The Warrior cops are out of control

[boutons_deux]

Has the NYPD Become a Paramilitary Force?

"I have my own army in the NYPD, which is the seventh largest army in the world," former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg boasted back in 2011.
Since that time, the New York Police Department has become even more militarized, practiced in command-and-control practices that Brooklyn College sociologist Alex Vitale describes as "paramilitary policing."

The federalization and militarization of the NYPD following 9/11 created the model of paramilitary policing that's reshaping law enforcement throughout the country.

Vitale identifies these seven qualities as the principal aspects of the increasingly popular framework of paramilitary policing:

1. Surveillance and infiltration of nonviolent political organizations.
2. Denial of protest permits and tight restrictions on demonstration locations.
3. Heavy deployment and use of defensive equipment, such as body armor.
4. The use of 'less lethal' weapons on non-violent protestors.
5. Deployment of highly trained specialized police units to control demonstrations.
6. Preemptive arrests and targeting of protest leaders.
7. Coordination between local and federal law enforcement officials.

Other practices often accompanying paramilitary policing include the use of sophisticated cyber technologies, video surveillance and agents provocateurs.

A Militarized Approach to High-Profile Gatherings

The paramilitary quality of the NYPD's approach to policing is most apparent in its treatment of any event designated by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) as a National Special Security Event (NSSE): a high-profile, popular gathering such as a presidential inauguration, political party convention or the Super Bowl. The NSSE label is a category of state security originally established by former President Bill Clinton through a classified 1998 directive that includes the Olympics and gatherings of world leaders like the G20 or NATO summits.

Since 9/11, potential security threats have expanded to include political demonstrations (e.g., Occupy Wall Street) and civil disruptions (e.g., riots). The policing of such occurrences are overseen by the Secret Service working with a host of federal agencies, including the DHS, FBI and the Coast Guard, as well as the National Guard and appropriate local law-enforcement en ies like the NYPD.

The routine militarization of police preparation for public events was most recently apparent in the NYPD's preparations for the visit of Pope Francis to New York on September 24-26, 2015, as part of his first trip to the US and to speak before the United Nation's 70th annual general session. Mayor Bill De Blasio and Police Commissioner Bill Bratton went to unprecedented lengths to ensure that the pope was safe not only from a possible terrorist attack, but from viewing unsightly aspects of city life, such as the growing army of the homeless.

In an internal 15-page threat assessment analysis, the New York Police Department (NYPD) observed: "While most of the events will have limited access due to the need for people to obtain a ticket or invitation in order to attend, large crowds congregating outside event locations and using public transportation can be attractive targets for individuals and groups looking to carry out attacks."

According to one estimate, "more than 50 different agencies, including the pope's own security detail" were involved in securing the pope's visit. The NYPD reportedly committed 6,000 officers to the three-day pope/UN security spectacle. It put up 37 miles of street barriers composed of 24,500 individual pieces as well as 409 concrete blocks (weighing 818 tons) to keep New Yorkers from the pope. It erected an eight-foot-high fence around St. Patrick's Cathedral along Fifth Avenue from 49th to 55th Streets and another one on Central Park West from 59th to 81st Street. It blocked off East 72nd Street between Fifth and Madison Avenues.

It also rousted reputed homeless people encamped under the Metro-North tracks on 125th Street and Park Avenue near a Catholic school the pope was to visit, as well as those clustered on West 32nd Street between Sixth and Seventh Avenues and in proximity to Madison Square Garden, where the pope was to say Mass. The US Army Ordinance Disposal Directorate and the NYPD Bomb Squad were enlisted to find improvised explosive devices (IEDs); none were discovered.

The pope visited; he spoke, traveled freely through the city, met innumerable people and was viewed by countless others, and he left the city. Nothing threatening reportedly occurred. In other words, the NYPD's security effort to protect the pope (as well as the other dignitaries) was a success. But was all this a demonstration of organizational preparedness in case of a genuine national security threat, or was it an intentional publicity demonstration of an over-prepared, militarized security force showing its muscle?

An Increase in Heavily Armed Police Units

According to the city, the NYPD's 2014 budget was $1.3 billion and the Counterterrorism Unit's budget was $75.3 million, including city expenditures and grants; one can only imagine that its true budget is likely significantly higher.

The unit consists of the following operating divisions:

Terrorism Threat Analysis Group;

the Training Section;

the Critical Infrastructure Protection Section;

the Transportation Security Section;

the Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear and Explosives (CBRNE);

Policy and Planning Section;

the Special Projects section;

the Shield Unit;

and the Emergency Response and Planning Section.

The unit maintains a presence in 11 foreign countries. It is the only US police force to do so.

