Cop Block

A guest post in via SUBMIT A POST

I have been planning on writing on the reasons why I do not like or respect cops and today is the day. You have to understand that this is not a decision made overnight but one that has come with years of experience. You see I am in my mid 40′s and am old enough to have seen the progression of how these people think and work. I hold a degree in history and political science so I am educated in two areas where tyrants shine. You don’t have a good chance of making the history books unless you kill a lot of people and subjugate a whole bunch more. I am former military and fireman and once ran for political office so I am not a crack head mad that I got busted with a rock. With that out of the way let’s start the journey.

I was a kid in the 70′s and came of age in the 1980′s, I feel very lucky that I was born when I was because I enjoyed much more freedom than those born later. I remember when cops were just guys from the neighborhood and were your next door neighbor. I remember when seeing a police car gave me comfort and not dread. The bad part is that I have seen a better county start to fall and it is sad. So, I will just begin with my experiences with those who “protect and serve”.

I will kind of skim over the speeding tickets, you know, I have a gun and am going to steal your cash and I am going to be a dick while I do it, routine. I once had a cop pop a blood vessel because I didn’t change the address on my license, imagine if I had just robbed a liquor store, Christ calm down. How dare I not let my masters know where I live?

I have only been “in trouble” once in my life. It was 1989 and my girlfriend of the time and I were living together. Now she was a firecracker when she got mad and liked to confront very aggressively, so one summer day we got into a argument and she was being crazy, me, still being naïve and stupid thought that I would call the cops and she would calm down so we could get past it, dumb move. The cop was a douche of course and arrested me for what state law called having a penis, you see I went to jail not because she was pressing charges or evidence of wrong doing but because the state says if that call gets placed and you’re the one with the penis you go to jail.

I spent the night in jail and the next day I was released, I was not to have contact with my girlfriend. Now when your girlfriend lives in your house it’s hard not to have contact, it’s my freak’in house! The day I was released was July 5th that just so happened to be a record heat wave that day and I had to walk home which was many miles from that jail. So, with one phone call I had now put myself in jail and made myself homeless and had no car or ride. I had heat stroke day and almost died, I had to stop at a stranger’s house and ask for help. Lesson learned, never call the cops.

At a later time I was pulled up on by a police car while I walked down the street with my girlfriend, what was my crime? I looked like someone they were looking for, no dumb asses, if I was running from the police I wouldn’t be openly walking down the street, they didn’t apologize and they left.

Later I joined the military and the stories I could tell would blow your mind but that is for another time, although I do consider the military as doing time, because you really are no more than a prisoner just hoping you live long enough to get out.

The next experience I had was when my stereo was stolen from my car and I called the police because that is what you are suppose to do, the cop that showed up was not interested and seemed bothered to have to deal with something he didn’t care about, I never saw my stereo or that cop again.

Not long after the stereo fiasco there were three plain clothes cops at the door, I opened the door to a plethora of threats. I mean this detective was a class A asshole. It turns out that my neighbor was writing bad checks and since I lived next door I must be a terrorist, no apology.

Next was another stolen stereo, the cop didn’t even bother to get out of his cruiser, and the next week they stole the whole truck. The cop still didn’t get out. I have no idea if they ever caught who did it, but they did find my truck on blocks some time later, gee thanks. I could have found a truck on blocks. They then towed my stolen truck to the impound yard where the state then charged me a fee to get my own stolen truck back, screwed again. You can’t make this stuff up.

Then there was the one that really broke the camel’s back, a few years ago my nephew finds out that his wife is sleeping around, and, say it with me, yep, a cop. The cop was fully aware that she was married but what does he care he’s a cop.

Now I could write forever and you would get bored after a while so I will wrap up, but if you are keeping score, in all my years there has never been a time that I have said, man, I am glad that cop helped me, because it has never happened. I have been more screwed from the state and cops many times more than any criminal has ever hurt me. They are a gang no different than any other. Oh, and I forgot to mention this, the guy that you would go to if you wanted some weed is now a member of SWAT, how do you like that.

You can’t make this stuff up

Mike

This post was sent to us via CopBlock.org’s Submit Tab.

