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Post by Critique on Feb 20, 2007 19:51:08 GMT -5
February 13, 2007 MOUNT PLEASANT - Four police officers resigned and one was fired after an internal investigation revealed that officers on duty played video games and football, watched movies and sports, slept, did not respond to calls and failed to document incidents and vehicle searches, Acting Police Chief Harry Sewell said Monday. “I regret having to stand here before you discussing the action of a select few who have violated our public trust rather than the efforts of the other 132 hard-working, sworn officers who were at the time serving and have continued to serve the citizens of the town of Mount Pleasant in a professional manner which they deserve and expect,” he said. Field Training Officer Todd White, Pfc. Timothy Webb, Pfc. Carl Muirhead and Field Training Officer Samuel Tillman resigned Jan. 29. Pfc. Natasha Hopps was fired Jan. 30 after refusing to resign. Hopps said her firing was changed to a resignation after she filed a grievance with the town. An unidentified sergeant was suspended for one day for allowing three or more officers to meet for meals while on duty. Sewell said the misconduct came to his attention Jan. 24 when an unidentified rookie officer who was asked to rate his training experience described the inappropriate behavior. “Those types of action will not be tolerated. We swiftly took care of this,” he said. Sewell said the investigation is complete, it did not involve criminal activity and the town is safe. He said he is confident that safeguards will prevent a recurrence of the sort of behavior described in the report. The town released the investigation results in response to a state Freedom of Information Act request from The Post and Courier on Jan. 31. The Moultrie News also filed a FOIA request. According to the report, an unidentified trainee told investigators that he, Webb and White watched the movie “Talladega Nights” at Webb’s house while on duty. Another statement by an unidentified trainee described the trainee, White, Muirhead and Webb playing two-on-two touch football by the lights of White’s cruiser at about 2 a.m. at an old water tower location off Whipple Road known as “The Hole.” Webb accidentally rolled onto the hood of White’s cruiser after going up to catch the ball, the trainee said. Hopps said her statements to investigators were made under duress because she was threatened with jail if she didn’t cooperate. “It’s not factually based,” she said of the report. “When you are a police officer treated as a criminal, automatically you kind of freak out.” Hopps said she was speaking for all of the five officers who resigned. The others did not wish to speak publicly because they are seeking other law enforcement jobs, she said. Hopps said she plans to apply to law school. Hopps said she will sue the city. “My personnel file is completely clean.” Hopps said her behavior reflected a culture at the police department. “I have no previous experience. When I came to the department, this is how I learned to behave,” she said. She said she had been at the department less than two years. All of the officers had been at the department less than five years. Hopps acknowledged watching a DVD on her police-issued laptop, talking on a cell phone and reading a book on duty. She worked on the night shift from 10 p.m. to 8 a.m. Many of the incidents described in the report happened on the night shift. Hopps denied the contents of the internal investigation report in many instances. She said she made the statements describing her inappropriate behavior after investigators told her that the other members of her team had implicated her. Hopps confirmed that she watched a movie on her laptop with Tillman while they were parked behind Wal-Mart. She said she would go to a call, and then resume watching the movie. Sewell said at the press conference he would not answer questions about the conduct of specific officers, instead letting the records released Monday speak for themselves. When asked about Hopps’ allegations, he repeated that position, and declined to comment on what she said about being coerced into admitting that she behaved inappropriately while on duty. www.charleston.net/assets/webPages/departmental/news/Stories.aspx?section=localnews&tableId=130312&pubDate=2/13/2007
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Post by Critique on Feb 20, 2007 19:51:08 GMT -5
February 13, 2007 MOUNT PLEASANT - Four police officers resigned and one was fired after an internal investigation revealed that officers on duty played video games and football, watched movies and sports, slept, did not respond to calls and failed to document incidents and vehicle searches, Acting Police Chief Harry Sewell said Monday. “I regret having to stand here before you discussing the action of a select few who have violated our public trust rather than the efforts of the other 132 hard-working, sworn officers who were at the time serving and have continued to serve the citizens of the town of Mount Pleasant in a professional manner which they deserve and expect,” he said. Field Training Officer Todd White, Pfc. Timothy Webb, Pfc. Carl Muirhead and Field Training Officer Samuel Tillman resigned Jan. 29. Pfc. Natasha Hopps was fired Jan. 30 after refusing to resign. Hopps said her firing was changed to a resignation after she filed a grievance with the town. An unidentified sergeant was suspended for one day for allowing three or more officers to meet for meals while on duty. Sewell said the misconduct came to his attention Jan. 24 when an unidentified rookie officer who was asked to rate his training experience described the inappropriate behavior. “Those types of action will not be tolerated. We swiftly took care of this,” he said. Sewell said the investigation is complete, it did not involve criminal activity and the town is safe. He said he is confident that safeguards will prevent a recurrence of the sort of behavior described in the report. The town released the investigation results in response to a state Freedom of Information Act request from The Post and Courier on Jan. 31. The Moultrie News also filed a FOIA request. According to the report, an unidentified trainee told investigators that he, Webb and White watched the movie “Talladega Nights” at Webb’s house while on duty. Another statement by an unidentified trainee described the trainee, White, Muirhead and Webb playing two-on-two touch football by the lights of White’s cruiser at about 2 a.m. at an old water tower location off Whipple Road known as “The Hole.” Webb accidentally rolled onto the hood of White’s cruiser after going up to catch the ball, the trainee said. Hopps said her statements to investigators were made under duress because she was threatened with jail if she didn’t cooperate. “It’s not factually based,” she said of the report. “When you are a police officer treated as a criminal, automatically you kind of freak out.” Hopps said she was speaking for all of the five officers who resigned. The others did not wish to speak publicly because they are seeking other law enforcement jobs, she said. Hopps said she plans to apply to law school. Hopps said she will sue the city. “My personnel file is completely clean.” Hopps said her behavior reflected a culture at the police department. “I have no previous experience. When I came to the department, this is how I learned to behave,” she said. She said she had been at the department less than two years. All of the officers had been at the department less than five years. Hopps acknowledged watching a DVD on her police-issued laptop, talking on a cell phone and reading a book on duty. She worked on the night shift from 10 p.m. to 8 a.m. Many of the incidents described in the report happened on the night shift. Hopps denied the contents of the internal investigation report in many instances. She said she made the statements describing her inappropriate behavior after investigators told her that the other members of her team had implicated her. Hopps confirmed that she watched a movie on her laptop with Tillman while they were parked behind Wal-Mart. She said she would go to a call, and then resume watching the movie. Sewell said at the press conference he would not answer questions about the conduct of specific officers, instead letting the records released Monday speak for themselves. When asked about Hopps’ allegations, he repeated that position, and declined to comment on what she said about being coerced into admitting that she behaved inappropriately while on duty. www.charleston.net/assets/webPages/departmental/news/Stories.aspx?section=localnews&tableId=130312&pubDate=2/13/2007
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Post by Critique on Feb 23, 2007 7:56:01 GMT -5
My question is for police officers. If this stupid bill actually passes how many of you are likely to enforce it?
You got balls man-
-and everybody who still has balls will be pulled over.
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Post by Critique on Feb 23, 2007 7:56:01 GMT -5
My question is for police officers. If this stupid bill actually passes how many of you are likely to enforce it?
You got balls man-
-and everybody who still has balls will be pulled over.
