Police States

[Ross]

How Many People are Killed by Police in U.S.? Who Knows?

allgov.com
February 3, 2014

Here's a pitch for a procedural: Cops track down the number of police shootings in the United States in a given year. Why should that require any detective work? It's that there are currently no national statistics on how many people are shot by police each year.

In some areas, such as Los Angeles, New York City, Philadelphia and Massachusetts, police shootings have increased, according to a report in Salon. Whether those numbers can be extrapolated to a national trend is not known though. Police departments are not required to release data on how many civilians are shot by officers each year and many don't.

Some observers believe that there are more police shootings than there had been five or 10 years ago. Those who want to hold police accountable are stymied by the lack of nationwide statistics on the issue.

So, we're left to try to find the information on our own. Jim Fisher tried in 2012. According to his True Crime blog, in 2011, 1,146 people were shot by police, with 607 killed. To come up with those numbers, Fisher scoured the Internet for data about every shooting that year. But that system is not comprehensive.

What statistics there are do show that police shootings often involve racial minorities, those with mental illnesses and sometimes victims who fall into both categories.  For instance, there were 57 police shootings in Chicago in 2012, according to the city. Fifty of those shot were African-American. A review of police shootings in Maine by the Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram showed that between 2000 and 2012, 57 people were shot by police in Maine. Of those, at least 24 of the shootings involved victims with mental health issues.

Police shootings may be on the rise because of state laws that empower more firearm use by citizens. Indiana passed a law in 2012 that allowed people to use deadly force against public servants, including law enforcement officers, who illegally enter their homes. Of course, police have no way of knowing whether the occupant of a home thinks the authorities are there legally, so some officers are nervous. "It's just a recipe for disaster," Indiana State Fraternal Order of Police president Tim Downs told Bloomberg News. "It just puts a bounty on our heads."

-Steve Straehle

[Ross]

Texas police officer suspended after video shows him kicking, tripping students.
http://www.statesman.com/news/news/crime-law/georgetown-police-officer-filmed-pushing-tripping-/nfd25/

Puppycide: Burglary victim calls police. Deputy shows up and reportedly shoots the victim's dog.
And an attempted puppycide: The cop was writing up an illegally parked trailer when he shot the owner's dog. http://m.kltv.com/#!/newsDetail/25302236

And one more: Sheriff's deputy attempts to shoot dog, mistakenly shoots himself instead.
http://www.nbclosangeles.com/video/#!/on-air/as-seen-on/Sheriffs-Deputy-Accidentally-Shoots-Himself/255584201





http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-watch/wp/2014/04/22/morning-links-obama-may-grant-mass-clemency-in-drug-cases/

[Ross]

Napoleon Dynamite upgrades from nunchuks to military tank as police state creeps forward

By Dustin Hurst  /   April 22, 2014

By Dustin Hurst | Watchdog.org

Nearly a decade ago, a bespectacled loner with sweet bo-staff skills offered a dire indictment of his small Idaho high school.

"You know ... there's like a butt-load of gangs at this school," Napoleon Dynamite told Pedro Sanchez, his Mexican immigrant pal with political ambitions.

To save himself in the gang-ridden school in Preston, Idaho, Napoleon relied on his bo-staff, nunchuks and, if things got real heavy, his wolverine-killing 12-gauge shotgun — at least until local police decided to pitch in.

Recently, Preston police stepped up in a major way: They acquired a military-grade vehicle previously used on the streets of Iraq and Afghanistan, a behemoth truck originally designed for protecting American soldiers from roadside bombs.

If the massive truck — known as an MRAP — seems an odd fit for Preston, a tiny town of just more than 5,000 in southeastern Idaho, it's because it's just that. The city's crime checks in far below the U.S. average, and there's hasn't been a murder there since 2006. The city's not exactly a crime-ridden hell hole where police might need an ambush-resistant and bomb-proof troop carrier.

An eight-week course of Rex Kwon Do just wasn't enough for residents of Preston, I guess.

The city's ownership of such heavy equipment reveals a few of inconvenient and uncomfortable truths for people worried about the creep of the modern militarized police state: It's here, it doesn't care the size of your town and officials really don't care about your concerns.

That's evident by the places these vehicles are popping up across the map as the American military winds down its efforts overseas. Another tiny town, Storm Lake, Iowa, recently received one. Storm Lake, like Preston, is far from a haven for crooks, mobsters or gangsters. The town hasn't logged a murder since 2001.

Besides  procurement of ostentatious military vehicles, the creep of the paramilitary police state reveals itself in other ways.