This month marks the anniversary of the day my home was attacked in military fashion by my local police, who after breaking down my door and running through my home with automatic rifles while screaming, handcuffed me and took me away to jail while my young granddaughter and daughter watched. Luckily we didn’t have a pet dog or it would have most assuredly been shot. Most know my story but in summary, this dramatic assault occurred for one reason only; I had ordered less than a months worth of some meds online so that I could live, which in theory could be gotten from any doctor. I assure you, there is nothing more to the story as far as why they did what they did and what my “crime” was. It’s a matter of public record.

The attack happened on the 5th of November 2010. To tell you the truth, that day came and went this year without a thought.  Although I didn’t remember on the exact day it actually occurred, it is definitely an event that I will never forget. It was the day my reality was given a huge perspective shift and while not pleasant, it was certainly instructive and cause for growth. I’m a huge fan of growth.

I’ve had a pretty busy year, which included creating a web site full of resources on the topic at hand and also writing and publishing a book. So, I thought in tribute to that life experience, I would list what I’ve learned this past year. Some things I knew about but had not experienced first hand until now.

THINGS I LEARNED THE PAST YEAR

1. If you can’t afford the astronomical cost for medical testing or treatment you indeed do not get tested or treated. The medical system is about profit only.
2. Millions who suffer severe chronic pain do not get relief because of the prohibition/drug war.
3. American prisons are the fullest in the world because of the prohibition/drug war.
4. The wide spread abuse that goes on in our prisons make GITMO seem like summer camp.
5. Constitutional and civil rights are ignored frequently because of the prohibition/drug war.
6. The wide spread corruption seen in law enforcement is because of the prohibition/drug war.
7. Over 150 military SWAT raids a day (over 70,000 a year) happen on nonviolent citizens because of the prohibition/drug war.
8. A great deal of our crime and violence is because of the prohibition/drug war.
9. Asset forfeiture is used and abused constantly because of the prohibition/drug war.
10. Police corruption is at an all time high because of the prohibition/drug war.
11. The reason we have prohibition and the drug war? Corporation profit and mass funding for those who fight it.

It was a very educational year for me, though what was learned was not pleasant. In fact, its downright scary. There are many things in our society that cause a good deal of damage but the War on Drugs seems to trump them all. And the reasons it continues, despite facts and proof of its damage, are the most disturbing of all.

Thousands of law enforcement officers, ex-narcotics agents, judges, lawyers, prison workers etc. speak out constantly and with great integrity against prohibition and the War on Drugs, having seen the damage it is doing and the lives being lost because of it. They know it does not work. They know the huge cost of its failure. They’ve seen men, women and children killed because of it. They’ve lost fellow officers because of it. They’ve seen families torn apart and destroyed because of it. They’ve seen the system so overburdened that they are not able to focus the real crimes because of it.

“Jailing people because they put certain chemicals into their bloodstream is a gross misuse of police and criminal law. Jailing drug users does not lessen drug use, and incarceration usually destroys the person’s life and does immense harm to that person’s family and neighborhood.” ~Joseph D. McNamara, Former Police Chief, 35 years in law enforcement.

There does seem to be a glimmer of hope as more and more American’s are realizing that things are not as they seem and what they have been told is not always the truth. If only social change were not such a slow process. But 40 plus years of lies are hard to undo. Again, I’m a huge fan of constant learning and growth; so, here is to my year of eduction and here’s hoping my next year will bring more of the same. I only hope its of a less dramatic nature.

I am a 52 year old mother, wife of 34 years, voter, student, web designer and author. (Though my “right” to vote has now been stripped away)

Nancy Rector

Imagine a man threatened to burn your house down with your kids and disabled, elderly mother inside. You call 911, and attempt to continue to the store you were heading for. Less than 2 minutes after the threat, you are being viciously assaulted, kicked, punched, thrown to the ground, hair ripped from the scalp, by the man’s girlfriend, and her friend. Then, just when you finally think all will be well, the cops are there dealing with it, the officer comes over to talk to you, he opens his mouth, and says, “Ok, I’ve talked to my Corporal, and this is what she said we’re doing. You’re being charged with Battery. You’ll receive a notice in the mail to appear for arraignment.” Um, EXCUSE ME?!

