5 year old girl arrested

Saint Petersburg, Florida - It is the hottest video in America tonight and you can't rent it at Blockbuster. The video shows St. Petersburg police officers handcuffing and arresting a 5 year old girl. School officials said the girl was out of control and they had to call police.

Largo, Fla., lawyer John Trevena, who provided the tape to the media after obtaining it from police, says the officers went too far.

Bad Cop, No Donut! - April 28/2005

Download audio: MP3 at 10.9 mebibytes

This week:

New York cop sentenced for fondling and attempted sex assault

New York cops assaults "other" man

New York cop guilty of manslaughter

Maryland cop accused of running gambling operation

Alabama man arrested after filing police complaint

Georgia cops faces termination for airport brutality

Louisiana cop addicted to painkillers resigns

Florida cops handcuff 5 year-old

Kentucky cop charged with domestic assault

Chicago cop harasses woman after taking her phone number from accident report

PLUS

A review of the week's taser news

And much more!

Please let me know if you broadcast this program.

Email comments and story ideas to ron@ckln.fm

31:39

www3.sympatico.ca/ron666/

Cop Indicted In Wild Drunken Car Crashes

(NEW YORK) A New York City police officer has been indicted on drunken-driving, vehicular assault and other charges in connection with a series of smashups in which he allegedly collided with seven other cars and injured seven people.

Prosecutors said Earl Jones, 43, was involved in four crashes within 45 minutes on Dec. 19, 2004. They said police seized him after the fourth crash, in which he destroyed his 1997 BMW.

Cop Protects Criminal Son

An Apache Junction police commander influenced investigations of his son's alleged criminal behavior, leading to his own downfall and contributing to the resignations and retirements of three other officers.

Commander Brian Duncan improperly involved himself two years ago in cases where his son, Russell, was accused of such crimes as theft, burglary and domestic violence, according to investigative reports released by the city through an Arizona Public Records law request.

Family: Taser victim didn’t have to die

Relatives and friends of John Cox struggled with anger and sadness yesterday over a death they believe was unnecessary.

Cox, 39, died Friday night after an altercation with Suffolk police in which he was shocked five times with a Taser. The cause of death is not yet known, and police said yesterday that "proper department procedures" were followed.

Veteran BR police officer arrested on drug charge

BATON ROUGE, La. A 13-year Baton Rouge police veteran who applied to be chief last year is seeing what it's like on the wrong side of the law.

Yesterday, officers arrested Corporal Robert Duclo, accusing him of using multiple identities to buy prescription painkillers on the Internet.

Officer Accused of Dog Theft Suspended

HAINES CITY -- Police Cpl. Michael Sanchez has been suspended with pay pending an investigation by the Polk County Sheriff's Office into an allegation that he stole two pit bulls.

Ex-officer accused in rapes may have tampered with ankle monitor

HOUSTON — A former deputy constable and police officer who runs his own security business is accused of the kidnap and sexual assault of a teenage girl and the rape of another woman.

Ronnie Wayne Jackson was a Fort Bend Precinct 2 deputy constable and a Kendleton police captain. But right now he's a Harris county inmate.

Millville police officer indicted

BRIDGETON -- A veteran police officer was indicted last week by a Superior Court Grand Jury in connection with a 2004 incident where he allegedly threatened to kill a woman while off-duty.
Steven Felice, 37, of the Millville Police Department, has been charged with third-degree terroristic threats against 32-year-old Lissette Soto, of Vineland, for comments allegedly made during an argument on Aug. 20, 2004.

Metro Officer On Paid Leave After DUI Arrest

LOUISVILLE -- A Metro police officer was arrested on charges of DUI, WLKY NewsChannel 32 has learned.

Officer John Kelly posted bond and was released from custody after an accident he was involved in early Thursday morning, police said. No injuries were reported in the accident.

Woman says Taser use was unjustified

MIAMI (AP) - A woman arrested Easter Sunday for staying too long at a Florida Panhandle motel says she was stunned multiple times with a Taser in an excessive use of force.

Jail officials say the Taser was used nine times, but was justified.

Jackson police officer is in trouble again

Jackson police officer is in trouble again, this time for business burglary. According to police, officers found Jack Usry over the weekend sleeping inside the Catholic Charities building after responding to a security alarm call. Just two months ago the 38-year old was charged with possession of a controlled substance. Usry and his sister were arrested for selling Xanax to undercover officers.