Take 30 seconds to watch a police recruiting video for the Hobbs Police Department in Hobbs, N.M., a town of just more than 43,000. Instead of protect and serve, the clip shows police busting into a home in full SWAT gear. The video also features the town's SWAT truck, a heavily armored vehicle in its own right.

Radley Balko, author of "Rise of the Warrior Cop," wrote this about the message the Hobbs recruiting clip sends: "What sort of person would be attracted to a career in law enforcement based on the images and activities depicted in that video? And is that the sort of person you'd want wearing a badge and carrying a gun in your neighborhood?"

It's safe to say that Hobbs is not Mayberry, given that the city's crime rate is higher than the national average in nearly every category. That said, it's not Chicago or Detroit, either.

Or, consider the story of Katie Watson, the Watchdog.org reporter bold enough to ask Virginia police for all the pictures of her car they've taken using controversial license plate scanners. The police turned over 16 photos, including one snapped as she made her way to weekly Bible study on a Wednesday night.

Though people like Balko and Watson sound the alarm, police don't seem too interested the problem. That, or they just don't think there is one.

"I hope it is not going to be used," Preston Police Chief Ken Geddes said of the MRAP. "Aren't our people as important as anybody else? Why wouldn't we be interested in using it?"

"It's a representation of an aspect of the police department that is there, what we do every day, the tools that we use and work with," Hobbs Police Chief Chris McCall told Watchdog.org about the aggressive advertisement.

Yet, with the rise of the 24-hour news network and myriad social media sharing platforms, Americans are constantly bombarded with stories of overly aggressive cops behaving badly.

Take, for example, cops in Albuquerque shooting a 38-year-old homeless man after a tense standoff.  Or, a cop in Filer, Idaho, who shot a service dog in front of a 9-year-old By Dustin Hurst | Watchdog.org

Nearly a decade ago, a bespectacled loner with sweet bo-staff skills offered a dire indictment of his small Idaho high school.

"You know ... there's like a butt-load of gangs at this school," Napoleon Dynamite told Pedro Sanchez, his Mexican immigrant pal with political ambitions.

To save himself in the gang-ridden school in Preston, Idaho, Napoleon relied on his bo-staff, nunchuks and, if things got real heavy, his wolverine-killing 12-gauge shotgun — at least until local police decided to pitch in.

Recently, Preston police stepped up in a major way: They acquired a military-grade vehicle previously used on the streets of Iraq and Afghanistan, a behemoth truck originally designed for protecting American soldiers from roadside bombs.

If the massive truck — known as an MRAP — seems an odd fit for Preston, a tiny town of just more than 5,000 in southeastern Idaho, it's because it's just that. The city's crime checks in far below the U.S. average, and there's hasn't been a murder there since 2006. The city's not exactly a crime-ridden hell hole where police might need an ambush-resistant and bomb-proof troop carrier.

An eight-week course of Rex Kwon Do just wasn't enough for residents of Preston, I guess.

The city's ownership of such heavy equipment reveals a few of inconvenient and uncomfortable truths for people worried about the creep of the modern militarized police state: It's here, it doesn't care the size of your town and officials really don't care about your concerns.

That's evident by the places these vehicles are popping up across the map as the American military winds down its efforts overseas. Another tiny town, Storm Lake, Iowa, recently received one. Storm Lake, like Preston, is far from a haven for crooks, mobsters or gangsters. The town hasn't logged a murder since 2001.

Besides  procurement of ostentatious military vehicles, the creep of the paramilitary police state reveals itself in other ways.

Take 30 seconds to watch a police recruiting video for the Hobbs Police Department in Hobbs, N.M., a town of just more than 43,000. Instead of protect and serve, the clip shows police busting into a home in full SWAT gear. The video also features the town's SWAT truck, a heavily armored vehicle in its own right.

Radley Balko, author of "Rise of the Warrior Cop," wrote this about the message the Hobbs recruiting clip sends: "What sort of person would be attracted to a career in law enforcement based on the images and activities depicted in that video? And is that the sort of person you'd want wearing a badge and carrying a gun in your neighborhood?"

It's safe to say that Hobbs is not Mayberry, given that the city's crime rate is higher than the national average in nearly every category. That said, it's not Chicago or Detroit, either.

Or, consider the story of Katie Watson, the Watchdog.org reporter bold enough to ask Virginia police for all the pictures of her car they've taken using controversial license plate scanners. The police turned over 16 photos, including one snapped as she made her way to weekly Bible study on a Wednesday night.

