Misconduct & Accountability

Incidents of misconduct by police, school teachers and administrators, and other government officials.

Obama Was Right About The Gates Arrest

Details: Published on Saturday, 25 July 2009; Written by Adam Winkler, Huffington Post

On Thursday, President Obama weighed in on the arrest of African-American Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates, saying a Cambridge police officer "acted stupidly" when he arrested Gates for disorderly conduct. The next day, Obama backed down from his harsh comment. Obama was right the first time!

Police Stop More Than 1 Million People Just Walking Down The Street

Details: Published on Thursday, 08 October 2009; Written by Colleen Long, AP

A teenager trying to get into his apartment after school is confronted by police. A man leaving his workplace chooses a different route back home to avoid officers who roam a particular street. These and hundreds of thousands of other Americans in big cities have been stopped on the street by police using a law-enforcement practice called stop-and-frisk...

The Truth Will Set You Free, But Only If You Have It On Video

Details: Published on Saturday, 20 June 2009; Written by Steven Silverman, FYR

If not for video, these two innocent men would have likely been sent to prison. Instead, they are free, and hopefully the crooked NYPD cops who framed them will be the ones behind bars. Need more proof that video is a necessary part of the solution to police misconduct?

Hollywood Officers Accused Of Faking Report In Crash

Details: Published on Wednesday, 29 July 2009; Written by Tonya Alanez, Sun-Sentinel

Four Hollywood police officers are on administrative duty pending investigations into allegations that they doctored a report of a DUI accident in February. The police officer rear-ended another vehicle and then arrested the driver of the vehicle he hit for DUI, claiming he smelled alcohol in the car. He and three other police officers then concocted a story about the woman being distracted by a stray caught, causing her to abruptly change lanes in front of the police officer and slam on her brakes. Fortunately for the police officers' intended victim, their discussion about what to say in the official report was recorded by the police car's dash cam.

Bad Cops Caught On Camera

Details: Published on Monday, 08 June 2009; Written by Scott Morgan, FYR

Surveillance cameras are great for catching bad guys red-handed. Unfortunately, far too often, the outrageous crimes caught on camera are committed by police officers. As video technology becomes cheaper and more ubiquitous, examples of gratuitous police brutality, cover-ups and false arrests emerge on a routine basis. Just look at what these videos revealed...

AIG Wants Taxpayer Dollars To Pay Out Another $250 Million In Bonuses

Details: Published on Friday, 10 July 2009; Written by Dennis Brady, Washington Post

American International Group's recent discussions with President Obama's compensation czar have centered on whether the company should pay about $250 million in bonuses that come due during the next nine months. AIG has asked the government to rule on several categories of bonuses, including millions of dollars in payments to top corporate executives.

Government Records About The Treatment Of Detainees At Bagram Should Be Released

Details: Published on Friday, 01 May 2009; Written by ACLU

Last week, the ACLU filed a Freedom of Information Act request seeking records about the detention and treatment of prisoners in U.S. custody at the Bagram Airfield prison in Afghanistan. The ACLU is requesting release of basic information, including how many people are imprisoned at Bagram, who they are, how long they've been detained, and where and under what circumstances they were captured. We're also requesting records about the process for prisoners to challenge their detention and designation as "enemy combatants."

Illinois Law School Got Scholarship Cash For Clout Admissions

Details: Published on Thursday, 09 July 2009; Written by Debra Cassens Weiss, ABA Journal

The University of Illinois law school got $300,000 in university scholarship money in exchange for admitting politically connected applicants, according to newly released documents obtained by a Chicago newspaper. Law school officials sought the money to counteract the negative drag on the school's ranking by U.S. News & World Report that would be caused by admitting applicants with lower grades and LSAT scores.

Obama Answers Questions On Torture, But What About Accountability?

Details: Published on Friday, 01 May 2009; Written by ACLU

On Wednesday, President Obama marked 100 days in office. Without a doubt, the Obama administration has a markedly different tone and attitude towards the rule of law and transparency, and should be commended for the steps taken to end unlawful Bush-era national security policies, including...

