Justice Department Launches Civil Rights Probe of Seattle Police

From [HERE] and [HERE] The U.S. Department of Justice is launching a formal civil rights investigation of the Seattle Police Department following several high-profile violent incidents, federal officials said Thursday.

The incidents include the shooting death of a Native American carver, the stomping of a Latino suspect and the punching of an African American teenage jaywalker.

The announcement followed the Justice Department's decision in January to do a preliminary review of Seattle police's use-of--force practices. That review came after the American Civil Liberties Union and other groups called for an investigation into a possible pattern or practice of unnecessary use of force, especially against minorities.

 In their request, the ACLU and other organizations asserted that some Seattle officers appear to "inflict injury out of anger" at suspects rather than to protect public safety. "Distrust of the police by communities of color grows as a result, and it becomes harder for the Seattle Police Department to do its job of keeping all Seattle residents safe," said the letter, which was sent to Durkan and Perez.

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Several Birmingham Police Officers Caught on Tape Beating Black Man who had Surrendered

From [HERE] and [HERE] Birmingham attorney, Charles Salvagio, has obtained surveillance video of an arrest which shows his client, Travarious Daniel, being hit and kicked by police officers as he was prone on the ground with his arms out.

Several Birmingham Police officers pile on a suspect, and beat him. Prior to the beating Daniel is standing with arms outstretched as he had apparently surrendered to police. Although over twenty blows are counted on the tape, the Alabama police report described the attack by police as "minimal force."

It was on march 20th on the 16 hundred block of 1^st Ave North directly across from Birmingham Police Headquarters where 29-year old Travarious Daniel was arrested. Salvagio says, “My client wanted it to be shown to the public, because he didn't want anyone else to be treated like this.”

“We counted 5 officers and we quit counting the blows after 20, I'm going to let you be the judge. A guy comes out he has his hands up appears to me all you have to do put his hands behind his back and put him in the car, but I'll let the tape speak for itself,” says Salvagio.

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Border Patrol Fatally Shoot Latino Man Three times in the Back Because he Looked like an Illegal Immigrant

From [HERE] and [HERE] Carlos La Madrid was driving a vehicle Douglas Police had deemed "suspicious" for unknown reasons as it sped away from them toward the Mexican border last week. According to police, he drove to the border wall west of the Douglas Port of Entry, ran out of his car and began to climb a ladder on the border wall. Police apparently assumed Madrid was an undocumented immigrant due to his physical features. The Border Patrol claimed that he, or possibly someone on the Sonoran side, was throwing rocks at an agent who then opened fire.  Madrid was a U.S. citizen.

When asked if the agent suffered any injuries as a result of the alleged rock throwing, Carol Capas, spokeswoman for the sheriff’s office, said, “I do not have any indication that he did.” The FBI is conducting its own investigation into the assault against the agent, said Manuel Johnson, spokesman for the federal agency in Phoenix.  

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Cleveland Police Officers who Tasered Black Man to Death Back at Work

From [HERE] Two Cleveland Police Officers, Stanley Perry and Brian Goza, have returned to the job after being suspended pending an investigation of the July 23, 2010, TASER incident that raised many questions about police procedures and left one local man dead. “All I can say about this is that yes both officers have returned to full duty with the police force,” said Cleveland Police Chief Charles “Buster” Bingham.

“They were recently cleared by a local grand jury and allowed to return to work. I can’t elaborate any further so I will say ‘no comment’ to any other questions on the matter because of the pending litigation against the city and the officers,” he said. The city of Cleveland and the two officers were named in a $25 million, wrongful death suit after an incident where 30-year-old Jermaine Williams died.

Bolivar County Deputy Coroner J.O. Trice said he considered the death of Williams a homicide and attributed it solely to the TASER. “The cause of death was cardiac arrhythmia that was induced by the electrical tasing device (TASER),” he said on Saturday. “The young man was quite healthy for a 30-year-old fellow. He said that Williams was hit in the back and front of his body with the TASER [MORE] 

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Shreveport Police Officer faces 10 years for perjury, filing false records

From [HERE] A former Shreveport police officer who was terminated more than four years ago after leaving the scene of an officer-involved shooting faces up to 10 years in prison for lying about his actions that night.

A Caddo jury this week convicted Morgan King on one count each of perjury and filing false public records. And Caddo District Judge Mike Pitman on Wednesday set a sentencing hearing for April 20. King, 54, faces up to five years in prison on each count. King was charged with perjury in February 2007 after he testified during a hearing to determine whether a man convicted of attempted murder of a police officer would get a new trial.