Fact is, it happened. It happened to a disabled woman and her husband, Jason, and Geneva Robinson, on a ‘good’ day for her, one where she was walking, and not forced by pain into her wheelchair. The girlfriend mentioned above, Tina Jones, was quite aware of her disability, as she happened to be the assistant manager of the Dollar General store the couple was walking, to purchase food for their 5 young children. So how is it that a disabled woman can be brutalized in such a manner and the police choose to overlook the obvious facts? Quite frankly the answer is found in the officer’s statement, “…talked to my corporal…”.

Back in January, during a different incident, the woman was sexually assaulted (assault: any unwanted, unsolicited touch or strike) by an officer, Officer Procter, under the command of Corporal Melanie Law. When Mrs. Robinson requested of Corporal Law to file a report, and wanted to press charges on the Officer Procter for his actions, Corporal Law outright refused, and ignored Mrs. Robinson’s requests, finally telling her to just ‘file a complaint’ at the department, Panama City Police Department (Panama City, Florida), which she did. There was some harassment from the PCPD after the complaint was made, from bogus traffic stops to code enforcement (commonly called lawn nazi’s). The assault was the first time, however, that Corporal Law had run across Mrs. Robinson herself.

On the scene of the assault, while sitting holding her ribs, mouth bleeding, and clumps of hair in her hand, Mrs. Robinson, after being informed she was to be charged with Battery, repeatedly requested to file a report, as well as victim statements. Under the direction of Corporal Law, per his own statements, the officer refused, and ignored the requests, sending the Robinson’s to walk home.

SEE PICS OF THE EXTENSIVE BRUISING FROM THE ASSAULT

Currently, Mrs. Robinson has been speaking with Corporal Law’s Lieutenant, Lt. Clayton, and Officer McMillan, the ‘investigative officer’ on the case. At first, they tried to pander around and avoid answering questions. After speaking twice with the local prosecutor’s office, and being told to , “go to PCPD, and get in their faces until they let you file the victim statement”, 5 days after the attack, the Robinsons were finally allowed to file their statements. What hasn’t been answered satisfactorily, is why they were refused on the scene, and had to go to such extremes just to be allowed their basic right. At present, PCPD has still not allowed a report to be filed on the initial verbal threats, which were made by Mr. Jimmy F Bailey, the son, and worker, of his parents’ gas station, Bailey’s Gas Station, from which he was yelling the threats. In fact, during the most recent, and voice recorded, phone conversation with Officer McMillan, Mrs. Robinson was asked, “why haven’t you filed a report on the threats of his burning down your house?”. Point in fact, she made the initial 911 call due to those threats, the assault was a secondary issue that occurred after the 911 call was placed.

NOW AVAILABLE!!

Police Report with the Obvious Inconsistencies

911 Call Log Showing ROBINSON Number as the \’Initiating Call\’

MEDICAL DX FROM THE ASSAULT

Prior Report For BATTERY On Initial Attacker, Katherine Ashton

There remain many questions, and few good answers. It seems as though the longer it goes, the harder the questions PCPD has to answer to the Robinsons. This isn’t just a 3rd hand knowledge issue, either. I, the author, personally witnessed it. More than just witnessing, I am Geneva (Eva) Robinson. My hair was ripped out, I was repeatedly kicked, hit, scratched, and thrown to the ground by 2 women, Tina Jones, and Katherine Ashton. My husband and I were verbally assaulted by Ms. Jones’ boyfriend, Jimmy Bailey. Please, I invite you, look at the ‘witness’ statements (2 alleged witnesses were employees of Ms. Jones, the third was her own boyfriend, Mr. Bailey!), the ‘victim’ statements by Ms. Jones, and Ms. Ashton, and the intrepid Officer McMillan’s ‘Investigative Summary’. I will publish a list of various inconsistencies, though it’s hardly necessary, as even my own 10 yr old daughter can see them immediately. Form your opinion, and please, let me know what you think, and how you feel! I will post a separate post with a more detailed account of all that transpired, as well as an account of the initial incident involving Cpl. Law, and her sexual assaulting Officer Procter. I’m far from alone, this is epidemic everywhere. Let’s work together, and stop this from occurring!

To voice your opinion, and ask WHY this incident was handled in such a manner, please call PCPD at (850) 872-3112.

