This comes from Stop The Drug War, where they report on 5 more deaths related to domestic drug law enforcement, including one police officer, in the final days of 2011.
Bring out the body bags
At Year’s End, Five More US Drug War Deaths
Five people, including a Florida police officer, have died in recent days in incidents related to domestic drug law enforcement. They become the 49th through 54th persons to die in US domestic drug law enforcement operations so far this year. Of those 54, three were law enforcement officers.
In North Charleston, South Carolina Wayne Mitchell, 20, died on November 30 after eating an ounce of cocaine while he and his brother, Deangelo, 23, were detained in the back seat of a police car after they were pulled over by police. According to local media citing police sources, police car video showed the brothers discussing their situation, and Deangelo was seen removing cocaine from his pants and giving it to his brother. Deangelo, who has a record of previous cocaine arrests is heard saying he can’t afford another strike and “one of us gotta do it.” Wayne Mitchell swallowed the cocaine and later died at a hospital. It was only three weeks later, after toxicology tests came back, that police announced the death and said they planned to charge Deangelo Mitchell with manslaughter.
In Lakeland, Florida, Lakeland police Officer Arnulfo Crispin was shot in the head on the night of December 18 as he attempted to frisk five men for guns and drugs in a local park. He died of his wounds three days later. According to police, Crispin radioed in that he was getting out of his patrol car to talk with “suspicious subjects.” Two of the men present told police Crispin asked the men for their consent for a “pat-down” search for weapons and/or illegal drugs, and as he was searching them, Kyle Williams, 19, pulled a weapon and shot him. At that point, everyone fled the park, leaving Crispin lying on the ground. Another Lakeland police officer sent as back-up arrived on the scene minutes later to find Crispin had been shot. Williams has been arrested and is facing murder charges.
In St. Louis, Anthony Lamar Smith, 24, was shot and killed by a St. Louis police officer on December 20. According to police, officers on routine patrol saw a transaction they suspected was a drug deal take place outside a chicken restaurant. As officers approached, one man ran off on foot, while Smith jumped into a car and fled. Police said he drove the vehicle toward them, so one officer fired a shot, but didn’t hit Smith. Police chased Smith’s car until it spun out, and a police car hit Smith’s car, causing the air bag to deploy and blocking the cops’ view of the driver. Smith refused demands to get out of the car, and when one of the officers tried to move the air bag to get a view of Smith, he saw him reach under his seat and fired shots, killing him. Police said they searched the vehicle and found a gun and suspected narcotics. A police investigation of the incident is under way.
In Houma, Louisiana, Wayne Michael Williams, 27, died December 21 after being tasered by police as he tried to swallow plastic bags of suspected cocaine, heroin, and marijuana. According to local media citing police sources, Williams was stopped by narcotics agents after they saw him exchange an object with another man. Police said he tried to swallow something and drive away as agents approached. They tasered and handcuffed him before noticing he wasn’t breathing. Medical workers pulled a bag of suspected cocaine out of his throat in the ambulance and another containing suspected heroin and marijuana was removed at the hospital.
Williams’ death drew sharp criticism from his relatives and residents of the trailer park where he was stopped, who have accused the Terrebonne Narcotics Task Force of heavy-handed tactics and harassing the community. But Terrebonne Sheriff Vernon Bourgeois said his office has completed an internal review and cleared all the officers to return to duty.
In Camden, New Jersey, Eddie Velazquez, 29, was shot and killed by a state trooper December 23 behind a liquor store in what police called “a high crime area.” According to police, troopers were in the area to investigate suspected drug activity. When one trooper approached the SUV Velazquez was sitting in, he accelerated in reverse, striking an dragging the trooper. He then pulled forward and struggled with the trooper, who then shot him. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Police said he was carrying a loaded .45 caliber handgun in the pocket of his sweatshirt, but they did not say he had shot it or brandished it.
State troopers are patrolling Camden under orders from New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R), who deployed them there earlier this month in response to a rash of deadly violence. Christie said at the time the troopers would provide “a visible surge” in uniformed officers on Camden’s streets.
In Lakeland, Florida, Lakeland police Officer Arnulfo Crispin was shot in the head on the night of December 18 as he attempted to frisk five men for guns and drugs in a local park.
He stopped to check 2 people in a park after park hours. What cops are supposed to do. And I’ve yet to find 1 article stating that the cop was frisking for drugs.. but what ever ya’ll can do to spin the story..
