Once again I found myself unfathomably busy today at work and then at home and didn’t have as much time as I would have liked to scan for reports to add into our National Police Misconduct News Feed. Unfortunately that’s the price I pay for not being able to devote all my time to this project as if it were my only job… While I do spend about 50 hours a week on it on average, I still wish I could spend more time focusing on this, I believe it’s a project that deserves all the time I can give it and I know it suffers when I can’t.

In any case, I was able to track 12 reports of police misconduct that ended up in the news feed for this Friday, April 16, 2010… which makes about 245 reports tracked so far this month.

Anyway, here’s a recap of the 12 reports added today, plus one extra:

• A Carrollton Texas police officer has been fired and may face charges after he was allegedly caught by police station surveillance video pile-driving a DUI suspect head-first onto the floor, injuring his head and his legs.

• An Ithaca New York police officer is under investigation by a district attorney after video allegedly shows him brag about abusing female detainee by “waffling” her. For those who don’t know, waffling is the practice of spiking the breaks and taking sharp turns in a police cruiser while a handcuffed detainee is in the back who isn’t belted in, thus causing facial injuries.

• A Bingen-White Salmon Washington police officer who resigned after admitting to molesting a child has had the charges against him dismissed thanks to a Washington state law that forbids a conviction based on a confession alone without evidence or witnesses.

• A Hamblen County Tennessee deputy has been sentenced to over 15 years in prison for sexually assaulting female detainees in jail and motorists that he stopped for traffic violations.

• A part-time Welsh Louisiana police officer has been arrested on allegations of child trafficking for sexual purposes and two counts indecent behavior with a juvenile.

• A Flagstaff Arizona police officer is on paid leave after he was arrested on a domestic violence charges for hitting girlfriend in the face at a country music concert called “Country Thunder”. He was apparently with a group of officers at the time and punched one of them in the face, but wasn’t charged for that.

• An Illinois State Trooper was sentenced to probation after pleading guilty to reckless homicide for causing an accident that killed 2 teens and injured others while he raced at 126mph while writing emails to an accident scene that he wasn’t needed at. He’s still on paid leave though he may lose his license in the deal and the state police say it’s likely he’ll be fired.

• A Mississippi State trooper is facing 4 counts of fondling a child after he was acquitted of 5 counts of sexual assault of a child last month and a child molestation charge last year.

• A Dallas Texas police officer with a history of disciplinary issues in on paid leave while his department figures out whether to fire him or not after an investigation found that he lied about his grandmother’s death in order to get some extra time off.

• Another New Orleans Louisiana police officer has resigned after being charged with obstruction for his role in the Danziger Bridge shooting cover-up. This is the 4th police officer charged in this post-Katrina incident and at least 3 others remain under federal investigation.

• A Lorain Ohio police officer has resigned after he was investigated for allegations that he drove into work while drunk in his police cruiser. He allegedly tested at .135 after his fellow officers noticed he smelled of alcohol during a morning meeting. A prosecutor assigned to review the case has said it’s unlikely that charges will be filed.

• A US Capitol police officer was arrested on charges of possession and distribution of child pornography after police tracked illicit images to his home. He was arrested after coming home from work when police then searched his home and removed several computers.

• And finally, to end things on a lighter note. Did you know that Uncle Sam’s patriotic hat confers immunity from police-issued pepper spray onto it’s wearer? Apparently that’s what a Denton Texas police officer found out when he attempted to douse the iconic uncle with the stuff while attempting to arrest him for the offense of being a pedestrian in a roadway.

The officer’s report claims that the red, white, and blue-clad Sam pretended to kick the officer’s cruiser as he drove past and when the officer returned to confront him Sam demanded to know why he was being asked for his ID. At that point a struggle allegedly ensued after the officer notified him that he was under arrest and when he attempted to douse Uncle Sam with pepper spray “the suspect’s large red, white and blue striped hat protected his face.“

As some of Uncle Sam’s nephews would always say, knowing is half the battle… but I doubt that we’ll see protesters donning large patriotic hats instead of black bandannas to defend against CS gas anytime soon. (NOTE: I’m not sure this qualifies as misconduct, but I thought it was funny. It won’t go into the database.)

