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Tag: police misconduct

  • How police departments’ loosely-written and poorly-enforced rules enable off-duty police misconduct

    There were suspicions, but nobody knew for sure whose side Eddie Villarreal was on until the night he pulled over the two FBI agents.

    By day, Villarreal was a Dallas Police officer. By night, he had a different job —  moonlighting as a security guard for Alfredo Hinojosa, a nightclub mogul who federal authorities suspected was involved in a cartel-connected drug ring.

    Inside the restroom stalls of three of Hinojosa’s clubs, dealers sold hundreds of small bags of cocaine every weekend, according to federal court records. Agents suspected Villarreal was protecting the owner’s enterprise. To test him, they tailed one of the club’s leaders to see if he interfered.

    When the blue and red lights of Villarreal’s black Chevy Tahoe flashed behind them, they had their answer. The moonlighting officer had chosen his other boss.

    After being pulled over, the FBI agents fed Villarreal a few false details about their investigation.

    Soon after, Villarreal called Hinojosa to relay what he had learned — unaware that the FBI was listening on a wiretap.

    “You know there’s drugs in the bathroom. I know there’s drugs in the bathroom,” the police officer told the club owner.

    In the years leading up to Villarreal’s nighttime stop, Dallas Police heard multiple warning signs about the officer’s off-duty behavior. Investigators found that he routinely broke one of the department’s moonlighting rules by working inside the club instead of the parking lot. Two patrons accused him of brutal assaults. And in 2002, a fellow officer worried that he might alert a different club owner before police vice raids.

    Despite the repeated warnings, the department continued allowing him to moonlight.

    Villarreal and his lawyers did not respond to repeated requests for comment from CBS News.

    How a Dallas Police Officer wound up protecting a nightclub magnate

    Click or use the buttons below to navigate this timeline of Eddie
    Villarreal’s career and the warning signs along the way.

    April 15, 2002

    Senior Corporal Edward Anaya alleges that Villarreal tipped off the owners of another club to planned raids from the vice squad and state alcohol regulators. Dallas Police Department’s internal affairs unit investigates the complaint and eventually finds no violation of police policy.

    Read the full document here.

    Villarreal’s case exposes the potential oversight gaps and ethical hazards when police officers work off-duty security jobs. Moonlighting has long offered police officers a financial lifeline — extra income to help their families. But in some departments, the failure to adopt strong oversight rules for lucrative private side jobs can leave officers and the public vulnerable to corruption and danger. Loyalties may be tested in ways not seen on regular duty.

    An investigation by CBS News and the Howard Center for Investigative Journalism at Arizona State University found many U.S. police agencies rely on moonlighting rules that are vague, poorly enforced and vulnerable to abuse.

    The investigation examined off-duty employment policies at more than 100 law enforcement agencies of various sizes across the country, finding that less than a quarter check officers’ disciplinary history before permitting them to moonlight. More than half don’t require body cameras for off-duty work and most fail to track officers’ off-duty hours.

    Five departments, including Boston Police, permit officers suspended for misconduct to continue working off-duty — performing police-like duties for private businesses even while barred from regular shifts. That contradicts best practices recommended by the International Association of Chiefs of Police, which suggest restricting off-duty work to officers who “are not the subject of ongoing disciplinary action that would be considered serious or egregious.”

    Some departments, including the San Diego County Sheriff’s Office and the Michigan State Police, ban off-duty security work.

    In Dallas, records show leaders largely failed to act after two city audits cited their lax oversight of off-duty employment — and warned of consequences.

    Instead, a CBS News review of agency records shows Dallas Police loosened moonlighting rules and let more than 800 officers with red flags — criminal investigations, violations of the department’s off-duty policy and alerts from the agency’s early warning system — keep working off-duty jobs since 2010.

    Dallas Police Department leadership declined to comment on the findings of this story.

    The leader of the city’s largest police union, Jaime Castro, acknowledged the department previously struggled tracking officers’ moonlighting work, but said recent policy changes — including a new app to track the extra jobs — could help curb some of the problems.

    Castro argued off-duty work boosts public safety and the extra cash incentivizes recruits to join the police force — and stay. News reports document moonlighting officers across the country earning between $45 to $175 an hour, far outpacing the median pay for officers, which was about $37.15 an hour in 2024.

    “Once officers join the department they see the benefit. They see the freedom that it gives you and that sense of financial security it gives you,” said Castro, a 27-year Dallas Police veteran. “It’s a retention tool.”

    But without proper oversight, experts and police groups warn off-duty work can enable abuse and erode public safety.

    “If you do not track what your employees are doing, and if you do not supervise them as they do it, and if you do not provide that level of approval and administrative oversight, then what are you doing?” asked Seth Stoughton, a former Tallahassee, Fla., police officer who is now faculty director of the Excellence in Policing & Public Safety program at the University of South Carolina.

    “You’re setting the stage for officers to sink to the lowest common denominator.”

    Missed warnings

    To examine the oversight gap in one city, CBS News reviewed Dallas Police documents and data spanning decades.

    The department’s policy has long stated that off-duty work is a “privilege, not a right.” Until recently, supervisors were required to consider whether officers had a “high frequency level of complaints” before approving off-duty jobs.

