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Post by WaTcHeR on Nov 29, 2006 11:23:48 GMT -5
11.28.2006 - New York - WABC, November 29, 2006) - The family of a man gunned down by police will make their first visit to the scene of the shooting in Queens this morning. Sean Bell was killed just hours before his wedding, when undercover officers fired dozens of rounds outside a strip club. Eyewitness News reporter Lisa Colagrossi is in Jamaica, Queens with the latest. Later on today, Sean Bell's parents will visit the makeshift memorial at the scene of the deadly shooting for the first time. They will be accompanied by the Rev. Al sharpton and the Rev. Jesse Jackson. Behind the political turmoil and community outrage, the search for evidence goes on. Two dozen detectives worked the streets around the "Kalua" cabaret, last night, searching for a gun which may have been nothing more than an empty threat. The undercover officer who fired the first shot early Saturday reportedly heard Bell's friend, Joseph Guzman, threaten to get a gun during a closing-time argument outside the topless bar. That's why the officer followed the men. But since Bell's death, there has reportedly been no sign of a gun. William Bell, Victim's Father: "They just killed my son. For what reason? I don't think they even know," he said. Read more of our interview with William Bell What investigators reportedly have found is a disturbing chain of events: Undercover officers in the club, not coordinating with officers outside, posted in a car. And when the action moved outside, communications became an even greater issue. The officer who followed Bell to his car reportedly lost contact with his partner. Investigators say the partner was trying to bust a hooker outside the club when he heard the shooting start. His call for assistance was the confusing first sign of trouble for their backup officers. The investigation is moving forward toward a grand jury. And the Eyewitness News Investigators have exclusively reviewed details of the incident report compiled by police investigators from over 40 witnesses to the shooting, and two officers who were there but who didn't fire their guns. In it, an undercover officer standing outside Club Kalua told police investigators that he heard Sean Bell, now dead, get into an argument with an unidentified male, who "placed his right hand inside of his jacket pocket, simulating that he had a weapon. Another male in the group, later positively identified as Joseph Guzman, made the statement, "Yo, get my gun, get my gun." Mr. Bell was also overhead stating to his friends, Let's f--- him up, referring to an unidentified male black." Minutes later, 50 shots fired -- 31 fired by Detective Mike Oliver. When a sergeant asked Oliver if he had discharged his weapon, the report states "the detective replied that he was unsure if he had discharged any rounds." Read more exclusive details from the Eyewitness News Investigators On Monday, the mayor called the shooting "excessive" and met with community leaders in Queens, he wasn't backing away from that statement. All of the officers involved in the shooting have agreed to testify before a Queens grand jury without immunity. The NAACP has said if there is no indictment they will ask the feds to appoint a special prosecutor. abclocal.go.com/wabc/story?section=local&id=4805603
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Post by WaTcHeR on Nov 29, 2006 11:23:48 GMT -5
11.28.2006 - New York - WABC, November 29, 2006) - The family of a man gunned down by police will make their first visit to the scene of the shooting in Queens this morning. Sean Bell was killed just hours before his wedding, when undercover officers fired dozens of rounds outside a strip club. Eyewitness News reporter Lisa Colagrossi is in Jamaica, Queens with the latest. Later on today, Sean Bell's parents will visit the makeshift memorial at the scene of the deadly shooting for the first time. They will be accompanied by the Rev. Al sharpton and the Rev. Jesse Jackson. Behind the political turmoil and community outrage, the search for evidence goes on. Two dozen detectives worked the streets around the "Kalua" cabaret, last night, searching for a gun which may have been nothing more than an empty threat. The undercover officer who fired the first shot early Saturday reportedly heard Bell's friend, Joseph Guzman, threaten to get a gun during a closing-time argument outside the topless bar. That's why the officer followed the men. But since Bell's death, there has reportedly been no sign of a gun. William Bell, Victim's Father: "They just killed my son. For what reason? I don't think they even know," he said. Read more of our interview with William Bell What investigators reportedly have found is a disturbing chain of events: Undercover officers in the club, not coordinating with officers outside, posted in a car. And when the action moved outside, communications became an even greater issue. The officer who followed Bell to his car reportedly lost contact with his partner. Investigators say the partner was trying to bust a hooker outside the club when he heard the shooting start. His call for assistance was the confusing first sign of trouble for their backup officers. The investigation is moving forward toward a grand jury. And the Eyewitness News Investigators have exclusively reviewed details of the incident report compiled by police investigators from over 40 witnesses to the shooting, and two officers who were there but who didn't fire their guns. In it, an undercover officer standing outside Club Kalua told police investigators that he heard Sean Bell, now dead, get into an argument with an unidentified male, who "placed his right hand inside of his jacket pocket, simulating that he had a weapon. Another male in the group, later positively identified as Joseph Guzman, made the statement, "Yo, get my gun, get my gun." Mr. Bell was also overhead stating to his friends, Let's f--- him up, referring to an unidentified male black." Minutes later, 50 shots fired -- 31 fired by Detective Mike Oliver. When a sergeant asked Oliver if he had discharged his weapon, the report states "the detective replied that he was unsure if he had discharged any rounds." Read more exclusive details from the Eyewitness News Investigators On Monday, the mayor called the shooting "excessive" and met with community leaders in Queens, he wasn't backing away from that statement. All of the officers involved in the shooting have agreed to testify before a Queens grand jury without immunity. The NAACP has said if there is no indictment they will ask the feds to appoint a special prosecutor. abclocal.go.com/wabc/story?section=local&id=4805603
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Post by WaTcHeR on Nov 27, 2006 15:32:51 GMT -5
11.27.2006 - NEW YORK - Mayor Michael Bloomberg was "deeply disturbed" by the barrage of gunfire unleashed by officers in a weekend shooting that killed a groom on his wedding day, the mayor said Monday.