Authorities say King made a false statement about turning on his emergency lights at the scene of the shooting to cover up departmental violations, with hopes of getting his job back.

King was fired for his actions that night. Raymond Darnell was shot by a patrolman after he wounded his girlfriend in front of police. Video from a police car near the shooting shows King arrive at the shooting. He walked by the injured woman then left the scene. Prosecutors say King later falsified his daily activity log about being on the scene.

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ACLU Files 2 Suits Against Denver Police for Racial Bias: Latino Man Wrongfully Detained and Arrested 5 days for Being 'Illegal Immigrant'

From [HERE] and [HERE] and [HERE] Two lawsuits filed within the past week in federal court accuse the Denver Police Department of racial bias.

In the first lawsuit filed in federal court Monday, attorneys for the ACLU allege that officers falsely accused Denver resident Jose Sanchez of being an “illegal immigrant,” improperly arrested him for supposedly providing “false identification,” and illegally entered and searched the home of his girlfriend without a warrant. The ACLU says that the alleged “false” identification was a valid photo ID card issued by the Department of Homeland Security. Sanchez was jailed for five days, which caused him to lose his job, according to the ACLU.

“This case highlights two issues that the Citizens Oversight Board and the Independent Monitor have repeatedly identified as subjects of multiple complaints about Denver police: Racial profiling and illegal entries into the homes of Denver residents,” said a statement from Mark Silverstein, ACLU of Colorado legal director. “Denver police need to base their policing on evidence, not biased stereotypes and they need to respect the Fourth Amendment’s ban on unreasonable searches and seizures.”

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Jury finds Corpus Christi Officer did not violate Constitutional rights in fatal shooting of Latino Man

From [HERE] CORPUS CHRISTI — A jury sided with the city Tuesday in a civil case involving a Corpus Christi police officer who shot and killed a man in 2009.

The family of Sylvester Villasana sued the city in federal court alleging police used excessive force. Villasana was killed May 9, 2009, after leading police on a high speed car chase and foot pursuit that ended when he was cornered in a vacant lot on the corner of Port and Dillon avenues.

The 28-year-old was shot by Officer Justin Sanders after police say Villasana refused to comply with commands to surrender and lunged at Sanders with a knife in one hand and a cellphone in the other. The jury decided Sanders did not violate Villasana’s constitutional rights to be free from excessive force during the incident. The jury deliberated for almost 3 1/2 hours Tuesday.

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Birmingham Police Defend their Conduct in Vicious Videotaped Beating of Unarmed Black Man

On Jan. 23, 2008 38-year-old Anthony Warren was severley beaten by Brmingham Police. He suffered a severe concussion, a skull fracture, internal bleeding and broken bones. The incident was captured on video. According to his pending lawsuit, Birmingham police officers "repeatedly struck [him] about his head and body causing him to be hospitalized for four days and unconscious for the majority of that time' Although numerous Birmingham officers and supervisors had seen the the video- none reported it for nearly a year. [MORE] and [MORE]  

From [HERE] A daylong hearing Monday on five former Birmingham officers, fired after the high-profile videotaped beating of a motorist after a chase in 2008, ended without resolution or a recommendation.

Jim Sturdivant, the hearing officer charged with making a recommendation to the three-member Jefferson County Personnel Board, was by the day's end clearly frustrated with the city of Birmingham, which he said didn't provide sufficient testimony supporting the firing of the officers in 2009.

Sturdivant also said he was dismayed that they didn't show the highly publicized videotape itself [see HERE], that Police Chief A.C. Roper appeared at the hearing only after he questioned his absence and that no one with the authority to hire or fire officers took the stand.

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Beating of Black Man by Oneonta Police Leaves him with 'One Functional Eye' -stopped for talking on cell phone

ONEONTA, N.Y. (WKTV) - Bradford Shanks of Oneonta is seeking over $1 million in damages after he says police officers used excessive force and beat him following a January 28 traffic stop.

Shanks was pulled over on January 28 for allegedly talking on his cell phone, but Shanks denies he was using his phone while driving. Shank's Attorney Bryan Konoski says that a notice of claim has been filed and he expects to file a lawsuit against Otsego County, the City of Oneonta, the Police Department and its Chief, Joseph Redmond, as well as Officer Michael Breen. Breen is the officer accused of beating Shanks and is currently suspended without pay.

Shanks only has one functional eye and his attorney says the alleged beating damaged that eye. Konoski says that after the alleged beating, Shanks needed medical attention that he was not given. "He also was denied prompt medical attention," Konoski said. "The officers at the station refused to bring Mr. Shanks to the hospital even after a recommendation by an EMT from the neighboring fire department." 