    Despite these rules, officers with disciplinary problems routinely got approval. Since 2011, nearly 400 Dallas officers investigated for crimes — including assault, theft, and sexual misconduct — were allowed to continue to moonlight. In at least 59 cases, officers were allowed to work off-duty jobs within a day of the start of their criminal investigations.

    The department also approved side jobs for at least 396 officers even after alerts from its own early-warning system identified them as a potential threat to themselves or others.

    “If you’re wearing your uniform performing a role as a police officer and the department has knowledge that you could be problematic, then the department is — or at least should be — liable for the outcome of whatever occurs,” said Dennis Kenney, a professor at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice.

    In 2005, city auditors found Dallas Police’s oversight of moonlighting “not effective,” recommending stronger monitoring and charging businesses fees to recover costs. The department did not adopt most of their recommendations.

    Read the full audit here.

    Thirteen years later, in 2018, auditors again found lax oversight and uncovered nearly 3,200 cases of officers moonlighting while on paid sick leave.

    In 2023, auditors reported the department still hadn’t implemented many of the tracking reforms. Only last year did Dallas Police introduce a tool to prevent officers from working off-duty jobs while on sick or injury leave.

    Few officers illustrate the breakdowns in Dallas more than Ray Cunningham.

    Since 1987, Dallas Police records show that Cunningham has been accused of violating police policy at least 68 times, including 15 times for excessive force and five for breaking moonlighting rules.

    In 1996, an anonymous complainant wrote a letter to Dallas Police alleging that Cunningham was double billing for the same hours at three different apartment complexes. Police investigators found that “sufficient evidence exists” to suggest that Cunningham had committed felony theft, but a grand jury did not indict him, according to the agency’s disciplinary records.

    Throughout the 1990s and 2000s, multiple apartment complex residents alleged that Cunningham harassed and assaulted them — including one incident where the officer beat a handcuffed man and put him into a sleeper hold.

    In 2017, city records show the department’s early warning system alerted supervisors that Cunningham had racked up five misconduct complaints in 12 months, indicating “the officer’s performance may need to be reviewed.”

    Asked about his disciplinary history by CBS News, Cunningham wrote only, “No comment.”

    Read the full anonymous letter here.

    Stoughton, the policing scholar, said Cunningham’s history opens the department up to potential legal liability.

    “I don’t know how you look at that — at that officer, at that pattern — and justify not doing anything,” he said.

    On May 28, 2021, investigators issued Cunningham a 10-day suspension after he failed to seek permission to work an off-duty job at an apartment complex 83 times in nine months.

    The following night, records show the department allowed him to work off duty at the same apartments.

    Accountability gaps nationwide

    Dallas is not unique. In dozens of departments, reporters found accountability measures for officers working off duty are looser than when they’re on duty.

    One example: body cameras.

    Most agencies require cameras on duty, yet only 43% of the departments studied by CBS News and the Howard Center mandate them for moonlighting officers. Some agencies, including Chicago Police and the Cook County Sheriff’s Office, ban them outright.

    In some cities, moves to require cameras on off-duty jobs met resistance. After a federal attempt to mandate them in Cleveland, police asked a judge to make wearing body cameras on off-duty jobs optional. The reason: the police union opposed them. Cleveland still does not require cameras for its moonlighting officers.

    After an off-duty Baltimore County officer shot a shoplifting suspect in 2018, Maryland lawmakers proposed mandatory body cameras for moonlighting. But the bill failed.

    County police spokesperson Trae Corbin said the department believes cameras violate state wiretapping law. But nearby departments, including Baltimore City police, allow or require them for off-duty work.

    Unregulated payments for moonlighting also can create problems.

    In 2017, Dallas Police Officer Raphyael Tyson began coordinating fellow officers to work at a construction site. No one suspected anything wrong with the job until three years later.

    The company intended to pay the officers $75 an hour for their security services. But Tyson had only been passing $45 an hour to the other officers.

    Agency investigators said the difference totaled tens of thousands of dollars.

    The department fired Tyson, but he told CBS News he broke no laws, only department rules about completing a few timecards, and he considered the arrangement his private business.

    “I’m not in any obligation to also tell them what I make as a contractor,” he said.

    Dallas, like many departments, allows officers to coordinate off-duty jobs with minimal oversight. The department does not track pay rates or payments. It even permits coordinators to distribute cash directly to other officers.

    In Minneapolis, a 2023 Justice Department review found supervisors may avoid disciplining subordinates when they controlled lucrative off-duty jobs. That same year, Derek Chauvin —the Minneapolis officer convicted of the 2020 murder of George Floyd — pleaded guilty to felony tax evasion for failing to report nearly $96,000 in cash earned from moonlighting and coordinating off-duty gigs.

    Many departments fail to track how much officers earn or how many hours they work off duty, according to the CBS News and Howard Center policy review.

    Most agencies claim to cap off-duty hours to prevent fatigue, but only 50 out of more than 100 departments track those hours. Decades of research confirm excessive off-duty work contributes to fatigue and poor decision-making, threatening public safety.

    In Texas, El Paso Police policy caps hours worked off duty each week at 25 hours. But reporters analyzed off-duty payroll data and found more than 250 officers exceeded that cap at least once between 2021 and 2024.

    Auditors in Dallas, San Jose, Miami and Minneapolis found officers routinely worked beyond permitted limits — problems missed due to lack of tracking.

