As the year closes I thought that one way to look back at the year in police misconduct would be too review some of the videos of police misconduct we’ve seen in the news… and let you tell us which ones you thought were the worst.
You can vote for up to 3 videos, the results will be published in January. Each has a link, name of victim, age, location, date, officers involved, and last known status. If you think we missed one, let us know.
*NOTE – These are not all the police misconduct videos released in 2009, just the ones we could embed here, in random order.Loading ...
VIDEO 1 – Man dragged from car & beaten during DUI traffic stop
Robert Waits – Age 29 – Dickson County TN – February 2009 – TN State Trooper Julio Lasalle, Dickson Co Deputies Jason Thompson and Baker – No Disciplinary Action, Civil Suit FiledVIDEO 2 – Innocent man put on life support in coma after tackled by deputy
Christopher Harris – Age 29 – Seattle WA – May 2009 – King County Deputy Matthew Paul – No Disciplinary Action, Civil Suit Pending
VIDEO 3 – Officer assaults woman in dispute with his son, then tries to destroy video
Agnes Lawless – Age 22 – Philadelphia PA – August 2008 – Philadelphia PD Officer Albert Lopez Sr. – Unspecified Disciplinary Action, Civil Suit PendingVIDEO 4 – Officer attacks man during traffic stop
Skee Katlun – Age Unspecified – South Bend IN – February 2009 – South Bend Police Cpl Jason King – Demoted and suspended w/o pay for 30 days, not charged, resigned on disability.VIDEO 5 – Officers beat cooperative passenger during traffic stop
Derrick Newman – Age Unspecified – Beaumont TX – August 2007 – Beaumont Police Officer Burke – Civil Suit Awarded $160k, Suspended 2 days w/o pay.VIDEO 6 – Officer beats 15yr-old girl for kicking off tennis shoe
Malika Calhoon – Age 15 – King County WA – November 28, 2008 – KCSO Deputy Paul Schene – Fired, Pending Criminal Trial, civil suit settled for $125k.VIDEO 7 – Officers attack man then falsely report he attacked them
Joshua Ortiz – Age – Ft. Lauderdale FL – December 2008 – 3 Unspecified Ft. Lauderdale Officers – Internal Affairs Cleared Officers.VIDEO 8 – Officer attacks man during traffic stop for just wanting his ticket
Raphael Rodriquez – Age 30 – Prince George’s County MD – October 2008 – PGSO Officer John Wynkoop, Officer Scott Wilson – Suspended Pending Internal Investigation Monitored by FBI.
VIDEO 9 – Man beaten by cops at night after chase, recorded by witnesses
Leroy Allen – Age 26 – New Orleans LA – February 2009 – Unspecified number of NOPD officers – Under Investigation by FBI
Video: NOPD arrest VIDEO 10 – Cops beat man at side of road after traffic stop
Derryl Jenkins – Age 42 – Minneapolis MN – February 2009 – Unspecified Minneapolis Police Officers – No known disciplinary action.VIDEO 11 – Oscar Grant shot in back during arrest while face down on ground
Oscar Grant – Age 22 – Oakland CA – January 2009 – Oakland CA BART Officer Johannes Mehserle and Officer Tony Pirone – Mehserle trial for murder pending, Pirone under possible internal investigation.VIDEO 12 – Man hit with flashlight & kicked while under control by other cops
Luis Mendonca – Age 20 – Providence RI – October 2009 – Providence RI Detective Robert DeCarlo – Outside Investigation in progress.VIDEO 13 – 12yr old girl shot at point blank range by shotgun with beanbag round
Unnamed minor – Age 12 – Portland OR – November 2009 – Portland OR Officer Christopher Humphreys – Under internal investigation
Portland Police officer shoots 12-year-old with beanbag gun. VIDEO 14 – Man beaten and tasered by cops while trying to find his glasses
Phoung Ho – Age 20 – San Jose CA – October 2009 – San Jose CA Officer Steven Payne and Officer Kenneth Siegel – Currently under internal investigation
VIDEO 15 – Cops drag racing kill two teens in 90mph+ accident
Ashlie Krakowski and David Servin – Age 19 – Milford CT – June 2009 – Milford CT Officer Jason Anderson – Facing trial for 2nd degree manslaughter
VIDEO 16 – Cop tasers handcuffed man, fall breaks his teeth and jaw
Rocky Allred – Age 43 – Lansing MI – August 2009 – Lansing MI Officer Ryan Smith – Disciplinary 2 Week Suspension Without Pay
VIDEO 17 – Cops beat up man accidentally released from jail early
Daniel Saunders – Age 46 – Seattle WA – June 2009 – Seattle PD Officers Domingo Ortiz, Scott Schenck, Albert Elliott – Under Internal Investigation
VIDEO 18 – Cop sneaks up behind cooperative suspect and tasers him for several seconds
Rolando Ruiz – Age 18 – Minneapolis MN – April 2009 – Minneapolis MN Officer Todd Lappegaard – Civil Lawsuit Filed
VIDEO 19 – Man repeatedly tasered and kicked by cops outside club he worked at
Marcus Swiat – Age 27 – Fort Worth TX – May 2008 – 4 Unspecified FT Worth TX Officers – No disciplinary action, civil suit filed.
