three officers named in the largest number of lawsuits—Jerome Finnigan, Donovan Markiewicz and Frank Villareal—were members of an elite tactical unit, the Special Operations Section, which was busted up in 2007 after a federal investigation found its members were running a theft and extortion ring right under the nose of police officials.

Before the city began paying out on lawsuits involving the section, city attorneys were representing the section’s members in a series of lawsuits. Court records show that Finnigan, Markiewicz and Villareal alone were named in at least 16 misconduct cases in the two years before the department pulled the plug on the section.

Not one of the misconduct lawsuits filed against the members of the section ended with a ruling by a judge or jury. Trials are a rarity; only 6 percent of the lawsuits analyzed by the Reporter ended with a judge or jury’s ruling.

Finnigan, Markiewicz and Villareal are off the force today. But a majority—at least 26—of the 42 officers named in five or more cases, including three former Special Operations Section members, are still on the department’s payroll.

That doesn’t surprise Futterman. “The city recognizes the need to look at patterns,” he said. “But with each and every scandal … the Chicago Police Department turns a blind eye to those patterns.”

* * *

Cordell Simmons, a community college student with a long rap sheet of marijuana-related arrests, was picked up at gunpoint by a pair of beat officers near a bus stop at the corner of Loomis and 79th streets on a damp evening in early June 2007.

The 6th District police officers have more than their fair share of the city’s drug dealing and violence to deal with in a typical shift. During 13 months ending on March 31, 2012, officers made more than 20,000 arrests in the South Side district that stretches roughly from 76th to 98th streets between Western and Woodlawn avenues.

The pace can be grating, said Richard Wooten, a 19-year police veteran who works in the 6th District, where he lives, and runs a nonprofit, Gathering Point Community Council, that mentors children from the neighborhood. “This stress level really kicks in, and you are moving, you’re feeling on 10 and you don’t realize it,” he said.

The officers frisked Cordell Simmons and found $20 worth of marijuana tucked in four small plastic bags, according to a police report. Then they banged him around on the hood of a squad car, trying unsuccessfully to get him to cough up the rest of his stash, according to court documents.

The 24-year-old was arrested and taken to the station on 78th and Halsted streets. He was ushered into a processing room. That’s where he crossed paths with Lieutenant Evans.

Officers suspected that Cordell Simmons slipped additional drugs into the station and was trying to swallow them before he got caught, according to the police report. As Evans moved closer, the report says he was kicked in the legs by the Moraine Valley Community College student. Evans then grew frustrated that Simmons was “not cooperating,” according to court documents. One of the cops who hauled him back to the station pulled off his pants and shoes.

Cordell Simmons laid naked from the waist down while Evans walked out of the room and returned with a Taser gun, according to court records. The three officers held Simmons down and, “Evans proceeded to Taser [the] plaintiff in the groin, under his testicles.”

“In agony,” Cordell Simmons “rolled onto his stomach,” the complaint reads. Evans shot Simmons a second time with the Taser gun, in his rectum. As the officers allowed Simmons to stand up, “Evans walked toward the door, then turned and Tasered [the] plaintiff twice more, hitting him in the right arm.”

City attorneys acknowledged that Cordell Simmons “was [T]ased at some point during his arrest.” However, in court documents, attorneys wrote that, “The [c]ity is without knowledge or information sufficient to form a belief as to the truth of the remaining allegations.”

The Reporter could not reach Evans for comment.

Cordell Simmons was charged with disorderly conduct and battery of a police officer. The following month, the charges were thrown out in the criminal courts. He responded by filing an excessive-force lawsuit in the federal courts seeking damages that included the $4,849.50 worth of medical bills he ran up following the attack. The city ultimately settled the case for $19,000. His attorney, Richard Zachary, chalked the relatively small settlement amount up to the fact that few experts can testify about the lasting effects of a Taser attack.

Cordell Simmons’ payout was just a small fraction of the recent misconduct-related payments that stemmed out of the 6th District, the Reporter analysis shows. Between January 2009 and November 2011, the city paid at least $413,500 for damages in excessive-force lawsuits in the Gresham District, which ranked fifth in the amount of excessive-force payouts. The 10th District ranked in the highest citywide, accounting for more than $1 million worth of excessive-force payouts.

After working as a beat and tactical officer for a decade in the neighboring Englewood District before transferring to Gresham, Wooten found that “the people that were working the hardest got the most complaints.”

And taking drug dealers and violent criminals head-on is a dangerous job. Officers report that they come under attack on a regular basis; the department reported 3,135 attacks on its officers citywide in 2010 alone. That’s nearly four times the number of excessive-force complaints filed with the review authority that same year.

But Wooten’s not oblivious to the fact that there is misconduct—or that most complaints stem almost exclusively from police interaction with residents in majority African-American or Latino districts.

“You have [officers] who have never seen a black person, never went to school with a black person, never lived around a black person, but then they’re assigned to a black neighborhood. And that black neighborhood is such a crime-infested area, it’s totally different from what they come from,” he said. “Sometimes they can misjudge a person’s character because they begin to look at everybody the same.”

While race has something to do with it, Wooten said, it’s not always a factor.

“When you look at Lieutenant Evans, a black man raised in a black community, his main focus is not being a racist but to clean up his community,” he said. “He’s an old-school police officer that says, ‘Hey, listen here. You’ve got drugs moving out there on your block? We’re going to come over there, we’re going to check it out and we’re going to deal with it.’”

“Lieutenant Evans is going to [get] lawsuits until he’s retired,” Wooten added with a chuckle. “And he’ll probably get sued after that.”

* * *

For the better part of the past decade, the Chicago Law Department and police accountability activists have been sparring in court over whether the police department should be forced to divulge a list of officers who have been repeatedly fingered by civilians for misconduct.

City attorneys have gone to great lengths to keep the names under wraps. A federal judge has upheld their efforts.

“The vast majority of officers aren’t out there racking up abuse complaints,” said Futterman, who has been a lead attorney pushing the city for disclosure. “But a small percent get an extraordinary number of complaints about abuse—and the most serious types of abuse.”

The responsibility to investigate misconduct claims falls almost exclusively on the city-funded review authority, as well as the police department’s Internal Affairs Division. The review authority is the first stop for filing all misconduct complaints, but the agency mostly investigates allegations of excessive force, coercion and police shootings. The remainder are forwarded on to the Internal Affairs Division.

Both agencies keep a running tab on the number of complaints filed against individual officers. Their names are never made public.

The review authority reports fielding 28,176 cases between 2009 and 2011. Its team of 48 investigators was responsible for vetting 6,416 of the complaints, while the rest were forwarded to either the Internal Affairs Division or the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office.

The turnaround time in probing the allegations can be slow. Roughly a quarter of those filed in 2010 are still pending review. Another 55 percent of complaints filed in 2011 remain open.

Harold Winston, a longtime public defender and member of the Chicago Coalition for Police Accountability, which pushed to replace the police department’s Office of Professional Standards with the review authority, said that, while not perfect, the new agency is a marked improvement.

“In the old days, when [the Office of Professional Standards] did an investigation, the superintendent could stick it in a drawer,” he said. “That can’t happen anymore.”

Along with enhanced power—the review authority now has subpoena power—it is supposed to probe the allegations behind most misconduct lawsuits.

But conducting investigations into the lawsuits isn’t without complications, Rosenzweig said. Many never make it past the initial review stage because, under state statute and the police union contract, the officers are off-limits unless a plaintiff signs a sworn affidavit. In a system where out-of-court settlements dominate, cases can be closed before plaintiffs are even deposed, she said. And even when depositions are completed, they can be thin on essential details.

Still, Rosenzweig’s office sends letters letting plaintiffs know that they need to file an affidavit to bring an investigation to life. Responses vary. “Some do,” she said. “Some don’t.”

Police accountability advocates say the process puts an undue burden on people who’ve been abused by police and lets the city off the hook from having to interview officers.

“It’s the same thing they did with” the Office of Professional Standards, Willis said. “We’re going to give the officer the benefit of the doubt; we’re not going to even interview them … unless you come in and sign something.”

A vast majority—or 91 percent—of the lawsuits reviewed and closed by Rosenzweig’s office since 2009 were tagged “no affidavit.” Not a single allegation from a civil suit has been sustained during the past three years, according to the Reporter analysis of the agency’s records. These records don’t reflect complaints that were fielded by the review authority before civil lawsuits were opened. Rosenzweig said some of those complaints have been sustained but could not give the exact number.

That could change when some of the pending complaints—which, in Rosenzweig’s estimation, are disproportionately stronger than those tossed—are resolved.

There are other avenues for addressing misconduct as well. Between 2010 and 2011, the review authority forwarded 223 instances of potentially criminal officer behavior on to Cook County State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez’ office for potential prosecution. Prosecutors have pressed for felony charges in four of those cases. Alvarez’ office is also pursuing another five felony cases that were forwarded on by the police department’s Internal Affairs Division.

The police superintendent and the Chicago Police Board are ultimately responsible for disciplining officers.

There’s not much public information about how many officers have been disciplined—or for what. The Internal Affairs Division reports that five of the officers they recommended for discipline were fired by the Chicago Police Board in 2010.

The Reporter found that two of the 140 officers named in multiple lawsuits were disciplined by the police board. Neither of the decisions was based on the facts from the civilian lawsuit.

As far as Rennie Simmons is concerned, he’s still conflicted about what Lieutenant Evans’ punishment should even look like. He has deep roots in the Chicago Police Department, with friends and cousins on the force.

“Honestly speaking, I don’t want nobody to lose their job,” he said.

He makes an exception for officers like Evans.

“You know, this guy was arrogant,” Simmons said. “After he knew that he had made a mistake, he kept up with his lies. He kept going with his lies, on and on and on.”

“We got some good cops now, don’t get me wrong. We’ve got some great cops out there. But they get blamed for the stuff that the bad cops do.”

“He needs to be taken off the police force,” Simmons added. “He needs to be.”

Abusing the badge – Chicago PD is a post from Cop Block - Badges Don't Grant Extra Rights

Guest post from Hazel with Onlineclasses.org:

If you want to learn more about the history of your city, explore the history of corruption within the city’s police department. Police corruption, which can include kickbacks, shakedowns, and protection of or even direct participation in illegal activities, has been around since the creation of the country’s first police force. Initially, the police were not asked to “serve and protect,” but to mediate between criminal and political kingpins as they fought each other for power. Some may say, the more things change, the more they stay the same. But perhaps understanding the history of city and police corruption can help to provide the vision and leadership for a better future. Here are nine police departments with well-documented corrupt pasts.