Well, on that note… that’s it for today, stay safe out there… and Yo Joe!

Well, it’s been a pretty busy day here with the NPMSRP. Not only was there a larger than normal number of police misconduct reports to track today, but I’ve also been busy trying to finish up the 2010 Q1 statistical report.

Fortunately I’ve not been the only person that’s been busy though. Rick Horowitz over at Probable Cause – The Legal Blog with the Really Low Standard of Review wrote a pretty strong piece that builds on a post made by Scott Greenfield at Simple Justice yesterday in his “But for video” series.

Rick and Scott both write about topics I try to explain to my readers from time to time, but do a better job of it than I do. Scott writes about how hard it is to convince people that police misconduct happens and how difficult it is to convince most police accountability activists that most people don’t even believe police misconduct happens.

Rick takes it further to explain that most people who advocate for police accountability don’t do it because they want you to think all cops are evil, they do it because all cops are human and thus deserve the same level of accountability, scrutiny, and healthy skepticism that everyone else is exposed to.

In any case, because of the video theme of both their posts, I’ll start off with a few videos from the 29 reports of police misconduct that were tracked in our National Police Misconduct News Feed today, April 15, 2010:

• Most of the internet-connected world has probably seen this video of Prince George’s County Maryland police officers beating a college student and are aware that the police then lied about what happened in charging papers to cover up the beating by arresting the student on false charges. The update here is that two more officers have been identified for their involvement in the case, bringing the total so far to 4 police officers under suspension while investigated over the incident.

• A Streamwood Illinois police officer has been charged with aggravated battery and official misconduct for beating a motorist with his baton at least 15 times after he had tasered his passenger and it was all caught on dashcam. The men he tasered and beat were unarmed and didn’t present a threat to the officer who is now on paid leave and may face more charges in the case.

• A South Bend Indiana police officer is facing a disciplinary hearing after his police chief recommended that he be suspended for 30 days over what happened in this video released today. The officer is accused of excessive force for intentionally hitting a suspect who was fleeing on foot with his cruiser, shattering his knee. The officer claims he turned into the grass to avoid hitting the suspect, thought the video appears to contradict that claim.

• A Warren Ohio police officer may be facing disciplinary action after an internal investigation found that the officer violated use of force policies by detaining 3 children,  ages 7, 9, and 10, at gunpoint while he searched their backpacks allegedly because he thought they were burglars. The boys were innocent as the incident occurred in broad daylight as the kids were coming home from school. While there were also allegations of racial profiling, the investigation did not sustain that finding.

• An Arizona Department of Public Safety police officer has been fired after an investigation sustained allegations of dishonesty and misuse of property that included accusations that he fraudulently billed the state for nearly 40 hours of work that he didn’t do.

• A Port Richey Florida police sergeant, who is the third in command for the department, has been suspended for 1 day for his supervision of an incident where an innocent man was tasered 3 times after officers woke him while he was asleep in his car. He’s also facing another day off as discipline in a separate case where he failed to get evidence during a burglary investigation. So far he’s had 31 career disciplinary findings for misconduct.

• The Oakland California BART police force is in the news yet again after the chief ordered all officers to turn in their tasers pending additional training after one of their police officers attempted to taser a kid on bicycle while he was chasing him in a moving police cruiser.  The teen was the subject of an assault investigation. For those who don’t remember, it wasn’t too long ago that a cop in Florida tried the exact same thing… but with fatal results.

• A LaGrange Park Illinois police sergeant is on medical leave after he was charged with driving while intoxicated. He was stopped when witnesses called cops to report his erratic driving while he was off-duty.

• A Lee County Mississippi deputy has plead guilty to misdemeanor charges for stealing money from the wallets of at least 4 motorists that he had pulled over.

• A Jackson County South Dakota deputy was sentenced to 10 years in prison for stealing over $3,000 and a gun from the sheriff’s department. However, the judge suspended that sentence and ordered the officer to spend 90 days in jail instead.

