Source: Orlando Sentinel
Canadian police watchdog wants Taser use reined in
December 13, 2007
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OTTAWA - The national Canadian police force should drastically reduce its use of Taser stun guns, the country's main police watchdog said in a report released Wednesday. The Commission for Complaints Against the RCMP stopped short of calling for a moratorium on the use of Tasers. But it said they should only be used when suspects are "combative" or pose a risk of "death or grievous bodily harm" to police, themselves or the public. The report has been awaited since the Oct. 14 death of Robert Dziekanski at Vancouver International Airport. He was Tasered during a confrontation with Royal Canadian Mounted Police officers.
Sunday, December 16, 2007
State Attorney Works to Clear a Backlog of Deadly Force Cases
(Source) orlandosentinel.com/news/local/state/orl-backlog1307dec13,0,6192732.story
SENTINEL EXCLUSIVE
State Attorney Lawson Lamar works to clear a backlog of deadly force cases for Orlando-area cops
Extra prosecutors were assigned to help get cases out of limbo.
Henry Pierson Curtis
Sentinel Staff Writer
(published) December 13, 2007
Twenty-eight Orlando-area cops who had been waiting up to two years for a prosecutor to evaluate their use of deadly force have been cleared during the past two months by State Attorney Lawson Lamar.
His office closed 15 of those cases during three days in mid-November, a week before the Orlando Sentinel reported that Lamar's office took months and sometimes years longer than other Central Florida state attorneys to review such cases.
At the time, Lamar's staff said no backlog existed. This week, it was disclosed that extra prosecutors had been assigned to resolve the cases.
"No case was forgotten, but there were a number of factors why the reviews were not completed in a timely manner, several of [them] . . . unacceptable," Chief of Investigations Randy Means wrote this week in an e-mail to the newspaper. "We have accomplished our goal of finishing the reviews and now have a better tracking method that should keep reviews up to date."
The Sentinel began looking into the backlog in September. Law-enforcement officials and union leaders subsequently told the newspaper that officers involved in shootings had to work under a cloud of doubt as they waited for Lamar's staff to decide whether they acted legally.
Means wrote that Lamar spoke with prosecutors "a few months ago" and told them to reduce the backlog of deadly force investigations. He said the process already was under way when the newspaper asked about the cases. He would not say when or how many prosecutors were assigned to clear up the problem.
Evidence of the recent urgency was found on a note pasted to one of the shooting files newly cleared.
"Please assign to Robert Eagan ASAP!" a senior staff prosecutor wrote Oct. 22 on one file. Eagan, a former state attorney who still works in the office, helped resolve the more than two dozen open cases.
The veteran prosecutor took less than three days to review the inches-thick file and determine that five Orlando police officers had been justified when they killed an armed robber Aug. 31.
The man killed, 23-year-old Willie Lee Cliatt, had opened fire on the officers when cornered on Mercy Drive shortly after he robbed a Pine Hills business, crashed his getaway car in a high-speed chase and threatened to kill an Orlando woman in a failed carjacking, records show.
It was one of several cases Lamar closed this fall much faster than usual.
The promise of timely reviews pleased Orlando police officers and Orange County deputy sheriffs.
"We understand that, obviously, homicide cases and other infamous-type crimes could take precedent to review an officer's actions, but we feel it's just as important in most circumstances to get those officers' actions reviewed and let the public know they did their job or, in those rare cases, if they didn't do their jobs," said Sam Hoffman, labor-committee chairman of Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 25 in Orlando.
"We are pleased that they have cleared up the backlog," Hoffman said. "And we'd like to see the cases more up to date."
The handling of the Mercy Drive case, resolved in less than eight weeks, contrasted with the handling of the Dec. 1, 2005, death of Jeffrey Earnhardt near Bithlo.
The victim, cousin of NASCAR great Dale Earnhardt Jr., died after being stunned twice with a Taser by a deputy to keep him from running into traffic on East Colonial Drive. An autopsy determined that Jeffrey Earnhardt, 47, was dangerously high on methamphetamine, an illegal drug he had been arrested for trying to manufacture, records show.
Other long-unresolved cases had included a nonfatal shooting in August 2005 when truck thieves tried to run down several deputies, and fatal shootings in April and May 2006 when carjackers tried to kill deputies, records show.
Central Florida Police Benevolent Association President John Park, who represents about 1,300 Orange County deputies, said timely rulings help law-enforcement officers deal with the personal stress of having to use deadly force. Local deputies and police officers typically return to work within two weeks, even while waiting for prosecutors to decide whether a shooting was justified.
"With multiple layers of scrutiny on split-second decision making by law-enforcement officers, it's reassuring to hear the State Attorney's Office is going to give back a timely verdict on issues that weigh on the hearts and minds of deputies involved in these critical incidents," Park said. "We thank everyone involved in the process."
Henry Pierson Curtis can be reached at hcurtis@orlandosentinel.com or 407-420-5257.
SENTINEL EXCLUSIVE
State Attorney Lawson Lamar works to clear a backlog of deadly force cases for Orlando-area cops
Extra prosecutors were assigned to help get cases out of limbo.
Henry Pierson Curtis
Sentinel Staff Writer
(published) December 13, 2007
Twenty-eight Orlando-area cops who had been waiting up to two years for a prosecutor to evaluate their use of deadly force have been cleared during the past two months by State Attorney Lawson Lamar.
His office closed 15 of those cases during three days in mid-November, a week before the Orlando Sentinel reported that Lamar's office took months and sometimes years longer than other Central Florida state attorneys to review such cases.
At the time, Lamar's staff said no backlog existed. This week, it was disclosed that extra prosecutors had been assigned to resolve the cases.
"No case was forgotten, but there were a number of factors why the reviews were not completed in a timely manner, several of [them] . . . unacceptable," Chief of Investigations Randy Means wrote this week in an e-mail to the newspaper. "We have accomplished our goal of finishing the reviews and now have a better tracking method that should keep reviews up to date."
The Sentinel began looking into the backlog in September. Law-enforcement officials and union leaders subsequently told the newspaper that officers involved in shootings had to work under a cloud of doubt as they waited for Lamar's staff to decide whether they acted legally.
Means wrote that Lamar spoke with prosecutors "a few months ago" and told them to reduce the backlog of deadly force investigations. He said the process already was under way when the newspaper asked about the cases. He would not say when or how many prosecutors were assigned to clear up the problem.
Evidence of the recent urgency was found on a note pasted to one of the shooting files newly cleared.
"Please assign to Robert Eagan ASAP!" a senior staff prosecutor wrote Oct. 22 on one file. Eagan, a former state attorney who still works in the office, helped resolve the more than two dozen open cases.
The veteran prosecutor took less than three days to review the inches-thick file and determine that five Orlando police officers had been justified when they killed an armed robber Aug. 31.
The man killed, 23-year-old Willie Lee Cliatt, had opened fire on the officers when cornered on Mercy Drive shortly after he robbed a Pine Hills business, crashed his getaway car in a high-speed chase and threatened to kill an Orlando woman in a failed carjacking, records show.
It was one of several cases Lamar closed this fall much faster than usual.
The promise of timely reviews pleased Orlando police officers and Orange County deputy sheriffs.
"We understand that, obviously, homicide cases and other infamous-type crimes could take precedent to review an officer's actions, but we feel it's just as important in most circumstances to get those officers' actions reviewed and let the public know they did their job or, in those rare cases, if they didn't do their jobs," said Sam Hoffman, labor-committee chairman of Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 25 in Orlando.
"We are pleased that they have cleared up the backlog," Hoffman said. "And we'd like to see the cases more up to date."
The handling of the Mercy Drive case, resolved in less than eight weeks, contrasted with the handling of the Dec. 1, 2005, death of Jeffrey Earnhardt near Bithlo.
The victim, cousin of NASCAR great Dale Earnhardt Jr., died after being stunned twice with a Taser by a deputy to keep him from running into traffic on East Colonial Drive. An autopsy determined that Jeffrey Earnhardt, 47, was dangerously high on methamphetamine, an illegal drug he had been arrested for trying to manufacture, records show.
Other long-unresolved cases had included a nonfatal shooting in August 2005 when truck thieves tried to run down several deputies, and fatal shootings in April and May 2006 when carjackers tried to kill deputies, records show.
Central Florida Police Benevolent Association President John Park, who represents about 1,300 Orange County deputies, said timely rulings help law-enforcement officers deal with the personal stress of having to use deadly force. Local deputies and police officers typically return to work within two weeks, even while waiting for prosecutors to decide whether a shooting was justified.
"With multiple layers of scrutiny on split-second decision making by law-enforcement officers, it's reassuring to hear the State Attorney's Office is going to give back a timely verdict on issues that weigh on the hearts and minds of deputies involved in these critical incidents," Park said. "We thank everyone involved in the process."
Henry Pierson Curtis can be reached at hcurtis@orlandosentinel.com or 407-420-5257.
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Woman Says Orlando Officer Pepper Sprayed Her, Beat Her For No Reason
http://www.wftv.com/news/14724170/detail.html
Woman Says Orlando Officer Pepper Sprayed Her, Beat Her For No Reason
POSTED: 7:32 am EST November 29, 2007
ORLANDO, Fla. -- An Orlando woman said she was beaten and pepper sprayed by an Orlando police officer after she tried to complain about him.
Eyewitness News learned officer ANTHONY MILLER has had at least eight complaints filed against him and five pending lawsuits. Freelance writer Karen Holbrook said she was walking to her car when Miller and another officer said she could not walk down the street.
She called 911 to report their behavior.
"When I asked him for his badge number he slammed me on the floor. And then Miller did some crazy wrestling move. He put his knee on my back and slammed me on the ground," Holbrook said of the attack.
Orlando Police Internal Affairs is investigating this incident. Miller has never been disciplined by the department because it said he has not violated any policy rules.
An attorney representing Holbrook plans to file a lawsuit in the next couple of months.
Woman Says Orlando Officer Pepper Sprayed Her, Beat Her For No Reason
POSTED: 7:32 am EST November 29, 2007
ORLANDO, Fla. -- An Orlando woman said she was beaten and pepper sprayed by an Orlando police officer after she tried to complain about him.
Eyewitness News learned officer ANTHONY MILLER has had at least eight complaints filed against him and five pending lawsuits. Freelance writer Karen Holbrook said she was walking to her car when Miller and another officer said she could not walk down the street.
She called 911 to report their behavior.
"When I asked him for his badge number he slammed me on the floor. And then Miller did some crazy wrestling move. He put his knee on my back and slammed me on the ground," Holbrook said of the attack.
Orlando Police Internal Affairs is investigating this incident. Miller has never been disciplined by the department because it said he has not violated any policy rules.
An attorney representing Holbrook plans to file a lawsuit in the next couple of months.
Sunday, November 25, 2007
UN: Tasers Are A Form Of Torture
Published on Sunday, November 25, 2007 by CBS News
UN: Tasers Are A Form Of Torture
“Stun Guns” Are Under Fire After Six Deaths This Week; Rallies Held Demanding They Be Banned
(CBS/AP) - A United Nations committee said Friday that use of Taser weapons can be a form of torture, in violation of the U.N. Convention Against Torture.
Use of the electronic stun devices by police has been marked with a sudden rise in deaths - including four men in the United States and two in Canada within the last week.
Canadian authorities are taking a second look at them, and in the United States, there is a wave of demands to ban them.
The U.N. Committee Against Torture referred Friday to the use of TaserX26 weapons which Portuguese police has acquired. An expert had testified to the committee that use of the weapons had “proven risks of harm or death.”
“The use of TaserX26 weapons, provoking extreme pain, constituted a form of torture, and that in certain cases it could also cause death, as shown by several reliable studies and by certain cases that had happened after practical use,” the committee said in a statement.
Tasers have become increasingly controversial in the United States, particularly after several notorious cases where their use by police to disable suspects was questioned as being excessive. Especially disturbing is the fact that six adults died after being tased by police in the span of a week.
Last Sunday, in Frederick, Md., a sheriff’s deputy trying to break up a late-night brawl tased 20-year-old Jarrel Grey. He died on the spot.
“I want to know what he did that was so bad,” the victim’s mother, Tanya James, said. “Did the deputy think that their life was in danger? Did he have a weapon?”
The death came just weeks after Frederick police used a Taser to subdue a high school student.
Black leaders held a rally Tuesday calling for the department to ban Tasers, at least until there is a clear policy on how they are used. The NAACP says it appears the sheriff’s office is using Tasers routinely, rather than as a weapon of last resort.
Also this week, in Jacksonville, Fla., in two separate cases two men died after being stunned.
One suspect, who fled a car crash and tried to break into a nearby home, struggled with a policeman, prompting the officer to tase him three times. The man continued to fight, and tried to bite the officer, while he was being tased. He was later pronounced dead at a hospital.
Another man died Tuesday after a Jacksonville officer pulled over his car. When the officer approached it, the man took off running. When the officer caught up with him, during a struggle, authorities say the officer used his Taser to subdue the suspect.
After being placed in the back of the police car the suspect became unresponsive. He was taken to the hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Last Sunday, in New Mexico, 20-year-old Jesse Saenz died after Raton police used a Taser to subdue him. Police say Saenz was struggling and fighting with them as they attempted to take him into custody.
Saenz died after being transported to a county jail.
In Nova Scotia, a 45-year-old man who was jailed on assault charges jumped a counter and ran for the door as he was being booked. He died yesterday, about 30 hours after being shocked.
And in Vancouver, where Royal Candian Mounted Police have been criticized for their use of a Taser against an irate airline passenger at Vancouver Airport last month, 36-year-old Robert Knipstrom died in a hospital four days after police used a Taser, pepper spray and batons to subdue him.
Police earlier said Knipstrom was agitated, aggressive and combative with officers. The cause of death has yet to be determined.
More than a dozen people have died in Canada after being hit by Tasers in the last four years.
The reported incidents this week did not have cameras documenting the use of the Tasers, but in British Columbia, a tourist’s video camera recorded the death of a man tased twice while in custody at the Vancouver Airport last month.
That horrifying video shows Robert Dziekanski, a Polish man who spoke no English, become increasingly agitated. He was shocked twice, and then died.
The stun guns were denounced at memorial rallies in Vancouver and Toronto for Dziekanski.
Among the 1,000 people at the Vancouver rally was Paul Pritchard, who shot the video of the confrontation at the city airport.
The crowd gave a hero’s welcome to Pritchard, who said he “saw the life drain out of a man’s face” and heard “blood-curdling screams.”
A rally in front of the Ontario legislature in Toronto drew several hundred people, including Bob Rae, a Liberal candidate in the next federal election.
Rae said the events leading up to Dziekanski’s death must “never, ever be allowed to happen again.”
The prominent - and sensational - reports of deaths following the use of Tasers has increased attention to their legitimacy, and prompted a bold defense by their manufacturer.
Taser International, based in Scottsdale, Az., released a statement following the Vancouver Airport incident saying no deaths have ever been definitively connected to what the company describes as: “the low-energy electrical discharge of the Taser.”
That’s 50,000 volts.
“The video of the incident at the Vancouver airport indicates that the subject was continuing to fight well after the TASER application,” Taser International said. “This continuing struggle could not be possible if the subject died as a result of the Taser device electrical current causing cardiac arrest. [Dziekanski’s] continuing struggle is proof that the Taser device was not the cause of his death.
“Specifically in Canada, while previous incidents were widely reported in the media as ‘Taser deaths,’ the role of the Taser device has been cleared in every case to date,” Taser said.
The devices are used by about 12,000 police departments, often in chaotic situations.
Retired police officer Paul Mazzei told CBS News correspondent Joie Chen, “Minus the Taser, they would have to use an impact weapon like a baton, possibly pepper spray or in some extreme cases of violent behavior they might even have to use deadly force to control that individual.”
In fact, in New Mexico earlier this month, the parents of a suicidal woman who was shot to death by Bernalillo County deputies two years ago are suing, contending that the police should have used Tasers instead of firearms.
Brittany Wayne was killed in her bedroom 23 seconds after police arrived.
And in Utah, a patrol car’s dashboard camera caught an officer tasing a driver who refused to sign a speeding ticket. The officer is now under investigation, accused of being too quick on the draw.
Amid a growing outcry, civil rights groups are urging police to put down their Tasers until more research is done.
“The danger of Tasers is that they seem safe, they seem easy and therefore I think it’s natural that police will be inclined to use them much more quickly than they would ever use a gun,” Amnesty International USA Executive Director Larry Cox told Chen.
CBSNews.com producer David Morgan contributed to this report.
UN: Tasers Are A Form Of Torture
“Stun Guns” Are Under Fire After Six Deaths This Week; Rallies Held Demanding They Be Banned
(CBS/AP) - A United Nations committee said Friday that use of Taser weapons can be a form of torture, in violation of the U.N. Convention Against Torture.
Use of the electronic stun devices by police has been marked with a sudden rise in deaths - including four men in the United States and two in Canada within the last week.
Canadian authorities are taking a second look at them, and in the United States, there is a wave of demands to ban them.
The U.N. Committee Against Torture referred Friday to the use of TaserX26 weapons which Portuguese police has acquired. An expert had testified to the committee that use of the weapons had “proven risks of harm or death.”
“The use of TaserX26 weapons, provoking extreme pain, constituted a form of torture, and that in certain cases it could also cause death, as shown by several reliable studies and by certain cases that had happened after practical use,” the committee said in a statement.
Tasers have become increasingly controversial in the United States, particularly after several notorious cases where their use by police to disable suspects was questioned as being excessive. Especially disturbing is the fact that six adults died after being tased by police in the span of a week.
Last Sunday, in Frederick, Md., a sheriff’s deputy trying to break up a late-night brawl tased 20-year-old Jarrel Grey. He died on the spot.
“I want to know what he did that was so bad,” the victim’s mother, Tanya James, said. “Did the deputy think that their life was in danger? Did he have a weapon?”
The death came just weeks after Frederick police used a Taser to subdue a high school student.
Black leaders held a rally Tuesday calling for the department to ban Tasers, at least until there is a clear policy on how they are used. The NAACP says it appears the sheriff’s office is using Tasers routinely, rather than as a weapon of last resort.
Also this week, in Jacksonville, Fla., in two separate cases two men died after being stunned.
One suspect, who fled a car crash and tried to break into a nearby home, struggled with a policeman, prompting the officer to tase him three times. The man continued to fight, and tried to bite the officer, while he was being tased. He was later pronounced dead at a hospital.
Another man died Tuesday after a Jacksonville officer pulled over his car. When the officer approached it, the man took off running. When the officer caught up with him, during a struggle, authorities say the officer used his Taser to subdue the suspect.
After being placed in the back of the police car the suspect became unresponsive. He was taken to the hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Last Sunday, in New Mexico, 20-year-old Jesse Saenz died after Raton police used a Taser to subdue him. Police say Saenz was struggling and fighting with them as they attempted to take him into custody.
Saenz died after being transported to a county jail.
In Nova Scotia, a 45-year-old man who was jailed on assault charges jumped a counter and ran for the door as he was being booked. He died yesterday, about 30 hours after being shocked.
