FL police

[Cayo Hueso]

Just makes me proud to be a Floridian, ya know? :roll:



http://www.theledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/ ... /503020775

Jacksonville officer investigated for using stun gun on teen

The Associated Press
JACKSONVILLE, Fla.
State Attorney Harry Shorstein said Wednesday that excessive force may have been used by police officers who used a stun gun on a 13-year-old girl who was being uncooperative after they took her into custody for fighting with her mother.

The 65-pound girl was handcuffed in the back of a patrol car Feb. 7 when she was shocked twice with a 50,000-volt Taser, according to a Sheriff's Office report. Police departments in Florida and nationwide have been criticized for their use of Taser guns, which some say have caused deaths.

Shorstein said he met with Sheriff John Rutherford and Undersheriff Frank Mackesy, who assured him an internal investigation was being conducted.

"I expressed my concern. They were generally defending the use of Tasers, even against smaller children," the prosecutor said.

"It's not the age, but the size of the child and the fact that she was handcuffed," Shorstein said.

Shorstein said an assistant state attorney called the case to his attention and thought it was a questionable use of a Taser.

The child was originally charged with domestic battery, but the charges were later dismissed.

"We did not think it was an appropriate case to prosecute," he said.

According to the police report, officers were called to a Jacksonville apartment complex after the girl struck her mother in the nose and kicked her in the face.

The girl was handcuffed and placed into a patrol car, but she managed to slide her cuffed arms to the front of her. Police said the refused requests to put her arms behind her back and began kicking and screaming.

An officer attempted to subdue the girl with a neck lock, but was unable to get control of her.

Officer G.A. Nelson then used his Taser on her. When she continued to fight, and she was stunned again, according to the police report. She then complied and placed her arms behind her back.

The action occurred two weeks before Rutherford announced a moratorium on use of Tasers by his department.

Mackesy said the technique used on the girl - putting the Taser directly against the body - was vastly different from the common shooting of barbs into someone.

"It's a localized application that doesn't seize the body. It only hurts the area where you put it."

Mackesy said an internal police investigation is not complete.

"The reason I did this is because of the age and size of the suspect. Just because she was small does not mean she was frail," he said.

The girl's mother told police she had called police because she was afraid the girl was run away and hoped to get medical attention for the girl.

The Sheriff's Office, which has spent $1.8 million for the Tasers, suspended their use Feb. 22, until officers are given more training.

Taser Inc. says its guns are a non-lethal alternative to shooting dangerous suspects. But about 100 people have died nationally since 1999 after being shocked with a Taser, including recent deaths in Pensacola, Hollywood, Naples and Delray Beach. Many of those who died were drug users.

If Christ were here now there is one thing he would not be -- a Christian.
--Samuel Clemens "Mark Twain", American author and humorist

[webcrawler]

Hell what about being only 65 lbs at 13? Sounds like her mother is starving her!

[Anonymous]

I used to live in Jacksonville, and I know that they have one of the most dangerous, violent, and corrupt police forces in the country.  The blacks in jail all referred to Jacksonville as "Bang 'Em" because the cops there were notorious for killing suspectts under unwarranted circumstances and getting away with it after a brief investigation.  This latest incident does not surprise me in the least.  The Jacksonville police department ranks with the LAPD under Darryl Gates.  I have lived in many different large cities, and visited many for weeks at a time, and the Jacksonville, FL police department is one of the worst in terms of brutality, unnecessary killings, and corruption.

[Anonymous]

I heard the same about Louisana.

[Anonymous]

http://www.local6.com/news/4267905/detail.html

Cop Uses Taser Gun On Man Who Refused Urine Sample
Man Was Strapped To Hospital Bed

POSTED: 10:55 am EST March 9, 2005
UPDATED: 11:28 am EST March 9, 2005

ORLANDO, Fla. -- Authorities say a police officer twice used a Taser stun device on a drug suspect who was restrained to a hospital bed because the man refused to give a urine sample to medical staff.