Brothers Found Video Evidence To Prove Cops Framed Them

Details: Published on Saturday, 13 June 2009; Written by Tom Hays & Colleen Long, AP

When undercover detectives busted Jose and Maximo Colon last year for selling cocaine at a seedy club in Queens, there was a glaring problem: The brothers hadn't done anything wrong. But proclaiming innocence wasn't going to be good enough. The Dominican immigrants needed proof.

More Than 250,000 People Demand Accountability For Torture

Details: Published on Friday, 01 May 2009; Written by Jeani Murray, ACLU

Attorney General Eric Holder heard the voices of more than a quarter million Americans who called on him to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate torture and detainee abuse. ACLU activists and members of the Stop Torture Now coalition delivered more than 250,000 petition signatures to the Attorney General during a Justice Department budget hearing on Capitol Hill. The pressure from concerned citizens like you on members of Congress made sure Holder was asked tough questions about the recently released torture memos and his plan to seek accountability.

Unarmed Tourist Shot And Killed By Miami Beach Police

Details: Published on Friday, 19 June 2009; Written by Miami Herald

Last weekend's shooting death of a tourist visiting Miami Beach has drawn national attention from Arab-American groups and others who are planning a gathering Friday night in front of the Miami Beach police headquarters to denounce Miami Beach police over the shooting death of Husien Shehada, a 29-year-old Palestinian American, who was unarmed and in Miami Beach on vacation with his brother and their girlfriends.

Bush's House Of Cards Begins To Fall

Details: Published on Friday, 01 May 2009; Written by Jameel Jaffer, ACLU

The Bush administration built an elaborate house of cards to justify torture, but thanks in part to some recent ACLU victories, the house of cards is finally beginning to fall. Over the last few weeks, we've secured the release of the Bush administration's torture memos and won an important appeals court ruling in our challenge to Jeppesen DataPlan's involvement in the CIA's rendition program. We are also anticipating the release of torture photographs that the Bush administration managed to suppress for years.

Admissions Policies At University Of Illinois Under Investigation

Details: Published on Wednesday, 10 June 2009; Written by Karen Ann Cullotta, NY Times

Gov. Patrick J. Quinn of Illinois appointed a panel on Wednesday to investigate accusations that the University of Illinois admitted hundreds of applicants based largely on their political connections. The Admissions Review Commission would look into 800 applicants who won spots at the university's Urbana-Champaign campus after intervention from state lawmakers and university trustees.

Blaming The Victim

Details: Published on Tuesday, 07 April 2009; Written by Scott Morgan, FYR

I wrote recently about the pending Supreme Court case stemming from the strip search of a 13 year-old student. School officials suspected Savana Redding of possessing prescription ibuprofen (yes, that's Advil), so they searched from head to toe, including her underwear. Nothing was found. Along with highlighting some interesting legal issues, the case reveals a great deal about the general lack of respect for students' rights that is all too common in our schools. This passage in the New York Times caught my attention...

Public Defender Offices In Crisis, And Defendants Are Paying The Price

Details: Published on Wednesday, 03 June 2009; Written by Deborah Hastings, AP

The accused, their lawyers, and even prosecutors agree that courts increasingly neglect their constitutional duties. In a series of Capitol Hill hearings, the latest scheduled for this week, congress members are struggling to grasp the enormity of the crisis. But the options are far from clear, particularly when virtually every state and local government is crying poor. Meanwhile, defendants suffer...

No Penalties For Torture?

Details: Published on Friday, 17 April 2009; Written by ACLU

Disturbing secret memos released yesterday detail the sadistic interrogation methods the Bush administration authorized the CIA to use on detainees. These memos provide shocking confirmation of high-level involvement in the Bush torture program. It's appalling to see how far our nation strayed from our commitment to human rights. To restore our values we must demand accountability from those responsible.

U.S. Resists Order In Wiretapping Case

Details: Published on Saturday, 30 May 2009; Written by Associated Press

The Obama administration says it has no obligation to provide access to a top-secret document in a wiretapping case, setting up a showdown with the judge who ordered that it be released.