The NYPD defines terrorists as, "individuals or groups with the capacity to carry out an attack" and "are thought to be strategic thinkers that will pick targets based on perceived impact and vulnerability levels." Not long after 9/11, the NYPD implemented what is known as ''command and control'' policing to contain potential security threats, whether mass gatherings, political protests, urban riots or civil disorders.

The NYPD has been creating a series of specialized Counterterrorism Units under the Emergency Service Unit (ESU), which is not itemized in the city budget. The ESU oversees the Special Operations Division of the Patrol Services Bureau that includes Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) and the hostage negotiators assist team. The ESU is a militarized unit, reportedly maintaining four armored vehicles acquired in 2006 from the US Defense Department's free military transfer program: two Lenco Peacekeepers, armored vehicles from the US Air Force and two Lenco Bearcat armored personnel carriers. In addition, officers are equipped with AR-15 assault rifles and Mossberg 590 shotguns.

The ESU includes other heavily armed units. The "Hercules" teams consist of an intelligence officer, a canine unit, a highway patrol unit and a squad of heavily armed police officers. They are deployed for emergencies and are on an as-needed basis throughout the city. The "Sampson" task force is deployed to critical locations primarily in Manhattan South (below 59th Street). The "Atlas" team assists the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) and the Port Authority with transportation, harbor and aviation needs. It also maintains 24-hour coverage of the financial district. Finally, "Nexus" teams interface with the city's business community in an effort to monitor unusual or su ious activities.

In January 2015, NYPD Commissioner Bratton announced the formation of a new unit, the Strategic Response Group (SRG), a quick-reaction force consisting 350 cops dedicated to "disorder control and counterterrorism protection capabilities." Armed with the latest in military firepower, the unit, according to Bratton, "is designed for dealing with events like our recent protests, or incidents like Mumbai or what just happened in Paris." The new unit was introduced at a time when the city's murder and overall crime rates were at historically low levels, with popular discontent over inequality and arbitrary police practices rising.

In the wake of the police killing of Eric Garner in July 2014, the NYPD collaborated with the MTA and the Metro-North Railroad in the surveillance of Black Lives Matter activists at nearly two-dozen peaceful protests during the period of November 2014 to February 2015.

Vitale notes, "The NYPD does not use a lot of military-style equipment in its regular policing. There is the emergency services units that operate at times like conventional SWAT teams, dealing with barricaded suspects, armed standoffs, and active shooters." He adds, "However, like other paramilitary teams, they also at times use this equipment to perform drug raids and serve 'high risk' search warrants."

Will the NYPD Unleash Its Guns on Protesters?

Following the 2014 killing of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, paramilitary policing gained national attention. Two recent disturbances events suggest how the NYPD might respond to a possible mass disturbance, particularly a civil protest.

First, following the August 2015 killing of two CBS affiliate personnel, Adam Ward and Alison Parker, in Roanoke, Virginia, the NYPD deployed its Counterterrorism Bureau, Critical Response Vehicles and Hercules Teams to television news stations throughout the city. According to John Miller, Deputy Commissioner for Counterterrorism and Intelligence, "While there is no indication of any threat to media outlets beyond this incident, we have provided an additional layer of security until we have a fuller understanding of the motive behind the Virginia incident." The NYPD was armed and ready, even though the killings were not a terrorist action.

Second, in Baltimore, more than 3,000 law enforcement personnel were deployed to contain a sustained but limited disruption. They included more than 400 DHS officers (Federal Protective Services [FPS] and Customs and Border Patrol Special Response Team); 1,783 state National Guard personnel; 400 state troopers from Montgomery, Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Howard, Prince George's and Harford counties; and 495 law enforcement officers from Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Washington, DC. In addition, the DHS' FPS established, through the Maryland Fusion Center, an integrated command group with representatives from the governor's and mayor's offices as well as participating federal agencies, including the National Protection and Programs Directorate (NPPD) that oversees "the nation's physical and cyber infrastructure."

Widespread public criticism of the use of paramilitary policing in Ferguson and other cities forced President Obama, in May 2015, to ban the sale of some kinds of military equipment to local law enforcement agencies. "We've seen how militarized gear can sometimes give people a feeling like they're an occupying force, as opposed to a force that's part of the community that's protecting them and serving them," he declared. And noted, military equipment can "alienate and intimidate local residents and may send the wrong message." Reflecting on the president's announcement, Vitale observed, "This will have very little effect. The restrictions are very narrow and don't cover materials typically used by the NYPD."

Protesting the Militarization of the Police

As political attention to racial injustice - an increasingly important issue in the 2016 presidential election - heats up, demonstrators in New York have been working to pressure New York politicians to address the racism enmeshed in the NYPD's militarized approach to policing.

Rise Up October held a demonstration on Oct. 23 in Queens protesting the inhuman conditions on Rikers Island, calling for the Gotham gulag to be shut down. Then, on Oct. 24, hundreds of protestors marched from Washington Square Park to Bryant Park in a demonstration against police brutality.