VIDEO 20 – Man forced to pose for trophy photo at G-20 summit
Kyle Kramer – Age 21 – Pittsburgh PA – September 2009 – Approx 14 Unidentified Chicago IL Police Officers – 2 Supervising officers recieve written reprimands
VIDEO 21 – 15yr old special needs student beaten over dress code violation
Marshawn Pitts – Age 15 – Dolton IL – May 2009 – Dolton Police Officer Christopher Lloyd – Unemployed, Currently facing charges for Sexual Assault in seperate case
VIDEO 22 – Cop kicks suspect in face after he surrendered during car chase
Richard Rodriquez – Age Unspecified – El Monte CA – May 2009 – El Monte Police officer George Fierro – Under InvestigationVIDEO 23 – Police officer arrests reporter & cameraman covering accident scene
Darren White – Age Unspecified – El Paso TX – April 2009 – El Paso Sgt Raul Ramirez – Demoted to patrol officer on excessive force finding, discipline then overturned by appeal panel.VIDEO 24 – Police officer attacks mentally ill man for not having his jacket zipped up.
Ronnie Halloway – Age 50 – Passaic NJ – May 2009 – Passaic Police Officer Joseph Rios III – Facing trial for aggravated assault and official misconduct, suspended w/o pay.
15 comments to Worst Police Misconduct Videos of 2009 – Reader Poll
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Worst Police Misconduct Videos of 2009 - Reader Poll
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MacK
December 10th, 2009 at 2:41 PM
Many pretty sickening to watch and even worse to see nothing down to cops on many. I went with the Oscar Grant video even though it does appear something is being done so far. It takes unbelievable hubris to shoot a man point blank with that many cameras pointed at you. Number 2 was a close second, but I could not go with it because shoving a person is not usually as deadly as a bullet.
Juliet
December 10th, 2009 at 3:39 PM
these videos make me so sick and so sad. i do NOT understand-how is it possible that almost ALL of these officers saw NO disciplinary action whatsoever?? and if they did, half of it was paid??i understand that cops as a brotherhood are capable of getting away with murder, but when there is a FILMED VIDEO of what happened, how is this possible?? WHY IS THIS SLIPPING THROUGH THE CRACKS–what can we do to make sure that all acts of violence and unnecessary force that have physical evidence, aka video, are fully punished as thy would be with ANY NORMAL CITIZEN??? what can i do, as a person? please help me understand how we can right these wrongs, i am so disgusted!!!!
Packratt
December 10th, 2009 at 3:50 PM
Mack,
Yes, they’re all bad, as are the cases we never see or never even know about.
Juliet,
Thank you for asking… It’s pretty complex and depends on what the situation is in the area that you live in.
In some places, departments have little leeway in how they can discipline officers due to state laws so pressure needs to be put on state lawmakers to change the way things are done on that level to address the problem.
In others, the problems stem from leaders unwilling to discipline officers due to any number of reasons, and yet other departments are controlled by government officials who prefer to cover up abuses to prevent liability instead of address the problems to prevent liability.
There are so many root causes that one single approach to solve the problem… But, in any case, the first step is just to convince people that it happens, that it can really happen to anyone, and that it’s something that they should be concerned enough to do something about it. According to the polls I’ve cited previously, a majority of Americans don’t even believe that it happens.