"I can tell you that it is to me unacceptable or inexplicable how you can have 50-odd shots fired, but that's up to the investigation to find out what really happened," Bloomberg said after meeting with community leaders at City Hall.
Bloomberg was joined by Police Commissioner Ray Kelly, the Rev. Al Sharpton, Rep. Charles Rangel and several other officials at the meeting.
Sharpton called it a "very candid, a very blunt meeting." He said the message to Bloomberg was: "This city must show moral outrage that 50 shots were fired on three unarmed men."
Bloomberg was steadfast in his support for Kelly, who has been denounced by some community leaders over the shooting.
"I think he's the best police commissioner the city has ever had," Bloomberg said. "Nobody takes this more seriously than Commissioner Kelly and I do."
Police fired an estimated 50 rounds at the groom, Sean Bell, 23, and two other unarmed men in a car early Saturday, hours before he was to have married the mother of his two children.
Five officers were placed on paid administrative leave and stripped of their guns, said Paul Browne, chief spokesman for the NYPD. Police and prosecutors promised a full investigation.
"This warrants an answer," Rangel said as he arrived for the meeting. "Not just to the families of those that were shot and killed but to the people of the city of New York."
On Sunday, several hundred people held a vigil for Bell, some shouting "No justice, no peace!" and demanding Kelly's ouster.
Kelly has said police shot at the car after it drove forward and struck an undercover officer and an unmarked police minivan. The information was based on interviews with witnesses and two officers who did not fire their weapons, he said.
However, Trini Wright, a dancer at the strip club where Bell's bachelor party was held, told the Daily News she was going to a diner with the men and was putting her makeup bag in the trunk of their car when the police minivan appeared.
"The minivan came around the corner and smashed into their car. And they (the police) jumped out shooting," Wright, 28, told the newspaper for Monday editions. "No 'stop.' No 'freeze.' No nothing."
Kelly had said Saturday it was too early to say whether the shooting was justified. He said it was unclear whether the officers, who were in plain clothes, identified themselves before firing.
Bell's fiancee, Nicole Paultre, made a quiet visit to the site of his shootings before dawn Monday, lighting candles clustered around a photograph of the smiling couple with one of their daughters.
The shootings occurred after 4 a.m. Saturday outside the Kalua Cabaret in Queens. Kelly said the confrontation stemmed from an undercover operation by seven officers investigating the club.
Bell was struck twice. Joseph Guzman, 31, was shot at least 11 times, and Trent Benefield, 23, was hit three times. Guzman was in critical condition Monday and Benefield was stable.
The officers' shots struck the men's car 21 times. They also hit nearby homes and shattered windows at a train station, though no residents were injured.
Police thought one of the men in the car might have had a gun, but investigators found no weapons. It was unclear what prompted police to open fire, Kelly said.
According to Kelly, the groom was involved in a verbal dispute outside the club, and one of his friends referred to a gun.
An undercover officer walked closely behind Bell and his friends as they headed for their car. As he walked toward the front of the vehicle, the car drove forward, striking the officer and minivan, Kelly said.
That officer was apparently the first to open fire, Kelly said. He had served on the force for five years. One 12-year veteran fired his weapon 31 times, emptying two full magazines, Kelly said.
It was the first time any of the officers, all of whom carried 9 mm handguns, had been involved in a shooting, he said.
At some point, Bell backed the car onto a sidewalk, hitting a building gate, police said. He then drove forward, striking the police vehicle a second time, Kelly said.
The department's policy prohibits shooting at moving vehicles states "unless deadly force is being used against the police officers or another person present, by means other than a moving vehicle."
This isn't the first time the NYPD has come under scrutiny over officer-involved shootings.
In 1999, police killed Amadou Diallo, an unarmed immigrant from Guinea in western Africa who was shot 19 times. The four officers in that case were acquitted of criminal charges. And in 2003, Ousmane Zongo, a native of Burkina Faso in western Africa, was hit four times, twice in the back. In that case, one officer was convicted of criminally negligent homicide, but acquitted of the more serious charge of second-degree manslaughter.
Rangel said the latest shooting "reminds me of a tragedy that took place with Mr. Diallo. And we can't have that. We can't have that."
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Post by WaTcHeR on Nov 27, 2006 15:32:51 GMT -5
11.27.2006 - NEW YORK - Mayor Michael Bloomberg was "deeply disturbed" by the barrage of gunfire unleashed by officers in a weekend shooting that killed a groom on his wedding day, the mayor said Monday.
"I can tell you that it is to me unacceptable or inexplicable how you can have 50-odd shots fired, but that's up to the investigation to find out what really happened," Bloomberg said after meeting with community leaders at City Hall.
Bloomberg was joined by Police Commissioner Ray Kelly, the Rev. Al Sharpton, Rep. Charles Rangel and several other officials at the meeting.
