Police Accountability Report: Episode 87 – LRN.fm
This week, a couple stories that should cause anyone critically thinking to see that those wearing badges aren’t always operating with the best intentions.
Story #1
Former Iowa Police Officer Gets Probation
http://www.kwwl.com/story/21653757/former-iowa-police-officer-gets-probation
A former Des Moines police officer has been given probation for using excessive force on a man during a 2008 traffic stop.
The Des Moines Register reports John Mailander was sentenced earlier this month to four months of home confinement and three years of probation. He had previously pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice.
Mailander was 1 of 2 officers accused of using excessive force during a 2008 traffic stop. Mersed Dautovic was given a 5-year sentence in December that will run concurrently with a federal 20-month sentence.
Mailander and Dautovic were accused of beating Octavius Bonds with batons. Bonds and Erin Evans, the driver of the car, sued the city, which paid $500,000 to settle the case.
Story #2
Former Portsmouth Deputy Gets Two Years in Sex Case
http://hamptonroads.com/2013/03/former-portsmouth-deputy-gets-2-years-sex-case
In other news, a former police officer and auxiliary deputy in Portsmouth, Virginia was sentenced this week to two years in prison on charges of taking indecent liberties with a child.
The charges against George “Billy” Vick were filed in 2011 and were connected to offenses that happened between 1991 and 1996, according to court records.
Vick, a cousin of Portsmouth Sheriff Bill Watson, was in charge of training inmates in construction trades before he was charged.
Watson was subpoened to testify at the sentencing in Chesapeake Circuit Court and did so, saying Vick spent about three years teaching inmates how to install drywall and insulation and pour concrete.
Vick spent 19 years as a police officer before working as an auxiliary deputy.
Judge John W. Brown sentenced Vick to five years in prison on each of three charges of indecent liberties. The judge suspended four years and four months on each, leaving two years of active time.
Vick entered an Alford plea in May 2012. The plea means he did not admit guilt but acknowledged he probably would have been convicted had the case gone to trial.
Story #3
Terrell Garrett Lake Shore Drive Crash: Suburban Cop Bail Set At $500,000 Bond In Deadly Collision
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/17/terrell-garrett-lake-shor_n_2895943.html
Finally, a judge set bail at $500,000 last week for a suburban Chicago police officer accused of causing a traffic accident that killed two people in a wrong-way collision on Chicago’s Lake Shore Drive.
During the hearing, prosecutors said Terrell Garrett’s blood alcohol content after Friday’s wreck was measured at 0.184.
The North Chicago police officer is charged with two counts each of reckless homicide and aggravated driving under the influence of alcohol.
Garrett was in serious condition at Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center and didn’t attend the hearing.
Witnesses said Garrett’s car was driving at least 60 mph as it sped in the wrong direction on the scenic highway, where the speed limit is 45 mph.
The collision totaled both vehicles and killed 25-year-old Joaquin Garcia and his friend Fabian Torres, 27.
Relatives of the men said they couldn’t believe the judge granted bond for Garrett, who wasn’t on duty at the time of the crash..
Garrett, who has been relieved of his police powers, has been placed on administrative leave from his job in North Chicago.
I hope you’ll take a moment to consider just what it is that you are paying for via taxation – and speak out against the violence.
Until next week, stay safe and remember that badges don’t grant extra rights.