Molon Labe!

This post was sent to us via CopBlock.org’s Submit Tab.

This past summer I was arrested, in Marietta GA., for blowing a .01 BAC % into a breathalyzer at age 19; which is illegal in the State of GA.  I also received a fraudulent possession charge for less than a gram of marijuana; which will be reviewed in court. My friend Mario Sanchez admitted to the cops prior to arrest that it was his marijuana.  Records can be retrieved from the Cobb County Magistrate Court.

When I first arrived in jail, the sheriffs painfully ripped colorful yarn out of my hair.  Shortly after, I was stripped and asked to squat down while female sheriffs snicked behind my nude body. During this early stage of my experience I overheard the civil police and sheriffs taunting an Asian man’s name and dietary habits.  A Hispanic woman, who later learned she would be deported and separated from her child, was ridiculed for her ethnicity.  My Hispanic comrade, Mario, was inappropriately groped and ridiculed.  Meanwhile, the police who arrested me mocked my last name and continued to browse my cell phone, camera, and Ipod; all trivial matters.

I was placed in a female holding cell alone. Fraught with humiliation, I hysterically shredded the toilet paper given to me in the holding cell for the sheriffs to pick up.  A group of sheriffs flooded into my cell with body chains.  I was chained  around my waste and violently thrown into solitary confinement – “female observation”- where I accepted my fate and concentrated on meditating.  Occasionally I stood up to look out of the window.  A male sheriff sexually harassed me outside the window,  provocatively taunting me to show him my tongue.  I complained to a sheriff of the incident and was told I could go online and file a code violation “17.4”; an option that I later learned was not available to the public. In the meantime, I was barefoot and denied socks because, “I wasn’t in Macy’s”.

As is routine, I was taken from solitary confinement into the nurse’s office to undergo a Tuberculosis test injection. The room was unsterile and smelled of urine.  Without explaining the shot, the nurse asked me to hold out my arm.  Because I refuted her request, a police woman, Officer Jerked, ordered me to subdue my arm or I would be taken “upstairs where people shit on each other, shit on themselves, and will shit on you”.  In response, I kept my word and disgraced her barbaric occupation, Officer Jerked grasped my shirt collar and violently slung me back into solitary confinement.

Midway through the experience I was temporarily released from solitary confinement to contact my parents; after spending approximately 6 hours meditating alone between four white walls.  I could not reach them.  At this stage, I was having my fingerprints taken and was charged $1300 to bail myself out of jail.  The possibility of losing financial aid and getting transferred to the “population” of the detention center flooded my emotions.  I was allowed to sit with the rest of the new inmates and cynically watch FOX news, if I behaved.

My father contacted the detention facility and negotiated the bail with a sheriff I had complained to.  In the meantime, I overheard Officer Jerked and her fellow minions taunt my desire to report sexual harassment.  Nearly hysterical and humiliated by her jests, I told Jerked that I didn’t want to “see her, hear her, breathe the oxygen she was breathing, smell her, or taste her”.  She angrily charged me, scaring me further into my seat.  She tore me out of my shocked position and hoisted me into the concrete floor where I suffered a subluxation in the upper region of my spine.  Sobbing, I was thrown back into solitary confinement where I was given Fritos and red punch.

Several hours later, a sheriff entered my cell to inform me that I was being released without bail.

To cope with this experience, I want to voice this experience through the United States’ Media to inform the general public of the degree of corruption existing in America’s jails.  The Cobb County Adult Detention Center is the black heart of this town, slowly pulsating venomous blood throughout our streets.  Solitary Confinement has not yet been reviewed by the Supreme Court of its Constitutionality;  neither has sexual harassment, or unjustified physical abuse.  This injustice must come to a standstill.

In the words of Martin Luther King;  “An individual who breaks a law that conscience tells him is unjust, and who willingly accepts the penalty of imprisonment in order to arouse the conscience of the community over its injustice, is in reality expressing the highest respect for the law.”

I am currently gathering and organizing information to communicate this experience to Amnesty International in London, and I greatly appreciate any constructive feedback.