Sharpton called it a "very candid, a very blunt meeting." He said the message to Bloomberg was: "This city must show moral outrage that 50 shots were fired on three unarmed men."
Bloomberg was steadfast in his support for Kelly, who has been denounced by some community leaders over the shooting.
"I think he's the best police commissioner the city has ever had," Bloomberg said. "Nobody takes this more seriously than Commissioner Kelly and I do."
Police fired an estimated 50 rounds at the groom, Sean Bell, 23, and two other unarmed men in a car early Saturday, hours before he was to have married the mother of his two children.
Five officers were placed on paid administrative leave and stripped of their guns, said Paul Browne, chief spokesman for the NYPD. Police and prosecutors promised a full investigation.
"This warrants an answer," Rangel said as he arrived for the meeting. "Not just to the families of those that were shot and killed but to the people of the city of New York."
On Sunday, several hundred people held a vigil for Bell, some shouting "No justice, no peace!" and demanding Kelly's ouster.
Kelly has said police shot at the car after it drove forward and struck an undercover officer and an unmarked police minivan. The information was based on interviews with witnesses and two officers who did not fire their weapons, he said.
However, Trini Wright, a dancer at the strip club where Bell's bachelor party was held, told the Daily News she was going to a diner with the men and was putting her makeup bag in the trunk of their car when the police minivan appeared.
"The minivan came around the corner and smashed into their car. And they (the police) jumped out shooting," Wright, 28, told the newspaper for Monday editions. "No 'stop.' No 'freeze.' No nothing."
Kelly had said Saturday it was too early to say whether the shooting was justified. He said it was unclear whether the officers, who were in plain clothes, identified themselves before firing.
Bell's fiancee, Nicole Paultre, made a quiet visit to the site of his shootings before dawn Monday, lighting candles clustered around a photograph of the smiling couple with one of their daughters.
The shootings occurred after 4 a.m. Saturday outside the Kalua Cabaret in Queens. Kelly said the confrontation stemmed from an undercover operation by seven officers investigating the club.
Bell was struck twice. Joseph Guzman, 31, was shot at least 11 times, and Trent Benefield, 23, was hit three times. Guzman was in critical condition Monday and Benefield was stable.
The officers' shots struck the men's car 21 times. They also hit nearby homes and shattered windows at a train station, though no residents were injured.
Police thought one of the men in the car might have had a gun, but investigators found no weapons. It was unclear what prompted police to open fire, Kelly said.
According to Kelly, the groom was involved in a verbal dispute outside the club, and one of his friends referred to a gun.
An undercover officer walked closely behind Bell and his friends as they headed for their car. As he walked toward the front of the vehicle, the car drove forward, striking the officer and minivan, Kelly said.
That officer was apparently the first to open fire, Kelly said. He had served on the force for five years. One 12-year veteran fired his weapon 31 times, emptying two full magazines, Kelly said.
It was the first time any of the officers, all of whom carried 9 mm handguns, had been involved in a shooting, he said.
At some point, Bell backed the car onto a sidewalk, hitting a building gate, police said. He then drove forward, striking the police vehicle a second time, Kelly said.
The department's policy prohibits shooting at moving vehicles states "unless deadly force is being used against the police officers or another person present, by means other than a moving vehicle."
This isn't the first time the NYPD has come under scrutiny over officer-involved shootings.
In 1999, police killed Amadou Diallo, an unarmed immigrant from Guinea in western Africa who was shot 19 times. The four officers in that case were acquitted of criminal charges. And in 2003, Ousmane Zongo, a native of Burkina Faso in western Africa, was hit four times, twice in the back. In that case, one officer was convicted of criminally negligent homicide, but acquitted of the more serious charge of second-degree manslaughter.
Rangel said the latest shooting "reminds me of a tragedy that took place with Mr. Diallo. And we can't have that. We can't have that."