And in Vancouver, where Royal Candian Mounted Police have been criticized for their use of a Taser against an irate airline passenger at Vancouver Airport last month, 36-year-old Robert Knipstrom died in a hospital four days after police used a Taser, pepper spray and batons to subdue him.
Police earlier said Knipstrom was agitated, aggressive and combative with officers. The cause of death has yet to be determined.
More than a dozen people have died in Canada after being hit by Tasers in the last four years.
The reported incidents this week did not have cameras documenting the use of the Tasers, but in British Columbia, a tourist’s video camera recorded the death of a man tased twice while in custody at the Vancouver Airport last month.
That horrifying video shows Robert Dziekanski, a Polish man who spoke no English, become increasingly agitated. He was shocked twice, and then died.
The stun guns were denounced at memorial rallies in Vancouver and Toronto for Dziekanski.
Among the 1,000 people at the Vancouver rally was Paul Pritchard, who shot the video of the confrontation at the city airport.
The crowd gave a hero’s welcome to Pritchard, who said he “saw the life drain out of a man’s face” and heard “blood-curdling screams.”
A rally in front of the Ontario legislature in Toronto drew several hundred people, including Bob Rae, a Liberal candidate in the next federal election.
Rae said the events leading up to Dziekanski’s death must “never, ever be allowed to happen again.”
The prominent - and sensational - reports of deaths following the use of Tasers has increased attention to their legitimacy, and prompted a bold defense by their manufacturer.
Taser International, based in Scottsdale, Az., released a statement following the Vancouver Airport incident saying no deaths have ever been definitively connected to what the company describes as: “the low-energy electrical discharge of the Taser.”
That’s 50,000 volts.
“The video of the incident at the Vancouver airport indicates that the subject was continuing to fight well after the TASER application,” Taser International said. “This continuing struggle could not be possible if the subject died as a result of the Taser device electrical current causing cardiac arrest. [Dziekanski’s] continuing struggle is proof that the Taser device was not the cause of his death.
“Specifically in Canada, while previous incidents were widely reported in the media as ‘Taser deaths,’ the role of the Taser device has been cleared in every case to date,” Taser said.
The devices are used by about 12,000 police departments, often in chaotic situations.
Retired police officer Paul Mazzei told CBS News correspondent Joie Chen, “Minus the Taser, they would have to use an impact weapon like a baton, possibly pepper spray or in some extreme cases of violent behavior they might even have to use deadly force to control that individual.”
In fact, in New Mexico earlier this month, the parents of a suicidal woman who was shot to death by Bernalillo County deputies two years ago are suing, contending that the police should have used Tasers instead of firearms.
Brittany Wayne was killed in her bedroom 23 seconds after police arrived.
And in Utah, a patrol car’s dashboard camera caught an officer tasing a driver who refused to sign a speeding ticket. The officer is now under investigation, accused of being too quick on the draw.
Amid a growing outcry, civil rights groups are urging police to put down their Tasers until more research is done.
“The danger of Tasers is that they seem safe, they seem easy and therefore I think it’s natural that police will be inclined to use them much more quickly than they would ever use a gun,” Amnesty International USA Executive Director Larry Cox told Chen.
CBSNews.com producer David Morgan contributed to this report.
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
ORLANDO COPS MACE MEMBERS OF BLACK MINISTRY
Ministry complains to police
Orlando's investigation of the use of Mace after the Florida Classic could take 3 to 6 months.
April Hunt and Willoughby Mariano |Sentinel Staff Writers
November 20, 2007
A representative for a black evangelical church filed a formal complaint with Orlando police Monday, accusing an officer of roughing up church members after the Florida Classic football game.
Members of J.U.M.P. Ministries International were evangelizing in downtown Orlando early Sunday after the game between historically black Bethune-Cookman and Florida A&M universities when officers pushed two church members and sprayed the group with Mace, they said.
Police said they used the spray to keep a crowd of 10,000 from getting dangerous.
The Police Department's internal-affairs division is investigating the case, and it may take three to six months to complete the probe.
Church member Celine Cannon, a Winter Park attorney, met with Orlando police investigators Monday and handed over unedited video footage in addition to filing the complaint. She said her group was not blocking traffic or causing trouble and clearly identified themselves as members of a church.
The evangelical group regularly preaches to revelers at Black College Reunion and spring break in Daytona Beach. They videotape their efforts to air on television.
Durone Hepburn, bishop of J.U.M.P. Ministries, said he worries that police showed no regard for the fact his church members were trying to preach to the crowd. He thinks that the officer's response was, in part, racially motivated. Police have said race had nothing to do with it.
Members of the church group are consulting with the Central Florida ACLU and the Orange County NAACP.
A police report released Monday shows four officers sprayed thousands of revelers just after the bars closed early Sunday to break up what they called a hostile crowd.
About 2:15 a.m., fights broke out around Orange Avenue and Central Boulevard, the report states. At the same time, an officer heard gunshots in the parking garage on West Central Boulevard.
One officer had begun to arrest a suspect near the parking garage when "thousands of people began to encircle" the officer, the report states.
That officer and four others then sprayed Mace toward the crowd to disperse it.
"The chemical agent had the desired affect [sic] which created a mild irritant to those present and safely cleared the streets preventing injuries to the officers and the public," the report states.
Cannon, who saw the incident, said an officer shoved two members and sprayed Mace, making people gag. There was no brawl near where church members were filming, she said. Cannon said the officer sprayed without warning, but other church members said he asked them to leave and then sprayed.
The spray is considered a use of force by the department and is allowed in certain situations, said Sgt. Barbara Jones, an Orlando police spokeswoman.
April Hunt can be reached at ahunt@orlandosentinel.com
Willoughby Mariano can be reached at wmariano@orlandosentinel.com
or 407-420-5171.
•••
Ministry outraged after members say Orlando cop sprayed them with Mace
April Hunt, Susan Jacobson and Willoughby Mariano |Sentinel Staff Writers
6:08 PM EST, November 19, 2007
A representative for members of an evangelical church who claim that an Orlando police officer abused them during a post-Florida Classic celebration Sunday filed a formal complaint with police Monday.
The woman from J. U. M. P. ministries also met with Internal Affairs investigators on accusations that an officer sprayed her group with Mace and pushed two of her group during the downtown celebration and sprayed them group with Mace. She provided an unedited copy of the video as well. Her name was not immediately available.
A newly released police report shows that four officers did spray "thousands" of revelers just after the bars closed, to break up a ["]hostile["] crowd. Internal Affairs investigators have up to 180 days to make a determination if the use of force was justified.
"They have got to be thorough and determine whether the spray was deployed properly," said Police Sgt. Barb Jones.
Churchmembers said they were videotaping a wrap-up of the night's events between 2:30 and 3 a.m. when an officer approached them.
That is when the officer shoved two members and and sprayed the Mace, causing people's eyes and noses to burn and making them gag, said Celine Cannon, a lawyer and a church member who was there.
"This is outrageous," said Cannon, who promised to file a complaint against the officer.
A police report shows that two officers were working crowd control from about 10:30 p.m. to closing time at 2 a.m. around downtown clubs.
At about 2:15 a.m., the report notes that several fights broke out around Orange Avenue and Central Boulevard. At the same time, an officer heard gunshots in the parking garage on West Central Boulevard.
One officer had begun to arrest a suspect near the parking garage when, "thousands of people began to encircle" the officer, the report states.
That officer and four others then sprayed Mace toward the crowd, to disperse it.
"The chemical agent had the desired affect (sic) which created a mild irritant to those present and safely cleared the streets preventing injuries to the officers and the public," the report states.
The spray is considered a use of force by the department and allowed in certain situations, Jones said.
"It is a tool that, if I witness a fight or am outnumbered, if people resist, I can use," Jones said. "Unfortunately, if it gets into the air, it spreads."
Some members of her group think the incident was racially motivated. Many black people were downtown after the football game between Florida A&M and Bethune-Cookman, two historically black universities.
Orlando police Lt. Rich Ring denied that race played any part in the actions.
"We're going to use the same techniques on you whether you're polka-dotted, black, white, Hispanic or a mix of black and white," Ring said. "We have to maintain civil order."
Witnesses had conflicting stories about the number of officers present and exactly what happened. Cannon said the officer sprayed without warning, but others said he asked them to leave and then sprayed.
Darrell Walker, 29, said he and the member with the video camera chased an officer to ask on tape why they were sprayed, but the officer would not answer.
"It was crowd control," Walker said. "But when we turned to them and told them we were with the church, they shouldn't have done that."
Jones said investigators will review the video and wait to see if a formal complaint is submitted.
"If somebody did something wrong, they will address it," Jones said.
Ring said about 75 officers were policing a crowd of 10,000 downtown and used accepted procedure to avoid injury to officers and civilians. He said there were some arrests, but none related to this incident.
"If this one blast of a gas has got them upset, I'm sorry," Ring said. "But I'm proud of what my guys did last night."
The Rev. Randolph Bracy, president of the Orange County branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, said the church contacted his group and he is looking into its claims.
Sarah Langbein of the Sentinel staff contributed to this report.
Orlando's investigation of the use of Mace after the Florida Classic could take 3 to 6 months.
April Hunt and Willoughby Mariano |Sentinel Staff Writers
November 20, 2007
A representative for a black evangelical church filed a formal complaint with Orlando police Monday, accusing an officer of roughing up church members after the Florida Classic football game.
Members of J.U.M.P. Ministries International were evangelizing in downtown Orlando early Sunday after the game between historically black Bethune-Cookman and Florida A&M universities when officers pushed two church members and sprayed the group with Mace, they said.
Police said they used the spray to keep a crowd of 10,000 from getting dangerous.
The Police Department's internal-affairs division is investigating the case, and it may take three to six months to complete the probe.
Church member Celine Cannon, a Winter Park attorney, met with Orlando police investigators Monday and handed over unedited video footage in addition to filing the complaint. She said her group was not blocking traffic or causing trouble and clearly identified themselves as members of a church.
The evangelical group regularly preaches to revelers at Black College Reunion and spring break in Daytona Beach. They videotape their efforts to air on television.
Durone Hepburn, bishop of J.U.M.P. Ministries, said he worries that police showed no regard for the fact his church members were trying to preach to the crowd. He thinks that the officer's response was, in part, racially motivated. Police have said race had nothing to do with it.
Members of the church group are consulting with the Central Florida ACLU and the Orange County NAACP.
A police report released Monday shows four officers sprayed thousands of revelers just after the bars closed early Sunday to break up what they called a hostile crowd.
About 2:15 a.m., fights broke out around Orange Avenue and Central Boulevard, the report states. At the same time, an officer heard gunshots in the parking garage on West Central Boulevard.
One officer had begun to arrest a suspect near the parking garage when "thousands of people began to encircle" the officer, the report states.
That officer and four others then sprayed Mace toward the crowd to disperse it.
"The chemical agent had the desired affect [sic] which created a mild irritant to those present and safely cleared the streets preventing injuries to the officers and the public," the report states.
Cannon, who saw the incident, said an officer shoved two members and sprayed Mace, making people gag. There was no brawl near where church members were filming, she said. Cannon said the officer sprayed without warning, but other church members said he asked them to leave and then sprayed.
The spray is considered a use of force by the department and is allowed in certain situations, said Sgt. Barbara Jones, an Orlando police spokeswoman.
April Hunt can be reached at ahunt@orlandosentinel.com
Willoughby Mariano can be reached at wmariano@orlandosentinel.com
or 407-420-5171.
•••
Ministry outraged after members say Orlando cop sprayed them with Mace
April Hunt, Susan Jacobson and Willoughby Mariano |Sentinel Staff Writers
6:08 PM EST, November 19, 2007
A representative for members of an evangelical church who claim that an Orlando police officer abused them during a post-Florida Classic celebration Sunday filed a formal complaint with police Monday.
The woman from J. U. M. P. ministries also met with Internal Affairs investigators on accusations that an officer sprayed her group with Mace and pushed two of her group during the downtown celebration and sprayed them group with Mace. She provided an unedited copy of the video as well. Her name was not immediately available.
A newly released police report shows that four officers did spray "thousands" of revelers just after the bars closed, to break up a ["]hostile["] crowd. Internal Affairs investigators have up to 180 days to make a determination if the use of force was justified.
"They have got to be thorough and determine whether the spray was deployed properly," said Police Sgt. Barb Jones.
Churchmembers said they were videotaping a wrap-up of the night's events between 2:30 and 3 a.m. when an officer approached them.
That is when the officer shoved two members and and sprayed the Mace, causing people's eyes and noses to burn and making them gag, said Celine Cannon, a lawyer and a church member who was there.
"This is outrageous," said Cannon, who promised to file a complaint against the officer.
A police report shows that two officers were working crowd control from about 10:30 p.m. to closing time at 2 a.m. around downtown clubs.
At about 2:15 a.m., the report notes that several fights broke out around Orange Avenue and Central Boulevard. At the same time, an officer heard gunshots in the parking garage on West Central Boulevard.
One officer had begun to arrest a suspect near the parking garage when, "thousands of people began to encircle" the officer, the report states.
That officer and four others then sprayed Mace toward the crowd, to disperse it.
"The chemical agent had the desired affect (sic) which created a mild irritant to those present and safely cleared the streets preventing injuries to the officers and the public," the report states.
The spray is considered a use of force by the department and allowed in certain situations, Jones said.
"It is a tool that, if I witness a fight or am outnumbered, if people resist, I can use," Jones said. "Unfortunately, if it gets into the air, it spreads."
Some members of her group think the incident was racially motivated. Many black people were downtown after the football game between Florida A&M and Bethune-Cookman, two historically black universities.
Orlando police Lt. Rich Ring denied that race played any part in the actions.
"We're going to use the same techniques on you whether you're polka-dotted, black, white, Hispanic or a mix of black and white," Ring said. "We have to maintain civil order."
Witnesses had conflicting stories about the number of officers present and exactly what happened. Cannon said the officer sprayed without warning, but others said he asked them to leave and then sprayed.
Darrell Walker, 29, said he and the member with the video camera chased an officer to ask on tape why they were sprayed, but the officer would not answer.
"It was crowd control," Walker said. "But when we turned to them and told them we were with the church, they shouldn't have done that."
Jones said investigators will review the video and wait to see if a formal complaint is submitted.
"If somebody did something wrong, they will address it," Jones said.
Ring said about 75 officers were policing a crowd of 10,000 downtown and used accepted procedure to avoid injury to officers and civilians. He said there were some arrests, but none related to this incident.
"If this one blast of a gas has got them upset, I'm sorry," Ring said. "But I'm proud of what my guys did last night."
The Rev. Randolph Bracy, president of the Orange County branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, said the church contacted his group and he is looking into its claims.
Sarah Langbein of the Sentinel staff contributed to this report.
2 DIE AFTER BEING TASED BY JAX COPS
Suspect dies after Jacksonville police Taser him
Associated Press
11:47 PM EST, November 20, 2007 (via Orlando Sentinel)
JACKSONVILLE - A man died Tuesday after police Tasered him because he fled a car crash and tried to break into a nearby home, authorities said. It was the second Taser related death for the agency in three days.
The man, who was not identified, crashed a car into a parked sport utility vehicle and then tried to enter an occupied home.
Authorities said the suspect struggled with an officer, prompting the officer to Tase him three times. The man continued to fight and tried to bite the officer while he was being Tased, The Florida Times-Union reported.
The man was pronounced dead at a hospital.
Another suspect died Sunday after Jacksonville police Tased him during a struggle. Authorities said Christian Allens shoved an officer who pulled over his truck for loud music before he and his passenger ran away. Firefighters cleared Allens medically after the incident, but he went into cardiac arrest a short time later and died. Allens was carrying a loaded handgun.
A telephone call to police Tuesday night by The Associated Press was not immediately returned.
Associated Press
11:47 PM EST, November 20, 2007 (via Orlando Sentinel)
JACKSONVILLE - A man died Tuesday after police Tasered him because he fled a car crash and tried to break into a nearby home, authorities said. It was the second Taser related death for the agency in three days.
The man, who was not identified, crashed a car into a parked sport utility vehicle and then tried to enter an occupied home.
Authorities said the suspect struggled with an officer, prompting the officer to Tase him three times. The man continued to fight and tried to bite the officer while he was being Tased, The Florida Times-Union reported.
The man was pronounced dead at a hospital.
Another suspect died Sunday after Jacksonville police Tased him during a struggle. Authorities said Christian Allens shoved an officer who pulled over his truck for loud music before he and his passenger ran away. Firefighters cleared Allens medically after the incident, but he went into cardiac arrest a short time later and died. Allens was carrying a loaded handgun.
A telephone call to police Tuesday night by The Associated Press was not immediately returned.
Sunday, November 18, 2007
Sheriff suspends deputy who answered 911 call
Sheriff suspends deputy who answered 911 call
Rene Stutzman | Sentinel Staff Writer
November 16, 2007
SANFORD - Seminole County Sheriff Don Eslinger has suspended for 30 days the deputy who checked -- but quickly left -- the locked home of an 83-year-old widow who had called 911 as she was dying.
The woman's body was found the following day next to her phone, which was off the hook. Matilda "Tillie" Kovanich had bled to death.
Last week, the department concluded that Deputy Michelle "Missy" Ashby, 38, was guilty of neglect. But Eslinger waited until this week to decide how to punish her.
In a two-page memo made public Thursday, he wrote that Ashby's response was "woefully insufficient." He suspended her without pay for 30 days.
Ashby spent just three minutes at Kovanich's house Oct. 20, not nearly enough, Eslinger wrote.
Kovanich dialed 911 when she began to bleed profusely from her right foot. She said nothing to the dispatcher, however, according to department records.
Volusia County Medical Examiner Marie Herrmann, who performed the autopsy, told deputies that Kovanich likely died within seconds of placing the call.
Ashby arrived at the house four minutes after Kovanich called, according to department records.
Eslinger was unavailable for comment Thursday, but his memo criticized Ashby for waving off a backup officer before even approaching the house. She also should have talked to neighbors and checked her in-car computer for a log of 911 calls from the same address, the sheriff wrote.
If she had checked the computer, she would have seen that an elderly person had called for help from the same house before. Eslinger also faulted Ashby for dismissing a sign of trouble: bags of groceries on the floor inside an open side door, just behind a locked screen.
Kovanich's son, Joe Ruth, 59, of Wheaton, Ill., said he had mixed feelings about the suspension.
"I'm not really looking for vengeance; however, I am a little disappointed that it was a 30-day suspension," he said.
It should be longer, he said, although he was not sure by how much. The most important thing, he said, is that it not happen again.
A review of Ashby's personnel file shows that she is a popular officer, often praised by people whom she has helped.
Last year, when a bicyclist from Argentina got separated from his group while in Seminole, Ashby, out of her own pocket, paid for his hotel room because he had no money, according to department records.
In 1998, after she and paramedics were unable to save an elderly woman, Ashby kept returning to the woman's home to check on her 84-year-old widower. He called the department to thank her, according to agency records.
Ashby, who earns $44,600 a year, is a patrol officer. She was demoted from corporal in 2004 for failing to arrest an acquaintance whom she knew was named in an arrest warrant, according to her personnel file. She was faulted in that same investigation for using the department's equipment to run unauthorized criminal backgrounds check on friends.
