Police Misconduct NewsWatch for 10-30-08

That NYPD Sodomy Story Gets Serious
At first even I was suspicious of this story, but it appears to have enough merit to prompt the District Attorney in Brooklyn New York to take the charges that NYPD officers sodomized a suspect with a police radio antenna to a grand jury. However, there are some new discrepancies being reported about this case as well.

A Tale Of Abuse
A teenager who was sexually assaulted by a New Rochelle, New York police officer talks to reporters and describes what happened that night. It's a truly disturbing story.

Convoluted Misconduct Hearing May Violate Court Order
Former Grant Park Illinois police chief who is facing a 10 count federal indictment for allegedly running a prostitution ring out of the police department is scheduled to testify in a police misconduct hearing against another officer who was interviewed by feds in the chief's case... after he was ordered not to have any contact with witnesses in his case. Talk about a conflict of interests.

Police Review Board President Blasts Judge Who Blasted The Board
St. Louis Police board pres complains about judge who described that board as being indifferent to police brutality claims after he found that only one complaint out of over 300 has been sustained in the last five years.

Another Good Cop Punished For Being A Good Cop
Cook County Illinois sheriff's deputy was ignored when he tried to report misconduct and illegal gambling activity being done by fellow deputies so he reported it to the FBI and local press. For that he's being disciplined for violating a supposed rule that forbids officers to report misconduct to anyone outside the department. Another story of a good cop being punished for doing what was right.

The NAACP Asks Candidates About Stance On Police Misconduct
The NAACP asked the candidates a series of questions, some of which affect the issues we cover here... the (un)interesting part is that the candidates pretty much gave the same answers to the specific issue of misconduct:

• What actions, if any, would you take to address the problem of racial profiling by law enforcement officials?

MCCAIN: “No one should be stopped by the police because of his or her racial or ethnic identity. At the same time, law enforcement officers must be permitted to carry out their duties based on fair, professional, non-discriminatory criteria, such as acting on a specific description. I will demand proper training and attention with respect to race relations and citizen rights.”

OBAMA: “As a United States Senator, I co-sponsored federal legislation to ban racial profiling and require federal, state and local law enforcement agencies to take steps to eliminate the practice. As president, I will continue my decades long fight against racial profiling, and sign legislation that will ban the practice of racial profiling by federal law enforcement agencies and provide federal funding to state and local police departments if they adopt policies to prohibit the practice.”

• What, if anything, would you do to address the issue of police misconduct?

MCCAIN: “If there is systemic misconduct, police brutality or violations of federal laws, including civil rights laws, it is the duty of the Department of Justice to take appropriate federal law enforcement action.”

OBAMA: “I will direct my attorney general to have the Justice Department work closely with state and local law enforcement to ensure the effective implementation of standards for use of force.”