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Post by WaTcHeR on Nov 27, 2006 15:30:59 GMT -5
11.26.2006 - New York - The medical examiner has released its report. The question on everyone's mind: How is that five police officers showered a group of unarmed men with 50 bullets? Our team coverage continues now with Lucy Yang. She has the latest information on the investigation from Jamaica. Crime scene investigators were at the scene a short while ago gathering evidence. Candles were lit for the shooting victims tonight, but only if it were that easy to shed light on the troubling killing. The medical examiner has released its report. According to autopsy, 23-year-old Sean Bell was hit four times on the right side of his neck, his right shoulder, right hip, and right arm. He died of perforation to larynx, lungs and liver. The young father of two was just wrapping up the bachelor's party at the topless club in Queens, and was hours away from walking down the aisle with his high school sweetheart Saturday when tragically he got caught in a police operation. The Queens vice unit, out to clamp down on prostitutes and drugs somehow got the bachelor's party in their cross-hairs. They fired 50 shots at Bell and his unarmed friends. 31-year-old Joseph Guzman was hit at least 11 times, left in critical condition. 23-year-old Trent Benefield was shot three times. Authorities say Bell drove into unmarked police minivan twice, almost ran over an undercover police officer, and went up on a sidewalk smashing a locked gate. Today, the group 100 Blacks in Law Enforcement Who Care condemned the police shooting. Retired lieutenant Julian Harper used to work in the same squad and says procedures dictate that undercover cops who were in the club and who may have been drinking as part of the role playing should not be involved in the enforcement outside of the club. "They are not to become involved or engaged in any enforcement activity unless it is a dire need at that particular moment," Mr. Harper said. 100 Blacks in Law Enforcement Who Care is now calling for a change in policy for undercover cops, forcing them to take Breathalyzer tests after being involved in a fatal shooting. As for a time line, it could take several weeks before detectives can speak directly with the officers involved because of the grand jury now being convened by the Queens' district attorney. abclocal.go.com/wabc/story?section=local&id=4797954
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Post by WaTcHeR on Nov 27, 2006 15:30:59 GMT -5
11.26.2006 - New York - The medical examiner has released its report. The question on everyone's mind: How is that five police officers showered a group of unarmed men with 50 bullets? Our team coverage continues now with Lucy Yang. She has the latest information on the investigation from Jamaica. Crime scene investigators were at the scene a short while ago gathering evidence. Candles were lit for the shooting victims tonight, but only if it were that easy to shed light on the troubling killing. The medical examiner has released its report. According to autopsy, 23-year-old Sean Bell was hit four times on the right side of his neck, his right shoulder, right hip, and right arm. He died of perforation to larynx, lungs and liver. The young father of two was just wrapping up the bachelor's party at the topless club in Queens, and was hours away from walking down the aisle with his high school sweetheart Saturday when tragically he got caught in a police operation. The Queens vice unit, out to clamp down on prostitutes and drugs somehow got the bachelor's party in their cross-hairs. They fired 50 shots at Bell and his unarmed friends. 31-year-old Joseph Guzman was hit at least 11 times, left in critical condition. 23-year-old Trent Benefield was shot three times. Authorities say Bell drove into unmarked police minivan twice, almost ran over an undercover police officer, and went up on a sidewalk smashing a locked gate. Today, the group 100 Blacks in Law Enforcement Who Care condemned the police shooting. Retired lieutenant Julian Harper used to work in the same squad and says procedures dictate that undercover cops who were in the club and who may have been drinking as part of the role playing should not be involved in the enforcement outside of the club. "They are not to become involved or engaged in any enforcement activity unless it is a dire need at that particular moment," Mr. Harper said. 100 Blacks in Law Enforcement Who Care is now calling for a change in policy for undercover cops, forcing them to take Breathalyzer tests after being involved in a fatal shooting. As for a time line, it could take several weeks before detectives can speak directly with the officers involved because of the grand jury now being convened by the Queens' district attorney. abclocal.go.com/wabc/story?section=local&id=4797954
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Post by WaTcHeR on Feb 15, 2007 14:47:46 GMT -5
A Scottsboro woman complaining over a traffic ticket she received has asked Mayor Dan Deason "to direct the Alabama Bureau of Investigation to conduct a complete investigation into this case." Heather Garner called a press conference on the south side of the courthouse square, read her announcement, and then went to the mayor's office where she hand-delivered the request for an ABI investigation. Deason said he would not call for an investigation because he feels the city personnel were rightfully doing their duty and that anyone can ask the ABI for an investigation. Police Capt. Capt. Ron Latimer said, "We have no comment on a pending criminal case." The woman read the following statement from the south side of the courthouse at 12:15 p.m. Monday with a few friends and relatives gathered around: “My name is Heather Garner. I am a divorced mother of two young children. I work full time in a downtown office. Last Friday I received a traffic ticket I did not deserve. I contacted the office of Scottsboro's Police Chief. I told the office that I wanted to file a complaint regarding the police officer, who issued the ticket and another city employee. "An investigating officer was sent to my office. That officer refused to allow me to make a written complaint against the officer. The investigating officer did take information about the city employee, who is married to another city police officer. I do not know what the investigating officer did with the information I gave him. I do know that within a couple of hours I was arrested for harassment of the city employee." “I feel betrayed by the police department. They are supposed to protect and serve the public, not just the officers and their families. In this case, the city employee has claimed to also be a Scottboro police officer in the past.” "I have no hope that the police department can conduct an unbiased investigation against the department, the officer or the city employee. As a working mom, I deserve better treatment from the police department and this city. "Today, I am asking the mayor of Scottsboro to direct the Alabama Bureau of Investigation to conduct a complete investigation into this case." Garner said she plans to file a claim with the city, but said she did not know at this time what the claim amount would be. Filing a claim with a municipality is a prerequisite to filing a lawsuit. www.thedailysentinel.com/story.lasso?ewcd=5a9b99dd13979330
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Post by WaTcHeR on Feb 15, 2007 14:47:46 GMT -5