    Failures in oversight have led to serious abuse. Jersey City suspended its off-duty program for two years after discovering officers were paid for off-duty jobs while they were supposed to be on duty. In New Orleans, investigators from the U.S. Department of Justice found officers skipped on-duty shifts for off-duty jobs. And Philadelphia Inquirer reporters uncovered city officers on sick leave working strenuous second jobs.

    Not every city takes a hands-off approach. Some, like San Francisco, have adopted systems endorsed by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, where businesses pay the department, the city keeps a processing fee and then pays the officers — often at overtime rates.

    In Delaware, the Newark Police ban direct payment from private employers to officers.

    “Who are you working for in that capacity at that time?” Lieutenant Gregory D’Elia asked. “Are you working for the police department if you’re fully in uniform? Or are you working for the bar?”

    Former Dallas Police Chief Renee Hall, now vice president of the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives, insists tracking off-duty assignments is essential for accountability. Technology, such as a new early-warning system Hall tried to implement in Dallas, makes that possible.

    “We need to know who an officer is working for, what establishment that is, what kind of work, and what kind of income that they’re bringing in,” she said.

    Divided loyalties

    It took a yearslong investigation — dubbed “Operation Closing Time” — to expose Villarreal’s corruption in Dallas despite the years of unheeded warning signs.

    P.J. Meitl, the assistant U.S. Attorney who led the prosecutions, told CBS News that it takes strong oversight to deter lawless behavior from officers working off-duty jobs.

    “If the DOJ doesn’t pursue cases like the one against Villarreal, he would have continued and his corruption would have continued to spread,” Meitl said.

    After he pulled over the FBI agents, prosecutors confronted Villarreal and offered him a deal — resign and cooperate or face more serious charges.

    But even after leaving the department and facing the possibility of years in prison, prosecutors presented evidence that he continued to help bar owners. An FBI agent testified at his sentencing hearing that agents were forced to abort an undercover operation at a bar after they were spotted by Villarreal.

    Hinojosa was convicted in 2021 and sentenced to 16 years. A year later, Villarreal got 30 months in prison — six times higher than sentencing guidelines.

    “If you allow law enforcement officers at any level to break the law and not have consequences,” Sam Lindsay, the federal judge who heard his case, told CBS News, “then that only breeds contempt and disrespect for the law.”

    About the data

    CBS News investigative data journalist Ari Sen obtained and analyzed five datasets from the Dallas Police Department to produce the numbers in this story:

    1. Internal Affairs data (1977–2024), showing officers accused of misconduct and case outcomes. “More than 800 officers with red flags” reflects only substantiated off-duty policy violations, filtered to cases received on or after Jan. 1, 2010.
    2. Public Integrity Unit data (2010–2024), showing officers investigated for criminal conduct.
    3. Early Warning System data (May 2011–Sep 2021), identifying potentially problematic officers.
    4. Off-duty employment data (2009–2024, excluding 2014–2015).
    5. Rosters of current and former Dallas Police officers, including demographics, hire date, and separation date when applicable.

    The numbers in this story likely miss some instances of misconduct. All case records that could not be clearly linked to a unique badge number were excluded from the analysis and the department did not always supply complete records in response to CBS News’ records requests.

    Journalists with the Howard Center for Investigative Journalism and CBS News obtained moonlighting and related policies from more than 100 police departments and worked to compare the policies against recommended best practices. For more details on the process of analyzing these policies, please refer to the methodology in Part 2.

    UP NEXT

    Credits

    Reporting by Ari Sen, Brian New and Lexi Salazar for
    CBS News and Tallulah Anne, Chad Bradley, Kaylin Cantu, Emma Croteau, Sam Ellefson, Aspen Ford, Naomi Jordan, Tag Lee, Christopher Lomahquahu, Nicole Macias Garibay, Isabelle Marceles, Shayla McKenzie, Anna Olp, Madison Perales, Eshaan Sarup for the Howard Center for Investigative Journalism. Data analysis by Ari Sen for CBS News and Tallulah Anne and Emma Croteau for the Howard
    Center. Field production by Laura Geller, Nicole Vap and Donald Leonard for CBS News and Tallulah Anne, Chad Bradley and Aspen Ford for the
    Howard Center. Graphics, design and development by Taylor Johnston for CBS News. Photojournalism by Mike Lozano and Jose Sanchez for CBS News. Video editing by Scott Fralicks of CBS News. Editing
    and project leadership by John Kelly, Scott Pham, Matt Mosk, Laura Geller and Nicole Vap for CBS News and Mark Greenblatt, Lauren Mucciolo and Angela M. Hill for the Howard Center.

    The Howard Center for Investigative Journalism at ASU is funded by the
    The Scripps Howard Foundation.

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  • Mosby faces an appreciative audience in panel on justice reform

    Marilyn Mosby takes a selfie with an admirer Wednesday after she took part in a panel on police misconduct and reform during the Congressional Black Caucus conference in Washington. (Photo by Nicole Pilsbury/Maryland Matters)

    Former Baltimore City State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby, in what may have been one of her first public appearances since getting off home detention, talked about the need for police reform and made her own case to an appreciative audience Wednesday in Washington.

    Mosby was part of a panel of lawmakers, lawyers and advocates at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation conference who talked about flaws with public safety in America and envisioned a better future.

    The audience was generally receptive to the panel’s arguments that despite some improvements, the criminal justice system and policing in America still has room for improvement. But they were especially enthusiastic about Mosby, who was convicted on federal charges that she says were brought because she pursued convictions of Baltimore police officers.