Police Stealing From Innocent People

Details: Published on Tuesday, 24 March 2009; Written by Scott Morgan, FYR

Asset forfeiture laws allow police to confiscate property which is believed to have been obtained through criminal activity. The idea is that people who break the law shouldn't be allowed to profit from their crimes. As the struggling economy takes its toll on local law-enforcement budgets, police face an increased temptation to abuse their forfeiture powers. Mix in a little racial profiling and the situation quickly escalates into a shocking pattern of gratuitous civil rights abuses.

Baptist Pastor Attacked After Refusing Police Search

Details: Published on Monday, 20 April 2009; Written by Scott Morgan, FYR

It is precisely because too many police officers continue to recklessly disregard the basic rights of innocent people that we must make sure all citizens have the tools to confidently assert their rights if they choose to do so. This incident will likely culminate in a high-profile lawsuit that could change the way similar situations are handled in the future. If it weren't for this man's decision to flex his rights, there's no question that the officers he encountered would be out there right now abusing other people, instead of being investigated for civil rights violations.

Why Do Police Abuse Their Power?

Details: Published on Monday, 16 March 2009; Written by Scott Morgan, FYR

Bad examples from other officers, bad incentives from the department and, of course, the constant pressure of the job itself all contribute to police misconduct. There's nothing surprising about any of that. What I have a difficult time understanding is the tendency of police officers who obey the law to look the other way when their colleagues do not. The very notion of police covering for one another's misdeeds shocks the conscience and perverts the role of law-enforcement in a free society.

Supreme Court May Decide Florida Taser Case

Details: Published on Friday, 03 April 2009; Written by ACLU Florida

The U.S. Supreme Court has never heard a case on excessive use of force with Tasers by police officers, but that may change soon. In February, the ACLU of Florida filed a certiorari petition asking the U.S. Supreme Court to rule that a law enforcement officer's excessive use of force with a Taser is unconstitutional. The Taser abuse incident was captured by a video camera mounted on the patrol car dashboard of the Washington County, Florida Sheriff's Deputy, Jonathan Rackard.

Police Brutality: Deal With It

Details: Published on Tuesday, 10 March 2009; Written by Norm Stamper, Huffington Post

During my rookie days back in the sixties as a San Diego police officer I used excessive force, more than once. I remember most of the incidents, though I'm sure I've conveniently forgotten some. I'm ashamed, wish to hell I hadn't done it. But I did, and visceral memories of these incidents help shape an answer to the question of why certain cops engage in brutal behavior, and others don't.

Despite Red Flags About Judges, Kickback Scheme Flourished

Details: Published on Friday, 27 March 2009; Written by Ian Urbina, NY Times

Things were different in the Luzerne County juvenile courtroom, and everyone knew it. Proceedings on average took less than two minutes. Detention center workers were told in advance how many juveniles to expect at the end of each day -- even before hearings to determine their innocence or guilt. Lawyers told families not to bother hiring them. They would not be allowed to speak anyway. "The judge's whim is all that mattered in that courtroom . . . The law was basically irrelevant."

Pardoning Torture

Details: Published on Friday, 05 December 2008; Written by ACLU

There's a real risk that President Bush may issue pardons to a number of high-ranking Administration officials for any activities related to torture, extraordinary rendition and other abuses. That's right. Even before they're charged with a crime, Bush has the power to prevent any criminal investigation into the activities of Cheney, Rumsfeld, Ashcroft, Gonzales and others whose behavior raises serious questions. We must make it clear that preemptive pardons aimed at letting high-ranking officials escape accountability for undermining the Constitution and violating the law go against American values of justice and due process.

VIDEO: Deputy Attacking Young Girl

Details: Published on Saturday, 28 February 2009; Written by Huffington Post

A King County sheriff's deputy kicks a 15-year-old girl, slams her to the floor of a jail cell, strikes her and pulls her hair in violence captured on videotape. Prosecutors released the surveillance video in Friday in the assault case against Deputy Paul Schene, who is accused of using excessive force on the girl.