• A Houston Texas police union official who was responsible for their political action committee has been indicted for embezzling over $200,o00 in funds that were meant to help injured cops. He allegedly transferred funds from the account to his personal credit card.

• The Olathe Kansas police department has settled a lawsuit for $5,000 to a man who got a ticket for flipping off cop and swearing at him. The ACLU, who received a $1k cut from that check, sued claiming that flipping off cops is constitutionally protected free speech.

• A Berkeley California police officer and some of his coworkers are accused of unnecessarily beating and arresting a college student who objected to girl he was with being shoved by the officer at an accident scene. An independent witness who lives near by has corroborated their side of the story.

• A Cook County Georgia sheriff’s investigator has been arrested for allegedly molesting 14 and 15yr old girls inside his home.

• A Columbus Georgia police officer has been sentenced to probation after pleading guilty to her role in another person’s insurance fraud scheme.

• A Washington DC police officer has admitted that he lied about being carjacked after his car and gun was stolen by girl he gave ride to in exchange for $10.

• A Berwyn Illinois police officer has plead guilty to federal charges for helping a mob-associated crime ring perform robberies.

• A New Orleans Louisiana police detective has been charged with payroll fraud after being disciplined internally in a confidential agreement over pay fraud allegations once before.

• A Houston County Alabama sheriff’s chaplain was sentenced to 30 years in prison after he plead guilty to sex crimes involving a teenage girl.

• A Lake County Colorado deputy has been charged with official misconduct, obstruction, & trespassing for arresting and jailing a fire captain who was en route to a medical emergency.

• A LaMoure North Dakota police officer has plead guilty to gross sexual imposition for using a computer to lure a 14-year-old girl that he then had sex with.

• A Providence Rhode Island police officer has been convicted of 1st degree sexual assault for raping a woman while on-duty in an empty police substation after he picked her up and offered to drive her home when she was denied entry to a bar because she was too drunk.

• A Lowellville Ohio police officer who is facing trial for sexual imposition and stalking was threatened with contempt over his casual attire at court. The judge admonished him and suggested that he might want to dress as if this were an important event in his life. However, the judge did dismiss a count of indecent exposure against him… simply because the statute of limitations had expired.

• A Dallas Texas police officer’s suspension was reduced from 15 days to 5 days for his filing of a false arrest report that resulted in a wrongful conviction. He accused the wrong man of holding a bag of drugs even after video evidence showed he fingered the wrong guy. The chief accepted his claims that it was a simple honest mistake.

• A Brunswick Georgia police officer is the subject of a lawsuit alleging that he falsely arrested a minister for protesting without a permit because he stopped to tell anti-Obama protesters that he disagreed with their opinions while on a public sidewalk… which isn’t something anyone needs a permit to do.

• A Benzie County Michigan deputy was suspended without pay after he was arrested on 2 counts of 4th degree sexual assault.

• A Lee County Florida deputy was suspended for a week for insubordination after refusing to stop a car chase that was against policy when he was ordered to do so.

• At least 2 Spokane Washington police officers will be facing a federal grand jury for obstructing an investigation into the beating death of mentally disabled man and the hands of a Spokane police officer because he wouldn’t drop a plastic bottle of cola. Investigators say that accounts of the incident were altered to cover up the incident, that was captured on the convenience store’s cameras.

• An Eliot Maine police officer got a suspended sentence in a plea deal that reduced a stalking charge to lesser harassment charge.

That’s it for today… Stay safe out there!

Sorry folks, I’ve been exceptionally busy today with non-NPMSRP things today so the news feed wasn’t updated as much as I usually keep it updated.

For those who don’t know, searching for and adding reports to the news feed is a manual process, so when I have to do other things the feed doesn’t get updated and I risk missing reports that drop off the search results by the time I can get back to it.

In any case, here are the 17 reports of police misconduct that were tracked in our National Police Misconduct News Feed on Wednesday, April 14, 2010:

• A Kansas City Missouri police officer has been recommended for termination after he was caught on surveillance camera taking a woman’s wallet that she had left behind on accident while he was working an off-duty security job at a convenience store.

