Critics say Denver Police Oversight plan too weak

A week after the Denver City Council cleared the way for Mayor John Hickenlooper's proposal for civilian oversight of the police to go before the voters in November, the plan still is under heavy attack for what it lacks.Some community leaders have criticized Hickenlooper for shying away from a political fight and not fast-tracking a change to the City Charter that would end "comparative discipline," a policy which holds that a police officer should not be punished more severely than officers guilty of the same or similar offenses, sometimes years earlier. "He dodges the very thing that needs to be changed to bring meat and purpose to strengthening the entire process," said Leroy Lemos, a member of the police reform task force. "The only way meaningful change is going to happen is it's going to have to come from the citizens." Lemos said he and other Hispanic, black and American Indian community leaders are exploring a petition drive to place on the May ballot a combined measure to change the charter to end comparative discipline as well as give a civilian oversight board binding powers to recommend discipline and initiate investigations surrounding alleged police misconduct. [more ]

Denver DA Fails to Charge Police Officer who Shot Unarmed Latino Man.

Denver DA Fails to Charge Police Officer who Shot Unarmed Latino Man. Grand Jury will Decide

• Frank Lobato had a Soda Can in his hand, NOT A GUN. Police shoot and kill

Denver District Attorney Bill Ritter tossed a police shooting investigation to a grand jury Thursday for the first time in his 12-year tenure. Ritter will present the case against officer Ranjan Ford Jr., 34, in the July 12 shooting death of 63-year-old Frank Lobato to the grand jury on Wednesday. Lobato's death was the latest in a series of controversial police shootings that triggered sweeping reforms in the police use-of-force policy and the department's civilian oversight. Ritter has never charged an officer involved in a shooting with a crime. Only two other such cases have been forwarded to the grand jury in the past 27 years. Both cases resulted in criminal charges against the officers. Both officers were later found not guilty. Ritter wouldn't discuss the details of the shooting nor would he say what led him to seek another opinion. The decision came as no comfort to Lobato's family members in California, who heard the news after one of them was contacted by Denver attorney Kenneth Padilla moments after Ritter's announcement. "This is a clear case where criminal charges should be brought," Padilla said. "I did not hear any good reason to use a grand jury. . . . There is no reason why the district attorney should not step to the plate." Leroy Lemos, a Lobato family spokesman and community activist, said "We're in the same place as we were yesterday," Lemos said. "The family wants to know what it takes to get justice in Denver." [more ]

• Latino Man had a Soda Can in his hand, NOT A GUN. Police shoot and kill. [more]
• Shootings by Denver Police Prompt Outcry: ENOUGH IS ENOUGH [more]

Lawyer for family of African man killed by Police says Witnesses Dispute Office

A lawyer representing the family of a Cameroonian immigrant shot in Silver Spring by a police officer on Aug. 12 said Thursday that witnesses have come forward to dispute the version of events provided by the police. The lawyer, Gregory Lattimer of Washington, D.C., refused to detail what the witnesses have described. Police spokesmen have said their witnesses corroborate the officer's story: that Peter Ayompeuh Njang threatened Officer Candice Marchone, a six-year veteran, with a boxcutter, that she fired on him point blank only after he refused her orders to drop the knife. Latimer spoke with reporters after high-ranking officials from the county and the police department met with at least six family members and a representative from the Cameroon embassy in Rockville. David Weaver, a spokesman for County Executive Douglas M. Duncan (D), said it was unusual for the county to hold such a meeting before the conclusion of an official investigation. The shooting, outside the Villa Nova apartments in Silver Spring, has sparked three protests. [more ] and [more ]

Birmingham DA says Police Shooting in standoff was justified

Four Birmingham police officers were justified in shooting and killing a mentally ill man who shot at them and held them at bay for more than two hours, authorities ruled. Jefferson County District Attorney David Barber issued his findings to Birmingham police officials Thursday. Police then met with the relatives of 58-year-old Benjamin "Bennie" Griggs. Family members, who have lashed out at police and called the Aug. 6 shooting "overkill," appeared dejected when they filed from Police Chief Annetta Nunn's office. They declined comment. [more ]

Protesters demand answers about Police Shooting Death of Curtis Good

• "The way they said it happened, there's no excuse for it. They could have shot him in the leg. The police brutality has to stop."

