The Shooting Gallery: Police Violence MEGATHREAD

Started by Syt, August 11, 2014, 04:09:04 AM

Previous topic - Next topic

Syt

Quote from: DontSayBanana on December 03, 2014, 04:53:15 PM
Quote from: CountDeMoney on December 03, 2014, 03:47:36 PM
Quote"I became a police officer to help people and to protect those who can't protect themselves," Officer Pantaleo said. "It is never my intention to harm anyone and I feel very bad about the death of Mr. Garner. My family and I include him and his family in our prayers and I hope that they will accept my personal condolences for their loss."

It was a chokehold.  A move so dangerous it's banned by pretty much every law enforcement agency across the country.  Either he's full of it or too stupid to wear the badge.

http://edition.cnn.com/2014/12/03/justice/new-york-grand-jury-chokehold/

QuotePatrolmen's Benevolent Association President Patrick Lynch said, "there are no winners" from the grand jury decision.

"It is clear that the officer's intention was to do nothing more than take Mr. Garner into custody as instructed and that he used the take-down technique that he learned in the academy when Mr. Garner refused," Lynch said. "No police officer starts a shift intending to take another human being's life and we are all saddened by this tragedy."
I am, somehow, less interested in the weight and convolutions of Einstein's brain than in the near certainty that people of equal talent have lived and died in cotton fields and sweatshops.
—Stephen Jay Gould

Proud owner of 42 Zoupa Points.

Syt

http://www.cleveland.com/metro/index.ssf/2014/12/cleveland_police_officer_who_s.html

QuoteCleveland officer who shot Tamir Rice had 'dismal' handgun performance for Independence police

LAND, Ohio — The Cleveland police officer who shot and killed 12-year-old Tamir Rice had issues with handling guns during his brief tenure with a suburban police department.

A Nov. 29, 2012 letter contained in Tim Loehmann's personnel file from the Independence Police Department says that during firearms qualification training he was "distracted" and "weepy."

"He could not follow simple directions, could not communicate clear thoughts nor recollections, and his handgun performance was dismal," according to the letter written by Deputy Chief Jim Polak of the Independence police.

The letter recommended that the department part ways with Loehmann, who went on to become a police officer with the Cleveland Division of Police.

"I do not believe time, nor training, will be able to change or correct the deficiencies," Polak said.


Cleveland police said on Wednesday that they never reviewed the Independence file and changed their policies to include checking publicly available records for potential hires. 

Loehmann is currently under investigation by the Cleveland police department's use of deadly force investigation team, made up of homicide detectives, several internal units and city and Cuyahoga County prosecutors in the Nov. 22 shooting outside the Cudell Recreation Center.

Loehmann shot Tamir less than two seconds after he arrived to investigate a complaint about Tamir carrying what turned out to be a fake gun.

Independence released Loehmann's personnel file Wednesday, the day after Cleveland police released files for him and his partner during the shooting.

In an interview with the Northeast Ohio Media Group, Loehmann's father said that his son left Independence to pursue a job with Cleveland police because he wanted "more action."

It is unclear if Cleveland officials saw the Independence files before Loehmann was hired in Cleveland. A message left for Cleveland police spokesman Sgt. Ali Pillow was not immediately returned.

Loehmann's Cleveland personnel file shows someone marked a letter from Loehmann in which he wrote that he resigned from Independence one day after graduating from the Cleveland Heights Police Academy.

Someone also jotted down the name and phone number for Polak and Independence Police Chief Michael Kilbane. The file does not say if Cleveland officials contacted Independence.

Loehmann was allowed to resign from the Independence police. He tendered his resignation Dec. 4, 2012 after six months with the department. He was hired in March of this year by Cleveland police.

The Independence report details a host of issues with Loehmann's performance as an officer during his short stint with the department.

Loehmann's troubles began in 2012 while he attended the Cleveland Heights Police Academy. An issue with an on-again, off-again girlfriend caused Loehmann distress and, in one case, he fell asleep during training, according to a written report from Independence Police Sgt. Greg Tinnirello.