• A Newton North Carolina police officer is facing disciplinary action on allegations that he illegally passed a school bus while it was stopped and a wheelchair-bound student was getting off. Witnesses and the bus driver reported the officer for the traffic violation.

• A Dunbar West Virginia police officer who plead guilty in December to sexually abusing a woman he arrested under color of law in July 2009 is now facing a lawsuit from another woman who claims the officer falsely arrested her on a warrant that was already cleared then groped her and tried to force her to have sex in exchange for letting her go in April of that year.

• An Oklahoma City Oklahoma police officer who is already facing trial for allegedly participating in a drive-by shooting at a strip club with another officer has been charged with insurance fraud for damaging his personal vehicle in an argument with his ex and then filing an insurance claim blaming the damage on vandals.

• A Washington DC police lieutenant who was partially responsible for the unconstitutional barricading of an entire community has been charged with sexual assault for allegedly forcibly groping a female police sergeant in 2008.

• Two Marion County Indiana deputies have had their police powers indefinitely suspended and another has received a written reprimand for numerous violations including misuse of police equipment while working as school security cops. The incidents seem to evolve around the mishandling of evidence.

• The Atherton California police department is under investigation by the DA after an officer’s testimony in a lawsuit forcing the department to release an arrest report indicated that an unknown officer had falsified that report after it was written.

• A Harford County Maryland sheriff’s major has been suspended while he’s being investigated for unspecified “improper conduct” allegations. The department refuses to specify what that improper conduct is, however.

• The now-former Iron City Tennessee police chief who had been fired from one department and resigned from another before being hired as chief has been indicted for official misconduct & false imprisonment in an unspecified case. He was fired for unauthorized hiring, purchases, and for having three accidents within a 6 month period while chief.

• Roanoke Virginia has settled a lawsuit for $40,ooo to a man claiming that a police officer barged into his home, tackled him while he was partially undressed from getting out of the shower, and then dragging him outside in order to charge him with public intoxication. The police say they had chased him inside his home, but that failed to explain why he was apparently only garbed in a towel.

• An Oklahoma State trooper is the subject of an investigation into unspecified allegations involving stolen property.

• The Wyoming State Highway Patrol is being sued by a Wal-Mart trucker who was kidnapped by a trooper who had planned to kill him and then staged an accident scene so that he could cash in on the trucker’s insurance policy as an accident victim.crash insurance fraud scheme.The trooper was sentenced to 15 years in prison for that incident.

• A San Diego County CA sheriff’s detective has been sentenced to 2 years in prison for sexually assaulting a prostitute while he was on-duty.

• Prince George’s County Maryland has identified and suspended a second officer who was involved in the videotaped beating of a student and his subsequent false arrest. This officer and the first officer who was suspended where not the ones pictured beating the innocent student. The investigation into those officers is still on-going. Though, oddly, the police chief is saying that only two more officers will be suspended while under investigation when the video clearly showed two additional cops joining in the assault.

• A Craig Colorado police detective has plead guilty to influencing public servant who was investigating him for embezzlement and other charges over his relationship with an informant where he gave her access to police resources.

• The Galena Kansas police department is the subject of an FBI investigation into allegations of brutality that allegedly occurred while the police chief was present. The police chief denies claims, of course.

• An Elmore OH police officer already charged with menacing for leaving threatening posts about a horse rescue group has been fired while under investigation for unspecified computer crimes involving a juvenile girl.

Well, that’s it for  today. Until next time, stay safe out there!!!

Before I talk about today’s review, I really want to make sure everyone reads about HR 413, S 1611, and S 3194 and then contacts their respective congressperson today to voice opposition to these bills today.

Today, April 14, 2010, the National Police Misconduct News Feed captured the following 17 reports of police misconduct:

• The village of Yorkville Ohio settled a civil rights suit for $280,000 to two juveniles who were detained by a village police officer for throwing an apple and then forced to clean streets by the police chief as punishment of the alleged offense, which violated their right to trial. Yeah, some cops seem to have trouble understanding that whole due process thing.

