Although the Federal Bureau of Investigation tracks how many police officers die in the line of duty, it keeps no such record for how many civilians are killed by police each year. Recognizing a significant gap in the public records of civilian deaths at the hands of law enforcement officers, D. Brian Burghart, the editor of the Reno News & Review and a journalism instructor at University of Nevada, decided to create a public database. “In 2014, how could we not know how many people our government kills on our streets every year?” And he launched Fatal Encounters, a website that, as Bethania Palma Markus reported for Truthout, “tracks and tallies when cops take lives” and “invites the public to help build the database.” Burghart has compiled a list of police agencies across the country to facilitate public record requests about fatal incidents.
Student Researcher: Shasha-Gaye Santiago (Indian River State College)
Faculty Evaluator: Elliot D. Cohen (Indian River State College)
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Fri 16 Jan, 2015 08:51 pm
Lawsuit: Jail Let Teenage Girl Die From Drug Overdose, Staff Covered It Up
Dana Liebelson - HuffPo
Posted: 01/16/2015 2:35 pm EST Updated: 3 hours ago
<snip>
WASHINGTON -- A 17-year-old girl who was revived from a heroin overdose last May and taken to a hospital died several hours later, after medical professionals handed her over to law enforcement. Last week the girl's family sued Santa Fe County, New Mexico, claiming that juvenile detention staff chose not to get her medical treatment and then covered up their inaction.
Heroin overdoses can require multiple doses of an antidote, and standard procedure is to monitor a victim closely as she recovers. But drug use is treated in the United States first as a criminal matter, and the girl, Desiree Gonzales, had a warrant outstanding for reportedly escaping from a rehabilitation program.
"Because she took drugs and had an outstanding warrant for a probation violation she was treated as a prisoner who deserved to be pushed out of the hospital as fast as possible, thrown in a cell and left to die," claims the lawsuit, which was brought against multiple defendants in state district court.
Kristine Mihelcic, a spokesperson for Santa Fe County, declined to comment on the pending litigation, but told HuffPost, "This tragic event demonstrates the dangers posed to our youth and community by illegal drug use."
The danger for Desiree, however, may have come as much from the drug laws and the way they are enforced.
Miami police chief suspends sniper program using mug shots as target practice
Chief J. Scott Dennis said the department is investigating the program that was criticized after a soldier found her brother's bullet-riddled mug shot at a shooting range. She found police had used only pictures of African-American men that day.
BY Rachelle Blidner
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Saturday, January 17, 2015, 11:08 AM
A South Florida family is outraged at North Miami Beach Police after mug shots of black men were used at a shooting range for police training. NBC MIAMI A South Florida family is outraged at North Miami Beach Police after mug shots of black men were used at a shooting range for police training.
He finally bit the bullet.
A Florida police chief suspended a sniper training program widely criticized for using mug shots of African-American men for target practice.
North Miami Beach Police Chief J. Scott Dennis said the department is investigating the program after a National Guard soldier discovered her brother's bullet-riddled mugshot at a gun range last month.
"The North Miami Beach Police Department recognizes how, taken out of context, it may appear to be offensive," Dennis said in a statement Friday night.
No disciplinary action will be taken because no policies were violated, he said.
The program sparked outrage after Sgt. Valerie Deant found the mug shot of her brother, Woody Deant, in the trash along with several other booking photos entirely of African-American men after visiting a gun range used by police.
Woody Deant’s 15-year-old mug shot was used to his disgust. Woody Deant’s 15-year-old mug shot was used to his disgust.
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Woody Deant’s 15-year-old mug shot was used to his disgust.
Army Sgt. Valerie Deant discovered her brother’s bullet-riddled mug shot in the trash of a gun range she visited last month.
The North Miami Beach Police chief has suspended its sniper training program.
Enlarge
NBC MIAMI
Her family called out the department for discriminating against Woody Deant, who was arrested at 18 for drag racing that left two people dead. After serving four years in prison, he cleaned up his act and is now a father, husband and "career man," he told NBC Miami.
Dennis initially defended using the photos for being "vital for facial recognition drills" and said police used pictures of people of all races and sexes for practice, not just African-Americans.
Only two of the department's 95 officers are snipers, Reuters reported.
The program underscored growing tensions between police and the Florida African-American community.
‘Sea of Blue’ marchers turn out in Washington to support police
‘Sea of Blue’ demonstrators rally in support of police
View Photos
The D.C. march is among several staged across the country to counter demonstrations against police brutality.
By DeNeen L. Brown January 17 at 3:41 PM Follow @DeNeenLBrown
Demonstrators carrying signs saying “Blue Lives Matter” marched to the U.S. Capitol on Saturday in a show of support for police officers across the country who organizers say are not thanked enough for the danger they face in the line of duty.
