Kill Police . com

Two El Segundo police officers were reported in stable condition at a hospital Saturday after a shootout inside a movie theater that left a 24-year-old man dead and a bystander injured, police and city officials said.

Police identified the two officers as Lt. Raymond Garcia, who was shot in the jaw, and Officer Scott O’Connor, who was shot in the upper torso. Neither man had life-threatening injuries, but Garcia underwent surgery, and both were in the intensive care unit at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center near Torrance, said Mayor Kelly McDowell.

“These wounds in each case were within inches of being fatal,” McDowell said. “They’re the luckiest people in the world.”

The shootout occurred about 10:15 p.m. Friday at the Pacific Theatres’ Beach Cities Stadium 16 on Nash Street.

“My understanding is that it began inside the theater and then trickled out,” said sheriff’s spokeswoman Deputy Maribel Rizo.

A Sheriff’s Department statement said the trouble started with a dispute between a man and theater employees. The on-duty El Segundo police officers were already at the theater and were told by an employee about the dispute.

The officers had begun to search the man when he pulled a handgun and began shooting, officials said. “The officers were both struck by gunfire but were able to return fire, striking the suspect,” the statement said.

The incident marked the first time in 51 years that any El Segundo police officer had been shot on duty, McDowell said. He said the injured bystander was taken to Little Company of Mary Hospital in Torrance, apparently with a bullet wound in a leg. A spokesman for the hospital said a man wounded at the theater had been brought in but was transferred to another facility.

The county coroner’s office identified the dead man as Jonathan Taylor but did not release further details.

Taylor was pronounced dead at the scene, the sheriff’s statement said.

Homicide detectives have determined that no other suspects were involved, Sheriff’s Deputy Luis Castro said.

El Segundo police referred media calls to the Sheriff’s Department, which is investigating because it was an officer-involved shooting and the city police have no homicide division, Castro said.

The beach city just south of Los Angeles International Airport had a 2007 estimated population of 17,076. Its Police Department staff of 108 includes 69 sworn positions, according to the city website. El Segundo is a hub for aerospace firms and corporate offices.

The last time a city officer was shot was in 1957, when two officers were slain by a drifter during a traffic stop on Rosecrans Avenue, McDowell said.

That case drew national attention in 2003 when the killer was arrested in South Carolina, admitted to the murders and was sentenced to two life terms.

The Friday night violence was highly unusual for El Segundo, McDowell said.

“The size and speed of the response to this crime indicates how safe we keep this community,” he said, estimating that 100 to 200 law enforcement officers responded.

Agencies included police departments in Los Angeles, Inglewood, Manhattan Beach, Redondo Beach and Irwindale as well as the Gardena police SWAT team, LAX police and sheriff’s deputies, McDowell said.

A team of city and police representatives visited the two wounded officers Saturday morning. McDowell said that Garcia was unconscious after surgery and that O’Connor, who suffered a broken collarbone and has a bullet lodged in the back of his shoulder, would require surgery but could be released as early as today.

The mayor described O’Connor as “alert, in fine spirit . . . and wanting out, which is a good sign.”

Two El Segundo police officers were reported in stable condition at a hospital Saturday after a shootout inside a movie theater that left a 24-year-old man dead and a bystander injured, police and city officials said.

Police identified the two officers as Lt. Raymond Garcia, who was shot in the jaw, and Officer Scott O’Connor, who was shot in the upper torso. Neither man had life-threatening injuries, but Garcia underwent surgery, and both were in the intensive care unit at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center near Torrance, said Mayor Kelly McDowell.

“These wounds in each case were within inches of being fatal,” McDowell said. “They’re the luckiest people in the world.”

The shootout occurred about 10:15 p.m. Friday at the Pacific Theatres’ Beach Cities Stadium 16 on Nash Street.

“My understanding is that it began inside the theater and then trickled out,” said sheriff’s spokeswoman Deputy Maribel Rizo.