Orlando police said Antonio Wheeler was arrested on a drug charge and taken to an emergency room after telling officers he had consumed cocaine.

The police document said Wheeler was handcuffed to a hospital bed and then secured with leather straps after he refused to urinate in a cup. When medical staff tried to insert a catheter to get the sample, Wheeler refused.

At one point, police officer Peter Linnenkamp noted that he jumped on the bed with his knees on Wheeler's chest to restrain him. Then, when Wheeler still refused to let the catheter be inserted, Linnenkamp said he twice used his Taser gun, which sends 50,000 volts into a target.

Friday's incident has prompted an internal affairs investigation.

[Tony Stark]

The Sheriff there is really a great police officer. The biggest problems they have there is all these murder-suicides to deal with. They were good to me. They even have biker-cops now there. Florida is monitored by microsoft anyway. I'm glad I'm here too.

We are a one party country. Half of them call themselves Democrats and the other half call themselves Republicans. All the good ideas come from the Libertarians.
--Hugh Downs

_Liberals have their place but this till is a Republic.________________
"This is a Republic"-Miguel Reese, My VA Man.[ This Message was edited by: The Seeker on 2005-03-09 17:31 ]

[Antigen]

When Nick Navaro first took over BSO, one of the first things he did (before starting the COPS reality tv series) he changed their colors from black or brown and gold to green and gold on a white field. Then Miami/Dade followed, so did and Tampa/St. Pete, Jacksonville area. Since then, one after another PD has adopted Wackenhut colors. I noticed that LAPD had done it. And Jax was wearing the colors last time I drove through there about 6 years ago. Has NYCPD done it yet? There's one small township around here that's gone Wackenhut. So has the local university PD.

How about your town. Have they gone Wackenhut yet?

Faith is a cop-out. It is intellectual bankruptcy. If the only way you can accept an assertion is by faith, then you are conceding that it can't be taken on its own merits.
--Dan Barker, author and former evangelist

[Anonymous]

On 2005-03-09 18:29:00, Antigen wrote:

"When Nick Navaro first took over BSO, one of the first things he did (

Nick Navarro was a courageous man who kept Florida safe from the menace of 2Live Crew.

[Anonymous]

On 2005-03-04 06:54:00, Cayo Hueso wrote:

"Just makes me proud to be a Floridian, ya know? :roll:







http://www.theledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/ ... /503020775



Jacksonville officer investigated for using stun gun on teen



The Associated Press

JACKSONVILLE, Fla.

State Attorney Harry Shorstein said Wednesday that excessive force may have been used by police officers who used a stun gun on a 13-year-old girl who was being uncooperative after they took her into custody for fighting with her mother.



The 65-pound girl was handcuffed in the back of a patrol car Feb. 7 when she was shocked twice with a 50,000-volt Taser, according to a Sheriff's Office report. Police departments in Florida and nationwide have been criticized for their use of Taser guns, which some say have caused deaths.



Shorstein said he met with Sheriff John Rutherford and Undersheriff Frank Mackesy, who assured him an internal investigation was being conducted.



"I expressed my concern. They were generally defending the use of Tasers, even against smaller children," the prosecutor said.



"It's not the age, but the size of the child and the fact that she was handcuffed," Shorstein said.



Shorstein said an assistant state attorney called the case to his attention and thought it was a questionable use of a Taser.



The child was originally charged with domestic battery, but the charges were later dismissed.



"We did not think it was an appropriate case to prosecute," he said.



According to the police report, officers were called to a Jacksonville apartment complex after the girl struck her mother in the nose and kicked her in the face.



The girl was handcuffed and placed into a patrol car, but she managed to slide her cuffed arms to the front of her. Police said the refused requests to put her arms behind her back and began kicking and screaming.



An officer attempted to subdue the girl with a neck lock, but was unable to get control of her.



Officer G.A. Nelson then used his Taser on her. When she continued to fight, and she was stunned again, according to the police report. She then complied and placed her arms behind her back.



