ACLU: Denver Fails to keep pledge use-of-force reports

The American Civil Liberties Union accused Denver officials Thursday of failing to live up to a 2003 pledge to issue reports in all confrontations in which police officers kill or seriously injure someone. To date, Manager of Safety Al LaCabe has issued one letter, in the July 2003 shooting death of Paul Childs, a knife-wielding developmentally disabled teenager. Mark Silverstein, the ACLU's local legal director, cited nine use-of-force cases since the Childs shooting that have resulted in deaths or serious injuries. LaCabe said Thursday that he was looking into the issue. "I can't tell you that I am personally aware of the circumstances of all nine, nor can I identify all nine," LaCabe said. "But I will look into all of those, and if reports should be prepared, then they will be prepared." The report requirement was part of a sweeping series of police reforms announced by Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper in December 2003. The requirement was cited by LaCabe and Police Chief Gerry Whitman in a letter to the Department of Justice last year that touted steps taken by the city to reform the department. Silverstein said it is important for the city to live up to the commitment it made as part of an effort to increase transparency and build trust in the police department. LaCabe said Thursday he intends to fulfill that pledge. [more]

Latino City Councilman Alleges Police Brutality by Riverside Deputy

Wearing a neck brace and a bandage on his left hand, Coachella City Councilman Gilbert Ramirez Jr. stood outside City Hall Friday afternoon for a brief press conference in which his attorney accused a Riverside County sheriff's deputy of using "wildly excessive force" during the official's Wednesday's arrest. "The deputy attacked him for no reason," said San Diego attorney Terry Singleton. Ramirez, 42, was arrested after he allegedly became involved in a physical fight with a female deputy over the towing of a truck, according to sheriff's officials. Cpl. Dennis Gutierrez, Riverside County Sheriff's Department public information officer, said during the fight Ramirez grabbed the deputy's baton and was pepper sprayed by a male community services officer. But Singleton said his client only grabbed the baton to keep the deputy from hitting him. He said his client did not lose his temper or use profanity with the deputy. Surrounded by family members, including his parents and daughter, Ramirez said he had trouble getting out of bed Friday and found it "kind of hard to talk." Singleton said Ramirez had suffered three fractures to his hand when the deputy twisted it while he was already on the ground. Wednesday's incident, Singleton said, is part of a pattern of misconduct by the Sheriff's Department against Hispanics in the east valley that ranges from unlawful use of deadly force to unreasonable towing. He said he will be asking the U.S. Department of Justice to conduct a civil rights investigation. [more]

St. Charles Parish Deputy Cleared Of Assault Claim Against Black Woman

A St. Charles Parish sheriff's deputy has been cleared of allegations of assault and wrongful arrest involving a Des Allemands woman in January 2002. Louise Robinson Young and her daughter, Earlyndra Robinson, filed the lawsuit in federal court against Deputy Mark Smith. They sought unspecified damages. A four-day trial ended last week when the six-person jury ruled in Smith's favor. The case stemmed from an incident in front of Hahnville High School. According to the lawsuit, Young was waiting to pick up her daughter on the left side of the road in front of the school. Smith asked her to move, and an altercation ensued, during which Smith handcuffed Young and dragged her backward, causing her to fall. Smith booked Young with resisting arrest, intimidating a police officer and obstructing a public passageway. Young claimed that Smith violated her rights during the altercation. She said she will contact the NAACP before deciding whether to appeal, saying race played a factor in the jury's decision. Smith is white, Young is black, and Young said there were no black jurors. [more]

Jury grapples to decide fate in second Riders trial

As the jury in the "Riders" police misconduct case begins deciding the fate of three former city police officers this week, they will wrestle with two distinct stories, each with its share of holes. Defense attorneys in closing arguments last week maintained the three, who are accused of beating residents and falsifying reports, are victims of a political witch hunt. But prosecutors claim the trio were rogue cops running wild through the streets of West Oakland undetected because they knew how to lie well. Like the first trial, which ended with the officers being acquitted of some charges and the jury deadlocked on others, the second act in the Riders case has followed predictable patterns. Since the retrial began in October, Deputy district attorneys Terry Wiley and Ben Beltramo focused on the West Oakland residents who said they were beaten and the incidents in which those beatings allegedly occurred. They showed the bloodied and swollen faces of eight residents who crossed the path of the accused officers in the summer of 2002. They showed police reports the officers allegedly doctored. [more]

• Pictured above: The corner 14th and Peralta is considered the center of West Oakland and ground zero for the four Oakland police officers known as "The Riders," who are under investigation for misconduct. [more]
  

Charlottesville Police Report sparks race discussion

A deep-seated mistrust of Charlottesville police within the black community so hampered the investigation into a recent police shooting, the city’s top prosecutor said, that the only option was to seek the appointment of a special grand jury with subpoena power. That jury cleared the officers of wrongdoing, but also returned an unusual 12-page report detailing ways to improve the city police department’s relationship with black residents. The case, Commonwealth’s Attorney Dave Chapman said, highlights the wide racial divide that city police must work to overcome. “It literally became apparent that we were not going to be able to complete a comprehensive investigation unless we had the ability to make people appear and answer questions,” Chapman said. City officials, authorities and local black leaders said they agree with the report’s recommendations. Some pointed out that the case was just one of several racially divisive issues that have exploded in the past year or so, including a police policy of seeking DNA from black men in the hunt for a serial rapist and widespread criticism of Scottie Griffin, the black school superintendent. All agree there is a problem, but opinions differed on the degree to which race relations have suffered. [more]