Albany Police Officer Arrested For DWI

Officer Robert Schunk, a seven-year veteran of the Albany Police Department, assigned to the South Station, was arrested this morning and charged with DWI in connection with a single car personal injury auto accident on South Allen Street.

On-Duty Officer Arrested In Prostitution Sting

HOUSTON -- An on-duty Houston police officer was arrested in a prostitution sting, a prosecutor said.

Tyrone Hamilton Cross, an 11-year Houston Police Department veteran, had been the subject of an HPD Internal Affairs Division investigation, and his arrest was the result of a sting, said Julian Ramirez of the Harris County district attorney's Public Integrity Division, who is prosecuting the case.

Officer should be charged in teen's death, judge says

DELRAY BEACH - A Rookie officer, named Darren Cogoni, who shot and killed a teenager driving across a school campus at a dance should be charged with manslaughter, a judge recommended Thursday.

Palm Beach County Judge Debra Moses Stephens said she heard no evidence justifying the killing of 16-year-old Jerrod Miller during three days of testimony from 31 witnesses at a rare public inquest.

Woman Shocked 15 Times With Taser Gun

MIAMI -- Wednesday, Local 10 talked to a woman who claims she was shocked more than a dozen times with a Taser gun during her arrest last month.

Allegations of Brutality Investigated

The NAACP is interested in John Brown's story. The Alto man's account of alleged police brutality begins when he heard family dogs barking on the dark night of April 11. "I thought somebody was stealing and when I got up on the person it was the police," recalled Brown with NAACP representative John Morrison closely listening.

Actually it was Cherokee County Sgt. Jamie Beene, a 10-year veteran with the sheriff's department. Sgt. Beene was in Brown's neighborhood chasing a drug suspect.

Brown said, "I seen the gun like this right here and he told me to put my hands up and I was terrified because I thought he was going to shoot me because I just ran up on him like that."

Brown described how he was arrested in front of his uncle's trailer where he was handcuffed and taken down a long driveway where he was allegedly beaten. "He told me to get down on my knees and I was attempting to get down on my knees and he kicked me and broke my ankle, just started kicking me."

Police Brutality Caught On Tape

CHICAGO (CBS 2) A case of alleged police brutality has been caught on tape. Chicago police are accused of using excessive force when two suspects became angry with the officers. CBS 2's Chelsea Irving reports the recorded confrontation started as a traffic stop on the west side.

Teen Victim of Police Brutality

A Livingston Middle School student says some of the blows thrown after school two weeks ago came from a few Albany police officers.

14-year-old Shenekwa Stewart is not allowed to talk about the alleged incident, but has scars on her face that tell her story.

Bad Cop, No Donut! - April 21/2005

Download audio: MP3 at 14.0 mebibytes

This week:

Coke addict Toronto cop may keep job

Shoplifting trial for Montreal cop

Massachusetts cop guilty of raping girl

9th victim of NYC mob detectives unearthed

Louisiana cop charged with sex assault

Louisiana deputy beats his cousin

California cop charged with sexual misconduct

A review of the week's taser news

and much more!

PLUS an interview with journalist Anne-Marie Cusac about her article, The Trouble With Tasers

Email comments and story ideas to ron@ckln.fm

Produced at CKLN 88.1 FM in Toronto.

www3.sympatico.ca/ron666/

Off-duty officer sought OT pay after beating

Ryan Packard, one of the Milwaukee police officers suspected in the beating of Frank Jude Jr., unsuccessfully tried to get 9.7 hours of overtime pay because he considered himself on duty during the incident, according to the department's investigative report into the case.

Mayoral candidate hit with taser, traffic charges

WINDBER, Pa. -- A mayoral candidate in this Somerset County town was shot with a Taser stun gun early Sunday morning when he walked away from an officer trying to arrest him after he was stopped for speeding and suspected drunken driving.

Officer's trial may drag force through muck

Reginald A. Williams, a veteran St. Louis police officer accused of making bogus drug cases against three people, was turned in by another officer who had beaten a handcuffed suspect repeatedly, a prosecutor said Tuesday.

