Police Behavior and What To Do About It

[jackd]

I notice he didn't get shot.

[LFC]

Apparently running over protesters with your police car and bragging about it to another officer isn't a firing offense in Boston.

On Thursday, New England journalist Eoin Higgins reported in his Substack newsletter that a Boston Police sergeant who bragged about running down protesters with his patrol cruiser has been allowed to return to work, albeit in a limited capacity.

"Despite being under investigation after admitting on camera that he used a police vehicle as a weapon to run down protesters during an anti-racism demonstration last May, Boston Police Sergeant Clifton McHale is back in the squad room," reported Higgins. "'Sgt. McHale is on desk duty,' Boston Police Department spokesman Sergeant Detective John Boyle told me in an email. 'Each investigation is unique, but it is normal practice.'"

As Higgins noted, the investigation started after McHale was caught on body camera footage saying, "Dude, dude, dude, I f*ckin' drove down Tremont — there was an unmarked state police cruiser they were all gathered around," McHale tells an officer wearing a body camera. "So then I had a f*cker keep coming, f*cking running, I'm f*cking hitting people with the car, did you hear me, I was like, 'get the f*ck—'" After this point, he reversed himself and tried to claim he was joking.

At least he doesn't have a history of issues. Oh. Wait.

Last year, The Boston Globe reported that McHale was also accused in 2005 of sexually assaulting an intoxicated woman in an alleyway while on duty after agreeing to escort her to her hotel. Following an investigation of that incident, he served a one-year, unpaid suspension.

[andydp]

In the Khafkaesque world we live in here's another anomaly.  When you lose this guy and his audience you're starting to lose support.

Pat Robertson—Yes, Pat Robertson—Lashes Out at Cops: ‘They’ve Got to Stop This Stuff!’

Ultra-conservative evangelical leader Pat Robertson delivered a surprisingly searing rant about the recent “onslaught” of police violence, blasting former officers Kim Potter and Derek Chauvin while saying cops have “got to stop this stuff.”

www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/pat-robertson-yes-pat-robertson-lashes-out-at-cops-they-ve-got-to-stop-this-stuff/ar-BB1fH7aP?ocid=msedgdhp

(Comments about "senility and irrelevance" coming to a FOX network near you.

[Bact PhD]

Apr 15, 2021 20:48:47 GMT andydp said:

In the Khafkaesque world we live in here's another anomaly.  When you lose this guy and his audience you're starting to lose support.

Pat Robertson—Yes, Pat Robertson—Lashes Out at Cops: ‘They’ve Got to Stop This Stuff!’

Ultra-conservative evangelical leader Pat Robertson delivered a surprisingly searing rant about the recent “onslaught” of police violence, blasting former officers Kim Potter and Derek Chauvin while saying cops have “got to stop this stuff.”

www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/pat-robertson-yes-pat-robertson-lashes-out-at-cops-they-ve-got-to-stop-this-stuff/ar-BB1fH7aP?ocid=msedgdhp

(Comments about "senility and irrelevance" coming to a FOX network near you.

Another Sign of the Apocalypse?

[LFC]

Apr 15, 2021 20:48:47 GMT andydp said:

Another Sign of the Apocalypse?

Nah. Just a class case of even a blind nut finding a squirrel now and then.

[goldenvalley]

Apr 15, 2021 22:47:46 GMT LFC said:

Apr 15, 2021 20:48:47 GMT andydp said:

Another Sign of the Apocalypse?

Nah. Just a class case of even a blind nut finding a squirrel now and then.

I'm just glad he didn't trot out the "we never hear when the police do well!" stuff.  Police forces have been favorably portrayed in television shows for decades.  Most people think that's the reality.

[goldenvalley]

And another one from two weeks ago; this time the dead Black American is 13.  The video was released last night. 

The footage from Stillman’s body-worn camera, along with other video, audio and text documents released Thursday, shows the scene that led up to and followed Stillman firing the fatal shot.

Cook County prosecutors said Adam and Ruben Roman, 21, led officers on a foot chase through a Chicago alley around 2:30 a.m. on March 29. Police detained Roman, who had allegedly fired shots at officers, while Adam kept running.

