Tag: police accountability

New Jersey cops wore disguises to vandalize two vehicles owned by a man who filed complaints against them days earlier, prosecutors say

Two vengeance-seeking New Jersey police officers angry vandalized a local resident’s vehicle out of spite when he filed complaints against them, according to investigators. 

Asbury Park Police officers Stephen Martinsen, 29, and Thomas Dowling, 26, have been charged with multiple felony counts of conspiracy, criminal mischief and weapons-related offenses for illegal use of a knife, authorities announced on Wednesday.  

They could face up to 20 years in New Jersey State Prison if convicted on all charges.

Dowling has since been fired. Martinsen has been suspended without pay.

‘If these allegations are proven true, this is kind of the textbook definition of a breach in the position of trust in the authority that are given the people in law enforcement,’ Monmouth County Prosecutor Chris Swendeman told app.com.

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WANT PROSECUTORIAL REFORM? START WITH CURTAILING THE INFLUENCE OF POLICE UNIONS.

As millions march, calling for justice for George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and countless others, the responsibility for holding their killers accountable lies squarely in the hands of prosecutors. The will of the people is to have accountability for all criminal acts, regardless of who the actor is or their profession. That is the duty of a prosecutor. But all too often, prosecutors have failed to fulfill that duty, often declining to pursue charges against law enforcement, let alone securing a conviction. Those failures have struck deep blows to public trust in the justice system. Rebuilding that trust will require not simply policing reform, but also greater confidence in prosecutorial independence and the integrity of investigating and charging of police misconduct. And that confidence, as well as independence, can only be achieved through an end to financial ties between prosecutors and police unions. 

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Not Just Brutality, Cops Keep Getting Arrested for Child Sex Crimes While On-Duty

Police brutality in America is an undeniable problem which is seen in every city in every state across the country. On a daily basis, video after video surfaces proving this point. But many American cops have another dirty secret — their disgusting desire to prey on children. In only the last few weeks, TFTP has reported on multiple officers who were caught distributing child sexual abuse material, also referred to as child pornography, as well as sexually assaulting children. Many of these disgusting law enforcement officers were committing these horrifying crimes while on the taxpayer’s dime.

While the aforementioned officers were caught running child porn networks, other cops are caught physically raping children. One of the most glaring instances of this problem was brought to light last week when the former Boston Police Patrolmen’s Association President Pat Rose was arrested on child rape charges.

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Cop Opens Fire Into Group of Innocent Children, Shooting a Child in the Back — DA Rules it Justified

As TFTP reports on a regular basis, being innocent — even an innocent child — is no defense against police kidnapping, caging, or killing you. Jamar Nicholson Green learned this the hard way when a trigger happy cop opened fire on him and a group of friends as they freestyle rapped on their way to school. Green and his friends had committed no crime and were unarmed.

The incident unfolded in 2015, but the lawsuit was only recently settled and the taxpayers of LA county will be shelling out nearly $1 million for the negligent and deadly actions of LAPD officer Michael Gutierrez.

Gutierrez — who was not in uniform at the time — saw the children freestyle rapping at the meet-up spot and noticed that one of them was holding a toy gun. This is not the same as some incidents in which the gun resembles an actual gun. This one was clearly marked as a toy with a highly visible orange barrel and did not look like an actual gun at all.

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Family Sues as Cop Caught on Body Cam Sexually Assaulting Their Dead Daughter, Sharing Video

 In one of the strangest and most disgusting cases TFTP has ever reported, late last year an LAPD cop was reportedly caught on his own body camera fondling and sexually assaulting a dead woman. Following an investigation into the video, the officer was arrested and charged with a felony. Now, the family of that woman is suing.

Officer David Rojas, 27, was charged with a felony violation of state safety codes, which prohibit “having sexual contact with human remains without authority,” according to a statement from the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office. His actions were recorded on his own body camera and then he shared it with his fellow cops to gloat in his disgusting behavior.

The lawsuit filed in Los Angeles Superior Court on Tuesday, alleges that Officer David Rojas sexually molested Elizabeth Baggett. It also alleges invasion of privacy, intentional infliction of emotional distress, negligence, mishandling of human remains and other offenses.

According to NBC, Gloria Allred, the attorney representing the Baggett family, called Rojas’ alleged behavior “mean, vile, base and contemptible.”

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The System Is Rigged: Qualified Immunity Is How the Police State Stays in Power

The system is rigged, the government is corrupt, and “we the people” continue to waste our strength by fighting each other rather than standing against the tyrant in our midst.

Because the system is rigged, because the government is corrupt, and because “we the people” remain polarized and divided, the police state will keep winning and “we the people” will keep losing.

Because the system is rigged and the U.S. Supreme Court—the so-called “people’s court”—has exchanged its appointed role as a gatekeeper of justice for its new role as maintainer of the status quo, there will be little if no consequences for the cops who brutalize and no justice for the victims of police brutality.

Because the system is rigged, there will be no consequences for police who destroyed a private home by bombarding it with tear gas grenades during a SWAT team raid gone awry, or for the cop who mistakenly shot a 10-year-old boy after aiming for and missing the non-threatening family dog, or for the arresting officer who sicced a police dog on a suspect who had already surrendered.

This is how unarmed Americans keep dying at the hands of militarized police.

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