The revelation of the beating came in the opening statements of Williams' trial, which seems likely to shine a harsh light on the St. Louis force. Multiple officers have been given immunity from prosecution to testify for the government, the prosecutor said.

City streets filling with patrol cars

It's an effort that puts more patrols in Syracuse neighborhoods and increases police presence on the streets. Syracuse PD, state police and the Sheriff's Department are now working side.

All three agencies are now patrolling and setting up checkpoints in high crime areas.

The move isn't backed by everyone in the city's police department. The Syracuse Police Benevolent Association believes only Syracuse police should patrol Syracuse streets. President Jeffrey Piedmonte calls the move insulating to city officers and believes it sends a wrong message to the public.

Deputy Resigns After Taser Event

A Santa Rosa County sheriff's deputy has resigned under pressure after using a Taser on a suspect who had put up his hands to surrender after an August car chase, authorities say.

Orlando cop charged in Taser case

An Orlando police officer was charged Monday with misdemeanor battery for using a Taser last month to shock a suspect who had been strapped down and handcuffed to a hospital bed.

Taser-linked death ruled a homicide

The Lucas County coroner ruled yesterday that multiple Taser shocks contributed to the January death of Jeffrey Turner and ruled his death a homicide.

The 41-year-old central Toledoan died "primarily as a result of pre-existing heart disease, which was most likely due to high blood pressure [hypertension]," Dr. James Patrick, the coroner, said. "However, since his death closely coincided with the application of multiple Taser shocks, this also contributed to his death."

Since the use of force contributed to his death, the manner of death was ruled a homicide.

County Prosecutor Julia Bates said her office will conduct a review of the incident before deciding whether to take any action.

Turner, a Scott High graduate who was 6-foot, 3-inches and 220 pounds, was shocked five times with a Taser stun gun by Toledo police during his arrest Jan. 31 outside the Toledo Museum of Art. He was later shocked four more times with a different model Taser gun by county jail officials. All nine hits from the guns, which discharge a five-second jolt of 50,000 volts of electricity each, occurred within a three-hour period.

City police approached Turner outside the art museum after security there reported a suspicious man had been loitering outside the closed museum for more than 40 minutes. Arresting officers said they used a Taser to subdue Turner after he refused to identify himself or cooperate with questions and then fought being taken into custody.

After he was carried into the county jail, Turner was booked and ate a boxed lunch before becoming agitated again in his cell. He refused attempts to restrain him and corrections officers then shocked him with a Taser.

A nurse dispatched to Turner's cell as a matter of procedure after the stun gun's use discovered he was unresponsive. He died a short time later at St. Vincent Mercy Medical Center.

No criminal or administrative charges were filed against the jail officials. City police officers also faced no criminal charges, but four police officers and a sergeant were administratively charged for improperly handcuffing Turner at the time of his arrest. Hearings on the charges were set for last month but were continued. No new dates have been set.

Family seeks firings

Shawn Turner said yesterday he was pleased with the coroner's ruling in his brother's death. The central city resident and TARTA bus driver said he wants those involved, particularly those at the sheriff's office, fired.

"If I did my job and I killed someone, do you think they'd keep me? No, they wouldn't keep me," he said.

Even though he and his family have waited more than two months for the coroner's ruling on his brother's death, Shawn Turner added: "This is not over. This is only the beginning."

While calling Turner's death "unfortunate," Steve Tuttle, vice president of communications for Taser International, said the firm continues to believe in the life-saving value of its devices.

"We are unaware of any scientific data that suggests the use, or multiple uses of a Taser device would result in this regrettable outcome," he said yesterday in a prepared statement.

A study released April 1 by Amnesty International found more than 103 Taser-related deaths in the United States and Canada between June, 2001, and March, 2005. The Securities and Exchange Commission recently opened an informal inquiry into Taser International's statements about the safety of their devices.

Although his office considered the potential impact of the initial use of Taser shocks by city police, Dr. Patrick said during a press conference that Turner appeared to be doing well and in no distress afterward.

"It is hard to argue there was a direct relationship with that and his death," the coroner said.

Dr. Patrick said it was the altercation later at the jail, including the shocks, that contributed to the death.

Stress played role

"We have indications of pre-existing heart disease. He is stressed with multiple factors. We think that stress contributed to his death," Dr. Patrick said.