    Audience members chimed in with a “That’s right!” or  “Yeah!” as Mosby answered panel questions, and the end of each of her answers was met with an eruption of applause and cheers. Peoplel swarmed around her as the panel concluded, eager to snap a picture with or have a chat with the former attorney.

    Mosby said she was not surprised to be invited to speak on the panel, saying in a brief interview afterwards that, “There was a lot of change enacted as a direct result of what happened in Baltimore City.”

    “Baltimore was at the forefront of this progressive movement,” she said.

    The panel discussed the nationwide protests and reform efforts that followed the 2014 killing of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, and the 2015 death of Freddie Gray in Baltimore — a crisis Mosby came face-to-face with as the city’s top prosecutor.

    The two high-profile deaths in police custody sparked national conversations about police accountability.

    “Both cities remind us that public safety is not just about officers on patrol or prosecutions in the courtroom, but about trust, community and a shared belief that every person deserves equal justice under the law,” said Rep. Wesley Bell (D-Mo.), the panel moderator.

    Gray’s death was four months into Mosby’s term in office. She and her team worked to charge the officers involved in Gray’s death and the U.S. Justice Department exposed the police department’s discriminatory practices — leading to nationwide reform, Mosby said at the panel. Those reforms included things like body cameras, de-escalation policies and dashboard cameras, she said.

    Mosby said that prosecutors were not prosecuting police, and there was a lack of accountability in America at the time. She got death threats and became a “target of the same system I represented” following the prosecution of the officers, she said on the panel.

    Bell also described Mosby as a target while asking a question about how prosecuting cases can change public safety and justice perspectives.

    Mosby is on three years of supervised release — with one of those being the year of home confinement that concluded in June 2025 — for perjury convictions related to the purchase of two Florida homes.

    She said the federal government was not able to find anything after interrogating her neighbors, family, friends, hairdresser and her children’s dance instructor.

    “I had no idea that they could come back and say that I am now going to be the target of a criminal investigation for a statute that has never been legally used against anyone else in this country up to this day, and for a vague statute that has never been legally defined by neither Congress nor the IRS,” Mosby said during the panel discussion.

    Former Baltimore City State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby. (Photo by William J. Ford/Maryland Matters)

    Jason Armstrong, a retired Ferguson police chief who was appointed five years after Brown’s death, spoke on the panel about seeing the payoff and community impact from working to create a “culture of accountability.”

    “Like Mrs. Mosby said, the sacrifices that I’m having to put forth in this are worth something,” he said.

    Panelist Justin Hansford, a Howard University law professor and the director of the Thurgood Marshall Civil Rights Center, also referenced Mosby in one of his answers, emphasizing her point that “the justice system isn’t just.”

    Mosby said that the federal government opened an investigation on her two months after publishing this Washington Post op-ed that criticized President Donald Trump’s decision and threats to send federal law enforcement officers to cities around the country in July 2020.

    “They did it because they wanted to get me out of office, and they were successful,” she said. “Justice is always worth the price paid for its pursuit. I would not do anything different.”

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  • Sterling Heights cops to stand trial after violent arrest of Black man captured on disturbing video – Detroit Metro Times

    Two Sterling Heights cops accused of brutally beating a Black man and siccing a police dog on him during his arrest in February 2024 have been ordered to stand trial in Macomb County Circuit Court.

    Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced that officers James Sribniak, 31, and Jack Currie, 29, were bound over on felony charges Friday stemming from the pursuit and arrest of Garry Young, 36, after a domestic violence call.

    Sribniak was charged with one count each of misconduct in office and felonious assault. He faces up to five years in prison. 

    Currie was charged with misconduct in office and assault with intent to do great bodily harm less than murder, a 10-year felony.

    The charges are tied to a pursuit that began when Young fled a traffic stop and led officers on a 13-mile chase through Sterling Heights and Roseville, police said. The chase reached speeds of 90 mph and ended when Young crashed his vehicle near I-94.

    Body camera and dash camera footage released by Sterling Heights police shows officers swarming Young after the crash. He is repeatedly bitten by a police dog while on the ground, tased as he shouts in pain, and punched multiple times in the face. At one point, an officer is seen kicking him in the head.

    Police captions in the video say Young was intoxicated at twice the legal limit and had attempted to run over an officer during the pursuit. He was accused of assaulting a woman and choking a youth before fleeing police.

    Young suffered bruises across his body. He faces separate charges of domestic violence, fleeing police, resisting officers, and operating with a suspended license.

    The case has fueled criticism of the Sterling Heights Police Department, and the footage is yet another reminder of the long-standing concerns about police accountability in Macomb County, particularly in cases where suspects are already restrained or surrounded.

    Two Sterling Heights officers were placed on administrative leave after the arrest. The Macomb County Sheriff’s Office investigated the incident before prosecutors filed charges in October 2024.

    “We expect police officers to exercise sound and professional judgment, especially when making the serious decision to deploy a K9,” Nessel said. “I am glad this case has finally moved forward to trial and look forward to presenting our case in court.” 

    When announcing the charges in October 2024, Nessel called the canine “horrific” and “illegal.”