1. New York Police Department

   Since its establishment in 1844, corruption has been a fact of police life in New York City. From the very beginning, New York’s underpaid and overworked police officers were expected to serve the needs of the city’s political leaders while collecting money from gang leaders, gamblers, and pimps for the privilege of operating relatively unmolested. Back in 1895, officer Alexander S. Williams, took advantage of his appointment as captain of the city’s 21st Precinct, which included the Tenderloin and Gas House districts, to collect money from criminals, including the madams of several brothels, and make a fortune as a result. Williams, who earned his nickname “Clubber,” once said, “There is more law in the end of a policeman’s nightstick than in a decision of the Supreme Court.” After investigation by two committees, Williams resigned, went into the insurance business, and died a multimillionaire. Who says crime doesn’t pay?

2. New Orleans Police Department

   New Orleans Mayor Landrieu released a hopeful, conciliatory statement in the wake of the sentencing of five New Orleans police officers to several years in prison for their roles in shooting unarmed citizens in the chaotic days that followed Hurricane Katrina. “We now have an opportunity to turn the page and to heal,” Landrieu said. “It is my commitment to the people of New Orleans to rebuild and reform the NOPD.” The first police force in the then-French New Orleans was established in 1803, only to be disbanded due to countless complaints from civilians. Given the history of the NOPD, Landrieu definitely has his work cut out for him.

3. Chicago Police Department

   By the end of the 19th century, the city of Chicago enjoyed the dubious reputation of being a haven for “dangerous classes;” a city that was more like an out-of-control frontier town “with an absence of moral virtue.” The Chicago Police department went without large-scale reform until 1960 when eight police officers from the city’s North Side or Summerdale district were charged with running a large-scale burglary ring. Known as the Summerdale Scandal, the case generated unprecedented media attention, and prompted the creation of a much-needed police superintendent role to oversee and enforce rules and regulations within the department.

4. Los Angeles Police Department

   The 1951 Bloody Christmas Scandal, a real-life scandal that appears in author James Ellroy’s book L.A. Confidential and its film version, involved as many as 50, mostly drunk, police officers who took time out from a Christmas party to beat six prisoners for more than 90 minutes. Since more than 100 people either witnessed or knew of the beatings, the incident became public, and prompted the city’s Mexican community to come forward with more charges of police brutality against citizens. In 1952, a grand jury succeeded in convicting only five of the officers involved, and none of them received a sentence amounting to more than a year in prison. And then there was the Rampart scandal and the Rodney King beating.

5. Miami Police Department

   Miami in the ’80s experienced an “epidemic” of police corruption due in part to the enormous amount of cocaine being smuggled into South Florida from Latin America. A cheap, deadly derivative of the drug known as “crack” would infiltrate other cities throughout the U.S., and transform many once relatively peaceful working class neighborhoods into war zones. Police corruption in Miami reached its height in 1986 when, as a result of an inquiry by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, more than a dozen officers from the police department faced charges that ranged from drug dealing to murder.

6. Sheriff’s Department, Dallas County, Alabama

   Students of Civil Rights history know that Selma, Ala. was the location of a brutal assault on a group of peaceful marchers led by John Lewis of the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee and Reverend Hosea Williams of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference by the Selma Police Department led by Sheriff Jim Clark, as well as state troopers, and recently deputized members of the community. Law enforcement officers used nightsticks, horses, and tear gas to indiscriminately attack the peaceful demonstrators. Televised images of the attack inspired even more support for the Civil Rights movement. Sheriff Clark later lost his bid for reelection, went on to sell mobile homes for a while, and in 1978, was busted for conspiracy to import marijuana.

7. Ahome Municipal Police Force

   Ahome is a municipality in the Mexican state of Sinaola. Just last November, Ahome’s entire Police Department, 32 officers and commanders, were arrested by state police for the department’s connection to two powerful drug cartels. Amazingly, the director of the state police who carried out the arrest, “Chuytoño” Aguilar Iniguez, was at one time one of Mexico’s Attorney General’s most wanted men for his connections to kingpins within the Sinaloa drug cartel. After having fled to Cuba in 2004 while undergoing investigation for corruption, Iniguez was granted a sort of immunity in 2009 by a federal court, and returned to Mexico to profit from, er, whoops, we mean “fight” crime.

8. Philadelphia Police Department

   You know you’ve got a corrupt police department when it comes under the scrutiny of Human Rights Watch. HRW has stated that, “the Philadelphia police department (in terms of) corruption and brutality … has one of the worst reputations of big city police departments in the United States.” In the early 1990s, a group of PPD officers, some known throughout the city as the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, conducted a series of unreported raids on crack houses where officers would steal from suspects. The arrest of Mumia Abu-Jamal for the murder of a police officer, and the public outcry at his being sentenced to death (this sentence was recently overturned), brought national attention to the PPD’s reputation for brutality and corruption.

9. Baltimore Police Department

   In March 2012, a Baltimore police officer was sentenced for his part in what is known as the Towing Scandal, a criminal ring that included more than 50 other members of the Baltimore Police Department. Vehicles were towed from accident scenes by a towing and repair company owned by two police officers. Other officers were paid to participate in the scam, which generated hundreds to thousands of dollars for those involved. Accident victims were even encouraged by officers not to talk to their insurance companies.

9 Police Departments With Corrupt Pasts is a post from Cop Block - Badges Don't Grant Extra Rights

This video was captured on May 19th at 10:55pm EST by Ustream user TRWBS (the revolution will be streamed).

It was shared with CopBlock.org via our submit tab.

Chicago police van rushes into crowd of protesters is a post from Cop Block - Badges Don't Grant Extra Rights

This post comes to CopBlock from Accountability. It was originally included the May/June issue of The Chicago Reporter and authored by Yisrael Shapiro. One thing I think important to point-out is that Shapiro, in the opening sentence, granted some legitimacy to the double-standards claimed by those who wear badges. Shapiro stated that a home invasion had been done by “the Special Operation Section” rather than listing by name those responsible, which only makes it more likely the actors themselves and most who learn of the incident (their unthinking supporters and even those, like Shapiro, who rightly makes the case for accountability) will buy into the bad idea that somehow their actions are to be held to a different standard due to their attire. That somehow a group was responsible for the break-in when in fact a group of individuals has no more rights than does one individual. -Pete

On May 17, 2005, officers from the Special Operations Section burst into Roberto Ontivero-Artal’s Southwest Side home. After an illegal search, they seized drugs and $30,000 in cash. They turned in the drugs and only $463 as evidence—the rest they split among themselves.

Keith Herrera, a former member of the elite police task force, pleaded guilty to Ontivero-Artal’s charge and other similar allegations, stealing $40,000 from arrestees in 2005 alone. Other former members have also admitted to breaking into suspects’ homes and using coercion and false police reports to cover it up. The section was disbanded in 2007, and most of the officers were reassigned to other units, but the city payments to civilians harmed by the officers keep rolling in.

A Chicago Reporter analysis shows that 21 members of the section belong to a list of 140 police officers who were named in two or more misconduct-related lawsuits that led to city payments between January 2009 and November 2011. Their actions cost the city more than $1 million.

The police department’s failure to rein in the section was one of the major motivations behind the establishment of the Independent Police Review Authority in 2007, and activists have accused the department of turning a blind eye due to the race of most of the arrestees.

“It was definitely a race-based targeting. They went after black and brown people,” said Tracy Siska, executive director of the Chicago Justice Project. “It went on so long because no one believed their complaints.”

The most serious charges came against Jerome Finnigan, the de facto leader of the section. As the allegations against the officers came to light, Finnigan feared that a fellow cop was turning state’s informant, and he asked Herrera to help him find a hit man. Herrera was working with the federal investigation and recor

ded their conversation. In April 2011, Finnigan pleaded guilty to seeking the murder for hire as well as tax evasion for the $174,000 he stole from arrestees. He was sentenced to 12 years in prison.

Finnigan’s punishment was by far the most severe. Many of the officers received only short prison sentences and probation for their crimes and are no longer with the department, while Herrera awaits sentencing.

Five years later, the scandal remains a black eye for the Chicago Police Department, but it’s unclear whether anything concrete has been done in response. The Reporter analysis of misconduct lawsuits that led to payments shows that officers with multiple lawsuits against them continue to go unchecked within the police department, and there are police on the streets with lists of allegations rivaling the members of the Special Operations Section.

Chicago’s Rogue Police Section is a post from Cop Block - Badges Don't Grant Extra Rights

This week we have a couple of stories for you that demonstrate the perverse incentives inherent in policing today.

If you have an interaction with police, whether positive or negative, be sure to let others know via our new sister-site Cop-Reports.com

Student misses graduation after police mistakenly arrest her
Read more: http://www.wbaltv.com/news/maryland/baltimore-city/Student-misses-graduation-after-police-mistakenly-arrest-her/-/10131532/14510502/-/jy1816z/-/index.html#ixzz1xQReXGSJ

Chicago cops Taser 8-month pregnant woman for parking violation
Read more: http://rt.com/usa/news/chicago-taser-pregnant-rent-324/

Police Accountability Report Episode 48 is a post from Cop Block - Badges Don't Grant Extra Rights

A Neutral Look at Police Brutality, shared with CopBlock.org by Matthew Pelletier of http://Accelerated-degree.com cites outlets such as DOJ’s National Criminal Justice Reference Service for a somewhat inside look behind the thin blue line.

I love these infographics – they take seemingly-dry statistics and make them visually appealing, which helps in their overall objective of communicating information.

Let’s unpack this graphic:

• Many of the stats speak directly to the culture that exists today in policing, a system that suffers from server perverse incentives since it is an artificial monopoly. In plain English that just means that while cops claim to serve and protect you the “customer,” they put themselves and their colleagues first. Turning a blind-eye to an overly-aggressive and heavy-handed colleague is the norm. As is ostracizing the rare (but increasing!) colleague who speaks-out against such actions. And that’s not surprising – police employees are sheltered from competition and any real mechanism of accountability (just check out the last data-point to see how responsive Chicago PD has been), save for withdrawing your consent. Fortunately, that’s the angle many are now advocating.
  
• One caption near the bottom says: “79% of police feel that reports in the news media have caused the public to distrust law enforcement” – that level of distrust is earned. If the lamestream media didn’t default to giving a free pass to aggressors who wear a badge that number would likely be closer to 100% Just think of how most news outlets back off from asking tough questions or posting personal information when the accused aggressor wears a badge.
  
• re: the “A few bad apples” portion – might these rates be higher if filing a complaint actually made any difference? Hell yes they would. Instead, most people wronged by someone wearing a badge realize that it’d be a waste of their time to file a complaint. Just how much justice can be had when the investigators and aggressor work for the same outfit? When the “rules” are created out of thin air and interpreted by their friends? When omitting or distorting the truth is so rampant that the word testlying is common vernacular. This is why Cop-Reports.com was created.
  

++ Click to Enlarge Image ++

Image Source: http://www.accelerated-degree.com

Infographic: A Neutral Look at Police Brutality is a post from Cop Block - Badges Don't Grant Extra Rights

This story was submitted by two Copblockers – Accountability and one who preferred to remain anonymous.

