NewsWatch for 10-03-08

Police Misconduct In The News

Holy Cow!
A MOOrestown NJ patrolman and his girlfriend face 45 charges of sexual assault for molesting at least three underage girls and four counts of animal cruelty for sexually assaulting... cows.

Interracial Couple Claims Brutality Was Racially Motivated
An interracial couple in Montgomery WV claim officers there used derogatory language when they were beaten and arrested for a traffic violation and that, while handcuffed at jail, one officer reacted violently to the couple kissing each other by stating "We're not having any of this shit here" and then he rubbed chemical irritants into the husband's face, eyes, and mouth.

Police Rough Up Several People At Festival
Iberia Parish LA officers accused of several acts of misconduct and brutality during the annual Sugar Cane festival there. People complained of being arrested just for trying to ask questions and never being told of their charges and of violent attacks that required one person to be hospitalized after arrest.

Witnesses Claim Officer Beat Mentally Ill Man
A Bryson City NC police officer stands accused of brutally beating a mentally ill 25 year old man who, according to at least 10 different witnesses, never gave the officer a reason to attack. Over two weeks after the incident the officer in question has now pressed charges against the victim he attacked.

Officer Involved Shootings Rile Community
"The burden is not on us to wait and be fired upon." says a Police union in Columbus Ohio during public forums on police related shootings and brutality in response to accusations that a Columbus police officer shot a man in the back and killed him.

Department Refused To Investigate Numerous Complaints
A New Haven Police Department faces numerous brutality and negligent indifference lawsuits that involve two officers who have racked up a surprising number of complaints involving violence against minorities that the department refused to investigate.

Michigan Cops Prefer Corrupt Sherrif
An Oakland County Michigan deputies union has endorsed an officer who was fired for misconduct in a bid to replace the existing sheriff because "they haven't had a raise in five years". The Ex-president of that union calls the endorsement "absurd".

Court Rules Cops Shouldn't Pay For Mistakes
The Washington State Supreme Court has rejected a plea by a Kent Washington property owner who was seeking compensation for damages done during a botched drug raid where police had knocked down a door after he had offered to unlock it for them... the police never found any drugs.

"The Stranger" Asks Readers To Support Police Brutality
Brendan Kiley over at the weekly Seattle independent paper "The Stranger" wants to support the Denver Police Union that has been selling those shirts we reported about almost a week ago and asks his readers to buy more of them for him because he thinks a shirt celebrating police brutality is funny.