A Scottsboro woman complaining over a traffic ticket she received has asked Mayor Dan Deason "to direct the Alabama Bureau of Investigation to conduct a complete investigation into this case." Heather Garner called a press conference on the south side of the courthouse square, read her announcement, and then went to the mayor's office where she hand-delivered the request for an ABI investigation. Deason said he would not call for an investigation because he feels the city personnel were rightfully doing their duty and that anyone can ask the ABI for an investigation. Police Capt. Capt. Ron Latimer said, "We have no comment on a pending criminal case." The woman read the following statement from the south side of the courthouse at 12:15 p.m. Monday with a few friends and relatives gathered around: “My name is Heather Garner. I am a divorced mother of two young children. I work full time in a downtown office. Last Friday I received a traffic ticket I did not deserve. I contacted the office of Scottsboro's Police Chief. I told the office that I wanted to file a complaint regarding the police officer, who issued the ticket and another city employee. "An investigating officer was sent to my office. That officer refused to allow me to make a written complaint against the officer. The investigating officer did take information about the city employee, who is married to another city police officer. I do not know what the investigating officer did with the information I gave him. I do know that within a couple of hours I was arrested for harassment of the city employee." “I feel betrayed by the police department. They are supposed to protect and serve the public, not just the officers and their families. In this case, the city employee has claimed to also be a Scottboro police officer in the past.” "I have no hope that the police department can conduct an unbiased investigation against the department, the officer or the city employee. As a working mom, I deserve better treatment from the police department and this city. "Today, I am asking the mayor of Scottsboro to direct the Alabama Bureau of Investigation to conduct a complete investigation into this case." Garner said she plans to file a claim with the city, but said she did not know at this time what the claim amount would be. Filing a claim with a municipality is a prerequisite to filing a lawsuit. www.thedailysentinel.com/story.lasso?ewcd=5a9b99dd13979330
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Post by WaTcHeR on Jul 13, 2006 11:01:01 GMT -5
You must be a cop, a cop lover or just ignorant. The stories of police officers on this board, make it easy to be able to bash them. We never make up any stories that you read on here. Police officers as well as farmers, truckers and airline pilots put their live at risk everyday as well. Except police are little more prepared and trained to handle situations that arise on their job. Link police jobs: flyservers.registerfly.com/members5/policecrime.com/police_job.htmlHave at it making that website on teachers having sex with students. If you believe that teachers are more dangerous then cops, then that would be a great public service you starting a website. That is what we have done on bad cops. Let us know when you start that website. I've read those stories you speak of on teachers and students. This year I've read about 3 or 4 stories, two of them being female teachers. In the last "six months" we have posted between 800-1000 stories LINK: policecrime.proboards28.com/index.cgi?board=coptalk of police officers being arrested and charged with a crime. This is something the public isn't aware of and guess what, were here to show them that there is more then just a few bad apples roaming our streets.
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Post by WaTcHeR on Jul 13, 2006 11:01:01 GMT -5
You must be a cop, a cop lover or just ignorant. The stories of police officers on this board, make it easy to be able to bash them. We never make up any stories that you read on here. Police officers as well as farmers, truckers and airline pilots put their live at risk everyday as well. Except police are little more prepared and trained to handle situations that arise on their job. Link police jobs: flyservers.registerfly.com/members5/policecrime.com/police_job.htmlHave at it making that website on teachers having sex with students. If you believe that teachers are more dangerous then cops, then that would be a great public service you starting a website. That is what we have done on bad cops. Let us know when you start that website. I've read those stories you speak of on teachers and students. This year I've read about 3 or 4 stories, two of them being female teachers. In the last "six months" we have posted between 800-1000 stories LINK: policecrime.proboards28.com/index.cgi?board=coptalk of police officers being arrested and charged with a crime. This is something the public isn't aware of and guess what, were here to show them that there is more then just a few bad apples roaming our streets.
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Post by WaTcHeR on Mar 31, 2006 18:34:35 GMT -5
03/31/2006 - The personal information of an investigative reporter was posted prominently on a South Florida police union's website after a local television station aired a report about how police in Broward and Miami-Dade counties deal with the public.
The address, date of birth and driver's license number of WFOR CBS-4 reporter Mike Kirsch was posted as a BOLO -- or "be on the lookout" -- on the website of the Broward County Police Benevolent Association.
BOLOs typically are issued by police departments when officers are looking for criminals or missing persons.
The BOLO reads: "Channel 4 News is doing a series on the complaint process at police departments in Dade and Broward. They are setting up officers and instigating confrontations, then filing complaints with the various agencies."
Kirsch first learned about the BOLO from a colleague who saw the flier in a stack of BOLOs at a local police station. New Times reporter Jeff Stratton wrote about the BOLO last week.
Kirsch's personal information was removed from the website after a letter from the television station's lawyer. Kirsch's photo is now on the site.
Alan Rosenthal, an attorney for CBS-4, a Miami Herald news partner, demanded that the union remove the BOLO, calling it false and a violation of Florida and federal law that prohibits the disclosure of "personal identifying information contained in motor vehicle records."
'GOING TO WAR'
The reporter said the posting had concerned him and his family.
"I told my wife about it," Kirsch said. 'She's from Bosnia. She said, 'It sounds like the cops are going to war with you, and you need to be careful.' "
Kirsch said the BOLO "reminded me this is an intimidation effect," he said. "It might have a chilling effect on any news media establishment from doing their jobs and questioning the system and government. It's just disappointing."
Lucy Dalglish, executive director of The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press in Arlington, Va., said the BOLO "absolutely is an attempt to intimidate. And it's abusive and downright stupid."
In its hidden-camera investigation, conducted with a national watchdog group called The Police Complaint Center, one person visited 38 agencies in Broward and Miami-Dade to ask about getting a form to file a complaint against an officer.
Only three of the police departments had such forms: Florida City, Homestead and Miami, according to CBS-4.
The forms are not required by law, though they are recommended by the International Association of Chiefs of Police.
Kirsch noted that at many departments, police were courteous and professional, but in others they weren't.