    “K9 assistance can be a valuable tool for law enforcement but must be deployed with good judgment,” Nessel said. “K9 Officers are rigorously trained in the proper use of police dogs and should be held to the highest standards of conduct. We should be able to trust them to not deploy a dog as an unnecessary and unlawful punitive measure to brutally attack a human being. In this incident, deploying a K9 on a suspect already on the ground and well-surrounded by officers is not only horrific but illegal. My office remains committed to thoroughly investigating and prosecuting police misconduct.” 

    Sribniak and Currie are scheduled for their next court appearance on Oct. 6 in Macomb County Circuit Court.

    The charges against Sribniak and Currie add to a growing list of misconduct cases involving cops in Macomb County in recent years:


    Steve Neavling

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  • Police transparency expands with new national database — except Michigan

    Police transparency expands with new national database — except Michigan

    A new online tool called the National Police Index launched this week, allowing residents in 17 states to access the employment history of police officers, with the aim of increasing transparency and accountability in law enforcement.

    But for now, Michigan is not included in the database. That’s because the state police refused to disclose public records about the identities of current and former police officers.

    In November 2023, Metro Times teamed up with the nonprofit news organization the Invisible Institute to file a lawsuit against Michigan State Police, alleging the agency violated the Freedom of Information Act.

    The database — created by a coalition of journalists, attorneys, and data scientists, including the Invisible Institute, the Innocence Project New Orleans, and the Human Rights Data Analysis Group (HRDAG) — is designed to help track “wandering officers” who move from department to department after engaging in misconduct. The tool provides detailed information on why an officer left a position and allows users to download the data for further analysis.

    “So-called ‘wandering officers’ have presented a significant danger to residents of every state, and an impediment to lasting police accountability,” said Chaclyn Hunt, legal director of the Invisible Institute, which is based on the South Side of Chicago and is known in part for the creation of the Civic Police Data Project, a repository of Chicago Police misconduct information dating back to 1988. “The National Police Index allows all stakeholders to view the employment history of officers in their city, town, village, or college.”

    In Michigan, wandering cops have been a big problem. In October 2023, Metro Times revealed that the Detroit and Eastpointe police departments violated a 2017 law by failing to properly report officer misconduct, which enabled a disgraced former cop to get a new job. Ex-Detroit cop Kairy Roberts landed the new job in Eastpointe last year, despite an internal investigation that found he had punched an unarmed man in the face in Greektown, failed to provide medical aid, and then lied about the encounter in August 2021.

    After Roberts resigned under pressure from the Detroit Police Department, the city did not report the alleged misconduct — as required — to the Michigan Commission on Law Enforcement Standards (MCOLES), the state agency responsible for regulating police. And Eastpointe falsely claimed to MCOLES that he had met the character fitness standards, which is required for officers to get their licenses reactivated. Those standards are intended to prevent abusive cops from getting another law enforcement job in the state.

    Concerns about wandering cops are increasing as agencies face a shortage of officers. Without enough applicants, some police departments are lowering their standards for new officers and hiring cops with a history of misconduct, Metro Times revealed in a previous cover story investigation.

    In March, MCOLES launched an investigation into the Warren and Romeo police departments after a Metro Times cover story showed that both departments appeared to violate the 2017 state law intended to stop wandering cops. At the time, Warren’s police commissioner William Dwyer told MCOLES that another officer, Robert Priest, retired in “good standing,” even though he was under investigation.

    As a result, Priest was able to get another police job in Romeo, where he was fired after pulling over former Warren Deputy Police Commissioner Matt Nichols as part of a “special project” in February 2022. Nichols claimed Priest was out to get him because Nichols played a role in denying Priest a promotion to the rank of lieutenant.

    The need for such a tool is also highlighted by cases like that of Sangamon County Deputy Sean Grayson, who was charged with the murder of Sonya Massey in Illinois. Grayson, who had been discharged from the U.S. Army for misconduct, worked in five police departments, with documented issues in at least two.

    “If the Sangamon County sheriff knew people could easily monitor a police officer’s employment history, maybe Sean Grayson would have never been hired,” Hunt said.

    The National Police Index currently includes employment data from 17 states, and efforts are ongoing to collect similar data in states, like Michigan, that have made it inaccessible.

    In the FOIA request to Michigan State Police in January 2023, Metro Times and the Invisible Institute requested the names of all certified and uncertified officers in the state, along with information about their employment history.

    On March 8, MSP declined to provide the identities of certified and uncertified officers, along with other information, arguing “the public disclosure of the information would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of an individual’s privacy.” State police also argued that releasing the names of officers “would endanger the life and safety of the law enforcement officers and their families, because the information would lead to [their] doxing,” referring to the act of publishing identifiable information about an individual on the internet.

    But by withholding the identities of officers, MSP is impeding the public’s ability to track cops who lose their job in one place only to be rehired at another.

    The University of Michigan Civil Rights Litigation Initiative filed the lawsuit on behalf of Metro Times and the Invisible Institute.

    In an unusual move in April, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel sided with the news organizations’ lawsuit against the state police, filing a motion in support of releasing the public records in April.

    As more information becomes available, additional states will be added to the index.

    The Invisible Institute and its partners said they are committed to expanding the tool’s reach and continuing the fight for transparency in policing.

    The launch of the National Police Index is considered a critical step toward improving police transparency nationwide, building on the success of the Civic Police Data Project, which has been used by journalists, activists, and wrongfully convicted people to expose misconduct and promote reform.