A Sheriff’s Department statement said the trouble started with a dispute between a man and theater employees. The on-duty El Segundo police officers were already at the theater and were told by an employee about the dispute.

The officers had begun to search the man when he pulled a handgun and began shooting, officials said. “The officers were both struck by gunfire but were able to return fire, striking the suspect,” the statement said.

The incident marked the first time in 51 years that any El Segundo police officer had been shot on duty, McDowell said. He said the injured bystander was taken to Little Company of Mary Hospital in Torrance, apparently with a bullet wound in a leg. A spokesman for the hospital said a man wounded at the theater had been brought in but was transferred to another facility.

The county coroner’s office identified the dead man as Jonathan Taylor but did not release further details.

Taylor was pronounced dead at the scene, the sheriff’s statement said.

Homicide detectives have determined that no other suspects were involved, Sheriff’s Deputy Luis Castro said.

El Segundo police referred media calls to the Sheriff’s Department, which is investigating because it was an officer-involved shooting and the city police have no homicide division, Castro said.

The beach city just south of Los Angeles International Airport had a 2007 estimated population of 17,076. Its Police Department staff of 108 includes 69 sworn positions, according to the city website. El Segundo is a hub for aerospace firms and corporate offices.

The last time a city officer was shot was in 1957, when two officers were slain by a drifter during a traffic stop on Rosecrans Avenue, McDowell said.

That case drew national attention in 2003 when the killer was arrested in South Carolina, admitted to the murders and was sentenced to two life terms.

The Friday night violence was highly unusual for El Segundo, McDowell said.

“The size and speed of the response to this crime indicates how safe we keep this community,” he said, estimating that 100 to 200 law enforcement officers responded.

Agencies included police departments in Los Angeles, Inglewood, Manhattan Beach, Redondo Beach and Irwindale as well as the Gardena police SWAT team, LAX police and sheriff’s deputies, McDowell said.

A team of city and police representatives visited the two wounded officers Saturday morning. McDowell said that Garcia was unconscious after surgery and that O’Connor, who suffered a broken collarbone and has a bullet lodged in the back of his shoulder, would require surgery but could be released as early as today.

The mayor described O’Connor as “alert, in fine spirit . . . and wanting out, which is a good sign.”

Two El Segundo police officers were reported in stable condition at a hospital Saturday after a shootout inside a movie theater that left a 24-year-old man dead and a bystander injured, police and city officials said.

Police identified the two officers as Lt. Raymond Garcia, who was shot in the jaw, and Officer Scott O’Connor, who was shot in the upper torso. Neither man had life-threatening injuries, but Garcia underwent surgery, and both were in the intensive care unit at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center near Torrance, said Mayor Kelly McDowell.

“These wounds in each case were within inches of being fatal,” McDowell said. “They’re the luckiest people in the world.”

The shootout occurred about 10:15 p.m. Friday at the Pacific Theatres’ Beach Cities Stadium 16 on Nash Street.

“My understanding is that it began inside the theater and then trickled out,” said sheriff’s spokeswoman Deputy Maribel Rizo.

A Sheriff’s Department statement said the trouble started with a dispute between a man and theater employees. The on-duty El Segundo police officers were already at the theater and were told by an employee about the dispute.

The officers had begun to search the man when he pulled a handgun and began shooting, officials said. “The officers were both struck by gunfire but were able to return fire, striking the suspect,” the statement said.

The incident marked the first time in 51 years that any El Segundo police officer had been shot on duty, McDowell said. He said the injured bystander was taken to Little Company of Mary Hospital in Torrance, apparently with a bullet wound in a leg. A spokesman for the hospital said a man wounded at the theater had been brought in but was transferred to another facility.

The county coroner’s office identified the dead man as Jonathan Taylor but did not release further details.

Taylor was pronounced dead at the scene, the sheriff’s statement said.

Homicide detectives have determined that no other suspects were involved, Sheriff’s Deputy Luis Castro said.