Peace and justice were the themes of a march in the city last night by family and friends of Curtis Good, the city resident shot and killed by police Friday morning. More than 200 people gathered at the front door of 290A King St., where 41-year-old Good lived with his girlfriend, Nicole Larmonie, who is eight months pregnant. People of all ages and races hugged, cried and expressed their frustration about the lack of information police have given so far. Police were called to Good's residence at 1:30 a.m. Friday on a report that Good was tearing up the apartment. Officers Carmen Fazzolari and David Sanchez responded. While Sanchez spoke with Larmonie's 18-year-old son, who had called police, Fazzolari went inside to speak with Good. Two minutes later, the officer fired eight shots, six of which hit Good. He died less than an hour later at Raritan Bay Medical Center in Perth Amboy. "I don't know what state of mind my brother was in, but I know he had a lot of respect for police," said another of Good's brothers, Leon Bradford of Detroit. "You can't make me believe he tried to do something physical to that officer. He was tearing up his own stuff. They could have treated it as a hostage situation and talked him out or waited him out." [more ]

Birmingham Officers used too much force, Murder Black Man - family members say

• Relatives of mentally ill Vietnam veteran killed by police in standoff want justice

Relatives of a mentally ill man shot to death this month in a standoff with Birmingham police lashed out Tuesday at the officers' actions that day and demanded an audience with the city's police chief. Nearly two dozen family members of Benjamin "Bennie" Griggs, 58, gathered at a news conference called by the Rev. Abraham Woods, Birmingham's Southern Christian Leadership Conference president. Emotional at times, Griggs' relatives and a handful of civil rights activists said the slaying was "murder" and could have been prevented had they been allowed to talk to him. "He was worth more than that," said nephew Jeffery Heard. "I'm not going to rest until something is done. I want an apology. I want some of those officers to be taken down for it." Griggs died Aug. 6 after a three-hour standoff at his Jefferson Avenue home. Police were called to the home about 11:30 a.m. when police received a call that Griggs was cutting grass with a gun in his hand. Griggs served in the Army and returned from Vietnam mentally ill. [more ]

Portland officer who shot and killed Black motorist resigns

The officer who shot and killed James Jahar Perez has resigned to take a job at a Christian school. In a letter to Chief Derrick Foxworth, Officer Jason Sery said his decision has nothing to do with the March 28 shooting, which was the second lethal encounter between Portland police and an unarmed black motorist in less than a year. A Multnomah County grand jury cleared Sery, but the shooting prompted outrage among residents and led to a public inquest. Perez's family has filed a $10 million lawsuit against Sery, the city of Portland and another officer. Sery's resignation letter, dated Monday, says he has been asked to take a full-time ministry position with the junior high program at Southwest Bible Church and a teaching position at Southwest Christian School. [more ]

Prattville Police Abuse Trial Ends But No Verdict Yet

• Cops Beat Down Black Woman

It'll be at least two weeks before there's a verdict in the bench trial of  a Prattville police officer accused of using excessive force while arresting a Birmingham woman. Sgt. Dexter Emmanuel is accused by 27-year old Heather   Scarlett. She claims Emmanuel slammed her against the back of the car and pressed her face against the window.  Emmanuel pulled Scarlett over after noticing she had crossed the double yellow line near Wal-Mart. Emmanuel denies being abusive. He and many of his colleagues testified that Scarlett used vulgar language including a racial slur director toward Sgt. Emmanuel. The two week delay in the verdict will give the judge time to consider motions filed by Scarlett's lawyer. [more ]

Elian Gonzalez Excessive-Force Suit Dismissed

A federal judge has thrown out a lawsuit claiming federal agents used excessive force in an armed raid to seize Elian Gonzalez at the home of his Miami relatives four years ago. An order issued Monday by U.S. District Judge Marcia Cooke concluded the six agents who conducted the raid were legally immune to the lawsuit, and she found no constitutional violations. Federal agents removed Elian, then 6, from the family's home before dawn in April 2000, five months after he was rescued from the Atlantic. His mother and others died trying to reach Florida by boat. The lawsuit alleged the raid team broke down the front door unannounced, sprayed irritating gas, held people at gunpoint and shouted obscenities at unarmed relatives, supporters and news media. [more ]

Cops' actions questioned in crash

• Black Teenager Killed. Detroit Polce Accused of Intentionally Failing to Render Assistance

Two stolen cars full of teens collided early Tuesday in northwest Detroit during a police chase that left a 14-year-old dead and another teen hospitalized. Questions are swirling as to whether two 8th (Northwest) Precinct officers followed protocol after the crash. Witnesses say the officers failed to stop to render assistance afterward. What happened after the crash  remains under investigation. The officers initially told investigators that they stopped to render assistance and left the scene when another scout car showed up to relieve them, police said. But the officers caught two 14-year-old Detroiters in the stolen Stratus after it crashed into a guardrail at Margareta and Inkster in Redford Township. The two teens tried to  run away and were caught after one suspect was pepper-sprayed, police said. The driver of that stolen car confessed and told police that the officers never stopped chasing them, police said. Those teens were in custody Tuesday facing charges of auto theft, unlawful driving and fleeing and eluding  police. [more ]

Put a rush on ending police chases

In 1985, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down "shoot to kill" laws that allowed police to gun down fleeing felons. The ruling came after years of police excess in which some sheriff's deputies and beat cops used their guns to execute petty criminals. It's too bad the court refused to issue the same firm guidelines for high-speed chases. Cars traveling at high speeds can be as dangerous as a loaded gun fired into a crowd. And, just as they did by shooting at fleeing suspects, police too often hand down the death sentence by chasing traffic offenders. Last week, Katie Sharp, 21, and her 17-year-old passenger, Garrett Gabe, were killed when Georgia state police tried to stop her after a 66-mile chase. A state trooper deliberately rammed Sharp's SUV from behind; her vehicle spun and went airborne before slamming into a tree. [more ]