It’s yet another example of why it’s not ideal to call 911. And why good-intentions, in this case providing “law enforcement” with “less-than lethal” weapons would be a good thing. Instead of being used sparingly in lieu of a firearm, tasers are routinely employed by police for compliance alone. That shouldn’t be surprising. After all, police employees only very rarely face repercussions and police departments face no fear of loosing customers for being heavy-handed since they claim a monopoly (and threaten those who could offer a better service). -Pete

From Brett Wilkins over at DigitalJournal.com, who references a KIROTV.com write-up:

Tacoma – Tacoma police officers mistakenly Tasered and arrested a deaf woman who had called 911 for help while being assaulted in her home.

KIRO 7 reports that Lashonn White dialed 911 while she was being attacked by another woman in her apartment on April 6. White, who has been deaf since birth, used a special video phone hooked up to a TV and a webcam to call for help; a certified American Sign Language (ASL) interpreter then relayed her situation and whereabouts to a Tacoma police dispatcher.

“Right now! This is serious,” White can be heard pleading in a recording of her 911 call.

“I said please hurry, there’s a person beating me up,” White told KIRO 7 in an interview last month.

“She’s fighting me, she chokes me,” White says in the 911 call. “She’s coming right at me!”

Tacoma police officers Ryan Koskovich and Michael Young rushed to the scene within six minutes. Internal police records obtained by KIRO 7 show that the two officers were repeatedly informed that the victim was deaf. White also said so in her 911 calls.

“I’m deaf. I can’t hear if they’re out front knocking or whatever,” she explained.

The police dispatcher told White the police wanted her to go to the front door. She did, but when she opened the door and ran out to meet the officers, Koskovich Tased her.

“All I’m doing is waving my hands in the air, and the next thing I know, I’m on the ground and then handcuffed,” White told KIRO 7. “It was almost like I blacked out. I was so dizzy and disoriented.”

According to witnesses, White’s fall left her bleeding heavily from her knuckles. Her face was also swollen after she hit the ground. Photos obtained by KIRO 7 show injuries to White’s cheek, chin, ribs, neck and arms.

That wasn’t the end of her horrific ordeal. The officers handcuffed and arrested the assault victim and hauled her off to jail.

“The next thing I know, they took me to jail,” she told KIRO 7. “Told me to stand up, you’re going to jail. I said, ‘What? What have I done?’ I couldn’t figure it out. I had no idea what was going on.”

The innocent woman, who has no criminal record, spent the next 60 hours behind bars. She was charged with simple assault and obstruction of a public servant. She was given no access to an interpreter, despite state law requiring the appointment of a qualified interpreter “at the earliest possible time.”

White said that although she repeatedly requested an interpreter, none was ever provided.

After spending the better part of three days in jail, a city prosecutor reviewed the incident and requested that no charges be filed against her.

Officers Koskovich and his partner Young submitted nearly identical reports of the incident.

“I yelled for White to ‘stop’ and held my right hand up to signal for White to stop,” he wrote. “White ignored my commands.”

“White was making a loud grunting noise, had a piercing stare in her eyes and had a clenched right fist in the air,” he added.

Former Bellevue, Washington police chief Don Van Blaricom told KIRO 7 that the officers’ reports “were obviously written in concert, after the fact.”

“The question to ask yourself is: why would she run at police in an assaultive manner when she had asked for them to be there and was going out to meet them?” he wondered. ”

A Taser is a very useful device under circumstances which necessitate its use,” Van Blaricom continued, “but it’s too easy to use and frequently used too quickly. This looks like one of those cases.”

The Lashonn White incident is the latest in a string of recent questionable police use of Tasers. Last Wednesday, police in St. Louis Tased a 12-year-old girl in a Victoria’s Secret store while arresting her mother on an outstanding warrant.

Last month, Casselberry, Florida police Tased Zikomo Peurifoy three times after stopping him for jaywalking.

And in June, Chicago police Tased Tiffany Rent, who was eight months pregnant, during a dispute over a parking ticket.

All four of these police Tasing victims, it should be noted, were black.

So White was tasered, assaulted, and kidnapped and caged for three days – will her assailants – Ryan Koskovich and Michael Young – be held accountable? If you can spare a moment to inquire and share your thoughts with their colleagues, that’d be cool. -Pete

Tacoma Police Department
3701 South Pine St.
Tacoma, WA 98409
(253) 591-5950

Deaf Tacoma Woman Seeking Help Tased & Kidnapped by Ryan Koskovich & Michael Young is a post from Cop Block - Badges Don't Grant Extra Rights

The following, submitted by Joe, was originally posted at Truth-Out.org.

On February 17, 2007, an intoxicated off-duty Chicago police officer, Anthony “Tony” Abbate walked behind the bar of Jesse’s Shortstop Inn and pummeled, punched and stomped 125-pound bartender Karolina Obrycka. Her “crime” was to refuse serving any more liquor to the burly Abbate because he was too drunk.

That unprovoked beating by Abbate led to a precedent-setting finding this November by a federal court jury in Chicago that the city, the Chicago Police Department (CPD) and Tony Abbate had engaged in a “code of silence” to try and minimize the incident, protect Abbate and prevent justice from being served to Obrycka.

As a local ABC News reporter concluded in February of this year, after US District Judge Amy St. Eve ruled that there was enough evidence and grounds for a trial to proceed, that the case could – and ultimately did – expose “the blue curtain, an understanding between police officers that they should cover for each other unconditionally and that testimony against a fellow cop amounts to a betrayal of their fellow bond. It is the underbelly of a police subculture that is rarely exposed to this day.”

The case that finally came to trial this winter was a civil suit, since Abbate had first been charged with no more than a misdemeanor, but then was eventually convicted of aggravated assault. Yet, he only received two years probation, no jail time. And it is very possible that Abbate might not have been criminally prosecuted at all had a videotape of the entire incident not appeared on YouTube shortly after the brutal beating, forcing the hand of the Chicago Police Department and city to respond to the public outrage.

From the get-go, Judge St. Eve was presented with compelling evidence. This included the initial police report by two officers which omitted mention of a videotape that detailed the brutality, didn’t mention that Abbate was a Chicago police officer, and minimized the violence, which resulted in an initial misdemeanor charge that was dismissed. In addition, a Chicago Streets and Sanitation worker came to the bar later on the evening of the assault and tried to buy Obrycka’s silence. Shortly after the attack, journalists who came to the Grand Street precinct were threatened with arrest in order to keep them from gaining access to Abbate, who worked from that station.

Other details of the “blue curtain” being used to assist Abbate emerged over the course of five years – along with the city’s apparent tolerance for the “code of silence” that appeared to extend into other departments besides the CPD.

Read more…

http://www.courthousenews.com/2012/12/24/53404.htm

Court ruling: http://www.courthousenews.com/2012/12/24/obrycka.pdf

Federal Jury Finds City of Chicago Responsible for “Code of Silence” in Chicago Police Department is a post from Cop Block - Badges Don't Grant Extra Rights

While observing a DUI Checkpoint in process, I decided to flip on the cam in case there was anyone to interview. Unfortunately, the CPD does not like to be interviewed, and replied with a searchlight to my camera.

Chicago Police: Unlawful Search and Seizure (Video) is a post from Cop Block - Badges Don't Grant Extra Rights

One of Chicago’s “finest” respecting an individual he claims to serve, while his colleague looks on approvingly

If you’re in Chicagoland block off the date of June 1st, 2013.

Allen Freeman, founder of Cop Block – Chicago just announced the 2013 Cop Block- Chicago’s Summer Strategy Meeting:

With so many issues facing our city this summer, we want to attempt a coordinated effort at tackling police corruption in Chicago. Awareness and outreach and maybe some coffee.

With that in mind, we figured a brainstorming meeting of sorts would be a great idea.

Interested in cop blocking? Looking to network? This might be the meeting for you. Also invited are organizers from other community based projects!

We have a few locations in mind but any recommendations would be welcomed!

Facebook Event: https://facebook.com/events/175023112650605

In Chicagoland? Join the June 1st Summer Strategy Meeting! is a post from Cop Block - Badges Don't Grant Extra Rights

According to the Sun Times, Chicago police Officer Richard A. Rizzo has been arrested four times by fellow members of his department over the past 7 years. (Note – how bad must this guy be that his fellow officers cross the Thin Blue Line and actually arrest him?)  Not only did his fellow officers arrest him, he was charged by prosecutors each time. The charges included domestic battery, child endangerment, and aggravated assault with a gun.

Rizzo was charged with domestic battery in a situation wherein his live-in girlfriend accused him of pulling her out of his car, dragging her in to their apartment and slamming her against the floor of their bedroom.

However, each time, prosecutors ended up dropping the charges against the 15-year police veteran. Beware of this type of scum “protecting” your streets. Rizzo himself is not currently patrolling the streets. He is restricted to desk duties, and continues to make his $80,000 some salary a year. More here.

Chicago Cop Arrested Four Times, Still Works as Police Officer is a post from Cop Block - Badges Don't Grant Extra Rights

When in Chicago – the 7th stop of the Police Accountability Tour – Al Phillips, the owner of Colonel, a dog shot by Greg Pettigrew of the Chicago police outfit, gave a recount of the incident and the lack of accountability thus far afforded by the criminals justice system.

CHICAGO POLICE 19th DISTRICT
312-744-8320
https://portal.chicagopolice.org/portal/page/portal/ClearPath/Communities/Districts/District19

POLICE ACCOUNTABILITY TOUR
[overview] ‪http://CopBlock.org/Tour‬
[stops] ‪http://CopBlock.org/TourStops‬
http://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLQKn6VyrLIpekRhC_sqm5xU2dCLiiJAzd
[support] ‪http://WePay.com/donate/PATour2013‬ or [with BTC] 1Hy8xL2ey3GwFLTEd3NTS76A3bWMnQ2dRP
[sponsor] ‪http://AmagiMetals.com‬

RELATED
[K9 Cop Block] https://Facebook.com/K9CopBlock
["Puppycide" on CopBlock.org] CopBlock.org/Puppycide
["Puppycide" on Reddit] Reddit.com/r/Puppycide
["Puppycide" on Reason] Reason.com/tags/Puppycide
["Puppycide" on The Agitator] TheAgitator/tags/Puppycide

Greg Pettigrew Shoots Dog, Protected by Badge-Wearing Colleagues is a post from Cop Block - Badges Don't Grant Extra Rights

Anita Alvarez hates transparency & believe police employees have more rights than non-police employees (312) 603-1880

Despite claims by Anita Alvarez, the Cook County state attorney, who tried to maintain that the First Amendment doesn’t protect those recording police officers in public places, juries, courts, and the court of public opinion have sided with logic – that individuals in Illinois are free to record police employees.

Alvarez’s ally in the campaign to deter people from capturing the truth – objective records of police interactions – was unsurprisingly the union which those police employees belong. The rationale stated by those involved with the Fraternal Order of Police was that people might only post excerpts of police interactions. Well – even if that happened, if those wearing badges acted professionally and with integrity what do they have to hide?

