Police Misconduct Catch All Thread

[bilby]

The Axiom 'Honest men have nothing to fear from the police' is currently under review by the Axioms Review Board.

- Terry Pratchett, Men at Arms

 

[ZiprHead]

Pennsylvania cop arrested for improperly committing ex-girlfriend to mental facility: DA

Davis is seen sitting on top of the ex-beau as she claims he tackled her to the ground, according to the footage captured by Davis’ companion.

nypost.com

A married Pennsylvania State Police trooper is facing false imprisonment charges after he allegedly violently detained his ex-girlfriend and committed her to a mental health treatment program under bogus claims.

Ronald Davis, 37, was arrested Thursday on accusations he abused his authority to carry out the twisted takedown that left his former girlfriend improperly stuck in a medical facility for multiple days, the Dauphin County District Attorney’s Office said.

Davis reportedly told her: “I know you’re not crazy, I’ll paint you as crazy” leading up to the forced medical treatment, the victim claimed, according to court documents released by the district attorney’s office.

 

[robnisch]

An unfortunate side effect of the increased scrutiny of police, is the rise in traffic deaths. Police departments have back off on traffic stops.

 

[Worldtraveller]

You're going to have to show some kind of evidence to associate the cause & effect there. There could be lots of reasons for increases in traffic accidents/fatalities.

 

[blastula]

First trial on Elijah McClain's death returns guilty verdict for one officer, not guilty for another. A trial begins today for another officer, and next month 2 paramedics are being tried.

Jurors deliver split verdict in Elijah McClain case, convicting one Aurora police officer of homicide, acquitting a second

Jurors in the first of three criminal trials stemming from the 2019 death of Elijah McClain following a violent arrest by Aurora police have reached a verdict.

www.denverpost.com

Jurors delivered a split verdict Thursday in the trial of two Aurora police officers charged in the death of Elijah McClain, convicting one officer but acquitting the other after nearly three weeks of testimony.

The jury found Aurora police officer Randy Roedema, 41, guilty of criminally negligent homicide and third-degree assault — the two lesser charges he faced.

Jurors acquitted former officer Jason Rosenblatt, 34, on all charges. He put his head in his hands on the defense table after the verdict, then cried as he hugged supporters and his attorneys. He had been charged with reckless manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide and second-degree assault.

Roedema sat quietly when the verdict was read and did not comment when he left the courtroom. Some of his supporters wept when they heard the guilty verdict. Criminally negligent homicide is a low-level felony, while third-degree assault is a misdemeanor.

The split verdict brings to an end the first of three criminal trials in a case that spanned four years, sparked major protests in Denver and Aurora, led to statewide reforms and a push to change policing practices in Aurora. Another police officer and two paramedics are scheduled to stand trial in the coming weeks.

Sheneen McClain, Elijah’s mother, raised her fist in the air as she left the courtroom Thursday evening after the verdicts.

“This is the divided states of America, and that’s what happens,” she said after she left the courthouse. “I’m out. I’m too pissed to talk.”

Rosenblatt’s defense attorney, Harvey Steinberg, said he was pleased with the acquittal.

“We’re thrilled,” Steinberg said after the verdict. “I’m saddened, quite honestly, that Mr. Roedema was convicted. But ultimately, I always felt that my client should never have been charged. The government spent literally millions of taxpayer money to go after my client, and I think they did that inappropriately. And I’m glad the jury saw through it.”

Roedema will return to Adams County District Court to be sentenced on Jan. 5, while the case against Rosenblatt is now over. Roedema could face between one and three years in prison on the homicide conviction and up to 24 months in jail on the assault conviction.

 

[Derec]

“This is the divided states of America, and that’s what happens,” she said after she left the courthouse. “I’m out. I’m too pissed to talk.”

Why is she pissed? She got her conviction.

 

[ZiprHead]

“This is the divided states of America, and that’s what happens,” she said after she left the courthouse. “I’m out. I’m too pissed to talk.”

Why is she pissed? She got her conviction.

Yes. Conviction makes everything right.

 

[lpetrich]

Seems like one can avoid a *lot* of traffic stops by doing automated traffic-law enforcement.  Traffic enforcement camera and  Red light camera -- one might extend such enforcement to burnt-out vehicle lights with AI that recognizes vehicles -- AI that is already being used in  Automatic number-plate recognition for recognizing license plates.

