Please post all of the completely insane COPWATCH stories here

[xfahctor]

We have the option (for now) of going by train - not as fast i know but the additional time might be worth it.

"Don't touch my junk" has got to go down as a classic

It has, it's all over the place now, I'm even seeing t-shirts start to pop up.

[chrisfromchi]

don't touch my junk...is the don't taze me bro of 2010.

[charrington]

don't touch my junk...is the don't taze me bro of 2010.

lol classic ... combine them -- don't touch my junk bro.

[phasma]

or "don't taze my junk, bro"

[charrington]

or "don't taze my junk, bro"

lol - I like it.

[phasma]

Tazed junk would be very very bad

[charrington]

A Montgomery County police officer who hit and paralyzed a Clarksburg boy with his cruiser received a $185 speeding ticket and is now canvassing neighborhoods that show spikes in crime.

Meanwhile, 14-year-old Luis Jovel Jr. is a quadriplegic with permanent brain damage who needs around-the-clock medical care for the smallest of tasks, including eating and getting dressed.

State officials won't say whether Officer Jason Cokinos was disciplined following the April 2008 incident in Clarksburg.

"Personnel information is subject to [state] confidentiality laws," said Patricia Via, who represented Montgomery County in the Jovel family's civil lawsuit against the county and Cokinos.

Cokinos' case qualified under the state's confidentiality laws once the county police department's internal affairs division became involved, said Lt. Paul Starks, spokesman for Montgomery police.

"When the case is referred to the Internal Affairs Division, it's considered a personnel matter," he said.

Cokinos, who was 23 at the time, was speeding at 56 miles an hour in a 30-mile-an-hour zone when he struck Luis -- who was crossing Springtown Road in front of his home.

Seven months later in November, a Montgomery County District Court judge found Cokinos not guilty of negligent driving or contributing to an accident.

Cokinos then pleaded guilty to driving 26 miles-per-hour over the limit and he paid a $185 fine, including a $25 court fee.

A police investigation concluded that the boy would not have been hit had Cokinos been traveling at the speed limit, however.

The county will pay the Jovel family $400,000 in damages. The amount of damages the family could request
http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/local/Officer-fined-_185-for-speeding-in-crash-that-paralyzed-boy-1597329-108773219.html

[T0RN]

WTF? I'd like to run his ass over. Shit I'll pay $200 instead of $185.
Criminal f**ks always getting away.

[charrington]

SEATTLE -- A new videotape has emerged that appears to have caught another Seattle police officer using excessive force.

Images exclusively acquired by KIRO Team 7 Investigators show a teenager getting kicked in the leg, chest and face by an undercover police officer during a round-up of suspects.

An unnamed source handed KIRO Investigative Reporter Chris Halsne the arrest video a few days ago, and already, its contents are sending a wave of panic up the chain of command at SPD.

KIRO Team 7 Investigators identified discrepancies between the videotape, police reports and witnesses that raise a lot of questions.

UNCUT: Deputy Chief Speaks About Video

In the past few months, Seattle police have been under constant fire for treatment of minority suspects -- and the newly aired videotape is only adding fuel to the fire.

The video was captured on a convenience store security system in downtown Seattle less than a block from where narcotics officers were running a sting on Oct. 18.

Store surveillance video cameras were rolling inside Joe's Mart near 2nd and Pine when a 17-year-old boy strolls in with a friend.

It's 8:31 p.m., and less than a block away, chaos and violence is just starting to emerge from the shadows.

There's a big fight under way at this moment. A group of men just punched and tried to rob an undercover cop during a phony drug buy.

Two men are immediately taken into custody, but three others run off.

Back in the store, the 17-year-old, wearing an orange jacket, and his younger pal hear shouts.

They see people running past the store. They venture outside to get a look.

What happens next is now the center of a major police internal affairs investigation.

The juvenile rushes back into Joe's Mart because a bandana-wearing undercover cop is coming at him.

Even though he raises his hands and stops, the officer throws a big kick to his groin.

The young man falls down and gets two more hard kicks, one to his chest, another to his face.

James Kelly says, "Wow, wow, wow, wow."

KIRO Team 7 Investigators showed the unseen videotape to Urban League President James Kelly.

At first he just shook his head and said "wow" over and over again.

