The latest of a seemingly never-ending pattern of double-standards claimed by those who wear badges: According to one witness Dayle Long, employee of Riverside Co. sheriff’s dept., told a fellow bar patron: “‘You don’t want to do this; you’re a nice guy’. And he shot him.”
Complete article from The Daily Mail:
If we really want to mitigate such atrocious rights-violations it won’t happen from another “civilian review board” or internal investigation but from a systemic change. The Statist Quo changes only when we each change our own outlook.
Live free and refuse to grant anyone authority simply because it’s claimed. Real change happens not at the ballot box but one mind at a time. When no one claims to be a master and no one allows themselves to be a slave.
The current “law enforcement” model is provided at the barrel of a gun. “Customers” are forced to pay or else. The lack of market signals means perverse incentives. Think for yourself:
Complete article from The Daily Mail:An off-duty police officer has been charged with executing a man in a sports bar – after an argument over a game of darts.It’s important to remember that all cops aren’t evil. I’m not anti-cop. Individuals, including Dayle Long (whether the allegations against him are true or false), are responsible for their actions. That means everyone – no matter their place of employment – should be held accountable for their actions.
Riverside County sheriff’s deputy Dayle Long, 42, allegedly shot Samuel Vanettes, 36, three times, leaving him to die on the floor of the bar in Murrieta, California.
It is reported that Long, who had been drinking alone, struck up a conversation with Vanettes and his friends at Spelly’s Bar and Grille before the shooting.
An altercation allegedly broke out after the police officer told one of the friends ‘I’m better at darts than you are’, Chris Hull, 39, told Patch.com.
‘My buddy says, “Aw, you suck at darts”. (The man) says, “That’s why I’m a cop, I can do whatever I want to do”.’
Hull tsaid his friend asked; ‘Really, you can do anything?’
The police officer then pulled out his gun, Hull claimed and after the group repeatedly asked him to put it away he ‘pops three rounds into my friend Sam’.
The ten-year department veteran appeared at the Southwest Justice Center in French Valley in a red prison uniform, on Friday charged with murder.
Vanettes, a gas station cashier, was trying to keep the peace in the bar when he was gunned down, John Hall, a spokesperson for the District Attorney’s office, according to Patch.com report.
Long and another man were in an argument when Vanettes had stepped in to break up the fight.
‘He came in to act as a peacemaker and ended up getting shot,’ Hall said.
He added that the victim was unarmed and showing no aggressive behavior.
According to a family member of the victim, who spoke to the LA Times, Vanettes was at the bar with his sister, her boyfriend and another friend when he started playing darts with Long.
‘They were getting along good,’ the relative said Vanettes sister had told.
‘When the cop started having more whiskey, he started getting belligerent.
‘He lifted his shirt up and showed his gun. Sam was standing by the dartboard.
‘He said, “You don’t want to do this; you’re a nice guy”. And he shot him. That’s what I’m told.’
If convicted, Long could face 50 years to life behind bars.
If we really want to mitigate such atrocious rights-violations it won’t happen from another “civilian review board” or internal investigation but from a systemic change. The Statist Quo changes only when we each change our own outlook.
Live free and refuse to grant anyone authority simply because it’s claimed. Real change happens not at the ballot box but one mind at a time. When no one claims to be a master and no one allows themselves to be a slave.
The current “law enforcement” model is provided at the barrel of a gun. “Customers” are forced to pay or else. The lack of market signals means perverse incentives. Think for yourself:
Posted in Quick HitsComments (9)
Legalizing Marijuana: Police Officers Speak Out (A response)
Posted on 24 December 2011.
Doug Wylie posted up an article Friday over at PoliceOne.com about the marijuana legalization debate and what cops have to say about the issue. What’s most surprising is the poll results he posted about stating that 44% of cops on the site are in favor of legalization or on the fence, which is up from a 2009 poll they conducted that only recieved 36% in favor or on the fence.
