Police State

Woman taken down, handcuffed for not showing rental agreement quickly enough

"Robert Ferreira was sure someone was breaking in his neighbor's house in the early-morning hours of Aug. 22, 2009. He saw a woman he didn't recognize trying to pry open a garage door. So he called 911. Two St. Petersburg police officers, Neil Rambaran and Jonathan VanHouten, checked out the house, at 4042 32nd Ave. N. With guns drawn and flashlights in hand, they found a man and woman inside. Rambaran took the woman to the ground, drove his knee into her back and handcuffed her; VanHouten handcuffed the man. But the man and woman were not burglars. They had recently rented the place." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingWoman taken down, handcuffed for not showing rental agreement quickly enough

New York ‘cannibal’ cop watched death porn: wife

"The estranged wife of a New York policeman sobbed as she testified Monday that her husband went online to discuss torturing and killing her. Kathleen Mangan-Valle, 27, was the star witness for the prosecution in a trial that opened with her telling the jury that Gilberto Valle had a desire to 'cannibalize human flesh.' The allegations are so gruesome that the court had to screen potential jurors for their views on extreme sexual fantasies, showing them a photograph of a woman trussed up in a cooking pan, with an apple stuffed in her mouth. Valle is accused of conspiracy to kidnap and illegally accessing law enforcement databases for detailed research on potential victims." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingNew York ‘cannibal’ cop watched death porn: wife

Former Jackson officer found guilty of killing daughter

"A former Jackson police detective is likely to spend the rest of his life behind bars. After an emotional trial that lasted nearly two weeks, a jury early Thursday evening found Natyyo Gray guilty of capital murder in the death of his 1-year-old daughter Zoe. Prosecutors showed gruesome images of Zoe Brown’s mangled body earlier in the trial. At the time of her death, Zoe had sustained bruises to her forehead, back and pelvis, along with extensive abdominal bruising and a large hematoma on the top of her head. She also had a lacerated liver and pancreas and was bleeding from her anus. An autopsy determined she bled to death after being beaten." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFormer Jackson officer found guilty of killing daughter

Indianapolis police Officer David Butler gets 8-year sentence on robbery, official misconduct charge

"Suspended Indianapolis police Officer David Butler received an eight-year sentence Friday after he was found guilty earlier this month of two counts each of robbery and official misconduct. A jury determined that Butler targeted Hispanic men for traffic stops and then robbed them. In one incident in 2011, Emiliano Vasquez said Butler took his wallet and made him stand by the officer's car during a traffic stop at a gas station. Vasquez was not ticketed, but when he returned to his car and examined his wallet, he found his money was gone. Some of that stop was captured on surveillance video. In all, there were three victims in three separate traffic stops." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingIndianapolis police Officer David Butler gets 8-year sentence on robbery, official misconduct charge

Charge three officers in squad car asphyxiation death of suspect, jury recommends

"Three of the officers involved in the arrest of Williams, who died after gasping for air in the back of a squad car, should be charged with failure to render aid by a law enforcement officer, a misdemeanor that carries a maximum penalty of nine months in jail, jurors concluded. Officer Richard Ticcioni put his knee across Williams' back during the arrest. Officers Jeffrey Cline and Jason Bleichwehl each spent time in the front seat of the squad car as Williams struggled to breathe for nearly eight minutes in the back, a squad video shows. The three officers refused to testify during the inquest, citing their Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingCharge three officers in squad car asphyxiation death of suspect, jury recommends

Ex-Cop Guilty of Child Abuse

"Ex-Asheville Police officer Aubrey Green came clean in Buncombe County District Court Thursday when he admitted physically abusing a 3-year-old girl left in his care. News 13 broke the story last November when the five year Asheville police veteran was arrested along with his girlfriend, the young victim's mother, Maggie Jones. 'You can't beat someone to a pulp or to when they have very bad bruises or permanent injuries,' said district attorney Ron Moore. Jones also pleaded guilty to failing to report the abuse." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingEx-Cop Guilty of Child Abuse

Washington Park officer accused of ‘tasing’ handcuffed women

"Court documents show a Washington Park police officer was accused of violating a woman’s civil rights by allegedly arresting her with no justification, then shooting her twice with a taser while she was handcuffed and sitting in the back of a police car. News 4 has also confirmed that there are currently several open investigations into similar allegations against Officer Antwan Stith. The lawsuit goes on to accuse Stith of lying to cover up what he did by claiming Tugle was resisting." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingWashington Park officer accused of ‘tasing’ handcuffed women

Former deputy found guilty in child sex crime

"A Lovington jury has found a former Lea County Sheriff’s deputy Danny Surratt guilty of sexual assault on a minor. Surratt was arrested Sept. 1, 2010 following an investigation of a claim that he sexually assaulted a 9-year-old female and her 16-year-old sister. Surratt was a sheriff’s deputy at the time of the alleged assault. The 9-year-old victim testified that Surratt sexually assaulted her and told her not to say anything to anyone. And a DNA expert from the state’s Department of Public Safety's Crime Lab testified that Surratt's DNA was found inside the victim's underwear." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFormer deputy found guilty in child sex crime

Robert Ethan Saylor and the Garrity Precedent

"Ethan Saylor had Down syndrome. He was in a movie theatre and Zero Dark Thirty had just ended. Saylor wanted to watch the film all over again. A theatre employee said he either had to buy another ticket or leave. When Saylor didn’t budge, they called security, which turned out to be some off-duty sheriff’s deputies working security in the mall. The deputies claim Saylor resisted arrest and died while being restrained. The coroner has now ruled Saylor’s death a homicide. A spokeswoman for the Sheriff’s office says 'We’re taking it very seriously.' The deputies involved in the incident, however, have thus far declined to speak with investigators." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingRobert Ethan Saylor and the Garrity Precedent

New Orleans Plainclothes Cops Caught on Tape Taking Down Innocent Man

"A few questions: 1. What would have happened if the young man’s mother had not arrived so quickly? 2. What would have happened if she had not been a police officer herself? 3. What would happen if these undercover officers tried to swarm on a person who was carrying a firearm? The police often remind us that they must make split-second decisions. True. But note that this tactic gives the citizen only a split second to decide if he’s being attacked by thugs or whether it’s a police stop." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingNew Orleans Plainclothes Cops Caught on Tape Taking Down Innocent Man