So far in 2012, 2 cops have been shot and killed, and it still isn’t January 2nd.
one of which was a good friend of mine
“So far in 2012, 2 cops have been shot and killed, and it still isn’t January 2nd.”
That should be telling you a little sumpin.
I’ll make it clear. Stop with the heavy-handed tactics and violence. You, the police in complicity with bureaucratic government have literally created US .vs. THEM.
It sounds like the criminals are the ones using heavy-handed tactics and violence rather than take responsibility for their crimes. The lakeland incident has nothing to do with drugs, it has to do with a punk kid carrying a gun that he didn’t want to get caught with.
“It sounds like the criminals are the ones using heavy-handed tactics and violence rather than take responsibility for their crimes. ”
Um, what? Dishonest criminals? The hell you say!
Right Cappy… cause we never had crime in this world until someone invented a police department. And once they created that police department someone else said…hmmm. I should become a criminal to give that cop a job.. and so on and on.. till today, where people shoot at police for little or no reason.
in 2011. 1300 cops were shot at, 320 hit, 67 killed, by gunfire.
Cappy….
Park Ranger Margaret Anderson was shot and killed while attempting to stop a fleeing suspect near the Longmire Ranger Station in Mount Rainier National Park, in Pierce County, Washington, at approximately 10:30 am.
Another park ranger had attempted to stop the suspect at a snow-chain checkpoint near the Paradise Ranger Station, but the suspect fled before being intercepted by Ranger Anderson, who had set up a roadblock. Unbeknownst to Ranger Anderson, the suspect was wanted in connection to a shooting the previous day where four people were wounded.
Read more: http://www.odmp.org/officer/21076-park-ranger-margaret-anderson#ixzz1iVOV5pvf
What does any of this have to do with heavy handed techniques… She was shot by a guy who attempted to kill 4 people earlier.
PSO, the point here that ya’ll are missing is that there will be more violent reactions against law enforcement if the actions of law enforcement are not toned down.
You can claim society is getting more anti-social towards law enforcement. That may be true, but look at the cause and effect. When you treat the people who pay your salary, who you are supposed to be serving as a criminal, then those same people are going to cast a pale eye upon you.
Furthermore, one of the actual few duties of government is to protect the rights of it’s citizens. This is far from the case nowadays. Government looks for end-arounds to those rights and law enforcement is more than willing to employ those end-arounds. This also breeds animosity towards law enforcement.
We can look at the progression of the police towards jack-booted thugs through the past few years.
Used to be police were called Constables or Peace Officers (those who kept the peace).
Then it became Cops or Police. Police by definition is to keep order, put in order, make clean (police call), supervise. Still there was a semblance of keeping the peace.
Shortly thereafter it became Law Enforcement Officers. By definition, you enforce the laws of the state. Protect and serve the populace gave way to protecting and serving the interests of the state.
Do you see the way your profession has gone? You’ve been taught it’s a war out there and the citizens are the enemy.
Lastly, in response to Ranger Anderson, she was not chasing a fleeing suspect. She was attempting to stop some guy who bypassed a checkpoint for snow chains. But you know, they made it sound like she was chasing a known fugitive and was some sort of hero.
What I find ironic, is one guy held off all these officers who are supposed to have superior training and they still didn’t get him, he succumbed to the elements.
But it’s still not even. Her life doesn’t even equal all the innocent lives that were lost at the hands (and weapons) of law enforcement. But those lives aren’t important to you.
Cappy…you sir are a fool
Good rebuttal, t.
I commend you on your well thought out and logical response.
/sarcasm/
@PSOSGT, the arrest affidavit in the Lakeland case states the cop was looking for drugs
@cappy… Those lives ARE important to me.. How many are there? Do you even know? Do you even care? I’m sure you, like many on here get a little hardon every time a cops screws up. Fact remains that as a whole, police do it right the vast majority of the time. That doesn’t get reported, what does make the highlight real is when they mess up. 1300 cops were shot at last year. Did u know that? over 300 where hit, and 67 killed by gunfire. In that same year, how many people did police kill that were found to be unjustified?
Saying that it’s OK for me to be killed because some cop in AZ killed someone 3 years ago that was found to be unjustified is about the dumbest thing I’ve heard today.
Cops seldomly use force, but if u were to take what the internet spits out, you’d think we fight with everyone we arrest.