Loehmann told Tinnirello that he cried often about his personal issue during training and Loehmann's mother told Tinnierello that her son's study papers "would be soaked in tears nightly for three months."

On Nov. 26, 2012, Loehmann was ordered to stay in the Independence police dispatch center. Loehmann left without authorization and lied to Tinnierello that the dispatchers told him he could leave, the letter says.

Loehmann eventually admitted to lying.

The problems at Independence erupted on Nov. 28, 2012, the records say. Loehmann showed up "sleepy and upset" for a 6 a.m. state gun qualification session.

Tinnierello wrote that Loehmann "was distracted and was not following simple instructions" at the shooting range.

At one point, he went to the back of the range to reload his magazine and could not return to the line where he was supposed to shoot from, Tinnierello wrote. Loehmann appeared to be crying and was emotionally upset so Tinnierello said they would stop the exercise for the day.

Tinnierello and Loehmann talked about Loehmann's personal problems as they made the 40-minute drive to Atwells Police Supply to pick up a bulletproof vest for Loehmann.

Loehmann told Tinnierello that he "was unclear where his future was headed" and thought about quitting when Tinnierello told him he would continue training until Independence police thought he could handle the job.

"Loehmann stated 'that just makes me want to quit,'" Tinnierello replied, according to Tinnierello.

Tinnierello reported the information to Polak. The two decided to send Loehmann home for the day and call his parents because they were concerned for his well-being. The three met the next day.

Loehmann told his supervisors that he spoke with two friends, a priest and a Cleveland police officer about how to deal with personal stress at work. Loehmann expressed his frustration about for a small police department in Independence instead of living in New York where he could be close to friends.

He told Polak that he wanted to work at the New York Police Department where his father worked for 20 years.

Polak concluded his report by saying that Loehmann lacked the maturity to understand the severity of his breakdown on the shooting range.

"Unfortunately in law enforcement there are times when instructions need to be followed to the letter and I am under the impression that Ptl. Loehmann, under certain circumstances, will not react in the way instructed," Polak wrote.
I am, somehow, less interested in the weight and convolutions of Einstein's brain than in the near certainty that people of equal talent have lived and died in cotton fields and sweatshops.
—Stephen Jay Gould

Proud owner of 42 Zoupa Points.

jimmy olsen

The fact that jury didn't indict the choker caught on camera is a bit of a hit to the movement to outfit every cop with camera.
It is far better for the truth to tear my flesh to pieces, then for my soul to wander through darkness in eternal damnation.

Jet: So what kind of woman is she? What's Julia like?
Faye: Ordinary. The kind of beautiful, dangerous ordinary that you just can't leave alone.
Jet: I see.
Faye: Like an angel from the underworld. Or a devil from Paradise.
--------------------------------------------
1 Karma Chameleon point

DGuller

#1233
Quote from: jimmy olsen on December 04, 2014, 08:03:40 AM
The fact that jury didn't indict the choker caught on camera is a bit of a hit to the movement to outfit every cop with camera.
Still better than nothing.  The sad truth is that without any video evidence, the cop will practically never ever be indicted for a killing.  The other cops on the scene will perjure themselves, the cops arriving to the scene to investigate will not be assholes, and the district attorney will fail to get an indictment in an archaic institution that is rigged to always give them an indictment.  I bet that most of those involved in the miscarriage of justice will feel like they're just bending the rules a little to do the right thing.