Stillman can be heard yelling at Adam as he chases him down the alley. “Stop right f------ now! Show me your f------ hands,” Stillman says, followed by “drop it,” as Adam begins to turn around.

In the grainy, unsteady footage from Stillman’s body-worn camera, as well as security camera video from a nearby building, Adam’s right arm seems to move back behind the fence. He then turns, putting his hands up; almost simultaneously Stillman fires.

Running alone down a dark alley after someone who might be armed, what movie or tv cop show scene is playing in this officer's head? He says the magic words "stop" and "show me your hands" and then shoots because he doesn't get instant compliance or thinks he doesn't get compliance.  Maybe on tv the officer becomes some sort of super cop who single handedly subdues a suspect, but the odds of that happening in reality are more in favor of what did happen...someone gets shot.

I'm waiting to hear from the people who will say what's a 13 year old doing out at 2:30 AM?  I wonder that too but the death penalty is not appropriate for a curfew violation.

[goldenvalley]

Compare and contrast this story with encounters with officers that end in death.

The traffic incident began after midnight on March 16, when a driver phoned 911 after a near miss with a white SUV traveling the wrong way down Interstate 70.

“They about hit me, but I’m okay. I’m fine,” the caller told an emergency dispatcher, the Kansas City Star reported.

At least two other drivers also called 911 to report nearly being hit by the SUV. “They were in the wrong lane and they met coming up the on-ramp and scared the crap out of me,” a second caller said, the Star reported.
Following the emergency calls, Shepley drove his police cruiser west down I-70 until he spotted the SUV in the wrong lane, the affidavit said. The officer watched as two cars nearly collided with it.

Shepley turned his cruiser’s lights on and pursued the SUV, driving as fast as 90 mph in a 65 mph zone, according to the affidavit. The SUV did not stop, continuing to drive erratically and in the wrong direction.

Twice, the officer attempted to stop the SUV using a “tactical vehicle intervention.” On the second attempt, after a 10-minute pursuit, the officer succeeded and the driver finally pulled over, police said.

Shepley approached the SUV with his gun drawn and told the driver to turn the vehicle off. According to the affidavit, the driver did not immediately comply with the officer’s directions to kill the SUV’s engine.

“As I approached the driver, he had his left hand out the window and looked back at me with a confused, frightened, blank stare,” Shepley wrote. “He was not registering my commands or responding to them.”
Shepley holstered his gun and reached into the vehicle to switch the engine off. According to the affidavit, the officer could smell “the odor of an alcoholic beverage” inside the SUV. Shepley pulled Suellentrop out of the SUV and placed him in handcuffs before placing him in the police cruiser’s passenger seat.

Lest you think the defendant was all sweetness and contrite about his behavior:

After a 10-minute chase, a patrolman finally pulled the SUV over and found Kansas Senate Majority Leader Gene Suellentrop (R) behind the wheel. As officers waited on a blood test, which later showed him at more than double the legal blood alcohol limit, he allegedly lashed out at police.

“All for going the wrong way,” Suellentrop said to the state highway patrol officer who had arrested him, according to an affidavit. “Donut boy.”

As a phlebotomist took a blood sample, 69-year-old Suellentrop also allegedly told Kansas Highway Patrol Officer Austin Shepley that he would beat him in a fight.

Of course he said this after he was cuffed and in the patrol car. It's comical after you discount the driving erratically and on the wrong side of the highway. But I have to wonder what would have happened if he was black or brown or younger than 69.

[jackd]

On the Chicago incident, it may be best to await all of the evidence including other body camera tapes.  It has been reported that it appears Adam, whose age is not obvious as he's running down the alley, is carrying a pistol and throws it away as he turns to raise his hands.  The police were following up on shot reports.  Both individuals apparently had guns and had been shooting from powder residue evidence.  There is certainly an argument to be made against the police but it's not Laquan MacDonald.