It’s best to start with the reason marijuana is illegal in the first place, a history that has much to do with racism, control, and protectionism. For most of human history marijuana has been legal, and it’s use dates back to 7,000 BC. It had many uses, it was used for food, clothes, rope, paper and many other things. As a matter of fact, the Declaration of Independence was written on hemp paper. The first marijuana law in America was enacted in Jamestown Colony in 1619 ordering farmers to grow Indian hemp and you could actually be jailed for NOT growing hemp during shortages, it was even legal to pay your taxes with hemp at this time. The 1850 Census counted over 8,000 hemp farms in the US.
But then came the racism factor. In 1910 the Mexican revolution spread across the border and there started a rash of bad feelings between the smaller hemp farms and the larger ones who were using cheap Mexican labor. The Great Depression followed and when jobs became scarce, California passed a law outlawing “preparations of hemp” or “loco weed” as many Mexicans smoked marijuana.
Utah followed by outlawing marijuana after Mormons who traveled to Mexico were bringing the weed back to the state and smoking it. Targeting Mexican-Americans, 8 other states passed laws outlawing marijuana between 1915 and 1927. One Montana legislator, after the state outlawed marijuana in 1927, was quoted as saying,
When some beet field peon takes a few traces of this stuff… he thinks he has just been elected president of Mexico, so he starts out to execute all his political enemies.A Texas legislator was quoted as saying,
All Mexicans are crazy, and this stuff [marijuana] is what makes them crazy.In the East, it was all about stopping the “Negroes” from smoking it, as it was part of the Jazz scene sweeping the Eastern United States. Said most newspapers in 1934
Marihuana influences Negroes to look at white people in the eye, step on white men’s shadows and look at a white woman twice.Alcohol prohibition was written into the Constitution because the view at the time was that the Feds did not have the power to outlaw alcohol and drugs (alcohol is a drug, so that’s like repeating yourself) therefore Congress passed the Harrison Act in 1914 to tax cocaine and opiates. If you did not follow the law you found yourself in a lot of trouble with the Treasury Department. Therefore, in 1930, the Treasury Department created the Federal Bureau of Narcotics, thus starting the all out war on marijuana. The following quotes are attributed to the founding Director Henry Anslinger
There are 100,000 total marijuana smokers in the US, and most are Negroes, Hispanics, Filipinos, and entertainers. Their Satanic music, jazz, and swing, result from marijuana use. This marijuana causes white women to seek sexual relations with Negroes, entertainers, and any others.”Anslinger then introduced the Marijuana Tax Act of 1937, complete with racist remarks and stories of ax murderers who were high on the drug. The legislation passed and the rest is history as they say.
“…the primary reason to outlaw marijuana is its effect on the degenerate races.”
“Marijuana is an addictive drug which produces in its users insanity, criminality, and death.”
“Reefer makes darkies think they’re as good as white men.”
“Marihuana leads to pacifism and communist brainwashing”
“You smoke a joint and you’re likely to kill your brother.”
“Marijuana is the most violence-causing drug in the history of mankind.”
Going back to the article in question, the debate was brought up after a Border Patrol agent was fired for telling a coworker during idle chat that cross border violence would cease if the drug war was ended. A belief that isn’t really that uncommon amongst police officers. I know more than one police officer here in my small town that really has no problem with marijuana smokers. I’ve witnessed in person, a cop walk in on people smoking pot and done nothing about it, not even give them a warning.
But can a police officer actually be fired for voicing this opinion? It happens, as the New York Times has reported. Those cops in the story that were fired for their pro-legalization are now likely to win big settlements from their departments.
This revelation may upset some pro-drug war cops, like the ones cited in the PoliceOne article. It shows that alot of cops are actually against the drug war, and the poll numbers found by PoliceOne.com probably would be closer to 50/50 if more cops were not afraid of speaking out. But now that they are seeing they can speak out and win money because of it, you may see this more and more. I’d love to see the poll results in a couple years.
What these anti-legalization cops do not understand, is that their belief kills innocent, peaceful people. Domestic drug law enforcement has killed 48 people in 2011 (as of December 9), the latest being 24 year old Samyr Ceballos of Santa Monica, California. After being investigated by the police, he was followed home and tazed after refusing to get out of his SUV. Cops then claim he reached for his gun and was then shot and killed. Police are refusing to release the names of the officers after threats from a local gang.