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Post by Critique on Feb 23, 2007 7:46:47 GMT -5
February 21, 2007 by ANDREW SCHOTZ ANNAPOLIS - Washington County Sheriff's deputy Matthew Bragunier figures that he sees, at least once a day, fake bull genitals flopping from the hitches of pickup trucks. They're only a toy, but they're also unpleasant to look at, said Bragunier, worried what his 2-year-old girl might think someday. "My daughter's going to see this," he said. "She's going to ask what this is. I don't want to be put in that spot. I don't think I ever want to be in that spot." Del. LeRoy E. Myers Jr., R-Washington/Allegany, agreed. This week, he filed a bill for Maryland to ban the toys and others like them. The bill prohibits any "model, sign, sticker or other item" that shows uncovered human or animal genitals, as well as human buttocks or female breasts, from motor vehicles. Myers sees his bill as a legislative public service. "We're there to clean up the air ...," he said, referring to major bills proposed this session. "What about our minds and eyes of our young people?" That's not how Pamela Campbell views the fake bull genitals that she sells. "Most people get a good smile out of it," she said. "It's not harmful." Campbell, whose business is in Bullhead City, Ariz., said she was raised on a farm; anatomy was a lesson learned early and openly. She wondered why parents can't talk to their children about the facts of life. "Do we have to neuter all dogs that walk by us?" she asked. "Where does it stop?" Campbell said her product - sold locally at truck stores in Washington County and Martinsburg, W.Va. - spawned imitators after it went on the market about seven years ago. It has caught on in such a big way, she said, that U.S. troops in Iraq are asking for them to hang on military vehicles. Pleased soldiers have sent back pictures. Myers, though, sees vulgarity on public roads, more than just good-hearted fun. He has heard about and seen different types of vehicle accessories and bumper stickers depicting nude anatomy. "I think we're really pushing the envelope ...," he said. "It's time to take a stand." His bill would make depictions of nude anatomy a misdemeanor under the state's transportation law. The fine would be as much as $500. Myers' bill has no co-sponsors, but he said other delegates have pledged to support it later in the process. Del. Kevin Kelly, D-Allegany, understands Myers' point. "Private body parts, you know, hanging from the trailer hitch are offensive, particularly if you've got a couple kids ...," he said. "Let me put it this way: If it makes it to the floor and I get an opportunity to vote on it, I'll support it." Last week, Arizona's legislature went through its own debate over poor taste and truck parts. An amendment to ban "obscene or hateful" images from mud flaps was rejected, according to news accounts. Myers' proposed ban doesn't sit well with the American Civil Liberties Union of Maryland. "The legislation is overly broad, and would probably make it illegal to have a sticker on your car of the Venus de Milo from an art museum," ACLU of Maryland spokeswoman Meredith Curtis wrote in an e-mail. "What's often wrong about bills that seek to limit free speech is that they have connotations beyond what is intended by the sponsor," she said in a phone interview. "That's why limiting free speech is a dangerous road to go down." Myers argued that decency, not the First Amendment, applies here. "We're not talking about any language here at all," he said. "Where's the free speech? This is just downright vulgarity." www.herald-mail.com/?module=displaystory&story_id=159259&format=html
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Post by Critique on Feb 23, 2007 7:46:47 GMT -5
February 21, 2007 by ANDREW SCHOTZ ANNAPOLIS - Washington County Sheriff's deputy Matthew Bragunier figures that he sees, at least once a day, fake bull genitals flopping from the hitches of pickup trucks. They're only a toy, but they're also unpleasant to look at, said Bragunier, worried what his 2-year-old girl might think someday. "My daughter's going to see this," he said. "She's going to ask what this is. I don't want to be put in that spot. I don't think I ever want to be in that spot." Del. LeRoy E. Myers Jr., R-Washington/Allegany, agreed. This week, he filed a bill for Maryland to ban the toys and others like them. The bill prohibits any "model, sign, sticker or other item" that shows uncovered human or animal genitals, as well as human buttocks or female breasts, from motor vehicles. Myers sees his bill as a legislative public service. "We're there to clean up the air ...," he said, referring to major bills proposed this session. "What about our minds and eyes of our young people?" That's not how Pamela Campbell views the fake bull genitals that she sells. "Most people get a good smile out of it," she said. "It's not harmful." Campbell, whose business is in Bullhead City, Ariz., said she was raised on a farm; anatomy was a lesson learned early and openly. She wondered why parents can't talk to their children about the facts of life. "Do we have to neuter all dogs that walk by us?" she asked. "Where does it stop?" Campbell said her product - sold locally at truck stores in Washington County and Martinsburg, W.Va. - spawned imitators after it went on the market about seven years ago. It has caught on in such a big way, she said, that U.S. troops in Iraq are asking for them to hang on military vehicles. Pleased soldiers have sent back pictures. Myers, though, sees vulgarity on public roads, more than just good-hearted fun. He has heard about and seen different types of vehicle accessories and bumper stickers depicting nude anatomy. "I think we're really pushing the envelope ...," he said. "It's time to take a stand." His bill would make depictions of nude anatomy a misdemeanor under the state's transportation law. The fine would be as much as $500. Myers' bill has no co-sponsors, but he said other delegates have pledged to support it later in the process. Del. Kevin Kelly, D-Allegany, understands Myers' point. "Private body parts, you know, hanging from the trailer hitch are offensive, particularly if you've got a couple kids ...," he said. "Let me put it this way: If it makes it to the floor and I get an opportunity to vote on it, I'll support it." Last week, Arizona's legislature went through its own debate over poor taste and truck parts. An amendment to ban "obscene or hateful" images from mud flaps was rejected, according to news accounts. Myers' proposed ban doesn't sit well with the American Civil Liberties Union of Maryland. "The legislation is overly broad, and would probably make it illegal to have a sticker on your car of the Venus de Milo from an art museum," ACLU of Maryland spokeswoman Meredith Curtis wrote in an e-mail. "What's often wrong about bills that seek to limit free speech is that they have connotations beyond what is intended by the sponsor," she said in a phone interview. "That's why limiting free speech is a dangerous road to go down." Myers argued that decency, not the First Amendment, applies here. "We're not talking about any language here at all," he said. "Where's the free speech? This is just downright vulgarity." www.herald-mail.com/?module=displaystory&story_id=159259&format=html
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Post by Critique on Feb 27, 2007 1:24:33 GMT -5
February 27 2007 By Vanessa Blum And Ihosvani Rodriguez HOLLYWOOD, FLORIDA – A former state legislator charged with having sex with a teenager, a man accused in the rape of a 60-year-old woman, and a man who police said molested his 13-year-old stepdaughter are among defendants in 61 pending cases jeopardized by alleged corruption in the Hollywood police department. The prosecutions, each involving one of four veteran officers charged last week with corruption and drug offenses, are under review by lawyers in the Broward State Attorney’s Office, said felony chief Jeff Marcus. At the same time, the FBI continued to look into leaks from the Hollywood Police Department that prematurely exposed an undercover investigation of suspected dirty cops. The leaks forced agents to wrap up the sting instead of following up on other leads that could have produced more arrests, according to a federal law enforcement official familiar with the matter.Of Course There Was A Leak. This Is The Only Way They Could Cover Their Asses. -CritiqueDetective Kevin Companion, 41; Sgt. Jeffry Courtney, 51; Officer Stephen Harrison, 46; and Detective Thomas Simcox, 50, are accused of providing services to FBI agents posing as mobsters in exchange for cash, sometimes using official police vehicles and equipment. Companion, Courtney and Harrix son were arrested Thursday and released on bail. Simcox, who was cooperating with investigators, is expected to surrender Wednesday. Howard Finkelstein, chief public defender for Broward County, said the scandal’s effect on pending criminal cases could be “huge.” “This is as serious as it gets,” Finkelstein said. “Cases could very easily fall apart.” He said he would advise his staff to take a close look at current and past cases involving all Hollywood police officers, not just the four charged. “I want to find out about every dirty cop in the city of Hollywood,” Finkelstein said. The four officers were involved in pending felony cases that include child sexual abuse, vehicular homicide, kidnapping and drug charges. Companion and Simcox, who ran the sex-crimes unit for the Hollywood police, handled 45 cases, Marcus said. “We’re going through case-by-case to determine what impact there is,” he said. Perhaps the highest-profile prosecution called into question involves a former state legislator who police say admitted paying for sex with a Hollywood madam and an underage girl. Barry Kutun, 65, surrendered last year after Hollywood police charged him with two counts of unlawful sexual activity with a minor. He was subsequently fired from his post as North Miami’s city attorney. Kutun’s attorney Richard Sharpstein said Simcox was the original lead detective in the Hollywood case, adding it was too early to tell how his involvement would impact Kutun’s defense. Simcox also participated in a case where a good Samaritan chased down a man accused of raping a 60-year-old woman in a Hollywood alley on New Year’s Day. Simcox arrested Juan Moreno, 38, whom the woman identified in front of police, on one count of sexual battery with a weapon, records show. The woman suffered serious injuries, including a deep cut on her neck after her attacker allegedly used a belt to try to strangle her. Assistant