Alabama Bureau of Investigation clears Selma Police Department in Custody Death

The Alabama Bureau of Investigation has determined police and jailers did NOT use excessive force on a prisoner who died after going into convulsions at the Selma Police Department. Kirk Edwards, who was arrested July eighth, on a charge of failing to appear in court, was taken to a hospital where he was later pronounced dead. The cause of death will not be known until the state completes a toxicology report. Selma Police Chief Robert Green said he asked the ABI to investigate the death because he wanted to clear up rumors of officer misconduct. The ABI, in its report, supported statements from Coroner Alan Dailey that he did not see any mark on Edwards' body. [more ]

Details emerge in Police Shooting of Kerry Von Reese Cook

Charlottesville police released new details Tuesday about what they say happened when an officer shot a man after a struggle at an apartment in Friendship Court. City Police Chief Timothy J. Longo said the woman who called police to her apartment Saturday night later told authorities that Kerry Von Reese Cook had entered her home uninvited and started cursing and damaging property. The woman, who was not identified, said she left the apartment to call police and waited for their arrival, Longo said. City officers William Sclafani and Jeremy Carper entered the apartment and found Cook, 31, in a bedroom closet, Longo reported. The officers ordered him to surrender, but he resisted and a violent confrontation ensued, Longo said. "The struggle begins at that point and literally goes throughout the apartment," he said. Both officers applied "escalating levels of force," he said, declining to specify what tactics they used to restrain Cook before he was shot. Sclafani shot Cook once in the abdomen with a .45-caliber round, and Longo said he had no reason to believe the shooting was accidental. [more ]

Black Teens Say NYC Cops Set Dog On them after they Surrendered

Two teenagers say a police dog attacked them,  and they've announced a multi-million dollar lawsuit against New York City. Those teenagers are suing for $10 million. They claim the horrible gashes on their leg and arm are proof -- not just of police brutality, but of police cruelty -- on the night they were arrested here at the Marcus Garvey Houses. Two and a half weeks later, the dog bites on William Bryant's leg are still painfully raw -- enough to make you cringe. Only 16, he now walks like a much older man. Emmanuel Blake, 18 Years Old: "They pulled me, threw me to the floor, stomped on my head, put the handcuffs on me. And the dog just came running after me. And they were just holding him by the leash like, 'Get him, get him, get him.'" The teens, who live at the Marcus Garvey Public Houses, claim that after they were in custody  the officers ordered the German shepherd to attack them. Andrew Stoll, Teenagers' Attorney: "These men were not charged with resisting arrest, they were not charged with assault on an officer. And the question that we should ask, that for some reason that hasn't been asked is: how could this happen?" The only charge they are now facing is trespassing. [more ]

Black Man dies after struggle with Akron Police

A 47-year-old Kenmore man died Tuesday after struggling with Akron police officers and losing consciousness. Now, police and prosecutors are investigating whether Solomon Dandridge died as a result of the four officers' actions or some other cause. Police say they went to 17th Street and Witner Avenue about 5:15 a.m. after fielding a string of emergency calls from neighbors about a man yelling in the street and acting irrationally. The first patrol officer to arrive had trouble calming Dandridge, police Capt. Daniel Zampelli said, prompting three more officers to join the struggle. Before long, Dandridge lay on the ground, unresponsive. The officers tried but failed to revive him. He was pronounced dead just before 6 a.m. at Akron General Medical Center. The Summit County Medical Examiner's office conducted an autopsy but is awaiting test results before ruling on the cause of death.  [more ]

NAACP Gets Involved in Curtis Good Police Shooting

Gwendolyn Good is still looking for answers in the death of her 41-year-old brother, who was shot by a city police officer early Friday. "They tell us they're trying to get (the investigation) over and done with as fast as possible so we can get some closure," Good said. "But they're telling us nothing." Meanwhile, the city chapter of the NAACP plans to conduct its own investigation into the fatal shooting of Curtis Good by a city patrolman. And family and friends plan to hold what they referred to as a peaceful protest march at 6 p.m. tomorrow. The shooting occurred shortly after 1:30 a.m. Friday. Patrolman Carmen Fazzolari, 45, went to the apartment of Good's girlfriend at King and Smith streets on a report that Good was destroying the home, authorities said. Another officer, David Sanchez, arrived two minutes behind Fazzolari and spoke with the man who had called the police, the 18-year-old son of Good's girlfriend. Inside the apartment alone with Good, Fazzolari fired eight shots from his .45-caliber Glock semiautomatic pistol, striking Good with six of them, authorities said. Good was pronounced dead at 2:21 a.m. at the Perth Amboy Division of Raritan Bay Medical Center, authorities said.
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