When cops lie to get warrants and conduct heavily-armed, no-knock raids, the death of an innocent woman like 92-year-old Kathryn Johnston is the almost inevitable result. The malfeasance within Atlanta's police narcotics unit that led to this enormous settlement tops this week's Top 5 Police Blunders...
5. Philadelphia Police Vans
Philadelphia officials aren't sure how three prisoners being transported to the Curran-Fromhold Correctional Facility were able to dislodge a bolt locking the van's back door Saturday, enabling them to escape while the vehicle was stopped at an intersection.
Omar Roane was one of nine prisoners being transported from the district police station to jail, and the only one to evade capture. Two other prisoners attempted to escape, but were captured within 20 feet of the van. (Maybe their heart wasn't in it?)
Roane is a drug dealer known as "Little O" because of his diminutive stature -- about 5-foot-7 and 125 pounds. He'd been arrested on Friday for the shooting death last June of 17-year old Kyree Young, allegedly during a drug robbery. Roane's tattooed with two teardrops on his upper left cheek, "RIP Rob" on his right hand and "YHM" on his neck -- though it's unclear whether that's a reference to the urban girl's magazine YHM, which stands for young, hot and modern.
The 22-year old Roane was still in his street clothes -- tan shorts and a long-sleeve blue/green sweater -- when he escaped, so we can at least vouch for the young and hot part, though a sweater in August? Not sure how modern that is.
4. Reginald Watson
Apparently it's not enough to worry about creepy teachers. Kids need to watch out for school cops as well. Baltimore's Reginald Watson had been working at Masonville Cove Community Academy four years when year he decided to dip into his workplace's teenage dating pool.
Watson's not necessarily the most romantic guy, but he tries. His idea of dinner and a movie was pop tarts, soda and Lean On Me, the Morgan Freeman vehicle about a principal's attempts to reform an inner city New Jersey high school.
That's how he attempted to warm up the unidentified 16-year-old female victim, but he hadn't even gotten her to simmer when he verbalized his desire to perform sex acts with/upon her. It wasn't very smooth, and prompted her to attempt to leave. Seeing his opportunity slip away he grabbed her hands, pulled her close and copped feels of her breasts and buttocks.
The 36-year old Watson told authorities he called her into his office because he thought she was high, but he was probably hoping she was drunk. The school administrators were upbraided by the judge who accused them of treating the girl's accusations callously. (Ever wonder why victims of abuse are hesitant to come forward?)
The judge found Watson guilty of three counts, including sexual abuse of a minor, which carries a maximum sentence of 15 years, and a fourth-degree sex offense which could cost him as much as 10 years.
3. Bruce Barlow
Good help is hard to find. Just ask Mendenhall, Mississippi's city government. Less than three years after then-Police Chief Jimbo Sullivan was charged with sexual battery of a teenage girl, his replacement, Chief Bruce Barlow, was placed on paid administrative leave after a raid of police headquarters by the FBI, the state attorney general's and the state auditor's offices.
According to sources close to the investigation, Barlow didn't see why lawyers should get all the money. (Though Barlow's pay hasn't been disclosed, Sullivan was only paid $33,000.) So he allegedly installed his own shadow justice system, much like the legitimate one, in that if you paid enough money, you got off. After a donation to what was called a "drug fund" (whose monies may have been used to buy Barlow several palettes of Just For Men), the charges were supposedly expunged and the case never went to court.
Assistant Chief Alexander "Candy" McCullum has been appointed acting chief. For the moment, it's unclear whether his appointment is a trick or treat.
2. Devin Sparksand Randy Murr
Be careful what you say and do around Denver cops, because they're not known for their discretion.
In just the past couple years they've been accused of slamming a bicyclist's face into the pavement, trying to intimidate McDonald's employees into moving faster by flashing their gun, brutally beating five handcuffed men, and jumping up and down on the back of a 16-year-old. In just the last three years they've paid out settlements totaling in excess of $1 million. So you'll excuse Denver residents if the latest incident feels like deja vu.
