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Black Friday!
Posted: Sat, November 26, 2011 10:56 PM EST
Updated: Sun, November 27, 2011 03:47 PM PST
Buckeye, AZ -- An Arizona police department will conduct an investigation into the bloody arrest of a 54-year-old grandfather during a Black Friday sale at a Walmart, an assistant police chief said Saturday. Jerald Newman, 54, was released Saturday from a Maricopa County jail, his wife, Pamela, told media sources. He has been charged with resisting arrest and shoplifting. "(He is) as good as expected ... but he is emotionally and mentally a wreck," she said. "They were just letting people in; there was nowhere to walk," said his daughter, Berneta Sanchez, who was also in the store. "Teenagers and adults were fighting for these games, taking them away from little kids and away from my father." The suspect's grandson, Nicholas Nava, told media sources that Newman had grabbed one video game and put it under his shirt so that others jostling for the game didn't take it from him. One person alerted a police officer, who then approached Newman.
Newman (pictured left in mugshot) was among a throng of shoppers crammed into a Buckeye, Arizona, Walmart soon after it opened late the night of Thanksgiving. A media sources from Las Vegas, was among the crowd shopping for video games set up in the Walmart's grocery section. He said Newman "was not resisting" arrest as he was led away from the crowd by a police officer. That officer, the media source said, then suddenly hooked the suspect around the leg, grabbed him and "slammed him face first into the ground. It was like a bowling ball hitting the ground, that's how bad it was," he said.Video, recorded by the media source and later posted on television, shows an apparently unconscious Newman head-down on the floor in a pool of blood. As he's turned over, Buckeye police officers appear to try to revive him -- at which point his face, covered mostly in blood, is revealed. Several voices, apparently those of fellow shoppers, are heard saying, "Why would you throw him down so hard? All he did was shoplifting and you threw him down like that?" Another person says, "They threw him down. He wasn't doing anything wrong."
Buckeye Assistant Police Chief Larry Hall said the department will conduct an investigation to assess whether the actions of the police officer involved in the arrest were "within reason," based on "our policy and also the law." He said that probe would happen soon, adding it was "days away." "We may have an independent agency conduct the inquiry, just to show transparency," Hall said.
Walmart spokeswoman Ashley Hardie said the retail giant was aware of the incident.
"We are concerned whenever there is an incident involving a customer at one of our stores," Hardie said. "We are in contact with the local police and are sharing any information we have with them."
Illegal Liar!
September 16, 2011
Anchorage, ALASKA — A Former Anchorage Police Officer who entered the country illegally using a stolen identity was sentenced in state court Friday on related charges. Rafael Mora-Lopez was in State Superior Court Friday on charges of falsifying Permanent Fund Dividend applications since 1991. Judge Michael Wolverton sentenced Mora-Lopes to 24 month in jail with all of that suspended – meaning he won’t spend time behind bars on the state charges.
He says he made a mistake a long time ago and wishes he could now take it back. “To the people of Anchorage I want to apologize for what I did.” Lopez said at the sentencing hearing. “All I wanted to do was serve you.” For 20 years Mora-Lopez pretended to be Rafael Alberto Espinoza – a U.S. citizen currently living in Mexico. In August a federal judge sentenced Mora-Lopez to three months in jail for passport fraud and false claim of U.S. citizenship.
August 25, 2011
On August 25th, 2011, Mexican national Rafael Mora-Lopez, who immigrated illegally to the United States and stole another U.S. citizen's identity to prevent discovery, was sentenced in U.S. District Court in Anchorage, Alaska to three months in federal prison and fined $10,000. In addition, he was also sentenced to 750 hours of community service and three years of supervised release. Judge Tim Burgess did not sentence Mora-Lopez to deportation, since authorities say deportation issues are a separate matter under the jurisdiction of federal immigration officials.
An Alaska state case against Mora-Lopez, Case No. 3AN-11-06897CR, is still open. In June 2011, he pleaded guilty to a single felony count of unsworn falsification in conjunction with knowingly submitting false Permanent Fund Dividend applications. Although Mora-Lopez has since repaid $27,000 of dividends, he is to be sentenced on September 16th by Judge Michael Wolverton, and faces as much as two years imprisonment.