Which brings me to my next point, gangs are what they are because of prohibition. Al Capone would have been a nobody had alcohol never been outlawed, and big time notorious gangsters these days would be nobodys if not for drugs being outlawed. When you outlaw something like drugs and weapons, it just goes underground, where lots of shady and dangerous people make a profit off of it. They will do whatever it takes to transport these things to the people that want them because the demand is still there. The more police crack down on drugs, the more dangerous the work becomes for the gangs to get their products to their clients, therefore the price of those illegal products rises.
And to be able to move the products, they have to buy off police officers, which is where corruption comes from. Border Agents, sheriff deputies and local cops everywhere are being bought off by drug cartels in order to look the other way when shipments come in to their jurisdiction. And can you really blame them? These people have families to feed and take care of and who can’t resist a little extra cash? Men are easily corruptible, a lesson I reinforce to my daughter everyday, it’s the danger of having too much power.
The Drug War is also costing alot of money to enforce, it pads the budgets of police departments, which is why a lot of cops are in favor of it. It allows them to get more money from the federal government, which they use to buy more guns and, nowadays, tanks. But police departments aren’t immune from this recession, as departments nationwide have been laying off officers to save money across the board. But Philadelphia found a way to fight back against this, they essentially decriminalized small amounts of marijuana posession and actually saved $2 million.
Michael S. Rozeff wrote a short piece on the Lew Rockwell blog over the summer about the unintended consequences of the drug war,
1. The state forbids something, like drugs.One thing the government is either ignorant about, or just ignores, is that they can’t even keep drugs out of their own prisons, so how they can they keep them out of the entire country? Marijuana, as is the case with most every outlawed drug, has many health benefits. One of the most recent findings is that it may make you a better driver.
2. Production MUST therefore be illegal, and production will occur because the demand doesn’t disappear when the drug is made illegal.
3. Going illegal is a necessary condition for all those who are willing to produce and supply the drug. The profit motive remains, even heightens, and so there will always be people who will go illegal.
4. The people attracted into the illegal business are going to be the people who already have the least inhibitions about doing anything immoral and illegal. They are the ones most willing to take risks.
5. Competition is all within illegality. This means that moral rules that govern peaceful competition do not prevail among the suppliers. They therefore select among any actions and rules that bring them survival, profits, and growth. The most effective means of gaining market share and preventing the incursion of rivals within a situation of illegal rivalry will include a reputation and readiness to kill and maim so as to enforce one’s will.
6. The means include corrupting law enforcement. This is virtually a necessity and always occurs in these conditions. The results include gang warfare. It also includes uneasy peace among gangs and division into territories and fiefdoms.
7. The competition need not lead to the practices mentioned in this article whose aim is to find and groom the most merciless killers. Yet it probably happened in the 1920s gangs that this mode of competition also prevailed as the many stories of Capone suggest. Most gangster movies also depict that the more brutal gangsters rise to the top.
An amazing study authored by professors D. Mark Anderson (University of Montana) and Daniel Rees (University of Colorado) shows that traffic deaths have been reduced in states where medical marijuana is legalized.According to their findings, the use of medical marijuana has caused traffic related fatalities to fall by nearly nine percent in states that have legalized medical marijuana (via The Truth About Cars).
And one idea I know officers can get behind is saving lives of cops. How many cops have died prosecuting the drug war?(Don’t believe the medias numbers on this) Being a cop isn’t even one of the top 10 most dangerous jobs, but how much safer would it be if they didn’t have to deal with the dangerous people that get involved with distributing illegal products who are just as armed as the cops?
And finally, the most obvious point, who owns your body? Does a group of strangers have the right to punish you for putting something in your own body? Do you own your body or does the government? The government thinks they do, but just try and tell them otherwise. You, and only you, have the right to make the final decision on what goes into your body, nobody can legally force you otherwise.