Quentin Tarantino, Cornel West and Chris Hedges joined Temako Williams - whose son, La-Reko Williams, was killed in 2011 by police in Charlotte, North Carolina - and others to demand an end to police killings of unarmed Black men.

"I'm a human being with a conscience," shouted Tarantino. "And if you believe there's murder going on, then you need to rise up and stand up against it. I'm here to say I'm on the side of the murdered."
Both protests drew heavy police responses, with the Oct. 24 demonstration leading to the arrest of 11 people.

The NYPD is taking up its arms in preparation for every potential popular disturbance, whether violent or not, drawing few distinctions between presidential visits, terrorist attacks, political protests and civil riot: in all cases, it is activating militarized police units.

Vitale cautions, "In NYC you don't see the militarized response you see in Denver, Oakland, or other places. No special weapons, no body armor, no armored vehicles. There strategy is to use a massive number of police, tight containment, extensive planning and micro-control to prevent the use of force."

If economic conditions get significantly worse, a relatively inconsequential act, like the ones that sparked the mass protests of the past, could precipitate a very violent civil disturbance. In the face of such a possible disruption, one can expect the might of the integrated security state apparatus - the coordinated NYPD and federal agencies - to rain down mercilessly. Be prepared for the worst.

http://www.truth-out.org/news/item/3...military-force

peaceful assembly and dissent are criminalized

the police state is unstoppable. America is ed and un able.

[boutons_deux]

Texas cops arrest woman who exposed animal neglect on Facebook — but not the dog’s owners

A Texas woman who tried unsuccessfully to get multiple government agencies to help a dog that appeared to be left on a balcony with its mouth tied shut was arrested for posting pictures of the dog on Facebook.

Amber Cammack first noticed the brown dog on a neighboring balcony in her apartment complex in Harris County about two weeks ago. She tried for a week to get authorities to intervene. When they refused, Cammack turned to Facebook, where users widely distributed the “porch pup’s” photo, the Houston Chronicle reports.

The dog was apparently left there round the clock — even during rain storms — to the point that the neighbor below had urine and excrement on their balcony. Photos show a thin animal with a band around its muzzle. In one picture, the dog appears to be wearing a diaper.

Cammack has dubbed the dog “June.”

Cammack got a nasty surprise when the Harris County Sheriff himself, Ron Hickman, called her and told her she was harassing the dog’s owners and demanded she remove the post or face arrest.

Hickman made good on his threats and Cammack was arrested Monday — but the Harris County district attorney refused to file charges.

“When the sheriff himself calls you and threatens you with arrest that is an extreme chill on your right to freedom of expression,” her attorney, Randall Kallinen told the Chronicle.

The D.A. also declined to file animal cruelty charges against the dog’s owner, citing evidence that doesn’t rise to the Texas penal code. The decision has sparked an outcry.

http://www.rawstory.com/2015/11/texa...e+Raw+Story%29

[boutons_deux]

DEA chief insists marijuana is dangerous and isn’t medicine

http://www.rawstory.com/2015/11/dea-...e+Raw+Story%29

[Trill Clinton]

cop unions are now calling for a boycott of tarantino's new film because he spoke out against polie brutality



http://www.latimes.com/entertainment...102-story.html

[DMX7]

http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/l...103-story.html

Sheriff pulls over woman, then rapes her. Tax payers on the hook for $6 million.

he deserves more than 9 years. total s . tax payers on the hook for $2M though (insurance covering the difference).

[cd021]

he deserves more than 9 years. total s . tax payers on the hook for $2M though (insurance covering the difference).

Nine years is a joke. Didn't know the tidbit about the insurance,though.

[cd021]

cop charged with raping more than a dozen woman in OKC.

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/nati...icle-1.2423160

damn.

[boutons_deux]

Illinois cops tackle college student in her desk because she smoked a cigarette outside

Slammed to the ground and manhandled on video, a former student filed a civil rights lawsuit in federal court Thursday against two campus police officers for using excessive force and threatening to fire a Taser at another student recording the arrest. Warned for smoking a cigarette outside, the student was followed into the class and arrested for trespassing after showing the cops her student ID.On December 7, 2014, Jaclyn Pazera stepped outside during a break between classes with several of her classmates from the College of DuPage to smoke cigarettes. According to Pazera’s lawsuit, Officer Vallardes approached the group and gave them a verbal warning for smoking on campus. After Vallardes asked Pazera and her classmates for identification, Pazera told the campus cop that she had accepted his warning, put out her cigarette, and began walking to class.

Vallardes called for backup as he followed Pazera to her philosophy class. Accompanied by Officer Tamurrino, Vallardes entered the classroom and shouted at the teacher, “Is that your student?”