Public Defender Jose Alberto Reyes, who represents Moreno, could not be reached for comment Monday. In the case of the man charged with repeatedly molesting his teenage stepdaughter, it was Companion who took the girl’s statement at her Hollywood home in December. The suspect’s attorney, Alex Rivero, said that makes him “raise an eyebrow.” “It’s definitely something I have to look into,” Rivero said Monday. The South Florida Sun-Sentinel is not publishing his client’s name to protect the stepdaughter’s privacy. Alberto Milian, a former Broward state prosecutor, said the officers’ arrests would undoubtedly cause headaches for his former office. “It’s going to raise credibility issues every time a police officer, especially a Hollywood police officer, testifies,” he said. Dennis Siegel, head of the sex crimes unit of the Broward State Attorney’s Office, said lawyers would look for ways to make their cases without relying on testimony from the accused officers. Hollywood Police Chief James Scarberry said Monday he assigned a detective to the sex crimes unit to review all open cases handled by Simcox and Companion. The undercover inquiry was forced to shut down early after word of the operation got back to some officers, Scarberry said. He said other officers named on the FBI’s surveillance tapes remain under suspicion. “Whether that may have been bragging by the four officers, I don’t know,” he said. “We’ll have to sit down with the FBI and see what evidence there may be.” As for how word of the investigation leaked, Scarberry said he has “a hunch.” According to the federal law enforcement official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, Scarberry and his top deputy were briefed on the investigation about a month ago, around the time federal authorities confronted Simcox and asked him to cooperate. Scarberry and his deputy were told not to discuss the matter with anyone else. Scarberry said he informed Mayor Mara Guilianti, City Manager Cameron Benson and members of his senior command staff because he thought arrests were imminent. Weeks later, after learning Courtney and Companion were acting suspiciously and demanding their pensions, Scarberry said he alerted federal authorities that their investigation was blown. There is currently no formal investigation of the leak, the federal official said, adding the FBI could launch a criminal inquiry if it seemed to be intentional. www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/broward/sfl-cfallout27feb27,0,3057545.story?coll=sfla-news-broward
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Post by Critique on Feb 27, 2007 1:24:33 GMT -5
February 27 2007 By Vanessa Blum And Ihosvani Rodriguez HOLLYWOOD, FLORIDA – A former state legislator charged with having sex with a teenager, a man accused in the rape of a 60-year-old woman, and a man who police said molested his 13-year-old stepdaughter are among defendants in 61 pending cases jeopardized by alleged corruption in the Hollywood police department. The prosecutions, each involving one of four veteran officers charged last week with corruption and drug offenses, are under review by lawyers in the Broward State Attorney’s Office, said felony chief Jeff Marcus. At the same time, the FBI continued to look into leaks from the Hollywood Police Department that prematurely exposed an undercover investigation of suspected dirty cops. The leaks forced agents to wrap up the sting instead of following up on other leads that could have produced more arrests, according to a federal law enforcement official familiar with the matter.Of Course There Was A Leak. This Is The Only Way They Could Cover Their Asses. -CritiqueDetective Kevin Companion, 41; Sgt. Jeffry Courtney, 51; Officer Stephen Harrison, 46; and Detective Thomas Simcox, 50, are accused of providing services to FBI agents posing as mobsters in exchange for cash, sometimes using official police vehicles and equipment. Companion, Courtney and Harrix son were arrested Thursday and released on bail. Simcox, who was cooperating with investigators, is expected to surrender Wednesday. Howard Finkelstein, chief public defender for Broward County, said the scandal’s effect on pending criminal cases could be “huge.” “This is as serious as it gets,” Finkelstein said. “Cases could very easily fall apart.” He said he would advise his staff to take a close look at current and past cases involving all Hollywood police officers, not just the four charged. “I want to find out about every dirty cop in the city of Hollywood,” Finkelstein said. The four officers were involved in pending felony cases that include child sexual abuse, vehicular homicide, kidnapping and drug charges. Companion and Simcox, who ran the sex-crimes unit for the Hollywood police, handled 45 cases, Marcus said. “We’re going through case-by-case to determine what impact there is,” he said. Perhaps the highest-profile prosecution called into question involves a former state legislator who police say admitted paying for sex with a Hollywood madam and an underage girl. Barry Kutun, 65, surrendered last year after Hollywood police charged him with two counts of unlawful sexual activity with a minor. He was subsequently fired from his post as North Miami’s city attorney. Kutun’s attorney Richard Sharpstein said Simcox was the original lead detective in the Hollywood case, adding it was too early to tell how his involvement would impact Kutun’s defense. Simcox also participated in a case where a good Samaritan chased down a man accused of raping a 60-year-old woman in a Hollywood alley on New Year’s Day. Simcox arrested Juan Moreno, 38, whom the woman identified in front of police, on one count of sexual battery with a weapon, records show. The woman suffered serious injuries, including a deep cut on her neck after her attacker allegedly used a belt to try to strangle her. Assistant Public Defender Jose Alberto Reyes, who represents Moreno, could not be reached for comment Monday. In the case of the man charged with repeatedly molesting his teenage stepdaughter, it was Companion who took the girl’s statement at her Hollywood home in December. The suspect’s attorney, Alex Rivero, said that makes him “raise an eyebrow.” “It’s definitely something I have to look into,” Rivero said Monday. The South Florida Sun-Sentinel is not publishing his client’s name to protect the stepdaughter’s privacy. Alberto Milian, a former Broward state prosecutor, said the officers’ arrests would undoubtedly cause headaches for his former office. “It’s going to raise credibility issues every time a police officer, especially a Hollywood police officer, testifies,” he said. Dennis Siegel, head of the sex crimes unit of the Broward State Attorney’s Office, said lawyers would look for ways to make their cases without relying on testimony from the accused officers. Hollywood Police Chief James Scarberry said Monday he assigned a detective to the sex crimes unit to review all open cases handled by Simcox and Companion. The undercover inquiry was forced to shut down early after word of the operation got back to some officers, Scarberry said. He said other officers named on the FBI’s surveillance tapes remain under suspicion. “Whether that may have been bragging by the four officers, I don’t know,” he said. “We’ll have to sit down with the FBI and see what evidence there may be.” As for how word of the investigation leaked, Scarberry said he has “a hunch.” According to the federal law enforcement official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, Scarberry and his top deputy were briefed on the investigation about a month ago, around the time federal authorities confronted Simcox and asked him to cooperate. Scarberry and his deputy were told not to discuss the matter with anyone else. Scarberry said he informed Mayor Mara Guilianti, City Manager Cameron Benson and members of his senior command staff because he thought arrests were imminent. Weeks later, after learning Courtney and Companion were acting suspiciously and demanding their pensions, Scarberry said he alerted federal authorities that their investigation was blown. There is currently no formal investigation of the leak, the federal official said, adding the FBI could launch a criminal inquiry if it seemed to be intentional. www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/broward/sfl-cfallout27feb27,0,3057545.story?coll=sfla-news-broward
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Post by Critique on Feb 12, 2007 6:35:11 GMT -5
Feb 5, 2007 By PENNY BROWN St. Helena Parish Sheriff Ronald “Gun” Ficklin pleaded guilty early Monday morning in Baton Rouge federal court for his role in an illegal chop shop. Ficklin — whose trial was set to start Monday — pleaded guilty to 16 counts, including altering vehicle identification numbers, mail fraud and aiding a convicted felon in buying a firearm. U.S. District Judge James Brady accepted a plea agreement during a last-minute hearing at 8 a.m. Monday. He later dismissed potential jurors awaiting selection for the trial, which was expected to last a month. In a statement of facts of the case accompanying the plea, Ficklin admits, among other things, to selling a stolen truck to Greensburg Mayor Ken Carter. He also admits he put Louisiana inmates housed in the St. Helena Parish Jail to work in the chop shop at B&D Auto in Greensburg. Ficklin also admits using state inmates as the pit crew for his race car, “The Bounty Hunter.” After the hearing, Ficklin declined to comment, saying, “You can talk to my attorney.” When asked whether he planned to resign as sheriff, he said, “Oh, I have to.” His lawyer, Frank Holthaus, said they were working on the details this morning. www.2theadvocate.com/news/5554786.html
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Post by Critique on Feb 12, 2007 6:35:11 GMT -5
Feb 5, 2007 By PENNY BROWN St. Helena Parish Sheriff Ronald “Gun” Ficklin pleaded guilty early Monday morning in Baton Rouge federal court for his role in an illegal chop shop. Ficklin — whose trial was set to start Monday — pleaded guilty to 16 counts, including altering vehicle identification numbers, mail fraud and aiding a convicted felon in buying a firearm. U.S. District Judge James Brady accepted a plea agreement during a last-minute hearing at 8 a.m. Monday. He later dismissed potential jurors awaiting selection for the trial, which was expected to last a month. In a statement of facts of the case accompanying the plea, Ficklin admits, among other things, to selling a stolen truck to Greensburg Mayor Ken Carter. He also admits he put Louisiana inmates housed in the St. Helena Parish Jail to work in the chop shop at B&D Auto in Greensburg. Ficklin also admits using state inmates as the pit crew for his race car, “The Bounty Hunter.” After the hearing, Ficklin declined to comment, saying, “You can talk to my attorney.” When asked whether he planned to resign as sheriff, he said, “Oh, I have to.” His lawyer, Frank Holthaus, said they were working on the details this morning. www.2theadvocate.com/news/5554786.html