Amanda Constantinides

Last week a Tucson Cop Blocker was taking pictures of a courthouse when he was approached by a Federal security agent asking him to stop. He did a great job standing his ground stating he is on a public sidewalk and has every right to film and take photos of anything he pleases. Of course this angered the man with a badge so he called the local police.

While the officer did not have a problem with him filming he did have a problem with the photographer standing in one spot on the sidewalk while doing so. To abuse his authority and act like a ass he makes the Cop Blocker pace up and down the sidewalk to continue his photography or move across the street, further away from the structure he wanted to photo.

Cop Block Tucson was doing nothing more than taking pictures, he was not blocking the sidewalk, so why did they harass him other than he defied their authority. You often see protesters in Arizona in large groups holding signs, yelling and screaming on the sidewalk and police usually never bother them. Yet they are afraid peaceful man taking pictures and have nothing better to do than to confront him and become nasty if you don’t bow down to them.

Great job standing your ground!

.

Join the forum discussion on this post

This is a guest submitted post describing their experience with the Rumford police

First I want to start by saying that not all police officers who work for the Rumford PD in the past and present are bad. As a matter of fact, the RPD cannot keep good police officers because of the way they are treated. I honestly respect law enforcement and am fascinated with crime scene investigation but I do not respect those who abuse their power.

I USED to be on the Rumford Finance Committee. I started volunteering on the committee in 2007. We are a dying mill town with an overstaffed union police department. I did my usual research before budget season began and learned that we are significantly overstaffed compared to other towns in Maine with comparable populations. That particular year we had at least two police officers leave the force. After presenting my data to the other finance committee members, I implored them to take action now and cut two positions so that it would not negatively impact an actual person losing a job. Both the committee and the town voted to cut those two positions and we went from a full-time force of 14 to 12. According to the US Census Bureau, we had roughly 6500 people. According to the FBI Crime Index, we had very, very little violent crime reported by the RPD. I am telling you this background because this is how I became public enemy number one to the permanent fixtures who still work for the RPD. Please see attached chart.

I am a law abiding citizen. I am a Veteran. I am a dedicated citizen. In 2010, I called the RPD to help me deal with my husband, who had been diagnosed with combat PTSD. I didn’t want him arrested. I didn’t want anything except for them to help me get him to the hospital. He was having an especially hard time because of some custody issues with his ex-wife and things had reached a boiling point. A few months earlier, she called the RPD from Tennessee claiming that he was abusing me. He was not abusing me. They showed up and against my will arrested him for domestic violence on the word of a person who had a stake in the matter, maintaining full custody of the two boys. But when I called them for help getting him to the hospital, they gunned for me.

I was still on the Finance Committee and we were just about to start budget season. After calling the police, they showed up at my house and talked to everyone in the house but me. By the time they got to me, I was not asked what happened or why I called, I was instead told what I did and then served with a summons for furnishing a home for minors to consume, a felony. My husband bought beer that night which is why things escalated with his PTSD. Apparently one of the kids in the house snuck a beer during all the commotion. I obviously didn’t notice because I was dealing with a husband who was having a melt down. I was trying to keep him from drinking because it was only making matters worse. My husband bought the beer, I called for help, and I was the one who got served with a summons. All my faith in the RPD went down the drain with the remainder of the alcohol.

But wait, there’s more. Within the next couple of days, there was an article in the newspaper about me. The title was along the lines of Finance Committee member, blah, blah, blah. They used the situation for political gain. The once effective finance committee member was now deemed a domestic violence victim and a person who threw parties for underage kids. All of it was untrue but it didn’t matter. My reputation was tarnished along with that of my husband.

My husband’s case was dropped by the DA as well as mine. But of course that didn’t make the papers. And the charges were so bogus, we didn’t even need to hire an attorney. But, they were successful at discrediting me in front of my peers and the community. I fulfilled my obligations on the Finance Committee and left the position after budget season ended. I will never volunteer for the community again and I will never call the RPD again. But, I am planning on taking them to court to hold them accountable. They arrested my husband for domestic violence when I didn’t want them to and then they served me with a summons when I did call them for help. They didn’t know why I called them. What if I had called for domestic violence purposes? What kind of message does that send to other victims of domestic violence?