The teacher informed Vallardes that the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) prohibited him from revealing the names of his students. When Tamurrino asked for Pazera’s identification, she showed them her student ID with her photo and expiration date visible. Instead of attempting to de-escalate the situation, Tamurrino told Pazera that she was under arrest for trespassing even though she had just shown them her school ID.

As the officers grabbed Pazera’s arms, her teacher began recording the incident on hiscellphone. After knocking over her desk, the officers slammed her to the floor and aggressively handcuffed her as she screamed in pain.

“Stop resisting!”

“You’re hurting me,” Pazera pleaded.

“Stop resisting!” the officer repeated.

“I had two fully grown men on my back pushing me into the ground, and he said in the video, ‘If you can talk, you can breathe,’” Pazera recalled.

“He picked me up and slammed me into the ground harder.”

After injuring her shoulder and wrist during the arrest, Vallardes allegedly threatened to use his Taser on a student recording the arrest on his cellphone. Vallardes reportedly confiscated the phone knowing that the video recorded on it could be used as evidence against him in a criminal trial. Unbeknownst to Vallardes, the teacher was also recording the incident on his cellphone.

Although Pazera was initially charged with obstructing a peace officer and resisting arrest, the charges were dropped 10 months later. On Thursday, Pazera filed a civil rights lawsuit against the college and the two officers for using excessive force during her arrest.

Previously unbeknownst to Pazera, cops are often trained to take down people who are not immediately compliant while mindlessly repeating the mantra: “If you can talk, you can breathe.”

http://www.rawstory.com/2015/11/illi...e+Raw+Story%29

[boutons_deux]

Video Shows Cop Executing Man as He’s Lying Face Down and Complying


Officer Lisa Mearkle of the Hummelstown Borough Police Department was found not guilty of criminal homicide for the shooting death of 59-year-old David Kassick

Officer Lisa Mearkle of the Hummelstown Borough Police Department was found not guilty of criminal homicide for the shooting death of 59-year-old David Kassick on February 2. Video has just been released from the Taser camera which was deployed before she fired two bullets into the man’s back, as he lay face down on the ground in full compliance with her orders.

The video of this cold-blooded killing by a maniacal cop, shown in full detail, somehow did not convince a jury that it was homicide. He had been chased down, shocked repeatedly with a Taser, fallen down face first in the snow, displayed his hands clearly at the officer’s orders, and then shot in the back twice.

http://www.alternet.org/civil-libert...er1045379&t=18

[boutons_deux]

Top Cop Union Threatens Quentin Tarantino

Amid the continuing national debate about policing, Thursday brought the latestbat PR move from police union leaders. Their current target, Quentin Tarantino, found himself on the receiving end of a veiled threat when Jim Pasco, the head of the national Fraternal Order of Police, told reporters that "something is in the works" against the Hollywood filmmaker. The union's plan, Pasco said, "could happen any time" between now and the premiere of Tarantino's upcoming film, The Hateful Eight, on Christmas Day. Just what exactly did he mean? More from the Hollywood Reporter:

Jim Pasco, executive director of the Fraternal Order of Police, would not go into any detail about what is being cooked up for the Hollywood director, but he did tell THR: "We'll be opportunistic."

"Tarantino has made a good living out of violence and surprise," says Pasco. "Our offices make a living trying to stop violence, but surprise is not out of the question."

The FOP, based in Washington, D.C., consists of more than 330,000 full-time, sworn officers. According to Pasco, the surprise in question is already "in the works," and will be in addition to the standing boycott of Tarantino's films, including his upcoming movie The Hateful Eight.

"Something is in the works, but the element of surprise is the most important element," says Pasco. "Something could happen anytime between now and [the premiere]. And a lot of it is going to be driven by Tarantino, who is nothing if not predictable.

"The right time and place will come up and we'll try to hurt him in the only way that seems to matter to him, and that's economically," says Pasco.

When asked, Pasco clarified that he was not making a violent threat. But his vow that "we'll try to hurt him" joins a growing list of over-the-top statements from police union leaders.

http://www.motherjones.com/mojo/2015...ntino-surprise

[boutons_deux]

Critics blast all-white jury for Oklahoma cop accused of raping black women and teens




The trial of the former Oklahoma City police officer accused of a string of sexual assaults against black women began this week with an all-white jury.

Daniel Holtzclaw is alleged to have sexually assaulted 12 women and a 17-year-old girl while on duty. Prosecutors have said he targeted middle-aged black women of limited means who had cause to want to avoid the police, such as outstanding warrants.

Though African Americans make up 16% of the population of Oklahoma County there are no black people among the eight men and four women on the jury.

Holtzclaw faces 36 charges, including rape, forcible oral sodomy and sexual battery, and could be sentenced to life imprisonment. He has pleaded not guilty.