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18 Current Black Inmates with Torture Claims Against Chicago police

From [HERE] and [HERE] A list of 18 current inmates in Illinois prisons who have alleged that former Chicago Police Lt. Jon Burge (above) or his officers tortured them into confessions, as compiled by attorneys. Lawyers and advocates say anywhere from 16-24 men who claim to have been tortured by Burge or his officers are currently incarcerated in Illinois. The number is hard to nail down because each of them is represented by different lawyers, if they still have representation at all, and some have either finished their sentences or been released.  

1. Edward James: Sentenced to 60 years in prison for the armed robbery of a gas station along with James Lewis; claims police threatened him with a "horror chamber," beat and choked him in 1979 to get a confession. 
2. James Lewis: Sentenced to 60 years in prison for the armed robbery of a gas station along with Edward James; claims an officer slammed him against a wall and placed a forearm against his throat in 1979 so that he'd confess. 
3. Tony Anderson: Sentenced to more than 100 years in prison for murder, attempted murder and armed robbery; claims police put a gun to his head, beat him with a night stick and physically abused him for hours in 1990 to get a confession to 13 different crimes. 
4. Stanley Wrice (right): Sentenced to 100 years in prison in the kidnapping, rape and torture of a woman; claims police beat him across the face, body and groin with a flashlight and piece of rubber in 1982 to get a confession. The Illinois appeals court has granted him a new evidentiary hearing, but prosecutors are challenging the move. 
5. Leonard Hinton: Sentenced to life in prison for the shooting deaths of three people; claims police beat, suffocated and electrically shocked him in 1983 to get a confession. The Illinois appeals court has granted him a new evidentiary hearing, but prosecutors are challenging the move. 
6. Reginald Mahaffey: Sentenced to death, along with his brother, for fatally beating two people during a robbery; claims he was beaten and threatened with suffocation in 1983 to get a confession. 
7. Jerry Mahaffey: Sentenced to death, along with his brother, in fatal beating of two people during a robbery; claims police beat him and threatened him with suffocation in 1983 to get a confession. 
8. Leonard Kidd: Sentenced to death, along with his half-brother Leroy Orange, in fatal stabbing of three adults and a child in a drug-induced frenzy; also convicted for setting fire to a building in which 10 children died; claims police used electric shock and beat him in 1984 to get a confession. Orange was pardoned by then-Gov. George Ryan in 2003. 
9. Vincent Wade: Sentenced to life in prison for the robbery and murder of an alleged drug dealer; claims officers kneed him in the groin, punched him in the stomach, hit him with a phone book and flashlight in 1984 to get a confession. 
10. Franklin Burchette: Sentenced to life in prison for the beating deaths of his wife's three children; claims police shocked him with an electrical prod, hit him on the head with a phonebook, beat him and denied him sleep in 1985 to get a confession. 
11. Clarence Trotter: Sentenced to life in prison for murder and sexual assault, along with Michael Tillman; claims he was beaten with a flashlight and phonebook, suffocated with a typewriter cover and strangled by police in 1986 so that he'd confess. Tillman was released from prison last year after prosecutors conceded his confession had been coerced and that they couldn't prove him guilty without it. 
12. Grayland Johnson: Sentenced to life for the 1988 murder of a man accused of stealing from drug dealers; claims police hung him by his handcuffs from a bathroom window, suffocated him with a plastic bag and hit him in 1988 to get a confession. 
13. Eric Johnson: Sentenced to life in prison for two murders; claims police beat and kicked him in 1989 to get a confession. 
14. Derrick King (left): Sentenced to death for robbery-related shooting death at a candy store; claims police beat him with a baseball bat and with a telephone book on his kneecaps and chest in 1980 to get a confession.
15. Demond Weston: Sentenced to 75 years in prison for gang-related shooting deaths; claims police beat him with a phonebook, choked him and threatened him with hanging in 1990 to get a confession. 
16. Johnny Plummer: Sentenced to life in prison after being convicted of two separate murders, including one in a candy store; claims police punched him and hit him with a flashlight in 1991 to get a confession. 
17. Javan Deloney: Sentenced to life in prison in connection with gang-related shooting deaths; claims police slapped, elbowed and hit him in 1991 to get a confession. 
18. Keith Walker: Sentenced to life in prison after being convicted of murder; claims he was beaten with a phonebook, verbally abused and electroshocked in 1991 to get a confession. His attorney says a judge has granted him a new evidentiary hearing.