Rene Stutzman can be reached at rstutzman@orlandosentinel.com or 407-324-7294.
Rene Stutzman | Sentinel Staff Writer
November 16, 2007
SANFORD - Seminole County Sheriff Don Eslinger has suspended for 30 days the deputy who checked -- but quickly left -- the locked home of an 83-year-old widow who had called 911 as she was dying.
The woman's body was found the following day next to her phone, which was off the hook. Matilda "Tillie" Kovanich had bled to death.
Last week, the department concluded that Deputy Michelle "Missy" Ashby, 38, was guilty of neglect. But Eslinger waited until this week to decide how to punish her.
In a two-page memo made public Thursday, he wrote that Ashby's response was "woefully insufficient." He suspended her without pay for 30 days.
Ashby spent just three minutes at Kovanich's house Oct. 20, not nearly enough, Eslinger wrote.
Kovanich dialed 911 when she began to bleed profusely from her right foot. She said nothing to the dispatcher, however, according to department records.
Volusia County Medical Examiner Marie Herrmann, who performed the autopsy, told deputies that Kovanich likely died within seconds of placing the call.
Ashby arrived at the house four minutes after Kovanich called, according to department records.
Eslinger was unavailable for comment Thursday, but his memo criticized Ashby for waving off a backup officer before even approaching the house. She also should have talked to neighbors and checked her in-car computer for a log of 911 calls from the same address, the sheriff wrote.
If she had checked the computer, she would have seen that an elderly person had called for help from the same house before. Eslinger also faulted Ashby for dismissing a sign of trouble: bags of groceries on the floor inside an open side door, just behind a locked screen.
Kovanich's son, Joe Ruth, 59, of Wheaton, Ill., said he had mixed feelings about the suspension.
"I'm not really looking for vengeance; however, I am a little disappointed that it was a 30-day suspension," he said.
It should be longer, he said, although he was not sure by how much. The most important thing, he said, is that it not happen again.
A review of Ashby's personnel file shows that she is a popular officer, often praised by people whom she has helped.
Last year, when a bicyclist from Argentina got separated from his group while in Seminole, Ashby, out of her own pocket, paid for his hotel room because he had no money, according to department records.
In 1998, after she and paramedics were unable to save an elderly woman, Ashby kept returning to the woman's home to check on her 84-year-old widower. He called the department to thank her, according to agency records.
Ashby, who earns $44,600 a year, is a patrol officer. She was demoted from corporal in 2004 for failing to arrest an acquaintance whom she knew was named in an arrest warrant, according to her personnel file. She was faulted in that same investigation for using the department's equipment to run unauthorized criminal backgrounds check on friends.
Rene Stutzman can be reached at rstutzman@orlandosentinel.com or 407-324-7294.
Monday, November 12, 2007
Wis. officer accidentally Tasers himself
hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!
(via Yahoo news)
Wis. officer accidentally Tasers himself
Mon Nov 12, 7:20 PM ET
MADISON, Wis. - A police officer has been reprimanded for accidentally discharging a Taser, causing an injury — to the police officer.
Madison police released a report Monday on the July 31 incident, without revealing the officer's name or gender. The department said the Taser accidentally discharged during a standard checkout procedure.
According to a summary of the investigation, officers are required to make sure no air cartridges are loaded before testing the Taser gun at the start of each shift. It's the air cartridges that propel the Taser's prongs, which deliver a jolt of electricity when they strike a target.
The officer's hand was injured, police spokesman Joel DeSpain said.
A letter of reprimand was issued because failing to ensure the air cartridge wasn't loaded was a violation of department policy, the report said.
(via Yahoo news)
Wis. officer accidentally Tasers himself
Mon Nov 12, 7:20 PM ET
MADISON, Wis. - A police officer has been reprimanded for accidentally discharging a Taser, causing an injury — to the police officer.
Madison police released a report Monday on the July 31 incident, without revealing the officer's name or gender. The department said the Taser accidentally discharged during a standard checkout procedure.
According to a summary of the investigation, officers are required to make sure no air cartridges are loaded before testing the Taser gun at the start of each shift. It's the air cartridges that propel the Taser's prongs, which deliver a jolt of electricity when they strike a target.
The officer's hand was injured, police spokesman Joel DeSpain said.
A letter of reprimand was issued because failing to ensure the air cartridge wasn't loaded was a violation of department policy, the report said.
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
Sem. Deputy Found Negligent in Handling of 911 Call
Deputy found negligent in handling of 911 call before widow died
The Seminole sheriff says he'll discipline but not fire Michelle Ashby, who was 'careless.'
Rene Stutzman | Sentinel Staff Writer
(published) November 6, 2007
SANFORD - Before she even approached the home of an 83-year-old widow who had dialed 911 as she lay dying, Seminole County Deputy Michelle Ashby decided the call was no big deal.
She radioed a backup deputy and said she didn't need help.
She didn't talk to neighbors. She didn't find it suspicious that there was a car in the garage but no answer at the door. She didn't check whether the woman had called for help before. Instead, the deputy left after three minutes -- without breaking in and trying to help Matilda "Tillie" Kovanich. The elderly woman's body was found the next day, after neighbors called 911.
Seminole County Sheriff Don Eslinger on Monday released the results of an internal-affairs investigation into how his agency handled Kovanich's call for help Oct. 20.
Its conclusion: Ashby was negligent.
"She was careless and inattentive and didn't follow through," Eslinger said.
Ashby, a 13-year department veteran, remained suspended with pay Monday, her status since Oct. 29, shortly after Eslinger ordered the investigation. Eslinger said he would decide how to discipline the deputy after reviewing her career at the agency. He will not fire her.
"She's a good deputy," he said. [Comment: This raises the interesting and disturbing issue of what a Seminole Co. deputy has to do to be considered "bad" by Eslinger.]
According to the one-inch-thick report released Monday, there is little chance anyone could have done much to help Kovanich. She had begun to bleed profusely from her right foot, and Dr. Marie Herrmann, the Volusia County Medical Examiner who performed the autopsy, concluded that Kovanich died within seconds of placing the 911 call, according to the report. She suffered a heart attack because of all the blood loss.
Kovanich's son, Joe Ruth of Wheaton, Ill., didn't learn until Monday how little time Ashby spent at the house.
"I am extremely disappointed with the way the deputy handled the first call," he said. "It seems to me she made some grievous errors, and we're paying the consequences. . . . It's very unlikely that my mother could have been saved, but the fact that she was ignored is very upsetting."
The Sheriff's Office did not release a copy of the call, but it provided a transcript. It shows that the elderly woman called for help at 11:16 a.m., shortly after getting home from Saturday morning errands.
The unidentified dispatcher asked Kovanich if she needed police, fire or medical help, but there was no response.
"Hello? Hello? Hello, 911," the dispatcher said.
The dispatcher tried at least eight times in one minute, 43 seconds to get Kovanich to talk, then disconnected and twice called back. Both times, the line was busy.
The dispatcher then sent Ashby to the house.
According to the report, Ashby arrived at the house, called off a backup unit, walked to the front door and found it locked. She walked around the house, tried to peer into windows, saw nothing suspicious, heard no noises and left.
"The house was dark. I didn't see any lights on. There was no sound of television, radio. . . . Everything was locked up. . . . I was comfortable the house was unoccupied," she told sheriff's Capt. Martin Linnekugel, who investigated.
She saw a car in the garage, she told him, saw shopping bags inside a locked screen door but those things did not make her suspicious, she said.
"OK. And if you'd checked the call history you would've found a . . . prior call from two years ago, that noted an elderly female lives by herself . . . but you didn't think to check the prior call history?" Linnekugel asked.
"No, sir," was Ashby's response.
Two paramedics who went to the house the following day told Linnekugel if they had been Ashby, they'd have broken in.
Eslinger said Ashby had violated no agency procedures on how to respond to 911 hang-ups.
The agency has no policy, he said.
"We cannot instruct someone to use common sense or logic or deductive reasoning," Eslinger said. "It's practice and a matter of routine to handle these types of calls."
Sheldon Greenberg, associate dean and director of the Public Safety Leadership Division of Johns Hopkins University, said there is no national standard for dealing with those kinds of calls. In general, people need to trust officers to make the right decision, because they usually do.
But if a 911 caller says nothing but stays on the phone line, "We tend to think that an open line is someone in need that can't communicate."
Rene Stutzman can be reached at rstutzman@orlandosentinel.com or 407-324-7294.
The Seminole sheriff says he'll discipline but not fire Michelle Ashby, who was 'careless.'
Rene Stutzman | Sentinel Staff Writer
(published) November 6, 2007
SANFORD - Before she even approached the home of an 83-year-old widow who had dialed 911 as she lay dying, Seminole County Deputy Michelle Ashby decided the call was no big deal.
She radioed a backup deputy and said she didn't need help.
She didn't talk to neighbors. She didn't find it suspicious that there was a car in the garage but no answer at the door. She didn't check whether the woman had called for help before. Instead, the deputy left after three minutes -- without breaking in and trying to help Matilda "Tillie" Kovanich. The elderly woman's body was found the next day, after neighbors called 911.
Seminole County Sheriff Don Eslinger on Monday released the results of an internal-affairs investigation into how his agency handled Kovanich's call for help Oct. 20.
Its conclusion: Ashby was negligent.
"She was careless and inattentive and didn't follow through," Eslinger said.
Ashby, a 13-year department veteran, remained suspended with pay Monday, her status since Oct. 29, shortly after Eslinger ordered the investigation. Eslinger said he would decide how to discipline the deputy after reviewing her career at the agency. He will not fire her.
"She's a good deputy," he said. [Comment: This raises the interesting and disturbing issue of what a Seminole Co. deputy has to do to be considered "bad" by Eslinger.]
According to the one-inch-thick report released Monday, there is little chance anyone could have done much to help Kovanich. She had begun to bleed profusely from her right foot, and Dr. Marie Herrmann, the Volusia County Medical Examiner who performed the autopsy, concluded that Kovanich died within seconds of placing the 911 call, according to the report. She suffered a heart attack because of all the blood loss.
Kovanich's son, Joe Ruth of Wheaton, Ill., didn't learn until Monday how little time Ashby spent at the house.
"I am extremely disappointed with the way the deputy handled the first call," he said. "It seems to me she made some grievous errors, and we're paying the consequences. . . . It's very unlikely that my mother could have been saved, but the fact that she was ignored is very upsetting."
The Sheriff's Office did not release a copy of the call, but it provided a transcript. It shows that the elderly woman called for help at 11:16 a.m., shortly after getting home from Saturday morning errands.
The unidentified dispatcher asked Kovanich if she needed police, fire or medical help, but there was no response.
"Hello? Hello? Hello, 911," the dispatcher said.
The dispatcher tried at least eight times in one minute, 43 seconds to get Kovanich to talk, then disconnected and twice called back. Both times, the line was busy.
The dispatcher then sent Ashby to the house.
According to the report, Ashby arrived at the house, called off a backup unit, walked to the front door and found it locked. She walked around the house, tried to peer into windows, saw nothing suspicious, heard no noises and left.
"The house was dark. I didn't see any lights on. There was no sound of television, radio. . . . Everything was locked up. . . . I was comfortable the house was unoccupied," she told sheriff's Capt. Martin Linnekugel, who investigated.
She saw a car in the garage, she told him, saw shopping bags inside a locked screen door but those things did not make her suspicious, she said.
"OK. And if you'd checked the call history you would've found a . . . prior call from two years ago, that noted an elderly female lives by herself . . . but you didn't think to check the prior call history?" Linnekugel asked.
"No, sir," was Ashby's response.
Two paramedics who went to the house the following day told Linnekugel if they had been Ashby, they'd have broken in.
Eslinger said Ashby had violated no agency procedures on how to respond to 911 hang-ups.
The agency has no policy, he said.
"We cannot instruct someone to use common sense or logic or deductive reasoning," Eslinger said. "It's practice and a matter of routine to handle these types of calls."
Sheldon Greenberg, associate dean and director of the Public Safety Leadership Division of Johns Hopkins University, said there is no national standard for dealing with those kinds of calls. In general, people need to trust officers to make the right decision, because they usually do.
But if a 911 caller says nothing but stays on the phone line, "We tend to think that an open line is someone in need that can't communicate."
Rene Stutzman can be reached at rstutzman@orlandosentinel.com or 407-324-7294.
Friday, October 26, 2007
Oops! Seminole Deputies Flatten Tires on Wrong Cars
source: http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/seminole/orl-mistake2607oct26,0,7860010.story
Oops! Seminole deputies flatten tires on wrong cars
Rene Stutzman |Sentinel Staff Writer
(published) October 26, 2007
Seminole County deputies blew out the tires of two cars Thursday while trying to stop a vehicle they thought was stolen. Neither, however, was the vehicle they were targeting.
Deputies were trying to stop a silver Ford Mustang that had roared away from a traffic stop about 1:30 a.m., according to the agency. Instead, about a half-hour later, they nailed a silver Dodge Charger and a dark-blue Honda.
The driver of the Charger, Calvin N. Bryant, 25, a music producer from Jacksonville, was furious. When deputies learned he had a gun inside the vehicle, three of them pointed their weapons at him and hauled him out through the driver's window, he said.
He and his girlfriend, Kimberly Paige, 23, of Orange Park, were handcuffed. That left her 1-year-old son in the car, crying, she said.
"We were not doing anything improper," Paige said. They were on vacation, she said, headed to Orlando for a long weekend.
Bryant had a permit to carry the .357-caliber Glock, and deputies uncuffed him at the scene and returned his gun. Still, he was angry about the whole thing Thursday afternoon, 12 hours later.
According to the Sheriff's Office report, Bryant was "not compliant at times" and "was guided" out of his vehicle and cuffed after he told deputies he had a gun and a permit.
No one was hurt in the 2 a.m. incident, although both cars were driving at highway speed on State Road 417 near Aloma Avenue when they hit spiked sticks that deputies had placed on the pavement.
The sticks ruined both front tires on the Charger. They destroyed both tires on the driver's side of the Honda, said Geoffrey Blatchly, 54, of Oviedo, who was at the wheel.
He was on his way to work at a cement plant when he hit the sticks at about 70 mph, he said.
Blatchly, who was not carrying a gun, was not handcuffed. An officer drove him to work, and the Sheriff's Office promised to replace all four of his tires, he said.
The Sheriff's Office also was working to replace the tires on Bryant's Charger.
The Mustang? It got away.
Rene Stutzman can be reached at rstutzman@orlandosentinel.com
Oops! Seminole deputies flatten tires on wrong cars
Rene Stutzman |Sentinel Staff Writer
(published) October 26, 2007
Seminole County deputies blew out the tires of two cars Thursday while trying to stop a vehicle they thought was stolen. Neither, however, was the vehicle they were targeting.
Deputies were trying to stop a silver Ford Mustang that had roared away from a traffic stop about 1:30 a.m., according to the agency. Instead, about a half-hour later, they nailed a silver Dodge Charger and a dark-blue Honda.
The driver of the Charger, Calvin N. Bryant, 25, a music producer from Jacksonville, was furious. When deputies learned he had a gun inside the vehicle, three of them pointed their weapons at him and hauled him out through the driver's window, he said.
He and his girlfriend, Kimberly Paige, 23, of Orange Park, were handcuffed. That left her 1-year-old son in the car, crying, she said.
"We were not doing anything improper," Paige said. They were on vacation, she said, headed to Orlando for a long weekend.
Bryant had a permit to carry the .357-caliber Glock, and deputies uncuffed him at the scene and returned his gun. Still, he was angry about the whole thing Thursday afternoon, 12 hours later.
According to the Sheriff's Office report, Bryant was "not compliant at times" and "was guided" out of his vehicle and cuffed after he told deputies he had a gun and a permit.
No one was hurt in the 2 a.m. incident, although both cars were driving at highway speed on State Road 417 near Aloma Avenue when they hit spiked sticks that deputies had placed on the pavement.
The sticks ruined both front tires on the Charger. They destroyed both tires on the driver's side of the Honda, said Geoffrey Blatchly, 54, of Oviedo, who was at the wheel.
He was on his way to work at a cement plant when he hit the sticks at about 70 mph, he said.
Blatchly, who was not carrying a gun, was not handcuffed. An officer drove him to work, and the Sheriff's Office promised to replace all four of his tires, he said.
The Sheriff's Office also was working to replace the tires on Bryant's Charger.
The Mustang? It got away.
Rene Stutzman can be reached at rstutzman@orlandosentinel.com
Sunday, October 14, 2007
Sentinel rushes to clear deputy who runs over pedestrian
Does anyone think that the Sentinel's headline and sub-headline on the article below is odd? After all, vehicles don't drive themselves. Someone is required to turn the key in the ignition, to point the vehicle in a direction and to decide how fast it is going, etc. To paraphrase a famous anti-gun control saying, "Vehicles don't kill people; people kill people." So why the seeming rush to exonerate the Orange County deputy, James R. Brannon, when as the article points out, "Troopers said they have not determined how fast the deputy was driving at the time of the accident."
Yet the Sentinel is trying to make it sound like this incident could just be an unfortunate accident--with no culpability on the part of the deputy. Notice how they immediately--in the very first paragraph--ascribe this tragedy to unsafe conditions caused by the lack of a traffic light, without even knowing whether the deputy might have been at fault.
In the third paragraph they go further in trying to exonerate the deputy--again without any evidence--by blaming the victim, 38-year-old Shaun McCann, for allegedly having been wearing sunglasses, talking on his cell phone and stepping in front of the deputy's vehicle--although we thought that when driving the burden was supposed to be on drivers to look out for pedestrians, not the other way around. Notice that the source for the information on the victim is a spokesperson for the Sheriff's Office. Hardly an unbiased source since the S.O. clearly has an interest in clearing its deputy. It also seems hard to believe that someone would be wearing sunglasses at NIGHT (the time given for this incident is 8:20 p.m.).
Then paragraphs 6 through 11 are used to try to create the impression that the deputy possibly couldn't be at fault (although how could they know that yet when the Florida Highway Patrol is still investigating?). The number of accidents at this location is cited as is the lack of a traffic light and "pedestrians darting across the parkway" on a regular basis all to make it seem like this is just a naturally unsafe location. Some unspoken assumption seems to exist on the part of the Sentinel reporters that a law enforcement officer could never do something--such as driving recklessly--that would endanger the safety of civilians. The loved ones of those innocent third parties killed as a result of high-speed chases by law enforcement--including Sheriff Kevin Beary's deputies-- would surely beg to differ with that assumption.
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/orange/orl-pedestrian1407oct14,0,3097743.story
Orange deputy's car kills pedestrian
The victim was struck at an intersection prone to accidents, residents say.
Tanya Caldwell and David A. Collins |Sentinel Staff Writers
9:59 AM EDT, October 14, 2007
A car driven by an Orange County deputy struck and killed a pedestrian Saturday night at an intersection that many in the Hunter's Creek area are calling unsafe because it has no traffic light.
The deputy, James R. Brannon, was responding to a call when his patrol car hit the pedestrian about 8:20 p.m. at Hunters Park Lane and John Young Parkway, an area that has seen a boom in new businesses with more about to open.