CHANGES AT BSO
After the piece, at least one agency pledged to reexamine the process for filing complaints. The Broward Sheriff's Office has made a "Public Compliment/Complaint Form" available in the lobby of BSO stations.
BSO allows a person to file an anonymous complaint and provides many ways a person's form can be returned, including sending it to BSO internal affairs.
In another part of the investigation to check on racial profiling claims, a white man and a black man were given the same red Mustang to drive in the same areas of Broward. According to WFOR's findings, the white man was never pulled over, and the black man was "almost immediately pulled over" by a Broward Sheriff's Office deputy on Oakland Park Boulevard.
WEBSITE WARNING
Shortly after the investigation first aired in February, Broward PBA President Dick Brickman posted the BOLO on the union's website.
The BOLO also includes information about Gregory Slate of Baltimore, who works for The Police Complaint Center, including his cellphone number.
"I put the information out so our members if they come across any of these people, they should be aware these people they're talking to probably have you on camera," Brickman said. "They're trying to set you up to aggravate you so you'll make a mistake."
Brickman said the report should have looked into whether complaints about officers are investigated, not whether there is a form.
Of the racial profiling test, the BOLO states: "Here's how it works: A white male in a red Mustang convertible will speed down the road. Later, the same car, this time with a black male driving, will appear in the same area driving slowly. If the car is pulled over by the police, the occupant will become hostile and accuse the officer of profiling, trying to pick a fight. If the officer responds negatively, a complaint is filed with his/her department."
The BOLO warns that the CBS-4 team "is back out on the street" for a follow-up story planned in May.
But Rosenthal, the CBS-4 attorney, wrote that the union "is not distributing the BOLO to carry out any legitimate law enforcement function, but rather for the sole purpose of harassing and intimidating Mr. Kirsch, Mr. Slate and CBS 4 in an effort to prevent them from investigating and reporting on a matter of public concern."
Slate filed an internal affairs complaint with the Hollywood Police Department, alleging one of the officers used the National Crime Information Center to provide Brickman with his driver's license number.
Diop Kamau, executive director of The Police Complaint Center, who also is a retired Los Angeles police sergeant, said it's "inappropriate for police to be crossing back and forth over the line that is the private behavior of police unions and the public behavior of officers."
HOLLYWOOD PROBE
Hollywood police Lt. Richard Nardello, of the police Internal Affairs Unit, wrote, "An investigative search through the Florida Department of Law Enforcement unequivocally concluded no one associated with the Hollywood Police Department had queried your name or driver's license number."
Nardello found the complaint to be unfounded.
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Post by WaTcHeR on Mar 31, 2006 18:34:35 GMT -5
03/31/2006 - The personal information of an investigative reporter was posted prominently on a South Florida police union's website after a local television station aired a report about how police in Broward and Miami-Dade counties deal with the public.
The address, date of birth and driver's license number of WFOR CBS-4 reporter Mike Kirsch was posted as a BOLO -- or "be on the lookout" -- on the website of the Broward County Police Benevolent Association.
BOLOs typically are issued by police departments when officers are looking for criminals or missing persons.
The BOLO reads: "Channel 4 News is doing a series on the complaint process at police departments in Dade and Broward. They are setting up officers and instigating confrontations, then filing complaints with the various agencies."
Kirsch first learned about the BOLO from a colleague who saw the flier in a stack of BOLOs at a local police station. New Times reporter Jeff Stratton wrote about the BOLO last week.
Kirsch's personal information was removed from the website after a letter from the television station's lawyer. Kirsch's photo is now on the site.
Alan Rosenthal, an attorney for CBS-4, a Miami Herald news partner, demanded that the union remove the BOLO, calling it false and a violation of Florida and federal law that prohibits the disclosure of "personal identifying information contained in motor vehicle records."
'GOING TO WAR'
The reporter said the posting had concerned him and his family.
"I told my wife about it," Kirsch said. 'She's from Bosnia. She said, 'It sounds like the cops are going to war with you, and you need to be careful.' "
Kirsch said the BOLO "reminded me this is an intimidation effect," he said. "It might have a chilling effect on any news media establishment from doing their jobs and questioning the system and government. It's just disappointing."
Lucy Dalglish, executive director of The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press in Arlington, Va., said the BOLO "absolutely is an attempt to intimidate. And it's abusive and downright stupid."
In its hidden-camera investigation, conducted with a national watchdog group called The Police Complaint Center, one person visited 38 agencies in Broward and Miami-Dade to ask about getting a form to file a complaint against an officer.
Only three of the police departments had such forms: Florida City, Homestead and Miami, according to CBS-4.
The forms are not required by law, though they are recommended by the International Association of Chiefs of Police.
Kirsch noted that at many departments, police were courteous and professional, but in others they weren't.
CHANGES AT BSO
After the piece, at least one agency pledged to reexamine the process for filing complaints. The Broward Sheriff's Office has made a "Public Compliment/Complaint Form" available in the lobby of BSO stations.
BSO allows a person to file an anonymous complaint and provides many ways a person's form can be returned, including sending it to BSO internal affairs.
In another part of the investigation to check on racial profiling claims, a white man and a black man were given the same red Mustang to drive in the same areas of Broward. According to WFOR's findings, the white man was never pulled over, and the black man was "almost immediately pulled over" by a Broward Sheriff's Office deputy on Oakland Park Boulevard.