“They feel unsupported,” said Kelly Wince, 52, a District police officer’s wife who organized the march with two other officers’ wives. “When they walk out the door, we don’t know whether they are coming home. We wanted to let them know we care.”
The D.C. march comes weeks after several other “Sea of Blue” rallies were staged across the country as a counter to months of demonstrations against alleged police brutality. Those protests followed the fatal shooting in August of an unarmed black teenager, Michael Brown, in Ferguson, Mo., and a grand jury’s decision not to indict a New York police officer in the July chokehold death of Eric Garner, an unarmed black man whom police suspected of illegally selling single cigarettes on the street. (A New York medical examiner determined Garner’s death to be a homicide.)
More concern followed the November police shooting in Cleveland of 12-year-old Tamir Rice, who had a toy gun in a park.
The deaths of Garner, Brown and Rice prompted a social media movement with slogans including “Black Lives Matter” and “I can’t breathe,” the latter being Garner’s final words on a sidewalk in Staten Island.
The Sea of Blue organizers began planning the D.C. march after the fatal shootings of New York police officers Rafael “Ralph” Ramos, 40, and Wenjian Liu, 32, as they sat in their patrol car in Brooklyn. The shooter, Ismaaiyl Brinsley, who later killed himself, had posted a note on social media saying he wanted to put “Wings On Pigs” in revenge for the deaths of Brown and Garner.
During the New York funeral of Ramos, hundreds of police officers turned their backs on New York Mayor Bill de Blasio, whom police union officials criticized after he said in a speech that he was concerned about how police might treat his son, who is half black. Several police officials said they believed political leaders had not shown enough support for police in the difficult work they do.
Wince, who organized the D.C. rally with Bobbie Padgett and Rachel Bowman, posted the idea for the march on Twitter and Facebook. “I thought, ‘Do I really want to do this? No one knows me. Will anyone come?’ ” she recalled. “Then people just started calling. And e-mailing.”
Support swelled as more than 300 people dressed in blue marched through the streets of the city, starting at the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial on E Street NW.
Some carried signs that said: “We are part of a blue family.” Women raised signs that said: “I support my Man in Blue.” One protester carried a sign that said: “Breathe Easy; Don’t Break the Law.” Some wore blue shirts that said: “Blessed are the Peacemakers.”
On the steps of the Capitol, they raised American flags, and several speakers extolled the courage of officers and talked of those who had died in the line of duty.
Andy Maybo, chairman of the National Memorial Committee of the Grand Lodge of the Fraternal Order of Police, said, “This is a blue family reunion. Blue lives matter. It’s not about Ferguson. It’s about supporting law-enforcement as a whole. Law-enforcement needs to be recognized as those who are there to protect and serve.
“No matter what the situation,” Maybo told the crowd, “law enforcement will be there for you.”
Oliver Smith Sr., 66, of Cheverly told the audience about his son, Oliver Smith Jr., a police officer who died in the line of duty. Smith turned his back to show a T-shirt he was wearing with the names of 180 officers who were killed in the line of duty across the country in 1997, the year in which his 28-year-old son was killed in Forestville at the end of a shift.
Smith said that during the “Sea of Blue” march in Washington, he saw signs of counter protesters calling police “bad cops.”
“It hurt me,” he said. “This is a peaceful demonstration. Nobody threw rocks. Nobody killed anybody. Nobody threw stones.”
Theresa Dittamo, 71, of Woodbridge remembered her son Paul Dittamo, a police officer who was killed when his patrol car crashed in Anacostia in 2010.
“Peace officers are expected to lead a life of integrity both on and off duty,” Dittamo said. “They are constant witnesses to all manner of violence, misery, corruption and dishonesty. . . . They have to be compassionate enough to hug the mother of an accident victim, but also the mother of the driver who caused the accident. It seems an impossible task, and we are forever grateful to our officers who keep the peace with feeling and integrity.”
Mary Jo Graves, a police dispatcher in a Cleveland suburb, said she organized a “Sea of Blue” march in Cleveland in December, where more than 5,000 people turned out.
“The negativity against the police department was getting to be a bit much,” said Graves, who flew to Washington on Saturday morning to join the march. “We need to let them know we are behind them 100 percent. They fight what we fear. They are running to what we are running from.”
Graves, who said her brother is a police officer, added, “Our police officers are getting assassinated. They are feeling threatened.”
After more than two hours, the Rev. Salvatore Criscuolo, a chaplain to first responders in the Washington area, ended the rally with a prayer:
“Almighty God, whose great power and eternal wisdom embraces the universe, watch over all our police officers. Father of all, please give them the strength, courage and perseverance to endure unjust condemnation, danger and physical abuse to which they are at time subjected. . . . Grant these brave men and women your protection and unite them safely with their families after their tour of duty has ended.”
DeNeen L. Brown is an award-winning staff writer at The Washington Post who has covered night police, education, courts, politics and culture.