• The Nashville Tennessee Courts Director of Security was arrested on drunk driving charges after he was stopped by state police at a sobriety checkpoint with an open container and 2 loaded guns in his car. The court security officers apparently have full arrest powers and can carry firearms as part of an agreement with the state.

• An internal investigation by the Riverside California police department faulted police leadership for an attempted cover up of the police chief’s DUI accident. However, the investigation did not recommend any disciplinary action against anyone for the highly-publicized debacle… which is probably how they wanted it.

• The Flower Mound Texas police chief has filed a sexual harassment complaint against the mayor and mayor pro-tem of that town based on allegations that both women pinched the butt of one of his police officers. While the incident was allegedly caught on tape, the two officials are claiming that the complaint is more retaliation against them for giving the chief a poor review than an actual concern over their conduct. This one probably won’t be added to the database since the main allegation isn’t against the chief and the counter allegation seems a bit weak to me.

• An Allegheny Township Pennsylvania police dog has been fired in a council meeting after the dog bit a 9-year-old girl while off-duty at an unspecified function. While the union isn’t appealing the disciplinary action the dog won’t be put down but will be sold for $1 to whomever will take it.

• A Sunset Hills Missouri police officer settled a lawsuit for $255,000 to the families of 4 women that she killed in a drunk driving accident that also left one other woman injured. The bar that served her that night is paying for the rest of the $2,250,000 settlement for over-serving her and not calling her a cab.

• A Baltimore Maryland police drug task force detective has plead guilty to stealing $10,000 in funds that were meant to reward informants for tips, lying to investigators, and for stealing a diamond watch.

• A Shively Kentucky police officer has been indicted on tax fraud charges for failure to report thousands in income and for fraudulent filings in regard to the purchase of his $1,500,000 home. He blames his now-deceased tax preparer’s alleged drug habit.

• Famed drug war opponent Barry Cooper has called it quits on his “KopBusters” project that set police up to perform faulty drug raids in order to show how police take illegal shortcuts to get warrants and to highlight corruption. He quit after cops raided his home & took his child in apparent retaliation against one of his setups. He cites fears that cops would  retaliate further if he continued. I really don’t blame him and wish him the best.

• A Fort Collins Colorado police officer has retired in lieu of disciplinary action after he was arrested on DUI charges in 2009. The reason you’re only just now hearing about it is because the department kept it secret for months, just like the kept the fact that he was convicted of disorderly conduct in 2008 when deputies were forced to detain him at gunpoint while he was “quite drunk”.

• A Kern County California deputy was sentenced to work release after pleading no contest to reduced charges as part of a plea deal over allegations that she had sex with a death row inmate on 5 occasions. The man she found attractive was sentenced to death for bludgeoning a 90 year old woman to death with a baseball bat.

• A Fort Wayne Indiana police officer who was discussed here not too long ago for having 14 career disciplinary findings and still having a job is now facing his 15th disciplinary action over an unspecified brutality allegation. The chief says he’s contemplating the possibility of maybe firing him this time… Hat tip to long-time supporter @michaelk42 for this one.

• The Martins Ferry Ohio police chief who made headlines for burglarizing the surrogate mother of a celeb couple’s baby is now accused of sexual misconduct while he was chief after a lot of porn was found on his government-issued computer, including some that was home-made in the office.

• The Trinity Texas police department is the subject of a lawsuit filed by a woman claiming that a police officer sexually assaulted her in jail and that the department did not properly investigate her allegations.

• A Santa Cruz County Arizona deputy is on paid leave after accused of domestic violence in an incident that was carried over into his workplace… which happened to be the high school where he is assigned as a school resource officer. The allegations are the result of school officials calling police while the DV incident continued in the school between him and a woman who works there. Oh the things cops teach kids in our classrooms these days.

• A Cleveland Ohio police officer has been sentenced to 1 year in prison after convicted for theft via insurance fraud which was how he funded his illegal steroid purchases.