WEBSITE WARNING
Shortly after the investigation first aired in February, Broward PBA President Dick Brickman posted the BOLO on the union's website.
The BOLO also includes information about Gregory Slate of Baltimore, who works for The Police Complaint Center, including his cellphone number.
"I put the information out so our members if they come across any of these people, they should be aware these people they're talking to probably have you on camera," Brickman said. "They're trying to set you up to aggravate you so you'll make a mistake."
Brickman said the report should have looked into whether complaints about officers are investigated, not whether there is a form.
Of the racial profiling test, the BOLO states: "Here's how it works: A white male in a red Mustang convertible will speed down the road. Later, the same car, this time with a black male driving, will appear in the same area driving slowly. If the car is pulled over by the police, the occupant will become hostile and accuse the officer of profiling, trying to pick a fight. If the officer responds negatively, a complaint is filed with his/her department."
The BOLO warns that the CBS-4 team "is back out on the street" for a follow-up story planned in May.
But Rosenthal, the CBS-4 attorney, wrote that the union "is not distributing the BOLO to carry out any legitimate law enforcement function, but rather for the sole purpose of harassing and intimidating Mr. Kirsch, Mr. Slate and CBS 4 in an effort to prevent them from investigating and reporting on a matter of public concern."
Slate filed an internal affairs complaint with the Hollywood Police Department, alleging one of the officers used the National Crime Information Center to provide Brickman with his driver's license number.
Diop Kamau, executive director of The Police Complaint Center, who also is a retired Los Angeles police sergeant, said it's "inappropriate for police to be crossing back and forth over the line that is the private behavior of police unions and the public behavior of officers."
HOLLYWOOD PROBE
Hollywood police Lt. Richard Nardello, of the police Internal Affairs Unit, wrote, "An investigative search through the Florida Department of Law Enforcement unequivocally concluded no one associated with the Hollywood Police Department had queried your name or driver's license number."
Nardello found the complaint to be unfounded.
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Post by WaTcHeR on Mar 3, 2006 16:07:43 GMT -5
Lets see we have a cop that is intimidating to the public, interrogates you and demands an I.D., questions you if your on drugs and threatens your life all because you would like to get a police complaint form. Make you feel warm inside when you see an anus like officer Peter Schumanich doing such wonderful public relations with citizens of the community.
Officer Peter Schumanich is nothing but scum of the Earth and was doing nothing but "protecting" his other buddy cops.
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Post by WaTcHeR on Mar 3, 2006 16:07:43 GMT -5
Lets see we have a cop that is intimidating to the public, interrogates you and demands an I.D., questions you if your on drugs and threatens your life all because you would like to get a police complaint form. Make you feel warm inside when you see an anus like officer Peter Schumanich doing such wonderful public relations with citizens of the community.
Officer Peter Schumanich is nothing but scum of the Earth and was doing nothing but "protecting" his other buddy cops.
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Post by WaTcHeR on Feb 28, 2006 13:14:45 GMT -5
I remember many years ago when I filed my first police complaint in person. Pretty much like the video! In my case I had to deal with stupid cop, mean cop and nice cop. I had asked for a complaint form, the first cop played stupid as if there was no such thing. After 5 minutes, I convinced him I wasn't going anywhere and I wanted to talk to a supervisor. A second cop then came out, he was the "mean" one. Question after question he asked of me. Why would I even want to file a complaint against a police officer he asked? After another 5 minutes of being intimidated by this officer, he finally brought out a "supervisor."I mean he shut up when I asked for his supervisor and went and got him. When the supervisor came out, I happened to know him, as a friend of the family. He was really nice, but that may have been because he knew of me. He provided me a complaint form. I asked him if it was ok to make copies, because I had two more complaints against two more city officials. He said it was ok to do that. When I was leaving he said I could bring the complaint forms back to him personally. I replied to him that I would mail them to him, "certified mail." The look on his face was priceless! NEVER GO TO A POLICE STATION TO FILE A COMPLAINT! Read here for more info - flyservers.com/members5/policecrime.com/police_complaint.html
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Post by WaTcHeR on Feb 28, 2006 13:14:45 GMT -5
I remember many years ago when I filed my first police complaint in person. Pretty much like the video! In my case I had to deal with stupid cop, mean cop and nice cop. I had asked for a complaint form, the first cop played stupid as if there was no such thing. After 5 minutes, I convinced him I wasn't going anywhere and I wanted to talk to a supervisor. A second cop then came out, he was the "mean" one. Question after question he asked of me. Why would I even want to file a complaint against a police officer he asked? After another 5 minutes of being intimidated by this officer, he finally brought out a "supervisor."I mean he shut up when I asked for his supervisor and went and got him. When the supervisor came out, I happened to know him, as a friend of the family. He was really nice, but that may have been because he knew of me. He provided me a complaint form. I asked him if it was ok to make copies, because I had two more complaints against two more city officials. He said it was ok to do that. When I was leaving he said I could bring the complaint forms back to him personally. I replied to him that I would mail them to him, "certified mail." The look on his face was priceless! NEVER GO TO A POLICE STATION TO FILE A COMPLAINT! Read here for more info - flyservers.com/members5/policecrime.com/police_complaint.html
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Post by WaTcHeR on Feb 28, 2006 12:46:46 GMT -5
