I'm not sure any of this ends well... I get that Mosby may have been acting to quell unrest by quickly coming forward with charges, I just hope she didn't set up a situation where this explodes all over again because she was hasty.

I fear that if any of these charges get dismissed or beaten by a strong defense, the city will erupt again. It does appear that there are pretty strong community leaders operating now though, so that could help make a difference if that happens.

My hope is that the snippets from the story below are just noise, and she's got her ducks in a row. If not, Baltimore is in for another rough ride.

Baltimore (CNN)

*snip*

Lawyers for two officers have challenged a key finding of State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby's case: that a knife found on Freddie Gray was legal in Maryland and therefore the officers didn't have a right to arrest Gray. The police investigation found that the knife is illegal under Baltimore city code.

Officials familiar with the probes also say the homicide investigation run by police investigators at most contemplated a manslaughter charge, not second degree murder as Mosby charged one of the officers, Caesar Goodson. To win conviction for murder, prosecutors must prove intent to kill. Manslaughter relates to unintentional killings.

*snip*

Another issue could arise from the team Mosby relied on to lead her case: one of her top investigators, Avon Mackel, is a former high-ranking Baltimore police officer who was stripped of his command post in 2009 for failing to follow through on a robbery investigation that two of his officers mishandled and did not report. A Baltimore Sun report said police in the district were accused of classifying serious crimes as lesser in order to log lower crime rates.

In October 2009, four months after his demotion, Baltimore County police sent a SWAT team to Mackel's home, responding a drunken incident in which he was seen holding a gun, according to a police report of the incident obtained by CNN.


http://www.cnn.com/2015/05/06/politics/f...osecution/

Baltimore is what happens when Dem/Libs run the place for over 50 yrs.

(05-07-2015, 12:55 PM)Maggot Wrote: Baltimore is what happens when Dem/Libs run the place for over 50 yrs.

IMO permissive leaders and parents enable this kind of behavior. The child knows if he throws a tantrum, kicking and screaming on the floor that type of parent won't ask him again to clean his room or get a job.
Take as example the mother who found her son and smacked him upside his head after seeing him rioting and throwing rocks on the news. I will bet he got the right message. I'm thinking she should be Baltimore's Mayor instead of this one who gives rioters, looters and arsonists a wide berth to express themselves.




http://baltimore.cbslocal.com/2015/04/25...o-do-that/

Quoted from the article:
But when one reporter asked to comment on how Baltimore police responded to the protestors she said she instructed officers to allow protestors to express themselves and that “we also gave those who wished to destroy space to do that as well.”

I believe in a balance so some things one party says is good and some things the other party says is good. It's when common sense is tossed that things get sketchy. And both sides are as guilty as sin.

I'm surprised, in this day and age, the mom who went and found her son and seemingly smacked him upside the head and dragged him away wasn't referred to CPS or brought up on child abuse charges. People are weird. They might applaud her actions under that one circumstance and crucify her for doing the same thing in a slightly different set of circumstances. Go figure.

Public opinion and youtube saved her, it would be different any other way.

There were leaks in favor of the police, by the police, before the charges were announced. Those appear to have contained false information.

State's Attorney Mosby condemned such leaks during her press conference to announce the charges. She indicated that she wouldn't respond to such leaks in the media, but would instead present the detailed evidence and try the case in court, etc...

It's not surprising or unusual to see the police officers and their defense attorneys, their union reps, and/or the police department publicly challenging the prosecutor and the evidence; happens almost every time. They may have valid points, or they may be posturing to deflect bad acts and affect the potential jury pool, or they may have been overcharged in some cases in the hope of getting complicit officers to testify against those more directly responsible...

It's tough to secure murder and manslaughter convictions against police officers, but it sometimes happens. It will be interesting watching the Freddie Gray homicide case work its way through the legal system, and learning more about the evidence during court proceedings.