April 29, 2011
Update April 28th: It has now been revealed that before Mora-Lopez became an Anchorage cop in 2005, he was a bus driver for Anchorage People Mover from 1999-2005. The word is that he had a good work record there, too.
Anchorage Police Chief Mark Mew released more details on April 26th, 2011 on how the illegal Mexican immigrant Rafael Mora-Lopez became an Anchorage Police Officer known as Rafael Espinoza. Chief Mew explained why the initial fingerprint-based background check did not discover the existence of an American citizen named Rafael Espinoza, the name used by Mora-Lopez. It's because the real Espinoza, who now has dual citizenship, does not live in the United States and does not have fingerprints on file here. Since there was no record in the United States beyond the fact that he existed, it was an empty slate. Mew added that, in general, people are not fingerprinted unless they are arrested for a crime or apply for a job that requires it. The record could have been blank, or Mora-Lopez could have already established fingerprints on record, as Espinoza, for a previous job application. Either way, Mora-Lopez’s fingerprints were not in the criminal record.
But when the real Rafael Espinoza applied for a U.S. passport, and Mora-Lopez (Pictured left, illegal Mexican immigrant Rafael Mora-Lopez) subsequently applied in January to renew his passport under the Espinoza name, it was discovered that his information was at odds with the now-substantial record created by Mora-Lopez having used his identity. Bingo -- red flag! Immediately Mora-Lopez resigned from the department, knowing he'd be fired. If criminal allegations come up against an officer, detectives investigate and the officer is suspended with pay. If charges are filed, the officer is then suspended without pay, and if found guilty, then they are terminated.Chief Mew also said that APD is investigating Mora-Lopez' polygraph file to determine whether the correct questions were asked, the proper conclusions drawn from the data, or whether Mora-Lopez was capable of fooling a polygraph. Mew then added that Mew said he had been given legal advice not to discuss whether Mora-Lopez and Espinoza knew each other, how long Mora-Lopez used the false identity or whether Mora-Lopez had been in Anchorage since his entry into the United States from Mexico in 1989.
Mora-Lopez was arrested on Thursday April 21st and charged with one count of False Application of Passport, a federal crime carrying a 10-year maximum sentence. He pleaded not guilty and was released on $50,000 bond, subject to home confinement and electronic monitoring. He may face other charges. He is married with one child.
HPD - Chad Holley!
February 4, 2010
"Whoever provided the video to Channel 13 is in violation of a federal court order and should be prosecuted. It is unfortunate and irresponsible that Channel 13 has chosen to air the material at this time."
-- Annise Parker, Mayor of Houston on the release of the HPD beating video.
HOUSTON (WCJB) -- Months after four Houston police officers were indicted following the violent videotaped arrest of a teenage suspect, we along with others, now have the tape. The images were clear and graphic -- Houston police kicking, punching, and stomping teenage burglary suspect Chad Holley who had run, but was now clearly trying to surrender. Activist Quanell X gave the tape to 13 Undercover, before a state judge issued a restraining order. The tape was also sealed by a federal judge in the Holley civil lawsuit. "That tape made me angry as hell and I'm telling you when the people in the 'hood see it, they will be angry also and now it's time to come out," said Quanell X.
The video showed the most physical cop that March day appeared to be Raad Hassan. His termination letter listed 15 kicks. There were a lot of them, and there was one kick after Holley was clearly handcuffed.
Dallas PD!
Dallas, TX - Police Brutality - Sept. 5th 2010
Copper Thief!
Posted: 02/03/2011 07:11:09 AM PST
Updated: 02/03/2011 08:14:49 AM PST
SAN FRANCISCO -- A San Francisco police officer has been charged with stealing a car registration sticker from a driver he pulled over and then affixing the tag to his own car. District Attorney George Gascon said Officer Gregory Hui was arrested Wednesday on felony charges of falsifying motor vehicle documents. Prosecutors allege the 45-year-old patrol officer pulled over a car with a defective brake light a year ago. During the stop, he allegedly admonished the driver for having an improper sticker. Hui then allegedly took the sticker and put it on a car he co-owned that had expired tags. Gascon says Hui has not yet been arraigned on the charges, which include misdemeanor embezzlement. His bail was set at $18,000.Texas Justice 2011!