[goldenvalley]

Apr 17, 2021 19:52:55 GMT jackd said:

On the Chicago incident, it may be best to await all of the evidence including other body camera tapes.  It has been reported that it appears Adam, whose age is not obvious as he's running down the alley, is carrying a pistol and throws it away as he turns to raise his hands.  The police were following up on shot reports.  Both individuals apparently had guns and had been shooting from powder residue evidence.  There is certainly an argument to be made against the police but it's not Laquan MacDonald.

Yeah I've been reading this information too.  Yet Adam did what he was told, maybe not in the way the officer thought he should, but he did comply.  And it didn't matter. The officer shot him anyway.

As I asked earlier what did the officer expect to come of this chase down the alley?  The only options I can see is that he'd tackle the guy from behind (highly unlikely) or he'd engage in a shoot out.  One guy with a gun going after another guy with a gun...there aren't many possibilities available to either of them.  If there were other officers at the opposite end of that alley, then it might make sense to do a run down. But so far, I've seen nothing to suggest that.

[pnwguy]

Apr 17, 2021 17:51:10 GMT goldenvalley said:

Compare and contrast this story with encounters with officers that end in death.

The traffic incident began after midnight on March 16, when a driver phoned 911 after a near miss with a white SUV traveling the wrong way down Interstate 70.

“They about hit me, but I’m okay. I’m fine,” the caller told an emergency dispatcher, the Kansas City Star reported.

At least two other drivers also called 911 to report nearly being hit by the SUV. “They were in the wrong lane and they met coming up the on-ramp and scared the crap out of me,” a second caller said, the Star reported.
Following the emergency calls, Shepley drove his police cruiser west down I-70 until he spotted the SUV in the wrong lane, the affidavit said. The officer watched as two cars nearly collided with it.

Shepley turned his cruiser’s lights on and pursued the SUV, driving as fast as 90 mph in a 65 mph zone, according to the affidavit. The SUV did not stop, continuing to drive erratically and in the wrong direction.

Twice, the officer attempted to stop the SUV using a “tactical vehicle intervention.” On the second attempt, after a 10-minute pursuit, the officer succeeded and the driver finally pulled over, police said.

Shepley approached the SUV with his gun drawn and told the driver to turn the vehicle off. According to the affidavit, the driver did not immediately comply with the officer’s directions to kill the SUV’s engine.

“As I approached the driver, he had his left hand out the window and looked back at me with a confused, frightened, blank stare,” Shepley wrote. “He was not registering my commands or responding to them.”
Shepley holstered his gun and reached into the vehicle to switch the engine off. According to the affidavit, the officer could smell “the odor of an alcoholic beverage” inside the SUV. Shepley pulled Suellentrop out of the SUV and placed him in handcuffs before placing him in the police cruiser’s passenger seat.

Lest you think the defendant was all sweetness and contrite about his behavior:

After a 10-minute chase, a patrolman finally pulled the SUV over and found Kansas Senate Majority Leader Gene Suellentrop (R) behind the wheel. As officers waited on a blood test, which later showed him at more than double the legal blood alcohol limit, he allegedly lashed out at police.

“All for going the wrong way,” Suellentrop said to the state highway patrol officer who had arrested him, according to an affidavit. “Donut boy.”

As a phlebotomist took a blood sample, 69-year-old Suellentrop also allegedly told Kansas Highway Patrol Officer Austin Shepley that he would beat him in a fight.

Of course he said this after he was cuffed and in the patrol car. It's comical after you discount the driving erratically and on the wrong side of the highway. But I have to wonder what would have happened if he was black or brown or younger than 69.

So in the eyes of the judge, he was "unjustly arrested".  In other words, a white Republican.

fox4kc.com/news/kansas-senate-majority-leader-charged-in-dui-chase-with-police/

[jackd]

As to alternatives to a rundown in the Chicago case, I don't think you tell the police to just let him go since he's a suspected shooter with a gun.  I'm really not sure what, other than a run down, the policeman should have done.  You can argue about the shooting at the end of it.  I suspect a jury would give the policeman the benefit of the doubt.  The earlier reports had one of them (apparently the 21 year old) shooting at cars.  