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Post by Critique on Feb 5, 2007 13:10:22 GMT -5
Feb 3, 2007 By TODD LEWAN ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) - At Lake Eola park, there is much beauty to behold: robust palms, beds of cheery begonias, a cascading lake fountain, clusters of friendly egrets and swans, an amphitheater named in honor of Walt Disney. Then there are the signs. DO NOT LIE OR OTHERWISE BE IN A HORIZONTAL POSITION ON A PARK BENCH ... DO NOT SLEEP OR REMAIN IN ANY BUSHES, SHRUBS OR FOLIAGE ... per city code sec. 18A.09 (a) and (o).Visit the park's restrooms, and you'll find this sign on the wall above the hand dryers: BATHING AND/OR SHAVING IN RESTROOM IS PROHIBITED ... per city code 18A.09 (p) ... LAUNDERING CLOTHES IN LAKE EOLA PARK IS NOT PERMITTED.I Feel So Much Safer Due To The Diligence Of Our Crime Fighters. - CritiqueSince joggers and dog walkers tend not to snooze in flower beds, and because employees at the glittering office towers around Lake Eola don't scrub laundry in park sinks, it's clear, says Monique Vargas, at whom the notices are targeted. "They're talking to us, to the homeless," says Vargas, 28, who says she has lived on the streets, in parks or under overpasses, since age 16. "It's a way of saying, 'Your kind isn't wanted in our city.'" Orlando, population 200,000, works hard to conjure the image of a true-life Pleasantville: a safe, welcoming place where visitors can soak up year-round sunshine and devour choreographed experiences at palm-ringed theme parks. But its spotless sidewalks, sparkling lakes and twinkling skyline belie a real city with real maladies - most notably, a surging homeless population that authorities are struggling to control. After a law that banned panhandling was struck down by the courts, the city tried to discourage aggressive beggars by obliging them to carry ID cards, and later by confining them to 3-by-15-foot "panhandling zones" painted in blue on sidewalks downtown. Despite these laws, the number of people living on the streets of the Orlando metro area swelled, from roughly 5,000 in 1999 to an estimated 8,500 today, dwarfing the city's shelter capacity for 2,000 people. So in July, the city commission tried a "supply-side" approach: It passed an ordinance regulating the feeding of large groups of people in Orlando's downtown parks. Those who wished to feed more than 25 hungry individuals at parks within a 2-mile radius of City Hall could do so, but only if they obtained a "Large Group Feeding Permit" from the parks department - and no one would be granted more than two feeding permits a year. No exceptions. For the first time anyone in Orlando could remember, not only would panhandlers find themselves in the crosshairs of the law, but so would those trying to help them. "It's now illegal to feed the homeless in Orlando, Florida," Jay Leno, host of NBC's "Tonight Show," told a studio audience last summer in Burbank, Calif., during his opening monologue. "Have you seen the fat people walking around Disney World? We should make it illegal to feed THEM." But when the Orlando Sentinel posted Leno's wisecrack on its Web site, local bloggers weren't laughing. "Feeding the homeless only encourages more homelessness," one resident, with the moniker "Justin Credible," wrote. He then summed up his argument in an equation. "Less Homeless Less Problems Better Place to Live." Another, "TG," didn't oppose feeding the destitute. "But there are places set up for this. Soup kitchens exist ... It is not unreasonable to want to keep Lake Eola Park from becoming a homeless cafeteria." William Beem added: "For what it's worth, Las Vegas enacted a similar law at the same time as Orlando. Tourist towns think alike." Indeed, a week before Orlando's ordinance took effect, Las Vegas criminalized giving food to even a single transient in a city park. In August, the American Civil Liberties Union filed suit challenging the Las Vegas ban, saying it violated constitutional protections of free speech, right to assembly and right to practice one's religion. A federal court in Nevada has prohibited the city from enforcing the ordinance until a final ruling is issued. Advocates for the homeless feared it wouldn't be long before other cities passed similar laws. As it happens, they were right. Already, the cities of Dallas, Fort Myers, Fla., Gainesville, Fla., Wilmington, N.C., Atlanta, and Santa Monica, Calif., have laws restricting or outright prohibiting the feeding of the homeless. In Fairfax County, Va., homemade meals and meals made in church kitchens may not be distributed to the homeless unless first approved by the county. Other cities, including Miami, are considering similar anti-feeding measures. "We've seen cities going beyond punishing homeless people to punishing those trying to help them, even though it's clear that not enough resources are being dedicated to helping the homeless or the hungry," said Maria Foscarinis, executive director of the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty, NLCHP, a non-profit in Washington, D.C. A 2006 report on 67 cities by her group and the National Coalition for the Homeless, a nonpartisan, non-profit network, found an 18 percent increase since 2002 in laws prohibiting aggressive panhandling; a 12 percent jump in laws outlawing "passive" begging; a 14 percent rise in laws defining sitting or lying in public places as criminal acts. Says Michael Stoops, the coalition's executive director in Washington, D.C.: "The idea is to drive the visible homeless out of downtown America, so that cities can attract developers, big money." What's wrong with attracting investment? Nothing, Stoops says - unless it comes at the expense of decency. "It's a sorry state of affairs when you can feed the squirrels, the doves and pigeons at Lake Eola, but not a hungry guy down on his luck." --- Undeniably, a quarter century has done much to Orlando. Once a sleepy town, it is today a city with a growing skyline, widening freeways, sidewalk cafes, and strip malls with neon signs in Thai, Vietnamese, Indian and Japanese. Its mayor, Buddy Dyer, ran for office in 2003 promising downtown revitalization, and revitalization is what locals are getting. On streets around Lake Eola, where drug dealers and prostitutes once roamed, residential towers like "The Paramount,""The Metropolitan at Lake Eola," and the "The Vue at Lake Eola," are now rising. In addition, the city is finalizing plans to renovate the downtown Citrus Bowl and build a new performing arts center and "Events Arena" by 2011 - at a cost of $1 billion. Homelessness, in the view of Dyer and members of his staff, adversely affects public safety and economic development, and therefore must be addressed. Ultimately, "it's a balancing act," says Brie Turek, Dyer's spokesperson. "We need to balance the needs of our citizens and our businesses with the needs of the homeless." The large feedings were unbalancing constituents who lived near the parks, she says. "We were receiving dozens of complaints about individuals sleeping in people's bushes, urinating on private properties. Some citizens reported finding homeless people doing drugs in their stairwells. There were reports of carjackings. There was even a stabbing." Alana Brenner, a city clerk who serves as the mayor's point person on the homeless problem, dismisses critics who say that Orlando's feeding ordinance discourages Good Samaritanism. "It's a restriction on the time, place and manner of feedings, nothing more." While the city would prefer that feedings be done through existing agencies such as the Salvation Army, it has also set up "an alternative location near downtown, on Sylvia Lane," where, Brenner points out, "feedings can take place any day, any hour." The locale she referred to is roughly a 15-minute walk from City Hall, a sweep of blacktop where charities fed groups of destitute men and women several years ago. Shadowed by an overpass, the parking lot is surrounded by a chain-link fence topped with barbed wire and flanked by an electrical power station and railroad tracks. The city has provided portable toilets and picnic benches, but there is no running water to wash one's hands, says Jacqueline Dowd, a lawyer with the ACLU, which has also sued to overturn Orlando's feeding ordinance. And the neighborhood, she says, is unsafe. "I've documented five cases of homeless people being beaten around there in the past year." One was August Felix, 54, who was found on March 26, severely beaten and lying motionless on a sidewalk one block from the Sylvia Lane feeding site. He died in the hospital a month later from the head injuries, police say. Five boys, aged 15 and 16, were arrested on second-degree murder charges. "This was a case of bored kids - kids with time on their hands," says Sgt. Richard King, who investigated the killing. "They targeted Mr. Felix because he was easy prey." The city acknowledges that it presently lacks resources to adequately provide basics for people with no place to live - bedspace in emergency shelters, for one thing. ("There is a capacity issue," is how Brenner puts it.) Permanent housing for those with very low incomes is also in short supply, despite Orlando's decade-long residential building boom. "A lot of apartment complexes have gone condo, which has removed affordable rental units from the local market," says Brent Trotter, president of the Coalition for the Homeless of Central Florida. "What's being built today, the average family in the service industry can't afford." The fastest-growing segment of central Florida's homeless population is families with children, the coalition says. It recently reported that shelter nights for children climbed 70 percent in 2005-2006, to 64,548. Orlando has taken some steps to address this. In December, it sponsored "Project Homeless Connect," an outreach program that paired 600 homeless people with 60 charities, service providers, religious groups and employers. Twenty-two individuals were placed in housing after the event. Last fall, the city earmarked $860,000 to refurbish 299 apartments for low-income families and homeless people. It plans to spend $329,258 more this year to renovate the Health Care Center for the Homeless, and it will give $2 