Remember, we’re talking about individuals who have chosen an occupation founded on double-standards. Despite claims of “serving and protecting”, their very salary is paid for with stolen money. The police institution simply lacks the proper incentives for its agents to be accountable. That’s why filming their actions is so key.

As Harvey Grossman, legal director of the ACLU noted:

…individuals and organizations must be able to freely gather and record information about the conduct of government and their agents – especially the police. In an age when almost everyone carries or has access to a smartphone, the recording and dissemination of pictures and sound is inexpensive, efficient and easy to accomplish. In short, the technology makes almost anyone a citizen journalist, deserving of protection under the First Amendment.

HAVE A SMARTPHONE?

Visit CopBlock.org/Apps to learn about, download, and utilize streaming apps to protect yourself and others.

A streaming app can help protect you as the content is stored offsite, which means the truth – the evidence captured – is preserved, and can’t be deleted should you or your device be snatched-up by someone eager to hide their misdeeds.

RESOURCES

• New developments in state’s controversial eavesdropping law 2013-04-09 via ABCLocal.go.com
• Final Judgment and Permanent Injunction Issued in Eavesdropping Case 2012-12-21 via ACLU-IL.org
• Illinois Gets With the Times – Lifts Threat of Jail for Filming Police 2012-05-15 via CopBlock.org
• Seventh Circuit Says Citizens Have a Right to Record the Police 2012-05-09 via blogs.Findlaw.com
• Court Strikes Blow To Illinois Eavesdropping Law 2012-05-08 via HuffingtonPost.com
• Victims & Heroes: The Fight for Our Right to Record Police 2012-03-05 via Tiki-Toki.com
• Eavesdropping law unconstitutional, court says 2012-03-03 via ChicagoTribune.com
• State’s eavesdropping law faces growing challenges 2012-01-02 via ChicagoTribune.com
• 75 Years for Recording Public Officials On Duty!? 2011-08-03 via CopBlock.org
• Chicago State’s Attorney Lets Bad Cops Slide, Prosecutes Citizens Who Record Them 2011-06-08 via HuffingtonPost.com
• The Government’s War on Cameras! 2011-05-26 via YouTube.com/ReasonTV
• Is Illinois Taking an Artist to Trial to Silence an Outspoken Critic or You? 2011-03-11 via CopBlock.org
• Illinois woman faces 15 years in prison for trying to hold cop accountable 2011-01-24 via CopBlock.org

IN CHICAGO?

Connect with Cop Block Chicago https://facebook.com/CopBlockChicago

POLICE ACCOUNTABILITY TOUR

• [overview] http://CopBlock.org/Tour
• [stops] http://CopBlock.org/TourStops
• [playlist] https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLQKn6VyrLIpekRhC_sqm5xU2dCLiiJAzd
• [support] http://WePay.com/donate/PATour2013 [or with BTC] 1Hy8xL2ey3GwFLTEd3NTS76A3bWMnQ2dRP
• [sponsor] http://AmagiMetals.com

Film The Police Everywhere – Including Illinois is a post from Cop Block - Badges Don't Grant Extra Rights

This article was written by Don Babwin of Associated Press and published on MSN.com on December 11,  2013.

Stanley Wrice’s release from the prison came a day after Judge Richard Walsh overturned his conviction, saying officers lied about how they had treated Wrice.

Man Alleging Police Torture Released From Prison is a post from Cop Block - Badges Don't Grant Extra Rights

Captain Six shared this post via CopBlock.org’s submit page.
via Station.6.Underground

University professors have teamed up with the Chicago police department to develop a new technology which will allegedly predict violent criminal behavior. Using a computerized algorithm, Chicago has now generated a “Heat List” which indexes approximately 400 individuals they see as likely to commit violent crimes in the future. And some of the people on the list are not criminals at all.

So much for the tenet of “Innocent until Proven Guilty” or even the oft repeated police-apologist sentiment, “If you don’t do anything wrong, have nothing to worry about.”

For 22-year old Robert McDaniel, there certainly was something to worry about, when a police commander showed up at his house simply to issue a threat that he was being watched by police. McDaniel’s grew up in a gritty neighborhood, but was guilty of no crime, and had no recent interactions with police of any kind. Yet there with this official authority standing there on his porch, issuing a stern warning that since he was being watched, there would be severe consequences if he committed a crime.

Stalking, verbal threats, is this what our modern police forces have been reduced to? Forget about the very tenets of due process for a moment, and consider that the actions of the police themselves border on criminality, in this instance, and all too often actually cross the line in countless others.

You certainly don’t want the police showing up at your door for no reason or otherwise to specifically threaten you, especially when you consider cases like this one, where a woman called police for help after she was assaulted and wound up suffering this terrible ordeal.

Hope Steffey case

What good could possibly come from a police officer initiating a deliberately threatening confrontation with a citizen in their own home who as committed no crime?

“If you end up on that list, there’s a reason you’re there.” -program commander in the Chicago Police Department

Perhaps, but that reason has nothing to do with being guilty of a crime. Where does this slippery slope end? DNA blood-draw checkpoints on every roadway? Cameras in your bedroom to ensure you aren’t having deviant sex? Sound far-fetched? If you had told me, in the year 2000, the the government would be strip-searching children at airports I would have said you were nuts.

Read more at: The Verge

directives.chicagopolice.org

Custom Notifications in Chicago – Pilot Program
D13-09

 

I. Purpose

 

This directive announces the Chicago Police Department’s pilot program for custom notification under the Violence Reduction Initiative in partnership with John Jay College of Criminal Justice Community Team, which will serve as outreach partners within the social service and community partners assembly.

 

II. Scope

 

The pilot program is effective 07 July 2013 and will continue until further notice in the 015 District.

 

III. General Information

 

A. While the Violence Reduction Strategy (VRS) is predicated upon group accountability, individuals within certain groups are identified as having the increased likelihood of victimization or engagement in criminal activity. The custom notification will identify those at-risk individuals and reach out to advise them of the risks and consequences of their actions should they engage in criminal conduct. The goal is to ensure the individual is not only informed of the law enforcement consequences for deciding to engage or continue in gun violence, but also of the devastating impact of gun violence within their community. Opportunities for seeking assistance will also be provided during the custom notification. However, it is ultimately the decision of the individual to choose not to engage in criminal activity.

 

B. For the identified individuals, custom notifications serve as notice that law enforcement action will not be random, but rather targeted and specific to the individual, and the failure to follow the clear and consistent message to cease participating in gun violence will have specific and cognizable penalties, as contained within the custom notification.

 

IV. Definitions

 

A. “Custom Notification” is a process that identifies potential criminal actors and victims associated with the continuum of violence. Once identified, the individual is notified of the consequences that will result should violent activity continue. The Custom Notification is predicated upon national research that concluded certain actions and associations within an individual’s environment are a precursor to certain outcomes should the individual decide to or continue to engage in criminal behavior. The Custom Notification will include a description of both federal and state sentencing options where applicable, as well as identification of the potential for seized assets and other consequences as appropriate.

 

1. Initial custom notifications may be predicated upon the Heat List generated by the Crime Prevention and Information Center (CPIC).

 

2. Ongoing custom notifications may be linked to public violence incidents (hot spots) or associated with call-ins as necessary and as approved by the district commander.

 

B. The “Heat List” is a rank-order list of potential victims and subjects with the greatest propensity for violence. The list is generated based on empirical data compared with known associates of the identified person.

 

C. “Influentials” are those individual seen as having importance or the ability to influence an individual’s actions. These can be both positive and negative influences.

 

D. The Custom Notification Letter will be used to inform individuals of the arrest, prosecution, and sentencing consequences they may face if they choose to or continue to engage in public violence. The letter will be specific to the identified individual and incorporate those factors known about the individual inclusive of prior arrests, impact of known associates, and potential sentencing outcomes for future criminal acts.

 

1. The Bureau of Organizational Development will work with the Office of Legal Affairs to develop a letter template for the Custom Notification.

 

2. The Office of Legal Affairs will provide review and approval of the Custom Notification Letter prior to distribution. The purpose is to confirm the range of outcomes identified as it applies to potential prosecution and sentencing outcomes.

 

3. The letters will be signed by the district commanders.

 

V. Procedures

 

A. District intelligence officers will:

 

1. continually review and update information relative to individuals linked to gun violence. These reviews will include, but are not limited to:

 

a. review of the Heat List for the district including the identification of those individuals who live within district.

 

b. CPIC information relative to criminal activity and conflicts within the district.

 

c. the District Gang Audit and other database information.

 

d. intelligence information relayed from district officers, area-assigned officers, and officers assigned to the Bureau of Organized Crime and Bureau of Detectives.

 

e. review of those individuals who have attended previous call-ins within the district.

 

2. identify those individuals eligible for custom notifications. Factors for eligibility include, but are not limited to:

 

a. placement on the Heat List;

 

b. victim of a shooting incident, where prosecution has been declined for lack of cooperation;

 

c. identification as a repeat offender for public violence crimes; and

 

d. other factors as developed and linked to public violence within the district.

 

3. when an individual is identified and:

 

a. residency is established, inform the district commander who will ensure the Custom Notification procedure is initiated.

 

b. residency cannot be verified, forward such information to CPIC and record the information in the district Heat List database pending subsequent confirmation of a new address. Residency will be verified and notification will occur at a future date.

 

B. The Custom Notification will be conducted under the direction of the district commander.

 

1. Those present for notifications may vary, based upon identified criminal factors, identified influentials, and other factors as identified in the review process.

 

2. A CPD officer will always be present for a custom notification.

 

C. The Custom Notification Team will:

 

1. generally conduct the notification at the identified individual’s residence;

 

2. explain the Custom Notification program and the contents of the Custom Notification Letter;

 

3. deliver the letter to the identified individual.

 

NOTE:

 

When an identified individual is not present at the time of the custom notification, or refuses to participate, the Custom Notification Team may deliver the letter and explain the program to a family member or leave the letter at the residence.

 

D. When a recipient of the custom notification engages in criminal activity for which he or she is arrested, then the district commander will ensure:

 

1. notification to and coordination with the appropriate Bureau of Detectives Area to ensure appropriate charging occurs. The highest possible charges will be pursued for any individual in the VRS Custom Notification Program.

 

2. Court advocacy volunteers are notified of the date, time, and place of the bond hearing or other court hearings and encourage attendance at the hearing to demonstrate the community’s support in decreasing the violence.

 

3. coordination with the Cook County State’s Attorney Community Prosecutions Unit as appropriate.

 

E. A copy of the custom notification will be forward to the CPIC and maintained within the district.

 

Garry F. McCarthy
Superintendent of Police
13-080 TRH

Captain Six

‘Minority Report’ Program Goes Live In Chicago is a post from Cop Block - Badges Don't Grant Extra Rights

This essay was first published to ZeroGov.com on February 24th, 2014 by Bill Buppert. It is the third in a five-part series that investigates the growing death culture of the American cop and the predator prey relationship between badged thugs in the pay of the King and the following victim classes among the Helotry that is America.