February 1, 2011
GEORGETOWN, TX — Fired Austin police officer Leonardo Quintana pleaded guilty Monday to drunken driving in a January 2010 arrest in Leander and will probably serve a year of probation for the crime. The arrest came eight months after he fatally shot Nathaniel Sanders II in a Northeast Austin apartment complex parking lot as Sanders reached for a gun Sanders had at his waist , officials said. Quintana has said the shooting led him to turn to alcohol. Quintana was later suspended for 15 days for not activating his patrol car camera during the incident, but he was not disciplined for his tactics or use of deadly force.
On Monday, Quintana entered his plea in a deal with prosecutors before Williamson County Court-at-Law No. 1 Judge Suzanne Brooks , who accepted the plea and scheduled a sentencing hearing for March 7 . If Brooks accepts the deal, Quintana will serve 12 months of probation and pay a $400 fine. If he fails to meet the terms of the probation, he could serve 180 days in jail and pay an additional $1,600 fine.
Quintana pleaded not guilty during his arraignment Monday morning, when the trial was scheduled to begin. He changed his plea to guilty after the deal with prosecutors was finalized early in the afternoon, Quintana's attorney said. "He came into court today, looked the judge straight in her eyes and said, 'I am guilty of this offense,'" the attorney said. "He is being held accountable. "Lenny has never excused his behavior that night."
The lead county prosecutor in the case, Geoffrey Puryear , said the plea agreement was typical for someone's first offense. Probation would allow law enforcement to monitor Quintana and mandate counseling, Puryear said. Specific conditions of Quintana's probation will be up to Brooks, Puryear said. Quintana was not available for comment after the plea.
Leander police arrested Quintana early on Jan. 12, 2010, after he crashed his Cadillac Escalade and failed field sobriety tests, officials have said. He had spent the night out drinking with friends and was driving home to Leander when he crashed his vehicle, police said. Tests showed that he had a blood alcohol level of 0.19 at the time, officials said. The legal limit to drive in Texas is 0.08. The arrest came after nearly six hours of questioning on Jan. 11, 2011 as part of a deposition in a federal civil rights lawsuit into the Sanders shooting. Balagia said the shooting weighed heavily on Quintana and that he unsuccessfully reached out, before the arrest, for help from the Police Department after he noticed an increase in his drinking.
"He went to the department and told them that he was having drinking problems because he was having nightmares and an inability to sleep because of the repercussions of the shooting," Balagia said. He said his client has not had a drink of alcohol since his arrest. Austin Police Chief Art Acevedo said he would not discuss what actions the department took "out of respect for Mr. Quintana's privacy." "However, I assure you when our department is aware that an employee has reached out for help, or we believe they need help, without exception we provide that help," Acevedo said.
Acevedo fired Quintana four months after the arrest, but an arbitrator in October reinstated him with a 15-day suspension. Quintana's lawyers successfully argued that Quintana was unfairly treated because other officers who had been charged with drunken driving were not fired. Upon reinstatement, Acevedo fired Quintana a second time amid an assault allegation involving Quintana's former girlfriend. In November, Leander police charged Quintana with four misdemeanor crimes relating to the allegation. A pretrial hearing for those charges will also be held March 7, 2011, the judge said. Balagia said Quintana is not guilty of those charges.
With Monday's guilty plea, Quintana is now at risk of losing his professional law enforcement license. The state agency that licenses officers has begun issuing "hard suspension" in some cases to officers who are convicted of drunken driving — prohibiting them from taking law enforcement action during that time. Acevedo has said that officers who lack a valid license will be fired. Sgt. Wayne Vincent , president of the Austin police union, said, "We are aware of the plea, and we hope it has worked out that he can somehow come back and have a career in law enforcement."
Convicted ... Perjury!
Janaury 28, 2011
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- A police sergeant faces up to six years in prison after a jury found him guilty on charges of official misconduct and false reports. Jurors returned the verdict against 44-year-old Marc Garza Thursday night. Police say Garza was behind a fake burglary report that was written to keep him and his men out of trouble after an August 2009 raid on a house. Records show they did not have a warrant Garza was a decorated squad leader of a crime-busting team in the Operation Safe Streets program. Prosecutors told jurors Graza's zeal for busting bad guys turned him into a criminal. Garza is awaiting trial in another case. He is accused of using a police radio to beat a handcuffed drug suspect last summer.