Cops could alert drivers to burnt-out lights in other ways, like getting their license-plate numbers and using those numbers to alert the vehicles' owners. Nowadays, one could e-mail or text an alert to a driver saying that a light is burned out.

One has to avoid such scam enforcement as too-short yellow lights:

There have been many instances where cities in the US have been found to have too-short yellow-light intervals at some intersections where red light cameras have been installed. In Tennessee, 176 drivers were refunded for fines paid after it was discovered that the length of the yellow was too short for that location, and motorists were caught running the light in the first second of the red phase.[129] In California, a combined total of 7,603 tickets were refunded or dismissed by the cities of Bakersfield, Costa Mesa, East LA, San Carlos, and Union City, because of too-short yellows.[130]

...
In 2010, it was revealed that the municipality of Segrate, Italy, two nearby traffic lights had been synchronized such that drivers were coerced to either break the speed limit or pass during the red light. This was investigated as a deliberate fraud to increase the income from tickets. It took months before the machines were eventually dismantled by the Guardia di Finanza.[138]

This is a high-tech version of some kinds of speed traps: What Is A Speed Trap? - National Motorists Association - "A speed trap exists wherever traffic enforcement is focused on extracting revenue from drivers instead of improving safety, made possible by speed limits posted below the prevailing flow of traffic."

 

[robnisch]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2023/10/10/the-decline-in-police-traffic-stops-is-killing-people/8325eac8-6760-11ee-9753-2b3742e96987_story.html

What could it else could it be?

 

[Loren Pechtel]

You're going to have to show some kind of evidence to associate the cause & effect there. There could be lots of reasons for increases in traffic accidents/fatalities.

Sorry, but there is definitely a link between traffic enforcement and traffic accidents. Even if you can't establish it in any given case the overall pattern is clear.

And there's a clear response of police backing off in cities that saw BLM protests--which has lead to far more black deaths than were perhaps avoided by the police backing off.

 

[Loren Pechtel]

Seems like one can avoid a *lot* of traffic stops by doing automated traffic-law enforcement.  Traffic enforcement camera and  Red light camera -- one might extend such enforcement to burnt-out vehicle lights with AI that recognizes vehicles -- AI that is already being used in  Automatic number-plate recognition for recognizing license plates.

Horrible idea. Cameras almost always ticket people in situations where sane driving doesn't match up with the law for some reason. Red light cameras can be as much as 85% right on red.

Cops could alert drivers to burnt-out lights in other ways, like getting their license-plate numbers and using those numbers to alert the vehicles' owners. Nowadays, one could e-mail or text an alert to a driver saying that a light is burned out.

The thing is people who have one problem often have others. In a sense it's a pretext stop but it's not going to become a problem unless the driver makes it one.

One has to avoid such scam enforcement as too-short yellow lights:

Yup, this is the problem with traffic enforcement--too much of it is about revenue. I would be inclined towards a system where stationary cops can't issue tickets--if you're lying in wait and can catch enough there's a road problem that should be fixed.

I would also like to see cops need to video a traffic offense in order to ticket it. They have cameras, this wouldn't be a burden.

 

[bilby]

You're going to have to show some kind of evidence to associate the cause & effect there. There could be lots of reasons for increases in traffic accidents/fatalities.

Sorry, but there is definitely a link between traffic enforcement and traffic accidents. Even if you can't establish it in any given case the overall pattern is clear.

And there's a clear response of police backing off in cities that saw BLM protests--which has lead to far more black deaths than were perhaps avoided by the police backing off.

Re-stating your unsupported opinion isn't actually evidence.

You should try to remember that.

Now, could you please show some evidence for your claim; Ideally without re-stating it a third time?

 

[Loren Pechtel]

You're going to have to show some kind of evidence to associate the cause & effect there. There could be lots of reasons for increases in traffic accidents/fatalities.

Sorry, but there is definitely a link between traffic enforcement and traffic accidents. Even if you can't establish it in any given case the overall pattern is clear.

And there's a clear response of police backing off in cities that saw BLM protests--which has lead to far more black deaths than were perhaps avoided by the police backing off.