Sheriff's spokesman Carlos Padilla said the victim, Shaun McCann, 38, was wearing sunglasses and talking on a cell phone and stepped in front of the deputy's car. Padilla said the deputy had his lights and siren on.
The Florida Highway Patrol is investigating and said the deputy was driving southbound on John Young.
Troopers said they have not determined how fast the deputy was driving at the time of the accident, which backed up traffic for several hours. Few details about the accident were available late Saturday.
Troopers said there have been 11 accidents in the same area since Sept. 1, but workers at nearby businesses said accidents have been much more frequent.
"More than you can imagine -- at least one a day," said Joshua Thye, assistant general manager at a nearby Tijuana Flats.
Most of the accidents are the result of collisions between cars trying to turn from John Young Parkway into the restaurant and retail centers sprouting up along the roadway, Thye and others said.
But they added that they see a lot of pedestrians darting across the parkway and attributed the increased foot traffic to nearby condos and apartments.
Thye said many of his patrons lived nearby and after the accident were talking about the need for a traffic light. "They can't believe it hasn't happened before with all these businesses opening up."
Joseph Bishara, owner of the New York Village pizza parlor, said he had seen at least five or six accidents in the area in the past two days.
Ginet Bilancio, a bartender at Kahuna Grill who also lives in the area, said enough is enough. "How many times does somebody have to die before they put up a streetlight?"
Tanya Caldwell can be reached at tcaldwell@orlandosentinel.com or 352-742-5928. David Collins can be reached at dcollins@orlandosentinel.com or 407-420-6292
Yet the Sentinel is trying to make it sound like this incident could just be an unfortunate accident--with no culpability on the part of the deputy. Notice how they immediately--in the very first paragraph--ascribe this tragedy to unsafe conditions caused by the lack of a traffic light, without even knowing whether the deputy might have been at fault.
In the third paragraph they go further in trying to exonerate the deputy--again without any evidence--by blaming the victim, 38-year-old Shaun McCann, for allegedly having been wearing sunglasses, talking on his cell phone and stepping in front of the deputy's vehicle--although we thought that when driving the burden was supposed to be on drivers to look out for pedestrians, not the other way around. Notice that the source for the information on the victim is a spokesperson for the Sheriff's Office. Hardly an unbiased source since the S.O. clearly has an interest in clearing its deputy. It also seems hard to believe that someone would be wearing sunglasses at NIGHT (the time given for this incident is 8:20 p.m.).
Then paragraphs 6 through 11 are used to try to create the impression that the deputy possibly couldn't be at fault (although how could they know that yet when the Florida Highway Patrol is still investigating?). The number of accidents at this location is cited as is the lack of a traffic light and "pedestrians darting across the parkway" on a regular basis all to make it seem like this is just a naturally unsafe location. Some unspoken assumption seems to exist on the part of the Sentinel reporters that a law enforcement officer could never do something--such as driving recklessly--that would endanger the safety of civilians. The loved ones of those innocent third parties killed as a result of high-speed chases by law enforcement--including Sheriff Kevin Beary's deputies-- would surely beg to differ with that assumption.
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/orange/orl-pedestrian1407oct14,0,3097743.story
Orange deputy's car kills pedestrian
The victim was struck at an intersection prone to accidents, residents say.
Tanya Caldwell and David A. Collins |Sentinel Staff Writers
9:59 AM EDT, October 14, 2007
A car driven by an Orange County deputy struck and killed a pedestrian Saturday night at an intersection that many in the Hunter's Creek area are calling unsafe because it has no traffic light.
The deputy, James R. Brannon, was responding to a call when his patrol car hit the pedestrian about 8:20 p.m. at Hunters Park Lane and John Young Parkway, an area that has seen a boom in new businesses with more about to open.
Sheriff's spokesman Carlos Padilla said the victim, Shaun McCann, 38, was wearing sunglasses and talking on a cell phone and stepped in front of the deputy's car. Padilla said the deputy had his lights and siren on.
The Florida Highway Patrol is investigating and said the deputy was driving southbound on John Young.
Troopers said they have not determined how fast the deputy was driving at the time of the accident, which backed up traffic for several hours. Few details about the accident were available late Saturday.
Troopers said there have been 11 accidents in the same area since Sept. 1, but workers at nearby businesses said accidents have been much more frequent.
"More than you can imagine -- at least one a day," said Joshua Thye, assistant general manager at a nearby Tijuana Flats.
Most of the accidents are the result of collisions between cars trying to turn from John Young Parkway into the restaurant and retail centers sprouting up along the roadway, Thye and others said.
But they added that they see a lot of pedestrians darting across the parkway and attributed the increased foot traffic to nearby condos and apartments.
Thye said many of his patrons lived nearby and after the accident were talking about the need for a traffic light. "They can't believe it hasn't happened before with all these businesses opening up."
Joseph Bishara, owner of the New York Village pizza parlor, said he had seen at least five or six accidents in the area in the past two days.
Ginet Bilancio, a bartender at Kahuna Grill who also lives in the area, said enough is enough. "How many times does somebody have to die before they put up a streetlight?"
Tanya Caldwell can be reached at tcaldwell@orlandosentinel.com or 352-742-5928. David Collins can be reached at dcollins@orlandosentinel.com or 407-420-6292
Saturday, October 13, 2007
Cop ends slip-and-fall lawsuit as public cries foul
Sgt. Eichhorn should still be fired. Someone that callous has no business being in any position of authority over the public. She also has had ethics issues in the past (see below), which is another reason she needs to go.
"The Orlando Sentinel reviewed Eichhorn's personnel file last week, and it was unblemished, but on Thursday the city produced more records, showing she had been disciplined in 1998.
"According to police records, Eichhorn had used a false name four times while working an off-duty job, something the Police Department concluded may have been a tax dodge designed to hide income. She was docked a week's pay, took a $40 pay cut and was banned from off-duty jobs for six months."
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/orl-cop1207oct12,0,6117245.story
Cop ends slip-and-fall lawsuit as public cries foul
The Casselberry sergeant who sued a family after an injury was placed on leave.
Rene Stutzman |Sentinel Staff Writer
4:59 PM EDT, October 12, 2007
CASSELBERRY - The police sergeant who filed a slip-and-fall lawsuit against the family of a severely brain-damaged toddler is abandoning her case.
Amid heavy criticism from people angry about the suit, the Police Department began an internal investigation and placed Sgt. Andrea Eichhorn on paid leave Thursday. Shortly afterward, her attorney reported she was giving up her lawsuit.
And she did Friday, filing a formal notice of dismissal mid-day today.
Eichhorn, 35, had sued on Oct. 1, accusing Joey Cosmillo's family of negligence. Eichhorn was one of several officers sent to their home Jan. 9 after the boy's mother called 911 to report that her 1-year-old son had wandered into the backyard, fallen into the pool and nearly drowned.
The mother, Angela Cosmillo, had carried the boy inside, leaving a trail of water. Eichhorn slipped and fell in a puddle when she walked inside the home to join rescuers who resuscitated the boy.
She broke a kneecap and was off the job two months, but she returned to full duty months ago, and the city of Casselberry or its insurer covered all her medical costs and paid her full salary.
After a story appeared in the Orlando Sentinel on Wednesday, hundreds of people inundated Casselberry City Hall and the Police Department with calls and e-mail, voicing their outrage about the suit.
The outcry got results: Late Thursday afternoon, attorney David Heil reported that Eichhorn was backing down.
"Ms. Eichhorn has decided to dismiss the suit," he said.
He would not comment further, and his client could not be reached for comment.
"I'm elated, of course," said an exhausted Richard Cosmillo, 69, the boy's grandfather and guardian. He had been inundated with calls for interviews while still spending hours each day with Joey, who cannot walk, talk, sit up or swallow.
The child, 22 months old, lives in a nursing home and breathes through a tube. He takes nourishment through a second tube.
"It really is an outrageous thing she was trying to do. Outrageous," Cosmillo said. "I just think that preying on people with such extreme injury is just, it's just not even human."
Wednesday, the day the story broke, Eichhorn worked part of her shift, supervising the agency's seven detectives, but she went home early.
On Thursday, she did not come in. In midafternoon, she got more bad news: Police Chief John Pavlis had filed a formal complaint against her, setting up the internal investigation.
It was prompted by the mass outpouring of criticism, said police Lt. Dennis Stewart, the Police Department spokesman. The chief did not accuse her of wrongdoing, Stewart said, but he asked the agency to re-examine the case.
The Orlando Sentinel reviewed Eichhorn's personnel file last week, and it was unblemished, but on Thursday the city produced more records, showing she had been disciplined in 1998.
According to police records, Eichhorn had used a false name four times while working an off-duty job, something the Police Department concluded may have been a tax dodge designed to hide income. She was docked a week's pay, took a $40 pay cut and was banned from off-duty jobs for six months.
Since news of the lawsuit broke, city officials have worked hard to distance themselves from it. Neither the city nor the Police Department is named in the suit, and city officials stressed that they had tried to talk Eichhorn out of filing it.
"We don't condone it," City Manager Barbara Lipscomb said.
It is important, she said, that Casselberry residents remain confident that if they call 911, the Police Department won't send an officer looking to sue them.
Even though Eichhorn plans to drop her suit, Lipscomb said the internal investigation would continue.
It's not clear how long it will last, Stewart said.
Cosmillo left his grandson's bedside at the nursing home about 7:15 p.m. Thursday. He said he would return today.
"I'll just keep doing what I'm doing," he said. "There's nothing more I can do: Hold him. Kiss him. Hug him. Talk to him."
Rene Stutzman can be reached at rstutzman@orlandosentinel.com or 407-324-7294.
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/opinion/orl-ed13307oct13,0,993274.story
EDITORIAL
An outrageous move
Our position: A cop's lawsuit against a family for her on-duty injury defied reason.
October 13, 2007
Greed has its limits, after all.
It took several days of complaints from an outraged public, but Casselberry Police Sgt. Andrea Eichhorn dropped her callous slip-and-fall lawsuit against the family of a severely brain-damaged toddler who nearly drowned last January.
Ms. Eichhorn responded to the 911 call and injured her knee when she slipped on a puddle of water left when the child was removed from the pool. Even though all her bills were covered by the city, she sued the family of Joey Cosmillo, piling more stress and anguish onto people already suffering through a horrible tragedy.
How could any public servant be so mean-spirited? She's on administrative leave now. Ms. Eichhorn might want to use the time to decide whether she's really cut out for public service.
"The Orlando Sentinel reviewed Eichhorn's personnel file last week, and it was unblemished, but on Thursday the city produced more records, showing she had been disciplined in 1998.
"According to police records, Eichhorn had used a false name four times while working an off-duty job, something the Police Department concluded may have been a tax dodge designed to hide income. She was docked a week's pay, took a $40 pay cut and was banned from off-duty jobs for six months."
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/orl-cop1207oct12,0,6117245.story
Cop ends slip-and-fall lawsuit as public cries foul
The Casselberry sergeant who sued a family after an injury was placed on leave.
Rene Stutzman |Sentinel Staff Writer
4:59 PM EDT, October 12, 2007
CASSELBERRY - The police sergeant who filed a slip-and-fall lawsuit against the family of a severely brain-damaged toddler is abandoning her case.
Amid heavy criticism from people angry about the suit, the Police Department began an internal investigation and placed Sgt. Andrea Eichhorn on paid leave Thursday. Shortly afterward, her attorney reported she was giving up her lawsuit.
And she did Friday, filing a formal notice of dismissal mid-day today.
Eichhorn, 35, had sued on Oct. 1, accusing Joey Cosmillo's family of negligence. Eichhorn was one of several officers sent to their home Jan. 9 after the boy's mother called 911 to report that her 1-year-old son had wandered into the backyard, fallen into the pool and nearly drowned.
The mother, Angela Cosmillo, had carried the boy inside, leaving a trail of water. Eichhorn slipped and fell in a puddle when she walked inside the home to join rescuers who resuscitated the boy.
She broke a kneecap and was off the job two months, but she returned to full duty months ago, and the city of Casselberry or its insurer covered all her medical costs and paid her full salary.
After a story appeared in the Orlando Sentinel on Wednesday, hundreds of people inundated Casselberry City Hall and the Police Department with calls and e-mail, voicing their outrage about the suit.
The outcry got results: Late Thursday afternoon, attorney David Heil reported that Eichhorn was backing down.
"Ms. Eichhorn has decided to dismiss the suit," he said.
He would not comment further, and his client could not be reached for comment.
"I'm elated, of course," said an exhausted Richard Cosmillo, 69, the boy's grandfather and guardian. He had been inundated with calls for interviews while still spending hours each day with Joey, who cannot walk, talk, sit up or swallow.
The child, 22 months old, lives in a nursing home and breathes through a tube. He takes nourishment through a second tube.
"It really is an outrageous thing she was trying to do. Outrageous," Cosmillo said. "I just think that preying on people with such extreme injury is just, it's just not even human."
Wednesday, the day the story broke, Eichhorn worked part of her shift, supervising the agency's seven detectives, but she went home early.
On Thursday, she did not come in. In midafternoon, she got more bad news: Police Chief John Pavlis had filed a formal complaint against her, setting up the internal investigation.
It was prompted by the mass outpouring of criticism, said police Lt. Dennis Stewart, the Police Department spokesman. The chief did not accuse her of wrongdoing, Stewart said, but he asked the agency to re-examine the case.
The Orlando Sentinel reviewed Eichhorn's personnel file last week, and it was unblemished, but on Thursday the city produced more records, showing she had been disciplined in 1998.
According to police records, Eichhorn had used a false name four times while working an off-duty job, something the Police Department concluded may have been a tax dodge designed to hide income. She was docked a week's pay, took a $40 pay cut and was banned from off-duty jobs for six months.
Since news of the lawsuit broke, city officials have worked hard to distance themselves from it. Neither the city nor the Police Department is named in the suit, and city officials stressed that they had tried to talk Eichhorn out of filing it.
"We don't condone it," City Manager Barbara Lipscomb said.
It is important, she said, that Casselberry residents remain confident that if they call 911, the Police Department won't send an officer looking to sue them.
Even though Eichhorn plans to drop her suit, Lipscomb said the internal investigation would continue.
It's not clear how long it will last, Stewart said.
Cosmillo left his grandson's bedside at the nursing home about 7:15 p.m. Thursday. He said he would return today.
"I'll just keep doing what I'm doing," he said. "There's nothing more I can do: Hold him. Kiss him. Hug him. Talk to him."
Rene Stutzman can be reached at rstutzman@orlandosentinel.com or 407-324-7294.
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/opinion/orl-ed13307oct13,0,993274.story
EDITORIAL
An outrageous move
Our position: A cop's lawsuit against a family for her on-duty injury defied reason.
October 13, 2007
Greed has its limits, after all.
It took several days of complaints from an outraged public, but Casselberry Police Sgt. Andrea Eichhorn dropped her callous slip-and-fall lawsuit against the family of a severely brain-damaged toddler who nearly drowned last January.
Ms. Eichhorn responded to the 911 call and injured her knee when she slipped on a puddle of water left when the child was removed from the pool. Even though all her bills were covered by the city, she sued the family of Joey Cosmillo, piling more stress and anguish onto people already suffering through a horrible tragedy.
How could any public servant be so mean-spirited? She's on administrative leave now. Ms. Eichhorn might want to use the time to decide whether she's really cut out for public service.
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Cop who fell on the job sues family of baby who almost drowned
"The baby's mother was the only one home Jan. 9, when the boy slipped out of the house and wound up in the pool, according to a police report.
"She plunged in and dragged him out, carrying him inside, down a hallway and into a bedroom. She also called 911."
What exactly did this cop do to help this poor kid? Sgt. Eichhorn should be fired for harassing the Cosmillo family with this lawsuit.
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/seminole/orl-mdrown1007oct10,0,7318452.story
Cop who fell on the job sues family of baby who almost drowned
An officer who went to help when a baby fell in a pool says she slipped in a puddle.
Rene Stutzman |Sentinel Staff Writer
October 10, 2007
CASSELBERRY - In January, 1-year-old Joey Cosmillo wandered into the backyard and fell into the family pool. When his mother hauled him out, he wasn't breathing. Rescuers were able to bring him back to life, but he suffered severe brain damage and cannot walk, talk or even swallow.
Now, his family faces another burden: One of the rescuers, Casselberry police Sgt. Andrea Eichhorn, is suing, alleging the family left a puddle of water on the floor that afternoon, causing her to slip and fall.
The boy's grandparents, named in the suit, are mystified and angry.
"The loss we've suffered, and she's seeking money?" said Richard Cosmillo, 69, the boy's grandfather. "Of course there's going to be water in the house. He was sopping wet when we brought him in."
Eichhorn last week sued Richard Cosmillo; his wife, Maggie Cosmillo; and the boy's mother, Angela Cosmillo, accusing them of negligence. They were careless, according to the suit, and allowed the home they shared to become unsafe.
As a consequence, Eichhorn broke her knee, something that kept her off the job for two months, according to police Chief John Pavlis.
Joey now lives in a nursing home five miles away, where he gets 24-hour care. He breathes through one tube. He's fed through another.
"He doesn't have any abilities -- any," his grandmother said. "He can't sit. He can't swallow. He can't eat. We're not even sure he can see."
She and Richard Cosmillo are the boy's legal guardians. For the first two months after the accident, she remained at his bedside, never once going home.
She has now gone back to work at a furniture store, and her husband keeps watch on the boy. He visits every day.
"This thing," Maggie Cosmillo said, "has destroyed our lives forever."
The baby's mother was the only one home Jan. 9, when the boy slipped out of the house and wound up in the pool, according to a police report.
She plunged in and dragged him out, carrying him inside, down a hallway and into a bedroom. She also called 911.
Eichhorn arrived a few minutes later. As she stepped into the room where rescuers were working on the boy, she slipped and went down on one knee, then stood back up, according to Richard Cosmillo.
Later that day, she went to an emergency care center and eventually to an orthopedist, according to her attorney, David Heil.
While she was on medical leave, Pavlis said, the city's insurer paid her medical bills and provided disability checks.
Eichhorn, a 12-year department veteran, would not discuss the suit. Her attorney said those benefits, paid by the city's workers' compensation carrier, were not enough. The suit seeks an unspecified amount of money.
Eichhorn, he said, is a victim. Her knee aches, and she will likely develop arthritis.
If the Cosmillos had made their pool baby-proof, police would not have been called to the scene, there would have been no water on the floor, and Eichhorn would not have hurt herself, he said.
"It's a situation where the Cosmillos have caused these problems, brought them on themselves, then tried to play the victim," he said.
The department's personnel file on Eichhorn, who earns $48,000 a year, is filled with letters of praise. She has worked as a prostitution decoy and a hostage negotiator, and once wrestled a box of razor blades away from a person threatening suicide.
"She is the best sergeant within the police department and should become the next lieutenant," her supervisor wrote in a job review in 2003.
"Sgt. Eichhorn is a good officer," Pavlis said Tuesday.
He urged her not to file the lawsuit, he said, but there was nothing he could do.
The Cosmillos have not given the suit much attention, they say.