Prosecutors contend that Holtzclaw began committing sex crimes in December 2013, when he coerced a hospitalised woman who was high on drugs and handcuffed to a bedrail into performing oral sex, with the promise that the charges would be dropped.

His youngest accuser said she was 17 when he raped her on her mother’s porch after groping her, ostensibly to search for drugs.

http://www.rawstory.com/2015/11/crit...e+Raw+Story%29

[Trill Clinton]

Video Shows Cop Executing Man as He’s Lying Face Down and Complying


Officer Lisa Mearkle of the Hummelstown Borough Police Department was found not guilty of criminal homicide for the shooting death of 59-year-old David Kassick

Officer Lisa Mearkle of the Hummelstown Borough Police Department was found not guilty of criminal homicide for the shooting death of 59-year-old David Kassick on February 2. Video has just been released from the Taser camera which was deployed before she fired two bullets into the man’s back, as he lay face down on the ground in full compliance with her orders.

The video of this cold-blooded killing by a maniacal cop, shown in full detail, somehow did not convince a jury that it was homicide. He had been chased down, shocked repeatedly with a Taser, fallen down face first in the snow, displayed his hands clearly at the officer’s orders, and then shot in the back twice.

http://www.alternet.org/civil-libert...er1045379&t=18

so far not a peep from the alllivesmatter crowd. killed the man for no damn reason

Critics blast all-white jury for Oklahoma cop accused of raping black women and teens




The trial of the former Oklahoma City police officer accused of a string of sexual assaults against black women began this week with an all-white jury.

Daniel Holtzclaw is alleged to have sexually assaulted 12 women and a 17-year-old girl while on duty. Prosecutors have said he targeted middle-aged black women of limited means who had cause to want to avoid the police, such as outstanding warrants.

Though African Americans make up 16% of the population of Oklahoma County there are no black people among the eight men and four women on the jury.

Holtzclaw faces 36 charges, including rape, forcible oral sodomy and sexual battery, and could be sentenced to life imprisonment. He has pleaded not guilty.

Prosecutors contend that Holtzclaw began committing sex crimes in December 2013, when he coerced a hospitalised woman who was high on drugs and handcuffed to a bedrail into performing oral sex, with the promise that the charges would be dropped.

His youngest accuser said she was 17 when he raped her on her mother’s porch after groping her, ostensibly to search for drugs.

http://www.rawstory.com/2015/11/crit...e+Raw+Story%29

demonic story but wouldn't surprise me if he's acquitted

[Trill Clinton]

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/...-boy-6-n459136

Two Louisiana law enforcement officers were arrested Friday in the shooting death of a 6-year-old boy, which occurred as both officers were working side jobs as city marshals, authorities said.
Derrick Stafford, 32, and Norris Greenhouse Jr., 23, were arrested and charged with second-degree murder and attempted second-degree murder, Louisiana State Police superintendent Col. Michael Edmonson said.
The boy, Jeremy Davis Mardis, was killed and his father, Chris Few, was wounded after shots were fired into their vehicle at around 9:30 p.m. Tuesday in Marksville, after what officials described as a pursuit.
"Nothing is more important than this badge that we wear on our uniform, the integrity of why we wear it," Edmonson said. "Because the public, the public allows us to wear that. It's not a right, it's a privilege. And tonight that badge has been tarnished."


Edmonson said body camera footage helped lead to the arrests.
"I can tell you, as a father, it was one of the most disturbing things I've witnessed," Edmonson said. "Extremely disturbing, and it is partly why we are here tonight."


Questions had surrounded the shooting. Officials have said Marskville city marshals shot at a vehicle "at the conclusion of a pursuit."
Edmonson did not detail Friday exactly what is believed to have occurred the night of the shooting. He has said that there was no exchange of gunfire, and no gun was found in Few's sport-utility vehicle.
"Tonight is about the death of Jeremy Mardis. Jeremey Mardis, 6 years old — he didn't deserve to die like that," Edmonson said.


The Avoyelles Parish coroner's office told NBC News that the boy was shot five times in the head and chest, and he was pronounced dead on the scene. Jeremy's grandmother said the boy was autistic.
The child's father remained in critical condition Friday, state police said.
Stafford is a lieutenant with the Marksville police department, and Greenhouse is a full-time marshal for the nearby city of Alexandria, Edmonson said. Both were working secondary jobs as Marksville marshals when the shooting occurred, he said.
Two other marshals may also have been involved in the incident, Edmonson said. Police have seized all four guns from those involved and they are being analyzed at a lab in Baton Rouge, he said.
"We will do other interviews and see where that takes us," Edmonson said.
Marksville is a city of around 5,500 about 30 miles southeast of Alexandria.

will these kid killing es the usual stimulus package cops get when killing kids: rallies,coplivesmatter protests,a gofundme account or nah?