The funniest part about this whole thing is that now they are overcompensating for their inactions with me and with domestic violence victims. The new “old” Board of Selectmen voted to spend $600 to put signs on all the roads leading to Rumford that the RPD will not tolerate domestic violence. If I actually was a victim of domestic violence, it would infuriate me. But, since I am not, it makes me laugh. The RPD has a reputation for turning things on the person who calls 911. Now I know why. I would rather be killed by an intruder or my husband than call those idiot cops to help me in any way. I almost lost my career because of a felony. That is serious business.

The saddest part is that we pay high taxes for an overstaffed police force who isn’t there for us. They are there for themselves and will protect their jobs at all costs regardless of who gets hurt along the way. Our Governor was a victim of domestic violence so he is making it his priority while in office. Once again the RPD is using the pain of domestic violence victims for political gain. It’s not only sad but it’s pathetic and my story proves just that.

Jennifer Norris

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/28/nypd-officers-surrender-i_n_1063515.html?ir=Crime

An anonymous tip about a crooked cop grew during the past three years into a sweeping internal corruption probe on the under-the-table practice of fixing tickets, with dozens of wiretaps, 10,000 intercepted calls and an officer undercover as a barber in a sting, authorities said.

Thirteen New York Police Department officers, two sergeants and a lieutenant were slapped with criminal charges Friday, just three days after the embarrassing arrests of five officers in a separate gun-running probe.

Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said it was “difficult” to have to announce for the second time in a week that his officers had been arrested for misconduct.

“These misdeeds tarnish the good name and reputation of the vast majority of police officers who perform their duties honestly,” he said.

Kelly said the probe included 300 cases that are being handled internally. Bronx District Attorney Robert Johnson said he hoped the criminal charges send a message that corruption would not be tolerated. The city lost about $2 million in killed-off tickets, he said.

The majority of the arrested are officials with the Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association, arguably the most powerful law enforcement union in the nation, with 23,000 members. Union leaders say the practice of making a ticket disappear for a friend or family member was not only sanctioned, it was condoned at the highest levels of the nation’s biggest police department.

Union President Patrick Lynch vowed that when the dust settled, they’d prove it.

“Taking care of your family, taking care of your friends is not a crime,” he said. “To take a courtesy and turn it into a crime is wrong.”

Hundreds of union members went to support the officers, some in suits, others dressed in jeans and sweat shirts, clogging the street near the Bronx courthouse, filling the hallways and applauding in court after the officers left. Detective Steven McDonald, a city hero paralyzed decades ago, was in the courtroom in a wheelchair, with an American flag on this lap.

The officers pleaded not guilty to hundreds of charges including misconduct, grand larceny, records tampering and obstructing governmental administration. Among those charged was Jennara Cobb, an internal affairs bureau lieutenant who pleaded not guilty to charges she leaked information to union officials about the probe.

As a result of her meeting, word quickly spread and union delegates started to alter the way they fixed tickets, prosecutor Jonathan Ortiz said.

“The investigation was significantly compromised because of her actions,” he said.

Her attorney, Philip Karasyk, said she had been unfairly singled out.

“That wiretap was leaking like a sieve,” he said.

The case started with an anonymous tip in 2009 that a 40th Precinct officer, Jose Ramos, was selling drugs in his barbershop. An undercover officer hired as a barber monitored Ramos, who also was accused of shuttling drugs while in his police uniform.

“He sold his shield, he violated his oath,” Assistant District Attorney Omer Wiceyk said.

Ramos was recorded saying he “stopped caring about the law a long time ago,” the prosecutor said.

Ramos pleaded not guilty to drug and other charges. His attorney, John Sandleitner, said the charges were ridiculous.

“The DA’s office basically made a circus of this,” he said.

While officers were listening to Ramos on a wiretap, they caught calls from people seeing if Ramos could fix tickets for them, prosecutors said. The conversations led to more wiretaps that produced evidence of additional officers across the borough having similar conversations, they said.

There are generally three ways the citations are fixed: They are voided by a ranking official, a copy is ripped up before it reaches court or the officer doesn’t appear on the day of the summons.

Kelly said the case exposed departmental weaknesses that were swiftly addressed. The NYPD installed a new computer system that tracks tickets and makes it much more difficult to tamper with the paper trail. Kelly also created a new unit to sit in on traffic court testimony and comb through paperwork to ensure none of the methods is being wrongly employed.