"It's pretty disturbing. Disgusting. The bottom line is, I'm pretty outraged by it. Because it's been a series of interactions between police and the community of color, starting with the stomping of the Latino gentleman," Kelly says.

Even though Team 7 Investigators know that Seattle police have had the videotape in their possession far longer than KIRO-TV, it wasn't until late Wednesday, after Halsne called commanders for comment, that SPD hastily took action.

According to this statement released after hours:

"Seattle Police command staff sought and obtained the evidentiary video shortly after 4:00 p.m. Deputy Chiefs Clark Kimerer and Nick Metz immediately viewed it. In reviewing the video, questions arose as to the force used in this situation. They promptly decided to place the involved officer, a 10 year veteran, on administrative reassignment to home.”

KIRO Team 7 Investigators are not going to name the juvenile who was arrested that night in October, but can tell you, court records show he has a criminal past.

Both drug dealing and simple assault show up as juvenile court cases connected to his name.

Prosecutors have also charged the young man with attempted robbery, saying he...
http://www.kirotv.com/news/25834713/detail.html

[charrington]

A Port Arthur man was indicted on a charge of child endangerment after he dropped his toddler son when a police officer stunned him with a Taser.

Christopher Lynn Adams, 25, was stopped Oct. 26 by a police officer for "suspicious activity" in the 2800 block of Woodrow, a neighborhood that had experienced a rash of burglaries recently, according to an investigative summary.

The officer said Adams "became confrontational during the stop," refusing to cooperate and trying to evade detention, his 2-year-old son in his arms...
http://www.beaumontenterprise.com/news/crime/article/Port-Arthur-man-accused-of-endangering-child-he-821240.php

[charrington]

As a 33-year law enforcement veteran and former training commander with the Maryland State Police and Baltimore Police Department, I know how easy it is to intimidate citizens into answering incriminating questions or letting me search through their belongings. This reality might make things easier for police looking to make an easy arrest, but it doesn't always serve the interests of justice. That's why I believe all citizens should understand how to protect their constitutional rights and make smart decisions when dealing with officers of the law.

Unfortunately, this important information has remained largely unavailable to the public, despite growing concerns about police misconduct and the excesses of the war on drugs. For this reason, I agreed to serve as a technical consultant for the important new film, 10 Rules for Dealing with Police. The 40-minute docudrama aims to educate the public about basic legal and practical survival strategies for handling even the scariest police encounters. It was produced by the civil liberties group Flex Your Rights and is narrated by former federal judge and acclaimed Baltimore trial lawyer William "Billy" Murphy, Jr.

The opening scene portrays Darren, a young black man getting pulled over. He's driving home from college. This is the fifth time he's been pulled over in a year. Frustrated and scared, Darren immediately breaks Rule #1: Always Be Calm & Cool. Mouthing off to the officer, Darren aggressively exits the car and slams the door. The officer overreacts, dropping Darren with a taser shot to his chest.

Should the officer have tased Darren in that situation? Probably not. Would the officer likely be disciplined? No. But that's not the main point of 10 Rules. The point is that the choices you make during the course of such encounters have a massive impact on whether it ends with a simple warning, a tasing -- or worse. This is true even if you've done nothing illegal.

While being calm and cool is key to getting the best possible outcome, it's not enough to keep police from violating your constitutional rights. For example, when the officer commandingly asks Darren "You're not hiding any AK-47s in there? You don't mind if I take a look?", Darren gets tricked like most people do.

Intimidated and unaware of other options, he consents to the search. The officer carelessly dumps his bags, accidentally shattering Darren's laptop on the asphalt. In another "what if" scenario, the officer finds a small amount of marijuana hidden away. While someone else might have left it there, Darren winds up getting arrested.

More...
http://www.alternet.org/rights/148860/10_ways_to_outfox_cops_that_are_abusing_their_powers_to_trick_you/

[Scarbo]

It's the POLICE OFFICER who should be charged with child endangerment. I can't believe this. It never ends.

[donnay]

Things are so freakin' topsy turvy any more!   

The cop is at fault, no doubt.  I wished they'd call me to jury duty with cases like this!!!

[Damascus]

Ok let me get this straight, this suspect was supposedly robbing houses with his two year old in his arms?

[Joseon]

We're going to be North Korea very shortly. What constitution?