(05-08-2015, 06:34 PM)HairOfTheDog Wrote: There were leaks in favor of the police, by the police, before the charges were announced. Those appear to have contained false information.

That is so fricken annoying on a few levels. No integrity, lying bastards.

Here's another one. I'm so glad the Attorney General is giving this another look. I believe that grand juries sometimes fail to indict simply because it's a police officer. That's such bullshit.

In the video what I want you to see goes down around the 2:25 mark. Fucker. I don't give a shit what they think he did, he was surrendering.

According to a police news release, officers were responding to reports of a large fight at a gas station.

A dispatcher can be heard in the recording reporting that at least one subject allegedly had a gun. When at least two officers, including Webster, come upon a man who matched the description of someone at the fight, they order him repeatedly to "get on the ground."

Lateef Dickerson is seen on the dashcam with his hands in the air. As he begins to his drop to his knees, Webster, with his gun drawn, yells again for him to get on the ground, while simultaneously kicking him in the head, authorities said. Dickerson's hat is knocked from his head as he falls to the ground and is handcuffed.

Dickerson suffered a broken jaw that required surgical repair, as well as several lacerations to his face, according to a civil complaint.

Charges levied against him for his involvement in the altercation were eventually dropped, according to his attorney, Daniel Herr.

The path to bring charges against the officer has been complicated. Webster was placed on paid administrative leave in November 2013, pending a internal investigation and review of the case.

In March 2014, then-Delaware Attorney General Beau Biden presented the case to a grand jury, which did not return an indictment.

Following that decision, along with the police department's internal investigation, Webster returned to full duty and was "reassigned to the patrol division," according to police.

Herr, working with the American Civil Liberties Union, filed a civil lawsuit in September 2014, saying Webster used excessive force in his arrest of Dickerson. The lawsuit seeks damages of an unspecified amount, as well as "policies . . .that would provide for robust and proper internal affairs investigations . . ." according to the complaint.

Since the filing, current Attorney General Matt Denn decided the case needed a second look. A second grand jury Monday handed down an indictment; Webster was charged with second-degree assault.

Webster turned himself over to police Monday; he has since been released on $5,000 bond.

Story

Yep, another asshole with a badge. He needs to go in the cage with the animals

US Government Takes Action to Limit Militarized Police & Improve Police Accountability/Public Trust

I think this is overall a good thing and it should get bi-partisan support.

The military weapons and gear provided by the Fed and used routinely by some police departments were supplied as a reaction to 9/11. The drawbacks seem to have exceeded the advantages in many cases. Moving forward, the police will need to make a case for receiving heavy military equipment (or buy it privately).

I heard a portion of Obama's conference from Camden, New Jersey where he made the announcements, along with praising Camden's PD for its success in implementing some of the recommendations from the White House's police reform working group report. Over the last two years, violent crime is down 25% there following Camden's enhanced police training program, implementation of body cams, and public relations efforts.

The President essentially hailed Camden as a good example and announced $163 million in grants to encourage police departments to adopt the recommendations of the White House working group report. The administration has been taking other steps to promote accountability for law enforcement; the Justice Department earlier this month announced a $20 million grant program for increasing the use of body cameras by police. Obama has also proposed increasing that amount in his 2016 budget.

I'm sure driving in an armored limo with an escort is a fine way to see Camden, NJ.

Actually, that's the only safe way.

Six Officers Indicted in Freddie Gray Case


Clockwise from top left: Caesar R. Goodson Jr., Garrett E. Miller, Edward M. Nero, Alicia D. White, Brian W. Rice and William G. Porter.

A grand jury in Baltimore has indicted six police officers on homicide and assault charges in the death of Freddie Gray, who was fatally injured last month in police custody, the city’s chief prosecutor said Thursday.

The charges announced by Marilyn J. Mosby, the state’s attorney for Baltimore City, do not differ greatly from those she initially filed against the officers. But getting a grand jury to agree and deliver an indictment is a milestone in a case that has generated national attention.