million to the Coalition for the Homeless, the Christian Service Center, the Harbor House, the United Way and the Center for Drug Free Living. More outreach is needed, concedes Turek, the mayor's spokeswoman, but the city needs help from surrounding counties, the state and local businesses. "The city itself can't shoulder the burden of the homeless problem for the entire central Florida region," she says. At city council meetings, Brenner notes, "We heard almost no complaints from our own citizens about the ordinance. Sure, there are activists from other cities that are against it. But sometimes you want to ask them, 'Why aren't you feeding in your OWN community?'" --- It's ideal apple-eating weather; coppery sunlight descends the purest of skies, and a warm breeze rustles the silvery moss in the live oaks above the 22 or so men and women waiting in a crooked line along the sidewalk. Winter rewards the homeless who have persevered through Orlando's humid summer months, and now Suzanne Peters, a volunteer with Food Not Bombs, a group that feeds the homeless here once a week, wants to reward their patience. It's nearly 5:15 p.m. when her tan, Chevy Blazer rolls up to the corner. The homeless stir, chatter, as Peters opens the hatch. Out comes a serving table, vats of stew, eggplant, mashed potatoes and salad, ladles, stacks of paper plates, plastic cutlery, cartons of fruit juice, and boxes half-filled with apples, bananas, oranges, bagels and French rolls. "Folks!" she calls out, "you can't sit on that wall. That's private property. The big, bad men will come and arrest you." She motions to the curb. "You can stand on the sidewalk, or sit on the curb here. Sorry." Peters and her partners used to feed 75 to 150 homeless people at a time in Lake Eola Park, just a block north. Then, after the ordinance took effect, patrol cars, four at a time, would roll up, officers would step out and ask who was in charge. "They'd tell us it was a 'no-feeding zone,'" says Brett Mason, a 19-year-old college student, who joined Food Not Bombs when it came to Orlando in January 2005. The officers, he says, would "park nearby and watch us, in unmarked cars with tinted windows. Sometimes they'd take pictures of us, shoot video of us. Then they'd say, 'You have to get a permit to feed here,' and shoo us away." So the group retreated to this street corner and began feeding out of the back of members' cars. On occasion, to show defiance, Food Not Bombs fed in front of municipal buildings, even City Hall. That's because the ordinance, says Ben Markeson, who belongs to the group, is based on a misguided premise. City officials "think groups that share food with the homeless are attracting the homeless to downtown neighborhoods. But the homeless are already here. And they'll be here with or without the food." That opinion is shared by Paul Johnson, 34, and his fiancee, Ericka Holder, 26, of San Diego; Dave Whipkey, 37, of Kissimmee, Fla.; Carlos Gonzales, 64, of Orlando; Scott Phillips, 30, and his wife, Sherri, 39, of Lorraine, Ohio; Broderick Williams, 42, of Tampa; and, Derrick Wiley, 31, of Daytona Beach - all of whom have no place to live, all of whom are grateful for the hot meal they're getting. Some days of the week, says Johnson, are "good food days" - meaning he and other homeless people can find three squares a day by hopping from church to church, charity to charity. "But there are lots of days - Mondays and Tuesdays are the toughest - when it's hard to get one meal." Wiley, a part-time cook at a downtown eatery, came to Orlando in 1998. What keeps him here? "It's a beautiful city. There are jobs. And there are people like this, who help others out of the goodness of their hearts." The feeding ordinance, however, was a shock. "They are trying to make downtown beautiful, which is cool. But, please, don't step on me, just 'cause I'm trying to make it." He smooths out his black T-shirt, looks down at his gray sweat pants, sky-blue socks and bedroom slippers. "I guess to them, I'm an eyesore ... They don't want to see me around the prestigious areas anymore." A police car crawls past. Wiley waits for it to turn the corner, then adds, "It's discrimination." So far, no one has been arrested in Orlando for feeding a hungry person. But the day it happens, says Sgt. Barbara Jones, a police spokeswoman, "we know we're going to look like the bad guys." Still, an ordinance is an ordinance, she says, and "our job is to enforce the law." apnews.myway.com/article/20070203/D8N2G7680.html
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Post by Critique on Feb 5, 2007 13:10:22 GMT -5
Feb 3, 2007 By TODD LEWAN ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) - At Lake Eola park, there is much beauty to behold: robust palms, beds of cheery begonias, a cascading lake fountain, clusters of friendly egrets and swans, an amphitheater named in honor of Walt Disney. Then there are the signs. DO NOT LIE OR OTHERWISE BE IN A HORIZONTAL POSITION ON A PARK BENCH ... DO NOT SLEEP OR REMAIN IN ANY BUSHES, SHRUBS OR FOLIAGE ... per city code sec. 18A.09 (a) and (o).Visit the park's restrooms, and you'll find this sign on the wall above the hand dryers: BATHING AND/OR SHAVING IN RESTROOM IS PROHIBITED ... per city code 18A.09 (p) ... LAUNDERING CLOTHES IN LAKE EOLA PARK IS NOT PERMITTED.I Feel So Much Safer Due To The Diligence Of Our Crime Fighters. - CritiqueSince joggers and dog walkers tend not to snooze in flower beds, and because employees at the glittering office towers around Lake Eola don't scrub laundry in park sinks, it's clear, says Monique Vargas, at whom the notices are targeted. "They're talking to us, to the homeless," says Vargas, 28, who says she has lived on the streets, in parks or under overpasses, since age 16. "It's a way of saying, 'Your kind isn't wanted in our city.'" Orlando, population 200,000, works hard to conjure the image of a true-life Pleasantville: a safe, welcoming place where visitors can soak up year-round sunshine and devour choreographed experiences at palm-ringed theme parks. But its spotless sidewalks, sparkling lakes and twinkling skyline belie a real city with real maladies - most notably, a surging homeless population that authorities are struggling to control. After a law that banned panhandling was struck down by the courts, the city tried to discourage aggressive beggars by obliging them to carry ID cards, and later by confining them to 3-by-15-foot "panhandling zones" painted in blue on sidewalks downtown. Despite these laws, the number of people living on the streets of the Orlando metro area swelled, from roughly 5,000 in 1999 to an estimated 8,500 today, dwarfing the city's shelter capacity for 2,000 people. So in July, the city commission tried a "supply-side" approach: It passed an ordinance regulating the feeding of large groups of people in Orlando's downtown parks. Those who wished to feed more than 25 hungry individuals at parks within a 2-mile radius of City Hall could do so, but only if they obtained a "Large Group Feeding Permit" from the parks department - and no one would be granted more than two feeding permits a year. No exceptions. For the first time anyone in Orlando could remember, not only would panhandlers find themselves in the crosshairs of the law, but so would those trying to help them. "It's now illegal to feed the homeless in Orlando, Florida," Jay Leno, host of NBC's "Tonight Show," told a studio audience last summer in Burbank, Calif., during his opening monologue. "Have you seen the fat people walking around Disney World? We should make it illegal to feed THEM." But when the Orlando Sentinel posted Leno's wisecrack on its Web site, local bloggers weren't laughing. "Feeding the homeless only encourages more homelessness," one resident, with the moniker "Justin Credible," wrote. He then summed up his argument in an equation. "Less Homeless Less Problems Better Place to Live." Another, "TG," didn't oppose feeding the destitute. "But there are places set up for this. Soup kitchens exist ... It is not unreasonable to want to keep Lake Eola Park from becoming a homeless cafeteria." William Beem added: "For what it's worth, Las Vegas enacted a similar law at the same time as Orlando. Tourist towns think alike." Indeed, a week before Orlando's ordinance took effect, Las Vegas criminalized giving food to even a single transient in a city park. In August, the American Civil Liberties Union filed suit challenging the Las Vegas ban, saying it violated constitutional protections of free speech, right to assembly and right to practice one's religion. A federal court in Nevada has prohibited the city from enforcing the ordinance until a final ruling is issued. Advocates for the homeless feared it wouldn't be long before other cities passed similar laws. As it happens, they were right. Already, the cities of Dallas, Fort Myers, Fla., Gainesville, Fla., Wilmington, N.C., Atlanta, and Santa Monica, Calif., have laws restricting or outright prohibiting the feeding of the homeless. In Fairfax County, Va., homemade meals and meals made in church kitchens may not be distributed to the homeless unless first approved by the county. Other cities, including Miami, are considering similar anti-feeding measures. "We've seen cities going beyond punishing homeless people to punishing those trying to help them, even though it's clear that not enough resources are being dedicated to helping the homeless or the hungry," said Maria Foscarinis, executive director of the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty, NLCHP, a non-profit in Washington, D.C. A 2006 report on 67 cities by her group and the National Coalition for the Homeless, a nonpartisan, non-profit network, found an 18 percent increase since 2002 in laws prohibiting aggressive panhandling; a 12 percent jump in laws outlawing "passive" begging; a 14 percent rise in laws defining sitting or lying in public places as criminal acts. Says Michael Stoops, the coalition's executive director in Washington, D.C.: "The idea is to drive the visible homeless out of downtown America, so that cities can attract developers, big money." What's wrong with attracting investment? Nothing, Stoops says - unless it comes at the expense of decency. "It's a sorry state of affairs when you can feed the squirrels, the doves and pigeons at Lake Eola, but not a hungry guy down on his luck." --- Undeniably, a quarter century has done much to Orlando. Once a sleepy town, it is today a city with a growing skyline, widening freeways, sidewalk cafes, and strip malls with neon signs in Thai, Vietnamese, Indian and Japanese. Its mayor, Buddy Dyer, ran for office in 2003 promising downtown