And I leave you with one final point, made by one of my favorite bands, 311, in their anti-drug war song “Offbeat Bareass”
And finally, the most obvious point, who owns your body? Does a group of strangers have the right to punish you for putting something in your own body? Do you own your body or does the government? The government thinks they do, but just try and tell them otherwise. You, and only you, have the right to make the final decision on what goes into your body, nobody can legally force you otherwise.
And I leave you with one final point, made by one of my favorite bands, 311, in their anti-drug war song “Offbeat Bareass”
the war on drugs may be well intentioned
but it falls f—ing flat when you stop and mention
the over crowded prisons where a rapists gets paroled
to make room for a dude who has sold
a pound of weed to me that’s a crime
here’s to good people doin time y’all
Kern Co Sheriff Kills Two in with Police Cruiser
Posted on 20 December 2011.
Bakersfield, CA is within Kerns Co and both (Bakersfield – Kern Co) police departments have been featured on CopBlock.org before. Sadly, it often results in someone being killed by one of these departments. This time it seems a police officer was driving recklessly then stuck and killed two people. See video below and read more here.
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This Week’s Corrupt Cops Stories
Posted on 09 December 2011.
Busy, busy, busy! Quite a crew of miscreants this week, including a former national Sheriff of the Year. Let’s get to it:
In Littleton, Colorado, a former Arapahoe County sheriff was arrested late last month for trading methamphetamine for sexual favors from young men and hit with additional charges last Friday. Retired Arapahoe County Sheriff Patrick Sullivan, 68, a one-time national “Sheriff of the Year,” was first charged with possession and distribution of meth and now faces additional counts of soliciting a prostitute and attempting to influence a public official. Two informants told investigators they had sex with Sullivan in exchange for drugs, and one of them agreed to set up a meeting with Sullivan for another tryst. The meeting was videotaped, and Sullivan was arrested after handing drugs over to the snitch. The influencing a public servant charge came from a September incident when a caller reported that “an old guy,” later identified as Sullivan, was trying to get his roommates to use drugs and wouldn’t leave the house. When police arrived, Sullivan falsely told them he was part of a state task force trying to help drug users. At last report, Sullivan was being held on $500,000 bail. Ironically, he is being detained at a jail that bears his name. Police are investigating whether Sullivan was engaged in illegal activity while still sheriff and whether underage boys were involved.
In Marksville, Louisiana, an Avoyelles Parish Detention Center officer was arrested Saturday for bringing drugs into the jail. Guard Jaworski Toussaint, 34, was caught bringing synthetic marijuana and other contraband into the jail. He is charged with introduction of contraband into a penal institution and malfeasance in office.
In Fort Lauderdale, Florida, a Fort Lauderdale police officer was arrested Saturday for allegedly procuring prescription pain pills for a woman who turned out to be a confidential informant. Officer Kevin Pisano, 50, was on duty and uniform at the time of the drug deal. He is charged with armed delivery of oxycodone (Percocet) and armed delivery of hydrocodone (Vicodin). He is also facing one count of possession of hydrocodone (Vicodin), which was found during a search of his patrol vehicle.
In Rochester, New York, an Orleans County sheriff’s correction officer was arrested Sunday for smuggling contraband into the county jail. Guard Shawn Nicholson, 35, was arrested after a weeks-long investigation and went down after a sting operation. He is charged with two counts each of promoting prison contraband, criminal possession of a controlled substance, criminal sale of a controlled substance, conspiracy, and one count official misconduct. Bail was set at $10,000; there is no word on whether he has paid it.
In Bakersfield, California, a Bakersfield police officer was arrested Monday for stealing methamphetamine he should have seized as evidence. Police received a tip that Officer Ofelio Lopez was using meth, set up a ruse to snare him, and he took the bait. They got a court order to remove some meth from the evidence room, put the drugs in a purse, then had someone call the department claiming to have found the handbag. They sent Lopez to investigate, and he put the purse in his patrol car, but didn’t turn it in at the station. When detectives confronted Lopez the next day, the purse was still in the trunk, but some of the meth was missing. Police found it in Lopez’ uniform pocket, and they said he was tweaking at the time of his arrest. He is charged with transportation of a controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance while armed with a firearm, being under the influence of a controlled substance while armed, and, after brass knuckles turned up during a search of his home, possession of a dangerous weapon. There is no word on bail arrangements.