[charrington]

Skip Torrance was sleeping alone in his bed when he felt someone yank at his boxers.

Torrance, 36, saw two dark silhouettes standing next to his bed. He heard two men say to get up and talk with them, or they would shoot him with a stun gun.

Torrance jumped out of bed. He walked toward his bedroom wall to turn on a light switch.

The men grabbed Torrance, who felt an "unbelievable" pain in his chest. He fell onto the floor.

"I thought that was it,'' he said. "I thought I was going to be raped and robbed."

Then, Torrance saw that the intruders were two sheriff's deputies, one of whom had shot him with a stun gun.

"They were telling me I was the one involved in the fight in Laguna,'' he said. "I didn't know what they were talking about."

Deputies Jose Pelayo and Jason Mann were wrong. Torrance was not the man involved in a fight earlier that night, Sept. 4, 2008, outside a Laguna Beach restaurant. After Torrance was detained in his Dana Point home, the victims were brought to see him. They said he wasn't the man.

Deputies arrested Torrance anyway, alleging he cursed and lunged at them before he was shot with the stun gun. Torrance was taken to Orange County Jail and bailed out.

Orange County prosecutors later declined to criminally charge Torrance with resisting a peace officer, citing insufficient evidence.

Torrance, a commercial banker with no criminal record, decided to sue the Orange County Sheriff's Department and Laguna Beach Police Department, whose investigation led deputies to Torrance's house.

He settled the lawsuit in October for $380,000. The county of Orange paid $300,000, while the city of Laguna Beach paid $80,000.

Torrance said he didn't file the lawsuit for the money.

"I'm not happy about what I went through,'' he said. "I don't trust law enforcement anymore. If you're in trouble with (police), who are you going to call? Like my friends told me, 'If this can happen to me, living in a gated community in South County, it can happen to anyone.'"

For Torrance, it came down to being at the wrong place at the wrong time.

His wife was out of town, so Torrance decided to meet friends for dinner in Laguna Beach that night. He dressed casually, wearing sandals. Walking back to his car, he stubbed his toe on the curb and started cursing. Unbeknownst to him, a woman heard him cursing, and thought he looked suspicious. She copied the license plate number of his Subaru as Torrance drove away.

Nearby, Laguna Beach police were trying to find a man who had assaulted a woman after an argument outside the K'ya restaurant at Pacific Coast Highway and Cress Street.

The woman who observed Torrance gave officers his license plate number.

Laguna Beach police ran the plates, and traced the car to Torrance's wife, and...
http://www.ocregister.com/news/torrance-276778-laguna-deputies.html

[charrington]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rwAQX0SWlhY

[Aoss]

I hate how the media always describes people with "no criminal record."  Even if someone has a criminal record, that doesn't make it ok for the police to act without repercussion.

Everytime I see that in a news story I throw up in my mouth a little.  Kinda like when I hear "give the officer the benefit of the doubt."  The citizen gets the benefit of the doubt, it's called innocent until proven guilty even though no one follows it.

[charrington]

An off-duty police officer is on suspension after an altercation that began when a man confronted him about leaving a baby in his car. According to an internal police investigation, the officer showed the man his gun, insulted him and also refused a breath test despite smelling of alcohol.

Officer Nick Dine, a five year veteran of the Greenwood Police Deparment, but he has been placed on unpaid leave after an internal investigation into the in incidnet led the assistant police chief to recommend several formal charges of misconduct.

The incident took place in the parking lot of a Greenwood Applebee's on October 29th. A witness in the parking lot saw officer Dine pull up in his personal car and leave a baby in the car. The witness said Dine went into the Applebee's and a neighboring O'Charley's restaurant before returning to the car about five minutes later.

According to the internal investagion, the witness "Confronted officer Dine on leaving a child unattended in the car…an argument ensued and when (the witness) stated he would call the police, Officer Dine then produced a badge and said I am the police."

"...shortly thereafter (the witness) stated officer Dine removed a firearm from an ankle holster and put it in his back pocket."

"...officer Dine asked (the witness) and the party he was present with if they were 'rednecks' and asked them if they lived in a 'trailer'."

When police responded to the parking lot they "detected an odor of alcohol" on officer Dine's breath, but when they asked him to take a protable Breath Test he refused.