Though people like Balko and Watson sound the alarm, police don't seem too interested the problem. That, or they just don't think there is one.

"I hope it is not going to be used," Preston Police Chief Ken Geddes said of the MRAP. "Aren't our people as important as anybody else? Why wouldn't we be interested in using it?"

"It's a representation of an aspect of the police department that is there, what we do every day, the tools that we use and work with," Hobbs Police Chief Chris McCall told Watchdog.org about the aggressive advertisement.

Yet, with the rise of the 24-hour news network and myriad social media sharing platforms, Americans are constantly bombarded with stories of overly aggressive cops behaving badly.

Take, for example, cops in Albuquerque shooting a 38-year-old homeless man after a tense standoff.  Or, a cop in Filer, Idaho, who shot a service dog in front of a 9-year-old boy's birthday party. How about the cop who shot and killed a 24-year-old unarmed North Carolina man who'd just been in a car crash and was desperately seeking help?

The stories keep coming and coming.

Connor Boyack, president of the Utah-based Libertas Institute, told Watchdog.org the militarization of police forces can destroy the sense of community small towns often enjoy.

"Police operate effectively when they are deeply integrated into, and have the trust of, the communities in which they operate," Boyack said. "The increasing militarization of police forces alienates them from the average individual, thus creating an 'us versus them' scenario that erodes trust and leads police officers to see the citizens they serve (and who employ them) as potential threats to their own safety."

Who's to blame for the mess? Boyack said it's the citizenry itself.

"Most importantly, there needs to be greater conversation amongst neighbors in a community as to whether such tools and tactics are acceptable. Do small towns, for example, really need armored vehicles?" he asked. "Ignorance and apathy has allowed for the slow creep of militarization to happen, and only an informed and active citizenry can stop it. "

As Kip Dynamite, Napoleon's older brother said, "I guess you can say things are getting pretty serious."

http://watchdog.org/139269/napoleon-dynamite-tank/?utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Trending%20Email

[Ross]

Militarized police may be in a town near you

By Rob Nikolewski  /   April 22, 2014

SANTA FE, N.M. — A New Mexico Watchdog story about a 30-second commercial for the police department in Hobbs has drawn national attention, with a well-known author and civil libertarian criticizing the ad running on television stations across the state emphasizing aggressive, military-style policing.

But Radley Balko points out the Hobbs video isn't unique. In fact, the author of "Rise of the Warrior Cop: The Militarization of America's Police Forces," gives examples of police departments across the country who showcase recruiting videos that highlight the "shoot 'em up" aspects of the job.

To recap, here's the 30-second Hobbs ad:

"Now ask yourself: What sort of person would be attracted to a career in law enforcement based on the images and activities depicted in that video? And is that the sort of person you'd want wearing a badge and carrying a gun in your neighborhood?" Balko asked in the online edition of the Washington Post.

"The video isn't disturbing only because of the type of police officer it's likely to attract. It also suggests that the leadership in the Hobbs police department believes that these are the aspects of police work most worth touting — that this is the face they want to project to the community," Balko said in the civil liberties and the criminal justice blog that he writes called "The Watch."

Hobbs isn't alone. Balko said the video is part of a trend and offered seven other examples from around the country.

Such as Newport Beach, Calif.:

And Springdale, Ark., a town of 70,000 that seemingly had a budget big enough to make a video that looks like something out of a Jerry Bruckheimer-produced movie:

Working on a tip from a colleague in Minnesota, we came across a story from last fall about how the police department in St. Cloud, Minn., rolled out an armored vehicle that was originally used for military training:

ROLLING OUT IN ST. CLOUD: A retrofitted armored military vehicle is in use by the police department in the town of St. Cloud, Minn.

According to WJON Radio in St. Cloud, the vehicle is an MRAP — Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected — and came from the Minnesota Homeland Security and Emergency Management Department. It's worth $400,000 and the town of just under 66,000 residents spent $10,000 to retrofit it for the city's SWAT team.

Lt. Jeff Oxton said during the unveiling that the MRAP "has full ballistic capabilities, which will help us against any kind of small arms fire, rifle fire, even explosives and things like that."

Back in 1988, hundreds of students at St. Cloud State University rioted during homecoming week at the school. As many as 1,500 people were involved and about 50 arrests were made.