In Denville, New Jersey, a former Denville police officer pleaded guilty November 30 to stealing drugs from the departmental evidence room. Eugene Blood, 38, admitted pilfering small amounts of heroin and oxycodone during 2010 and 2011. His attorney said he became addicted to pain pills. He was originally charged with seven counts, including burglary and theft of a controlled substance, but ended up copping a plea to a single count of official misconduct. Under the plea agreement, he will get a three-year prison sentence.
In Poughkeepsie, New York, a former Poughkeepsie police officer was sentenced December 1 to 3 ½ to 10 ½ years in prison for taking bribes from a cocaine dealer. David Palazzolo admitted revealing the name of a female undercover officer and identifying a vehicle used for undercover work by the Dutchess County Drug Task Force in exchange for bribes. He earlier pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy, receiving a bribe, and computer trespass
In Littleton, Colorado, a former Arapahoe County sheriff was arrested late last month for trading methamphetamine for sexual favors from young men and hit with additional charges last Friday. Retired Arapahoe County Sheriff Patrick Sullivan, 68, a one-time national “Sheriff of the Year,” was first charged with possession and distribution of meth and now faces additional counts of soliciting a prostitute and attempting to influence a public official. Two informants told investigators they had sex with Sullivan in exchange for drugs, and one of them agreed to set up a meeting with Sullivan for another tryst. The meeting was videotaped, and Sullivan was arrested after handing drugs over to the snitch. The influencing a public servant charge came from a September incident when a caller reported that “an old guy,” later identified as Sullivan, was trying to get his roommates to use drugs and wouldn’t leave the house. When police arrived, Sullivan falsely told them he was part of a state task force trying to help drug users. At last report, Sullivan was being held on $500,000 bail. Ironically, he is being detained at a jail that bears his name. Police are investigating whether Sullivan was engaged in illegal activity while still sheriff and whether underage boys were involved.In Marksville, Louisiana, an Avoyelles Parish Detention Center officer was arrested Saturday for bringing drugs into the jail. Guard Jaworski Toussaint, 34, was caught bringing synthetic marijuana and other contraband into the jail. He is charged with introduction of contraband into a penal institution and malfeasance in office.
In Fort Lauderdale, Florida, a Fort Lauderdale police officer was arrested Saturday for allegedly procuring prescription pain pills for a woman who turned out to be a confidential informant. Officer Kevin Pisano, 50, was on duty and uniform at the time of the drug deal. He is charged with armed delivery of oxycodone (Percocet) and armed delivery of hydrocodone (Vicodin). He is also facing one count of possession of hydrocodone (Vicodin), which was found during a search of his patrol vehicle.
In Rochester, New York, an Orleans County sheriff’s correction officer was arrested Sunday for smuggling contraband into the county jail. Guard Shawn Nicholson, 35, was arrested after a weeks-long investigation and went down after a sting operation. He is charged with two counts each of promoting prison contraband, criminal possession of a controlled substance, criminal sale of a controlled substance, conspiracy, and one count official misconduct. Bail was set at $10,000; there is no word on whether he has paid it.
In Bakersfield, California, a Bakersfield police officer was arrested Monday for stealing methamphetamine he should have seized as evidence. Police received a tip that Officer Ofelio Lopez was using meth, set up a ruse to snare him, and he took the bait. They got a court order to remove some meth from the evidence room, put the drugs in a purse, then had someone call the department claiming to have found the handbag. They sent Lopez to investigate, and he put the purse in his patrol car, but didn’t turn it in at the station. When detectives confronted Lopez the next day, the purse was still in the trunk, but some of the meth was missing. Police found it in Lopez’ uniform pocket, and they said he was tweaking at the time of his arrest. He is charged with transportation of a controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance while armed with a firearm, being under the influence of a controlled substance while armed, and, after brass knuckles turned up during a search of his home, possession of a dangerous weapon. There is no word on bail arrangements.