revitalization, and revitalization is what locals are getting. On streets around Lake Eola, where drug dealers and prostitutes once roamed, residential towers like "The Paramount,""The Metropolitan at Lake Eola," and the "The Vue at Lake Eola," are now rising. In addition, the city is finalizing plans to renovate the downtown Citrus Bowl and build a new performing arts center and "Events Arena" by 2011 - at a cost of $1 billion. Homelessness, in the view of Dyer and members of his staff, adversely affects public safety and economic development, and therefore must be addressed. Ultimately, "it's a balancing act," says Brie Turek, Dyer's spokesperson. "We need to balance the needs of our citizens and our businesses with the needs of the homeless." The large feedings were unbalancing constituents who lived near the parks, she says. "We were receiving dozens of complaints about individuals sleeping in people's bushes, urinating on private properties. Some citizens reported finding homeless people doing drugs in their stairwells. There were reports of carjackings. There was even a stabbing." Alana Brenner, a city clerk who serves as the mayor's point person on the homeless problem, dismisses critics who say that Orlando's feeding ordinance discourages Good Samaritanism. "It's a restriction on the time, place and manner of feedings, nothing more." While the city would prefer that feedings be done through existing agencies such as the Salvation Army, it has also set up "an alternative location near downtown, on Sylvia Lane," where, Brenner points out, "feedings can take place any day, any hour." The locale she referred to is roughly a 15-minute walk from City Hall, a sweep of blacktop where charities fed groups of destitute men and women several years ago. Shadowed by an overpass, the parking lot is surrounded by a chain-link fence topped with barbed wire and flanked by an electrical power station and railroad tracks. The city has provided portable toilets and picnic benches, but there is no running water to wash one's hands, says Jacqueline Dowd, a lawyer with the ACLU, which has also sued to overturn Orlando's feeding ordinance. And the neighborhood, she says, is unsafe. "I've documented five cases of homeless people being beaten around there in the past year." One was August Felix, 54, who was found on March 26, severely beaten and lying motionless on a sidewalk one block from the Sylvia Lane feeding site. He died in the hospital a month later from the head injuries, police say. Five boys, aged 15 and 16, were arrested on second-degree murder charges. "This was a case of bored kids - kids with time on their hands," says Sgt. Richard King, who investigated the killing. "They targeted Mr. Felix because he was easy prey." The city acknowledges that it presently lacks resources to adequately provide basics for people with no place to live - bedspace in emergency shelters, for one thing. ("There is a capacity issue," is how Brenner puts it.) Permanent housing for those with very low incomes is also in short supply, despite Orlando's decade-long residential building boom. "A lot of apartment complexes have gone condo, which has removed affordable rental units from the local market," says Brent Trotter, president of the Coalition for the Homeless of Central Florida. "What's being built today, the average family in the service industry can't afford." The fastest-growing segment of central Florida's homeless population is families with children, the coalition says. It recently reported that shelter nights for children climbed 70 percent in 2005-2006, to 64,548. Orlando has taken some steps to address this. In December, it sponsored "Project Homeless Connect," an outreach program that paired 600 homeless people with 60 charities, service providers, religious groups and employers. Twenty-two individuals were placed in housing after the event. Last fall, the city earmarked $860,000 to refurbish 299 apartments for low-income families and homeless people. It plans to spend $329,258 more this year to renovate the Health Care Center for the Homeless, and it will give $2 million to the Coalition for the Homeless, the Christian Service Center, the Harbor House, the United Way and the Center for Drug Free Living. More outreach is needed, concedes Turek, the mayor's spokeswoman, but the city needs help from surrounding counties, the state and local businesses. "The city itself can't shoulder the burden of the homeless problem for the entire central Florida region," she says. At city council meetings, Brenner notes, "We heard almost no complaints from our own citizens about the ordinance. Sure, there are activists from other cities that are against it. But sometimes you want to ask them, 'Why aren't you feeding in your OWN community?'" --- It's ideal apple-eating weather; coppery sunlight descends the purest of skies, and a warm breeze rustles the silvery moss in the live oaks above the 22 or so men and women waiting in a crooked line along the sidewalk. Winter rewards the homeless who have persevered through Orlando's humid summer months, and now Suzanne Peters, a volunteer with Food Not Bombs, a group that feeds the homeless here once a week, wants to reward their patience. It's nearly 5:15 p.m. when her tan, Chevy Blazer rolls up to the corner. The homeless stir, chatter, as Peters opens the hatch. Out comes a serving table, vats of stew, eggplant, mashed potatoes and salad, ladles, stacks of paper plates, plastic cutlery, cartons of fruit juice, and boxes half-filled with apples, bananas, oranges, bagels and French rolls. "Folks!" she calls out, "you can't sit on that wall. That's private property. The big, bad men will come and arrest you." She motions to the curb. "You can stand on the sidewalk, or sit on the curb here. Sorry." Peters and her partners used to feed 75 to 150 homeless people at a time in Lake Eola Park, just a block north. Then, after the ordinance took effect, patrol cars, four at a time, would roll up, officers would step out and ask who was in charge. "They'd tell us it was a 'no-feeding zone,'" says Brett Mason, a 19-year-old college student, who joined Food Not Bombs when it came to Orlando in January 2005. The officers, he says, would "park nearby and watch us, in unmarked cars with tinted windows. Sometimes they'd take pictures of us, shoot video of us. Then they'd say, 'You have to get a permit to feed here,' and shoo us away." So the group retreated to this street corner and began feeding out of the back of members' cars. On occasion, to show defiance, Food Not Bombs fed in front of municipal buildings, even City Hall. That's because the ordinance, says Ben Markeson, who belongs to the group, is based on a misguided premise. City officials "think groups that share food with the homeless are attracting the homeless to downtown neighborhoods. But the homeless are already here. And they'll be here with or without the food." That opinion is shared by Paul Johnson, 34, and his fiancee, Ericka Holder, 26, of San Diego; Dave Whipkey, 37, of Kissimmee, Fla.; Carlos Gonzales, 64, of Orlando; Scott Phillips, 30, and his wife, Sherri, 39, of Lorraine, Ohio; Broderick Williams, 42, of Tampa; and, Derrick Wiley, 31, of Daytona Beach - all of whom have no place to live, all of whom are grateful for the hot meal they're getting. Some days of the week, says Johnson, are "good food days" - meaning he and other homeless people can find three squares a day by hopping from church to church, charity to charity. "But there are lots of days - Mondays and Tuesdays are the toughest - when it's hard to get one meal." Wiley, a part-time cook at a downtown eatery, came to Orlando in 1998. What keeps him here? "It's a beautiful city. There are jobs. And there are people like this, who help others out of the goodness of their hearts." The feeding ordinance, however, was a shock. "They are trying to make downtown beautiful, which is cool. But, please, don't step on me, just 'cause I'm trying to make it." He smooths out his black T-shirt, looks down at his gray sweat pants, sky-blue socks and bedroom slippers. "I guess to them, I'm an eyesore ... They don't want to see me around the prestigious areas anymore." A police car crawls past. Wiley waits for it to turn the corner, then adds, "It's discrimination." So far, no one has been arrested in Orlando for feeding a hungry person. But the day it happens, says Sgt. Barbara Jones, a police spokeswoman, "we know we're going to look like the bad guys." Still, an ordinance is an ordinance, she says, and "our job is to enforce the law." apnews.myway.com/article/20070203/D8N2G7680.html
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Post by Critique on Feb 2, 2007 22:36:31 GMT -5
02/2/07 BY ALEX BIESE WALL — The results of the blood-alcohol test taken by Capt. Bernard Sullivan following his arrest early Saturday morning on a charge of driving while intoxicated were not available Thursday because they are considered evidence by the Police Department, Township Administrator Joseph Verruni said. Verruni said the township is awaiting word from the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office as to whether the test results are public record. Monmouth County Prosecutor Luis A. Valentin and First Assistant Prosecutor Peter Warshaw were not available for comment Thursday. Reached at his home Wednesday, Sullivan, who joined the force in 1984, declined to comment, referring all questions to his attorney, James Fagen. Fagen, whose firm is in Freehold, could not be reached for comment Thursday. Sullivan, 41, of Belmar Boulevard, was stopped while traveling west on that road at 12:03 a.m. Saturday by Wall Patrolman Todd Verrecchia, officials said. In his police report, Verrecchia, who was traveling north on Route 35, wrote that he saw a car run a red light at the intersection of 16th Avenue and Route 35 and proceed across four lanes of Route 35 onto Belmar Boulevard, nearly causing a collision with another vehicle on Route 35. The motorist was driving on the wrong side of Belmar Boulevard, according to Verrecchia's report. The patrolman pulled him over near Marconi Road, and recognized him as Sullivan. When Verrecchia asked Sullivan to turn the car off, Sullivan replied, "Are you ——— kidding me?" When Verrecchia asked a second time, Sullivan said, "I live 200 yards up the road, you can follow me," according to the report. Sullivan also was charged with reckless driving, disregard of marked lanes and failure to observe traffic. During an emergency meeting Tuesday, the Township Committee voted to rescind a resolution naming Sullivan to replace retiring Chief Roy Hall. Capt. David Morris is now managing the force's day-to-day operations. Morris and Sullivan both were among the five candidates to replace Hall, Verruni said. While the copy of the arrest report obtained Wednesday by the Asbury Park Press appeared to have one page blanked out, Verruni said the only information redacted from the public copy of the report was Sullivan's social security number, address, telephone number, license number and license plate number. The Press also sought copies and transcripts of police radio transmissions made during the arrest under the Open Public Records Act. Verruni said under the Open Public Records Act the tapes would be made available to the Press by Feb. 5. Wall police initially said neither were available because the machine recording all police transmissions was in a room under construction that has been inaccessible for months. app.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070202/NEWS01/702020387/1004