El Segundo police referred media calls to the Sheriff’s Department, which is investigating because it was an officer-involved shooting and the city police have no homicide division, Castro said.

The beach city just south of Los Angeles International Airport had a 2007 estimated population of 17,076. Its Police Department staff of 108 includes 69 sworn positions, according to the city website. El Segundo is a hub for aerospace firms and corporate offices.

The last time a city officer was shot was in 1957, when two officers were slain by a drifter during a traffic stop on Rosecrans Avenue, McDowell said.

That case drew national attention in 2003 when the killer was arrested in South Carolina, admitted to the murders and was sentenced to two life terms.

The Friday night violence was highly unusual for El Segundo, McDowell said.

“The size and speed of the response to this crime indicates how safe we keep this community,” he said, estimating that 100 to 200 law enforcement officers responded.

Agencies included police departments in Los Angeles, Inglewood, Manhattan Beach, Redondo Beach and Irwindale as well as the Gardena police SWAT team, LAX police and sheriff’s deputies, McDowell said.

A team of city and police representatives visited the two wounded officers Saturday morning. McDowell said that Garcia was unconscious after surgery and that O’Connor, who suffered a broken collarbone and has a bullet lodged in the back of his shoulder, would require surgery but could be released as early as today.

The mayor described O’Connor as “alert, in fine spirit . . . and wanting out, which is a good sign.”

BALTIMOREA Baltimore city police officer is in critical condition after he was shot by a man during an incident that started as a routine traffic stop, according to city police officials. Two local schools were placed on lockdown.

The incident happened in the area of Poplar Grove Street and Lanvale Avenue in the southwestern section of the city at about 2:15 p.m. Tuesday.

Officials told WBAL TV 11 News that when two plain-clothes officers pulled a car over for a routine traffic stop, one man in the car got out and started fist fighting with the officer, then ran.

According to police, one of the officers chased the man, who turned around and fired a shot, striking the officer in the leg. The officer then fired back, shooting the suspect.

Police told 11 News that when additional officers came to render aid to the injured officer, another man started shooting at them. That person has since barricaded himself in a nearby home, officials said.

According to Sky Team 11 Capt. Roy Taylor, Poplar Grove Street was shut down from Edmondson Avenue to a few blocks north of the scene and that there was heavy police presence.

Police are warning people in that area to stay inside their homes.

Alexander Hamilton Elementary School and Calverton Middle School were placed on lockdown due to their close locations to the scene. Officials told 11 News around 4:30 p.m. that Hamilton students were being moved to the Empowerment Academy in the 800 block of Braddish Avenue so parents could pick them up.

Police said the injured officer was taken to Shock Trauma in critical condition. The injured suspect was also taken to a hospital in critical condition.

Officials told 11 News that two bystanders were also shot; however, there is no word on the extent of their injuries

Stark County, Ohio
When Hope Steffey was assaulted by a cousin, another cousin called 911 for assistance. When the officer arrived, Ms. Steffey accidentally handed over her deceased sister´s license, which she kept for sentimental reasons. She immediately noticed the mistake and gave the officer her own identification and asked for her sister´s to be returned. The officer refused to return her sister´s license. The officer ran a check on Ms. Steffey´s license and found no infractions, but continued to treat her as though she were the perpetrator of the crime, instead of the victim.

Ms. Steffey states she begged for the return of her sister´s license until Officer Gurlea lost his patience and shouted, “shut up about your dead sister.” When Ms. Steffey pointed at the officer´s pocket, which held her sister´s id, and said, “she was here, she was someone”, Officer Gurlea threw her face down on the hood of his patrol car, chipping one of her teeth. And according to documents filed by Hope and Greg Steffey with the United States District Court in Cleveland, Officer Gurlea then threw Steffey to the ground. Although Ms. Steffey´s cousin repeatedly reminded the officer that Steffey was the victim and had been knocked unconscious in the previous assault, Officer Gurlea handcuffed Steffey and put her into the back of his patrol car, refusing her medical care.