In Denville, New Jersey, a former Denville police officer pleaded guilty November 30 to stealing drugs from the departmental evidence room. Eugene Blood, 38, admitted pilfering small amounts of heroin and oxycodone during 2010 and 2011. His attorney said he became addicted to pain pills. He was originally charged with seven counts, including burglary and theft of a controlled substance, but ended up copping a plea to a single count of official misconduct. Under the plea agreement, he will get a three-year prison sentence.
In Poughkeepsie, New York, a former Poughkeepsie police officer was sentenced December 1 to 3 ½ to 10 ½ years in prison for taking bribes from a cocaine dealer. David Palazzolo admitted revealing the name of a female undercover officer and identifying a vehicle used for undercover work by the Dutchess County Drug Task Force in exchange for bribes. He earlier pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy, receiving a bribe, and computer trespass
Occupy Oakland: footage shows police beating ‘peaceful’ Iraq war veteran
Posted on 19 November 2011.
Via Guardian
The video shows Kayvan Sabehgi being hit numerous times by an officer clad in riot gear Link to this video
Video footage has emerged of a police officer beating an Iraq war veteran so hard that he suffered a ruptured spleen in an apparently unprovoked incident at a recent Occupy protest in California.
The footage, which has been shared with the Guardian, shows Kayvan Sabehgi standing in front of a police line on the night of Occupy Oakland‘s general strike on 2 November, when he is set upon by an officer.
He does not appear to be posing any threat, nor does he attempt to resist, yet he is hit numerous times by an officer clad in riot gear who appears determined to beat him to the ground.
Sabehgi, 32, an Oakland resident and former marine who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, has since undergone surgery on his spleen. He says it took hours for him to be taken to hospital, despite complaining of severe pain. Police have told the Guardian they are investigating the incident.
The footage was recorded by artist and photographer Neil Rivas, who said Sabehgi was “completely peaceful” before he was beaten. “It was uncalled for,” said Rivas. “There were no curse words. He was telling them he was a war vet, a resident of Oakland, a business owner.”
Sabehgi has previously said he was talking to officers in a non-violent manner prior to his arrest, which the footage appears to confirm.
The 32-year-old can be seen standing in front of a line of police officers, all of whom are in riot gear. The officers walk forward, chanting and thrusting their batons, and Sabehgi starts to walk backwards.
Although the video is dark, an officer can clearly be seen beginning to hit Sabehgi around the legs with a baton, then starting to strike him higher up.
Sabehgi then appears to be bundled to the ground. He was later arrested.
Rivas said the footage was shot around midnight on 3 November, as police approached Occupy Oakland following the 2 November general strike.
Police deployed teargas and non-lethal projectiles that night, after some protesters entered a disused building north of Frank H Ogawa Plaza, but Rivas said there did not appear to be an immediate threat to police at the time of the video.
“It was pretty much just Kayvan and myself right there at that moment when he got beat,” Rivas said.
“I couldn’t help but start yelling out for them to stop. He was not fighting back; he was moving away from the officer. It did not feel good.
“I saw him being taken down to the ground and I tried to keep my camera focused on that as well, but they were pretty quick at setting up a barricade between myself and Kayvan at that point. I was shoved out of the way, and I had several guns pointed my way.
“I remember specifically one officer right in front of me having his gun pointed point blank at me.”
Rivas said he realised the man in his video was Sabehgi after reading that a second Iraq war veteran had been injured, and seeing television footage.
Oakland television station KTVU TV-2 has previously shown footage of Sabehgi in handcuffs just after he was arrested, but Rivas believes this is the only video of him being beaten.
Sabehgi has previously told the Guardian he was walking away from the main area of police clashes – at 16th Street and Telegraph, just north of the Occupy base at Frank H Ogawa Plaza – when he was beaten and arrested.
Several police agencies were involved in the operation on 2 and 3 November, but Rivas said the officers who appear in front of Sabehgi at the beginning of the video were from Oakland police department.