Richard Cosmillo is busy looking after Joey, whose name he had tattooed over his heart a few days after the accident, when doctors told the family the boy would survive only a few hours.
But Joey, now almost 23 months old, has survived. He can smile, and he appears to recognize music, his grandparents say. His grandfather hopes for much more.
"Joey is a Roman gladiator. He is an absolute warrior," Richard Cosmillo said. "There isn't anything or anyone in this world that I love as much as him."
Rene Stutzman can be reached at rstutzman@orlandosentinel.com or 407-324-7294.
"She plunged in and dragged him out, carrying him inside, down a hallway and into a bedroom. She also called 911."
What exactly did this cop do to help this poor kid? Sgt. Eichhorn should be fired for harassing the Cosmillo family with this lawsuit.
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/seminole/orl-mdrown1007oct10,0,7318452.story
Cop who fell on the job sues family of baby who almost drowned
An officer who went to help when a baby fell in a pool says she slipped in a puddle.
Rene Stutzman |Sentinel Staff Writer
October 10, 2007
CASSELBERRY - In January, 1-year-old Joey Cosmillo wandered into the backyard and fell into the family pool. When his mother hauled him out, he wasn't breathing. Rescuers were able to bring him back to life, but he suffered severe brain damage and cannot walk, talk or even swallow.
Now, his family faces another burden: One of the rescuers, Casselberry police Sgt. Andrea Eichhorn, is suing, alleging the family left a puddle of water on the floor that afternoon, causing her to slip and fall.
The boy's grandparents, named in the suit, are mystified and angry.
"The loss we've suffered, and she's seeking money?" said Richard Cosmillo, 69, the boy's grandfather. "Of course there's going to be water in the house. He was sopping wet when we brought him in."
Eichhorn last week sued Richard Cosmillo; his wife, Maggie Cosmillo; and the boy's mother, Angela Cosmillo, accusing them of negligence. They were careless, according to the suit, and allowed the home they shared to become unsafe.
As a consequence, Eichhorn broke her knee, something that kept her off the job for two months, according to police Chief John Pavlis.
Joey now lives in a nursing home five miles away, where he gets 24-hour care. He breathes through one tube. He's fed through another.
"He doesn't have any abilities -- any," his grandmother said. "He can't sit. He can't swallow. He can't eat. We're not even sure he can see."
She and Richard Cosmillo are the boy's legal guardians. For the first two months after the accident, she remained at his bedside, never once going home.
She has now gone back to work at a furniture store, and her husband keeps watch on the boy. He visits every day.
"This thing," Maggie Cosmillo said, "has destroyed our lives forever."
The baby's mother was the only one home Jan. 9, when the boy slipped out of the house and wound up in the pool, according to a police report.
She plunged in and dragged him out, carrying him inside, down a hallway and into a bedroom. She also called 911.
Eichhorn arrived a few minutes later. As she stepped into the room where rescuers were working on the boy, she slipped and went down on one knee, then stood back up, according to Richard Cosmillo.
Later that day, she went to an emergency care center and eventually to an orthopedist, according to her attorney, David Heil.
While she was on medical leave, Pavlis said, the city's insurer paid her medical bills and provided disability checks.
Eichhorn, a 12-year department veteran, would not discuss the suit. Her attorney said those benefits, paid by the city's workers' compensation carrier, were not enough. The suit seeks an unspecified amount of money.
Eichhorn, he said, is a victim. Her knee aches, and she will likely develop arthritis.
If the Cosmillos had made their pool baby-proof, police would not have been called to the scene, there would have been no water on the floor, and Eichhorn would not have hurt herself, he said.
"It's a situation where the Cosmillos have caused these problems, brought them on themselves, then tried to play the victim," he said.
The department's personnel file on Eichhorn, who earns $48,000 a year, is filled with letters of praise. She has worked as a prostitution decoy and a hostage negotiator, and once wrestled a box of razor blades away from a person threatening suicide.
"She is the best sergeant within the police department and should become the next lieutenant," her supervisor wrote in a job review in 2003.
"Sgt. Eichhorn is a good officer," Pavlis said Tuesday.
He urged her not to file the lawsuit, he said, but there was nothing he could do.
The Cosmillos have not given the suit much attention, they say.
Richard Cosmillo is busy looking after Joey, whose name he had tattooed over his heart a few days after the accident, when doctors told the family the boy would survive only a few hours.
But Joey, now almost 23 months old, has survived. He can smile, and he appears to recognize music, his grandparents say. His grandfather hopes for much more.
"Joey is a Roman gladiator. He is an absolute warrior," Richard Cosmillo said. "There isn't anything or anyone in this world that I love as much as him."
Rene Stutzman can be reached at rstutzman@orlandosentinel.com or 407-324-7294.
Monday, October 8, 2007
Undersheriff Back on the Job
orlandosentinel.com/news/local/orange/orl-bk-stewart100807,0,7127502.story?coll=orl_tab01_layout
Undersheriff returns to duty following disciplinary review
Henry Pierson Curtis
Sentinel Staff Writer
12:25 PM EDT, October 8, 2007
Undersheriff Malone Stewart returned to duty today at the Orange County Sheriff's Office a week after being stripped of his gun and badge.
Sheriff Kevin Beary took the action after Stewart gave an unapproved TV interview about his personal plan to reduce armed robberies.
"I'm glad to be back," Stewart said this afternoon.
The disciplinary review also involved a previously undisclosed accusation that the 30-year veteran dumped a glass of iced tea on an agency employee during an argument over lunch, according to records released today.
A review of what happened Aug. 21 at Mama Nems' Restaurant exonerated Stewart.
Other deputies and employees at the lunch meeting gave sworn statements that Stewart accidentally knocked over a glass of tea when he stood up suddenly and left the restaurant before being served, records show.
Stewart acknowledged in an interview with sheriff's Division Chief Steve Jones that he failed to notify the agency's Media Relations Office about an exclusive interview he gave Sept. 26to a WFTV-Channel 9 reporter.
Agency policy requires "that supervisors ensure that information concerning newsworthy events which has been released to the press during the absence of the Public Information Officer be reported to the PIO as soon as possible."
During the interview, Stewart had proposed assigning undercover deputies to pose as shoppers and clerks in stores in high-crime areas.
"It's a tough way, it's going gun against gun, but we do not have a choice," he said, according to sheriff's reports. "There is going to be a lot of people shot and in that shooting it very well could be some deputy sheriffs."
Beary personally signed and issued Stewart a disciplinary form upon his return to duty at 10 a.m. today.
"The perception created in your interview may have been taken by persons on the street that we are putting undercover deputies in Orange County businesses posting as employees and customers," Beary wrote. "This puts innocent citizens in danger of being mistaken as law enforcement officers and could have led to dire consequences.
"Furthermore, our agency has a detailed and well thought out plan to combat violent crime in our community and you should have discussed your ideas with our command staff first."
Henry Pierson Curtis can be reached at 407-420- 5257 or hcurtis@orlandosentinel.com.
Undersheriff returns to duty following disciplinary review
Henry Pierson Curtis
Sentinel Staff Writer
12:25 PM EDT, October 8, 2007
Undersheriff Malone Stewart returned to duty today at the Orange County Sheriff's Office a week after being stripped of his gun and badge.
Sheriff Kevin Beary took the action after Stewart gave an unapproved TV interview about his personal plan to reduce armed robberies.
"I'm glad to be back," Stewart said this afternoon.
The disciplinary review also involved a previously undisclosed accusation that the 30-year veteran dumped a glass of iced tea on an agency employee during an argument over lunch, according to records released today.
A review of what happened Aug. 21 at Mama Nems' Restaurant exonerated Stewart.
Other deputies and employees at the lunch meeting gave sworn statements that Stewart accidentally knocked over a glass of tea when he stood up suddenly and left the restaurant before being served, records show.
Stewart acknowledged in an interview with sheriff's Division Chief Steve Jones that he failed to notify the agency's Media Relations Office about an exclusive interview he gave Sept. 26to a WFTV-Channel 9 reporter.
Agency policy requires "that supervisors ensure that information concerning newsworthy events which has been released to the press during the absence of the Public Information Officer be reported to the PIO as soon as possible."
During the interview, Stewart had proposed assigning undercover deputies to pose as shoppers and clerks in stores in high-crime areas.
"It's a tough way, it's going gun against gun, but we do not have a choice," he said, according to sheriff's reports. "There is going to be a lot of people shot and in that shooting it very well could be some deputy sheriffs."
Beary personally signed and issued Stewart a disciplinary form upon his return to duty at 10 a.m. today.
"The perception created in your interview may have been taken by persons on the street that we are putting undercover deputies in Orange County businesses posting as employees and customers," Beary wrote. "This puts innocent citizens in danger of being mistaken as law enforcement officers and could have led to dire consequences.
"Furthermore, our agency has a detailed and well thought out plan to combat violent crime in our community and you should have discussed your ideas with our command staff first."
Henry Pierson Curtis can be reached at 407-420- 5257 or hcurtis@orlandosentinel.com.
Sunday, September 30, 2007
Sheriff Beary Keeping Orange Co. Safe from Rampaging Elephants
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/orange/orl-newguns2807sep28,0,4356672.story?coll=orl_tab01_layout
Orange Sheriff's Office buys 14 elephant guns
Henry Pierson Curtis | Sentinel Staff Writer
(published) September 28, 2007
Orlando is safe from rampaging pachyderms now that the Orange County Sheriff's Office has bought 14 elephant guns.
The largest weapon in Sheriff Kevin Beary's armory fires a half-inch-diameter bullet with sharpshooter accuracy.
"The sole purpose for this weapon is large or exotic animals," sheriff's spokesman Jim Solomons said Thursday.
Each .499-caliber Alexander Arms Beowulf rifle has a laser sight to let shooters hit where they aim out to 300 yards -- a perfect tool to help the agriculture and marine unit deal with cattle that wander onto the BeachLine Expressway and Florida's Turnpike.
But the Sheriff's Office also is thinking bigger.
Orlando's theme parks are home to elephants, polar bears, lions, giraffes and hippos. Should any of them get loose, deputies need the right weapon to stop them if public safety is threatened, Solomons said.
If the worst happens, the Beowulf can stop it.
Essentially an assault rifle on steroids, the $800 weapon has "the power to kill anything that walks, swims or crawls!" according to a 2003 product review by gunblast.com. "Everyone who shot the gun was grinning like an idiot, and muttering phrases like, 'I gotta get me one of these.'"
When considering whether to buy the rifles, the Sheriff's Office remembered that an elephant ran amok and killed its trainer in Honolulu in 1994.
"They had to go through a whole lot of bullets, and all they did was aggravate the animal and put it through needless suffering before they were able to bring it down," Solomons said.
In the 1960s, an elephant escaped from a circus in Winter Park. It rampaged along Cady Way into Winter Park Pines, leaving large mementos of its presence along the street, until it was subdued and recaptured.
Orange County's toughest neighborhoods may not have elephants, but the deputies who work there are getting a shipment of 25-shot machine pistols.
"Matching firepower," said sheriff's spokesman Capt. Mark Strobridge, when asked why.
"Our tactical squads that are getting the weapons are dealing with the worst of the worst and those types of neighborhoods," Strobridge said of the new semiautomatic, .45-caliber Heckler & Koch machine pistols. "They're more accurate than their [regular] pistols, and they can stand back further from the bad guys."
The agency intends to buy 49 of the weapons at $1,660 each.The arms race in law enforcement dates back to the 1980s, when cops across America complained they were outgunned by criminals. So they traded in their old six-shooters for 16-shot, 9 mm pistols.
A couple of years back, Beary replaced those with more than 1,000 more-powerful .45-caliber pistols for his deputies. AR-15 assault rifles joined the 12-gauge shotguns in many patrol cars.
And then killers behind the county's skyrocketing murder rate over the past two years increasingly armed themselves with AK-47s and other high-powered, high-capacity weapons.
"When I started out, there was only a small SWAT team that had these nontraditional weapons," said Strobridge, a 26-year veteran. "Unfortunately, the criminals have evolved and the types of weapons they carry. And we should not be behind. We should be ahead."
Henry Pierson Curtis can be reached at hcurtis@orlandosentinel.com or 407-420-5257.
Orange Sheriff's Office buys 14 elephant guns
Henry Pierson Curtis | Sentinel Staff Writer
(published) September 28, 2007
Orlando is safe from rampaging pachyderms now that the Orange County Sheriff's Office has bought 14 elephant guns.
The largest weapon in Sheriff Kevin Beary's armory fires a half-inch-diameter bullet with sharpshooter accuracy.
"The sole purpose for this weapon is large or exotic animals," sheriff's spokesman Jim Solomons said Thursday.
Each .499-caliber Alexander Arms Beowulf rifle has a laser sight to let shooters hit where they aim out to 300 yards -- a perfect tool to help the agriculture and marine unit deal with cattle that wander onto the BeachLine Expressway and Florida's Turnpike.
But the Sheriff's Office also is thinking bigger.
Orlando's theme parks are home to elephants, polar bears, lions, giraffes and hippos. Should any of them get loose, deputies need the right weapon to stop them if public safety is threatened, Solomons said.
If the worst happens, the Beowulf can stop it.
Essentially an assault rifle on steroids, the $800 weapon has "the power to kill anything that walks, swims or crawls!" according to a 2003 product review by gunblast.com. "Everyone who shot the gun was grinning like an idiot, and muttering phrases like, 'I gotta get me one of these.'"
When considering whether to buy the rifles, the Sheriff's Office remembered that an elephant ran amok and killed its trainer in Honolulu in 1994.
"They had to go through a whole lot of bullets, and all they did was aggravate the animal and put it through needless suffering before they were able to bring it down," Solomons said.
In the 1960s, an elephant escaped from a circus in Winter Park. It rampaged along Cady Way into Winter Park Pines, leaving large mementos of its presence along the street, until it was subdued and recaptured.
Orange County's toughest neighborhoods may not have elephants, but the deputies who work there are getting a shipment of 25-shot machine pistols.
"Matching firepower," said sheriff's spokesman Capt. Mark Strobridge, when asked why.
"Our tactical squads that are getting the weapons are dealing with the worst of the worst and those types of neighborhoods," Strobridge said of the new semiautomatic, .45-caliber Heckler & Koch machine pistols. "They're more accurate than their [regular] pistols, and they can stand back further from the bad guys."
The agency intends to buy 49 of the weapons at $1,660 each.The arms race in law enforcement dates back to the 1980s, when cops across America complained they were outgunned by criminals. So they traded in their old six-shooters for 16-shot, 9 mm pistols.
A couple of years back, Beary replaced those with more than 1,000 more-powerful .45-caliber pistols for his deputies. AR-15 assault rifles joined the 12-gauge shotguns in many patrol cars.
And then killers behind the county's skyrocketing murder rate over the past two years increasingly armed themselves with AK-47s and other high-powered, high-capacity weapons.
"When I started out, there was only a small SWAT team that had these nontraditional weapons," said Strobridge, a 26-year veteran. "Unfortunately, the criminals have evolved and the types of weapons they carry. And we should not be behind. We should be ahead."
Henry Pierson Curtis can be reached at hcurtis@orlandosentinel.com or 407-420-5257.
Thursday, September 27, 2007
At The Mercy of Taser Torturers
http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2007/09/27/4149/
Published on Thursday, September 27, 2007 by Candide's Notebook
At The Mercy of Taser Torturers
by Pierre Tristam
It's a morbid game. I Google "Taser," click on the tab that brings up the latest news articles featuring the word, and scroll through the insanity. It never fails. Every search produces case after case of sadism posing as policing.
Here's Friday's crop. In California, cops Tasered a 15-year-old autistic child who left his treatment center and was supposedly going to hurt himself for running into traffic (after walking 15 miles without a hitch)."If that were your son, would you want him Tasered or hit by a car?" a sheriff's spokesman said. If that was my son, I'd want you to stop traffic. Isn't that what cops can do with one hand raised and the other behind their back? Also in California on Friday, a cop Tasered a high school student to break up a fight.
In Warren, Ohio, an officer Tasered a woman because she was being unruly in his cruiser after an arrest. She slipped out of the cruiser to escape the shocks. He Tasered her again until he knocked her unconscious. She was in handcuffs the whole time. In Ocala, four officers are being investigated for Tasering a man who refused to drop his Quran. And, of course, nine days ago at the University of Florida, Andrew Meyer, a 21-year-old student who got long-winded with his questions to Sen. John Kerry during a public forum, was shoved away from the mike by campus police, pushed to the ground, pinned there by six officers (every cop wants a piece of the action) and electrocuted. Then he was told he was inciting a riot. If there ever was a case of cops inciting a riot., and deserving one, this was it. Still, they call this a "safe alternative."
But the stun gun, the single-most savage addition to police arsenals since the back-alley interrogation, has done the opposite of its intended purpose. Rather than lowering the level of violence necessary to subdue dangerous individuals, the stun-gun has lowered the threshold of excusable police violence by making the use of
brutal force seem protective. Briefly electrocuting someone, the story goes, is better than shooting him. But before that choice between two brutalities, there was a choice between brutality and reason - between Rambo with a shield and good policing. A cop whoíd never dream of unholstering a firearm against a lout or a big-mouthed
student isn't hesitating to unholster the stun-gun and use it repeatedly under the guise of restoring control.
What a convenient perversion of reality: a 5-second torture session, often repeated many times, often unnecessary, overwhelmingly directed at non-violent individuals, is called "improving safety." For whom? Earlier this year the Houston Chronicle analyzed the Houston Department's use of Tasers since they were introduced two years ago to that same crock fanfare - "to reduce deadly police shootings." Since then, the paper found, "officers have shot, wounded and killed as many people as before the widespread use of the stun guns." Houston officers used their Tasers more than 1,000 times in the past two years, "but in 95 percent of those cases they were not used to
defuse situations in which suspects wielded weapons and deadly force clearly would have been justified."
Tasers, in other words, are instruments of punishment, not safety. They're enabling cops to be executioners rather than law enforcers, not just metaphorically. (By CBS News' count, 70 people have died after being Tasered, including 10 in August. An Amnesty International report had tallied up 70 deaths between 2001 and 2004 alone.)
I was reading a story the other day about Nalini Ghuman, the Welsh music professor who, after teaching 10 years at a university in California, was suddenly barred from reentering the country 13 months ago and offered a choice: jail or a plane back to Britain. She went back. What struck me about her time in an isolation cell at San
Francisco airport is her immediate transformation into an assumed criminal. When this 34-year-old academic was groped, body-searched and interrogated, she was "warned that if she moved," as the New York Times described it, "she would be considered to be attacking her armed female searcher."
How familiar the warning. It's what police agencies down to their school contingents call protocol. The moment a cop appears on the scene and metes out orders, not following them can mean an immediate charge of resisting or battery if you so much as graze the cop's ego. Judging from public comments responding to incidents like the one at the University of Florida, thatís what people want from their cops - uncompromising control. In a cop's presence, your job is to conform, submit, accept that youíre guilty until proven otherwise. It's not brutality. It's protocol.
---------
Pierre Tristam is a Daytona Beach News-Journal editorial writer. Reach him at
ptristam@att.net or through his personal Web site at www.pierretristam.com.