Hope Steffey was then taken to the county jail and forcibly strip-searched by 6 to 7 male and female deputies, despite Stark County´s own policy which states that a strip search must be conducted by a same sex officer. She was left in a cell for 6 hours with no clothing or even a blanket and eventually wrapped herself in toilet tissue for warmth and modesty. She was not allowed a phone call or medical attention and when she was later taken to booking, she was given only a small weighted vest to cover her nudity. She was charged with disorderly conduct and resisting arrest.

Stark County Sheriff Tim Swanson states the reason Steffey´s clothes were taken from her and she was left naked and exposed in a cell, was for her own safety. Sheriff Swanson maintains that his deputies are not guilty of any wrongdoing and that they have a job to protect prisoners in their custody.

Attorneys for Ms. Steffey do not believe that the sheriff´s office has handed over all of the footage from the night of the arrest and the dashboard camera was not turned on during most of the incident. In a second installment from WKYC, mounted video cameras in the jail show an officer filming Ms. Steffey´s arrest, but lawyers claim they have yet to receive the footage. WKYC

Interestingly enough, Ms. Steffey´s is not the first lawsuit filed in Stark County for illegal strip search. On May 18, 2007, three girls aged 14,15 and 16 arrived at the Multi-County Juvenile Attention Center for an arraignment following charges of “criminal trespass on a public sidewalk”. Instead of going before a judge the girls were informed by a court worker that the case would be over if they agreed to 20 hours of community service, to attend school regularly and take a 15 minute tour of the Attention Center. Unbeknownst to the girl´s parents, who waited downstairs for the tour to be over, the girls were taken upstairs and strip-searched while guards made disparaging remarks. There was no reason for the strip search as the girls were not under arrest or about to be confined and they had been through a metal detector and searched upon entering the building. Sheriff Swanson confirms that an investigation is underway, but states no conclusions have been reached.

I understand that occasionally strip searches may be necessary, but Hope Steffey was the victim, not a violent criminal and had yet to be charged with any crime. The charges against Ms. Steffey were disorderly conduct and resisting arrest. Is acting disorderly after an assault a reason to be strip-searched? Couldn´t the very act of “disorderly conduct” after being knocked unconscious be a clue that Ms. Steffey may have needed medical assistance? And as the victim of an assault isn´t it reasonable that Ms. Steffey may resist arrest? She was the victim of the crime, not the perpetrator and I am sure she was mightily confused as to why she was being taken to jail. And what of her rights as a citizen of this country not to be violated and humiliated for a minor offense?

Ms. Steffey stated that she felt “raped, without penetration” and really, how else could she feel after being handcuffed, held down and having her clothes forcibly removed by both men and women? Rape, after all, is not a sexual act; it is an act of power, force and humiliation. She was not charged with a violent crime and yet her rights, her dignity and her clothing were stripped from her with total disregard to the fact that she was the victim and a human being. Is this how police officers in Stark County are being trained to treat victims and minor offenders?

The footage of Ms. Steffey´s violation is difficult to watch, but at least some footage has surfaced. Attorneys for the three teenage girls believe that the surveillance footage at the Attention Center has been concealed or destroyed. Stark County Family Court Judge David E. Stucki was handling arraignments at the Attention Center the day the minor girls were allegedly strip-searched and although he will not publicly discuss this case, he says he often handles low-level offenses informally. The tour through the Attention Center is designed to scare kids straight, but Judge Stucki says he does not know specifically what occurs during the “tours”. Attorneys for the girls are seeking to discover if other children have been strip-searched on an Attention Center tour.

