Tag: Law Enforcement

Graphic video shows cop fatally shooting fleeing man in back with eight rounds

Reported by The Blaze on April 7, 2015

A South Carolina officer has been charged with murder after video surfaced showing him shoot a 50-year-old black man in the back during a traffic stop Saturday, officials said. Records with the Charleston County Sheriff’s Office showed that 33-year-old officer Michael Slager was arrested Tuesday and charged for Walter Scott’s death. Video published by the New York Times showed Slager fire eight rounds at Scott as the 50-year-old desperately tried to escape….”

Watching the video, it’s pretty clear shooting the fleeing man in the back was unwarranted. And it does look like Slager tried to plant “evidence” by dropping what looks like a Taser by the victim’s body.

Officer collides patrol car head on with a wrong-way vehicle to prevent it from hitting other vehicles

Reported by Global News on 2015-04-02

A Brentwood, Tennessee police officer said he had to make a split-second decision on how to stop a driver going the wrong way down a major highway last Thursday. The result was this: a head-on crash between the officer’s cruiser and the wrong-way driver, all caught on the dashboard camera…. Brentwood police spotted the vehicle travelling at high speeds near Concord Road in Brentwood, and radioed ahead to Officer Cliff Thompson, who was north of the wrong-way driver. Thompson spotted the driver and attempted to use his patrol car to force her into the concrete median. But with the driver showing no signs of stopping, Thompson said he was forced to make a quick decision, as traffic had been stopped just a little further up the highway. So he aimed his cruiser directly at the oncoming vehicle – and held on tight. Both Thompson and the other driver, 59-year-old Sandra Sharpe of Nashville, Tennessee, were taken to hospital with minor injuries….

Officers buy needy family a car seat instead of ticketing them

Reported by ABC News on April 1, 2015

Two Michigan police officers are being hailed for making the decision to buy a car seat for a family in need instead of citing the child’s parents. Officers Jason Pavlige and James Hodges of Fruitport Township, Michigan, responded to a dispatch call reporting a woman at a local McDonalds holding a baby in her arms in a car’s passenger seat. The officers … pulled over the driver, also the father of the 10-month-old girl, on the violation…. When the officers spoke with the parents, who were not identified, they quickly realized they did not have the resources to purchase a car seat for their daughter…. Instead of issuing the parents a citation, Pavlige and Hodges decided to take action in another way…. While Pavlige stayed with the family, Hodges went to a local Walmart and purchased a new car seat with money from his and Pavlige’s own pockets. They then installed the car seat and gave the family instructions on how to properly use it…. Hodges and Pavlige’s good deed occurred in February but was publicized just last week after a Walmart employee called the police station to report what the officers had done….

Cops and lawyers falsely accuse man who handed a summons to a cop

Reported by WWLTV on February 25, 2015

One of the worst days of Douglas Dendinger’s life began with him handing an envelope to a police officer…. Dendinger agreed to act as a process server, giving a brutality lawsuit filed by his nephew to Chad Cassard as the … police officer exited the Washington Parish Courthouse. The handoff went smoothly, but Dendinger said the reaction from Cassard, and a group of officers and attorneys clustered around him, turned his life upside down. ‘It was like sticking a stick in a bee’s nest.’ Dendinger recalled. ‘They started cursing me. They threw the summons at me. Right at my face, but it fell short. Vulgarities. I just didn’t know what to think. I was a little shocked.’ Not knowing what to make of the blow-up, a puzzled Dendinger drove home. That’s where things went from bad to worse. ‘Within about 20 minutes, there were these bright lights shining through my windows…. I knew immediately, a police car. And that’s when the nightmare started,’ he said…. He was booked with simple battery, along with two felonies: obstruction of justice and intimidating a witness, both of which carry a maximum of 20 years in prison…. What the officers and attorneys did not know was that Dendinger had one critical piece of evidence on his side: grainy cell phone videos shot by his wife and nephew. Dendinger said he thought of recording the scene at the last minute as a way of showing he had completed the task of serving the summons…. In the end, the two videos may have saved Dendinger from decades in prison. From what can be seen on the clips, Dendinger never touches Cassard, who calmly takes the envelope and walks back into the courthouse, handing Wall the envelope…. Dendinger spent nearly a year waiting for trial, racking up attorney’s fees. As a disabled Army veteran on a fixed income, Dendinger said the case stretched him financially, but in his eyes, he was fighting for his life. After nearly a year passed … the case was referred to the Louisiana Attorney General’s Office, which promptly dropped the charges….