Re-stating your unsupported opinion isn't actually evidence.

You should try to remember that.

Now, could you please show some evidence for your claim; Ideally without re-stating it a third time?

You denied the evidence when it was presented, there's no point in trying to prove it again.

 

[bilby]

You're going to have to show some kind of evidence to associate the cause & effect there. There could be lots of reasons for increases in traffic accidents/fatalities.

Sorry, but there is definitely a link between traffic enforcement and traffic accidents. Even if you can't establish it in any given case the overall pattern is clear.

And there's a clear response of police backing off in cities that saw BLM protests--which has lead to far more black deaths than were perhaps avoided by the police backing off.

Re-stating your unsupported opinion isn't actually evidence.

You should try to remember that.

Now, could you please show some evidence for your claim; Ideally without re-stating it a third time?

You denied the evidence when it was presented, there's no point in trying to prove it again.

No evidence has been presented. I haven't had any opportunity whatsoever to deny any evidence.

And had you already presented it, it would have been as easy for you to link to the post where you did that, as it was for you to (incorrectly) whinge about its having been denied.

 

[ZiprHead]

Officer acquitted in Elijah McClain death gets job back and $200,000 in back pay

Nathan Woodyard was suspended for two years until jury found him not guilty of manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide

www.theguardian.com

The Colorado officer who stopped Elijah McClain in 2019 and placed him in a neck hold was reinstated to the Aurora police department and will receive $200,000 in back pay, city officials said on Monday.

Nathan Woodyard’s “reintegration” into the police force comes weeks after a jury found him not guilty of manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide. Woodyard had been suspended without pay for two years since he was indicted for his role in the death of the 23-year-old. An Aurora spokesperson said city law mandated that the department offer him his job back after his acquittal in the criminal trial, and that he would receive $212,546 to cover the salary from his leave.

On 24 August 2019, McClain was walking home from buying iced tea at a convenience store and listening to music on headphones when a driver passing by called police, reporting that McClain “looks sketchy” and “might be a good person or a bad person”. McClain was wearing a ski mask, which he used to keep warm due to being anemic.

Although the 911 caller made clear that he did not see any weapons and that he was not in danger, nor was anyone else, police quickly responded with extreme force.

Woodyard was the first to confront McClain, body-camera footage showed, immediately grabbing him and shouting: “I have a right to stop you because you’re being suspicious.” Two other police officers, Randy Roedema and Jason Rosenblatt, soon arrived and with Woodyard surrounded him. McClain responded: “I’m an introvert. Please respect the boundaries that I’m speaking … I’m going home.”

The three forced McClain to the ground and placed him in a neck hold, while putting their combined body weight on top of him. McClain said “I can’t breathe” at least seven times. He vomited and lost and regained consciousness. The officers claimed that McClain, who was 5ft 7in and 140lbs , had “incredible strength” and falsely alleged he was “on something”. Paramedics who arrived injected him with 500mg of ketamine, a sedative. McClain then suffered a heart attack and never awoke.

McClain’s final words included pleas to the officers, saying: “I’m so sorry. I have no gun. I don’t do that stuff. I don’t do any fighting … I don’t even kill flies! I don’t eat meat … I respect all life … Forgive me! All I was trying to do was become better.”

 

[Gospel]

An officer's words alone can now justify a fatal outcome. This should alarm everyone, regardless of background or nationality. On that day, it killed a young black man, a person you might not care about, but tomorrow, it could impact anyone. We must ask ourselves, is this the standard we want to establish?

Edit: I do not mean to portray this issue as if it hasn't been going on for a long time.

 

[southernhybrid]

An officer's words alone can now justify a fatal outcome. This should alarm everyone, regardless of background or nationality. On that day, it killed a young black man, a person you might not care about, but tomorrow, it could impact anyone. We must ask ourselves, is this the standard we want to establish?

Edit: I do not mean to portray this issue as if it hasn't been going on for a long time.