[boutons_deux]

WATCH: Mob of Austin cops tackle and assault two unarmed men for jaywalking

Austin, TX — A group of friends, Jeremy Kingg, Lou Glen, Matt Wallace, and Rolando Ramiro were walking home Early Friday morning when they crossed the street in a manner unfit for a police state.

“We were walking across the street, the sign said ‘do not walk,’ but lights were already turning yellow and streets were blocked off, so we kept walking,” Ramiro says.

“[Police] flashed their flashlights at us, asked us to show them our IDs. Matt and Jeremy said to f— off,” noting that the street was barricaded so the ‘crime’ of Jaywalking was a moot point when cars are unable to drive down the street.

However, the half-dozen officers attempting to assert their authority over group did not approve of Wallace and Kingg’s tone, so they felt a gang beating was in order.

All of the sudden, multiple Austin cops coming running from their bicycles and proceed to start punching, kneeing, and kicking two young men.

When asked what crime they committed, one officer turned up and said, “crossed against the light.”

This insanely violent response from police for crossing the street is the epitome of the divide in America today that continues to grow between the police and the policed. This is not how you treat people.

==

The APD is no stranger to violent arrests for jaywalking. Last year, 4 APD officers applied a ridiculous amount of force to a tiny college girl for jogging ‘against the light.’

When police were asked to issue a statement about the stop, which made world news, APD chief Art Acevedo implied that the girl should feel lucky that none of his officers raped her.

“This person absolutely took something that was as simple as ‘Austin Police – Stop!’ and decided to do everything you see on that video,” Austin Police Chief Art Acevedo said at a press conference Friday, according to Austin NPR station 90.5 KUT. “

And quite frankly she wasn’t charged with resisting. She’s lucky I wasn’t the arresting officer, because I wouldn’t have been as generous. … In other cities there’s cops who are actually committing sexual assaults on duty, so I thank God that this is what passes for a controversy in Austin, Texas,” Acevedo said.

This is what crossing the street in a police state looks like.

http://www.rawstory.com/2015/11/watc...or-jaywalking/

[Quetzal-X]

What a god damn ing ty job it must be.

[boutons_deux]

police state news, taking down a dangerous criminal

FBI Returns Seized Devices to EFF Client

EFF is please to announce that our client, Chris Roberts, is now in the possession of all of his digital devices that had been held by the FBI since April 2015.
Earlier this year, Mr. Roberts was detained for tweeting about airplane network security.

When he landed in Syracuse,the FBI escorted him off the plane, questioned him for several hours, and seized all of his computer equipment.

We are relieved that, as of this week, the FBI has returned all of that equipment. Like many others in the security community, Roberts’ interest has always been to identify vulnerabilities in networks so that they can be fixed, making us all safer. We would like to thank our co-counsel at Keker & Van Nest LLP for their pro bono assistance on this matter.

http://www.salon.com/2015/11/05/were...uptible_sneak/

[boutons_deux]

Oklahoma Repugs muscling up their police state, protecting their less lawpricks every second of their lives, even off duty.

State Law Makes It a Felony to Touch a Police Officer Even Off-Duty and Out of Uniform

In effect, the Oklahoma measure extends the cloak of 'qualified immunity' to cover every aspect of a law enforcement officer’s life.

Two short-tempered men run into each other in a bar in Enid, Oklahoma. The combustible mixture of alcohol and ego produces the predictable reaction – a brief, stupid, and inconclusive fight in which neither side is seriously injured. When police officers arrive on the scene, onlookers expect that both parties to the altercation will be hauled away in handcuffs.

However, after one of them produces a police credential, he is allowed to handcuff the other and place him under arrest for a felonious assault on an off-duty law enforcement officer. It doesn’t matter that the individual making the arrest might have been the same one who started the fight.

This scenario is made entirely plausible by a newly enacted Oklahoma statute that makes any “assault” on an off-duty law enforcement officer a felony — and it is standard practice to treat nearly any physical contact with an officer as an “assault.”

The law, which passed the legislature unanimously (always a bad sign), went into effect on November 1. In effect, this measure extends the cloak of “qualified immunity” to cover every aspect of a law enforcement officer’s life.

http://www.alternet.org/news-amp-pol...nd-out-uniform

[boutons_deux]

My guess, because per curiam's don't list the assenter, only dissenters, is the SCOTUS per curiam defending the cops' "shoot first, whatever later" was 5-4, with those 5 being the Usual Suspects

Justice Sotomayor Faults SCOTUS for Sanctioning 'Shoot First, Think Later' Tactics by Police

In a per curiam opinion issued today, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned a decision of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit which had refused to grant qualified immunity to a police officer who used deadly force in order to bring a high-speed car chase to a close. Writing in lone dissent, Justice Sonia Sotomayor faulted her colleagues for "sanctioning a 'shoot first, think later' approach to policing [that] renders the protections of the Fourth Amendment hollow."