A spokeswoman for Oakland police said: “The Oakland Police Department is currently investigating the incident.”
Berkeley Police Violently Attack College Kids With Batons 11/9/11
Posted on 10 November 2011.
According to SFGATE.COM
Dozens of campus police in riot gear descended on students in a violent confrontation outside UC Berkeley’s Sproul Hall on Wednesday and arrested seven protesters as they tried to set up an “Occupy Cal” encampment.Full article
The protesters were among about 1,000 students, faculty and Occupy activists participating in a statewide protest that marked the first banding of the Occupy movement with students against the financial handling of the state’s higher education system.
Students voted to set up an encampment in defiance of university orders, and as soon as they had three tents erected in front of Sproul Hall, baton-wielding police moved in on them.
“Put the guns down!” shouted students who had linked arms as police shoved and swung batons, whacking anyone who stood between them and the impromptu encampment outside the administration building.
“It really, really hurt – I got the wind knocked out of me,” said doctoral student Shane Boyle, raising his shirt to reveal a red welt on his chest. “I was lucky I only got hit twice.”
Six UC Berkeley students and one faculty member, English Professor Celeste Langan, were arrested for resisting and delaying police officers, said Lt. Alex Yao of the UC Berkeley Police, which got help from the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office and other UC police.
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Twin Rivers Police Officers Association – “U Raise ‘Em, We Cage ‘Em”
Posted on 04 November 2011.
The Twin Rivers Police Officers Association, which is a California school police officers union, has sparked public outrage for creating and selling a t-shirt depicting a child behind bars with the slogan “U Raise ‘em, We Cage ‘em”. The Sacramento Bee reports that:
On Monday, community leaders and child advocates said the T-shirts are highly offensive and could validate feelings of mistrust for the Twin Rivers’ school police force. The agency has been under intense scrutiny over complaints it has overstepped its authority.I wish we could get community leaders to be just as outraged about the actual criminalization of child misbehavior and abuse of children at the hands of school police officers, as they are over a t-shirt depicting the criminalization and abuse of children.
“There is nowhere on the planet where it is OK to wear a shirt like this,” said Ed Howard, senior counsel for the University of San Diego’s Children’s Advocacy Institute, after seeing the image of the shirt.
Photo by Bryan Patrick
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This Week’s Corrupt Cops Stories
Posted on 30 October 2011.
A Texas DA gets greedy, and so do a California narc, a California prison worker, a Washington state evidence clerk, and a Washington, DC, police officer. Let’s get to it:
In Center, Texas, the Shelby County District Attorney’s office is one focus of a federal criminal investigation into allowing arrested drug traffickers to buy their way out of trouble by letting the county seize their cash. The feds are now reviewing whether DA Lynda Kaye Russell cut illegal deals with defendants in a bid to bolster her county’s asset forfeiture account, which took in more than $800,000 in less than a year. An Associated Press investigation found “numerous examples of suspects who went unpunished or got unusually light sentences after turning over tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars.” In one case, a man caught with 15 kilos of cocaine and $80,000 in cash got probation after forfeiting the money to the DA; in another, a woman found with $620,000 in cash stuffed in Christmas presents walked free after turning over the money. Shelby County’s law enforcement practices gained national notoriety in 2008 when a still pending class action lawsuit accused the county of targeting black motorists and threatening to jail or prosecute them if they didn’t agree to forfeit their cash. Russell has been DA since 1999 and implemented a “drug enforcement” program on the highway through the county in 2006.
In Oakland, California, a former San Ramon police officer and Contra Costa sheriff’s deputy was arraigned Tuesday on federal charges related to the ongoing Central Costa Narcotics Enforcement Team (CCNET) corruption probe. Louis Lombardi, 39, is accused of stealing cash and drugs during police raids, selling marijuana and methamphetamine, and conspiring with his CCNET commander to set up a marijuana grow operation. He faces nine felony and misdemeanor counts and is looking at up to 60 years in prison. His attorney says he will cop a plea shortly. Three other CCNET officers, including its former commander, have already been charged in the case, and a fourth is likely to be charged soon.