He said the autopsy showed Turner's heart was heavy and had thick muscle wall, and that he had "significant cardiac enlargement."

Dr. Bruce Wilkoff, a cardiologist and director of cardiac pacing at the Cleveland Clinic, said that while one can never be certain in cases like this, "you have to say with the proximity and timing it's very suspicious ... It sounds like the Taser is likely to have caused it."

Dr. Patrick said Turner's toxicology tests were positive for recent marijuana use, but added that the level of the drug in Turner's body was not considered a contributing factor in his death. He also said Turner had experienced "some exposure to the mental health system."

A jail intake report indicates Turner told a jail counselor he suffered from paranoid-schizophrenia, for which he was taking medication. A Toledo Municipal Court record indicates that he was taking medication for a chemical imbalance, but records indicate he told authorities he had no drug or alcohol problems.

"We want to review [the coroner's press release] and the coroner's report, which we understand is being sent to the Lucas County prosecutor's office for review," said Rick Keller, jail corrections administrator, serving as spokesman for Sheriff James Telb.

"Until [the prosecutor] has a chance to review and us to further review, we don't think it's appropriate for us to comment," he said.

After Turner's death, the sheriff suspended the use of Tasers and enacted a policy that requires any suspect shocked by a stun gun to pass a medical examination at a hospital before they can be booked into the county jail.

Taser use to continue

Toledo police Chief Mike Navarre said in a statement yesterday that his department will continue to use Tasers, will review and analyze studies detailing the effects of the devices, and "will take any appropriate further action based upon those findings."

Last month, Chief Navarre tightened the department's policy on when officers can use Tasers and how many times a person can be shocked with the device.

He said in his statement yesterday that many instruments not normally considered lethal, such as physical force, pepper spray, batons, and Tasers, can inadvertently result in the death of an individual.

"Police work can take rough, unexpected, and sometimes violent turns very quickly for officers. It is important to supply them with the best tools available to ensure their safety, as well as the safety of the general public in these situations," he said.

Toledo Mayor Jack Ford said he thinks there is a role for Tasers.

"I still believe the old way of takedowns and chokeholds still result in deaths and put our officers at risk," he said.

Gregg Harris, president of the Toledo Police Patrolman's Association, said he believes after Turner's death there is some apprehension among officers about using Tasers. But he said he remains in favor of the devices, citing fewer fights with suspects and fewer injuries to officers.

"People with hypertension, all they have to do is run away and they can collapse," Mr. Harris said. "Stress - we need to focus on that."

David Taylor III, a Toledo lawyer and former president of the NAACP's Toledo branch, sent a letter to the Toledo FBI office yesterday demanding an immediate investigation by the U.S. Justice Department into what he called a violation of Turner's civil rights.

"We feel that the excessive use of the Taser gun [9 hits] was the direct and proximate cause of his death, thereby violating his civil rights," states the letter, which was copied to the NAACP's national office and others.

Mr. Taylor, who previously sent letters to local and national officials requesting a moratorium on the use of the devices, said in a phone interview that he was not acting on behalf of the NAACP or the family.

Staff writer Luke Shockman contributed to this report.

Contact Christina Hall at
chall@theblade.com
or 419-724-6007.

Ex-cop goes to jail on lesser charge

Former Middlesex Township Police Cpl. Kenny Ray Johnson was tight-lipped Tuesday as two sheriff's deputies shackled and removed him from a Cumberland County courtroom.

The 43-year-old South Middleton Township man's wife, however, stood up and yelled at Judge Edward Guido for issuing him a nine- to 23-month prison sentence.

Kitty Johnson compared her husband's punishment to that of a man who was previously convicted of abusing her. She insisted that man "had the same thing — a felony conviction — and you let him off on probation.

Former Cop Sentenced For Child Rape

BOSTON -- A former Newbury, Mass., police lieutenant was sentenced to seven to nine years in state prison on Tuesday after being found guilty of raping a young girl.

Gary Clifford, 49, of Salisbury, Mass., was found guilty after a three-day trial and a day and a half of deliberations of two counts of rape of a child and four counts of indecent assault and battery on a child under 14.