Philadelphia Looks More Like Communist Russia

Details: Published on Sunday, 22 June 2008; Written by Will Bunch, Philadelphia Daily News

When Mayor Nutter announced late last year that he was hiring D.C. Charles Ramsey as his police commissioner, I said I would keep an open mind but I was dismayed at his treatment of anti-war protesters and his frequent clashes there over civil rights. So far, I've been mostly impressed with Ramsey -- murders have dropped slightly while he's taken a tough line on police brutality. That said, I find the detainment of four community activists in the Francisville neighborhood to be more than a little alarming. The only thing that's clear from what's come out so far is that the four oppose police surveillance cameras. What's not clear is what laws they allegedly violated -- they ultimately were not charged with anything...

Rachel's Law Passes Senate Committee

Details: Published on Wednesday, 18 March 2009; Written by Jim Ash, Tallahassee Democrat

A push to regulate the use of confidential informants cleared an important hurdle on Wednesday, but only after the heart-wrenching pleas of a grieving father left some lawmakers wondering whether "Rachel's Law" goes far enough. Pausing frequently to choke back tears, Irv Hoffman pleaded with lawmakers to provide greater protections for young people like his daughter, who get in trouble with the law and are willing to, "do anything to escape prosecution."

Miami Edison Attack: Not Gone, But Almost Forgotten

Details: Published on Saturday, 15 March 2008; Written by Know My Rights

It has been roughly one week since the violence and protest at Miami's Edison High School -- the media has all but forgotten what transpired there, and even the community's outcries have softened. Surely, last week's events still burn in the memories of the student who was attacked by Assistant Principal Perez, the approximately 25 students who were attacked by police and certainly in the thoughts of the 19 students who were arrested. Granted, 18 of those 19 students were released from juvenile detention following the community's protest last Monday morning, but even that gesture is one short and barely scratches the surface of the rallying students' long (but not wholly unreasonable) list of demands.

House Committee Approves 'Rachel's Law' For Confidential Informants

Details: Published on Tuesday, 17 March 2009; Written by Tallahassee Democrat

A "Rachel's Law" compromise sailed through House committee this morning. The legislation, named for 23-year-old Rachel Hoffman who was killed in a botched drug sting while working as a confidential informant, aims to provide better protection and more standard regulation for informants.

Government Attempts To Subvert The Constitution

Details: Published on Thursday, 24 July 2008; Written by ACLU

On Monday [July 21, 2008], Bush's Attorney General, Michael Mukasey, called on Congress to take dramatic steps to subvert the Constitution. Mukasey is demanding that Congress issue a new declaration of war that would make the entire globe -- including the United States itself -- a "battlefield" where the president decides who will be locked up forever. Instead of ending the Bush system of injustice, he wants Congress to make it permanent.

Rachel's Law To Protect Police Informants Nears Compromise

Details: Published on Wednesday, 04 March 2009; Written by Jim Ash, Tallahassee Democrat

A last-minute deal with the state's most powerful law-enforcement agencies may rescue a bill known as "Rachel's Law" that sought to tighten oversight for the use of confidential informants. The measure is named after 23-year-old Rachel Hoffman, a recent Florida State University graduate who was killed last year working as an informant in an undercover drug sting for the Tallahassee Police Department.

Arrest & Detention Fuels ICE Debate

Details: Published on Wednesday, 25 February 2009; Written by Victor Manuel Ramos, Orlando Sentinel

Police paid little attention to the domestic assault call to which they were responding when they arrested Rita Cote, who had no part in the assault. Cote, a 23-year-old mother of three U.S.-born children, was held for more than a week before the Lake County Sheriff's Office notified immigration authorities. Civil rights attorneys say the detention violated her rights, and advocates are calling for an end to arrests of immigrants by local police. The American Civil Liberties Union of Florida filed a petition in federal court alleging violations of Cote's constitutional rights. But before the case was heard, the woman was released to Border Patrol agents, effectively circumventing habeas corpus.