The action occurred two weeks before Rutherford announced a moratorium on use of Tasers by his department.



Mackesy said the technique used on the girl - putting the Taser directly against the body - was vastly different from the common shooting of barbs into someone.



"It's a localized application that doesn't seize the body. It only hurts the area where you put it."



Mackesy said an internal police investigation is not complete.



"The reason I did this is because of the age and size of the suspect. Just because she was small does not mean she was frail," he said.



The girl's mother told police she had called police because she was afraid the girl was run away and hoped to get medical attention for the girl.



The Sheriff's Office, which has spent $1.8 million for the Tasers, suspended their use Feb. 22, until officers are given more training.



Taser Inc. says its guns are a non-lethal alternative to shooting dangerous suspects. But about 100 people have died nationally since 1999 after being shocked with a Taser, including recent deaths in Pensacola, Hollywood, Naples and Delray Beach. Many of those who died were drug users.

If Christ were here now there is one thing he would not be -- a Christian.
--Samuel Clemens "Mark Twain", American author and humorist

"

[Anonymous]

http://www.wftv.com/news/4351937/detail.html

Orange Co. Sheriff Used Driving Records To Locate Critic
Letter To Editor Criticized Use Of Tasers, Sheriff's Weight

ORLANDO, Fla. -- Orange County's sheriff may have broken the law when he used driver's license records to track down a woman who wrote a newspaper to criticize his staff's use of Taser stun guns and described him as too fat for basic police work, critics say.
 
Orange County Sheriff Kevin Beary had his aides use the records to get the address of Alice Gawronski so he could send her a scathing letter, which some say violated federal privacy law. It is illegal to access a driver's license database to obtain personal information, except for clear law-enforcement purposes, under the Driver's Privacy Protection Act of 1994.

"I recently read your slanderous remarks about the Orange County Sheriff's Office in the Orlando Sentinel," Beary wrote Gawronski on March 23. "It is unfortunate that people ridicule others without arming themselves with the facts before they slander a law enforcement agency or individual."

Gawronski said, "I thought I was exercising my First Amendment right of free speech -- expressing an opinion in an open forum about a paid public official." She considered Beary's letter a form of intimidation.

Violators of the driver's privacy act can be sued in U.S. District Court for damages of at least $2,500, punitive damages, attorney's fees and all other relief the court determines to be appropriate.

"If I were her, I'd sue and get him in front of a jury. He'd probably get laughed out of the courtroom," said Chris Hoofnagle, the senior counsel for the Electronic Privacy Information Center. "This is the most common problem with surveillance -- who's watching the watchers."
 
But sheriff's officials said Tuesday that it was legal to look up Gawronski's address on the driver's database. Sheriff's spokesman Jim Solomons said responding to a resident's concern is well within Beary's official duties.

The issue arose when Gawronski's letter appeared in the Sentinel on March 10. The Winter Park mother of four said her concerns about Tasers peaked when an Orlando police officer zapped a suspect handcuffed to a hospital bed to obtain a urine specimen.

In her letter, she referred to a televised news conference last June when Beary allowed himself to be zapped with a Taser to demonstrate their safety. Seeing Beary incapacitated by 50,000 volts and "in an obvious state of duress" convinced her the stun guns should not be used, she wrote.

Gawronski also wrote that Beary appeared so overweight and out of shape that she doubted he could arrest anyone without a stun gun. She suggested that if deputies were more fit, they might not need to resort to zapping suspects.

Beary said he was a victim of slander.

"During my Taser incident, I was never under any duress," he wrote Gawronski, adding that his heart activity was monitored by a doctor during the demonstration. Before the test, the 5-foot, 10-inch Beary estimated his weight at 290 pounds.