Officer aids baby formula shoplifter

Reported by WKYT News on January 29, 2015

It started with a complaint about a shoplifter, but it ended with an act of kindness. A London police officer took it upon himself to help a suspected shoplifter after realizing the man was in a difficult situation…. Roby was called to the Kroger on North Main Street in London on Saturday, Jan. 17 after a loss prevention officer stopped a man who was shoplifting. The suspect was a single father who had fallen on hard times, Roby said. The man was caught stealing baby formula for his six-month-old son, who was with him at the time. The store’s loss prevention officer told Roby he did not want to press charges, and Roby agreed…. But what Roby did next showed the shoplifter what it truly means ‘to protect and serve’ one’s community. He bought some formula himself, giving it to the man for his baby…. Roby also gave the man a message, saying he told the man there are a lot of people and organizations – including the police department – that are available to help those in need….

Officer arrests pizza delivery man, then delivers pizza

Reported by Village of Oswego Police, IL on January 25, 2015

Oswego Police arrested two male subjects at Chicago and Garfield for unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia. One of the subjects was en route to deliver a pizza to a local residence at the time of arrest. Seeing that the large pizza sitting in the passenger seat had no means of reaching its destination, an officer delivered the pizza to the specified address on the receipt attached. A confused resident accepted the pizza, and was very glad that the police were there to deliver the pizza, rather than talk to them.

Police Chief replies wonderfully to outrageous demands by ‘Young, Gifted and Black Coalition’

Reported by NBC News on January 13, 2015

Madison Police Chief Mike Koval has some strong words to those who penned an open letter accusing his department of bias and contributing to racial disparity in the criminal just system…. The letter was penned by members of the Young, Gifted and Black Coalition. The group has been a driving force behind recent local protests responding to events in Ferguson, New York and Milwaukee…. The group’s open letter, released on Friday, made several demands from the Madison Police Department in regards to community policing, including a line stating: ‘The relationship that we desire to have with the police is simple: no interaction.’ Chief Koval responded, ‘To their edict that we pull out of the neighborhoods: not happening.’… Chief Koval adds, ‘I think that doesn’t begin to address the issue that our neighborhoods are also comprised of victims, of witnesses, of complainants who contrary to what their take is, my take is that when I do community forums, they are begging for the Madison police department to have their presence there….’

South Carolina sheriff takes boy hunting & fishing

Reported by Fox News on December 30, 2014

A 9-year-old boy is on an ‘awesome’ hunting trip in South Carolina after mistakenly asking a Pennsylvania sheriff to teach him how to hunt. Alex Collins flew to Chester, S.C., Monday to hunt with Chester County Sheriff Alex Underwood for two days. The sheriff took Alex shopping for boots, pants, a camouflage jacket and a fishing tackle box. Then he lent Alex his favorite rifle and showed the boy how to hold it safely. After that they had a hearty breakfast and ventured into the deep woods to look for deer…. Underwood has a program where he offers to take kids hunting and fishing. The boy’s mother saw the offer on Facebook but when she saw Chester County she thought it was Chester County in Pennsylvania. That’s where she and her son live…. Alex and his mother dropped off hand-written letters to the sheriff in Chester County, Pennsylvania, Carolyn Welsh, just minutes before the deadline…. Alex was crestfallen when he was told about the mix-up. But that’s when Welsh contacted Underwood…. The two sheriffs and their deputies are chipping in for Alex’ trip and his hunting gear….

Officer kills gunman in bar parking lot

Reported by Chron on December 26, 2014

More than 100 bar patrons swarmed a crime scene and some may have thrown bottles early Friday after a Texas City police officer shot and killed an armed man. The officer arrived at H.T.’s Lounge in Texas City after police received a call about 1:20 a.m. from the bar manager asking for help, police spokesman Cpt. Joe Stanton said. As he arrived, the officer saw a man firing a handgun at patrons leaving through the front door of the bar, Stanton said. The man pointed his gun at the officer, who killed him by firing several shots. Two other officers arrived shortly after the first and they called for assistance. Officers from Galveston, La Marque and the Galveston County Sheriff’s Office arrived to control a crowd that had swelled to more than 100, police said….

Credit to the officer for handling a dangerous situation, and eliminating the threat. When a man has a gun and is shooting at people, and then points the gun at you, there’s really not much else  you can do. Extra credit for getting a thug off the streets permanently.

 

They are not the type of tickets you think

Reported by Fox News on December 24, 2014

After a rough year spent in and out of Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin for a rare, life-threatening condition, a Saukville teenager got a Christmas surprise from her dad. The big surprise wasn’t only the gift — but how he delivered it. It all started back on November 21st, when Audra Daniloff was pulled over by a Saukville police officer (see complete video below). The officer told her at the time, it was because she rolled through a stop sign. In reality, it was a set-up. ‘I got some good news and some bad news for you, okay?’ said the officer. ‘The bad news, first I am giving you two tickets. But they are not the type of tickets you think. One is a plane ticket to New York. The other is a concert ticket for your favorite band….