Thank you for being willing to see it’s a problem that needs to be addressed.
Twitted by donkeyrock
December 10th, 2009 at 8:04 PM
[...] This post was Twitted by donkeyrock [...]
Sadist cops
December 11th, 2009 at 12:14 AM
The sadistic persons threatening behavior will often escalate to interpersonal violence if he or she thinks that the person being subordinated is resisting control or is no longer intimidated.
Explosive sadistics react suddenly with verbal abuse and violence. It appears as if they reach a threshold of tolerance and then respond rapidly and violently against what they consider “safe” targets, that is, ones that cannot retaliate. Explosive sadistic types are hypersensitive to any hint of betrayal by those with whom they have relationships and they explode with rage when their feelings of shame reach intolerable levels.
In contrast spineless sadistics have predominately avoidant personality disorder features. These individuals are essentially highly insecure and they have a “strike first” attitude to counter their insecurities and feelings of powerlessness. They also hypothesize that spineless types take out their aggression and hostility on especially defenseless or helpless targets.
According to Million and Davis, the enforcing Sadistic Personality Disorder type has obsessive-compulsive features. They sublimate their hostility by enforcing rules, often in a demanding and authoritarian manner that allows no dissent or even rational objection. They may see themselves as defenders of justice or correctness, but it often is a mask to hide their basically cruel and hostile nature. They may be typified by the “hanging” judge and the “mean” cop.
Tyrannical sadistic types have depressive and paranoid personality disorder features. Million and Davis propose that they are perhaps the most frightening and pathological of all four types. Tyrannical types are cruel and absolutely inhumane. The often instigate and carry out the most verbally and physically abusive sadistic acts on other people and animals and will also direct others to carry out these acts.
Like most other personality disorders, personas with Sadistic Personality Disorder typically do not see any problems with their behavior and in fact usually see the positive outcomes of getting what they want.
http://carlosmiller.com/2009/07/23/idaho-police-sodomize-man-with-taser/
http://books.google.com/books?id=1Y0_UwGdakcC&pg=PT162&lpg=PT161&ots=ZZbG5Dfbqc&dq=cops+personality+disordered&ie=ISO-8859-1&output=html
Catinthewall
December 11th, 2009 at 4:56 AM
This may seem like a minor thing, but embedding TWENTY FOUR flash videos on the front page may seem convenient for some, those without the memory to handle them all will find their browser screech to a halt, if not crash.
Packratt
December 11th, 2009 at 8:25 AM
Cat,
Hmmm…
What do you suggest as a solution to that?
Juliet
December 11th, 2009 at 11:14 AM
Packrat,
I live in Seattle, WA-which as you know has been a central area of police misconduct and unhappy citizens as of late. I’m not sure where the dealings with misconduct take place within our state system but I also simply don’t know where to find this information..
I worry that because of the recent murders of Police officers, law makers will be even more weary of putting any pressure or limitation on police behavior.
Catinthewall
December 11th, 2009 at 12:22 PM
make a few seperate pages each with 4-6 videos, Maybe even make the whole thing tournament-tree voting out of each group.
Packratt
December 11th, 2009 at 1:26 PM
Juliet,
I’ve actually discussed Seattle’s problem in depth in the past. It’s a complex problem that is primarily caused by the police union having too much influence over the way the city and department can discipline officers. This came about via a combination of the city giving the union that kind of authority in past contract negotiations. However, the city is now powerless to turn back that clock due to state laws and processes that heavily favor police officers and their unions.
So, you’re not going to convince the union to agree to reforms without paying through the nose and even when it does agree, it modifies those reforms in a way to make it so they don’t work as intended. You can convince city officials to do something about it, but they’ve found there’s little they can actually do about it other than put up a good show with a powerless civilian oversight mechanism that was neutered by the police union… so the only place to start is at the state level to decrease the influence unions have on their disciplinary processes and then go back to the city-level and argue for changes locally.
But, the problem there is, as you say, the recent violence against police puts any effort to argue for reforms in a very bad position as politicians are now begging for chances to show police unions that they are siding with them in any way possible. So, for now, the best thing to do is just organize at a grass roots level so that when the climate becomes favorable for change again, after some more high-profile cases, you’ll have the support all ready to lobby for changes.