• And finally, a Detroit Michigan police officer has been convicted of official misconduct for lying on an arrest report in a strange case over a drug bust where he, apparently, didn’t need to lie. His partner had already plead guilty for his role in the case.

Ah, another day… but not another dollar. So I just want to remind people that this project depends solely on donations from readers. It takes a lot of time and effort to collect these reports each day and then analyze them for our statistical reports, so any support is appreciated!

Anyway, it was a somewhat busy Monday with 21 police misconduct-related reports captured by our National Police Misconduct News Feed, so let’s take a look and see what happened today, April 12, 2010, in the world of police misconduct:

• At least 3 Prince George’s County Maryland police officers are the subject of internal and federal investigations after a video (attached in the link) emerged that supports a college student’s allegations that police beat him during the street celebrations following Maryland’s win over Duke.  Charging documents against the student claimed that he assaulted police officers and horses when it was clear from the video that he never even got close to them when riot-gear clad cops swarmed him and started beating him with batons, causing him to need several staples to close the wounds that left him unconscious. Those charges, and charges against another student, were dropped. So far only one of the officers involved has been identified and suspended pending the investigation.

• A Memphis Tennessee police officer is on paid leave while under investigation after she was accused of pistol whipping a woman after the woman’s friend accidentally ran into her fence with a car while they were helping a friend move out of the place next door to her. According to the allegations the female officer grew angry after police already resolved the issue over the accident and proceeded to bludgeon the woman with her gun while saying “I’m not worried about nothin, the police got my back!“

• Yet another New Orleans Louisiana police officer is under federal investigation for his suspected role in post-Katrina corruption. This officer is accused of playing a part in the cover-up of the officer-involved death of a man who’s badly burnt body was found in an incinerated car after Katrina hit. He’s the third officer so far implicated in that specific case and joins the 7 other officers implicated in the Danziger Bridge shooting and cover up incident and at least 5 other federal investigations into post-Katrina police corruption… which means at least 15 NOPD officers are under federal scrutiny at the moment. I guess there were good reasons why our statistical analysis showed Louisiana as being one of the worst states for police misconduct last year.

• A Columbia County Oregon deputy is under investigation on allegations that he sexually abused a juvenile student while he was assigned as a school resource officer at a local high school. The deputy resigned earlier this month after an unrelated investigation sustained findings of untruthfulness and dereliction of duty. He’s not currently facing charges in either of those cases.

• And a Fort Morgan Colorado police officer is enjoying some paid leave after he was arrested on charges of sexual assault on a minor and sexual assault on a minor by a person in a position of trust. The department is guessing that it will take several months of paid vacation before the case is resolved.

• A Milan Michigan police sergeant is facing a demotion as a condition for return to active duty after he was sentenced to a diversionary program for a misdemeanor charge of setting off illegal fireworks. The charge stemmed from a practical joke he tried to play on a fellow officer while that officer was using a restroom at the department’s headquarters when the sergeant lit a firecracker and tried to slide it under the door. He and his police union plan to appeal the disciplinary action, of course.

• A Lubbock Texas police lieutenant was forced to retire in lieu of being fired over allegations of perjury, harassment, stalking, illegal use of police resources, & other allegations that were revealed in a lawsuit that was filed by his ex-wife who was fired from the department based on his actions. A settlement agreement over that wrongful termination suit got her rehired with back pay.

• The New York NY police department has long been the subject of allegations of civil rights abuses tied to their “stop and frisk” policies and practices that appear to allow cops to search anyone for any reason. Well, it appears as though some people have had enough and a person going by the name “NYC Resistance” has been going around the city recording instances of cops searching people and cars without any apparent cause… and now his efforts have a bit of media attention. I wish him luck!

• A Birchwood Wisconsin police officer has been placed on paid leave for unspecified reasons according the the police department there. However, reporters there seem to have uncovered a strange twist to this story as it came on the heels of their finding out that the officer had wrote himself a ticket for allowing an unauthorized  minor to drive… This one might be interesting to keep an eye on if the department allows any details to get out.

