Police Accountability Report: Episode 123 – 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
Man Sues Two Norwood Officers for $100 Million After He Was Wrongfully Jailed
http://www.wcpo.com/news/local-news/hamilton-county/norwood/man-sues-two-norwood-officers-for-100-million
Maurice Snow, a 29-year old man from Cincinnati, has filed a federal civil rights lawsuit for $100 million against a detective and lieutenant at the Norwood Police Department. Snow is accusing the detective and lieutenant of turning his life upside-down and recklessly violating his constitutional rights by detaining him without probable cause. Maurice Snow was wrongfully jailed for nearly two months on felony cocaine charges, even though video footage would have shown they had the wrong man.
Norwood police Lt. Tom Williams Jr., an agency spokesman, said he would look into the allegations but could not immediately comment on the lawsuit. Court records show Snow, who doesn’t have a serious criminal record, was arrested on October 18 and booked on four cocaine charges stemming from an investigation by Norwood police over the summer. Snow was accused of being the drug dealer in surveillance videos that police took of controlled drug buys involving a confidential informant.
Snow was jailed and kept from his 10-year old son for 52 days on a $25,000 bond before his then-attorney, Erik Laursen, saw the footage and got a Norwood officer to accompany him to the jail to look at Snow. “(The officer) looked at me and said, `No, that’s not him,”‘ Laursen said. “I said, `Let’s go downstairs then, because he needs to get out.”‘
Story #2
SoCal Police Sic Dog on Sleeping Old Woman
http://www.courthousenews.com/2014/01/27/64844.htm
San Bernardino Police sent a dog to viciously attack an 88-year-old woman as she slept in bed in her own home, the woman, Katharina Lambert, claims in court. Lambert sued San Bernardino, Police Chief Robert Handy and Officers J. Castro, S. Aranda and J. Echevarria, in Federal Court.
Lambert says the three officers entered her home at 11:30 p.m. on January 23, 2013, allegedly in response to a silent burglar alarm. Without warrant or any pressing circumstances, Echevarria entered with a police dog. Echevarria did not announce his entrance or warn that he was releasing a dog that might attack and bite. “Moreover, Echevarria knew, when he entered, that the dog was trained to bite hard, and to bite anywhere it could on a person’s body,” Lambert claims.
The dog entered her bedroom, where Lambert was “unarmed, dressed only in clothes for sleeping, lying in her bed, and presented no threat to anyone.” It “viciously attacked her, biting her on her arm and shoulder, waking her and causing serious injuries, including puncture wounds, severe bruising, and other physical injuries, as well as severe emotional distress. Echevarria had to physically remove the dog in order to get the dog to stop its relentless attack upon Ms. Lambert. Any medical care for Ms. Lambert was then unnecessarily delayed.”
The officers failed to take into account that Lambert has a severe hearing impairment, which the police department knew about, according to the complaint. Lambert blames the city and its police chief as well. She claims their officers are not properly disciplined and that the culture of the San Bernardino Police Department created the belief that “it is permissible to unlawfully enter a person’s home, deploy a police K-9 to attack innocent people, refuse to accommodate a disabled person, and delay prompt medical care.”
That’s this week’s Police Accountability Report brought to you by CopBlock.org.
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 corruption.
Until next week, stay safe and remember that badges don’t grant extra rights.