Prior Bad Acts!
May 26, 2010
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The officer already charged with falsifying a police report has been charged today with more crimes. Sgt. Marc Garza, a 14-year veteran of the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office, was arrested in February following an August incident in which witnesses said he removed an air conditioner to break into a home. The incident was written up as a burglary in progress. Today, the a new arrest report against Garza shows more charges stemming from a separate incident last summer. On Aug. 18, 2009, Garza was among the officers who responded to a home on Cagle Road on the Southside for a narcotics investigation. Somario Atkins was arrested and placed in the back of a police car while officers continued investigating. Witnesses at the scene that day said Garza learned that Atkins bit another officer during the arrest, police said. The witnesses said Garza then went to Atkins, who was handcuffed in the back of the car, and repeatedly hit him on the head with his portable radio. Atkins needed treatment at Shands for a 2-inch laceration on his head.
"The fact is, if an officer violated the law, we apply the same standards to them as with anyone else," said Jacksonville Undersheriff Frank Mackesy. Mackesy said a group of police officers did the right thing when they heard of Garza's conduct in the field. "Police officers came forward and led us to the point where we are at today. Morally centered, ethical officers," Mackesy said, adding that Garza is one of over 3,000 employees with the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office. Garza supervised a unit of eight officers. Mackesy said that JSO reviewed every case Garza has worked on, checking for any other instances of possible misconduct. "Naturally they'd be called into question but we've done an exhaustive review of the cases and there isn't any tainting of those cases as a result of [Garza's] conduct," Mackesy said.
A Jacksonville defense attorney said for him, the officer's arrest would raise questions about other cases. He said it is possible that a defendant's guilty verdict could be set aside based on newly discovered evidence. "In all respect to the sheriff's office, just because they may not believe his credibility is an issue in another case, doesn't mean a defense attorney or the public defender's office isn't going to believe there's some question," the attorney said. Garza turned himself in Monday to face the charges, but didn't say anything, as he invoked his right to counsel. He is charged with aggravated battery and falsifying an official document, both felonies. Wednesday night, Garza's attorney declined to comment.
Rabbit's gotta GUN!
January 24, 2011
Police have found the body of a man they believe shot and killed two police officers Monday, a St. Petersburg, Florida, police spokesman said. The two officers died in a morning shootout while trying to find a suspect named in an aggravated battery warrant, Police Chief Chuck Harmon said. A third officer, a deputy U.S. marshal, was shot twice and wounded, but was in stable condition at a hospital, officials said. Even after they knocked a hole in a wall to rescue one officer, police did not know where the suspect was, St. Petersburg police spokeswoman Midge Walsh said.
So they used a backhoe to rip down much of the home -- which, by Monday afternoon, was largely a pile of wood and rubble, as seen in aerial video footage from the scene. Numerous law enforcement personnel also were working outside the residence.
Around 2:45 p.m., St. Petersburg police spokesman Bill Proffitt said that a deceased man -- believed to be the shooter and the man authorities had been looking for originally -- had been found in the house. The name of the suspect has not been released by police. Authorities had been trying to locate the suspect for weeks, Harmon said, using both uniformed and undercover officers. The officers went to the home about 7 a.m. Monday to talk to a "young lady" regarding his whereabouts, but did not expect the man to be there, the chief said.
The woman told the officers the man was in the home's attic, Harmon said. The officers went after the man, who fired at them from the attic, he said. One of the officers had stayed in the attic after being shot, and he was eventually rescued without further gunfire erupting. In total, Harmon estimated, more than 100 shots were fired from both the suspect and the officers.
"He was somebody we wanted to get off the street," Harmon said. "And obviously, today you see why." He did not release the two officers' names, saying he would later Monday. Both officers were married, he said, and one had children. Both had been with the department for "well over 10 years," he said. "I've been chief for 10 years, almost ... and I haven't lost an officer," Harmon said. "This is devastating to me. This is a chief's worst nightmare." Harmon said he had spoken to both officers' wives and "obviously, they're in a state of shock."