[LFC]

Due to a data breach we know some of the people supporting Kyle Rittenhouse, the underage vigilante who illegally transported a firearm across state lines and used it to kill people after seeking trouble. Apparently the law isn't really the law for certain police and politicians.

A data breach at a Christian crowdfunding website has revealed that serving police officers and public officials have donated money to fundraisers for accused vigilante murderers, far-right activists, and fellow officers accused of shooting black Americans.

In many of these cases, the donations were attached to their official email addresses, raising questions about the use of public resources in supporting such campaigns.
[snip]
The breach, shared with journalists by transparency group Distributed Denial of Secrets, revealed the details of some donors who had previously attempted to conceal their identities using GiveSendGo’s anonymity feature, but whose identifying details the website preserved.One donation for $25, made on 3 September last year, was made anonymously, but associated with the official email address for Sgt William Kelly, who currently serves as the executive officer of internal affairs in the Norfolk police department in Virginia.

That donation also carried a comment, reading: “God bless. Thank you for your courage. Keep your head up. You’ve done nothing wrong.”

The comment continued: “Every rank and file police officer supports you. Don’t be discouraged by actions of the political class of law enforcement leadership.”

[LFC]

Derek Chauvin found guilty on all counts.

[goldenvalley]

Apr 20, 2021 21:24:35 GMT LFC said:

Derek Chauvin found guilty on all counts.

I'm surprised.  I figured the jury would convict on the lesser of the charges after days and days of deliberation. 

Will the other officers involved be cutting deals with the DA now?

I'm waiting for the apologists to say the jury made this decision to avoid another wave of scary protests, not because of the evidence presented.

[AnBr]

[LFC]

Is it just me or does that body armor look like it says "HATER" on it?

[Bact PhD]

Apr 20, 2021 21:46:41 GMT goldenvalley said:

Apr 20, 2021 21:24:35 GMT LFC said:

Derek Chauvin found guilty on all counts.

I'm surprised.  I figured the jury would convict on the lesser of the charges after days and days of deliberation. 

Will the other officers involved be cutting deals with the DA now?

I'm waiting for the apologists to say the jury made this decision to avoid another wave of scary protests, not because of the evidence presented.

That bleating started about 20 minutes after the verdict was read, per WSJ.

[jackd]

The bleating of the apologists isn't nearly as important as the impact, if any, of the verdict on current police behavior.

[LFC]

Now the "respectable" white supremacists come out after the Chauvin verdict. First up, MTG lying about fear and cowering in D.C. People who were actually in D.C. and having a nice time begged to differ.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) suggested on Tuesday night that Washington, D.C. was “completely dead” after Derek Chauvin was found guilty of murdering George Floyd — and that it was evidence of collective fear and that Black Lives Matter is a “terrorist threat.”

“DC is completely dead tonight. People stayed in and were scared to go out because of fear of riots,” Greene wrote. “Police are everywhere and have riot gear #BLM is the strongest terrorist threat in our county (sic).”

Greene’s comments attacking the racial justice movement come after a verdict was delivered on Tuesday night that found Chauvin, a former police officer, guilty of murder after he knelt on a Black man’s neck well past his last breath.

Greene has a long history of promoting falsehood and racist rhetoric.

[snip]

Mark Pocan
@markpocan

I’m in DC like @mtgreenee & she is either the most obtuse person elected to Congress or the biggest liar. People are out & about on a warm night (so loud by me it’s a bit hard to get to sleep) & there is no more police presence than usual. Let the lies rest, Q1.

And how good Aryan wannabe Tucker Carlson not get into this?

Fox News host Tucker Carlson let out what appeared to be an uncontrollable cackle, and abruptly ended an interview with a guest who criticized former police officer Derek Chauvin for an excessive use of force after he was found guilty for murdering George Floyd on Tuesday.

The comments come after Carlson spent months promoting baseless myths about Floyd’s death while repeatedly taking aim at the Black Lives Matter movement that called for accountability in yet another act of police violence that left a Black man dead after Chauvin knelt on his neck well past his last breath.