According to the internal investigation, "Dine was then asked by Sgt. James Ison to accompany him back to the Greeenwood Police Department," but "again refused to submit to a PBT".

Assistant Police Chief David Mertz, told Fox59 that he...
VIDEO
http://www.fox59.com/news/wxin-greenwood-cop-accused-of-leavi-111910,0,223160.story

[charrington]

Allows them to fall back on "oh we didn't know he was a good guy" --

[charrington]

Some Jackson Police officers are under investigation. They’re being accused of harassment.
A convenience store owner recorded the ordeal and hopes it helps shed light on the investigation.
Gary Bal owns the stop food store off Terry Road and recorded the video on Wednesday.
Bal says about five officers were in his store and harassed him and his brother—-at times using racial slurs.
He tells us it started when he asked the officers why they were searching customers and cars in the parking lot.

“He said motherf*****. I don’t need you to tell me what to do and what not to do. I said sir I have a right to ask you. You’re on my property. He said b**** I’m going to do whatever the f*** I want to do,“ said Bal.

Bal says it didn’t stop there. He says another officer came inside and asked him and his brother to show their privilege license—so they did.
“Then he said shut this b**** down. Shut this b**** down. This store is closed. He tells the customers to leave,“ said Bal.

Officers then arrested Bal and his brother and shoved them out the store.
“We don’t know what we were charged with until one officer said put that down for police assault. But one of them said to him he didn’t touch you,“ said Bal.
Bal and his brother now face several charges including...
VIDEO
http://www2.wjtv.com/jtv/news/local/article/some_jackson_police_officers_under_investigation/221237/

[charrington]

A New Orleans police officer was laughing after he burned the body of a man who had been gunned down by police in Hurricane Katrina's aftermath, a fellow officer testified Thursday.

The testimony came during the trial of officer Greg McRae and Lt. Dwayne Scheuermann, who are charged with burning the body of 31-year-old Henry Glover in a car after he was shot and killed by a different officer outside a strip mall on Sept. 2, 2005. Three other current and former officers also are charged in Glover's death.

Lt. Joseph Meisch testified Thursday that he was standing outside a police station near the Mississippi River when he saw a car followed by a pickup truck driving on a levee. McRae was driving the car and Scheuermann was driving the truck, according to prosecutors.

Moments after the car drove off the levee, Meisch saw a plume of thick, black smoke.

Meisch didn't know who was driving the vehicles until McRae and Scheuermann ran toward him. Scheuermann had a blank look on his face, but McRae was laughing, Meisch said.
"Laughing like somebody had just played a joke?" Assistant U.S. Attorney Tracey Knight asked.

"It could have been humorous or nervous laughter," he said.

Meisch said he asked what had happened, and McRae told him not to worry about it.

"I got it," Scheuermann added, according to Meisch.

McRae's lawyer, Frank DeSalvo, has conceded that his client burned the body. DeSalvo said in his opening statement that McRae was under stress from Katrina's harsh conditions when he made a "very bad decision" to toss a flare in the car. Jeffrey Kearney, one of Scheuermann's attorneys, has said his client didn't know McRae was going to set the car on fire.

Meisch said he didn't check on the car until four or five days later. When he looked into the back seat, he saw what appeared to be a ribcage.

"It kind of actually scared me," he said.

But he didn't tell anybody about his discovery, assuming Scheuermann was handling it, Meisch said.

"It did raise some suspicion in my mind," he said. "But, again, Lt. Scheuermann said he's got it."

Meisch said he didn't discuss the matter with Scheuermann again until 2009, after federal authorities started investigating Glover's death. Meisch said Scheuermann told him that they wouldn't deny what happened and that McRae had made a "stupid mistake."

A former officer, David Warren, is charged with shooting Glover. Prosecutors say Glover wasn't armed and didn't pose a threat to Warren.

Scheuermann and McRae are accused of beating people who drove Glover to a makeshift ...
MORE
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2010/11/nola-cop-laughed-burning-body/

[Nailer]

Nazi gestapo pigs , they must have had to go through a TSA security check earlier in the day..

[agentbluescreen]

Nazi gestapo pigs , they must have had to go through a TSA security check earlier in the day..

Kristallnacht in AmeriKa

[dec0der]

The most oppressive police state in the world caught yet again on video.

