SSCC Honorable Mention – San Diego

A former San Diego police officer accused of trying to elicit sex from seven women he pulled over in the Gaslamp District was convicted of eight felony counts and four misdemeanors Thursday.

Jurors found Anthony Arevalos, 41, guilty of multiple counts of asking for a bribe, and assault and battery by a police officer.

Reading the entire article and the defenses position was quite disturbing. He has been fired and was fired before the trial had reached it’s conclusion. The whole situation is quite disturbing given the free reign officers are given and the lack of accountability in many instances. This situation could have easily been one of those though thankfully it wasn’t.

State Sponsored Criminal Count HM: Anthony Arevalos

Because when you’re a cop you can solicit whoever you want as a bribe after pulling them over.

SSCC #184 – Bainbridge PD

Bainbridge police officer and Police Guild President Scott Weiss has been given a 160-hour suspension in lieu of termination after a Washington State Patrol investigation found that he followed Council member Kim Brackett to the home of Council member Bill Knobloch for “personal reasons.” According to a Notice of Discipline issued by City Manager Brenda Bauer and Police Chief Jon Fehlman, Weiss was on duty and in a patrol car when he followed Brackett after a meeting at City Hall in October of 2010.

Now this is a very creepy way to do some “investigative journalism”. Though it ends up he violated ethical guidelines and departmental policy..

The Notice of Discipline noted that Weiss’s actions were directed at leaders of his employing agency, and cited numerous violations of the Bainbridge Island Police Department Canon of Ethics and General Orders Manual.

Given his willingness to violate them and then blog about it, wouldn’t one deem it better for the public to actually fire his ass?

State Sponsored Criminal Count #184: Scott Weiss

Because ethics and general orders are really just a guideline and don’t really have to be followed.

SSCC Honorable Mention – Iberia Parish

An Iberia Parish Sheriff’s deputy has been arrested on charges related
to child pornography. Troopers say the investigation was actually
started by Iberia Parish detectives. They were investigating illegal
use of child pornography and suspected one of their own deputies was
involved. State Police was immediately contacted to take over the
investigation.

First, what legal use is there for child pornography?  Investigation of the crime I can kind of see, but I wouldn’t really call that a “legal use” as it is an investigation and collection of evidence of a crime.  This guy gets only an honorable mention for the following two reasons.

  1. They do not believe any of this was obtained while he was on duty.
  2. The sheriff has stated he will get no leniency as an LEO, and his employment was terminated immediately.

I’m glad he was caught and hope he meets someone in jail he put there.  Couple that with the reason why he’s there he’s going to be making the rounds in the showers.

Honorable Mention: Daniel Bourque

I’ve got nothing for this one, crap like this makes me feel sick.

SSCC #183 – Panama City Beach

A DUI case against a former Panama City Beach police officer has been dismissed because no one could legally prosecute the charges before the defendant’s right to a speedy trial expired.

One must really wonder though why they were not able to prosecute his case within the necessary time. Even with the conflict of interest, why was the case allowed to be overlooked? Why did the state prosecutor not even bother to attempt to pursue the case?

This is yet another example of the state looking the other way when it’s their own breaking the law.

State Sponsored Criminal Count 183: David Lee Walker

Because when it’s one of your own that’s broken the law, kick it into someone else’s court that absolutely won’t care. Then he can get off on a technicality.

SSCC #182 – Lowell PD

 A veteran Lowell police officer is on paid
administrative leave pending an internal investigation into reports that
he showed up for work the morning of Oct. 27 suspected of being drunk.     

The BFD here through for the department is he was drunk for work, just like any other company.  However no one questions how the officer got to work, probably drove, the fact that he was drunk and in possession of a firearm, or any of the many other things wrong with this situation.

State Sponsored Criminal Count 182: Michael Sylvester

Because DUI and carrying a weapon while intoxicated only really applies to those who aren’t in law enforcement.

SSCC #174-181 Philadelphia PD

The male officer allegedly stuck his hand down the girl’s shirt and
touched her chest during the two-hour search in an auditorium full of
students at Harding Middle School on Oct. 24, according to the suit.

What was the search for I hear you cry?  Well here’s yet another example of the abysmal failure of zero tolerance.

Lawyer Michael Pileggi said his client told him that the search was being conducted because school officials believed a student might have brought a BB gun to school.

(Emphasis mine).  But wait, why didn’t they just use metal detectors to try and find the “weapon of mass destruction”?

The girl said the officer searched her body with the detector wand, which
revealed no evidence of a weapon. He then “physically patted down the
plaintiff touching her inappropriately,” the suit said. The officer
“placed his hand down plaintiff’s shirt and felt around her chest area.”

So let me get this straight, these officers, 8 of them, 6 male 2 female, felt it was necessary to pat down all the students even after they wanded them with a metal detector.  A girl so young that she’s probably as flat as a wall and wouldn’t have anyplace to hide anything much less a firearm.  None of the school administrators said a damn thing because they “trust” the police without question.

Remember though, beyond the taxpayer having to pay for the abuses by these officers nothing will happen to them thanks to the wonders of qualified immunity.

Every last one of those officers and school administrators should be fired.  Training is being used as an excuse to hide a lack of common sense and negligence.

State Sponsored Criminal Count: 181 These 8 are all Does since they weren’t listed.  Again if you find them send them to me.

Because as an officer every trusts you so you can do whatever the hell you want despite common sense and logic dictating otherwise.  If someone complains, the state will cover your ass.

SSCC #173 – Chicago PD

In May of 2010, Tapia was stopped by Chicago police officers for a minor traffic offense at 43rd and Paulina and later released. Minutes later, the police computer showed that a J. Tapia, 12 years older, 30 pounds lighter, 6 inches smaller and living 40 miles away, had an outstanding warrant. Officers stopped Tapia again and, according to official records and hospital photographs and hospital photographs, used a stun gun 11 times to subdue him.

This was an incident of mistaken identity.  When the officers got caught in that they attempted to trump resisting arrest charges to justify their force.  Ends up their lies were caught by the hospital too.

“When he went to the emergency room, they ran a complete tox screen on him for all drugs and alcohol and it was completely negative,” said Dennis Giovannini, Tapia’s laywer. “This whole situation was the blatant cover-up that the officers came up with after they realized that they had Tasered and beat up the wrong person.”

What an outstanding group of individuals that use force when it is unnecessary to such a degree as to permanently disable a peaceable citizen.  Remember though, officers are covered by qualified immunity and will not be held accountable for actions such as this.  Then people wonder why incidents like this happen.

If there’s no punishment, what negative effect is there to keep this behavior in check?

State Sponsored Criminal Count #173: John Doe

Because there’s a suspected warrant means you can tase and beat the crap out of the guy.  If it ends up a mistake, just trump up charges, the state will cover your ass.

SSCC #172 – Miami PD

Remember last week when we heard about the FHP officer who pulled over the speeding Miami PD officer. Well it appears that a bunch of Miami PD officers didn’t like that all too much.

Now, Thomas Vokaty, a Miami police officer, has been disciplined for pulling over an FHP trooper for apparently no reason.

At about 8:40 p.m. on Tuesday night Vokaty used his Miami police car to pull over an unnamed FHP trooper. Problem was Vokaty made the stop in Broward County where Miami police have no jurisdiction.

Couple that with the incident where someone smeared feces all over a FHP patrol car and you can see what the Miami PD think. They’re just like you and me, but better.

State Sponsored Criminal Count 172: Thomas Vokaty

Because by god if you’re a cop, all the other cops should just leave you the hell alone, breaking the law or not.