The encounter between 25-year old Shawn Johnson and 24-year old Michael DeHerrera in April 2009 was captured on one of the city's High Activity Location Observation or HALO cameras. (Yes, Virginia, there are some advantages to an enormous surveillance state.) Johnson had an altercation with a bouncer at a nearby club when he used the woman's bathroom, resulting in he and DeHerrera being kicked out. (Regular clubgoers will recognize the double-standard.)
The conflict with the bouncer spilled out into the street, and according to DeHerrera they ran across the street to avoid further conflict. According to the cops, the two pushed a police officer and then fled across the street, where two officers arrested the African-American Johnson on the blacktop. DeHerrera, standing a few feet away, called his father, who is a sheriff's deputy, worried about how the cops were abusing his friend. This is where the camera picks up the the scene. (See video above.)
Officer Devin Sparks comes up to DeHerrera, grabs about the head and shoulders, then slams him hard onto the ground, thumping him several times as he and Officer Randy Murr cuff him. DeHerrera came away with bruises all over his face and several chipped teeth. DeHerrera received a $17,000 settlement from the city.
After a police investigation, one cop was given a three day suspension and the other was docked a day's pay. However, there's such a clear discrepancy between what they wrote in their reports (where they suggest DeHerrera took a swing at them) and what can be seen from the video (not at all!) that the Office of the Independent Monitor, which oversees police behavior, believes they should be fired for perjuring themselves. Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper has called the FBI in to investigate. Which of course had everything to do with seeking justice and nothing to do with the fact that Hickenlooper's the Democractic nominee for governor.
After creating a shirt for the 2008 Democratic National Convention which made its rounds within the department, reading "We get up early to BEAT the crowds," you have to wonder how long before they turn Things To Do In Denver When You're Dead into a police brutality training video.
1. Greg Junnier, Jason Smith, and Arthur Tesler
Police work's a lot easier when you don't need proof. That's what Atlanta narcotics officers apparently decided. According to prosecutors, officers regularly presented false evidence to secure warrants and cut corners to make more time for lucrative side jobs like providing security for businesses, often while on-duty.
In November 2006, they said an informant had bought drugs at 92-year old Kathryn Johnston's house. They said the house had a home surveillance system which allowed them to get a no-knock warrant, so that they could simply knock down the door. (Neither was true.)
Wearing bulletproof vests and using riot shields, they cut off her burglar bars and forced in her door. When Johnston -- presumably thinking she was being robbed -- fired once through the front door with a rusty old pistol, the police responded by unloading 39 times. They hit Johnston with 5 or 6 bullets (and shot each other in the arm, thigh and shoulder), then handcuffed Johnston as she bled out on the scene. (They apparently were too busy to learn how to shoot.)
When they searched the house and found no drugs, Smith planted three bags of marijuana they'd recovered in an unrelated case earlier that day in her basement, and the officers got together to plan their stories. They leaned on an informant to say he'd bought drugs at her house. But they eventually cracked and implicated each other in the cover-up. Smith was sentenced to 10 years in jail, while Junnier and Tesler received six and five, respectively.
Further investigation found a rampant culture of corruption in the Atlanta Police Department, and the entire eight man narcotics squad was placed on temporary administrative leave. Rules and evidence thresholds were tightened for no-knock warrants. At least one man convicted based on testimony from Junnier and Smiths has been released, and numerous cases involving the unit are being investigated by the Fulton County DA.
On Monday Atlanta settled with Johnston's family for $4.9 million. Just what are acceptable civilian casualties in the War on Drugs, and when does the drive to make cops' jobs easier just encourage them to be unsupervised cowboys?
My2Cents on Jason Lont: High School Theater Director...: Of course my first thought was, what is a 15yr old doing on Grindr to start. This guy should have definitely checked for some kind of identification....
vIRGO155 on Steven Powell, Susan Powell's Father-in-...: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21... Here is the 911 all and Matt Lauer interview with the grandparents. I'd love to kill this POS.
Probation officer gives office BJ to boot-camp teen