_______________

by Bill Buppert

Women have been ravaged and brutalized by cops in much the same way as children and others who tend to be less strong than men. They have been beat, tased, sexually assaulted, caged and maimed and killed in increasing numbers as the police ramp up their penchant for savagery on the streets against those who would dare disobey or resist.

In Part One, I spoke to the cruelty and violence police are increasingly visiting on the most innocent of all – the animals. In most cases, the cops, in the name of officer safety, maim or kill the canine (and feline) offenders.

In Part Two, I spoke to the cruelty of cops against children.

In Part Three, I address the growing acts of violence against women by cops in America.

It speaks to the sad state of masculine virtue in America today that the tens of thousands of women brutalized and victimized by police violence and misbehavior have not suffered a greater number of revenge incidents. This would be percolating from the husbands, fathers, brothers and uncles who have seen their female relatives savaged by out of control bullies in uniform but the future is an undiscovered country.

Among ladies, pregnant women appear to be an especially attractive target for the thin black and blue line. Here is one of many horror stories involving women with child.

The badged hero is Lucas Krull:

“The video shows the officer throwing the woman against a banister and hitting her head as she cries hysterically and screams, “I’m pregnant! Get off me. You’re going to kill my baby.” He even clubs her on the head and tackles her.”

“According to Krull’s boss, he is correct in his brutality against the woman.

Rochester Police Chief James Sheppard told local media outlets that the officers showed “tremendous restraint” while subduing the teen and Hardaway, whose family said is six months pregnant. Krull used a distraction technique that officers are taught to employ to disorient someone who’s resisting arrest, Sheppard said.”

Read further and, as usual, Sheppard makes stuff up out of whole cloth like the use of pepper spray even though none was found.

The meme remains the same; police represent the kind of immoral initiated violence no normal man or woman possesses outside the magic exceptions of government “service”. They are exempt from moral and normal rules of conduct that the rest of society must abide by.

In a recent incident in Chicago, cops used disproportionate force apparently because the pregnant woman was not instantly obedient:

“Tiffany Rent is eight-months pregnant, but that didn’t stop a Chicago police officer from using a taser on her. The assault and arrest occurred Wednesday morning outside of a drug store on Chicago’s South Side.” The father attempted to intervene and suffered a dislocated elbow from the ensuing police thugscrum. “The Chicago Police Department, however says that their officers did nothing wrong. Rent, they said, had “attempted to take off” after parking in a handicap space outside of a Walgreens drug store.” And, of course, Rent was completely within his rights to assault a pregnant woman:

“Superintendent McCarthy said this is a matter of “upholding the law” and that Rent should have been tased for her comments: “Well, first of all, you can’t always tell whether somebody is pregnant. So, you want to use it where you are overcoming assault or preventing escape. That’s what it boils down to.”

Imagine if the roles were reversed but that part of protect and serve is a one-way street.

Pregnant women are not unduly picked on by cops with thousands of incidents abounding of cops savaging woman in all manner of ways.

This quote needs no explanation because the department defended the behavior of the badged gentlemen:

“A Superior, Wisconsin police officer slammed an uncooperative woman against the hood of a squad car, slapped her and hit her twice in the face with his closed fist — and an attorney for his department said the brutal attack was “defensible.”

This young lady was mauled by four for jaywalking when she was out jogging:

“Suddenly, one of the cops shouts at an innocent girl jogging with her headphones on through West Campus. He wobbled after her and grabbed her by the arm. Startled, and not knowing it was a cop, she jerked her arm away. The cop viewed this as resisting arrest and proceeded to grab both arms tightly, placing her in handcuffs. She repeatedly pleaded with them saying that she was just exercising and to let her go. She repeatedly cried out, “I did not do anything wrong…just give me the ticket.” The other officer strolled over and now they were making a scene. She tried to get up. I doubt she was running away as she was in handcuffs, but the second cop pushed her back down to the ground. Because of the commotion, they walked her to the cop car in the alleyway next to Big Bite, where she, overcome with frustration, yelled loudly to gain attention. Because of that, the cops tightened their grip causing her to squirm and kick.”

Of course, they will get away with it when any decent group of men walking by should have immediately jaywalked across to the thugscrum and stopped the cops.

Another police officer mauled a young girl with his tools of the trade:

“Officer Cole, who was known as “Trigger Happy Trooper,” can be seen on dashcam video Tasing the girl until she passed into a vegetative state (footage below).

She clearly posed no threat to the officer, but he Tased her anyway.

She was in handcuffs at the time. Once he Tased her in her back, she fell to the pavement and became paralyzed.

She said, “I can’t get up.” The officer sneered, “I don’t want you to get up,” as the high voltage electricity made its way through her limp body.” And of course: “The officer was cleared afterwards and was not convicted of murder.”

As I have noted in the previous two essays in this series, not only is the brutality gut-wrenching and barbaric but the psychopathy of the boys in blue really shines through when they are laughing or joking about the latest incident in which they maimed, tortured or killed someone in the “line of duty”.

“After Americans protested the beating death of Kelly Thomas, they were arrested and thrown into a police van. As they were transported to jail, cops could be heard laughing and saying “There’s a pack of 12 cops waiting to smash your fucking faces in.” Another cop added, “And I’ve got two words for all of you, ‘Not Guilty,’” prompting the officers to laugh.”

I don’t know whether this is an exclusively American phenomenon in policing or simply the sadistic demeanor of modern cops but the sheer sociopathy of the remarks and behavior should give anyone pause to not shun all you come across.

Watch this video and you will see the cops have no humanity:

“Hear about them laughing and high-fiving each other after Tasing a teenage boy to death, finding pleasure in the fact that the boy’s “asshole tightened up” as they kept electrocuting him until he stopped breathing.”

This woman was tased and pummeled in a patrol car while handcuffed.

And, of course: “Springettsbury police: DA clears officers of brutality allegations.”

It gets worse.

One woman lost her arm due to police misconduct in jail:

“Needham was arrested on a warrant in April because she failed to appear at a preliminary hearing on charges of simple assault, resisting arrest and disorderly conduct. Her attorney told the Post-Gazette that the woman was using the bathroom when sheriff’s department officers broke down the door, shocked her with a taser and bound her in wrist and arm restraints that were too tight.

The rough treatment and confinement caused Needham’s left arm to develop compartment syndrome, a medical condition in which muscle tissue is injured and swells, cutting off circulation to a compartment of the muscle.”

The arm was amputated.

The police stations and jails are chambers of horrors where video and film footage of wrongdoing is much more difficult to obtain much like the malfunctioning camera in the patrol car where Jesus Huerta died mentioned in Part II. I suspect if one were to start hard investigative journalism delving into these modern Black Holes of Calcutta, the results would be disturbing and nauseating. If the mean streets see an abundance of police brutality, imagine how their private dungeons look. The same place where rape gets the wink and the nod from the constabulary.

This young woman was mauled and permanently disfigured by brutes who, of course, went on to lie about their wretched behavior.

“The shocking footage shows the woman being thrown, face first, into a bench inside a jail cell. After doing this to the woman, the police say reportedly false statements on camera to justify their brutal actions. In the video, the woman does nothing to provoke the cops and shows no aggression. Why they attacked is unclear at this time.”

These are not simply isolated incidents because they occur across the country and women are even be raped in custody by these supposed protectors.

“LAPD officers Luis Valenzuela and James Nichols are under investigation for allegedly forcing women into performing sexual acts under threat of arrest, several times over the past five years. So far four women have made independent accusations against them, all involving a strikingly similar scenario.”

Please note the brief description of alleged misconduct in this next case and nothing was done:

“A San Antonio police officer has been arrested for cuffing and raping a 19-year-old woman over the weekend. The felony sexual assault charges are the third known accusation of sexual misconduct against Officer Jackie Len Neal.”

Of course: “His car’s backseat camera was not working.”

This should come as no surprise:

“Nationally, there are twice as many reports of sexual misconduct by police as there are by the general public. Officers also have a higher rate of sexual violence at home; an estimated 40 percent of police families suffer from domestic violence, compared with 10 percent of the general population.”

Government is evil and its servants even more so. It reinforces the notion that to be protected from a few bad people, we put the worst people in charge.

Some women are shot at by police and fortunately their traditionally poor marksmanship saves their lives like the two ladies who suffered a fusillade of 103 rounds into their pickup when the thin black and blue line was filling pants over the Dorner episode in California:

“In the early morning hours two women driving a light blue pick up truck were fired upon more than 100 times by six officers feared the two petite Latina women Margie Carranza and her 71-year-old mother Emma Hernandez who were delivering newspapers was the 6′ 4″ Christopher Dorner.”

These women were not so lucky:

“Well over the weekend, two women who were innocent bystanders in heavily populated, tourist laden Times Square were shot by officers in what was described as an over reaction to a chaotic scene.”

This is the same city where two cops shot a suspect but nine bystanders were also hit by police rounds. We realize that cops cuff, tase, assault and maim women, they also kill them.

The most infamous recent incident was the woman gunned down by police in streets of DC.

“At this point a thorough investigation is necessary,” he said. “… Obviously law enforcement should be trained to de-escalate a situation and to avoid lethal force if at all possible. This lady was unarmed. … She had a baby in the car. Her behavior was erratic. … It appeared this was likely someone who was suffering from mental illness, but the officers don’t have the luxury to know that. At the time the shots were fired, was she presenting a threat of serious bodily harm to the officers? Was she trying to flee? Or was she trying to injure or kill someone.”

Again, the disproportionate response was evident everywhere. One has to seriously question what measure of cowardice is built into officer safety where they will execute a person on the slightest perceived provocation. A response that un-badged civilians would be caged for.

This woman died in a thugscrum in LA from a number of injuries:

“The Los Angeles Police Department is investigating at least five officers after one of them allegedly stomped on a woman’s genitals and she later died of suffocation.”

An older disabled mentally ill woman named Emily Delafield was tasered to death in her wheelchair but “[t]en shocks from a police Taser were enough to kill a wheelchair-bound Green Cove Springs woman whose death in a confrontation with two officers in April has been ruled a homicide but, according to prosecutors, justified.”

These stories are horrific and reveal a culture of barbarity that is hard enough to countenance on men but the consistent motif of a savagery visited on women gives one true pause. It also seems very disturbing the trend line of all the “justifiable” barbarism that is underwritten by the police investigating themselves and the rubberstamping of injustice by the government legal system.

One can go on and on with the horror stories that are the real narrative of modern American policing. The 19,000 police departments (Marc Stevens tells me the real number is 86,000) in America are rotten to the core and if a good cop exists, he is being very quiet and laying low so he is not noticed.

I don’t want to reform departments, I want them all to go away and be replaced by a new model that does not give rights more equal than others and refuses to provide a framework of perverse incentives that create the nasty police state Americans labor under today.