• A Flemingsburg Kentucky police officer was arrested on misdemeanor drunk driving charges by state police after he was involved in a traffic accident. Nobody is releasing any more info in this case as of the time we recorded it. A little transparency is so hard to come by these days.

• A Sandoval County New Mexico sheriff has been accused in a complaint filed with the department of publicly berating the widow of a slain deputy. Apparently the sheriff wasn’t happy with the woman because she talked to the media about how the county and the department wouldn’t help her pay for her trip to Washington DC to honor her husband by pushing for a memorial. Since this was a formal complaint he’s allegedly under an internal investigation, maybe.

• A Schenectady County New York deputy was arrested on domestic violence charges over allegations that he shoved and choked an unidentified woman and then took her cell phone so she couldn’t call the cops… er, other cops… to help.

• A Jefferson Parish Louisiana reserve deputy is the subject of a lawsuit filed by a former model claiming that the deputy promised her a job as his assistant but when she arrived to start the job he sexually molested and harassed her, even allegedly drugging her at one point. However, this suit is a bit sketchy because the deputy in question is actor Steven Seagal and the woman who filed it did not appear to attempt to file criminal charges over the incident. Seagal is current the star of a reality TV copumentary that televises his life as a deputy… I wonder when they’ll televise this episode?

• Chicago Illinois appears ready to settle a lawsuit for $3,ooo,ooo to a woman who was left permanently brain damaged in 2004 when she was 17-years-old after van being followed by police in an unauthorized chase crashed into the car she was a passenger in with such force that she was flung 40 feet away from the accident site. The officer’s involved tried to cover-up the incident but were foiled by several witnesses who saw the chase.

• The Falls Township Pennsylvania police chief, who also worked at several other area law enforcement agencies at the same time he was chief, has plead no contest to tampering with public records charges revolving around allegations that he fudged his time sheet to the tune of a couple thousand dollars. As part of his plea deal he paid the township back when he made the plea.

• A Schenectady New York police officer was called and “absolutely horrible investment of taxpayer money” by his boss when he was finally fired after years of racking up multiple criminal offenses that included assault, stalking, and in the latest incident, criminal damaging when he busted a window out of the jail when told he would be in lockdown that day. I wonder what he broke today?

• A Traverse City Michigan police officer has finally been charged with driving under the influence for a crash that occurred back in February when he set his vehicle on fire. The responding deputy was placed under investigation for failing to test or charge the cop, saying instead that he had slipped on some non-existent ice that witnesses say wasn’t there. Witnesses also said it was pretty clear the cop was drunk… except to a fellow officer I guess.

• A Collier County Florida deputy received a written reprimand after he was caught on video tasering a female corporal at the county jail as she ran away from him. Apparently the officers all claim it was just a little joke… which is probably what they call it whenever they taser anyone else these days. I just don’t want to see their version of the whoopie cushion.

• The Three Oaks Michigan police chief is being sued by student for false arrest after he was arrested and then acquitted on charges of disturbing the peace. Apparently he was arrested by the chief on allegations that he swore while at a car dealership trying to get donations for his school’s year book… even though he denies that he swore, it seemed a bit excessive to arrest him for that.

• A Cass County Nebraska sheriff’s inspector and a Nebraska State Patrol investigator are the subject of a lawsuit for coercing a false confession out of a mentally challenged man in order to convict him and another innocent man of murder charges for a crime they didn’t commit. The report on this case includes some video clips showing the tactics used to coerce a false confession out of the man during an 11-hour interrogation. The men were freed after months of incarceration after the real killers were caught.

• And lastly, a Danville Ohio police sergeant is on paid leave while he’s under investigation on unspecified allegations of misconduct. Just think, if HR 413 passes, it’s likely that all our reports will look a lot like this one… the few we’re allowed to see at least.

That’s it for today, stay safe out there!

Ah, another weekend has come and gone and time yet again for another weekend review of the police misconduct reports our National Police Misconduct News Feed captured on Saturday and Sunday, April 10 and 11 of 2010.