Ms. Mosby made no comment on the indictment, except to say that it was normal for a list of charges to evolve along with a criminal case. She declined to take questions.

Lawyers for the six officers, who are free on bail, have called the prosecution’s case weak, filed for dismissal of the charges and argued that Ms. Mosby has conflicts of interest and should be removed from the case.

Full story: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/22/us/six....html?_r=0

The Washington Post is reporting that US police officers have shot dead 385 people in the first 5 months of this year. It was said that blacks were killed at more than 3 times the rate of whites.

Could be, they are 70 something percent of the prison population

The murder increase in Baltimore was to be expected. While I very much dislike the dirty cops, it's not surprising at all to me if cops around the country become more arrest hesitant (so to speak). A sad consequence of all the recent public scrutiny/cynicism regarding police in general.

Rare Prosecution and Conviction of Police Officer for Brutality/Assault


^ Alesia Thomas, 35, left her two children at a Los Angeles police station back in 2012. She left them with clean clothes, their grandmothers' phone number and a note saying she couldn't care for them because she was a drug addict.

Five police officers then went to her house to arrest her for child abandonment. Their reports indicate that Thomas resisted arrest.


^ LAPD Officer Mary O'Callaghan -- footage of restrained suspect being shoved in the throat

A dashboard camera in a police cruiser captured 50-year-old O'Callaghan making inappropriate comments and kicking the handcuffed Thomas in the backseat of the patrol car seven times in the groin, abdomen and upper thigh. Thomas, who was also seen shoved in the throat in footage, lost consciousness.

Paramedics were called to the scene, but Thomas was pronounced dead at a hospital.

An autopsy found Thomas had cocaine in her system, but the cause of death was listed as undetermined because the struggle couldn't be excluded as a contributing factor.

The DA's office pressed charges for assault and a 12-person jury found O'Callaghan guilty yesterday. She awaits sentencing. Her defense attorney is pushing for probation and plans to file an appeal.

Refs:
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/female-lapd-...-who-died/
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-...rrest.html

(06-06-2015, 01:17 PM)HairOfTheDog Wrote: Alesia Thomas, 35, left her two children at Los Angeles police station back in 2012. She left them with clean clothes, their grandmothers' phone number and a note saying she couldn't care for them because she was a drug addict.

I feel like she did the right thing. There are so many other choices she could have made yet she made sure they were in a safe place. She made a responsible decision. Shame she didn't just go straight to the grandmother.

Do you think that if this had been a male officer, the verdict would be different? Just curious.......it just seems that most male officers are vindicated when actually guilty IMO....I do hope this trend ends and investigation is done by an outside agency....

(06-06-2015, 07:07 PM)blueberryhill Wrote: Do you think that if this had been a male officer, the verdict would be different? Just curious.......it just seems that most male officers are vindicated when actually guilty IMO....I do hope this trend ends and investigation is done by an outside agency....

I personally don't think the charges and conviction had anything to do with O'Callaghan being female, blueberry.

I think the dash cam audio/video used by LAPD did its job. That evidence, in this era of increased public exposure and decreased public tolerance in regards to unwarranted police brutality, sunk O'Callaghan's ship IMO.

The LAPD used to have one of the worst reputations in the country in terms of corruption and brutality. The department undertook drastic reforms and, by all measures, scores much better in community relations and crime statistics across the board today than it did 20 years ago. I don't think Chief Beck wants to see brutal cops moving things backward.

Anyway, there's no justifiable reason for an officer to threaten and beat a restrained suspect. I don't doubt that Thomas resisted arrest initially, but she was subdued when all that shit went down in the car.

A reporter from the LA Times was at the officer's trial and described the video as disturbing, particularly seeing O'Callaghan outside of the vehicle after the assault, smoking a cigarette and then casually telling another officer, "I don't think she's breathing." I think that had to impact the jury too.