St. Petersburg Mayor Bill Foster told reporters it was a "dark day." "Our hearts are grieving," he said. The three law enforcement officers are among at least 11 shot nationwide in a 24-hour period.
Four officers were shot and wounded at a Detroit police precinct on Sunday. Two Kitsap County, Washington, sheriff's deputies were shot and wounded at a Walmart in the town of Port Orchard. And officers in two locations -- Indianapolis and Lincoln City, Oregon -- were critically injured Sunday after being shot during traffic stops.
DPD Shootout!
January 29, 2011
In-House Job!
January 24, 2011
DETROIT – A relative of the gunman who was fatally shot after wounding four officers at a Detroit police station was scheduled to be sentenced Monday in a double-homicide case, the city's police chief said. Chief Ralph Godbee identified the shooter as 38-year-old Lamar D. Moore of Detroit, but said he couldn't speculate about a motive in Sunday's shooting at the 6th precinct.
January 23, 2011
Four police officers were shot at a Detroit police precinct on Sunday afternoon but all are expected to survive, the city's police chief said Sunday. Security measures may be reassessed now, he said. The most seriously injured officer -- he was shot in the lower back -- emerged from surgery Sunday evening at Sinai-Grace Hospital, Detroit Police Chief Ralph Godbee said.
A person who police identified as the shooter was shot dead, Godbee said at a Sunday evening press conference. Police have identified the shooter, Godbee said, but are withholding the person's name as they conduct an investigation of the incident. Godbee said that a man walked into a police precinct Sunday and "indiscriminately began firing and as you can imagine utter chaos and pandemonium took place."
Godbee said the "prognosis we feel is very good" for the officer who was shot in the back, who is a commander. A female sergeant was shot in the chest but was protected by a bulletproof vest. She has been treated and released from the hospital, Godbee said. Two other male officers were grazed in the head, with one in serious condition, but both are conscious, alert and talking, he said
"We are very relieved that it appears that all our officers are going to be OK," Godbee said. He said the identities of the wounded officers are being withheld until their families are notified.
Detroit Police Department Sgt. Eren Stephens said the shooter was a 35-year-old African-American man. He walked into Detroit's sixth precinct station Sunday at 4:25 p.m., and "opened fire, striking 4 officers," Stephens said. "Return fire fatally wounded the assailant."
Godbee said Sunday that Detroit police would likely revise security measures after the shooting. He referred to the Tucson, Arizona shooting that left six dead and wounded 13, including U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, earlier this month.
"In light of what happened in Tucson, Arizona, with Congresswoman Giffords and then with this incident, of course we have to take a step back and reassess security procedures at each one of our facilities," he said.
OPD - Alter-Ego!
Posted: 01/23/2011 08:46:51 AM PST
Updated: 01/23/2011 09:11:05 AM PST
OAKLAND, CA -- An Oakland public schools police officer fatally shot a 20-year-old man Saturday night who was stabbing another school officer with a screwdriver, authorities said. The name of the dead man was not released. Authorities said he had addresses in San Francisco, Daly City and Alameda. The names of the officers were not released.
The man was inside a Honda that had been stolen earlier in the evening in Oakland and a pistol was also found inside the vehicle not far from where the man was, authorities said. A 20-year-old woman who was driving the car was not hurt. She was being interviewed Sunday by Oakland police who are investigating the shooting. Her name was not released.
The incident happened about 9:15 p.m. Saturday in the 3500 block of Joaquin Miller Road near Crane Way. The site is across the street from Joaquin Miller Park where Skyline High School students were at a dance at a park facility. The school officers were on patrol in the area to prevent people from crashing the dance as well as stop other illegal activity, School District Police Chief Peter Sarna said. The officers saw the Honda parked with its hazard lights on and went to investigate. They did not know at the time the car had been stolen. Authorities said the man and woman had no connection to the school and apparently had just coincidentally parked there.
The man was sitting in the front passenger seat and began fighting with the school officer who approached him on that side, authorities said. The other school officer, who was on the driver's side, said he shot the man when he saw him stabbing his fellow officer with a screwdriver, authorities said. The man was pronounced dead at the scene. The officer who was stabbed did not require medical treatment. It is believed his protective vest absorbed some of the screwdriver's thrusts.