To Tase Or Not To Tase

Details: Published on Thursday, 05 February 2009; Written by ACLU Florida

In a petition submitted to the United States Supreme Court on Tuesday, the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida asked the nine Supreme Court Justices to rule that a law enforcement officer's excessive use of force with a Taser is unconstitutional. The case offers the Supreme Court its first opportunity to address Taser abuse in an incident captured by a video camera mounted on the patrol car dashboard of the Washington County, Florida Sheriff's Deputy, Jonathan Rackard.

Airlines Use Terrorism Law To Punish Unruly Passengers

Details: Published on Tuesday, 20 January 2009; Written by Ralph Vartabedian and Peter Pae, LA Times

At least 200 airline passengers have been convicted of a felony for violating a terrorism law since 2003, many of them for incidents that involved merely yelling, spouting profanities or acting in a drunken manner. Rarely did the cases involve a threat to hijack a plane or physical attacks on flight personnel. One woman, Tamera Jo Freeman, spent three months in jail and lost custody of her children for an altercation with a flight attendant.

Racial Profiling Gets Unarmed Man Shot

Details: Published on Thursday, 08 January 2009; Written by Ed Lavandera, CNN

Robbie Tolan, son of baseball player Bobby Tolan, was shot by police for allegedly trying to steal his own car from his own driveway while trespassing on his own property. Police cannot explain what made these officers believe any criminal conduct was taking place, but public opinion blames racial profiling -- a claim which the police department denies.

Unarmed Man Shot In The Back While Detained Face Down

Details: Published on Sunday, 04 January 2009; Written by Sean Maher, Oakland Tribune

A 22-year-old unarmed man, suspected of being involved in a subway train scuffle, is dragged face down by police, and after being roughed up, shot in the back as other officers watched.The family intends to file a $25 million lawsuit, and is urging prosecutors to file murder charges against the officer.

Undercover Police Arrest Innocent Man & Kill His Pet

Details: Published on Tuesday, 09 December 2008; Written by Kelly Davis, San Diego City Beat

Plainclothes San Diego cops, without a search warrant, surround and surveil a home as a suspected meth lab (which it turned out not to be). When the family dog goes out to inspect them they shoot it, then arrest the owner for assaulting officers, who at the time of the shooting still had not identified themselves, with a deadly weapon -- the dog.

'Non-Lethal' Tasers Killed 400 In US & Canada, 2001-2008

Details: Published on Saturday, 13 December 2008; Written by Andrew McLemore, Raw Story

They are marketed as non-lethal weapons that allow police to capture suspects or criminals without causing any permanent harm, but Tasers have killed more than 400 people in the United States and Canada since 2001, according to a new study commissioned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. Police departments across Canada began banning use of tasers. Will the U.S. follow suit?

Police Taser Man In Diabetic Shock

Details: Published on Tuesday, 09 December 2008; Written by John Byrne, Raw Story

Luckily for a driver who went into severe diabetic shock last month in Oklahoma, police arrived on the scene and called in an ambulance . . . But not before they tasered and handcuffed him!

Roanoke Police Forcefully Enter Man's Home, Attack Him, And Arrest On False Charges

Details: Published on Thursday, 27 November 2008; Written by Mike Gangloff, Roanoke Times

A Roanoke man is asking for $10 million in a federal lawsuit that says city police officers improperly arrested him. According to the lawsuit, officers pushed into the house, seized him, dragged him outside and charged him with being drunk in public. The public intoxication charge was later dismissed.

Hatians Treated Unfairly

Details: Published on Sunday, 04 January 2009; Written by Myriam Marquez, Miami Herald

Louiness, a 31-year-old baker, waits at the Glades detention facility in Central Florida to be sent to a country he hasn't seen in a decade, where no one waits for him. His 27-year-old bride in Miami tries to make sense of a senseless immigration law that would deport a law-abiding, working man because he had an old asylum petition denied. Never mind that he is married to a U.S. citizen, that he had, in good faith, filed for legal status and had shown up for the interview at the Citizenship and Immigration Services office when he was hauled away like a common criminal.