With the body camera footage present, there is at least a chance that they will be made public, and that may make it very hard to engage in the standard conspiracy to clear bad cops.

derspiess

It would have helped clarify the Michael Brown shooting much earlier.
"If you can play a guitar and harmonica at the same time, like Bob Dylan or Neil Young, you're a genius. But make that extra bit of effort and strap some cymbals to your knees, suddenly people want to get the hell away from you."  --Rich Hall

derspiess

"If you can play a guitar and harmonica at the same time, like Bob Dylan or Neil Young, you're a genius. But make that extra bit of effort and strap some cymbals to your knees, suddenly people want to get the hell away from you."  --Rich Hall

garbon

Quote from: derspiess on December 04, 2014, 10:40:09 AM
No justice, no tree?  :rolleyes:

http://nypost.com/2014/12/03/protests-against-nypd-chokehold-decision-begin/

Well it was a flashy, easily available target.  It is also why they were near my office last night when I was leaving.
"I've never been quite sure what the point of a eunuch is, if truth be told. It seems to me they're only men with the useful bits cut off."
I drank because I wanted to drown my sorrows, but now the damned things have learned to swim.

KRonn

Quote from: DGuller on December 04, 2014, 10:17:01 AM
Quote from: jimmy olsen on December 04, 2014, 08:03:40 AM
The fact that jury didn't indict the choker caught on camera is a bit of a hit to the movement to outfit every cop with camera.
Still better than nothing.  The sad truth is that without any video evidence, the cop will practically never ever be indicted for a killing.  The other cops on the scene will perjure themselves, the cops arriving to the scene to investigate will not be assholes, and the district attorney will fail to get an indictment in an archaic institution that is rigged to always give them an indictment.  I bet that most of those involved in the miscarriage of justice will feel like they're just bending the rules a little to do the right thing.

With the body camera footage present, there is at least a chance that they will be made public, and that may make it very hard to engage in the standard conspiracy to clear bad cops.

I thought there was video of this incident, with the guy saying he can't breathe? This case surprises me that at least some indictment of negligence or something wasn't made, but then we don't have all the evidence and just what the media reports.


Martinus

So, are US blacks more violent than US whites; or do media fail to report on whites being killed by cops; or are cops racist murderers? Which one is it?

derspiess

White cops killing blacks makes for big news.  It feeds the narrative of whites oppressing blacks.  And in fairness it is a lot rarer than blacks killing blacks.

As to the actual statistics, there does not seem to be a consensus: http://www.cnn.com/2014/12/02/politics/kristoff-oreilly-police-shooting-numbers-fact-check/
"If you can play a guitar and harmonica at the same time, like Bob Dylan or Neil Young, you're a genius. But make that extra bit of effort and strap some cymbals to your knees, suddenly people want to get the hell away from you."  --Rich Hall

Syt

I am, somehow, less interested in the weight and convolutions of Einstein's brain than in the near certainty that people of equal talent have lived and died in cotton fields and sweatshops.
—Stephen Jay Gould

Proud owner of 42 Zoupa Points.

Habbaku

The medievals were only too right in taking nolo episcopari as the best reason a man could give to others for making him a bishop. Give me a king whose chief interest in life is stamps, railways, or race-horses; and who has the power to sack his Vizier (or whatever you care to call him) if he does not like the cut of his trousers.

Government is an abstract noun meaning the art and process of governing and it should be an offence to write it with a capital G or so as to refer to people.

-J. R. R. Tolkien

Razgovory

I've given it serious thought. I must scorn the ways of my family, and seek a Japanese woman to yield me my progeny. He shall live in the lands of the east, and be well tutored in his sacred trust to weave the best traditions of Japan and the Sacred South together, until such time as he (or, indeed his house, which will periodically require infusion of both Southern and Japanese bloodlines of note) can deliver to the South it's independence, either in this world or in space.  -Lettow April of 2011

Raz is right. -MadImmortalMan March of 2017

Admiral Yi

Interesting factoid from The Economist: at the last local election, only 1/8 of Ferguson eligible voters cast a ballot.

DGuller

Quote from: Admiral Yi on December 04, 2014, 04:18:43 PM
Interesting factoid from The Economist: at the last local election, only 1/8 of Ferguson eligible voters cast a ballot.
I think "local election" is the keyword.  Since when did they have a high turnout?  How does this compare to other places?