It was the first time in recent memory anyone could recall an Oakland school police officer being involved in a fatal shooting. A school police officer was shot to death during a car stop in 2000. Sarna promised the investigation into the shooting would be "thorough and transparent." The shooting is being investigated by the Oakland police homicide unit and the Alameda County District Attorney's Office. The school district will also conduct an investigation, Sarna said.
Reaping & Sowing!
January 20, 2011
Hunting a violent career criminal wanted for murder, Miami-Dade police detectives knocked on the door of a Liberty City duplex Thursday morning. The man's mother let them in. But Johnny Simms, a tattooed thug fresh off his most recent prison stint, refused to face justice, jumping out from another room with his pistol blazing at point-blank range. Police bullets felled the fugitive -- but not before he shot and killed veteran detectives Roger Castillo, 41, and Amanda Haworth, 44. The career criminal's bloody last stand rocked South Florida's law enforcement community, which has counted six other officers killed in the line of duty in the past five years.``I know I'm supposed to say we're all children of God and that things happen,'' said an angry and tearful Miami-Dade Police Director James Loftus. ``But that guy is evil. He murdered two of my people today.''
The shooting was the first double police murder in South Florida since Miami-Dade detectives Richard Boles and David Strzalkowski were gunned down at a trailer park in 1988, and the first time a female officer was shot to death on the job in Miami-Dade. Detective Deidre Beecher survived the ambush with a minor knee injury. Detective Oscar Plasencia emerged unscathed, shooting Simms dead just outside the front door of the duplex.
Consider:
– On Sunday, four officers were shot in a Detroit police station by a man who walked in, firing randomly. Lamar Deshea Moore was shot to death by police so his motive may never be known, but local reports say a relative was awaiting sentencing for double murder. Two of the police officers remain hospitalized. For more, read CNN’s update and affiliate reports from the scene: WXYZ-TV and WDIV-TV.
– Two deputies were shot outside a Walmart in Port Orchard, Washington, near Seattle, on Sunday.
– A police officer is in a coma and in critical condition after being shot during a traffic stop early Sunday in Indianapolis. Check out WTHR-TV and WISH-TV for updates.
– In Lincoln City, Oregon, a police officer was shot Sunday night during a traffic stop. The officer is in critical condition. Check out affiliate KOIN-TV for more information.
Although they do not appear to be related, the weekend shootings follow two other violent incidents last week involving police officers, including the Miami killings and a slaying in Lakewood, New Jersey.
Mehserle 2011!
(Pictured left, Eurie Stamps Sr., 68, was shot and killed at his 26 Fountain St. home when police entered his home to serve a drug search warrant early Wednesday morning, 1/5/11) Eurie Stamps Sr. retired from the MBTA in 2006 after a 20-year career working with machines in the bus division, the agency said. Before leaving for a walk, the former MBTA worker would grab a cap and an elaborate wooden cane, cutting a suave figure as he slowly made his way from his family's Fountain Street apartment. [N]eighbors reacted with shock yesterday when they heard the gentlemanly retiree had been fatally shot by a Framingham police officer during a raid that led to the the arrests of the man's stepson and the stepson's cousin on drug charges. "It's pretty bothersome," said upstairs tenant Joey Fisher, standing outside puffing on a cigarette after a night in which he heard a clamor so loud "I thought I was in Fallujah." He saw Stamps taken out on a stretcher. Framingham’s Police Chief, Steven Carl released this statement about the shooting.
"At 12:30 a.m. on Wednesday, January 5, the Framingham Police SWAT Team served a search warrant at 26 Fountain St. in Framingham. During the service of the search warrant Mr. Eurie Stamps was tragically and fatally struck by a bullet which was discharged from a SWAT officer’s rifle. Despite immediate intervention by tactical medics, he died at the scene.
The officer involved has been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the District Attorney’s Office’s independent investigation into the justifiability of the shooting. Our condolences are with Mr. Stamp’s family for the heartbreak they are understandably enduring and we will await the findings of the investigation before taking any additional administrative action. According to the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office, the investigation will take three to four weeks and the identity of the Framingham officer who shot Stamps will not be released until the investigation is complete."