Blagojevich Arrested

Details: Published on Tuesday, 09 December 2008; Written by CNN

Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich appeared in court Tuesday afternoon to hear federal corruption charges against him. He was released on $4,500 bail. FBI agents arrested Blagojevich and his chief of staff, John Harris, early Tuesday on federal corruption charges related in part to the selection of President-elect Barack Obama's successor to the Senate, the U.S. attorney's office said.

Father of NFL Player Claims Houston PD Officers Beat Him

Details: Published on Thursday, 20 November 2008; Written by Fox News, Houston

The father of an NFL star claims he was brutally beating by Houston police officers. Marvin Driver, Jr., father of Green Bay Packers Pro-bowl wide receiver Donald Driver, claims the attack took place Sunday. Around 2 a.m., Marvin Driver was stopped by police for four outstanding traffic warrants. He was taken into custody and then less than an hour later, he was rushed to the emergency room.

Exposed: NSA Spying

Details: Published on Saturday, 11 October 2008; Written by ACLU

Reports all over the media yesterday and today confirm what we've known all along. Surveillance programs touted as critical to protect national security have in fact been used to monitor the private communications of innocent Americans abroad, including humanitarian workers and U.S. service-members. Two former military intercept operators -- the people at the National Security Agency (NSA) who actually listen in to people's calls -- revealed the news in an ABC report released yesterday.

Police Brutality at ECU

Details: Published on Tuesday, 09 September 2008; Written by NCB-WITN

There's an investigation tonight into what some are calling police brutality at the ECU-West Virginia game last night. The nationally televised game not only captured excited fans storming the field, but law enforcement grabbing, body-slamming and punching fans as they ran by.

Cyclist Attacked by NYPD

Details: Published on Tuesday, 12 August 2008; Written by Associated Press

A police officer shown on video body-checking a bicyclist who was riding as part of a demonstration was stripped of his badge and gun Monday. The incident occurred Friday evening in Times Square at the Critical Mass ride, a monthly protest of urban reliance on motor vehicles. The video clip, posted anonymously on the Internet on Sunday, shows the officer standing in the street as bikes whiz past. The officer moves toward the cyclist, identified in a criminal complaint as Christopher Long, and violently knocks him to the ground in front of crowds of people. Another officer comes over, and the two officers wrestle with Long before handcuffing him.

Tased 9 Times And Killed By Police

Details: Published on Thursday, 24 July 2008; Written by Drew Griffin and David Fitzpatrick, CNN

A police officer shocked a handcuffed Baron "Scooter" Pikes nine times with a Taser after arresting him on a cocaine charge. He stopped twitching after seven, according to a coroner's report. Soon afterward, Pikes was dead. Now the officer, since fired, could end up facing criminal charges in Pikes' January death after medical examiners ruled it a homicide. Dr. Randolph Williams, the Winn Parish coroner, told CNN the 21-year-old sawmill worker was jolted so many times by the 50,000-volt Taser that he might have been dead before the last two shocks were delivered. Williams ruled Pikes' death a homicide in June after extensive study.

The Police And Tasers

Details: Published on Thursday, 26 June 2008; Written by NY Times

New York Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly is eager to make the use of firearms a last resort for his officers. Now, based on a recommendation from the RAND Corporation, he and his top lieutenants are considering arming more New York police officers with a less lethal but still controversial weapon -- the Taser. Mr. Kelly has concerns about the device, which delivers a jolt of electricity meant to temporarily incapacitate the target. He is right to move with caution.

Money For Dishwasher, Lesson For Government

Details: Published on Thursday, 26 June 2008; Written by Palm Beach Post

After nearly three years of misguided prosecution and wasted tax dollars, the federal government finally appears to have lost its bid to seize the life savings of a Guatemalan dishwasher.