Bad Cop, No Donut! - April 14/2005

Downlod audio: MP3 at 10.5 mebibytes

This week:

Georgia cops kill man with bean bag bullets

San Diego cop accused of molesting two teenagers

Detroit cop tries to have beating death conviction overturned

New Jersey cops have sex assault charges dropped in exchange for resignations

Pennsylvania cop fired for killing fellow officer

Tennessee cop shoots himself while cleaning gun

LA cop gets 90 days for extortion

Georgia cop charged with extortion

Florida cop shows up drunk at homicide investigation

Arizona detective's incompetence blamed for over 150 dropped domestic violence cases

Toronto cops kill two teens in police chase

Toronto cop fined $500 for killing elderly pedestrian

Trial begins for Toronto cop charged with assault

A review of the week's taser news

and much more!

PLUS an editorial by Matthew Rothschild, editor of The Progressive, about cops who lie.

www3.sympatico.ca/ron666/

Officer arrested and fired for burglary

Pearson - A South Georgia police officer has been arrested for burglary.

Twenty-seven year old Anthony Ray Chesser was fired from the Pearson Police Department last week after he was charged with two counts of burglary and two counts of theft by taking.

G.B.I. agents say he stole various electronic equipment from a Pearson business while he was on duty.

Chesser had been employed with the Pearson Police Department since December of 2004.

Cops Paid No Tax On Moonlighting Money

CHICAGO -- Fourteen Chicago and suburban police employees and a suburban library official were charged with failing to report thousands of dollars in income they earned while moonlighting as security guards at clubs, federal officials announced Friday.

Officer Arrested on Drug Charges

A Jackson police officer finds himself on the wrong side of the law Friday night. U.S. Marshals arrested Officer Lavartes Burch at his home in rural Rankin County Friday morning on drug charges. Marshals were actually trying to serve a warrant on Officer Burch's cousin. U.S. Marshal Nehemiah Flowers says Burch, who has been with JPD for a year-and-a-half, displayed his badge and was uncooperative. Burch allegedly told officers his cousin, Shirley Davis, was at work and then warned her by cellular phone that she was about to be arrested. She was picked up Friday afternoon at a Rankin County store and charged with possession of cocaine. A search of Burch's home revealed drug paraphernalia including scales and a small amount of marijuana. He is charged with possession of drug paraphernalia, a misdemeanor. Rankin County Sheriff's deputies took Burch to jail. He is out on a thousand dollar bond Friday night, and he has been suspended from the Jackson Police Department.

Deputy resigns in Taser incident

A rookie Leon County Sheriff's deputy has turned in his badge after an internal investigation concluded he wrongfully used a Taser on a local U.S. Marine reservist.

Link to past story

Student is county's 18th hit with Taser

An Orange County deputy sheriff used a Taser on another high school student this week as a debate continued on whether stun guns belong in schools.

It was the seventh Taser incident at Colonial High over the past two years and the 18th in Orange County schools during that time. All involved deputy sheriffs.

Details of the incident came to light Friday, shortly before a task force appointed by Orange County Sheriff Kevin Beary released a report urging more Taser training for deputies but saying they have shown restraint in using the devices.

The deputy working at Colonial High and the student disagree on when the Taser was used during a lunchtime scuffle Thursday outside the cafeteria.

Deputy Mark Leubscher reported that Phillip Planteny, 17, attacked him when he tried to break up a fight. A second deputy held Phillip to the ground while Leubscher gave him two shots with the stun gun, according to the officer's report.

Phillip told his mother he stepped in to break up the fight, which about 300 students gathered to watch. He told her he already was handcuffed when Leubscher used his Taser. She was outraged.

"When you are handcuffed, there is no reason you should be tased," said Olga Hernandez. "And in school a Taser is not called for."

Another student, Luiz Ortiz, 15, said he saw the fight and could not understand why the Taser was used.

"They put him in handcuffs and then they tased him," Ortiz said.

Man arrested, cuffed after using $2 bills

BALTIMORE - A man trying to pay a fee using $2 bills was arrested, handcuffed and taken to jail after clerks at a Best Buy store questioned the currency's legitimacy and called police.

After Best Buy personnel reportedly told Bolesta he would not be charged for the installation of a stereo in his son's car, he received a call from the store saying it was in fact charging him the fee. As a means of protest, Bolesta decided to pay the $114 bill using 57 crisp, new $2 bills.