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Post by Critique on Feb 2, 2007 22:36:31 GMT -5
02/2/07 BY ALEX BIESE WALL — The results of the blood-alcohol test taken by Capt. Bernard Sullivan following his arrest early Saturday morning on a charge of driving while intoxicated were not available Thursday because they are considered evidence by the Police Department, Township Administrator Joseph Verruni said. Verruni said the township is awaiting word from the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office as to whether the test results are public record. Monmouth County Prosecutor Luis A. Valentin and First Assistant Prosecutor Peter Warshaw were not available for comment Thursday. Reached at his home Wednesday, Sullivan, who joined the force in 1984, declined to comment, referring all questions to his attorney, James Fagen. Fagen, whose firm is in Freehold, could not be reached for comment Thursday. Sullivan, 41, of Belmar Boulevard, was stopped while traveling west on that road at 12:03 a.m. Saturday by Wall Patrolman Todd Verrecchia, officials said. In his police report, Verrecchia, who was traveling north on Route 35, wrote that he saw a car run a red light at the intersection of 16th Avenue and Route 35 and proceed across four lanes of Route 35 onto Belmar Boulevard, nearly causing a collision with another vehicle on Route 35. The motorist was driving on the wrong side of Belmar Boulevard, according to Verrecchia's report. The patrolman pulled him over near Marconi Road, and recognized him as Sullivan. When Verrecchia asked Sullivan to turn the car off, Sullivan replied, "Are you ——— kidding me?" When Verrecchia asked a second time, Sullivan said, "I live 200 yards up the road, you can follow me," according to the report. Sullivan also was charged with reckless driving, disregard of marked lanes and failure to observe traffic. During an emergency meeting Tuesday, the Township Committee voted to rescind a resolution naming Sullivan to replace retiring Chief Roy Hall. Capt. David Morris is now managing the force's day-to-day operations. Morris and Sullivan both were among the five candidates to replace Hall, Verruni said. While the copy of the arrest report obtained Wednesday by the Asbury Park Press appeared to have one page blanked out, Verruni said the only information redacted from the public copy of the report was Sullivan's social security number, address, telephone number, license number and license plate number. The Press also sought copies and transcripts of police radio transmissions made during the arrest under the Open Public Records Act. Verruni said under the Open Public Records Act the tapes would be made available to the Press by Feb. 5. Wall police initially said neither were available because the machine recording all police transmissions was in a room under construction that has been inaccessible for months. app.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070202/NEWS01/702020387/1004
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Post by Critique on Jan 26, 2007 2:13:05 GMT -5
January 25, 2007 By Amanda Milkovits A state trooper who was found guilty last fall of beating a handcuffed man in the back of a South Kingstown police cruiser has been fired. Jeffrey L. Clark is appealing his criminal conviction — and he’s been granted bail after serving just two weeks of a year-long prison sentence. But even if he wins the appeal, Clark won’t get his job back. Clark was fired in November by a state police reenlistment panel, which voted 2 to 1 against allowing him to remain on the force, said Maj. Steven O’Donnell. Unlike municipal police departments, troopers undergo a reenlistment procedure every three years, and there is no appeal of the decision. Clark was fired nearly 12 years to the day that he joined the force, O’Donnell said. However, under the Rhode Island Law Enforcement Officers Bill of Rights, the state is obliged to continue paying Clark’s medical, dental and life insurance until he exhausts all of his criminal appeals. The state has been paying these costs since Clark was suspended in February 2005, at an annual cost of $6,523. The conviction stemmed from a September night in 2004, when Clark returned to his home at 254 Laurel Lane in South Kingstown and became enraged by a neighbor’s barking dog. He got into a fight with another man, William Skwirz Jr., who was next door celebrating his stepbrother’s return from Iraq. The South Kingstown police came and arrested Skwirz. When one local officer brought the handcuffed man to Clark for identification, Clark got into the back seat of the cruiser and started beating the prisoner, yelling at him about disrespecting the state police. The officer drove off, but stopped at Clark’s request, and the off-duty trooper punched Skwirz in the head again, opening a deep gash in his head, according to court testimony. The police took Skwirz to South County Hospital to be treated; prosecutors said the 22-year-old man was left with permanent scars. Clark then convinced several South Kingstown officers to help him cover up the assault; three were later disciplined. A jury convicted Clark of felony assault last June, and a Superior Court judge sentenced him to a year in prison, with six more years suspended with probation. Clark entered the ACI on Nov. 14 and was moved to the high security prison, said Department of Corrections spokeswoman Ann Fortin. But he was released on Nov. 30 when a judge agreed to bail, pending Clark’s appeal to the Supreme Court, his lawyer Kevin Bristow said yesterday. Bristow declined to discuss the basis of the appeal. He said Clark is back at home and has found another job. www.projo.com/news/content/trooper_fired25_01-25-07_M443J8A.18cb0ea.html
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Post by Critique on Jan 26, 2007 2:13:05 GMT -5
January 25, 2007 By Amanda Milkovits A state trooper who was found guilty last fall of beating a handcuffed man in the back of a South Kingstown police cruiser has been fired. Jeffrey L. Clark is appealing his criminal conviction — and he’s been granted bail after serving just two weeks of a year-long prison sentence. But even if he wins the appeal, Clark won’t get his job back. Clark was fired in November by a state police reenlistment panel, which voted 2 to 1 against allowing him to remain on the force, said Maj. Steven O’Donnell. Unlike municipal police departments, troopers undergo a reenlistment procedure every three years, and there is no appeal of the decision. Clark was fired nearly 12 years to the day that he joined the force, O’Donnell said. However, under the Rhode Island Law Enforcement Officers Bill of Rights, the state is obliged to continue paying Clark’s medical, dental and life insurance until he exhausts all of his criminal appeals. The state has been paying these costs since Clark was suspended in February 2005, at an annual cost of $6,523. The conviction stemmed from a September night in 2004, when Clark returned to his home at 254 Laurel Lane in South Kingstown and became enraged by a neighbor’s barking dog. He got into a fight with another man, William Skwirz Jr., who was next door celebrating his stepbrother’s return from Iraq. The South Kingstown police came and arrested Skwirz. When one local officer brought the handcuffed man to Clark for identification, Clark got into the back seat of the cruiser and started beating the prisoner, yelling at him about disrespecting the state police. The officer drove off, but stopped at Clark’s request, and the off-duty trooper punched Skwirz in the head again, opening a deep gash in his head, according to court testimony. The police took Skwirz to South County Hospital to be treated; prosecutors said the 22-year-old man was left with permanent scars. Clark then convinced several South Kingstown officers to help him cover up the assault; three were later disciplined. A jury convicted Clark of felony assault last June, and a Superior Court judge sentenced him to a year in prison, with six more years suspended with probation. Clark entered the ACI on Nov. 14 and was moved to the high security prison, said Department of Corrections spokeswoman Ann Fortin. But he was released on Nov. 30 when a judge agreed to bail, pending Clark’s appeal to the Supreme Court, his lawyer Kevin Bristow said yesterday. Bristow declined to discuss the basis of the appeal. He said Clark is back at home and has found another job. www.projo.com/news/content/trooper_fired25_01-25-07_M443J8A.18cb0ea.html
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Post by Critique on Jan 26, 2007 1:26:56 GMT -5