There is a giant barbaric secret and untold story brewing in the background here, there is no active database maintained by any statist authority in America that tracks the total number of deaths by police on civilians in America. None. I would also suggest that maiming is not for lack of trying to murder people on the part of cops.

“I found out very quickly that the government doesn’t maintain a database on how many citizens the police kill every year and that struck me as really odd because the federal government has statistics on everything. I mean, you could probably find out how many tons of potatoes people over 50 eat every year in Wisconsin,” Fisher said.”

That is an accountability project worth pursuing that would blow the roof off the whole sordid enterprise.

When a society treats its most innocent and less strong members with such casual disregard with the approval of the state, it goes a long way to establish just what the government priority is. Which is a license to maim and kill the very people it supposedly represents and protects.

Police break the social contract everyday. Don’t ever call the police.

Badged Serial Killers: The Growing Murder Culture of Cops (Part III) by Bill Buppert is a post from Cop Block - Badges Don't Grant Extra Rights

Victor Taglia shared this post for the second portion of the Bitcoin-Fueled Content Contest.

The Chicago Police department has decided to stop responding to select 911 calls. Apparently, they will not be responding to calls such as “criminal damage to property, vehicle thefts, garage burglaries, or other crimes in which the suspect is no longer on the scene, and the victim isn’t in immediate danger.” This is all so that “the equivalent of 44 police officers a day” will be available for patrol duties.

People are already scared of police officers when they don’t need help, but now when they need the police department’s help, the cops may or may not respond? People expect to have something done right away when their rights have been violated by another person, whether it may be assault, stealing, or really almost any crime able to be committed against a person. Wouldn’t you want police to investigate your burglarized house or try to find the person that just assaulted you? That is what taxpayers pay for! But now, if the crime is not in progress, they will not respond. It is absolutely ridiculous!

Basically, the police are doing the exact opposite of what is expected. If you are video taping them or not acting very nice, they will arrest and jail you. But if your house is burglarized, may as well just leave, get something to eat, and go home a few hours later. Then you only have to wait another hour before they show up!

Now, you will still be able to file reports over the phone, but it is nowhere near as comforting as when a police officer is at the crime scene where you see something being done. It seems as if police are doing less and less for protecting citizens and more for protecting themselves. They give justifications like, “In this day and age, it is very dangerous and our officers need to be safe,” for an incident such as shooting an innocent unarmed man dead in his own home, but when the citizens they have sworn to protect are hurt, who cares, right? People are scared, and for good reason. Chicago seems to be getting more unsafe every minute.

Victor Taglia

Chicago Police is a post from Cop Block - Badges Don't Grant Extra Rights

Lucy Ingalls shared this post via CopBlock.org’s submit page.

Date of Interaction: March 2012
Police Employees Involved: Chicago Police
Police Employee Contact Information: Address – 3510 South Michigan Avenue Chicago, IL 60653, Telephone – 312-746-6000

This is a video I came across on YouTube. I was not at the incident. In the video, a teen boy is standing toe to toe with a Chicago thug police officer having words. The boy is then literally picked up by his throat and carried across the street, choking, until he gets thrown to the ground, not moving. The cop then proceeds to stand on the unconscious boy until an ambulance arrives within seconds. During the incident, people are heard to be laughing and defending the officer, and no one steps in to rescue the teen from his aggressor.

There is no information on if there were any consequences for this murderous cop, but if the situation was continued to be treated in the same way as on the scene, and afterwards with people saying, “That boy deserved it,” in the comment section of the video, then I imagine nothing has been done.

Cop Chokes Out Teen is a post from Cop Block - Badges Don't Grant Extra Rights

Every Monday, the Angel Clark Show is dedicated to highlighting police abuses.

Today Angel discussed:

SCROLL DOWN FOR A COMPLETE FERGUSON TIMELINE 

Three Teenagers Created An App To Document Police Abuse

Five-O lets users submit the details of any incident of police abuse and rate the specific officer. The app also has community boards for different counties so that users can communicate and plan responses to any difficulties with local police. The idea is to collect data that users can then bring to community activists, the media, and other forms of law enforcement. That way, it’s not just “he said, she said,” Caleb said. And they’re hoping to illuminate both the negative and the positive interactions users have with police officers. They want the good examples to serve as motivation for officers to do better.

This Is How Ridiculously Fast A SWAT Team Can Break Into A Home And Make An Arrest

A recently released video from a SWAT team member’s helmet cam captures a raid on a home in Evansville, Indiana. In less than 30 seconds, the team broke down a glass door, tossed in lash grenades, and located one resident hiding in the home. She was innocent and they were at the wrong house…

Kids Devastated After Officer Shoots Tame Deer In Front Of Them: ‘It Was My Best Friend’

Residents of a Ohio community said this week that children in the neighborhood were devastated after they witnessed an officer shoot a deer that had become so friendly that it regularly ate out of people’s hands.

County Officials Refuse To Pay Medical Bills For Baby Bou Bou, Toddler Burned By SWAT Grenade — Say It’s Illegal To Pay The Bills

Officials in Georgia’s Habersham County are refusing to pay for the mounting medical expenses of a toddler seriously injured by a flash grenade after a failed SWAT team raid earlier this year. They claim it’s illegal.

Cops Gun Down Man Holding Toy Rifle In Walmart

Police fatally shot a man carrying an air rifle at an Ohio Walmart earlier this week.

The Angel Clark Show talked with Lyn Ulbricht, mother of the alleged founder of the Silk Road, Ross Ulbricht. Ross is accused of being Dread Pirate Roberts (DPR), and is currently sitting in a cage, awaiting trial. Hear what his mother had to say about the Government’s charges here:

South Carolina mother arrested for cussing in front of her kids

A woman was handcuffed and taken to jail when she was accused of using prohibited language in a grocery store.

Insane Case Of Mistaken Identity: Woman Arrested, Told She’s Actually Dead, Jailed Anyway

A 42-year-old St. Louis woman filed a federal civil suit against not only local police, but court personnel for arresting her and putting her in jail even after realizing that the actual person they were looking for was dead.

Ferguson Cops Beat Innocent Man, Then Charged Him With Bleeding On Their Uniforms

The officer-involved shooting death of teenager Michael Brown this week and the subsequent protests across the United States have rekindled interest in another case of alleged excessive force blamed on the Ferguson, Missouri Police Department.

Yet Another Man, Omar Abrego, Died After Police Beating In Los Angeles

Los Angeles Police Department officers allegedly beat a man to death little more than a week before their fatal shooting of Ezell Ford, KTLA is reporting. An officer broke his hand during the incident, Cmdr. Andrew Smith, an LAPD spokesman, told the local TV station.

For Months, 911 Callers Got Automated Message That Said “Hang Up And Dial 911”

No one suffering from an emergency expects to be greeted by a recording when they dial 911. Yet 911 callers in Caddo County, Oklahoma were unable to reach a human operator for months in 2013. Instead, they were routed to an automated message that “instructed callers to ‘hang up and dial 911′ if their call is an emergency,” the Federal Communications Commission said.

Mentally-ill California woman shot by police while holding cordless drill

A 19-year-old woman was shot in the street during an erratic episode involving a cordless drill.

Police Cadet Opens Fire On Ex-Girlfriend’s Family, Is Killed By Her Brother

A Tennessee police cadet shot and killed another man at his ex-girlfriend’s house before the woman’s brother shot and killed him.

Family pet shot in the head by plainclothes cops searching at wrong address

A family was traumatized when gun-wielding police officers in unmarked cars and out of uniform walked onto their quiet property without a warrant and shot their dog in the head in front of a 5-year-old while looking for a man who did not live there. When the dog lived, Erie County Sheriff’s Office deemed her a “dangerous animal” and authorized deputies to “seize the said dog harbored by the said Megan Shimburski” and to “hold, care for, or dispose of” Lady, pursuant to New York’s Agriculture and Markets Law, Article 7, Section 123. The deputy and an animal control officer took Lady away to the animal warden, leaving her with an uncertain fate.

Ex-Police Chief Who Was Demoted After Reporting Cop’s Sex Abuse Photos Can Sue

A former police chief who reported another officer for photographing the sexual abuse an unconscious woman has a case for retaliation, a federal judge ruled.

Lawsuit Details How Trooper Turned Traffic Stop Into Abduction And Brutal Rape

The Oklahoma Highway Patrol has opened an investigation into one of their own troopers over allegations that he raped a woman during a traffic stop. According to a lawsuit obtained by Tulsa World, the victim, who was only identified with initials, was driving with a female friend near Tulsa on July 22 when she was spotted by Trooper Eric Roberts.

U.S. border patrol shoots unarmed Mexican teen in the back from across border fence

While walking on a sidewalk on the southern side of the border, a Mexican teen was shot to death by U.S. Border Patrol from atop a border fence. After two years, the U.S. government has still not released the identity of the shooter(s), nor any details of its secret investigation.

Sheriff With History Of ‘Misconduct’ Accused Of Pistol-Whipping Motorist

FBI agents arrested a New Mexico sheriff and his son on Friday after the lawman allegedly pistol-whipped a motorist following a high-speed car chase, officials said.

Police taser 8-year-old girl when babysitter calls for help

The use of force on a child sparked controversy after an 8-year-old girl was tased following an apparent suicide threat.

Fired Officer Gets 5 Years Probation For Raping Woman While On Duty

The fired Fayetteville police officer accused of raping a woman while on duty received five years probation Friday in a plea deal with prosecutors, according to the Washington County Prosecutor’s Office.

Government seizes elderly woman’s savings when she tries to fly with cash

Federal agents seized thousands of dollars from a woman at an airport because she didn’t tell them how much she had.  Now the government seeks to keep the cash seizure, without placing a criminal charge against the woman.

Unarmed Man With Pregnant Fiancée Killed By Police For Pulling Up His Pants

Police shot and killed a 20-year-old Monday who was wanted for probation violation, but the man’s brother said he was wearing headphones and could not hear officers’ orders.

Police stage realistic hostage drill on nursing home, terrorize unsuspecting staff

A nurse says she begged for her life after being taken hostage by an unidentified gunman during a shift at a Colorado nursing home.  Unbeknownst to her, the armed intruder was actually a cop in disguise, masquerading as a bad guy in a “routine” safety drill.

Governor Candidate Arrested For ‘Menacing’ Police Officers With Umbrella

A long-shot candidate who hopes to be the Democratic nominee for New York’s gubernatorial race was arrested when he attempted to film police officers in a subway station as they detained an African-American subway passenger.

Oakland officer reinstated with back pay after throwing grenade at unconscious man, bystanders

An officer who violently attacked a group of civilians — including an incapacitated man bleeding from a head injury and the people who tried to help him — has been reinstated to the department with back pay for the nearly 3 years of missed work.

Police Officer Charged With Sexually Assaulting Fellow Cop’s 9-Year-Old Daughter

A 20-year veteran with the Chicago Police Department is currently being held for allegedly sexually assaulting the 9-year-old daughter of a fellow officer while attending a barbeque at the girl’s home, ABC 7 Chicago reports.