Officer Peter Schumanich 02/28/2006 - FT. LAUDERDALE - After CBS4's Mike Kirsch aired a piece where several South Florida police officers were caught on camera intimidating would-be complainants against their police departments, one officer has taken action against the station in court. Sergeant Peter Schumanich, of the Lauderhill Police Department, filed an injunction in a Broward County court to stop the airing of the story where he appears on the air and online. Schumanich was caught on camera cursing and screaming at a member of a police watchdog group who went to his department asking to file a complaint against an unspecified officer. The officer was caught on camera literally chasing down the man out of the police station and off the block, after he did not act the way Schumanich wanted him to. Judge Goldstein denied the temporary injunction. Another hearing is scheduled for March 3rd. See the Video - cbs4.com/local/local_story_053001510.html
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Post by WaTcHeR on Feb 28, 2006 12:46:46 GMT -5
Officer Peter Schumanich 02/28/2006 - FT. LAUDERDALE - After CBS4's Mike Kirsch aired a piece where several South Florida police officers were caught on camera intimidating would-be complainants against their police departments, one officer has taken action against the station in court. Sergeant Peter Schumanich, of the Lauderhill Police Department, filed an injunction in a Broward County court to stop the airing of the story where he appears on the air and online. Schumanich was caught on camera cursing and screaming at a member of a police watchdog group who went to his department asking to file a complaint against an unspecified officer. The officer was caught on camera literally chasing down the man out of the police station and off the block, after he did not act the way Schumanich wanted him to. Judge Goldstein denied the temporary injunction. Another hearing is scheduled for March 3rd. See the Video - cbs4.com/local/local_story_053001510.html
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Post by WaTcHeR on Feb 14, 2007 15:26:33 GMT -5
Prosecutors intend to seek murder charges against three Atlanta police officers involved in the shooting death of a 92-year-old woman in her home, according to a letter sent to an attorney for one of the officers.
Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard sent a letter that said he will ask a grand jury on Feb. 26 to deliver a murder indictment against officers Gregg Junnier, J.R. Smith and Arthur Tesler, said Rand Csehy, Junnier's attorney.
Kathryn Johnston died and three officers were wounded in the Nov. 21 shootout when police used a no-knock warrant to search for drugs in Johnston's northwest Atlanta home.
When officers entered her home without first announcing their presence, police say Johnston fired a handgun and officers returned fire, killing her. An autopsy concluded she was shot five or six times.
Narcotics officers said an informant had claimed there was cocaine in the home, but none was found.
A copy of the letter obtained by The Associated Press said that prosecutors would ask the grand jury to indict Junnier on charges of felony murder, as well as counts of violation of oath, burglary, criminal solicitation, aggravated assault and false imprisonment.
"I expect an acquittal across the board," Csehy said. "I don't think there's any evidence supporting any of these charges."
A spokeswoman for Howard declined to comment on the letter.
A spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's Office, Patrick Crosby, said his office and the FBI have not been contacted by Howard's office "regarding the issuance of such notices."
John Garland, an attorney for Smith, declined to comment on the letter, while William McKenney, an attorney for Tesler, did not immediately return several calls to his office seeking comment.
Junnier, 40, was hit in the leg, the face and his bulletproof vest in the shootout. Two other officers also suffered bullet wounds, one in the leg and one in the arm.
The shooting has brought renewed scrutiny to the police use of no-knock warrants, with which officers are allowed to raid homes where criminal activity is suspected without first announcing their presence.
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Post by WaTcHeR on Feb 8, 2007 13:44:26 GMT -5
Prosecutors intend to seek murder charges against three Atlanta police officers involved in the shooting death of a 92-year-old woman in her home, according to a letter sent to an attorney for one of the officers.
Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard sent a letter that said he will ask a grand jury on Feb. 26 to deliver a murder indictment against officers Gregg Junnier, J.R. Smith and Arthur Tesler, said Rand Csehy, Junnier's attorney.
Kathryn Johnston died and three officers were wounded in the Nov. 21 shootout when police used a no-knock warrant to search for drugs in Johnston's northwest Atlanta home.
When officers entered her home without first announcing their presence, police say Johnston fired a handgun and officers returned fire, killing her. An autopsy concluded she was shot five or six times.
Narcotics officers said an informant had claimed there was cocaine in the home, but none was found.
A copy of the letter obtained by The Associated Press said that prosecutors would ask the grand jury to indict Junnier on charges of felony murder, as well as counts of violation of oath, burglary, criminal solicitation, aggravated assault and false imprisonment.
"I expect an acquittal across the board," Csehy said. "I don't think there's any evidence supporting any of these charges."
A spokeswoman for Howard declined to comment on the letter.
A spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's Office, Patrick Crosby, said his office and the FBI have not been contacted by Howard's office "regarding the issuance of such notices."
John Garland, an attorney for Smith, declined to comment on the letter, while William McKenney, an attorney for Tesler, did not immediately return several calls to his office seeking comment.
Junnier, 40, was hit in the leg, the face and his bulletproof vest in the shootout. Two other officers also suffered bullet wounds, one in the leg and one in the arm.
The shooting has brought renewed scrutiny to the police use of no-knock warrants, with which officers are allowed to raid homes where criminal activity is suspected without first announcing their presence.
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