January 25, 2007 By DENNIS HUSPENI An officer’s right to privacy outweighs the public’s interest when alleged misconduct is investigated internally, an attorney for the Colorado Springs Police Department said Wednesday in court. That was among the reasons attorney Greg Garland used to justify the Police Department’s refusal to release an internal investigation report of a former officer who allegedly beat a suspect with his metal flashlight in 2005. The American Civil Liberties Union requested the file last year, and the city sued the ACLU in June — asking a district judge to allow it to keep the file secret. The ACLU is not representing a man whose claim that he was the victim of police brutality led to the internal investigation, but wants to investigate how the department handles brutality complaints. ACLU attorney Brandee Caswell said it’s important for the public to know how the department polices itself when misconduct allegations are investigated. The ACLU filed a countersuit seeking its attorneys fees from the city. It thinks all internal affairs investigations are criminal justice records and subject to open records laws. The two sides made final arguments in the case Wednesday before 4th Judicial District Judge Larry Schwartz, who said he’ll issue a ruling within about two weeks. He ordered Garland to hand over the file so he could review it. The case involves a July 2, 2005, traffic stop in south Colorado Springs made by officers K.D. Hardy and Jackson Andrews. Delvikio Faulkner, a passenger in the vehicle, gave police a false name and made a sudden movement, according to police. Hardy, who has since been fired after an internal affairs investigation in an unrelated complaint, said in his report he struck Faulkner several times with a metal flashlight as he was trying to pull away. Andrews said in his account that Hardy struck Faulkner after he stopped trying to flee. Faulkner had to have seven staples to close the head wound, Caswell said Tuesday. Department officials have already released the police reports regarding the incident, Garland said, and “Faulkner knows what happened.” He said the department considers internal investigation reports a personnel matter, not a public record. He argued that because Hardy was fired before any possible discipline was meted out, the public has no interest in knowing what the investigation entailed. Out of fairness, Garland said, Hardy should get to present a defense. “Hardy has no chance to defend himself, or to vindicate himself,” Garland said. “He’ll be tried in the court of public opinion.” Releasing the file will also discourage whistle-blowers from coming forward if they know their names will be published, Garland said. Caswell countered that police officers have no right to privacy when their on-duty actions are being investigated. The ACLU told the city it could redact any personal information from the file — such as Social Security numbers or home addresses. “The public has at least the right to know what discipline, if any, was handed out,” Caswell said. “Even that single piece of information the public is not going to get from this Police Department.” www.gazette.com/display.php?id=1329206&secid=1
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Post by Critique on Jan 26, 2007 1:26:56 GMT -5
January 25, 2007 By DENNIS HUSPENI An officer’s right to privacy outweighs the public’s interest when alleged misconduct is investigated internally, an attorney for the Colorado Springs Police Department said Wednesday in court. That was among the reasons attorney Greg Garland used to justify the Police Department’s refusal to release an internal investigation report of a former officer who allegedly beat a suspect with his metal flashlight in 2005. The American Civil Liberties Union requested the file last year, and the city sued the ACLU in June — asking a district judge to allow it to keep the file secret. The ACLU is not representing a man whose claim that he was the victim of police brutality led to the internal investigation, but wants to investigate how the department handles brutality complaints. ACLU attorney Brandee Caswell said it’s important for the public to know how the department polices itself when misconduct allegations are investigated. The ACLU filed a countersuit seeking its attorneys fees from the city. It thinks all internal affairs investigations are criminal justice records and subject to open records laws. The two sides made final arguments in the case Wednesday before 4th Judicial District Judge Larry Schwartz, who said he’ll issue a ruling within about two weeks. He ordered Garland to hand over the file so he could review it. The case involves a July 2, 2005, traffic stop in south Colorado Springs made by officers K.D. Hardy and Jackson Andrews. Delvikio Faulkner, a passenger in the vehicle, gave police a false name and made a sudden movement, according to police. Hardy, who has since been fired after an internal affairs investigation in an unrelated complaint, said in his report he struck Faulkner several times with a metal flashlight as he was trying to pull away. Andrews said in his account that Hardy struck Faulkner after he stopped trying to flee. Faulkner had to have seven staples to close the head wound, Caswell said Tuesday. Department officials have already released the police reports regarding the incident, Garland said, and “Faulkner knows what happened.” He said the department considers internal investigation reports a personnel matter, not a public record. He argued that because Hardy was fired before any possible discipline was meted out, the public has no interest in knowing what the investigation entailed. Out of fairness, Garland said, Hardy should get to present a defense. “Hardy has no chance to defend himself, or to vindicate himself,” Garland said. “He’ll be tried in the court of public opinion.” Releasing the file will also discourage whistle-blowers from coming forward if they know their names will be published, Garland said. Caswell countered that police officers have no right to privacy when their on-duty actions are being investigated. The ACLU told the city it could redact any personal information from the file — such as Social Security numbers or home addresses. “The public has at least the right to know what discipline, if any, was handed out,” Caswell said. “Even that single piece of information the public is not going to get from this Police Department.” www.gazette.com/display.php?id=1329206&secid=1
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Post by Critique on Jan 17, 2007 2:47:10 GMT -5
January 16, 2007 RIVERSIDE – Jury selection in the second trial of an ex-Beaumont police officer accused of beating a handcuffed suspect in the back of his patrol car is slated to get under way Tuesday. Former Beaumont police Officer Christopher A. Chester, 35, is charged with two counts of assault, including one of assault under color of authority, according to court documents. Superior Court Judge Elisabeth Sichel declared a mistrial on Oct. 11 when Chester was tried the first time. The judge was responding to defense complaints that the Riverside County District Attorney's Office was late in turning over documents to be introduced as evidence. Chester's attorney at the time was Michael Stone, the Pasadena-based defense lawyer who helped get one of the Los Angeles police officers charged in the 1991 Rodney King beating acquitted of state charges. According to court documents, on Aug. 9, 2005, Chester arrested David Alan Dietrich in front of the man's Beaumont apartment after Dietrich allegedly brandished a metal cane at Chester and a fellow officer sent to the address on a disturbance complaint. A brief struggle ensued during which Dietrich grabbed the second officer's baton before being subdued, according to documents. Chester cuffed Dietrich and put him in the back of a patrol car. En route to the Beaumont Police Department, Dietrich spat on Chester through the metal screen separating the front and back seats, the officer later told Riverside County sheriff's investigators. “Officer Chester felt the spit in his right eye and mouth,” according to interview transcripts. The policeman pulled off the road and went around to the rear of the vehicle in “an attempt to secure Dietrich to the left rear passenger seat,” the transcripts said. In the meantime, another Beaumont police car arrived. A dashboard camera in the arriving car recorded the struggle that led to the charges against Chester. “Chester reached in, grabbed Dietrich by his hair, and pulled him toward him,” according to transcripts. “Officer Chester used his right fist to punch Dietrich two to three times .... Officer Chester justified his actions by stating that, in his mind, punching Dietrich was the only way he was able to control his violent behavior.” Dietrich, who was treated for a bloody nose, told authorities he was struck “10 to 15 times in the face.” Dietrich was charged with battery on a police officer, resisting arrest and exhibiting a deadly weapon not in self defense. www.signonsandiego.com/news/riverside/20070116-0341-trial.html
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Post by Critique on Jan 17, 2007 2:47:10 GMT -5
January 16, 2007 RIVERSIDE – Jury selection in the second trial of an ex-Beaumont police officer accused of beating a handcuffed suspect in the back of his patrol car is slated to get under way Tuesday. Former Beaumont police Officer Christopher A. Chester, 35, is charged with two counts of assault, including one of assault under color of authority, according to court documents. Superior Court Judge Elisabeth Sichel declared a mistrial on Oct. 11 when Chester was tried the first time. The judge was responding to defense complaints that the Riverside County District Attorney's Office was late in turning over documents to be introduced as evidence. Chester's attorney at the time was Michael Stone, the Pasadena-based defense lawyer who helped get one of the Los Angeles police officers charged in the 1991 Rodney King beating acquitted of state charges. According to court documents, on Aug. 9, 2005, Chester arrested David Alan Dietrich in front of the man's Beaumont apartment after Dietrich allegedly brandished a metal cane at Chester and a fellow officer sent to the address on a disturbance complaint. A brief struggle ensued during which Dietrich grabbed the second officer's baton before being subdued, according to documents. Chester cuffed Dietrich and put him in the back of a patrol car. En route to the Beaumont Police Department, Dietrich spat on Chester through the metal screen separating the front and back seats, the officer later told Riverside County sheriff's investigators. “Officer Chester felt the spit in his right eye and mouth,” according to interview transcripts. The policeman pulled off the road and went around to the rear of the vehicle in “an attempt to secure Dietrich to the left rear passenger seat,” the transcripts said. In the meantime, another Beaumont police car arrived. A dashboard camera in the arriving car recorded the struggle that led to the charges against Chester. “Chester reached in, grabbed Dietrich by his hair, and pulled him toward him,” according to transcripts. “Officer Chester used his right fist to punch Dietrich two to three times .... Officer Chester justified his actions by stating that, in his mind, punching Dietrich was the only way he was able to control his violent behavior.” Dietrich, who was treated for a bloody nose, told authorities he was struck “10 to 15 times in the face.” Dietrich was charged with battery on a police officer, resisting arrest and exhibiting a deadly weapon not in self defense. www.signonsandiego.com/news/riverside/20070116-0341-trial.html
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