    “The National Police Index works to make real the bedrock principle that records that relate to police transparency belong to the people,” said Craig Futterman, a former public defender and director of the University of Chicago Law School’s Civil Rights and Police Accountability Project. “The Civic Police Data Project in Chicago has powerfully contributed to this historic opportunity for police accountability. People wrongly in prison have used this information to win their freedom. Journalists and scholars have exposed systemic problems and created opportunities for policymakers to implement solutions. Community members have identified police officers engaged in patterns of abuse and held them to account.”

    Futterman added, “The National Police Index holds the promise of enhancing police accountability throughout the country.”

    The development of the National Police Index was supported by a broad coalition of organizations, including reporters, attorneys, and students, and is part of a wider effort to make police misconduct data accessible to the public. The partnership with Innocence Project New Orleans and HRDAG brings together experts in law enforcement accountability and human rights violations to track officers who move between agencies despite histories of misconduct.

    Tarak Shah, a data scientist at HRDAG, pointed out the importance of this new tool for addressing impunity in law enforcement: “Police often avoid accountability by moving to another agency rather than face discipline. This tool, allowing anyone to look up and track the histories of such officers, provides an invaluable service for the human rights community in our fight against impunity.”

    The National Police Index is seen as a powerful resource for law enforcement reform, addressing a longstanding gap in how officers with histories of misconduct are tracked.

    “This tool will address a shortcoming in law enforcement hiring practices that has plagued our nation for years,” said Chris Burbank, former Salt Lake City Police Chief and current law enforcement consultant with the Center for Policing Equity. “Lacking prior accountability, officers who have been disciplined traverse the country seeking employment, and often, repeat the same poor practice or behavior. I applaud the work in this area and look forward to its success.”

    The project was made possible by a coalition of journalists, legal professionals, and data organizations, including Big Local News at Stanford, CBS News, Hearst Newspapers, and others.

    “This data is imperative for holding police officers accountable and tracking the movement of officers across jurisdictions, a common loophole exploited by those with histories of misconduct,” said Julie Ciccolini, the CEO and founder of Techtivist, a firm that works with defense attorneys and others to use data to track police misconduct. “By making officer information public, we close this gap, ensuring that there is public accountability and officers cannot escape scrutiny by simply changing uniforms.”

    The Civil Rights Litigation Initiative (CRLI) at the University of Michigan Law School represents the Invisible Institute and the Detroit Metro Times in their lawsuit seeking the names of police officers in Michigan. The Michigan Court of Claims rejected the state’s attempt to dismiss the case and the parties are now in discovery. The court is likely to schedule an evidentiary hearing later this year.

    “CRLI is excited to support the development of this national tool which will enable the press nation-wide to report on police misconduct and movement of officers between departments,” said Ellory Longdon, a student attorney with CRLI. “While we are disheartened that this tool does not yet include data on officers in Michigan, we are hopeful that the outcome of this lawsuit will enable greater transparency and accountability for law enforcement in Michigan.”

    Steve Neavling

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  • Colorado bill aims to protect whistleblowers who report police misconduct

    Colorado bill aims to protect whistleblowers who report police misconduct

    EDGEWATER, Colo. — Lawmakers will hold a hearing Tuesday on a bill aimed at protecting whistleblowers who report police misconduct.

    Supporters say House Bill 24-1460 is long overdue and will help root out bad cops in Colorado. Law enforcement groups, however, oppose it, calling it irresponsible and unnecessary.

    From an early age, McKinzie Rees knew what she wanted to be.

    “My grandpa was a police officer, and I just always wanted to be a police officer,” Rees said.

    McKinzie Rees

    McKinzie Rees, a former police officer with the Edgewater Police Department, is pushing for the passage of a bill to protect those who report police misconduct.

    Rees lived her dream for a few years. She started out with the Black Hawk Police Department and eventually found her way to the Edgewater Police Department.

    “In the beginning, it wasn’t so bad,” Rees said.

    But things changed in 2019 after a Christmas party.

    “I was sexually assaulted by one of my sergeants,” Rees said.

    Rees said she and that sergeant, Nathan Geerdes, were in the back seat of an Uber heading to another gathering when the sexual assault occurred.

    “I was, you know, trying to push him off and kind of like, you know, make it known that I didn’t want any part of what he was doing,” said Rees.

    Rees said Geerdes made her date sit in the front seat with the Uber driver while he sat in the backseat with her.

    “I didn’t want to cause a massive scene in the Uber with a driver that I don’t know. And then my date sitting in the front seat was kind of in an awkward situation,” said Rees.

    She said Geerdes sexually assaulted her a second time in the hallway of the restaurant they stopped at.

    “I told my date, “Let’s just eat our pizza and get out of here,”” Rees said.

    She said she reported the incident to a colleague but heard nothing for almost a year.

    Crime

    Former Edgewater, Black Hawk officer indicted on unlawful sexual contact charges

    11:55 AM, Dec 07, 2022

    “I got pulled into a room with a couple of other members of the department and asked to tell them about what had happened at the Christmas party a year prior,” Rees said.

    She later learned two members of the police department had approached the First Judicial District Attorney’s Office.

    “They felt that the department wasn’t handling it the way they should have handled it, that it was kind of kept hush-hush,” said Rees.

    Geerdes was eventually indicted by a grand jury and pleaded guilty to unlawful sexual contact, official misconduct, and forgery. He was sentenced to four years probation and must register as a sex offender. He also can no longer work in law enforcement.