In our original story, we mentioned a video of the Hobbs SWAT team that's on the police department's website. We have since found a link to the video that combines shots of officers firing automatic weapons to a heavy-metal music soundtrack:

Former New Mexico Gov. and 2012 Libertarian Party presidential candidate Gary Johnson also tweeted the NM Watchdog story out to his 123,000 followers:

http://watchdog.org/139868/militarized-police-departments/?utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Trending%20Email

[Ross]

NYPD Twitter Campaign Backfires Big Time
Feed flooded with pics of police brutality

By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Apr 23, 2014

This photo from an Occupy Wall Street protest is among
the many put on Twitter in response to a NYPD request for
Twitter users to share pictures of themselves posing
with police officers.   (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, File)

(Newser) – A New York City Police Department campaign to get Twitter users to share photos of themselves with officers got a massive response—but not the kind the department had in mind. Instead of citizens posing with friendly cops, the #MyNYPD tag became the top trending hashtag on Twitter with thousands of photos of police brutality, Occupy Wall Street arrests, and headlines about unarmed citizens being shot, reports the New York Daily News. (See plenty of examples at the Daily Dot.)

"Free massages from the #NYPD," read one tweet with a picture of riot cops pressing a man against a car. There were a few friendly submissions but they were massively outnumbered by those slamming the department, NBC notes. In a statement, the NYPD said it is "creating new ways to communicate effectively with the community" and "Twitter provides an open forum for an uncensored exchange and this is an open dialogue good for our city."

http://www.newser.com/story/185749/nypd-twitter-campaign-backfires-big-time.html?utm_source=part&utm_medium=united&utm_campaign=rss_topnews

[Ross]

A dumb cop in my opinion. I bet there will be a lawsuit for false arrest.
Better disarm her before she kills an innocent person.

NC Deputy Flips Out,
Grabs Cell Phones
Filming Her Arrest of
Marine Vet

by Josh Feldman | 3:53 pm, April 22nd, 2014

A North Carolina deputy confiscated two separate cell phones recording her in the midst of confronting a retired Marine combat instructor. A video provided to Photography Is Not a Crime shows the deputy losing her cool and snatching the phones, but the video directly contradicts her claim that she arrested Carlos Jaramillo for acting aggressive.

The deputy showed up to handle a dispute between Jaramillo and a neighbor, asking him for an ID. He provided his Veterans Affairs card, a government-issued form of identification, but she did not accept it. When he questions her on why she won't take it, she raises her voice, warns him not to act up, and tells him to put the phone down.

Jaramillo refuses, and she shouts, "For my safety, put the phone down!" She grabs the phone and puts handcuffs on him. Jaramillo's son shows up to record his father being detained, but the deputy takes that phone too. She screams, "I'm snatching everyone's phone and I will take everyone in!"

Jaramillo's son records them with another phone, but this one wasn't confiscated by the deputy. Jaramillo was eventually released on no charges.

Watch the video below, via Photography Is Not a Crime: (the video is a flash and I can't post it here. But you can watch it on the web site,)

http://www.mediaite.com/online/nc-deputy-flips-out-grabs-cell-phones-filming-her-arrest-of-marine-vet/

[Ross]

Video Captures Green Bay Police
Brutally Assaulting
Mouthy Bystander

by Luke O'Neil | 2:31 pm, April 23rd, 2014

Yesterday the internet had a bit of fun with the New York Police Department's hapless attempt at social media outreach by hijacking the #MyNYPD tag. On Monday came another reminder that it's not only big city police departments that know how to get their hands dirty with a video from an incident in Green Bay that shows a police officer brutally assaulting a bystander to an arrest who had been criticizing him.

The video, which was posted to Facebook on Monday, has since been shared over 40,000 times, and tens of thousands of other times on various YouTube posts. It shows Green Bay Police Officer Derek Wicklund attempting to arrest a man for allegedly carrying a drink outside of a bar, while Joshua Wenzel and a crowd of onlookers question the reasoning behind the arrests. As is often the case when inebriated college kids and overly-aggressive police officers collide, things do not go well from that point.

Wenzel, who appears to be screaming expletives at the officer but posing no physical threat, is pushed onto a car, body slammed to the ground, then punched in the face by Wicklund. "I'm turning that in, that was brutal," an onlooker yells. He is correct.

All of the officers in the video remain on duty, the Green Bay Press Gazette reports, although the department is conducting an investigation, they say. I wonder how that will go!

And so it will be looked at, all over the internet.

Elsewhere in police hurting people news, the Albuquerque Police's reign of terror continues, as they've killed yet another person, the third in five weeks. The woman in question pulled a gun on the officer, which is a bit more understandable as a cause for use of force than yelling bad words.