And they wonder why cops get shot...

[charrington]

Guess who went to jail?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0pcTy8zZvMs

[charrington]

Seattle police are investigating whether a video showing an officer kicking a 17-year-old suspect in the groin, torso, and head was covered up, as the department weighs criminal charges against the 10-year veteran.

In a news conference Thursday afternoon, Deputy Chief Clark Kimmerer said the department is investigating why command staff was not informed of the video's existence in the days since the Oct. 18 incident in a downtown Seattle convenience store.

"We want to know who had the video, what action was taken pursuant to it, was there any dereliction in not informing the command staff of a possible violation of department policy," Kimmerer said.

The video is the latest in ...
http://www.mynorthwest.com/category/local_news_articles/20101118/Seattle-police-want-to-know-if-beating-video-was-covered-up/

[Freeski]

Inspector Lungstress adds the OPP Ride stops are blanketing the city so much this holiday season, he'd be surprised if every single driver WASN'T stopped at some point over the holidays.
http://cfra.com/?cat=1&nid=76996

OPP plan RIDE checks in the morning
http://www.thestar.com/News/Ontario/article/280734

The Ontario Provincial Police have kicked off their Christmas Season RIDE program but it has a strong, new twist as police try to match wits with impaired drivers in what's becoming a cat and mouse game.

The program, Reduce Impaired Driving Everywhere, has been expanded to include checks during the early-morning and evening rush hours and moving RIDE checks that include both marked and unmarked vehicles.

"We were doing RIDE yesterday morning at Keele and Highway 401 at 6:30 and got a guy," OPP Sgt. Cam Woolley said today. "I personally have arrested drunks in the morning rush hour."

The program also has more officers than ever before.

...

Woolley said police are also getting smarter and they will focus on motorists trying to escape a RIDE check by making that sudden U-turn.

Specially deployed officers will be on the lookout for those drivers.

"We will set up the checks so those drivers will become obvious," Woolley said.

[phasma]

UK TOO:

Christmas coming early for drink drivers
 
15 November 2010
In the next few weeks, more than 100 drivers could find that they can cross motoring accessories off their present lists this Christmas as they'll be looking forward to at least a year without their licences having been banned for drink driving.

As the nights draw in and Christmas festivities loom, Sussex Police launches its annual drink driving campaign on Tuesday (November 16).

Over the next few weeks, officers across the force will be carrying out a range of activities focusing on reducing the substantial risk presented by those who choose to drink or take drugs and drive - around 90-100 per month on average in Sussex alone. As well as daily stop checks in every area, a series of high profile checks will be held across the county during the campaign. Alongside this, intelligence-led activity will take place, with police directly targeting drink/drug drivers reported through Operation Crackdown.

Sussex Police are working with partners to reduce the numbers of people killed and seriously injured on the roads in Sussex. Whilst there has been a small reduction in those killed or seriously injured over the last year, sadly too many people are still losing their lives. Those who drink or take drugs and then drive present a serious risk of being involved in a crash, killing or seriously injuring themselves or others.

The Sussex campaign starts two weeks ahead of the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) National Alcohol and Drug Driving campaign, supported by all police forces in the UK. This early start is intended to raise awareness of the problems presented by drink drivers in the run up to Christmas and stop those people who still think it is acceptable to drink or take drugs and drive.

Ch Insp Di Roskilly from the Road Policing Unit said: "So far this year, Sussex Police have arrested around 1000 drink drivers. It is of real concern that there are such large numbers of drivers who are prepared to put the lives of themselves, their passengers and other road users at such risk. We make no apologies for targeting them - our aim is to remove them from the roads before they kill someone."

"We will use both marked and unmarked vehicles and all drivers involved in collisions are breath tested. Anyone who provides a positive test is arrested and taken into custody for further enquiries. A conviction for excess alcohol leads to an automatic driving disqualification of at least 12 months and this can often present employment difficulties at a time of economic uncertainty. The penalties, however, are more than simply financial or a matter of inconvenience. The human cost can often be devastating."

"Our drink drive message is very simple - don't! At best you will get caught and lose your licence, with a significant fine. At worst you may kill or seriously injure yourself or others."