    At Geerdes’ sentencing earlier this year, Rees said she learned she wasn’t his only victim. She said another woman stepped forward and accused him of sexually assaulting her several years before.

    “It was a surprise, but it wasn’t a surprise because I felt what he did was very brazen and something that had been practiced almost,” said Rees.

    Rees is now pushing for the passage of HB24-1460, which would require law enforcement to investigate misconduct allegations and save the documents related to the case for three years. Victims could sue agencies and peace officers that don’t investigate misconduct allegations. In addition, officers who do nothing could be charged with a misdemeanor.

    Law-enforcement groups, including the Colorado Fraternal Order of Police and the County Sheriffs of Colorado, have come out against the bill, calling it irresponsible and punitive.

    “Together we stand united against the ‘unprofessional conduct’ or ‘misconduct’ of peace officers,” the groups said in a statement. “This bill, however, unnecessarily singles out one profession – law enforcement – for prosecution, marking the first time any occupation would be subject to criminal penalties for failing to report speculative violations of undefined conduct.”

    The groups said there are already “extensive guardrails” to address police misconduct and hold bad actors accountable.

    “Adding new rules targeting police who may or may not be ‘reasonably aware’ of another officer’s possible misconduct appears more punitive than solution-oriented,” they said.

    They also said a bill like this can’t be thoughtfully considered with little time left in the legislative session.

    Local News

    Former officer accused of unlawful sexual contact faces additional charges

    10:45 PM, Jun 26, 2023

    State Rep. Leslie Herod, D-Denver, one of the bill’s primary sponsors, said there is plenty of time to consider the bill and make any necessary changes.

    “What I’ve heard time and time again is law enforcement saying the thing that a good cop hates the most is a bad cop,” said Herod. “This bill holds those bad cops accountable.”

    Herod said she’s thankful Rees and others have stepped forward to craft and support the bill.

    “It is extremely brave to see McKinzie and so many others stepping forward to tell their stories,” said Herod.

    Rees plans to testify in support of the bill when it’s heard in the House Judiciary Committee Tuesday afternoon.

    Rees said she resigned from the Edgewater Police Department because she was about to be fired. She believes she was retaliated against for speaking up about what happened to her.

    “Just speaking up about things, you get a lot of backlash when that happens,” said Rees.

    She said because her police record includes a resignation in lieu of termination, she’s not been able to get a job.

    She’s currently involved in a lawsuit with the City of Edgewater and hopes to have a resolution soon so she can get back to doing what she loves.

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    The Follow Up

    What do you want Denver7 to follow up on? Is there a story, topic or issue you want us to revisit? Let us know with the contact form below.

    Brandon Richard

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  • State agency probes Warren Police Department’s alleged offer to hide misconduct investigation

    State agency probes Warren Police Department’s alleged offer to hide misconduct investigation

    Former Warren Police Chief William Dwyer is accused of offering to hide an internal affairs investigation.

    This is part of an ongoing series about “wandering cops” in Michigan.

    A state agency is investigating the Warren Police Department over an email that suggests the city offered to hide the details of an internal affairs investigation if a top-ranking official agreed to resign.

    The email, obtained by Metro Times, raises serious questions about the police department’s willingness to follow a 2017 law intended to crack down on wandering cops, or officers who move from department to department amid allegations of misconduct.

    In August 2018, less than a year after the new law went into effect, city attorney Raechel M. Badalamenti said the police department would not finish its investigation and offered to keep “the entire original file” in her law office if then-Deputy Police Commissioner Matt Nichols resigned.

    By doing so, Nichols would have an easier time finding another job at a police department, even though he was accused of punching a suspect who was in custody. By moving the report to a law office and declining to finish the investigation, police departments considering hiring Nichols would not be privy to the information.

    The email suggested that then-Warren Police Commissioner William Dwyer was behind the offer.

    Nichols, who claims in a subsequent federal lawsuit that he was unlawfully pushed out of the department based on sham allegations, says he didn’t accept the offer because it was illegal.

    “I didn’t want to be a participant in violating a state law,” Nichols tells Metro Times. “They were inviting me to violate the law.”

    The Michigan Commission on Law Enforcement Standards (MCOLES), the state agency responsible for regulating police, confirmed it is investigating the email. MCOLES is also investigating claims, raised by Metro Times last week, that Dwyer falsely told the agency that another officer, Robert Priest, retired in “good standing,” even though he was under investigation.

    Priest ended up getting another police job in Romeo, where he was fired after pulling over Nichols as part of a “special project” in February 2022, leading to a lawsuit.

    Nichols claims Priest was out to get him because Nichols played a role in denying Priest a promotion to the rank of lieutenant.

    Both departments failed to comply with the 2017 wandering cops law.

    Dwyer was fired after the story went to press. On the day of his termination, newly elected Warren Mayor Lori Stone said she “is separating his duties as Police Commissioner” because their “viewpoints on hiring no longer aligned.”

    Nichols’s attorney Jamil Akhtar says he released the email to show that Warren has a history of covering up for cops accused of wrongdoing.

    “I don’t want this to be swept under the rug,” Akhtar tells Metro Times.

    Nichols was eventually fired in June 2019 after refusing to take the deal, prompting a lawsuit that alleges Dwyer embellished allegations against Nichols because he wanted a different deputy commissioner.