• Farmers Branch Texas police have been accused of racial discrimination after allegedly arresting an Hispanic man for public intoxication and assaulting an officer… after he saved his neighbor from a house fire.  The man claims that officers arrested him after he became angry that firefighters refused to help while he suffered from smoke inhalation after the rescue and when officers shoved his son… police claim he pushed one of them while drunk. This story actually came out earlier this month but a reader let us know we missed it… Thanks!

• Sidney Nebraska has settled one of two lawsuits filed by two women who were injured by an officer, who allegedly wasn’t paying attention while responding to a call, rear ended one vehicle and sent it spinning 100 feet into another car. The suit was settled for an undisclosed sum as part of a non-disclosure agreement within the settlement agreement. The other woman’s lawsuit is in the discovery phase and the officer resigned while under investigation after the accident.

• A Florida State Trooper died of a self-inflicted gunshot after he allegedly shot his wife to death during a domestic dispute. Police were called to the home by the trooper and apparently the shooting had happened before they arrived. Authorities say there were no red flags and the trooper had no record of complaints. Frankly, I don’t like to record these kinds of cases because they seem more tragic than anything else… but it is an instance of domestic violence and part of the statistical information this project gathers is meant to determine if domestic violence rates for police are higher than the norm as many people suggest they are. The couple had two sons, neither was home at the time.

• The Page County Virginia sheriff’s department is the subject of a lawsuit filed by a man claiming he was falsely charged and imprisoned after he was victimized in a type of extortion scheme by a police informant who had the help of the sheriff and other deputies. The informant bilked the man of 0ver $13k by telling him his ex-wife was involved in drugs and that he could save his son from her if he came up with the money. He alleges he was arrested after he complained about the scheme. He’s also suing the jail after he had two surgeries due to a MRSA infection he suffered while imprisoned. The former Page County sheriff is now in prison after being convicted for  racketeering.

• A Rutland Vermont police officer who was shown in a video released earlier this week repeatedly shooting a shackled detainee with pepper-ball rounds is now the subject of a state criminal investigation. The police chief there claimed he didn’t see anything criminal about what happened, but the chief has been under fire already for failing to suspend another one of his officers who was under investigation on possession of child pornography allegations. The article cited above claims the rate of police misconduct in Vermont is 1%, however our 2009 statistical data indicates it was actually more than twice that at 2.2% and the rate, based on the first three months of this year, appears as if it will be the same this year at this pace.

• Two Prince George’s County Maryland police officers have been accused by witnesses of using excessive force on man who refused to leave a pizza shop where he was allegedly trying to get a job. Police and the shop owner claim the man was high and wasn’t rational. But witnesses say he didn’t seem to be a threat when officers beat and maced him outside the shop. The man claims he wasn’t on drugs and is demanding the results of the drug test he was given after his arrest when officers had him committed to a psych ward late last month after the arrest, but those were not released to him. He was not charged over the incident.

• Terrebonne Parish Louisiana has settled a lawsuit for $300,00 to four female Houma Louisiana Police Department employees who claimed that the police chief there had sexually harassed them. The article doesn’t specify why the parish was liable for what Houma’s police chief did but the chief has been on paid leave since the allegations first came out in 2008 and is planning to take a medical retirement soon.

• A Longboat Key Florida police officer was sentenced to 90 days in jail and 24 months of home detention after pleading guilty to aggravated assault with a deadly weapon charges. The female police officer pulled a gun on a woman with children in her car when she pulled into the officer’s driveway in order to turn around after picking the children up from school in September of 2009. The officer was fired in October after an internal investigation.

• A Montgomery New York police officer has been sentenced to probation in a plea deal for his role as a lookout while on-duty for a theft ring that included another officer while they stole auto parts. He was convicted on reduced charges of official misconduct in the deal because he testified against the others.

• The Portland Oregon police union president has admitted to being involved in two instances of road rage against the same family in January while an internal investigation into the incidents is ongoing. A local station got a hold of the 911 tapes and, during an interview, the officer told reporters that he’s embarrassed about the whole thing and would like to apologize.

That’s it for this weekend, stay safe out there!