Washington State Police Release ‘Tweeting Guidelines’ For Citizens

Law enforcement agencies in Washington state are asking social media users to give their tweeting fingers a rest when it comes to posting the real-time activities of police officers on the job.

Mall Cop Ignores Racist Harassing Protesters And Pepper Sprays Black Bystander Instead

An African-American Seattle man who happened to be walking by a pro-Palestinian protest said that he is still confused as to why a security guard would have pepper sprayed him instead of a white man who was harassing demonstrators and yelling racial slurs.

Michael Brown: Ferguson Articles — Most Recent First 

Police Captain Blames ‘A Lot’ Of The Press For ‘Glamorizing’ Ferguson Protests

The police leader with authority over the policing effort of the racially-charged protests in Ferguson, Missouri, thinks “a lot” of the media has played a part in enabling the violence.

In an interview with MSNBC on Tuesday morning, Missouri Highway Patrol Captain Ron Johnson accused reporters of swarming around agitators, giving “them a platform and glamoriz[ing] their activity.”

The Front Page Of The St. Louis Post-Dispatch Says It All

Ferguson: Dozens Arrested, Reporters Detained, Assembly Rights Restricted

Confrontation resumed on Monday night in Ferguson, Missouri, as police used tear gas to disperse protesters. Live ammo was shot in the altercation, with two people injured. Thirty-one people, including a journalist were arrested.

Another Night Of Chaos In Ferguson As Police Fire Tear Gas And Stun Grenades

Police fired several rounds of tear gas and stun grenades into a crowd of protesters in Ferguson, Missouri, on the third consecutive night extreme tension has rocked the suburb of St. Louis. At least two people were shot and 31 were arrested, according to Capt. Ron Johnson of the Missouri Highway Patrol.

Police Arrest 31 In Ferguson As Police Face Off With Protesters — Media Sent To “Designated Areas” (PICS)

Monday In Ferguson: Hedy Epstein, 90-Year-Old Holocaust Survivor, Arrested During Michael Brown Protest

“I’ve been doing this since I was a teenager. I didn’t think I would have to do it when I was ninety,” Epstein told The Nation during her arrest. “We need to stand up today so that people won’t have to do this when they’re ninety.”

CNN’s Jake Tapper Is Disgusted By The Police’s Show Of Force In Ferguson

CNN’s Jake Tapper became verbally exasperated on air late Monday night as protesters and police engaged in a standoff in a third consecutive night of tension in Ferguson, Missouri.

ERIC HOLDER: The Amount Of Sensitive Information That’s Been Released About Michael Brown Is ‘Troubling’

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder said Monday evening that he was troubled by the amount of “sensitive” information pertaining to the fatal Aug. 9 shooting of 18-year-old Michael Brown that he said has been “selectively released” over the past week.

Bill O’Reilly Dismisses Ferguson Protesters: ‘These People Don’t Want Justice’

Fox News host Bill O’Reilly criticized protesters in Ferguson, Missouri on Monday night and minimized fatal police shootings against Black men during a phone interview with guest host Eric Bolling.

CNN’s Don Lemon Pushed Around By St. Louis Cops: ‘Now You See Why People Are So Upset’

CNN host Don Lemon criticized St. Louis County police on Monday for both physically shoving him during a live broadcast and changing their policies regarding demonstrations in Ferguson, Missouri in a seemingly arbitrary fashion.

Rush Limbaugh: Democrats Are Spreading ‘Myth’ That Police Shoot And Kill Black Men

Conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh accused Democrats on Monday of drumming up interest in the fatal shooting of 18-year-old Michael Brown in Missouri for their own gain.

Missouri Governor Calls Off Curfew In Ferguson After Two Nights Of Mayhem

Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon (D) on Monday lifted a midnight curfew in the beleaguered town of Ferguson, Missouri, in which there have been two consecutive, chaotic nights of protest.

Ferguson McDonald’s Was Looted — To Get Milk For The Eyes Of Protesters Who Had Been Teargassed By Police

In the hours leading up to the midnight curfew in Ferguson, Mo., police in riot gear and military equipment fired tear gas and smoke projectiles into a large crowd of protesters, still angered over the killing of teenager Michael Brown by a local police officer.

Oliver: Deny Militarized Cops Their ‘F*cking Toys’ As Long As They’re Killing Unarmed Black Men

On HBO’s Last Week Tonight, host John Oliver used the recent events in Ferguson, Missouri, to address the increased militarization of America’s police departments, mocking the wearing of camouflaged uniforms in urban environments and purchases of armored vehicles better suited to war zones.

Jay Nixon Criticizes Ferguson Police For Releasing Michael Brown Robbery Video

Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon (D) on Sunday criticized the Ferguson police for releasing a video allegedly showing Michael Brown robbing a convenience store before he was shot and killed.

Mayhem Is Erupting Again In Ferguson As Police And Protesters Clash

The National Guard has been called to Ferguson, Missouri, where protests have escalated over the past two days after a midnight curfew was imposed by Gov. Jay Nixon.

Michael Brown: Federal Medical Examiner To Take Another Look At Ferguson, Missouri Teen’s Death

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder has taken another step in his investigation into the shooting of 18-year-old Michael Brown, whose death has led to fierce protests in the relatively small city of Ferguson, Missouri.

One Person Shot, Seven Arrested After Protesters Defy Curfew In Ferguson

The governor of Missouri declared a state of emergency and a midnight curfew in the St. Louis suburb of Ferguson on Saturday afternoon, and while many decided to go home before 12 a.m., a large number of activists stayed in defiance of the order to continue their protests.

‘This Officer Should Have Been Arrested’: Ferguson Cop Shot Mike Brown 6 Times

An unarmed black teenager whose killing by a white police officer has set off a week of protests and rioting in Ferguson, Missouri, was struck by at least six bullets, a lawyer for the deceased’s family said on Monday.

Missouri Gov. Declares State Of Emergency, Curfew Following Ferguson Protests

Missouri governor has declared a state of emergency and set a curfew in Ferguson suburb where a black teenager Michael Brown was shot dead by police last weekend, sparking a series of week-long mass protests.

Protests And Violence Again Rock The Streets Of Ferguson One Week After Police Kill Michael Brown

A fragile peace shattered in Ferguson early Saturday, after armored vehicles, law enforcement officers in riot gear and tactical rifles returned to the streets, and looters robbed neighborhood businesses again.

Family Of Slain Ferguson Teen Michael Brown Says Police Are Now Assassinating The Character Of Their Son

The family of Michael Brown, an unarmed black teenager who was shot and killed by a police officer in Ferguson, Missouri on Saturday, has released a statement saying they are “beyond outraged” at the “character assassination” of their son.

Ferguson Police Are Now Saying The Cop Who Shot Michael Brown Didn’t Know He Was A Robbery Suspect

The Ferguson, Missouri police officer who shot an unarmed black teenager Saturday apparently did not know that he was a suspect in a convenience store robbery that happened just minutes earlier, police said in a press conference Friday.

NYPD Threatens Mass Arrests At Ferguson Solidarity Rally

Thousands of people in New York rallied in solidarity with residents of Ferguson on Thursday, showing support to people across the US who have been victims of police brutality. The NYPD threatened mass arrests if people did not stop blocking traffic.

After Ferguson Shooting, Nearly Half Of Americans Don’t Believe In Justice

Forty-five percent of US citizens don’t trust in justice amid police killings of civilians, according to a poll by HuffPost and YouGov in the immediate aftermath of the shooting of Michael Brown, a black teen, by a white officer in Ferguson, Missouri.

Local Police Kill At Least 400 People A Year, Mostly Minorities

A white police officer in the United States killed a black person on average of twice per week from 2005 to 2012, according to homicide reports offered to the FBI. But this data is limited, as only about 4 percent of law enforcement agencies contributed.

FOX NEWS: Ferguson Protesters ‘Forgetting MLK’s Message’

During a “Fox & Friends” interview on the ongoing protests in Ferguson, Missouri, Fox News channel ran a headline declaring that the predominately African-American demonstrators were “FORGETTING MLK’S MESSAGE.”

Members Of Congress Want Hearings To Ask Whether ‘Local Law Enforcement Is Out Of Control’

Three members of the House Judiciary Committee sent a letter to Chairman Bob Goodlatte on Thursday asking him to hold hearings on a series of issues related to local law enforcement in the wake of the controversial police response to protests in Ferguson, Missouri this week. In their letter, Rep. John Conyers (D-Michigan), Rep. Bobby Scott (D-Virginia), and Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tennessee) said the situation in Ferguson raised the question of whether “local law enforcement is out of control.”
“For five days the citizens of Ferguson have protested the killing of an unarmed teenager by local police. Last night, law enforcement broke up the protest with brutal force: confronting demonstrators in riot gear and armored vehicles, arresting journalists, and firing tear gas and rubber bullets into the crowds,” the congressmen wrote. “These incidents raise concerns that local law enforcement is out of control and, instead of protecting the safety and civil liberties of the residents of Ferguson, is employing tactics that violate the rights of citizens and hinder the ability of the press to report on their actions.”

OBAMA: There’s ‘No Excuse’ For Police To Use Excessive Force In Ferguson

President Barack Obama condemned violence on both sides of the ongoing protests in Ferguson, Missouri in a statement on Thursday afternoon.

Police Report: Michael Brown Robbed Store Before Being Shot By Ferguson Officer

Michael Brown, an unarmed teenager shot and killed by a police officer in a St. Louis suburb on Saturday, appears to be the same man seen in a video of a store robbery that took place just before his death, police said in a report released on Friday.

BREAKING: Darren Wilson Identified As Officer Who Fatally Shot Michael Brown

After almost a week, Police Chief Thomas Jackson has identified Darren Wilson as the officer who fatally shot unarmed black teen Michael Brown on Saturday in Ferguson, Missouri.

House Democrat Readies Bill To Demilitarize Local Police

Rep. Hank Johnson (D-Ga.) announced Thursday that he plans to file legislation aimed at stemming the militarization of local police — something on full display this week in Ferguson, Missouri, where officers in riot gear have been showering largely peaceful protesters with tear gas and rubber bullets.

Here Are Some Of The 16 People Who Were Arrested In The Fifth Night Of The Ferguson Protests

At least 16 people were arrested during the protests in Ferguson, Missouri, Thursday night, including a St. Louis politician, a filmmaker and two journalists. Meanwhile, the police officer who shot Michael Brown has not yet been identified or charged.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol Will Be Brought In To Replace Local Police In Ferguson

Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon (D) has pulled local police in Ferguson off the job of controlling protests that occurred after the killing of an unarmed teenager in the St. Louis suburb.

Police Chief Rips Obama For Ferguson Remarks — Doesn’t Think Cops Used Excessive Force

The executive director of the Fraternal Order of Police criticized President Obama Thursday for his remarks about law enforcement in Ferguson, Mo.