Blue-Black Homicide!
Posted: January 09, 2011 - Updated: January 11th, 2011 11:11 AM PDT
BALTIMORE, MD (WCJB) — A fight at a Baltimore nightclub spilled onto the street early Sunday and led to an eruption of gunfire that killed a police officer and another man and left four people hurt, police said. One of those wounded also was a police officer, who was shot in the leg, said police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi. Investigators were trying to determine if officers may have fired on a fellow officer whose badge and other identifying markings came off his uniform during the scuffle, he said.No arrests have been made, but dozens of people were being questioned, Guglielmi said. Authorities said officers arrived at the Select Lounge to find a large fight and called for backup. Investigators still weren’t sure if anyone besides officers had fired their weapons. “It was a pretty significant fight from what we understand. A large fight and a number of officers responded,” Guglielmi told media sources. “It ultimately spilled outside into the parking lot.”
The police spokesman said the dead officer was 33 and an eight-year veteran of the department but said he likely wouldn’t be identified until Monday. He also did not give the name of the other male victim. Guglielmi said the second officer was shot in a leg and was expected to recover. The others wounded also were not identified, but the spokesman said they were in their 20s.
Meanwhile, investigators were at the club trying to piece together events. “We have a lot of ground to cover, a lot of people to talk to,” he said. By dawn Sunday, police tape surrounded the block of Select Lounge. No one answered when a reporter knocked on the door and police asked a reporter and photographer to leave. Police tape also surrounded a parking lot containing about 25 cars and lay in the foyer of the club. The club is in a mixed industrial and residential area not far from the hospital where victims had been taken.
Sunday wasn’t the first time the city’s nightlife has been rocked by shootings. In March, two people were shot outside the Velvet Rope nightclub when a fight inside the club spilled onto the street. On June 5, 2010 off-duty police officer Gahiji A. Tshamba was out in a neighborhood known for its nightlife when authorities say he shot and killed an unarmed Iraq war veteran. Police say Tshamba and Tyrone Brown had gotten into a heated argument when Tshamba shot Brown 12 times with his department-issued Glock handgun. Tshamba has been charged with murder.
Criminal Cops - 2011!
Andrew Davenport!
January 24, 2011
A Utah Highway Patrol trooper is under investigation after a video showed him punching a woman several times during a traffic stop, a spokesman for the Utah Department of Public Safety said. A dashboard camera captured footage of Sgt. Andrew Davenport punching 53-year-old Darla Wright in August. Davenport is on paid administrative leave, said Brian Hyer, spokesman for the Utah Department of Public Safety.
Wright was speeding in Ogden when officers tried to pull her over, authorities said late Saturday. According to an incident report, the driver evaded police, and a chase ensued. Authorities stopped the woman by trapping her car between two vehicles. "The suspect was still trying to escape, she had the accelerator floored and engine revving in an attempt to push our vehicles out of the way," Davenport wrote in an incident report. Davenport said Wright would not roll down her window and gripped on the steering wheel. On the video, Davenport is seen breaking the driver's side window, reaching into the car and repeatedly punching the woman.
"She refused to comply with commands to give us her hands," Davenport wrote. "Due to my close proximity to the suspect and my experience with Taser failure at such close distances, I delivered three close hand strikes to her head in an attempt to gain compliance with our commands. I did this to distract and stun her and to stop her from trying to drive off and strike our vehicles or possibly run us over. The strikes worked and we were able to grab her hands."
Hyer said investigations involve "multiple layers of reviews." It is unclear when the reviews might be completed.
"The Sgt. Davenport investigation is a personnel matter, and I am limited at what I can say," Hyer said. "There have been several reviews and an investigation, and right now we have a pending personnel matter." Hyer confirmed to CNN that Davenport is a cousin of Utah Department of Public Safety Commissioner D. Lance Davenport, but police say the relationship will not affect the case. Hyer said the commissioner told him he believes in doing the right thing. "The commissioner expects all of his employees to be held accountable for his or her actions," Hyer said. "There is a relationship between Commissioner Davenport and Sgt. Davenport, but that's it. It has no bearing on this case." CNN attempted to reach Sgt. Davenport, but the Department of Public Safety is not allowing him to speak, Hyer said.