At issue in Mullenix v. Luna was a 2010 high-speed car chase that ended when Texas Department of Public Safety Trooper Chad Mullenix fired six shots in an attempt to disable the engine of the fleeing vehicle. Although Mullenix was told by his superior officer to "stand by" and "see if" the road es that had been deployed by the police "work first" to stop the vehicle, Mullenix nonetheless proceeded to take action. Four of the six shots he fired struck the fleeing driver, Israel Leija Jr., killing him.

In 2014 the 5th Circuit ruled that Trooper Mullenix was not en led to qualified immunity because the "immediacy of the risk posed by Leija is a disputed fact that a reasonable jury could find either in the plaintiffs' favor or in the officer's favor, precluding us from concluding that Mullenix acted objectively reasonably as a matter of law."

Today the U.S. Supreme Court overturned that decision. "Whatever can be said of the wisdom of Mullenix's choice, this Court's precedents do not place the conclusion that he acted unreasonably in these cir stances 'beyond debate,'" the Court said.

That judgment drew a sharp rebuke from Justice Sonia Sotomayor.

"Mullenix fired six rounds in the dark at a car traveling 85 miles per hour," Sotomayor observed. "He did so

without any training in that tactic,

against the wait order of his superior officer, and

less than a second before the car hit e strips deployed to stop it.

Mullenix's rogue conduct killed the driver, Israel Leija, Jr. Because it was clearly established under the Fourth Amendment that an officer in Mullenix's position should not have fired the shots, I respectfully dissent."

The Supreme Court's opinion in Mullenix v. Luna is available here.

https://reason.com/blog/2015/11/09/j...cotus-for-sanc

The murderous cops are now protected, emboldened to murder more than ever

[Quetzal-X]

Cop fellators rejoice!

[boutons_deux]

Ohio pay-to-stay prisons saddle poor inmates with debt: ACLU

Ohio's prison system pushes low-income offenders deeper into poverty by charging fees for their jail time, saddling inmates with debts as high as $35,000, according to a report released on Monday by the American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio.

Forty of the state's 75 county jails that house low-level nonviolent offenders charge a booking fee, daily fees of as much as $50 to $60 a day, or both and of those just half take the offender's income into account when deciding how much of a fee to impose, the report found.

It charges that the fees bury people in debt and likely contribute to higher rates of recidivism. The Ohio ACLU called for the state to eliminate the policies or access for indigence and/or allow programs for inmates to work off the debt.

"Pay-to-stay jail fees are the next generation of unending debts that seek to tether low-income people to the criminal justice system," the report states.

"These fees are insidious: loading formerly incarcerated people with increasing amounts of debt make it nearly impossible for even the most well-meaning person to become a productive member of society."

Some Ohio prisons charge as little as $10 for booking and $1 or $10 a day depending on ability to pay. But with some Ohio county poverty rates as high as 32 percent and a minimum wage of less than $8, Mike Brickner, Ohio ACLU senior policy director said, even fees on a sliding scale can be "insurmountable"

Brickner added that with no means to pay the pay-to-stay fees that debt often goes into collections making it more difficult if not impossible for people then get a car loan a job or a place to live because now their credit is compromised.

Pay-to-stay policies proliferated 20 years ago after a state law allowed facilities to charge prisoners fees and the law also allows each facility set its own policy however about half of the state’s county facility have abandoned them all together.

State officials did not immediately respond to a call seeking comment.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/...e=domesticNews

Americ ing sucks, red state, slave state America.

[boutons_deux]

John Oliver exposes how America sets up former prisoners to fail

In America, more than 600,000 people are released from prison each year. And John Oliver wants you to know that by and large, the US sets up these ex-inmates to fail.

As Oliver explained on his November 8 show, in the 1980s and '90s federal and state lawmakers imposed legal barriers — widely known as "collateral consequences" — that effectively stop released inmates from getting a job, an education, or even a house.

These barriers take various forms, including some laws that make it hard for former inmates to even visit family. In one case covered by the Associated Press, New York City resident Geraldine Miller faced the threat of eviction from her public housing because her son, an ex-convict, helped her with groceries when she became ill. "Look, we all want people who've committed crimes to learn their lesson," Oliver said. "But 'never help your sick mother with groceries' sounds more like the kind of lesson you learned from a ty Boy Scout leader."

But the possibility of getting your family evicted just by showing up at their house is only one of many ways prisoners face tough odds upon release. The result: Anywhere fromone in three to as many as half of former inmates end up back in prison within a few years.

