THE POLICE PROBLEM

“Even if these sources of data bias could be identified and corrected, however, there may still be some group-based differences that are not attributable to data bias. If so, groups may experience different risk scores and categories that would not necessarily indicate bias. Further, it is often difficult (or impossible) to discern whether some observed group-level differences in data are genuine or reflect some sort of systemic bias.“

The victim, G.H., is a survivor of childhood sexual abuse who met Officer Rodney Vicknair of the New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) in May 2020 when she was just 14 years old, according to a copy of the lawsuit filed in a Louisiana federal court by her mother and obtained by Inside Edition Digital.

At the time, Vicknair had been dispatched to the scene of a sexual assault and took G.H. to a local children’s hospital so a rape kit could be performed, according to the suit.

Soon after the second rape Vicknair was arrested and later confessed to raping G.H. He died in prison earlier this year from a brain tumor, having served less than a year of his 14-year sentence.

"On an attempted burglary, we understand that an individual attempted to gain entry into the residence," the sheriff explained. "Once inside, the homeowner produced a firearm in self-defense and shot the individual. At this time, the individual is deceased."

Authorities revealed that Horton also lived in the neighborhood, about a half-mile from the scene, and may have been experiencing a mental health episode or under the influence of narcotics.

Investigator Horton was honored as "Officer of the Year" at the "Crime is Toast" breakfast just days earlier, on Sept. 24.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/20550626

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/20549021

For decades, California police departments that want to sever ties with officers for misconduct have agreed to let them resign and to keep the bad behavior confidential in order to avoid lawsuits. But as a result, hundreds of officers have landed new jobs in law enforcement with no records of their past misconduct. John Yang speaks with investigative reporter Katey Rusch for more.

Shawn Jordan was sentenced Wednesday to 10 weekends in jail and 10 years probation. He pleaded guilty to raping the teen in 2022 in South Bristol.

Shawn Jordan also was sentenced to 10 years probation under an initial plea agreement. Jordan pleaded guilty earlier this year to raping the girl in 2022 in South Bristol.

A Travis County jury found Austin police officer Christopher Taylor guilty of deadly conduct Saturday. He faces up to 10 years in prison.

“We hope this outcome continues to help the DeSilva family with their healing process,” Travis County District Attorney José Garza said in a statement. “Our office is grateful to our dedicated staff who worked tirelessly to hold the defendant accountable and seek justice for the victim and their family. We further hope this verdict allows the community to heal and that we can move forward together."

Taylor was indicted for the killing of Mauris DeSilva, a 46-year-old neuroscientist, in July 2019.

Taylor and another officer, Karl Krycia, responded to 911 calls about DeSilva having a mental health crisis and holding a knife to his own neck at a downtown condominium.

The officers fatally shot DeSilva after he refused to drop the knife, KUT previously reported.

Taylor was originally indicted for the murder of DeSilva, but the charge was lessened to deadly conduct just a week before testimony began.

"The Austin Police Department respects the criminal justice process and understands this is a difficult time for all who have been impacted," APD said in a statement.

A judge will decide Taylor's sentencing date on Oct. 15.

Taylor was also indicted for the killing of Michael Ramos, an unarmed Black and Hispanic man, in April 2020.

Taylor was tried for murder in that case in 2023, but it ended in a hung jury. A grand jury declined to re-indict him for murder in that case, but he could be retried on lesser charges.

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The Detroit PD is a case study in misuse of powerful surveillance tech. The department is notable for being involved in no less than three wrongful arrests, due to misuse/abuse of its facial recognition tech. The city has already paid out a $300,000 settlement in one of these cases. Worse, two of the three cases involve the same so-called “detective,” which means one of their investigators should definitely never be allowed to use the tech again.

Source: https://www.reddit.com/r/texas/comments/1fvvgad/blue_alert_at_453_am/

Georgia State Police officers stopped Amir Meshal, a professional truck driver, for a minor traffic infraction. During the stop, the officers received notice that Meshal was on the FBI’s No Fly List. Despite clear language on the notice instructing the officers not to detain Meshal based on his presence on the list, they handcuffed him and placed him in the back of a patrol car while they sought and waited for guidance from the FBI. While they waited, the officers searched the inside of Meshal’s truck and questioned him about his religion and his international travel. After determining that his truck was free of contraband and receiving the all-clear from the FBI, the officers released Meshal with a warning citation for the original infraction. He was detained for 91 minutes in total.

When [Officer] Janufka returned to the patrol car to tell Meshal that “narcotics- and explosives detecting canine teams were on their way,” Meshal asked “if he was being detained because he is on a watchlist.” Janufka responded, “Exactly. So, you know what’s going on?” Meshal then “explained that he had been detained in 2007 in Somalia by Kenyan authorities working with federal law enforcement agencies, and that he ended up on the No Fly List after refusing the FBI’s requests to work as an informant.” Janufka responded, “This is over my head. I’m getting instructions on what to do.”