Police Raid Questioned

Details: Published on Sunday, 22 June 2008; Written by Kia Gregory, Inquirer

Daniel Moffat is searching for answers. He wants to know why Philadelphia police raided his Francisville home Friday without a warrant, and why the Department of Licenses and Inspections subsequently boarded it up. Outside City Hall yesterday, Moffat and one of his roommates were joined by about 150 people at a rally, where they called the Police Department's actions "illegal."

Philly Cops Target Young Activists

Details: Published on Sunday, 22 June 2008; Written by Dave Davies, Philadelphia Daily News

Four young residents of a North Philadelphia house who circulated petitions questioning police-surveillance cameras were rousted from their home Friday and detained 12 hours without charges while police searched their house. Daniel Moffat, 28, a co-owner of the house, said police had no warrant when they entered. The house was examined by officials from several government agencies and then shuttered by the city's Department of Licenses and Inspections. "This leaves me homeless, without access to things I need. My whole life is disrupted."

Indicted Chicago Cop Shines Light On Corruption

Details: Published on Friday, 30 May 2008; Written by Michael Conlon, Reuters

A former Chicago police officer charged with being part of a ring that falsely arrested and stole from drug dealers has detailed how the operation led to a plot to kill two colleagues, according to interview excerpts released on Friday. The scandal in the elite Special Operations Section helped lead to a change in the Chicago police department with the appointment of a new superintendent. In what was described as his first interview on the matter, FBI informant Keith Herrera told CBS' "60 Minutes" that pressure to get drug dealers and their guns off the streets led first to cutting corners and then to crime.

Chicago Cops In Scandal Spotlight

Details: Published on Tuesday, 03 June 2008; Written by David Heinzmann, Chicago Tribune

A Chicago police internal affairs investigator has testified before a federal grand jury about a 2005 memo he wrote questioning whether his bosses ignored alleged misconduct that grew into one of the biggest corruption scandals to hit the Police Department, sources close to the investigation said. The sources said the investigator, Christopher Taliaferro, testified April 17 before a grand jury probing the Special Operations Section, an elite unit that had wide latitude to search for guns and drugs in gang-infested neighborhoods. Taliaferro's testimony indicates that federal authorities continue to investigate whether Police Department higher-ups, including internal affairs bosses, allowed SOS officers to incur hundreds of complaints of illegal searches and robberies without stopping them.

Police Beating Suspects

Details: Published on Thursday, 08 May 2008; Written by CNN

Philadelphia city officials said Wednesday the beatings of three suspects, captured on video by a television news crew, were "unacceptable," and added officers' emotions are running high after the slaying of a sergeant last week. "We certainly are concerned about what we saw on the tape," Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey told reporters Wednesday afternoon. "The matter is being taken very seriously."

Door-To-Door Police Searches: Say NO!

Details: Published on Sunday, 06 April 2008; Written by ACLU-NCA

The Metropolitan Police Department says that officers will go to Eckington, Columbia Heights, Washington Highlands (and possibly other neighborhoods) to ask residents' permission to search their homes.

They will ask residents to sign a consent form, which answers some questions but not others. But even though the form says that someone could be charged with a crime as the result of the search, too many people may not understand what is written or take the time to read the form carefully.

The ACLU-NCA, DC ACORN and our coalition partners such as AYUDA, the National Black Police Assn and Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO want to ensure that residents really understand the consequences of agreeing to a search and that they realize they have an absolute right to refuse -- without retaliation of any kind.

Charges Dropped Against Seven Edison Students

Details: Published on Thursday, 10 April 2008; Written by Fox News, WSVN 7

Charges have been dropped against seven students for their role in a demonstration that got out of control at Miami's Edison High School.

Flier Blasts TSA Over Piercings Removal

Details: Published on Thursday, 27 March 2008; Written by Greg Risling, Associated Press

A Texas woman who said she was forced to remove a nipple ring with pliers in order to board an airplane called Thursday for an apology by federal security agents and a civil rights investigation.