He said the practice was wrong and can’t be glossed over as “courtesies” or as part of an acceptable culture.

“Members of the public don’t accept favoritism,” he said. “They resent it, as well they should.”

Earlier this week, federal prosecutors in Manhattan brought conspiracy and other charges against five current and three former officers, alleging they were part of a gun-running ring. In two other recent unrelated federal cases, one officer was charged with arresting a black man without cause and using a racial slur to describe the suspect and another was charged with using a law enforcement database to try to trump up charges against an innocent man.

Longtime police historian Thomas Reppetto said it’s “not the best time for the department.”

“Does it rise to the level of the great scandals that have occurred in the past? No,” he said. “Ticket fixing is not on the same level as drug dealing.”

Kelly said the cases could undermine morale, “But I look at the work done every day and it’s outstanding.”

The highest-ranking union members charged in the probe were Joseph Anthony, Michael Hernandez and Brian McGuckin.

The other officers were union representatives, and all were stationed in Bronx precincts: Virgilio Bencosme, Luis R. Rodriguez, Jaime Payan, Eugene P. O’Reilly, Christopher Manzi and Jason Cenizal.

Ramos’ supervisor, sergeant Jacob G. Solorzano, also was charged.

The officers pleaded not guilty and were released.

While on the wiretap, investigators also uncovered that three other officers and a sergeant covered up an assault for a friend, prosecutors said. Sergeant Marc Manara and Officers Ruben Peralta, Jeffrey Regan and Christopher Scott, all from the same precinct, were arrested as well. The friend was arrested on the initial assault charge, prosecutors said. The officers pleaded not guilty.

In addition, three others were charged along with Ramos with insurance fraud and other crimes.

The last serious corruption scandal for the NYPD was the so-called Dirty 30 case from the early 1990s. More than 33 officers from Harlem’s 30th Precinct were implicated in the probe, with most pleading guilty to charges including stealing cash from drug dealers, taking bribes, beating suspects and lying under oath to cover their tracks.

merlin10
Submitted using CopBlock.org’s submit tab.

A Guest submission from a Cop Block supporter describing their police encounter and arrest.

On Tuesday August 23rd, 2011, at approximately 12:38 Eastern Standard time, I was pulled over for speeding in Monroe County Michigan, about 30 miles south of Detroit. I was only doing 74 mph in a 70 mph zone. I had California license plates as I was on a road trip from California across the country.
An illegal search performed by Officer Thomas Murphy (Sergeant) resulted in my arrest under a concealed weapon charge.

A drug dog was used to sniff the outside of my car. Officer Murphy said the K9 alerted, to which I did not hear a bark or see the dog do anything. The police report states it alerted on my trunk, which I have never had drugs in. Later my lawyer notified me that the dash cam video was NOT WORKING so the only footage and audio was what I took, which helped me to get the plea bargain I took. I was also reported to Homeland Security.

In jail the 2nd day, I was brought into an office and questioned by a Homeland Security employee and one from the Secret Service.

I had some “The Obama Deception” burnt DVDs inside my car and other items the police and Homeland Security deemed “suspicious.”

In the police report the “unknown liquid” found in my trunk was olive oil used for cooking that I had in my survival kit along with zip ties, rope and other such items you may need for example to build a home in the wilderness.
I was asked my whole life story including my family, career, mental health, views on Obama and our country. I was entirely cooperative, in part, because as an Innocent man I don’t want to be shipped off to Guantanamo or something of that nature.
After giving my whole life information to these two men and the next day showing footage of my travels such as filming in Washington D.C., they seemed satisfied. They left and it seemed I was only left with my concealed weapon charge.
The conditions at the Monroe County jail were in some ways inhumane to me but I will not get into these details unless asked.

Because the officer used a canine to say he sniffed drugs on my car it was a case that could not be easily dismissed and instead of having to fly back and forth from California to Michigan I decided to take a plea bargain for a Misdemeanor of “Improper possession of firearm in motor vehicle.”

The whole incident which is in violation of my rights (specifically those stated in the 2nd and 4th amendment) cost my family and I over $15,000 for legal defense, bail and travel expenses.

A copy of the police report Here