In San Rafael, California, a former California Department of Corrections warehouse supervisor was arraigned Monday on charges he brought marijuana to San Quentin Prison to sell to an inmate. Robert Alioto, 48, had been arrested on October 5 and was fired the next day. He was charged with bringing a controlled substance into a state prison, selling or furnishing a controlled substance to a prisoner, and possession of marijuana for sale. He’s looking at up to five years in prison if convicted.
In Washington, DC, a former Metro DC police officer was sentenced last Friday to 15 years in prison for his role in the botched attempted robbery of a drug dealer that resulted in the fatal shooting of one of the would-be robbers by one of his companions. Former officer Reginald Jones, 42, acted as a lookout from his patrol car as five men attempted the robbery. As the drug dealer was being assaulted, his girlfriend ran to Jones’ police car seeking assistance, but Jones instead sped off. He pleaded guilty to second degree murder and conspiracy to commit robbery.
In Port Angeles, Washington, a former Clallam County sheriff’s evidence officer was convicted last Friday of stealing money from the evidence room. Staci Allison was accused of making off with at least $8,600 and, despite her protestations of innocence, she was convicted on counts of first-degree theft and money laundering. She’s looking at up to 10 years in prison when sentenced next month.
In Center, Texas, the Shelby County District Attorney’s office is one focus of a federal criminal investigation into allowing arrested drug traffickers to buy their way out of trouble by letting the county seize their cash. The feds are now reviewing whether DA Lynda Kaye Russell cut illegal deals with defendants in a bid to bolster her county’s asset forfeiture account, which took in more than $800,000 in less than a year. An Associated Press investigation found “numerous examples of suspects who went unpunished or got unusually light sentences after turning over tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars.” In one case, a man caught with 15 kilos of cocaine and $80,000 in cash got probation after forfeiting the money to the DA; in another, a woman found with $620,000 in cash stuffed in Christmas presents walked free after turning over the money. Shelby County’s law enforcement practices gained national notoriety in 2008 when a still pending class action lawsuit accused the county of targeting black motorists and threatening to jail or prosecute them if they didn’t agree to forfeit their cash. Russell has been DA since 1999 and implemented a “drug enforcement” program on the highway through the county in 2006.In Oakland, California, a former San Ramon police officer and Contra Costa sheriff’s deputy was arraigned Tuesday on federal charges related to the ongoing Central Costa Narcotics Enforcement Team (CCNET) corruption probe. Louis Lombardi, 39, is accused of stealing cash and drugs during police raids, selling marijuana and methamphetamine, and conspiring with his CCNET commander to set up a marijuana grow operation. He faces nine felony and misdemeanor counts and is looking at up to 60 years in prison. His attorney says he will cop a plea shortly. Three other CCNET officers, including its former commander, have already been charged in the case, and a fourth is likely to be charged soon.
In San Rafael, California, a former California Department of Corrections warehouse supervisor was arraigned Monday on charges he brought marijuana to San Quentin Prison to sell to an inmate. Robert Alioto, 48, had been arrested on October 5 and was fired the next day. He was charged with bringing a controlled substance into a state prison, selling or furnishing a controlled substance to a prisoner, and possession of marijuana for sale. He’s looking at up to five years in prison if convicted.
In Washington, DC, a former Metro DC police officer was sentenced last Friday to 15 years in prison for his role in the botched attempted robbery of a drug dealer that resulted in the fatal shooting of one of the would-be robbers by one of his companions. Former officer Reginald Jones, 42, acted as a lookout from his patrol car as five men attempted the robbery. As the drug dealer was being assaulted, his girlfriend ran to Jones’ police car seeking assistance, but Jones instead sped off. He pleaded guilty to second degree murder and conspiracy to commit robbery.
In Port Angeles, Washington, a former Clallam County sheriff’s evidence officer was convicted last Friday of stealing money from the evidence room. Staci Allison was accused of making off with at least $8,600 and, despite her protestations of innocence, she was convicted on counts of first-degree theft and money laundering. She’s looking at up to 10 years in prison when sentenced next month.