Published on Thursday, September 27, 2007 by Candide's Notebook
At The Mercy of Taser Torturers
by Pierre Tristam
It's a morbid game. I Google "Taser," click on the tab that brings up the latest news articles featuring the word, and scroll through the insanity. It never fails. Every search produces case after case of sadism posing as policing.
Here's Friday's crop. In California, cops Tasered a 15-year-old autistic child who left his treatment center and was supposedly going to hurt himself for running into traffic (after walking 15 miles without a hitch)."If that were your son, would you want him Tasered or hit by a car?" a sheriff's spokesman said. If that was my son, I'd want you to stop traffic. Isn't that what cops can do with one hand raised and the other behind their back? Also in California on Friday, a cop Tasered a high school student to break up a fight.
In Warren, Ohio, an officer Tasered a woman because she was being unruly in his cruiser after an arrest. She slipped out of the cruiser to escape the shocks. He Tasered her again until he knocked her unconscious. She was in handcuffs the whole time. In Ocala, four officers are being investigated for Tasering a man who refused to drop his Quran. And, of course, nine days ago at the University of Florida, Andrew Meyer, a 21-year-old student who got long-winded with his questions to Sen. John Kerry during a public forum, was shoved away from the mike by campus police, pushed to the ground, pinned there by six officers (every cop wants a piece of the action) and electrocuted. Then he was told he was inciting a riot. If there ever was a case of cops inciting a riot., and deserving one, this was it. Still, they call this a "safe alternative."
But the stun gun, the single-most savage addition to police arsenals since the back-alley interrogation, has done the opposite of its intended purpose. Rather than lowering the level of violence necessary to subdue dangerous individuals, the stun-gun has lowered the threshold of excusable police violence by making the use of
brutal force seem protective. Briefly electrocuting someone, the story goes, is better than shooting him. But before that choice between two brutalities, there was a choice between brutality and reason - between Rambo with a shield and good policing. A cop whoíd never dream of unholstering a firearm against a lout or a big-mouthed
student isn't hesitating to unholster the stun-gun and use it repeatedly under the guise of restoring control.
What a convenient perversion of reality: a 5-second torture session, often repeated many times, often unnecessary, overwhelmingly directed at non-violent individuals, is called "improving safety." For whom? Earlier this year the Houston Chronicle analyzed the Houston Department's use of Tasers since they were introduced two years ago to that same crock fanfare - "to reduce deadly police shootings." Since then, the paper found, "officers have shot, wounded and killed as many people as before the widespread use of the stun guns." Houston officers used their Tasers more than 1,000 times in the past two years, "but in 95 percent of those cases they were not used to
defuse situations in which suspects wielded weapons and deadly force clearly would have been justified."
Tasers, in other words, are instruments of punishment, not safety. They're enabling cops to be executioners rather than law enforcers, not just metaphorically. (By CBS News' count, 70 people have died after being Tasered, including 10 in August. An Amnesty International report had tallied up 70 deaths between 2001 and 2004 alone.)
I was reading a story the other day about Nalini Ghuman, the Welsh music professor who, after teaching 10 years at a university in California, was suddenly barred from reentering the country 13 months ago and offered a choice: jail or a plane back to Britain. She went back. What struck me about her time in an isolation cell at San
Francisco airport is her immediate transformation into an assumed criminal. When this 34-year-old academic was groped, body-searched and interrogated, she was "warned that if she moved," as the New York Times described it, "she would be considered to be attacking her armed female searcher."
How familiar the warning. It's what police agencies down to their school contingents call protocol. The moment a cop appears on the scene and metes out orders, not following them can mean an immediate charge of resisting or battery if you so much as graze the cop's ego. Judging from public comments responding to incidents like the one at the University of Florida, thatís what people want from their cops - uncompromising control. In a cop's presence, your job is to conform, submit, accept that youíre guilty until proven otherwise. It's not brutality. It's protocol.
---------
Pierre Tristam is a Daytona Beach News-Journal editorial writer. Reach him at
ptristam@att.net or through his personal Web site at www.pierretristam.com.
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Deputies Take 38 Minutes To Respond Despite Six 911 Calls
The Channel 9 website had an embarassment of riches tonight...
Deputies Take 38 Minutes To Respond Despite Six 911 Calls
http://www.wftv.com/news/14202947/detail.html
Deputies Take 38 Minutes To Respond Despite Six 911 Calls
http://www.wftv.com/news/14202947/detail.html
Pervert...uh...Police Officer Resigns from Local Force
http://www.wftv.com/video/14203475/index.html
Police Officer Resigns Amid Sexual Assault, Exposure Allegations
An Altamonte Springs police officer resigned in the wake of two investigations, one accusing him of having sexual contact with a 14-year-old girl. (09/25/07)
Police Officer Resigns Amid Sexual Assault, Exposure Allegations
An Altamonte Springs police officer resigned in the wake of two investigations, one accusing him of having sexual contact with a 14-year-old girl. (09/25/07)
Sunday, September 23, 2007
Cop Taped Ranting at Driver Fired
http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/09/21/madcop.video.ap/index.html?section=cnn_latest (via http://www.strike-the-root.com/ Strike the Root--A Journal of Liberty)
Police officer taped ranting at driver fired
ST. GEORGE, Missouri (AP) -- A police sergeant whose berating of a driver was captured on videotape has been fired.
Aldermen in the town of St. George, a St. Louis suburb, voted 5-0 in a closed meeting Monday to fire Sgt. James Kuehnlein. Notice of the firing was posted Wednesday at City Hall.
Kuehnlein's attorney, Travis L. Noble, said the officer received a letter Thursday detailing the reasons for his firing. Noble said he would review the letter with Kuehnlein before deciding on a course of action.
Brett Darrow, 20, had a video recorder inside his car when Kuehnlein approached him in a commuter lot in the early hours of September 7.
In a video that was widely viewed on the Internet, Kuehnlein is heard taunting and threatening Darrow, sometimes shouting and using profanity.
"It's what I wanted the whole time," Darrow told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. "The conduct was not forgivable."
Police Chief Scott Uhrig said he recommended that Kuehnlein be fired based both on his language in the tape and because he violated department policy when he failed to tape the encounter himself with his police car's camera.
Watch the tape and police officer's tirade
http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/09/21/madcop.video.ap/index.html?section=cnn_latest#cnnSTCVideo
Police officer taped ranting at driver fired
ST. GEORGE, Missouri (AP) -- A police sergeant whose berating of a driver was captured on videotape has been fired.
Aldermen in the town of St. George, a St. Louis suburb, voted 5-0 in a closed meeting Monday to fire Sgt. James Kuehnlein. Notice of the firing was posted Wednesday at City Hall.
Kuehnlein's attorney, Travis L. Noble, said the officer received a letter Thursday detailing the reasons for his firing. Noble said he would review the letter with Kuehnlein before deciding on a course of action.
Brett Darrow, 20, had a video recorder inside his car when Kuehnlein approached him in a commuter lot in the early hours of September 7.
In a video that was widely viewed on the Internet, Kuehnlein is heard taunting and threatening Darrow, sometimes shouting and using profanity.
"It's what I wanted the whole time," Darrow told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. "The conduct was not forgivable."
Police Chief Scott Uhrig said he recommended that Kuehnlein be fired based both on his language in the tape and because he violated department policy when he failed to tape the encounter himself with his police car's camera.
Watch the tape and police officer's tirade
http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/09/21/madcop.video.ap/index.html?section=cnn_latest#cnnSTCVideo
Saturday, September 22, 2007
Orange Sheriff Ordered to Release Documents
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/services/newspaper/printedition/saturday/localandstate/orl-mcfbriefs22_307sep22,0,1022798.story
Beary ordered to release documents
(published) September 22, 2007
ORANGE COUNTY - -Orange County Sheriff Kevin Beary, under investigation over a nonprofit anti-terrorism organization he helped create with public money and worked for, was ordered by the state to turn over several personal financial documents and communications that show his involvement in the business.
The state Ethics Commission filed a request for the four-term sheriff to provide documents about him and his staff that detail their dealings with the National Domestic Preparedness Coalition Inc.
The seven-page document, filed Friday, requires Beary to produce more than 16 separate records.
Beary was paid a $43,000 consulting fee for work done off-duty. He agreed to repay the money.
Early this year, the commission said it found probable cause that Beary may have violated conflict-of-interest prohibitions against doing business with his own agency.
The business was created using public funds after the 2001 terrorist attacks to develop anti-terrorism software that was marketed statewide and nationwide.
Beary ordered to release documents
(published) September 22, 2007
ORANGE COUNTY - -Orange County Sheriff Kevin Beary, under investigation over a nonprofit anti-terrorism organization he helped create with public money and worked for, was ordered by the state to turn over several personal financial documents and communications that show his involvement in the business.
The state Ethics Commission filed a request for the four-term sheriff to provide documents about him and his staff that detail their dealings with the National Domestic Preparedness Coalition Inc.
The seven-page document, filed Friday, requires Beary to produce more than 16 separate records.
Beary was paid a $43,000 consulting fee for work done off-duty. He agreed to repay the money.
Early this year, the commission said it found probable cause that Beary may have violated conflict-of-interest prohibitions against doing business with his own agency.
The business was created using public funds after the 2001 terrorist attacks to develop anti-terrorism software that was marketed statewide and nationwide.
Thursday, September 20, 2007
John Timoney, America's Worst Cop
Article from Miami New Times
http://www.miaminewtimes.com/2007-09-20/news/john-timoney-america-s-worst-cop/
http://www.miaminewtimes.com/2007-09-20/news/john-timoney-america-s-worst-cop/
Monday, September 17, 2007
University of Florida Student Arrested, Tasered at Kerry Forum
orlandosentinel.com/news/local/state/orl-bk-gainesville091707,0,2849342.story?coll=orl_entertainment_dining_util
University of Florida student arrested, Tasered at Kerry forum
The Associated Press
8:56 PM EDT, September 17, 2007
A University of Florida student was Tasered and arrested Monday when he attempted to speak at a forum with U.S. Sen. John Kerry during a question and answer session, university officials said.
Andrew Meyer, 21, asked Kerry why he did not contest the 2004 presidential election, which he lost to President Bush, and why there had been no moves to impeach Bush.
"He apparently asked several questions -- he went on for quite awhile -- then he was asked to stop," university spokesman Steve Orlando said. "He had used his allotted time. His microphone was cut off then he became upset."
While as many as four police officers tried to remove Meyer from the forum, he yelled for help and asked "What did I do?" Minutes after Meyer started speaking, he was Tasered.
Meyer was charged with resisting an officer and disturbing the peace, according to Alachua County jail records. No bond had been set. Meyer was scheduled to appear in court Tuesday morning, a jail official said.
Orlando said university police would conduct an internal investigation on the incident.
"The police department does have a standard procedure for when they use force, including when they use a Taser," Orlando said. "That is what the internal investigation would address -- whether the proper procedures were followed, whether the officers acted appropriately."
The event was sponsored by the UF student government speaker's bureau, according to a news release. A telephone message left at the speaker's bureau office was not immediately returned Monday evening.
It was not known if Meyer had an attorney.
University of Florida student arrested, Tasered at Kerry forum
The Associated Press
8:56 PM EDT, September 17, 2007
A University of Florida student was Tasered and arrested Monday when he attempted to speak at a forum with U.S. Sen. John Kerry during a question and answer session, university officials said.
Andrew Meyer, 21, asked Kerry why he did not contest the 2004 presidential election, which he lost to President Bush, and why there had been no moves to impeach Bush.
"He apparently asked several questions -- he went on for quite awhile -- then he was asked to stop," university spokesman Steve Orlando said. "He had used his allotted time. His microphone was cut off then he became upset."
While as many as four police officers tried to remove Meyer from the forum, he yelled for help and asked "What did I do?" Minutes after Meyer started speaking, he was Tasered.
Meyer was charged with resisting an officer and disturbing the peace, according to Alachua County jail records. No bond had been set. Meyer was scheduled to appear in court Tuesday morning, a jail official said.
Orlando said university police would conduct an internal investigation on the incident.
"The police department does have a standard procedure for when they use force, including when they use a Taser," Orlando said. "That is what the internal investigation would address -- whether the proper procedures were followed, whether the officers acted appropriately."
The event was sponsored by the UF student government speaker's bureau, according to a news release. A telephone message left at the speaker's bureau office was not immediately returned Monday evening.
It was not known if Meyer had an attorney.
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Deputy Charged with Plan to Rob Cop Posing as Drug Dealer
orlandosentinel.com/news/local/volusia/orl-deputy1207sep12,0,3219568.story
Deputy charged with plan to rob man
He and a suspected accomplice targeted an FDLE officer posing as a drug dealer, officials say.
Elaine Aradillas and Steven D. Barnes
Sentinel Staff Writers
(published) September 12, 2007
A Volusia deputy sheriff and a suspected accomplice were arrested Tuesday on charges they planned to take money from a Florida Department of Law Enforcement officer posing as a drug dealer, officials said.
Deputy Gene Walton, 40, was arrested on one count of unlawful compensation, one count of misuse of confidential information and one count of conspiracy to commit robbery. He was held in a separate part of the Volusia County Jail for his protection, with bail set at $21,000.
Harry Cooke, who is not an employee of the Volusia Sheriff's Office, was arrested on one count of conspiracy to commit robbery. He was held at the jail with bail set at $10,000.
Volusia Sheriff Ben Johnson had harsh words for Walton, who had been with the agency 14 years.
"This is not one of the days you enjoy being a sheriff," he said. "I don't want a dirty cop. Cops don't like dirty cops, and that's exactly what he is."
At the time of his arrest, Walton was served with notice of an internal investigation, suspended without pay and served with a notice that the Sheriff's Office intends to terminate his position, said sheriff's spokesman Brandon Haught.
Procedure allows three days for Walton to make an appeal, but he will most likely lose his job at the end of the week, Haught said.
The investigation started two months ago, when the FDLE received a tip. The investigation revealed Walton used the agency's computer system to collect information -- including information about a vehicle -- belonging to the person he thought was a drug dealer, Johnson said.
Walton planned to make a traffic stop and take the drug dealer's money, Johnson said.
"He thought he was ripping off a drug dealer for money," Johnson said. "He was trying to rip off a dope dealer."
Walton, who was a resource officer at Campbell Middle School in Daytona Beach, was working when he was summoned to a district office Tuesday afternoon, officials said.
Haught said Walton's personnel records showed two reprimands in 1996, two years after he was hired, for minor procedural infractions.
For example, instead of calling an ambulance after he stopped a driver and his pregnant wife on their way to a hospital, Walton provided a personal police escort.
Before joining the Sheriff's Office, Walton worked at a post office and as a security supervisor at Bethune-Cookman College in Daytona Beach, records show.
Johnson said he spoke with Walton when he was arrested.
"I told him, 'You had kids that were looking up to you. You were a role model.'"
Elaine Aradillas can be reached at 407-931-5940 or earadillas@orlandosentinel.com. Steven D. Barnes can be reached at sbarnes@orlandosentinel.com or 386-851-7911.
Deputy charged with plan to rob man
He and a suspected accomplice targeted an FDLE officer posing as a drug dealer, officials say.
Elaine Aradillas and Steven D. Barnes
Sentinel Staff Writers
(published) September 12, 2007
A Volusia deputy sheriff and a suspected accomplice were arrested Tuesday on charges they planned to take money from a Florida Department of Law Enforcement officer posing as a drug dealer, officials said.
Deputy Gene Walton, 40, was arrested on one count of unlawful compensation, one count of misuse of confidential information and one count of conspiracy to commit robbery. He was held in a separate part of the Volusia County Jail for his protection, with bail set at $21,000.
Harry Cooke, who is not an employee of the Volusia Sheriff's Office, was arrested on one count of conspiracy to commit robbery. He was held at the jail with bail set at $10,000.
Volusia Sheriff Ben Johnson had harsh words for Walton, who had been with the agency 14 years.
"This is not one of the days you enjoy being a sheriff," he said. "I don't want a dirty cop. Cops don't like dirty cops, and that's exactly what he is."
At the time of his arrest, Walton was served with notice of an internal investigation, suspended without pay and served with a notice that the Sheriff's Office intends to terminate his position, said sheriff's spokesman Brandon Haught.
Procedure allows three days for Walton to make an appeal, but he will most likely lose his job at the end of the week, Haught said.
The investigation started two months ago, when the FDLE received a tip. The investigation revealed Walton used the agency's computer system to collect information -- including information about a vehicle -- belonging to the person he thought was a drug dealer, Johnson said.
Walton planned to make a traffic stop and take the drug dealer's money, Johnson said.
"He thought he was ripping off a drug dealer for money," Johnson said. "He was trying to rip off a dope dealer."
Walton, who was a resource officer at Campbell Middle School in Daytona Beach, was working when he was summoned to a district office Tuesday afternoon, officials said.
Haught said Walton's personnel records showed two reprimands in 1996, two years after he was hired, for minor procedural infractions.
For example, instead of calling an ambulance after he stopped a driver and his pregnant wife on their way to a hospital, Walton provided a personal police escort.
Before joining the Sheriff's Office, Walton worked at a post office and as a security supervisor at Bethune-Cookman College in Daytona Beach, records show.
Johnson said he spoke with Walton when he was arrested.
"I told him, 'You had kids that were looking up to you. You were a role model.'"
Elaine Aradillas can be reached at 407-931-5940 or earadillas@orlandosentinel.com. Steven D. Barnes can be reached at sbarnes@orlandosentinel.com or 386-851-7911.
Friday, September 7, 2007
Orange Co. Deps. Shoot @ Car During Traffic Stop; Driver Later Dies
Source: Orlando Sentinel
Updated: 6 minutes ago
Investigation continues into man who died after traffic stop
April Hunt | Sentinel Staff Writer
3:10 PM EDT, September 7, 2007
Two law enforcement agencies are still sorting through details that led to a deadly shooting during a routine traffic stop Thursday night.
The sheriff's office and Florida Department of Law Enforcement are conducting concurrent investigations into the incident, which began when two motorcyle deputies pulled the man over during a speed check on South Rio Grande Avenue and Michael Terrace.
When deputies Chester Parker and Aaron Wilson walked toward the car, the driver revved the engine and hit one of the men with his car, said sheriff's spokesman Jeff Williamson. The officers, fearing for their lives, shot at the car before it sped off into the woods, Williamson said.
The driver dumped the car in the woods and began running. The deputies chased the driver through the woods, where they found him bleeding heavily. It was unknown Thursday night if the driver was hurt while driving through the woods or if he was shot by officers, Williamson said.
The man was taken to Orlando Regional Medical Center, where he later died, Williamson said. Deputies have not released his name, because they have not been able to locate next-of-kin.
The driver did have a criminal record, Williamson said.
Parker, 48, and Wilson, 40, have been placed on administrative leave, which is standard practice. Parker is a five-year veteran of the department, while Wilson has been a deputy for 12 years.
Neither of the deputies was seriously injured.
Updated: 6 minutes ago
Investigation continues into man who died after traffic stop
April Hunt | Sentinel Staff Writer
3:10 PM EDT, September 7, 2007
Two law enforcement agencies are still sorting through details that led to a deadly shooting during a routine traffic stop Thursday night.