According to an account in the Baltimore Sun, 57-year-old Mike Bolesta was shocked to find himself taken to the Baltimore County lockup in Cockeysville, Md., where he was handcuffed to a pole for three hours while the U.S. Secret Service was called to weigh in on the case.

Commenting on the incident, Baltimore County police spokesman Bill Toohey told the Sun: "It's a sign that we're all a little nervous in the post-9/11 world."

Bad Cop, No Donut - April 07/2005

Download audio: MP3 at 55.7 mebibytes

This week:

NYC cop arrested for sexually abusing his two daughters

California cop pleads guilty in Wisconsin child sex romp

Detroit cop arrested for attempted sex with 14 year-old girl

New York cop arrested for attempted sex with 14 year-old boy

Massachusetts cop arrested for attempted sex with 14 year-old girl and child pornography

Missouri cop facing multiple child sex/porn charges

Florida cop charged over Costa Rican child sex vacation plans

South Carolina cop arrested for selling crack

Montana cop fired for excessive force

Connecticut cop burns car to avoid mileage charges

Chief Fantino was aware of Toronto police racial profiling

and much more!

PLUS a review of the week's taser news

AND an interview about plans to arm transit cops in Vancouver with guns from Vancouver Co-Op Radio

AND an interview with Kristian Williams, author of Our Enemies In Blue

www3.sympatico.ca/ron666/

Police officer arrested in Internet sting

NEW YORK -- A police officer who worked with young people in Queens was arraigned Saturday on charges he tried to meet and have sex with someone he thought was a 14-year-old boy, the Queens District Attorney's office said.

Michael Costello, 39, a youth officer in the 114th Precinct in Queens, was caught in an online sting operation by the NYPD's Internal Affairs Bureau, police and prosecutors said.

Police officer arrested on domestic abuse charges

CARLISLE, Iowa A Carlisle police officer has been arrested on charges of domestic abuse.

Authorities say 29-year-old Thomas Jerome Bauler threw his wife down stairs and took a telephone away from her and a child who tried to call for help. He was arrested Tuesday and also charged with assault and obstruction of emergency communications.

City man files suit alleging police brutality

Albert Mosley is in a wheelchair, unable to walk and barely able to move his arms. He says it's because a Baltimore officer threw him headfirst into the concrete wall of a police district holding cell.

Man Dies After Being Stunned With Off-Duty Officer's Taser Gun

FORT WORTH, Texas -- Fort Worth police say a man is dead after being stunned by a taser gun.

Police said the officer was working an off-duty security job on Sunday night when he noticed a suspicious-looking man in a car at about 9:30.

The officer followed the man for a short distance before he bailed out of his car and ran into a dark, heavily wooded area.

The officer caught up to the man and a struggle ensued. During the struggle, the officer fired his Taser weapon.

Police said Hammock kept fighting after being stunned but soon began having breathing trouble before collapsing.

Hammock was transported to John Peter Smith Hospital, where he later died.

Deputy Shows Up At Wrong Address, Uses Taser Gun On Marine

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- A Marine reservist who just returned from overseas was shocked with a Taser gun by a deputy who went to the wrong address in response to a domestic disturbance call.

On March 7, Leon County deputies went to Demar Jackson's apartment instead of the correct one next door.

Jackson says he tried to tell Deputy John Daly he was at the wrong apartment, but Daly told him three times to turn around. When he did not turn around, Jackson said Daly shocked him in his bare chest and abdomen with 50,000 watts of electricity as Jackson's wife and 3-year-old son watched.

Indictment claims officer possessed child pornography

KANSAS CITY (AP) - A former police sergeant who worked on cases involving crimes against children was indicted yesterday on five federal counts of child pornography.

Rick Enss, 41, of Norborne spent 10 years with the Richmond police before being charged last year in a 14-count state indictment that accused him of child molestation, rape and incest.

Jail guard indicted in sex assaults on five women inmates

ELIZABETH, N.J. -- A Union County jail guard has been indicted on rape and misconduct charges, accused of sexually assaulting five female inmates while on duty, the county prosecutor announced Thursday.

Sean Higgins also was charged with groping himself or 11 other women in exchange for cigarettes, candy or commissary items at the Union County Jail in Elizabeth, Prosecutor Theodore J. Romankow said.