I do care about people like Elijah, as would anyone with half a heart. I find it heartbreaking whenever I read about innocent victims of police misconduct, regardless of how they look. Too many of our police are thugs, who seems to enjoy harassing, hurting or even murdering innocent people. We have a huge shortage of police in many places. Maybe with better pay, better training and more education, this would change. If you'e scared of people, I don't think you belong in law enforcement. I'd like to see the cop on the beat come back, like most cities had when I was a child. These days, the cops ride around in blacked out windows, rarely interacting with those they are supposed to protect and serve. It's mostly in cities that the police kill innocent people. More cities need to put their police on the street where they can interact with residents in a respectable way. A Black neighbor of mine who was a cop, recently quit to take a job with as a railroad conductor for about twice the pay he was making as a police detective. Even with lots of overtime, he made less money as a police detective. We need police and the good ones aren't always appreciated, but the ones who think that the citizens are the enemy need to be replaced.

I guess what also bothers me, are people who call the police because they think someone looks suspicious, simply based on appearance. The caller said that Elijah didn't have a gun etc. What made him think the young man was scary? I think most of us know the answer to that. It's called prejudice.

When did it become illegal to walk down the street wearing a warm covering over your face because you're cold or you feel like dancing to music, waving your arms a bit.? My husband does that when he walks the dogs, while listening to old school soul, funk and jazz. He's never been threatened here in my small city, but due to his Arabic heritage, he's been treated with suspicion when he used to travel for work, shortly after 911.

I've seen all kinds of weird looking people in my town, some who were obviously mentally ill and possibly homeless. Not once did I think the police needed to be called and not once have I felt afraid of these people.

 

[Derec]

An officer's words alone can now justify a fatal outcome. This should alarm everyone, regardless of background or nationality.

It was not just officer's word alone. First, remember that one of the officers was convicted.
Second, this is not a case of a single officer or a group of officers causing a death by themselves. Several things happened. The rough takedown by the officers, yes, but also ketamine administered by the paramedics and McClain's underlying medical issues all played a role.
What I find concerning is that the coroner changed the cause of death due to pressure. From the article Zipr posted:

In the immediate aftermath, local officials claimed his cause of death could not be determined and that no charges would be filed, but after significant backlash, the coroner released a revised autopsy with the cause of death listed as “complications of ketamine administration following forcible restraint”.

I think it is highly improper and dangerous for a coroner to change the cause of death due to political pressure. It's similar to the George Floyd farce where the coroner completely ignored the role acute fentanyl and methamphetamine intoxication as well as chronic health problems like cardiomegaly played in the sainted robber's death and put it all on Chauvin in order to appease the violent rioters who were tearing down the city.

That said, police did wrong in the McClain's case. But misconduct is not the same as murder.

On that day, it killed a young black man, a person you might not care about, but tomorrow, it could impact anyone. We must ask ourselves, is this the standard we want to establish?

I do care about McClain. He wasn't a thug, and this should not have happened to him. It's a tragedy.
While I think police officers should be punished, I do not think it was murder.

Edit: I do not mean to portray this issue as if it hasn't been going on for a long time.

What is the issue though? Most people killed by police, regardless of race, have been justified. Take the OG of #BLM rioters, Michael O.D. Brown. Robbed a store, then attacked a cop. Cases like McClain are rare. Rarer still are cases of actual murder, not just misconduct with deadly consequence, by the police.

 

[Derec]

I guess what also bothers me, are people who call the police because they think someone looks suspicious, simply based on appearance. The caller said that Elijah didn't have a gun etc. What made him think the young man was scary? I think most of us know the answer to that. It's called prejudice.
When did it become illegal to walk down the street wearing a warm covering over your face because you're cold

I think the issue is that he was wearing a ski mask when it was pretty warm outside (~66°F according to historical weather data) compared to usual "wear something over your face" weather. Such ski masks can and are being used by robbers to conceal their identity, so somebody wearing one on a relatively warm Summer night would rouse suspicions. I do not have a problem with 911 being called or police stopping the kid to check him out. It should have been a simple conversation to clarify what's going on. What happened instead? Probably both sides were too aggressive. McClain indignant over being stopped. Woodyard pissed off over his authoritah not being respected. And so it escalated.

 

[ZiprHead]

I think it is highly improper and dangerous for a coroner to change the cause of death due to political pressure.

How do you know the coroner didn't rule the first way to protect the officers and political pressure made him change to the truth?