Remember when Republicans claimed to be the law and order party? I guess not so much anymore, at least not when the criminal is a cop murdering a black man. (To be fair that was always true of their brand of "law and order." It's heavy on orders, light on law.)

[LFC]

What a refreshing change from AG Sessions who openly refused to look into police regular violating people's civil rights and AG Barr who just quietly ignored the situation.

The Justice Department is launching an investigation into the practices of the Minneapolis police force, Attorney General Merrick announced Wednesday. The probe is separate from the criminal investigation the department has already launched into the killing of George Floyd by a police officer last year.

These kinds of sweeping police investigations — known as a pattern-or-practice investigations — were almost never conducted under the Trump administration, whose DOJ leadership was critical of such investigations and the consent decrees that often flowed from them.

[LFC]

Too many police are downright hostile to making things better. Of course then they whine that people hate them. FFS put on your big boy undies kids and learn to act like adults, not petulant, power desperate adolescents.

An Ohio police officer was caught on camera shouting “blue lives matter” to a group of shocked residents at the scene where another officer shot and killed a Black teenage girl in Columbus. On Tuesday afternoon, just as a guilty verdict was being handed down in the Derek Chauvin murder case, a Columbus officer shot 16-year-old Ma’khia Bryant dead after responding to a 911 call about an attempted stabbing. In a Facebook video taken in the aftermath of the shooting, upset residents can be seen talking about what happened when a nearby officer appears to yell to them: “Blue lives matter.” One of the residents can be seen reacting angrily, saying: “Blue lives matter? Crazy. That’s an insult, especially at this place right now.” Separately, The Washington Post reported Tuesday that another cop on the scene was wearing a “blue lives matter” face mask.

Wyatt Reed
@wyattreed13
·

Bystander video shows the aftermath of the killing of 15-year-old Makiyah Bryant by Columbus police, minutes before Derek Chauvin was found guilty

Apparently *she called the cops for help*—but they killed her, then taunted neighbors & family members by saying "Blue Lives Matter"

[AnBr]

tRump flipped the rock and all of the creepy bugs and worms that had been hiding there all along crawled out. Now is the time to stomp on all of these slimy critters and put us out of our misery.

[HockeyDon]

“If my spouse comes to me in obvious pain and asks “Do you love me?”, an answer of “I love everyone” would be truthful, but also hurtful and cruel in the moment. If a co-worker comes to me upset and says “My father just died,” a response of “Everyone’s parents die,” would be truthful, but hurtful and cruel in the moment. So when a friend speaks up in a time of obvious pain and hurt and says “Black lives matter,” a response of “All lives matter,” is truthful. But it’s hurtful and cruel in the moment.”
~Doug Williford

[LFC]

For me this is a tough one. I saw the video this morning and it sure as hell looked like she was swinging a knife towards somebody backed up against a car. I don't know if that's the case but I can see the officer making this split-second decision. Unfortunately it was so fast he didn't realize that she was the one initially attacked. It's sad all around but it's no George Floyd or Tamir Rice type of case.

Family members of Bryant’s told local media that Bryant had been the one to call 9-1-1; police maintain that they don’t know the identity of the caller.

Officials also played the audio of a second 9-1-1 call, placed as police arrived on the scene. That caller hung up upon realizing that officers were already there.

Body cam footage from the shooting officer shows that around 10 seconds elapsed between when the video begins as he exits his squad car and when he fires his gun at Bryant.

In that time, Bryant and another girl tumble over each other. Bryant then lunges at another person, all gathered on a suburban driveway. As Bryant approaches that person, the officer fires several times.

Bryant collapses, and video shows the officer repeating to bystanders, “she had a knife” and “she came at her with a knife.”

One male onlooker replies by yelling at the officer, “she’s a fucking kid, man! Are you stupid? She’s a fucking kid!”

Body camera footage from the two other officers shows them detaining others apparently involved in the altercation. One of those officers, footage shows, renders first aid to Bryant as her breathing becomes more labored.

It remains unclear whether Bryant was armed at the time of the shooting. One video released by police shows what appears to be a kitchen knife lying next to Bryant after the shooting.