If you want to report people who are drinking or taking drugs and driving, or driving anti-socially, please contact Operation Crackdown on 01243 642222 or go to www.operationcrackdown.org where you can report on line. If it is happening immediately contact police on 999

[Freeski]

We have signs up all over the place saying "Report Impaired Drivers: Call 9-11". Just crazy.

Do you guys in the UK have MADD, or are they still just on this side of the pond?

[phasma]

MADD? What is that?

[Kinpa]

MADD? What is that?

mothers against drunk driving...

[phasma]

Yeah, we have similar groups here . . .

But really the police are bad enough without help from anyone else ! They set up sneak traps aimed at getting you for ANYTHING !

[Damascus]

What about DAMM? Drunks Against Mad Mothers

[Freeski]

What about DAMM? Drunks Against Mad Mothers

 

[charrington]

Aurora is trying to keep a little more than $190,000 it seized from two brothers after one of them was pulled over in a traffic stop that didn't even result in a traffic ticket.

Officials have refused to hand back the money even though a judge has sided with the brothers. The matter is due back in court today.

Jesus Martinez, 27, was carrying $190,040 when his pickup truck was stopped by an Aurora police officer about 8:30 p.m. Oct. 18 near Indian Trail and Timberlake roads.

The police officer confiscated the cash, and the city has informed Martinez and his brother, Jose, 34, that Aurora will seek to keep it through civil forfeiture, a procedure that allows police agencies to seize property where the legal standard is lower than proof needed in a criminal forfeiture.

The brothers are home remodelers. Neither has been charged with a crime in this case, and neither has a criminal record, according to Kane County court records.

"I've never seen anything like this in 30 years of practice," said Aurora attorney Patrick Kinnally, who is representing the brothers.

A month after the stop, Kinnally filed a complaint arguing that Aurora had no right to keep the money. Eleven days after that, Kinnally and lawyers representing Aurora appeared before Kane County Circuit Judge Michael Colwell.

"Their lawyers basically said the city was going to file for forfeiture," Kinnally said. "The judge asked on what basis. The lawyer said, 'We don't know,' and the judge said: 'This is America. Give it back.'"

The judge ordered the city to return the $190,040, along with a month's interest and costs. But Kinnally said that when he brought the order to Aurora, the city refused to turn over the cash, saying it planned to appeal the judge's order.

Aurora argued that the judge had overstepped his authority, but the 2nd District Appellate Court in Elgin rejected the appeal on Monday on technical grounds.

Aurora's legal department has not responded to requests for information. And it now appears that the city no longer has the cash.

Jesus Martinez received a certified letter last weekend from U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Dated Dec. 2, the letter states the Department of Homeland Security/Immigrations and Customs Enforcement seized the money from Aurora, and that the cash is subject to forfeiture under U.S. codes dealing with drug transactions.

Geneva attorney Kathleen Colton, who initially was approached by the Martinez...
MORE
http://www.chicagobreakingnews.com/2010/12/aurora-not-returning-money-it-seized-despite-a-court-order.html

[lamourlady]

Yep, they've already divided it up and spent it and are looking for any reason to not have to hand back what they don't have.  Thieves, plain and simple. 

[2stevejc]

Surely they're in contempt. Shouldn't whoever decided not to return that money be going to jail.

This is Fukn outrageous

[charrington]

On Dec. 2, Jeremy Marks, a Verdugo Hills High Schoolspecial education student, was offered a new plea offer by the L.A. County District Attorney: If he pled guilty to charges of obstructing an officer, resisting arrest, criminal threats and "attempted lynching," he'd serve only 32 months in prison.

That actually was an improvement from the previous offer made to the young, black high schooler — seven years in prison.

The D.A. then handed Angela Berry-Jacoby, Mark's lawyer, a stack of 130 documents, and the message within those thick files was clear: She says District Attorney Steve Cooley's prosecution team plans to try to discredit Marks, and several other Verdugo Hills High School students on the witness stand, by dragging out misbehavior incidents from their school records over the years.

Marks, 18, has been sitting in Peter Pitchess Detention Center, a tough adult jail, since May 10. Bail was set at $155,000, which his working-class parents can't pay to free their son for Christmas. His mother is a part-time clerk at a city swimming pool, his father is a lab tech.

The first thing to understand is that Jeremy Marks touched no one during his "attempted lynching" of LAUSD campus police officer Erin Robles.