The many legal barriers to a prisoner reentering society

For example, it's legal for employers to ask in job applications about someone's criminal record and not hire someone for a prior crime — even something as minor as a marijuana possession offense. But this can make it much more difficult for inmates to reintegrate into society: If they can't get a job, they're much more likely to turn to criminal activities to make ends meet. So reformers started "ban the box," which seeks to stop employers from asking about criminal records in job applications — although they can do criminal background checks later on in the hiring process. (In reformers' latest victory, President Barack Obama ins uted "ban the box" for federal agencies.)

Collateral consequences apply to all sorts of other issues, as well: Some states ban ex-prisoners from working at all sorts jobs, from nursing to alligator ranching. People who have served out felony convictions often can't apply for public housing or Pell Grants. They can't vote in many states. They can't receive welfare benefits. All of these things can make it more difficult for a former inmate to get a job and legally make a living, or at the very least signal to him that society will never accept him, making him much more likely to turn to a life of crime.

Dismantling the collateral consequences of prison is, of course, not an idea without controversy.

Many people genuinely believe that prisoners, especially those convicted of violent crimes, should face lifelong punishments for their misdeeds.

But most prisoners are going to be let out at some point. If they face enormous barriers once they're out, they're going to be more likely to reoffend. Not only does that cost taxpayers even more money as they pay for that inmate's incarceration, it also defeats one of the purposes of prison in the first place — to stop and deter crime.

"Over 95 percent of all prisoners will eventually be released," Oliver said. "So it's in everyone's interest that we try to give them a better chance of success. Because under the current system, if they do manage to overcome all the obstacles we have set, it's a minor miracle."

http://www.vox.com/policy-and-politi...t-week-tonight

[boutons_deux]

Three Alabama police officers suspended after violent arrest

Three Alabama police officers were on administrative leave on Monday after videos appeared to show them using a stun gun and baton in the arrest of several university students, the Tuscaloosa police chief said on Monday, pledging to investigate.

The officers, who were not identified, had responded to loud music call around 3 a.m. on Sunday that escalated into a confrontation with the occupants of an apartment, video posted by local media outlets showed.

The video showed officers using what appeared to be a stun gun and a baton on a young man after forcibly removing him from the apartment.

The incident comes amid wide scrutiny of the use of force by law enforcement officers in the United States, after a series of police killings involving unarmed men drew protests in the last year.

Tuscaloosa Police Chief Steven Anderson said his department was investigating the incident, in which three students were arrested.

"I was deeply disturbed by and disappointed in the way our officers responded," he told reporters on Monday afternoon. yeah, right!

The three officers were placed on paid leave, he said. Some officers at the scene wore body cameras, he noted, and the footage would be part of the department's investigation.

The incident involved students at the University of Alabama, the school said on Twitter. University police officers also were among those responding to the initial call.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/...e=domesticNews

[boutons_deux]

As Arthur Velazquez was riding his bike down the street, police claimed that he ‘fit the description’ because he was wearing a hoodie and on a bike, so they stopped him.

While he was detained, he simply pulled out his phone and called his sister out of concern that something bad was about to happen.

“I’m thinking about my own safety,” Velazquez said. “I had a feeling that with these two officers something bad was going to happen; that’s why I called my sister.”

Unfortunately, his feeling of something bad happening came true when officers attacked him for making this call.

Police claim that they feared for their lives when Velazquez told them that he was calling his sister, so they had no other choice but the escalate the situation to violence and beat an innocent man.



http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/1...r?detail=email

[boutons_deux]

Texas troopers caught skewing racial profiling data by labeling Hispanics and blacks as white

A recent investigation revealed that racial profiling data gathered by the Texas Department of Public Safety could not be trusted because some troopers had been labeling minority drivers as white.

KXAN reviewed more than 16 million traffic citation records and found that the ethnicity of the drivers had been incorrectly recorded in a significant number of cases.

The station found that four of the top five last names recorded as white in the state were traditionally Hispanic names: Garcia, Martinez, Rodriguez and Hernandez.

Professor Ranjana Natarajan, who heads the Civil Rights Clinic at the University of Texas School of Law, told KXAN that DPS racial profiling data should be considered unreliable in light of the new findings.

“I think there could be accidents every now and then, but the sheer number of the reports that you found, where it looks like the people who are not white are being classified as white, means that there is something else going on here,” Natarajan explained. “What it shows is that, there either seems to be a complete lack of training on the part of DPS officers and other law enforcement officers about how to report people’s race. Or there is deliberate, sort of trying to not follow the policy if they have been trained properly on how to report the race of the drivers whom they stop.”

http://www.rawstory.com/2015/11/texa...e+Raw+Story%29

Cops lying, cheating, racist, frauds, profiling, yawn

[Quetzal-X]

Welfare disguised as a legitimate honest paying job.