The MRI machine’s magnetic force then allegedly sucked his rifle across the room, pinning it against the machine…An officer then allegedly pulled a sealed emergency release button that shut the MRI machine down, deactivating it, evaporating thousands of liters of helium gas and damaging the machine in the process. The officer then grabbed his rifle and left the room, leaving behind a magazine filled with bullets on the office floor, according to the lawsuit.

Despite the TARGET PREMISES’ legitimate business certification, OFFICER FRANCO, as a natural next step, contacted LAPD’s Gang and Narcotics Division Cannabis Support Unit. OFFICER FRANCO learned that the TARGET PREMISES, a medical diagnostic center, does not have a license to cultivate cannabis, a finding he promptly labeled a “violation of the California Health and Safety Code.”

Based on his 15 years as an LAPD officer and twelve hours of narcotics training, and based upon the presence of security cameras (typical of any reasonable commercial business), tinted windows (a reasonable practice for any medical facility concerned with patient privacy), high power usage (as any diagnostic facility), the alleged odor of cannabis plants (in a busy shopping plaza with no prior reports), the absence of a cultivation permit (which no diagnostic healthcare facility would possess), and the presence of two men wearing identical company branded shirts (unexpected of individuals involved in illegal cultivation), OFFICER FRANCO found probable cause for cannabis cultivation at the TARGET PREMISES.

The lawsuit stems from an incident on December 29, 2023, when Manis was pulled over in Monroe County for allegedly having illegally tinted windows, a claim Manis denies.

According to the complaint, Manis was cooperative and respectful during the stop, and Trooper Riley Shreiner noted that there was no sign of intoxication or marijuana smell.

However, the situation escalated when Trooper William Yates-Matoy recognized Manis as the brother of someone he knew and insisted that Manis had marijuana in his car, despite no evidence. Yates-Matoy then accused Manis of being under the influence because his eyes were red, which Manis attributed to just waking up.

Your privacy is important. Protect yourself from Google with the FreeTube app.

cross-posted from: https://lemm.ee/post/43424862

Police in a majority-Black Mississippi city discriminate against Black people, use excessive force and retaliate against critics, the Justice Department said Thursday in a scathing report detailing findings of an investigation into civil rights abuses.

The Lexington Police Department “has created a system where officers can relentlessly violate the law” in one of the poorest counties in America, according to the Justice Department. Investigators found police also sexually harassed women and kept people behind bars for minor offenses because they couldn’t afford to pay fines.

“Today’s findings show that the Lexington Police Department abandoned its sacred position of trust in the community by routinely violating the constitutional rights of those it was sworn to protect,” Attorney General Merrick Garland said.

Your privacy is important. Protect yourself from Google with the FreeTube app.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/19963910

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — The Justice Department has opened a civil rights investigation into a Mississippi sheriff’s department whose officers tortured two Black men in a racist attack that included beatings, repeated use of stun guns and assaults with a sex toy before one of the victims was shot in the mouth, officials said Thursday. 

The Justice Department will investigate whether the Rankin County Sheriff’s Department has engaged in a pattern or practice of excessive force and unlawful stops, searches and arrests, and whether it has used racially discriminatory policing practices, according to Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke.

Five Rankin sheriff’s deputies pleaded guilty in 2023 to breaking into a home without a warrant and engaging in an hourslong attack on Michael Corey Jenkins and Eddie Terrell Parker. A sixth officer, from the Richland Police Department, was also convicted in the attack

cross-posted from: https://slrpnk.net/post/13420137

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For evading a $2.90 subway fare...

Medina offered two puzzling excuses for leaving his camera off. He "cited intermittent conversations with his wife, who was a passenger in his unmarked patrol vehicle at the time of the collision," Ortiz says. "He claimed there was a right to privileged communication between spouses, which specifically exempted him from mandatory recording requirements." But the relevant policy "does not provide for nonrecording based on spousal privilege."

Even more troubling, Medina said he "purposefully did not record because he was invoking his 5th Amendment right not to self-incriminate." Since "he was involved in a traffic collision," he reasoned, he was "subject to 5th Amendment protections."

PORTAGE COUNTY, Ohio — Portage County's sheriff appeared to call for residents to record the addresses of residents who publicly display support for presidential candidate Kamala Harris.

Sheriff Bruce D. Zuchowski, who took office in 2021, made the remarks in Facebook posts shared to two separate accounts on the night of Sept. 13.

"When people ask me...What's gonna happen if the Flip - Flopping, Laughing Hyena Wins?? I say...write down all the addresses of the people who had her signs in their yards! Sooo...when the Illegal human "Locust" (which she supports!) Need places to live...We'll already have the addresses of the their New families...who supported their arrival!" Zuchowski wrote.

cross-posted from: https://slrpnk.net/post/13349939

cross-posted from: https://slrpnk.net/post/13145612

(edit) Would someone please ship some counterfeit money through there and get it confiscated, so the police can then be investigated for spending counterfeit money?

Danny Torres, 27-year veteran who forcibly arrested Hill in Florida on Sunday, suspended for total of about 50 days