It is not illegal to swear at a police officer.

http://www.mediaite.com/online/video-captures-green-bay-police-brutally-assaulting-mouthy-bystander/

[Ross]

[Ross]

Police State?

Do these look like military vehicles?
Do they look like police cars?

What army are they going up against?
Would that be patriots and military veterans that have been called domestic terrorists?

Are the vehicles being taken on to instill fear in the population?

What is de-militarized about the appearance of these vehicles?

Is the high cost of storage, maintenance and operation of these vehicles which they say they hope they never have to use a viable expense to the taxpayers? They claimed they already have the use of a Kansas Bureau of Investigation armored vehicle. Just something to think about.

Doraville, Ga. population 8,830
Coffeyville, Ks population 9,993

COFFEYVILLE, KS.--- The Coffeyville Police Department has a new vehicle in their force that is heavily armed. The department has taken possession of a 2007 BAE Caiman MRAP armored vehicle. The Department of Defense awarded the vehicle to the Coffeyville department through the Military Surplus Program. The vehicle has been demilitarized and was used to protect U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. The police department plans to use the vehicle in emergency situations like an active shooter or an armed suspect.

A simple Google search for "police armored vehicle" turns up a list of articles from the last several weeks about nearly a dozen police departments that have acquired armored trucks: Cullman, Ala.; Murrieta, Calif.; Jacksonville, N.C.; Madison, Ind.; Yuma, Ariz.; Watauga County, N.C.; Oxford County, Maine; and Coffeyville, Kan.

http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/10/11/police-are-getting-the-militarys-leftover-armored-trucks/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=0

Default Military Gives Coffeyille Police Department An Armored Truck

    http://www.newson6.com/story/2360988...-armored-truck

The city of Coffeyville got the armored vehicle at essentially no cost.

The police department was given a 2007 BAE Caiman MRAP armored vehicle.

Police Chief Tony Celeste hopes the police department would never have to use it.


COFFEYVILLE, Kansas - The Coffeyville Police Department now owns a 2007 BAE Caiman MRAP armored vehicle.

Police Chief Tony Celeste says his department received the demilitarized vehicle thanks to the Department of Defense's Military Surplus Program. He says the truck was used to protect U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Celeste says the city of Coffeyville got it at essentially no cost, other than nominal transportation expenses.

In a news release, Celeste said he hoped the police department would never have to use it, but should an event like an active shooter incident occur, the armored truck could be critical in saving police and civilian lives.

Celeste says the department was notified it would be getting the BAE Caiman MRAP armored truck, after a September 23 incident which required the use of a Kansas Bureau of Investigation armored vehicle. He says the timing was a coincidence.

When does Elk County get theirs?

[Ross]

Cop Caught
Choking A Handcuffed College Student
Until He Passed Out

April 28, 2014 4:42 pm

A sheriff's deputy in Knox County, Tennessee has been caught in the act of choking a handcuffed college student until he passed out. Deputy
Frank Phillips, 47, was found "unsuitable for continued employment," as stated by a termination notice uploaded late Sunday night on the Knox County Sheriff's Office's website.

"In my 34 years of law enforcement experience, excessive force has never been tolerated. After an investigation by the Office of Professional Standards, I believe excessive force was used in this incident," Sheriff Jimmy "J.J." Jones stated about the photographed events.

"Therefore, Officer Phillips' employment with the Knox County Sheriff's Office is terminated immediately."

The investigation has now be turned over to the Knox County Attorney General's Office. They will ultimately determine whether any further action is "necessary."

The photos were captured by John Messner, a freelance photographer in Knoxville. He started recording as soon as he saw the University of Tennessee student Jarod Dotson being choked. The 21-year-old student can be seen falling to his knees after the deputy's grip brings him to unconsciousness.

Dotson had been drinking from a cup "that had an odor of an alcoholic beverage" at 23rd Street and Laurel Avenue. Apparently, this told the arresting deputies that they had the right to do essentially whatever they wanted to him.

Dotson was charged with public intoxication and resisting arrest, but was released Sunday morning on a $500 bond. The report filled out by arresting officers states that Dotson "began to physically resist officers' instructions to place his hands behind his back, and at one point grabbed on to an officer's leg."

But it is clear from the photographs that he was already cuffed, with his hands behind his back when he was being choked out.

After he was rendered unconscious, the deputy who choked him continued slapping him around on the head before walking off.

Sheriff Jones has demoted the other five officers involved in the incident.

http://countercurrentnews.com/2014/04/cop-caught-on-camera-choking-a-handcuffed-college-student-until-he-passed-out/