Miami Youth Rally For Restorative Justice After Edison Attack

Details: Published on Wednesday, 19 March 2008; Written by Denise Perry, Power U

On Wednesday, March 5th, 4:00pm, Power U youth and others from Edison Senior High School will join together in front of the Miami Dade School Police Department at 6100 NW 2nd Avenue to protest the unfair arrests that happened Friday February 29th at Miami Edison, and to demand a completed feasibility study for Restorative Justice that was promised in January. This study and indecisive administration stand in the way of implementing Restorative Justice in schools.

The youth of Power U Center have been demanding the Miami Dade Schools to implement a program of Restorative Justice in the schools.

Restorative Justice is a form of problem and issue solving that provides everyone involved a voice, engaging the community in order to address the root of problems through dialogue.

The REAL Story At Miami Edison Senior High School: Students Protest, Police Riot

Details: Published on Wednesday, 19 March 2008; Written by Max Rameau

Miami and Miami-Dade School police are rioting against students of Edison Senior High School on the morning of Friday, February 29th. The story is all over local and national news, but is being skewed against the students. Here is the real deal:

Edison Students Blame Police Brutality For Melee

Details: Published on Wednesday, 19 March 2008; Written by Michael Williams, CBS-4

Classes have ended for the day at Miami Edison High School following a massive fight between police and students. Students claim they were attacked by police as they tried to stage a peaceful protest, but police say the students became unruly and attacked police officers, prompting a massive response.

Baltimore Officer Suspended When Video Of Him Berating And Assaulting Child Skateboarders Surfaces On YouTube

Details: Published on Wednesday, 19 March 2008; Written by Melissa Underwood, Fox News

The Baltimore Police Department suspended a police officer after a video surfaced on the Internet showing the officer berating two kids for skateboarding, putting one of them in a headlock, and pushing the boy on the concrete.

Sidewalk Chalk Artist Fights New York Police Harassment

Details: Published on Friday, 14 March 2008; Written by Maria Luisa Tucker, The Village Voice

As he crouched down on the Cobble Hill sidewalk, Ellis Gallagher used a piece of chalk to outline an elegant shadow cast by a streetlight. The 34-year-old artist is known in Brooklyn for his chalk outlines of mailboxes, fences, bicycles, and the like. On this October night, he was accompanied by a cameraman filming a profile of him for Channel 13's New York Voices (online at thirteen.org/nyvoices). Soon after the camera started rolling, Gallagher received his harshest review. A cop car rolled up, and the film crew caught bits of the conversation between two officers and Gallagher.

Taser Stun Gun Death Captured On Video

Details: Published on Friday, 14 March 2008; Written by BBC News | Americas

Video footage has been released in Canada showing the last moments of an immigrant who died after being stunned with a Taser by police. Robert Dziekanski, 40, of Pieszyce, Poland, was killed by police after becoming agitated at Vancouver International Airport on 14 October. Mr Dziekanski, who spoke no English, was declared dead at the scene by an emergency medical team.

UF Taser Incident Should Have Been Avoided, Says ACLU

Details: Published on Friday, 14 March 2008; Written by Brandon Hensler, ACLU Florida

The American Civil Liberties Union of Florida today expressed dismay at the circumstances surrounding a University of Florida Police Officer's use of a taser gun in the process of arresting a student at a speech by U.S. Senator John Kerry in Gainesville. The student, Andrew Meyer, was forcibly removed by campus police from a microphone where he was asking questions of Sen. Kerry.

Kerry can be heard expressing a desire to respond to Meyer's questions in videotape coverage of the campus incident, so the question becomes -- did police squander the free speech rights of both Kerry and Meyer?

Arkansas Cop Cleared Of Choking Skateboarder

Details: Published on Friday, 14 March 2008; Written by Jon Gambrell, Associated Press

A police officer who appeared to choke a skateboarder and put two others in a headlock in a video posted online used appropriate force when making his arrests, an internal police investigation found.

The Hot Springs Police Department Internal Affairs Board found the use of force was within the police department's policy on non-deadly force and recommended "no changes to this policy." The decision was released Monday.

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