Calumet City Officer who Beat Down Black Teen Suing the City

The city now will be targeted in a multifaceted lawsuit by a Calumet City police officer who said he was betrayed by officials after being accused of beating a teen detained on a jaywalking charge. The disciplinary action against Officer Louis Picicco escalated this month when he was ordered suspended without pay pending the outcome of an arbitration hearing set to convene April 29. Picicco was accused in August of beating Don Pennington Jr., then 16. The officer had been on paid administrative leave since September. Picicco has contended that he simply restrained the teen, who he said attacked him after becoming irate over being detained at the station. Picicco, through his attorney, Luke Casson, previously said he would file suit against City Attorney Burt Odelson. He alleged there was a conflict of interest when Odelson, who represented both the city and Picicco, negotiated a civil rights lawsuit with Pennington's family without accepting Picicco's version of the story. Picicco wanted to wait for the arbitration outcome before deciding if the city would be a target. According to Casson, that changed when the officer was suspended. The suit will allege legal malpractice by Odelson, defamation of character and civil rights violations, Casson said. [more]

Bakersfield police face new rules after federal investigation

A year after a U.S. Justice Department investigation into alleged racial profiling and excessive force, the Bakersfield Police Department is instituting sweeping policy changes that limit, among other things, the circumstances in which an officer can shoot at a moving vehicle. Though the investigation found no proof of the allegations, the report has spurred a move in the police department to better train its officers, said Bakersfield Police Chief Bill Rector. Written guidelines on policies including shooting at vehicles, deploying dogs and using pepper spray have recently been given to all officers, according to a list of changes recently released by the department. Supervisors are now required to report all uses of force on separate forms, as well on standard police reports, Rector said. The information is put into a database that allows police to track patterns. The department would eventually like to make portions of the information available to the public. The policy changes also strengthen the guidelines regarding when officers can fire their guns at moving vehicles. Such shootings can cause bullet ricochets that can injure officers or bystanders, according to the Justice Department report. Rector said officers must now be in an immediate threat situation to fire at a moving vehicle. Officers also must not place themselves in the path of a moving vehicle. [more]

Bay Area Fijians march to protest shooting of Kamal Lal

Bay Area Fijians plan to take to the streets Sunday to protest the recent fatal shooting of a man by the California Highway Patrol, and to call for more scrutiny of the use of so-called "deadly force." Members from the National Association of Fiji Americans and their supporters will march the half-mile from downtown Redwood City to the CHP's local office to commemorate the death of Kamal Lal. The 43-year-old Lal, a Fijian, was killed on March 6 during a standoff with officers on Highway 101 in Belmont. Lal, a South San Francisco resident, led police on a high-speed chase up and down the Peninsula before crashing, then allegedly threw rocks at officers, finally coming at them with a piece of concrete. Lal was wanted in connection with a domestic violence incident earlier that day. Protest organizer Ashok Muni said he while doesn't condone Lal's actions, the officers used poor judgment. "They pull out their guns and shoot to kill," Muni said. "When officers were found in this situation, they shouldn't have made a quick decision, and actually taken a second to decide."  [more]

•  'It doesn't make sense,' says wife of man shot by CHP [more]

KKK Reputation Said To Hamper Police Recruitment in Frederick County

Frederick County's lingering reputation as a Ku Klux Klan stronghold is hurting the Frederick City Police Department's efforts to reach minority hiring goals specified in a 1993 consent decree, a consultant says. Twelve years after the agreement was signed to settle a discrimination lawsuit, the department remains far short of the goal of increasing the number of black officers to match the percentage of black city residents, according to a report by Personnel Performances Inc. The San Diego-based firm found that there were nine black officers on the city's 135-member police force, The Frederick News-Post reported Wednesday. The department needs to hire at least seven more blacks to meet goals outlined in the agreement, the consultants said. Although the department has made strides, including putting a black officer in charge of personnel, "there is still a perception of it being Klan country," consultant Terry Eisenberg said. "It's not universal, but enough people bring it up that it still hangs out there. [more]

Modesto Activist says Enough is Enough with Police civil rights abuses

A Modesto civil rights activist is organizing a march in Ceres Saturday to protest what he calls a "perceived misconduct by the Ceres Police Department." Robert Stanford is also calling for a "demand for greater appreciation and understanding by local law enforcement of Latino culture." Stanford joins some Hispanics in criticizing the Ceres Police Department for its aggressive crackdown on gang members in Ceres, saying officers are profiling Latinos and taking unnecessary force. "This is no police state," said Stanford. "This is not Nazi Germany. We're against police drawing heavy artillery on Latino children and...pulling them over because they meet one or two of the criteria." Ceres Police Chief Art de Werk said he's troubled that Stanford would conduct a march "based on perceptions and not not as facts or reality." The march comes months after de Werk's department made overtures to reach out to the Hispanic community. He has consistently explained that his department cannot afford to take a laid-back approach to gangs following the Jan. 9 shooting of two of his officers by a gang member.  [more]

• Pictured above: Last month Police Chief Art de Werk asked for and received $260,000 to purchase an armoured rescue/tactical vehicle. He said the vehicle would contribute to the safety of officers and citizenss and to allow the rescue of incapacitated individuals during shootings. [more]
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• Ceres March and Rally for Justice! [more]