[Anonymous]

http://www.local6.com/news/4354943/detail.html

Sheriff Apologizes To Woman Who Described Him As Too Fat
Beary Defends Use Of Restricted Database To Obtain Woman's Address

POSTED: 1:52 am EDT April 7, 2005
UPDATED: 11:50 am EDT April 7, 2005

Orange County Sheriff Kevin Beary apologized to a Winter Park woman who described him as being too fat for basic police work in a letter to the editor, according to Local 6 News.

Orange County Sheriff Kevin Beary allows himself to be zapped with a Taser gun to demonstrate their safety.
 
Beary had his aides use the records to get the address of Alice Gawronski so he could send her a scathing letter, which some say violated federal privacy law.

Gawronski said, "I thought I was exercising my First Amendment right of free speech -- expressing an opinion in an open forum about a paid public official." She considered Beary's letter a form of intimidation.

Beary sent Gawronski a letter of apology but said he acted within the law when he used a restricted database to obtain her home address to write her last month.

The letter said, "I sincerely regret the fact that my letter upset you," Local 6 News reported. "I simply saw this as an opportunity to reach out to a constituent and set the record straight."

The issue arose when Gawronski's letter appeared in the Sentinel on March 10. She said her concerns about Taser guns peaked when an Orlando police officer zapped a suspect handcuffed to a hospital bed to obtain a urine specimen.


In her letter, she referred to a televised news conference last June when Beary allowed himself to be zapped with a Taser gun to demonstrate their safety. Seeing Beary incapacitated by 50,000 volts and "in an obvious state of duress" convinced her the stun guns should not be used, she wrote.


Gawronski also wrote that Beary appeared so overweight and out of shape that she doubted he could arrest anyone without a stun gun. She suggested that if deputies were more fit, they might not need to resort to zapping suspects.

Beary said he was a victim of slander.

[Anonymous]

http://www.wftv.com/news/4366400/detail.html

High School To Pay Student Informants For Tips On Campus Crime

POSTED: 10:31 am EDT April 11, 2005
UPDATED: 11:22 am EDT April 11, 2005

 
ROME, Ga. -- A high school is looking for a few good snitches.

Using revenue from its candy and soda sales, Model High School plans to pay up to $100 for information about thefts and drug or gun possession on campus.

 "It's not that we feel there are any problems here," said Principal Glenn White. "It's a proactive move for getting information that will help deter any sort of illegal activity."

Under the new policy, a student would receive $10 for information about a theft on campus, $25 or $50 for information about drug possession, and $100 for information about gun possession or other serious felonies.

Informants will not receive the reward if they are involved in the crime, White said.

At nearby Rome High School, there is no similar program because students there have a rapport with officials and are comfortable providing information, said Superintendent Gayland Cooper.

"We feel the reward is the kids knowing they have a safe school," Cooper said.

The idea for the program came from Kell High School in Marietta, an Atlanta suburb. There, student tips earlier this year led to the arrest of a classmate who had brought a handgun to school.

No Model High students have received the reward yet, but some questioned the logic behind it. Jaime Parris, a senior, said that most students already would tell faculty about anything that threatened student safety.

"But if it's not going to hurt other people, I don't think many people are going to tell on their friends," she said.

[Antigen]

Ex-BSO Deputy Says He Was Trained To Write Bogus Reports

http://www.local10.com/news/4382757/detail.html

Hmmm, I wonder what ol'e Ken has done to piss off Brother JEB! this much?

so long as the priest, that professional negator, slanderer and poisoner of life, is regarded as a superior type of human being, there cannot be any answer to the question: What is truth?
--Freidrich Nietzsche, German philosopher

_________________
Ginger Warbis ~ Antigen
Seed sibling `71 - `80
Straight South (Sarasota, FL)
   10/80 - 10/82
Anonymity Anonymous
Some days, it's just not worth chewing through the leather straps.

[Antigen]

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/conte ... deo3a.html

The social principles of Christianity preach cowardice, self-contempt, abasement, submission, humility, in a word all the qualities of the canaille.
--Karl Marx, German economist and political philosopher

[Anonymous]

Her stupid ass should have gotten out of the car