The driver was eventually taken into custody on suspicion of driving under the influence, eluding police, reckless driving, assault on a police officer and resisting arrest. Attempts to reach her were unsuccessful.
David L'Esperance !
Jan. 24, 2011
BOSTON -- The former police chief of Salisbury is at the center of a sex and drug scandal, and that's just the beginning. The results are in Monday night of an investigation into the former chief by the town, making him out to be as dirty as they come. The report says 50-year-old Police Chief David L'Esperance offered money and drugs in exchange for sex with three different woman, that he stole from crimes scenes, pocketing money and property, and that he interfered with justice. He ordered officers in his department to release suspects and alter police reports to protect his so-called friends while asking prosecutors to do the same. There are 15 violations in all, and are believed to have been going on for several years. “It’s very, very disappointing. In the end there is no way to mask that disappointment on my part, and I’m sure there are several people in town who feel the same way that I do. But the fact is that we took action,” said Neil Harrington the Salisbury Town Manager.
The town will now forward the report to the prosecutor’s office to see if they want to go after the former chief criminally. L'Esperance resigned last week, the day he was supposed to be interviewed for the investigation.
Aleksande Shwarz!
Jan. 8, 2011
A 21-year veteran of the Philadelphia Police Department has been arrested on charges of lying to police about an arrest he made last March in which he claimed a man assaulted him. Instead, police said Friday, Officer Aleksande Shwarz was the aggressor, and Shwarz himself has been charged with assault for his role in the arrest. Shwarz, 54, has been suspended for 30 days with intent to dismiss, Police Commissioner Charles H. Ramsey said in a statement. Shwarz, who was assigned to the Second District, was arrested Wednesday on charges of simple assault, unsworn falsification to authorities, and abuse of office. He was released on $5,000 bail after an arraignment hearing Wednesday night. He could not be reached for comment.Rich Bobbe, an attorney representing the subject of Shwarz's allegedly falsified report, said he and his client were pleased that a full investigation had been conducted by the Police Department's Internal Affairs Bureau and the District Attorney's Office. "We look forward to justice fully being served," Bobbe said. Bobbe would not release the name of his client, but he is in his early 30s and has no criminal record. He was never formally charged in the arrest Shwarz made on March 4, and was cleared of any wrongdoing soon afterward.
The man works at a U-Haul agency on the 7700 block of Roosevelt Boulevard, where the arrest took place and where the incident was captured on multiple security cameras, Bobbe said. A van was stolen from U-Haul last spring, and was later found and returned to the company. When employees realized the van was still listed on the police database of stolen vehicles, the man Shwarz later arrested called police and asked for help removing it from the list so the company could begin renting it out, Bobbe said. Shwarz and his partner were dispatched to handle the matter and arrived at U-Haul shortly after 4 p.m. The man explained the situation, but there was a problem with the paperwork and Shwarz and the man got into a dispute.
It is unclear how the situation became hostile, but at some point the man asked for the name of Shwarz's supervisor, Bobbe said, then went outside to write down the number of Shwarz's cruiser. Shwarz followed, Bobbe said. As the man began walking back to the office, Shwarz "lunged" at him in an apparent effort to take the paper from him, Bobbe said. When the man kept walking toward the door, Shwarz grabbed him, shoved him, and threw him to the ground, Bobbe said. The man was arrested on a charge of simple assault and taken away in handcuffs. Shwarz later claimed the man was belligerent and swore at the officers, Bobbe said, and alleged he threw a shoulder into Shwarz's torso to bodycheck him.
Bobbe obtained surveillance footage from the U-Haul site and brought it to the District Attorney's Office. After reviewing the footage, the office declined to file charges in the case and referred the matter to Internal Affairs Bureau. The man was released after about 24 hours, Bobbe said. In addition to the cameras, another employee and at least two customers witnessed the arrest, Bobbe said. Their interviews also contradicted Shwarz's version of events. Shwarz's is the latest in a series of arrests of Philadelphia officers. Last year, 11 officers were arrested on charges ranging from rape to murder to drug dealing, prompting Ramsey to say that restoring the department's integrity was a priority.
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