The sheriff's office and Florida Department of Law Enforcement are conducting concurrent investigations into the incident, which began when two motorcyle deputies pulled the man over during a speed check on South Rio Grande Avenue and Michael Terrace.
When deputies Chester Parker and Aaron Wilson walked toward the car, the driver revved the engine and hit one of the men with his car, said sheriff's spokesman Jeff Williamson. The officers, fearing for their lives, shot at the car before it sped off into the woods, Williamson said.
The driver dumped the car in the woods and began running. The deputies chased the driver through the woods, where they found him bleeding heavily. It was unknown Thursday night if the driver was hurt while driving through the woods or if he was shot by officers, Williamson said.
The man was taken to Orlando Regional Medical Center, where he later died, Williamson said. Deputies have not released his name, because they have not been able to locate next-of-kin.
The driver did have a criminal record, Williamson said.
Parker, 48, and Wilson, 40, have been placed on administrative leave, which is standard practice. Parker is a five-year veteran of the department, while Wilson has been a deputy for 12 years.
Neither of the deputies was seriously injured.
Local TV Coverage of Incident Involving CopWatch Member
(awkwardly written story; it should be "Leclair" not "LeClair')
CopWatch Keeps Eye On Local Police
POSTED: 6:44 pm EDT September 6, 2007
UPDATED: 7:22 pm EDT September 6, 2007
ORLANDO, Fla. -- Volunteers are patrolling local streets to keep a close eye on the area's police force.
A man wrestled to the ground in a recent [Orlando] CopWatch video is actually a[n Orlando] CopWatch volunteer. (The media needs to get the name of our organization right.)
Josh LeClair was never arrested, but officers took issue with him because they said he was far too close -- 10 feet -- while they worked to arrest a DUI suspect.
"I think it's scary that a guy is taken to the ground and handcuffed and detained," LeClair said.
CopWatch patrols with video cameras.
The National Latino Officers Association has taken up the fight for [Orlando] CopWatch, saying LeClair was the victim of excessive force and unlawful detainment.
LeClair said he was 40 feet away.
(garbled partial quote) "Work hard to do the right thing," Sgt. Barb Jones said.
The Orlando Police Department said it has received an official complaint, it has seen the video, and it will look into it.
"Whether the actions of the officers were justified or not will be part of the investigation. It'll be up to internal affairs," Jones said.
To comment on this story, send an e-mail to Dave McDaniel.
Copyright 2007 by WESH.COM.
###
local6.com
Cell Phone Video Shows Officer Throwing Down Bystander Videotaping Traffic Stop
29-Year-Old Handcuffed, Then Allowed To Leave
POSTED: 4:54 pm EDT September 6, 2007
UPDATED: 5:19 pm EDT September 6, 2007
ORLANDO, Fla. -- Cell phone video of an Orlando officer throwing a bystander to the ground after the man was noticed videotaping a traffic stop has prompted accusations of police brutality.
IMAGES: Cell Phone Video Orlando police are investigating why Josh Leclair, 29, was handcuffed and forced to the ground by an officer this week, Local 6 has learned.
Leclair said he was on his way to a friend's house at about 1 a.m. when he noticed a police officer arresting a suspected drunken driver with his weapon drawn.
Leclair said he had a camera and began videotaping the incident until the officer until the officer noticed him.
Leclair's friend Rick Weedamen's cell phone camera videotaped the officer running over to Leclair and then forcing him to the ground and handcuffing him.
Police eventually removed the handcuffs and Leclair was allowed to leave.
Leclair, who is a member of the Cop Watch group, said police initially appeared to be acting lawfully during the traffic stop until they turned their attention to him.
"My video could have been used as an asset to their actual investigation until I was detained," Leclair said during a news conference Thursday.
The [Orlando] Cop Watch group has watched the video and claims the incident may be indicative of a bigger problem with police behavior.
"Where there have been threats made against [Orlando] Cop Watch when [Orlando] Cop Watch was out doing what they have every Constitutional right to do -- simply videotape law enforcement in action," [Orlando] Cop Watch representative George Crossley said.
Leclair has filed an official complaint with the Orlando Police Department and he said another complaint will likely be filed with the U.S. Justice Department over a civil rights violation.
Watch Local 6 News for more on this story.
Copyright 2007 by Internet Broadcasting Systems and Local6.com.
###
WFTV.com
Police Investigate After Controversial 'Copwatch' Video Surfaces
POSTED: 12:01 pm EDT September 6, 2007
UPDATED: 5:45 pm EDT September 6, 2007
ORLANDO, Fla. -- A group that uses video cameras to try to catch cops crossing the line said an officer went after one if its own members and they videotaped the whole thing.
In his own report, one of the officers said the amateur cameraman was interfering with his investigation, but the Orlando Police Department is doing an investigation of its own to see if the officers recorded on the [Orlando] 'Copwatch' DVD truly went too far.
RAW VIDEO: Copwatch Raw DVD video
Before an officer took him down, [Orlando] "Copwatch" cameraman Joshua LeClair [Leclair] said he didn't have a problem with how Orlando police handled this arrest of a DUI suspect early Sunday morning. He said trouble started when officers turned their attention to the camera.
"There was a second person out here who pulled out a cell phone with a video camera in it and kept rolling," said LeClair of the DVD police were investigating.
Sgt. Barbara Jones of the Orlando Police Department said the police had seen the video and will conduct an internal affairs investigation. But Jones would not criticize the officer's actions.
"We don't have a problem being videotaped. The question is, am I being distracted while affecting [effecting] an arrest," Jones said of the 'Copwatch' videotaping.
At a news conference, organizers of the group 'Copwatch' said they plan to file a federal civil rights complaint. Despite an officer's claim that LeClair got in the way, he said he wasn't picking a fight.
'Copwatch' said it will be out again in Orlando Thursday night. Orlando police said its investigation could take up to two months.
Copyright 2007 by wftv.com.
CopWatch Keeps Eye On Local Police
POSTED: 6:44 pm EDT September 6, 2007
UPDATED: 7:22 pm EDT September 6, 2007
ORLANDO, Fla. -- Volunteers are patrolling local streets to keep a close eye on the area's police force.
A man wrestled to the ground in a recent [Orlando] CopWatch video is actually a[n Orlando] CopWatch volunteer. (The media needs to get the name of our organization right.)
Josh LeClair was never arrested, but officers took issue with him because they said he was far too close -- 10 feet -- while they worked to arrest a DUI suspect.
"I think it's scary that a guy is taken to the ground and handcuffed and detained," LeClair said.
CopWatch patrols with video cameras.
The National Latino Officers Association has taken up the fight for [Orlando] CopWatch, saying LeClair was the victim of excessive force and unlawful detainment.
LeClair said he was 40 feet away.
(garbled partial quote) "Work hard to do the right thing," Sgt. Barb Jones said.
The Orlando Police Department said it has received an official complaint, it has seen the video, and it will look into it.
"Whether the actions of the officers were justified or not will be part of the investigation. It'll be up to internal affairs," Jones said.
To comment on this story, send an e-mail to Dave McDaniel.
Copyright 2007 by WESH.COM.
###
local6.com
Cell Phone Video Shows Officer Throwing Down Bystander Videotaping Traffic Stop
29-Year-Old Handcuffed, Then Allowed To Leave
POSTED: 4:54 pm EDT September 6, 2007
UPDATED: 5:19 pm EDT September 6, 2007
ORLANDO, Fla. -- Cell phone video of an Orlando officer throwing a bystander to the ground after the man was noticed videotaping a traffic stop has prompted accusations of police brutality.
IMAGES: Cell Phone Video Orlando police are investigating why Josh Leclair, 29, was handcuffed and forced to the ground by an officer this week, Local 6 has learned.
Leclair said he was on his way to a friend's house at about 1 a.m. when he noticed a police officer arresting a suspected drunken driver with his weapon drawn.
Leclair said he had a camera and began videotaping the incident until the officer until the officer noticed him.
Leclair's friend Rick Weedamen's cell phone camera videotaped the officer running over to Leclair and then forcing him to the ground and handcuffing him.
Police eventually removed the handcuffs and Leclair was allowed to leave.
Leclair, who is a member of the Cop Watch group, said police initially appeared to be acting lawfully during the traffic stop until they turned their attention to him.
"My video could have been used as an asset to their actual investigation until I was detained," Leclair said during a news conference Thursday.
The [Orlando] Cop Watch group has watched the video and claims the incident may be indicative of a bigger problem with police behavior.
"Where there have been threats made against [Orlando] Cop Watch when [Orlando] Cop Watch was out doing what they have every Constitutional right to do -- simply videotape law enforcement in action," [Orlando] Cop Watch representative George Crossley said.
Leclair has filed an official complaint with the Orlando Police Department and he said another complaint will likely be filed with the U.S. Justice Department over a civil rights violation.
Watch Local 6 News for more on this story.
Copyright 2007 by Internet Broadcasting Systems and Local6.com.
###
WFTV.com
Police Investigate After Controversial 'Copwatch' Video Surfaces
POSTED: 12:01 pm EDT September 6, 2007
UPDATED: 5:45 pm EDT September 6, 2007
ORLANDO, Fla. -- A group that uses video cameras to try to catch cops crossing the line said an officer went after one if its own members and they videotaped the whole thing.
In his own report, one of the officers said the amateur cameraman was interfering with his investigation, but the Orlando Police Department is doing an investigation of its own to see if the officers recorded on the [Orlando] 'Copwatch' DVD truly went too far.
RAW VIDEO: Copwatch Raw DVD video
Before an officer took him down, [Orlando] "Copwatch" cameraman Joshua LeClair [Leclair] said he didn't have a problem with how Orlando police handled this arrest of a DUI suspect early Sunday morning. He said trouble started when officers turned their attention to the camera.
"There was a second person out here who pulled out a cell phone with a video camera in it and kept rolling," said LeClair of the DVD police were investigating.
Sgt. Barbara Jones of the Orlando Police Department said the police had seen the video and will conduct an internal affairs investigation. But Jones would not criticize the officer's actions.
"We don't have a problem being videotaped. The question is, am I being distracted while affecting [effecting] an arrest," Jones said of the 'Copwatch' videotaping.
At a news conference, organizers of the group 'Copwatch' said they plan to file a federal civil rights complaint. Despite an officer's claim that LeClair got in the way, he said he wasn't picking a fight.
'Copwatch' said it will be out again in Orlando Thursday night. Orlando police said its investigation could take up to two months.
Copyright 2007 by wftv.com.
Thursday, September 6, 2007
CopWatch says video shows intimidation
Source: orlandosentinel.com/news/local/orl-copwatch0607sep06,0,7882778.story
CopWatch says video shows intimidation
Willoughby Mariano
Sentinel Staff Writer
(posted) 11:15 PM EDT, September 5, 2007
A police watchdog group accused an Orlando officer Wednesday of manhandling a volunteer who was trying to take video footage of an arrest near downtown.
Two CopWatch videos of the incident were released exclusively to the Orlando Sentinel. It shows a man who was videotaping an arrest being pushed to the ground by an officer and handcuffed.
Volunteer George Crossley said that Sunday's events demonstrate that Orlando police are trying to intimidate the group's members.
"The Orlando police chief says that CopWatch has a right to exist. That message clearly hasn't gotten down the ranks," Crossley said. He also serves as chairman of the Central Florida American Civil Liberties Union.
If CopWatch members have a complaint, they should take it to the department's internal-affairs office, said police spokeswoman Sgt. Barbara Jones.
Crossley said the group plans to file such a complaint early today and will have a news conference at noon.
The incident took place about 1 a.m. Sunday in the Colonialtown neighborhood of Orlando, according to a police report written by Officer John Seth James.
CopWatch volunteer Josh Leclair and a friend who is not with the group were driving to a nearby home on the 1200 block of Portland Avenue when they spotted an officer on the street holding a gun to the head of a belligerent drunken-driving suspect, Crossley said.
Leclair grabbed a camera and began filming. His friend, Rick Wiedemann, took out his BlackBerry, which has a video camera, and began filming as well.
When the officer spotted Leclair, he left the suspect, approached the volunteer and told him to go indoors, according to video footage.
Leclair did not.
"Detain him," the policeman said to an assisting officer.
"I'm not interfering with anything, sir," Leclair replied.
"Yo, hands behind your back!" the assisting officer said. He pushed the volunteer to the ground and handcuffed him. The officer's identity could not be confirmed Wednesday night.
Leclair later was released without charge. The incident left him with numerous bruises and scrapes to his chin, shoulder and arm, Crossley said. He did not go to the hospital.
James, the police officer, said in his report that Leclair was detained because he came within 10 feet of him and the suspect. He said he thought Leclair might interfere with the arrest.
Crossley said the video shows that Leclair was farther away.
The suspect, Michael Glenn Wallace, 25, of Casselberry was arrested on one count each of driving under the influence and resisting an officer without violence. He was being held in the Orange County Jail with bail set at $1,700.
Willoughby Mariano can be reached at wmariano@orlandosentinel.comƒo or 407-420-5171.
STATEMENT BY JOSH LECLAIR ON THE INCIDENT
Source: Joshua Leclair
I, Joshua M. Leclair, was visiting a friend's residence at 1209 Portland Ave., Orlando, FL 32803 at approximately 1:00 am on September 2, 2007 when an Orlando Police Department squad car made a traffic stop roughly fifty feet north of the residence. The officer approached the vehicle and drew his gun upon the driver's head. Being a member of Orlando CopWatch, I started to film the traffic stop. After Ofc. John Seth James removed the driver from the vehicle and had him handcuffed on the ground, Ofc. John Seth James left the scene of the traffic stop and approached me to demand that I "go inside." I then informed the officer of my legal right to film and told him I was not interfering. He then ordered another officer to detain me. The second officer ran up to me and told me to put my hands behind my back and threw me to the ground. The second officer then handcuffed and searched me while I was face-down on the ground. I repeatedly asked the second officer what I was being detained for and he said that he "didn't know." I was then picked up and led through the scene to a curb next to a squad car. At that time, Ofc. Richard Studer approached me and asked what I was doing. Before I could answer, Ofc. John Seth James yelled to him that I was interfering. I then told Ofc. Studer that I was not interfering. Ofc. Studer asked me if I thought he would believe me over his officer. He then asked if I had it on tape. I responded affirmatively and the second officer handed him the video camera. After viewing the video footage, Ofc. Studer ordered the second officer to release me. Ofc. Studer asked me to fill out an affidavit on the original traffic stop that I had witnessed and I did so. At approximately 1:35 am, I was escorted back through the scene and let go.
I went into my friend's home and noticed blood on my chin and a scrape on my shoulder. After returning to my residence, I took photographs of my injuries including a scrape on my chin, shoulder and elbow. I have since found a couple of bruises on my right knee and shin.
(signed) Joshua M. Leclair
(dated) September 6, 2007
CopWatch says video shows intimidation
Willoughby Mariano
Sentinel Staff Writer
(posted) 11:15 PM EDT, September 5, 2007
A police watchdog group accused an Orlando officer Wednesday of manhandling a volunteer who was trying to take video footage of an arrest near downtown.
Two CopWatch videos of the incident were released exclusively to the Orlando Sentinel. It shows a man who was videotaping an arrest being pushed to the ground by an officer and handcuffed.
Volunteer George Crossley said that Sunday's events demonstrate that Orlando police are trying to intimidate the group's members.
"The Orlando police chief says that CopWatch has a right to exist. That message clearly hasn't gotten down the ranks," Crossley said. He also serves as chairman of the Central Florida American Civil Liberties Union.
If CopWatch members have a complaint, they should take it to the department's internal-affairs office, said police spokeswoman Sgt. Barbara Jones.
Crossley said the group plans to file such a complaint early today and will have a news conference at noon.
The incident took place about 1 a.m. Sunday in the Colonialtown neighborhood of Orlando, according to a police report written by Officer John Seth James.
CopWatch volunteer Josh Leclair and a friend who is not with the group were driving to a nearby home on the 1200 block of Portland Avenue when they spotted an officer on the street holding a gun to the head of a belligerent drunken-driving suspect, Crossley said.
Leclair grabbed a camera and began filming. His friend, Rick Wiedemann, took out his BlackBerry, which has a video camera, and began filming as well.
When the officer spotted Leclair, he left the suspect, approached the volunteer and told him to go indoors, according to video footage.
Leclair did not.
"Detain him," the policeman said to an assisting officer.
"I'm not interfering with anything, sir," Leclair replied.
"Yo, hands behind your back!" the assisting officer said. He pushed the volunteer to the ground and handcuffed him. The officer's identity could not be confirmed Wednesday night.
Leclair later was released without charge. The incident left him with numerous bruises and scrapes to his chin, shoulder and arm, Crossley said. He did not go to the hospital.
James, the police officer, said in his report that Leclair was detained because he came within 10 feet of him and the suspect. He said he thought Leclair might interfere with the arrest.
Crossley said the video shows that Leclair was farther away.
The suspect, Michael Glenn Wallace, 25, of Casselberry was arrested on one count each of driving under the influence and resisting an officer without violence. He was being held in the Orange County Jail with bail set at $1,700.
Willoughby Mariano can be reached at wmariano@orlandosentinel.comƒo or 407-420-5171.
STATEMENT BY JOSH LECLAIR ON THE INCIDENT
Source: Joshua Leclair
I, Joshua M. Leclair, was visiting a friend's residence at 1209 Portland Ave., Orlando, FL 32803 at approximately 1:00 am on September 2, 2007 when an Orlando Police Department squad car made a traffic stop roughly fifty feet north of the residence. The officer approached the vehicle and drew his gun upon the driver's head. Being a member of Orlando CopWatch, I started to film the traffic stop. After Ofc. John Seth James removed the driver from the vehicle and had him handcuffed on the ground, Ofc. John Seth James left the scene of the traffic stop and approached me to demand that I "go inside." I then informed the officer of my legal right to film and told him I was not interfering. He then ordered another officer to detain me. The second officer ran up to me and told me to put my hands behind my back and threw me to the ground. The second officer then handcuffed and searched me while I was face-down on the ground. I repeatedly asked the second officer what I was being detained for and he said that he "didn't know." I was then picked up and led through the scene to a curb next to a squad car. At that time, Ofc. Richard Studer approached me and asked what I was doing. Before I could answer, Ofc. John Seth James yelled to him that I was interfering. I then told Ofc. Studer that I was not interfering. Ofc. Studer asked me if I thought he would believe me over his officer. He then asked if I had it on tape. I responded affirmatively and the second officer handed him the video camera. After viewing the video footage, Ofc. Studer ordered the second officer to release me. Ofc. Studer asked me to fill out an affidavit on the original traffic stop that I had witnessed and I did so. At approximately 1:35 am, I was escorted back through the scene and let go.
I went into my friend's home and noticed blood on my chin and a scrape on my shoulder. After returning to my residence, I took photographs of my injuries including a scrape on my chin, shoulder and elbow. I have since found a couple of bruises on my right knee and shin.