Sorry, but that’s how I see Seattle’s situation at the current moment.
Packratt
December 11th, 2009 at 1:28 PM
Cat,
I’ll see what I can do when I have some time… the problem is that there are some sites directly linking to the article at the moment and it took me a long time to format it correctly. I don’t have time to redo it now and I don’t want to break those links too quickly. So sometime this weekend I may switch it to a page with a redirect… If I get the time.
Hope that doesn’t cause too many problems, sorry for the inconvenience.
no bad cops
December 11th, 2009 at 1:49 PM
Cat, you are correct that it does make the site really slow loading even for those of us that have the memory. But it’s worth it because this is an important and interesting topic. A possible solution is in a couple of weeks maybe he can take them down and replace them with a still photo from each case?
All the videos are so bad I had a hard time trying to pick only three. Even more sickening then the videos themselves is the lack of any justice on over half of them! I just cannot believe that, I mean they’re caught on tape what more do you want!!
I guess it just goes to prove the point this site has made time and time again; that cops not only need more accountability, but ANY accountability would be a good place to start!
no bad cops
December 11th, 2009 at 2:16 PM
Make no mistake, as long as they feel they are above the law this will not only continue but it will get WORSE.
Had this site been around five years ago I think we’d already have proof of that!
Don’t get too bogged down in the details of city governments. Any progress is good progress, especially when it’s so desperately needed. Of course the laws are in their favor, nobody has ever really stood up to them. If the politicians are too cowardly to act then don’t forget that there is always strength in numbers. Just ask the cops, that’s how they work.
ANY person in a position of power who stands up against some of these cops actions CAN make a difference just by saying “your badge doesn’t allow you to do whatever you want, the buck stops here”. The domino effect of one’s persons actions could at least curb the abuse for awhile and maybe even save the next person. Which is the real goal here.
So even if the system works for the wrong people it doesn’t hurt to point that out to our ELECTED representatives . After all, we can vote them out. They should keep that in mind.
no bad cops
December 11th, 2009 at 3:04 PM
Juliet, you are absolutely correct that the police unions will exploit the senseless murder of those four cops for everything it’s worth, and then some. How pathetic that the lives of those people will be used as a bargaining chip for megalomaniac cops to get their way and cover up their misdeeds. The author of this site has pointed out some of the specific problems with Seattle but please don’t let that deter you.
Remember that the truth is not only the best defense it’s also a pretty good offence!!
The fact that some of us here who are educated on the issue are STILL shocked at the lack of accountability for these beatings speaks to the fact that ignorance of the problem is still a big part of the problem!
Get the message out to everyone you know and encourage them to do the same. I would suggest handing this one out for starters-
http://www.injusticeeverywhere.com/?p=1279
and putting it in every coffee shop, student lounge, telephone pole, anywhere you are allowed to post something. Mail it to your humanities professors and maybe they will in turn educate others.
Each incident of police abuse by itself no longer stands out —and it’s too easy for cop supporters to defend ONE isolated case— but when you take a step back and look at the whole picture you see how corrupt police as a whole truly are.
Knowledge is power, education is the key, and the game is won two points at a time.
So please everyone, forward these articles to all of your friends, family and acquaintances and encourage them to do the same. You never know, you just might be saving them from something horrible. Because think about it, some of these people probably didn’t expect THIS http://www.injusticeeverywhere.com/?p=1279 from those who are paid to protect them.
no bad cops
December 11th, 2009 at 4:37 PM
Another good one to hand out and publicize is about all of the cops who beat the hell out of and terrorize their own families:
http://www.injusticeeverywhere.com/?p=1227
Some estimates put police officer domestic violence rates at four times higher then the general population. Some “heroes” they are.
And when they’re not out beating their wives or molesting kids they are stealing from even their own organizations!, as this article points out:
http://www.injusticeeverywhere.com/?p=1313
These are the types of cases that if people read them, they WILL help change any misconceptions they have about police abuse. Because,
“If that doesn’t convince you to worry about these kinds of misconduct, then consider that if an officer can get away with theft, what else might that officer do when nobody is watching?”