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Sun 18 Jan, 2015 08:12 am
St. Louis cops apologize for beating wrong black man bloody in chase after suspect
David Ferguson
17 Jan 2015 at 15:50 ET
Joseph Swint's injuries from police (Screen capture)
The chief of police in St. Louis County, Missouri has issued an apology to a 22-year-old student who was brutally beaten by police officers who were pursuing another man.
According to KMOV Channel 4, officers were in pursuit of a suspect named Anton Simmons on Interstate 70 outside St. Louis on Thursday when student Joseph Swink lost control of his car and crashed as he attempted to make way for police vehicles.
As his car began to fill with smoke, Swink ran from the vehicle, only to be tackled and beaten bloody by officers who mistook him for Simmons, who had 17 separate warrants out for his arrest.
“They ended up grabbing him [Swink], tossing him to the ground, and were trying to handcuff him,” said St. Ann Police Chief Aaron Jimenez in a press conference on Friday. “All the sirens and lights were going off. It was very loud and they couldn’t hear anything the citizen was saying.”
Swink suffered serious injuries to his left ear and his vehicle was totaled. He is an accounting student at University of Missouri – St. Louis with no criminal record. He was on his way home from an internship when he accidentally became involved in the police chase.
“I never really had 100 percent trust in police before,” Swink said to Channel 4. “But I really don’t now.”
Chief Jimenez said that his department made an honest mistake and has apologized for the incident. The force is currently updating its radio system to assure that all officers are receiving up-to-the-minute information during police pursuits.
Watch video about this story, embedded below:
[KMOV.com] Video | News | Weather | Sports
Fri Jan 16 14:03:26 PST 2015
St. Ann Police admit to injuring, arresting wrong person after chase
St. Ann Police say they have apologized to a college student after they admitted to causing severe injuries to his face after accusing him of a crime he didn’t commit on Thursday. view full article
Former Kentucky cop given $500 fine for shooting motorist while off-duty and drunk
Tom Boggioni
17 Jan 2015 at 16:52
An off-duty Louisville police officer was acquitted by jury of one charge and fined $500 on another after shooting a motorist while off-duty and after a night of drinking at a friend’s house, reports WDRB.
Officer Chauncey Carthan had been charged with wanton endangerment and driving under the influence for the 2012 incident when the he pulled over a motorist, initiating a confrontation that ended up with the officer shooting the suspect, Ishmael Gough, in the leg.
After deliberating three hours, the jury acquitted Carthan on the endangerment charge, but found him guilty on the lesser charge, with the officer paying a fine and not serving time in jail.
According to court records, Carthan left his friend’s home on the evening of Sept. 4, after an evening of drinking. While on his way home, he pulled Gough over for speeding and identified himself as a police officer, although Gough disputed that. Gouch stated the out of uniform cop was aggressive, while pointing a gun at him and demanding he get on the ground without ever saying what he had done wrong.
Under questioning Gough admitted that he reached for the gun before Carthan shot him, hitting him in the leg.
A witness who called 911 described the incident to the dispatcher saying, “He’s got his gun, he’s saying he’s police though, but dude’s begging for his life down here on the ground.”
After being asked by the dispatcher if the man with the gun was a police officer the woman said, “Yeah, he said he’s the police, but I don’t know. He ain’t got no uniform, no badge, no nothing- but he’s got this pistol pointing at the dude.”
Carthan said he felt his life was in danger when he shot, saying, “Had I let him take my gun that night, there is no doubt in my mind he would’ve used it on me and left me there for dead.”
Prosecutor Nick Mudd argued that Carthan should serve time jail, saying, “He was a drunk off-duty cop, driving a taxpayer car, with his taxpayer gun, going home.”
Following the indictment, Carthan resigned from the police department and he still faces a civil suit from Gough.
You keep doing that and trying to associate it with Wilson. Not related incidents. Wilson probably did not know any of the cops or victims in your videos that have nothing to do with anything. I will bet Mike didn't either.
Is your entire family dense or is it only you on the short yellow bus?
This is my thread. Ferguson isn't an exception. You don't know either Brown or Wilson but that hasn't stopped your defense of a killer cop and an unarmed, uncharged citizen.
I am curious, is it actually legal for cops to just beat on people they are trying to arrest? I mean I can understand trying to subdue them, I can understand if during that struggle a person's face gets abrasions and cuts, but to actually hit a suspect in the face or anywhere else, is it legal? If it is, what meaning does the terms, "excessive force" or "police brutality" mean? I mean, they would seem to be useless charges if any force can be justified in the name of subduing a suspect.
So tell me, how is hitting someone in the face subduing them? Unless you knock them out, surely they can fight through someone hitting them in the face. I don't know a whole lot about it, but it just seems to me the point is to get them down in a position where you can put handcuffs on them, not having a boxing fight or using a suspect as a punching bag to blow off steam.