(signed) Joshua M. Leclair
(dated) September 6, 2007
Sunday, September 2, 2007
BREAKING! Orlando CopWatch Member Injured While Being Detained by OPD
Orlando CopWatch member Josh Leclair was physically assaulted by members of the Orlando Police Department last night. According to an e-mail from another Orlando CopWatch member: "Josh was 'detained' after being thrown to the ground by OPD tonight while filming a traffic stop. He has scrapes on his face, shoulder and arm. We have Josh's video plus a friend's who was filming Josh with his cell phone. ... He's ok and not in jail."
By coincidence(?), Josh and Orlando CopWatch member Mark Stevens had appeared yesterday on George Crossley's radio program PEOPLE POWER HOUR (WAMT-AM 1190, Saturdays 2-3 p.m.) to talk about CopWatch.
More details will be reported as they become available.
UPDATE 1: Josh explains that he was outside a friend's house, around 1:30 a.m., observing a traffic stop by OPD of a pick-up truck with two men, one of them drunken and belligerent. He was standing 30 feet away when an OPD officer ordered him to go inside the house. When Josh repeatedly asserted his legal right to observe the police on a public street, the officer ordered a lower-ranking officer to "detain" and handcuff Josh, who at that point was walking away. So the other officer tackled Josh, handcuffed him and sat him on a curb. Subsequently, an OPD captain showed up. Josh attempted to explain the situation to him, but the captain's attitude at first was that he wasn't going to believe Josh over one of his officers. However, after Josh showed the captain videotape he had taken of the incident, which backed up Josh's contention that he wasn't "interfering" in any way with the police (as the officer who ordered him handcuffed had contended), the captain ordered Josh released. Josh has photos of the abrasions and contusions he suffered while being "detained," and says he intends to pursue a formal complaint against the officer who ordered him to be "detained."
Josh says that the officers didn't appear to be doing anything inappropriate during the traffic stop itself. If the one officer hadn't reacted the way he did, the whole incident would have ended uneventfully as far as Orlando CopWatch is concerned. Law enforcement officers have no reason to be uneasy about Orlando CopWatch as long as they do their jobs properly and don't break the law or violate citizens' rights.
By coincidence(?), Josh and Orlando CopWatch member Mark Stevens had appeared yesterday on George Crossley's radio program PEOPLE POWER HOUR (WAMT-AM 1190, Saturdays 2-3 p.m.) to talk about CopWatch.
More details will be reported as they become available.
UPDATE 1: Josh explains that he was outside a friend's house, around 1:30 a.m., observing a traffic stop by OPD of a pick-up truck with two men, one of them drunken and belligerent. He was standing 30 feet away when an OPD officer ordered him to go inside the house. When Josh repeatedly asserted his legal right to observe the police on a public street, the officer ordered a lower-ranking officer to "detain" and handcuff Josh, who at that point was walking away. So the other officer tackled Josh, handcuffed him and sat him on a curb. Subsequently, an OPD captain showed up. Josh attempted to explain the situation to him, but the captain's attitude at first was that he wasn't going to believe Josh over one of his officers. However, after Josh showed the captain videotape he had taken of the incident, which backed up Josh's contention that he wasn't "interfering" in any way with the police (as the officer who ordered him handcuffed had contended), the captain ordered Josh released. Josh has photos of the abrasions and contusions he suffered while being "detained," and says he intends to pursue a formal complaint against the officer who ordered him to be "detained."
Josh says that the officers didn't appear to be doing anything inappropriate during the traffic stop itself. If the one officer hadn't reacted the way he did, the whole incident would have ended uneventfully as far as Orlando CopWatch is concerned. Law enforcement officers have no reason to be uneasy about Orlando CopWatch as long as they do their jobs properly and don't break the law or violate citizens' rights.
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Violent Attacks Against Central Florida Cops Soaring
source: orlandosentinel.com/news/local/orange/orl-cops2907aug29,0,2980295.story
OrlandoSentinel.com
Violent attacks against Orlando-area cops soaring this year
Violent attacks on cops are on the rise this year, and officials don't know why.
Walter Pacheco
Sentinel Staff Writer
(published) August 29, 2007
More police officers are being kicked, punched and beaten across Central Florida this year, and local and state law-enforcement officials expect the numbers to keep rising.
Opinions differ on the reasons -- an increasing crime rate, a focus on thwarting violent criminals and even just having more law officers on the street. But officers and deputies agree on one thing: They're frustrated with the trend.
"A lot of people think that in our line of work getting beat up or attacked is part of our job," Leesburg police Lt. Rob Hicks said. "It is not. It should never be tolerated."
Orlando Police Department records show that criminals have battered 239 police officers since Jan. 1 -- a 22 percent increase from the same period last year, when OPD reported 196 battered officers, spokesman Officer Jim Young said.
According to the Orange-Osceola State Attorney's Office, 400 deputies have been attacked in Orange County this year -- up 8 percent from the same period last year. Osceola has had a 43 percent jump from last year, with 80 deputies being battered so far.
"It feels like they [criminals] have a lack of respect for the criminal-justice system, as if it makes no difference if they batter a law-enforcement officer," Lake County sheriff's spokeswoman Sgt. Christie Mysinger said. Her agency reported the greatest percentage increase in attacks -- with the number almost tripling from six in 2006 to 17 so far this year.
The most recent known attack occurred Tuesday, when authorities said George E. Lawson, 25, jumped an Orlando police officer who was trying to handcuff him on a disorderly intoxication charge in downtown Orlando. Lawson was tackled by four officers and shocked several times with a Taser before surrendering to police. The arresting officer -- whose name has not yet been released -- was transported to Orlando Regional Medical Center with minor head injuries.
Just a few days earlier, Orlando Officer Shane Overfield responded to a domestic-violence call in Pine Hills. Alinton H. John -- a 6-foot-3-inch, 210-pound armed man -- punched Overfield several times in the face with both fists before another officer deployed his Taser to subdue the suspect, according to the agency's charging affidavit.
One of the most violent attacks happened in May. Two Orange County deputies were shot and wounded by suspected car burglars in the parking lot of the Caribe Royale Resort on World Center Drive while educators, law-enforcement officials and social workers gathered at the hotel for a national conference on crime.
"We get punched, kicked, spit on," Leesburg's Hicks said. "We get attacked with weapons. Anything violators can get their hands on. We're getting run over. We're getting shot."
Still, a few area police agencies have fared better this year.
Police in Oviedo, Casselberry and Winter Springs report a combined 19 battered officers since the beginning of the year, compared with 27 in 2006.
The Volusia County Sheriff's Office had a decline in attacks. It reported 47 since Jan. 1. In 2006, 51 deputies had been attacked.
In Seminole County, 27 deputies have been battered so far this year. That's the same number reported to this point in 2006.
Seminole Lt. Dennis Lemma said it's difficult to pinpoint reasons for the rise. "The increase in attacks might be because law-enforcement officers are charging people more accurately or because there are more deputies on the street," Lemma said.
Orange County authorities agree that the fight against crime has put more deputies in jeopardy.
"We saw these figures start to go up when the Orlando Police Department and the Sheriff's Office began their initiative against violent crime," division Chief Steve Jones of the Orange County Sheriff's Office said. "It's been an overall attack on crime. We've thrown more deputies into violent-crime areas, which has caused arrests to go up, but deputies are also more exposed."
Jones, an almost 30-year Sheriff's Office veteran, recalls being kicked in the face in 1981 responding to a call on Curry Ford Road and Conway Drive.
"I got six stitches on my eyebrow," Jones said. "The guy just got probation and no jail time."
Spokesman Randy Means of the Orange-Osceola State Attorney's Office says the numbers may not paint an accurate picture.
"I'd say 99 percent of the charges are legitimate battery against an officer, but sometimes they fail to meet the criteria," Means said. But he said he is surprised that the number of battered officers reported in the area isn't higher. He fears the number will continue to increase.
"Law-enforcement agencies are putting more police on the street because of the gigantic increase in crime. The number [of battered officers] will probably be higher next year," Means said. "Unfortunately, part of the process of being a police officer is that you risk getting battered."
Still, Orange County's Jones said, things could be worse.
"In the old days, we trained officers on 'verbal judo.' In other words, how to talk the criminal down from a possible attack on the officer," Jones said. "Now, having more than one deputy respond to a violent crime and carrying Tasers has helped cut down on injuries, not only to civilians, but also to our own deputies."
Katie Fretland, Kristen Reed and Rene Stutzman of the Sentinel staff contributed to this report. Walter Pacheco can be reached at 407-420-6262 or wpacheco@orlandosentinel.com.
OrlandoSentinel.com
Violent attacks against Orlando-area cops soaring this year
Violent attacks on cops are on the rise this year, and officials don't know why.
Walter Pacheco
Sentinel Staff Writer
(published) August 29, 2007
More police officers are being kicked, punched and beaten across Central Florida this year, and local and state law-enforcement officials expect the numbers to keep rising.
Opinions differ on the reasons -- an increasing crime rate, a focus on thwarting violent criminals and even just having more law officers on the street. But officers and deputies agree on one thing: They're frustrated with the trend.
"A lot of people think that in our line of work getting beat up or attacked is part of our job," Leesburg police Lt. Rob Hicks said. "It is not. It should never be tolerated."
Orlando Police Department records show that criminals have battered 239 police officers since Jan. 1 -- a 22 percent increase from the same period last year, when OPD reported 196 battered officers, spokesman Officer Jim Young said.
According to the Orange-Osceola State Attorney's Office, 400 deputies have been attacked in Orange County this year -- up 8 percent from the same period last year. Osceola has had a 43 percent jump from last year, with 80 deputies being battered so far.
"It feels like they [criminals] have a lack of respect for the criminal-justice system, as if it makes no difference if they batter a law-enforcement officer," Lake County sheriff's spokeswoman Sgt. Christie Mysinger said. Her agency reported the greatest percentage increase in attacks -- with the number almost tripling from six in 2006 to 17 so far this year.
The most recent known attack occurred Tuesday, when authorities said George E. Lawson, 25, jumped an Orlando police officer who was trying to handcuff him on a disorderly intoxication charge in downtown Orlando. Lawson was tackled by four officers and shocked several times with a Taser before surrendering to police. The arresting officer -- whose name has not yet been released -- was transported to Orlando Regional Medical Center with minor head injuries.
Just a few days earlier, Orlando Officer Shane Overfield responded to a domestic-violence call in Pine Hills. Alinton H. John -- a 6-foot-3-inch, 210-pound armed man -- punched Overfield several times in the face with both fists before another officer deployed his Taser to subdue the suspect, according to the agency's charging affidavit.
One of the most violent attacks happened in May. Two Orange County deputies were shot and wounded by suspected car burglars in the parking lot of the Caribe Royale Resort on World Center Drive while educators, law-enforcement officials and social workers gathered at the hotel for a national conference on crime.
"We get punched, kicked, spit on," Leesburg's Hicks said. "We get attacked with weapons. Anything violators can get their hands on. We're getting run over. We're getting shot."
Still, a few area police agencies have fared better this year.
Police in Oviedo, Casselberry and Winter Springs report a combined 19 battered officers since the beginning of the year, compared with 27 in 2006.
The Volusia County Sheriff's Office had a decline in attacks. It reported 47 since Jan. 1. In 2006, 51 deputies had been attacked.
In Seminole County, 27 deputies have been battered so far this year. That's the same number reported to this point in 2006.
Seminole Lt. Dennis Lemma said it's difficult to pinpoint reasons for the rise. "The increase in attacks might be because law-enforcement officers are charging people more accurately or because there are more deputies on the street," Lemma said.
Orange County authorities agree that the fight against crime has put more deputies in jeopardy.
"We saw these figures start to go up when the Orlando Police Department and the Sheriff's Office began their initiative against violent crime," division Chief Steve Jones of the Orange County Sheriff's Office said. "It's been an overall attack on crime. We've thrown more deputies into violent-crime areas, which has caused arrests to go up, but deputies are also more exposed."
Jones, an almost 30-year Sheriff's Office veteran, recalls being kicked in the face in 1981 responding to a call on Curry Ford Road and Conway Drive.
"I got six stitches on my eyebrow," Jones said. "The guy just got probation and no jail time."
Spokesman Randy Means of the Orange-Osceola State Attorney's Office says the numbers may not paint an accurate picture.
"I'd say 99 percent of the charges are legitimate battery against an officer, but sometimes they fail to meet the criteria," Means said. But he said he is surprised that the number of battered officers reported in the area isn't higher. He fears the number will continue to increase.
"Law-enforcement agencies are putting more police on the street because of the gigantic increase in crime. The number [of battered officers] will probably be higher next year," Means said. "Unfortunately, part of the process of being a police officer is that you risk getting battered."
Still, Orange County's Jones said, things could be worse.
"In the old days, we trained officers on 'verbal judo.' In other words, how to talk the criminal down from a possible attack on the officer," Jones said. "Now, having more than one deputy respond to a violent crime and carrying Tasers has helped cut down on injuries, not only to civilians, but also to our own deputies."
Katie Fretland, Kristen Reed and Rene Stutzman of the Sentinel staff contributed to this report. Walter Pacheco can be reached at 407-420-6262 or wpacheco@orlandosentinel.com.
Saturday, August 18, 2007
Weekly publishes letter
Orlando Weekly published the letter by Orlando CopWatch member Ben Markeson in its Aug. 16 issue. The material in brackets was not published by the Weekly.
How interesting that Orlando Police Department Lt. William H. Wood, in his response to comments made by George Crossley in Orlando Weekly's article on Orlando CopWatch, expended so much effort correcting Mr. Crossley's apparent mistake about the number of sworn officers employed by the department. It seems that Lt. Wood wants to deflect attention away from the broader implications of CopWatch; namely, that a significant number of local citizens don't trust many of the police and sheriff's deputies who are supposed to protect them to do their jobs in a professional and unbiased manner, and to use force, whether lethal or non-lethal, as a last resort.
[Partly out of desperation and partly out of self-empowerment,] those citizens are taking to the streets legally and peacefully to monitor the local constabulary. They
believe the police should be accountable to those who pay their salaries and who can
suffer [and even die] when they act improperly.
It's irrelevant whether on any given night, all 1,100 or 700 or however many sworn OPD officers, or however many Orange County Sheriff's Deputies, know that Orlando CopWatch is on the streets. What matters is that they are aware that Orlando CopWatch
may be out there, and they, by their own accounts, are adjusting their behavior accordingly, to the mutual benefit of the public and their careers.
If Lt. Wood has "yet to see even a hint of systemic or organizational corruption or brutality" in the OPD or other local law enforcement agencies, perhaps he's willfully overlooking problems or simply can't understand what it's like to be on the powerless side of an encounter with law enforcement, particularly if you live in a poor community of color. Orlando CopWatch continues to receive a steady trickle of complaints from citizens residing in certain areas about harassment, racial profiling and excessive force, and patrols those areas so that citizens there may begin to feel a small measure of peace and safety.
[As for OPD's Internal Affairs Unit, the fact that OPD officers are not "enamored by" it (as Lt. Wood so quaintly put it) is irrelevant to the issues at hand. The basic premise of an IA unit, that the police can and should be trusted to police their own ranks and to mete out sanctions to errant officers when appropriate, is dubious at best. However, what little credibility that idea may have is totally undermined by OPD's failure to effectively publicize its IA unit so that citizens may avail themselves of it.
For the record, participants in Orlando CopWatch are not Mr. Crossley's or anyone else's "minions." What a demeaning and insulting characterization. Lt. Wood just doesn't get it. CopWatch exists not because some "leader" is somehow manipulating people into supporting it (an imaginative although grossly inaccurate implication), but because of large festering problems with how local law enforcement interacts with citizens and communities.
CopWatch activists are concerned citizens from all walks of life who through CopWatch attempt to make democracy a meaningful concept. By that we mean citizens being able to control their own lives and their own communities. This includes demanding accountability of government agencies that are supposed to serve the people rather than instilling fear and contempt in them while demanding servitude and blind obedience.
Also, for the record, Mr. Crossley, while a welcome and active participant in Orlando CopWatch, is not its leader. Nor is Orlando CopWatch a creature of the Central Florida ACLU or any other organization. It is a wholly independent, non-hierarchical group that arose from the community and its members collectively make decisions about how it operates.]
Ben Markeson,
participant,
Orlando CopWatch
How interesting that Orlando Police Department Lt. William H. Wood, in his response to comments made by George Crossley in Orlando Weekly's article on Orlando CopWatch, expended so much effort correcting Mr. Crossley's apparent mistake about the number of sworn officers employed by the department. It seems that Lt. Wood wants to deflect attention away from the broader implications of CopWatch; namely, that a significant number of local citizens don't trust many of the police and sheriff's deputies who are supposed to protect them to do their jobs in a professional and unbiased manner, and to use force, whether lethal or non-lethal, as a last resort.
[Partly out of desperation and partly out of self-empowerment,] those citizens are taking to the streets legally and peacefully to monitor the local constabulary. They
believe the police should be accountable to those who pay their salaries and who can
suffer [and even die] when they act improperly.
It's irrelevant whether on any given night, all 1,100 or 700 or however many sworn OPD officers, or however many Orange County Sheriff's Deputies, know that Orlando CopWatch is on the streets. What matters is that they are aware that Orlando CopWatch
may be out there, and they, by their own accounts, are adjusting their behavior accordingly, to the mutual benefit of the public and their careers.
If Lt. Wood has "yet to see even a hint of systemic or organizational corruption or brutality" in the OPD or other local law enforcement agencies, perhaps he's willfully overlooking problems or simply can't understand what it's like to be on the powerless side of an encounter with law enforcement, particularly if you live in a poor community of color. Orlando CopWatch continues to receive a steady trickle of complaints from citizens residing in certain areas about harassment, racial profiling and excessive force, and patrols those areas so that citizens there may begin to feel a small measure of peace and safety.
[As for OPD's Internal Affairs Unit, the fact that OPD officers are not "enamored by" it (as Lt. Wood so quaintly put it) is irrelevant to the issues at hand. The basic premise of an IA unit, that the police can and should be trusted to police their own ranks and to mete out sanctions to errant officers when appropriate, is dubious at best. However, what little credibility that idea may have is totally undermined by OPD's failure to effectively publicize its IA unit so that citizens may avail themselves of it.
For the record, participants in Orlando CopWatch are not Mr. Crossley's or anyone else's "minions." What a demeaning and insulting characterization. Lt. Wood just doesn't get it. CopWatch exists not because some "leader" is somehow manipulating people into supporting it (an imaginative although grossly inaccurate implication), but because of large festering problems with how local law enforcement interacts with citizens and communities.
CopWatch activists are concerned citizens from all walks of life who through CopWatch attempt to make democracy a meaningful concept. By that we mean citizens being able to control their own lives and their own communities. This includes demanding accountability of government agencies that are supposed to serve the people rather than instilling fear and contempt in them while demanding servitude and blind obedience.
Also, for the record, Mr. Crossley, while a welcome and active participant in Orlando CopWatch, is not its leader. Nor is Orlando CopWatch a creature of the Central Florida ACLU or any other organization. It is a wholly independent, non-hierarchical group that arose from the community and its members collectively make decisions about how it operates.]
Ben Markeson,
participant,
Orlando CopWatch
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