Go to qualitypolicing.com

Tag: police brutality

  • Too Gentle a Slap

    I’ve said beforethat Deputy Inspector Anthony Bologna should be in trouble (but not fired). But this seems like too gentle a slap on the wrist. What worries me isn’t his career (I couldn’t care less), but the message it sends.

    Clearly transferring this man to a precinct closer to home is a case of rewarding an officer for 30 years of (what I assume to be) dedicated service. But it also says that misuse of force (and to the detriment of other police officers, I want to point out) isn’t a big deal, at least not when done to a ranking officer. That’s not right. I think he should have been forced, by risk of server sanction, to retire.

    Macing somebody is a bigger deal than fixing tickets. Because the officers in the latter situation are being criminally charged, the practice will change. But misuse of force against a screaming liberal woman protester is somehow OK? It’s not right. And it sends a dangerous message to officers dealing with an ongoing delicate situation.

  • “If police have to come and get you…”

    “…they’re bringing an ass-kicking with them.” — Chris Rock

    Here’s videoof Houston police beating a 15-year-old burglar. He was convictedback in October. But the video of the arrest was just now released.

    Did he “deserve it”? I’m not going to go there. But police should take note: seven officers no longer have jobs. And for what? To give some 15-year-old a lesson? It’s not worth it.

  • Mineo gets what he deserves

    Nada. Nichts. Zilch. Niks. Τίποτα!

    That’s what the lying Mineo gets for his $440 million B.S. lawsuit against the NYPD. Even better, he’s got to pay court fees.

    The jury was deadlocked (11-1, against Kern) on whether Officer Kern brutalized Mineo with a baton.

    From the Daily News:

    Jurors did find Kern liable for malicious prosecution for giving Mineo a summons for marijuana – but Brooklyn Federal Judge Jack Weinstein tossed that.

    The jury also cleared Officers Alex Cruz, Andrew Morales and Noel Jugraj of false arrest and excessive force, denial of medical treatment and malicious arrest.

    Personally, I’d be happy if Kern got something for being a d*ck. But that will probably happen departmentally. I’m more happy that Mineo gets nothing.

    And forgive a small bit of gloating, but I called this one back in 2008. Lucky for me, I just happened to right. At least this time.

  • Trial of Officer London

    I don’t really have a problem with the first two minutes. The suspect, Walter Harvin, was aggressive and uncooperative. Harvin pushes Officer London at 0:26 and has to go. I turns into a messy arrest, but that’s sometimes how it is.

    As much as I don’t like tasers… tasing this guy sure would have saved both officer and suspect a lot of trouble. Neither mace nor baton worked (though I can’t see the mace).

    Yet again, this shows the problem with expandable batons. They don’t really work. They cause pain but they don’t have stopping power. And they sure look bad when in use, wacking people again and again. The unpopular straight baton, which is much more like a small baseball bat, is a much better tool. It’s cheaper, too.

    But after minute three? After the cuffs are on? You can’t give a guy an ass whuppin’ because he’s yelling, “I’m going to kill you” and you think he deserves it. You can’t beat a guy till he shuts up.

    We’ll see what the jury says.

    [And the hits at minute 8, necessary at the time, should never have needed to happen because Harvin should not have been able to get up and charge the officer.]

    Here’s the story in the Timesand the Post.

  • Seattle officer not aggressive enough

    This Seattle officer wasn’t too aggressive. He was not aggressive enough. The officer says, “Stop resisting.” The suspect says, “Get the fuck off of me.” In this case, the officer is the correct and legal one. And he is lucky he didn’t get jumped, beaten, or killed.

    That woman needed be controlled. At some point (after the punch) I would have maced her, thrown her to the ground, and cuffed her. At least that’s what I like to think I would have done.

    And where the hell is the backup?

    The story from KOMO News.

    All for jaywalking. Designing urban space for cars and then ticketing people for jaywalking may be the only thing more idiotic than the war on drugs.

  • Ex-police officer Pogan convicted

    This is the guy who pushed over the bicyclist in Times Square. Pogan was convicted of filing false statements (saying that he was assaulted by the victim). Pogan was also convicted of a misdemeanor for attesting to the complaint’s truthfulness.

    Patrick Pogan, who was only on the job for 11 days, was acquitted on assault charges. Judging from the video, he looked guilty to me. But police should be given benefits of doubt on use of force. And I wasn’t in the court room or on the jury. So I’ll pipe down on the assault charge. The important thing is that Pogan was convicted and won’t be getting his job back. Good riddance to him. The NYPD can do better.

  • Chief Hylton… Where were you?

    Prince George’s County Police Department Chief Roberto L. Hylton has been very quick to express outrage at the beat down a few of his officers gave to a college student.

    I’m just curious where chief Hylton was that night.

    Did he have somewhere more important to be?

    Really. Where was he if not out there with his officers? I don’t know if he was out there on the front line. I hope he was. But I have a feeling he wasn’t. Because if there was real leadership there that night, the beating probably never would have happened.

  • You get fired for lying

    The beating looks bad (oh, hell, it is bad), but will be defending by some. Hell, it isn’t easy being told to restore order in riot. But lying on your report? Now that gets you fired.

    But regardless of the specifics, what are you supposed to do with thousands of stupid drunk stupid college students “celebrating” (AKA: good-spirited rioting).

    This is just one reason why my father hated jocks and scholastic sports.

    How come when society has a problem, somehow it’s the cops who always end up taking the fall?

  • Officers Acquitted in Mineo “Abuse” Trial

    “We the jury weighed all the evidence and found reasonable doubt.” I’ll say.

  • No Sh*t

    “A doctor testifying for the defense in the NYPD sodomy trial told jurors on Wednesday that the alleged victim’s injuries couldn’t have come from a police baton.
    …
    ‘Do I have an opinion on it? I don’t believe it happened.’”

    Both these quotes are from this Daily News article on Mineo.