The second is that Marks' weapon was the camera in his cell phone.

The third is that Officer Robles' own actions helped turn an exceedingly minor wrongdoing — a student smoking at a bus stop — into a state prison case.

The altercation that has ruined Marks' life occurred in early May at a Metro bus stop on a city street a few blocks from Verdugo Hills High School as about 30 kids were waiting to board a bus.

Witness accounts say campus police officer Robles challenged an unnamed 15-year-old for allegedly smoking — it's unclear whether he was smoking or just holding what has been variously reported to be a cigar, cigarette or joint.

When the 15-year-old resisted, Robles grabbed and shoved him, according to eyewitnesses.

In Robles' sworn statement, she says she pulled the resisting boy to the ground as other students shouted "f**k you!" and Marks called out the name of the gang Piru Bloods.

Robles testified that the minor who allegedly was smoking "is screaming, 'Hit me, f**king bitch, hit me, you stupid bitch, hit me, you dyke!'" When that boy turned his body and possibly elbowed her, Robles says, "That is when I did strike him," with her expanded baton, "about three times in the left leg."

She further stated that she sprayed him with pepper spray. The kid then hit her hand, she dropped her pepper spray can, and another student grabbed it off the ground.

Students and Berry-Jacobs allege to L.A. Weekly that Robles then slammed the student’s head against the bus window — a violation of numerous police policies. After that, several stunned students got out their cell phone cameras to record what was unfolding.

Robles struck the 15-year-old's head on the window so hard, eyewitnesses tell the Weekly, that the window was forced out of its rubberized casement and broken.

Robles has changed her story in documents obtained by the Weekly, as she describes which student allegedly called out, "Kick her ass!" — the phrase at the heart of Cooley's case against Marks, and the basis of the “attempted lynching” charge against him.

But student videos of Marks doing his own cell phone taping tell a different story.

Two YouTube videos show Marks in a grayish shirt,...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2pKdeKu-Ng
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kNNuIWnqQtM

MORE
http://www.laweekly.com/2010-12-09/news/jeremy-marks-attempted-lynching-case/

[charrington]

Ann Stanczyk had a Black Friday she'll never forget - the 49-year-old Queens woman says she was humiliated and beaten by two NYPD cops in a dispute over dog droppings.

Pictures taken by her son a day after the Nov. 26 incident show Stanczyk with a welt under one eye and a garish purple bruise on her breast, plus injuries to her hands and knee.

Yesterday, the Polish immigrant filed a complaint with the Civilian Complaint Review Board and plans to sue.

"I just doing it to protect other people from police brutality," Stanczyk told the Daily News. "I don't want what happened to me happen to anyone else. I want to protect the others. If it can happen to me it can happen to other people."

Stanczyk, a married housewife from Rockaway Beach, was walking her terrier, Psotka - Polish for "prankster" - when she wound up in a confrontation with two uniformed officers from the 100th Precinct, Shaun Grossweiler and Richard DeMartino.

"They saw my dog and they said I didn't clean up," said Stanczyk, fighting back tears as she spoke in halting English. "I said, 'No, she only pee.' They, of course, not agree with me and I say, 'Show me. Where is it?'"

The officers found dog feces nearby, she said.

"Pick it up," she said one cop ordered her. "I got scared. I pick up. I said, 'It's cold, not belong to my dog.' When I smiled and said I didn't do anything, that made them very upset."

At that point, Stanczyk was handcuffed and arrested. When she used her feet to try to prevent them from closing the patrol car door to secure her, she says, the beating began.

"I get scared to death," she said. "I started to scream, 'My dog! My dog!' They punch me in my face. They punch me in my breast. They punch me in my stomach."

A neighbor ran over to take Psotka and cops took Stanczyk to the precinct. She was treated for her injuries - her knee still requires physical therapy - and charged with resisting arrest and disorderly conduct.

Court papers indicate police accused Stanczyk of causing a ruckus by yelling at the officers to leave her alone. They also said she locked her hands in front of her to avoid arrest.

The case was adjourned until May, when it will be dismissed as long as she stays out of trouble.

Stanczyk had never been arrested b...
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http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2010/12/08/2010-12-08_cops_hit_me_cuz_i_didnt_pick_up_dog_poo_qns_woman_plans_to_file_suit.html