Pentagon Supplied St. Louis County Police With Military-Grade Weapons (PHOTOS, VIDEOS)

Images coming from a tense Ferguson, Missouri this week show local police armed to the teeth and appearing as an occupying force in attempts to suppress citizen outrage over the fatal shooting of an unarmed teenager by a police officer.

FBI Takes Control Over All Police Operations In Ferguson

The governor of Missouri will reportedly relieve St. Louis County law enforcement from policing the ongoing demonstrations in the town of Ferguson, paving the way for possible state or federal intervention.

Police In Ferguson Have Continually Attacked And Harassed Journalists

The assault and arrest of reporters in Ferguson, Missouri on Wednesday night is perhaps the most egregious example of a continual pattern of police harassment that journalists covering the unrest in the St. Louis suburb have faced.

‘They Said, Let’s Take Him’: Reporter Describes Being Seized By Cops In Ferguson

Washington Post reporter Wesley Lowery, who was briefly arrested by police while reporting on the ongoing demonstrations in Ferguson, Missouri, said to MSNBC host Rachel Maddow on Wednesday that he felt police left him and a colleague no way to avoid being taken into custody.

“I’ve been in a lot of scenarios with heavily-armed police officers,” Lowery said. “I’ve been in a lot of scenarios where journalists could conceivably be arrested. I don’t believe Ryan [Reilly} and I did anything that merited us being taken into custody and we were both behaving in ways to try to avoid being taken into custody. Because, frankly, I would rather be out in the street right now talking to protesters, trying to tell this story — no disrespect to you — and not sitting in this chair talking about me.”

KKK Raising Money For ‘Hero’ Ferguson Cop Who Shot ‘Jewish Controlled Black Thug’

The Ku Klux Klan is soliciting funds for the police officer in Ferguson, Missouri who shot and killed unarmed teenager Michael Brown, 18.

Livestreamer Behind Ferguson Footage Says Cops Were Shooting Tear Gas Near Homes

A Missouri man who live-streamed the police action against demonstrators in Ferguson, Missouri told MSNBC host Lawrence O’Donnell on Wednesday that authorities were shooting tear gas into a residential area even after the latest anti-police protest ended.

‘Holy Sh*t!’ Watch As Ferguson Cops Fire Tear Gas And Bean Bags At News Crews

Late Wednesday night, police in Ferguson, Missouri shot tear gas and riot-suppressing bean bags at Al Jazeera America and KSDK reporters, KSDK reports.

Ferguson’s Police Chief Freaked Out After Finding Out His Cops Arrested 2 Reporters

The police chief of Ferguson, Missouri, had a stunned response after he learned his officers had arrested two reporters who were covering the ongoing protests that began in the city after an unarmed African-American teenager was shot by police there Saturday.

Missouri State Senator Tells Police Chief She Was Tear Gassed While Protesting Peacefully In Ferguson

During a press conference on Wednesday, a Missouri state senator claimed she was hit with tear gas while protesting peacefully in Ferguson, the St. Louis suburb that has erupted with rioting this week after the police shooting of an unarmed teenager.

When Maria Chappelle-Nadal asked if she would be gassed again like she was on Monday, Ferguson’s police chief Thomas Jackson kept a stoic expression until he found out she was a state senator:

He then replied: “I hope not.”

Missouri Governor Calls Situation In Ferguson ‘Deeply Troubling’

Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon (D) issued a statement early Thursday morning describing the situation in the city of Ferguson as “deeply troubling.” Protesters in the city have been demonstrating since Saturday after police killed an unarmed black teenager. Law enforcement officers have responded with rubber bullets and tear gas and Nixon has been criticized for his reaction.

Rand Paul: We Must Demilitarize the Police

Anyone who thinks race does not skew the application of criminal justice in this country is just not paying close enough attention, Sen. Rand Paul writes for TIME, amid violence in Ferguson, Mo. over the police shooting death of Michael Brown

Anonymous Released The Name Of The Cop Who They Say Murdered Michael Brown

The hactivist group Anonymous released information Thursday regarding the murder of Michael Brown by police in Ferguson, Missouri.

WATCH: Cops Aim Weapon At Local Official, Lock Media Out As Ferguson Protests Continue

Video filmed by a St. Louis alderman shows police aiming a weapon at him while responding to the latest round of demonstrations in Ferguson, Missouri.

Another Police Shooting in Ferguson, Missouri

Violence again erupted in the St. Louis area near the site of the police shooting death of an unarmed black teenager, according to local police, despite calls by U.S. President Barack Obama and activists for a measured response.

Ferguson Police Fired Wooden Bullets At Crowd During Protest Over Teen’s Death

Police fired at protesters with solid wooden bullets during the latest demonstrations in Missouri against the killing by a police officer of an unarmed black 18-year-old, Michael Brown.

Police Express Sympathy For THE COP Who Killed Unarmed Teen In Ferguson, Missouri

Riots have gripped Ferguson, Missouri, since the shooting death of 18-year-old Michael Brown on Saturday, and police have taken to the website PoliceOne to offer their own insights into the tragedy.

Anonymous Launches #OpFerguson After Cop Kills Unarmed Teen

Hacktivists have set their sights on the town of Ferguson, Missouri after police there on Saturday shot and killed an unarmed man, 18-year-old Michael Brown, elevating a wave of protests that have occurred in the days since to the digital realm.

Gun Sales Spike Around Ferguson After 3 Days Of Riots

The fatal police shooting of an unarmed black teenager in Ferguson, Missouri, and the subsequent civil unrest in the St. Louis suburb, has led to a spike in firearm sales at some local gun shops, according to the St. Louis Business Journal.

LAPD Kills Young Black Man Days After Ferguson Shooting

Ezell Ford, a 25-year-old black man described by his family as having “mental problems,” was shot and killed by a Los Angeles, California police officer Monday evening, barely 48 hours after an unarmed black man in Missouri suffered the same fate.

#FergusonShooting: Outrage As Missouri Police Shoot And Kill Unarmed Black Teen

Hundreds of residents of a predominantly black suburb in Missouri took to the streets after police fatally shot an 18-year-old black man on Saturday.  Michael Brown was a recent high school graduate who was scheduled to begin classes at Vatterott College on Monday. He was killed in Ferguson, a city in St. Louis County that has about 21,000 residents – two-thirds of whom are black.

#IfTheyGunnedMeDown: Social Media Calls Out MSM For Portrayal Of Mike Brown

If you were killed, what photo would the media use in their stories? That’s the question that the #iftheygunnedmedown hashtag asks on social media as minorities point out media bias in the deaths of African-Americans.

Tensions Still High In Missouri ‘War Zone’ After Monday’s Riots

An uneasy calm settled over Ferguson, Missouri, early Tuesday after a second night of violent clashes between law enforcement and residents protesting the police shooting of an unarmed black teenager, with another demonstration planned for mid-morning.

Ferguson Seeks Answers After Police Shooting Of Michael Brown

Nights of unrest have vied with calls for calm in a St. Louis suburb where an unarmed black teenager was killed by police, while the community is still pressing for answers about the weekend shooting.

9 Powerful Photos That Show How Police Have Turned Ferguson Into A War Zone

Since the fatal shooting of unarmed, black teen Michael Brown at the hands of a local police officer, the town of Ferguson, Missouri, has erupted in unrest as citizens have taken to the streets in outrage for more than three days.

The Angel Clark Radio Show Is Produced By Famous Dave In the Studios of Radio freedom.

Who is Angel Clark?

Angel Clark is a talk radio host, a syndicated writer, an activist and lover of Liberty.

With her unique, fast-paced, witty sarcasm Angel Clark brings you the news of the day with a creative individualist twist.

She has appeared on numerous televised news sources. Her writings have been featured in both local and national avenues. She has been interviewed by numerous talk show hosts over the years. She has been a guest speaker at rallies and has interviewed hundreds of guest including presidential candidates.

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Police State Monday: Comprehensive Ferguson Timeline, Mentally-Ill Woman Shot By Police While Holding Cordless Drill, LAPD Beat Another Man To Death, And MUCH MORE is a post from Cop Block - Badges Don't Grant Extra Rights

The content below was shared via CopBlock.org/Submit by Panzy, the mom of 15-year-old Dakota Bright, who was killed by a Chicago police employee.

Date of Incident: 11/08/12
Individual Responsible: Unknown
Outfit: Chicago Police Department, 3rd District
Phone: 312-747-5530

This is my son, Dakota Bright. He was killed November 8th, 2012 at the age of 15 by a Chicago police officer who claimed to be in fear for his life. Dakota was shot in the back of his head and then he was handcuffed and left laying in a backyard for 4- to 5-hours.

As Korvell Curry wrote at uhurunews.com:

The ambulance was flagged off so he was denied medical attention that may have saved his life. There was no gun on him at all.

If that was not enough they taunted my family – they treated us like we are the criminals yet this officer gets to live his life as if nothing happened.

I constantly see pictures of the young men killed, it makes me sad but it also makes me made because my 15-year-old child’s life was taken by one of these monsters and yet he gets no justice.

Panzy and Dakota Bright, prior to him being Killed by a Chicago Police Employee

From Jennifer Delgado’s write-up Marchers protest police shooting that killed teen at ChicagoTribune.com:

About 3:30 p.m that day, he was returning to his grandmother’s place when Grand Crossing District officers approached him, police and family said.

Officials said they ordered Dakota to drop the gun in his hand, but he started to run. Dakota then turned and pointed the weapon at them, authorities said, prompting officers to fire in his direction. A weapon was found at the scene, authorities said.

Police sources said Dakota was a gang member who had been arrested for robbery and aggravated battery to a police officer, though his family denies that he was involved in a gang. His family also said Dakota never had a gun and someone planted a weapon at the scene.

“My cousin was a normal, regular teenager,” said Lenard Clark, 29. “He didn’t deserve what he got.”

Many in the neighborhood said police in the area operate in a state of fear. They also wondered why officers shot Dakota in the head.

Editors Note: A petition at Change.org, started by Panzy, already has over 1,100 signatures. Clearly though, people signing a document is not enough to change the perverse incentives inherent in the policing institution, that itself is based on double standards. Real change will occur only when those responsible are held accountable for their actions. That starts with each of us, not buying into claims of authority put-forth by strangers who themselves subsist on theft.

In her quest for justice, Panzy was encouraged to reach out to known police accountability groups in her area, in the hope that some involved could add capacity, ideas, and traction.

Known Illinois-Based Police Accountability Groups

• Cop Block – Chicago – Facebook
• Cop Block Chicago Illinois – Facebook
• CopBlock of South Chicago – website / Twitter
• Cop Block Northern Illinois – Facebook / YouTube
• South Suburban Cop Block – Facebook
• Southern Illinois Cop Block – Facebook / Twitter / YouTube / Scribd / gplus.to / southernillinoiscopblock@gmail.com

Looking for Justice – My Son Was Killed By Chicago Police is a post from Cop Block - Badges Don't Grant Extra Rights