Youtube videos:
Part 1 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=daYBjfvEjfQ
Part 2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDuuo0k9xXw

Email the Stark Co. Sheriff and tell them how you feel about this horror: strkshrf@raex.com

Stark Co. Sheriff website: http://www.sheriff.co.stark.oh.us/

posted by: huffgas

This kind of action is happening in every city, county, state in this union. With their a group of their own serving as witness. As I have said many times to the children I am involved with…do not trust the police, they are nothing more than a thug gang, and too will break the law to come to their means. Is it not funny that we have baseball players on trial in the highest court of our land, yet the issues with law enforcement go unpunished or even investigated. The police wonder why people flee, we don’t trust you, we fear you even more so than the criminals.

by: mitcheichman

TAMPA – The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office said Tuesday that one of their own deputies is in trouble after she was caught on tape dumping a paraplegic man out of his wheelchair while he was being booked into jail, and three supervisors were nearby at the time but did nothing.

Investigators say Deputy Charlotte Marshall Jones is suspended without pay after the January 29 incident, which involved 32-year-old Brian Sterner, who is paraplegic.

Video shows Deputy Jones dumping Sterner out of his wheelchair and onto the floor while she is booking him into the Hillsborough County Jail. The tape also shows the deputy then searching Sterner as he lay on the floor.

Sterner reportedly suffered a spine injury during a wrestling accident when he was 18, and that left him bound to his wheelchair. Records show his arrest was due to charges of fleeing and attempting to elude a law enforcement officer from an incident on October 25, 2007. Those same records show Sterner was cited at that time for blocking an intersection.

On Tuesday, Chief Deputy Jose Docobo spoke to the media about the incident. He said after looking at the video himself, he was astonished.

“I was appalled,” said Docobo. “Obviously the actions are indefensible at every level.”

Docobo also said that the supervisors who were in central processing at the time of the incident have been suspended with pay. They include Corporal Decondra Williams, Corporal Steven Dickey, and Sergeant Gary Hinson. Docobo says none of the supervisors filed a report or told anyone about the incident, even though they were nearby and witnessed the incident.

While an investigation into the incident is still to come, Docobo said he feels all those involved in the incident should be held responsible for their actions—or their lack of actions. The video shows several people in the room at the time of the incident, and none of them came to Sterner’s aide.

“Certainly all the personnel are entitled to due process under the law, but I can tell you that based on what I saw, anything short of dismissal would be inappropriate,” said Docobo.

Deputy Jones is a veteran deputy who has been employed with the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office since 1986.

Docobo explained that though Sterner was in a wheelchair, deputies are used to dealing with this type of situation. He said there are currently more than 30 wheelchair patients in the county’s jails, and this is nothing new for deputies.

“What this boils down to is just treating an individual correctly,” he said. “You don’t need a policy to tell you that you don’t treat someone like this.”

According to Docobo, the department will do whatever it can to make the situation with Sterner right.

“The best I could do is offer him our apologies,” said Docobo. “There’s no excuse. This is indefensible. To the extent that we can make it right for this gentleman, we’ll attempt to do so.”

Video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UAGb7_g4Aso

posted by: huffgas

Baltimore police officer Salvatore Rivieri was suspended yesterday after a YouTube video turned up showing him roughing up a teenage skateboarder. The unknown boy, who claimed to be 14, was apparently skateboarding in a no-skateboarding zone. The police department has launched an internal-affairs investigation into the incident. From the Baltimore Sun:

On the video, the officer… puts the boy in a headlock, pushes him to the ground, questions his upbringing, threatens to “smack” him and repeatedly accuses the youngster of showing disrespect because the youth refers to the officer as “man” and “dude.”

At one point, Rivieri, a 17-year veteran of the force, says:
“Obviously, your parents don’t put a foot in your butt quite enough, because you don’t understand the meaning of respect. First of all, you better learn how to speak. I’m not ‘man.’ I’m not ‘dude,’ I am Officer Rivieri. The sooner you learn that, the longer you are going to live in this world. Because you go around doing this kind of stuff and somebody is going to kill you.”

Youtube link:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9GgWrV8TcUc

BaltimoreSun link:http://www.baltimoresun.com/entertainment/tv/bal-te.md.officer12feb12,0,3045988.story