    Macomb County prosecutors declined to charge Nichols, and the alleged victim initially denied he was assaulted.

    The case is ongoing in the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals.

    In an interview with Metro Times, Dwyer rejects the notion that he or Badalamenti would have extended the offer, despite the email indicating otherwise.

    “I personally would never have agreed to that,” Dwyer says. “I don’t think Badalamenti would either. This is the first I’ve heard of it.”

    In the email, Badalamenti calls the arrangement Dwyer’s “agreement.”

    “Commissioner very much wants to get this investigation wrapped up one way or the other very quickly so I must stress that his agreement that I hold off on a report is a very short one,” Badalamenti says.

    Nichols contends the email, combined with the other MCOLES investigation, shows that Warren police, under the leadership of Dwyer, has demonstrated “a pattern and practice of doing things illegally.”

    The wandering cops law is important, Nichols says, because it’s intended to prevent bad officers from bouncing from department to department.

    Steve Neavling

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  • A timeline of Elijah McClain's death and the trials of the officers and paramedics accused of wrongdoing | CNN

    A timeline of Elijah McClain's death and the trials of the officers and paramedics accused of wrongdoing | CNN



    CNN
     — 

    Three police officers and two paramedics have faced juries on charges of manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide stemming from the 2019 death of Elijah McClain in Aurora, Colorado.

    But the path to court was anything but straightforward.

    McClain, a 23-year-old massage therapist, was confronted by police officers on August 24, 2019, after someone reported seeing a person wearing a ski mask who “looks sketchy.” After officers wrestled him to the ground and paramedics injected him with a potent sedative, McClain suffered a heart attack on the way to a hospital and died days later, authorities said.

    Prosecutors initially declined to bring charges in his death, but the case received renewed scrutiny following the nationwide Black Lives Matter protests in spring 2020. Colorado Gov. Jared Polis appointed a special prosecutor to reexamine the case, and in 2021 a grand jury indicted three officers and two paramedics in McClain’s death.

    The defendants have now faced juries in three separate trials in 2023, to different results. Officer Randy Roedema was found guilty of criminally negligent homicide and assault, while officers Jason Rosenblatt and Nathan Woodyard were acquitted of all charges. Paramedics Jeremy Cooper and Peter Cichuniec will soon learn their fate.

    Here’s a timeline of McClain’s death, the resulting investigation, the protests that brought renewed attention to the case and the criminal trials.

    Three White officers stopped McClain in Aurora on August 24, 2019, while he was walking home from a convenience store in the Denver suburb after 10:30 p.m., according to a police overview of the incident.

    Carrying iced tea in a plastic bag, McClain eventually was in a physical struggle with the officers after, police say, he resisted arrest.

    Early in the encounter, an officer told McClain to stop, and when McClain kept walking, two officers grabbed his arms, the overview reads. McClain says, “Let me go … I’m an introvert, please respect the boundaries that I am speaking,” according to body camera footage from one of the officers.

    After an officer asked him to cooperate so they could talk, McClain tells officers he had been trying to pause his music so he could hear them, and tells them to let him go, the overview reads.

    Eventually, one officer is heard telling another that McClain tried to grab his gun.

    All three officers tackled McClain to the ground, and Woodyard placed him in a carotid hold – in which an officer uses their biceps and forearm to cut off blood flow to a subject’s brain – police said in the overview document. McClain briefly became unconscious, and Woodyard released the hold, the document reads, citing the officers.

    Body camera video of the encounter shows McClain at some point saying he couldn’t breathe.

    Because the hold was used, department policy compelled the officers to call the fire department for help, authorities said. Aurora Fire Rescue paramedics arrived and saw McClain on the ground and resisting officers, the overview says.

    Paramedic Cooper diagnosed McClain with “excited delirium” and decided to inject him with the powerful sedative ketamine, the overview says.

    McClain suffered a heart attack on the way to a hospital, authorities said. Three days later, he was declared brain-dead and taken off life support.

    The Adams County coroner’s office submitted an autopsy report on November 7, stating the cause and manner of death were “undetermined.” The report cited the scene investigation and examination findings as factors leading to that conclusion.

    Roughly two weeks later, the Adams County district attorney, Dave Young, declined to file criminal charges against any of the first responders. In a letter to the Aurora police chief on November 22, Young referred to the undetermined cause of death as one of the factors.

    “The evidence does not support a conclusion that Mr. McClain’s death was the direct result of any particular action of any particular individual,” Young wrote. “Under the circumstances of this investigation, it is improbable for the prosecution to prove cause of death beyond a reasonable doubt to a jury of twelve. Consequently, the evidence does not support the prosecution of a homicide.”

    Also on November 22, after the district attorney’s decision, Aurora police released the officers’ body camera videos.

    “We certainly recognize and understand that this has been an incredibly devastating and difficult process for them over these last several weeks,” then-Police Chief Nick Metz said.

    A police review board concluded that the use of force against McClain, including the carotid hold, “was within policy and consistent with training.”

    City officials announced on February 6 they would hire an independent expert to review the case.

    George Floyd, a 46-year-old Black man, was fatally restrained by police in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on May 25. Bystander video of the encounter sets off outrage and leads to widespread protests, including in Aurora, under the Black Lives Matter movement.

    In early June, the three officers who confronted McClain were assigned to administrative duties, primarily due to safety concerns because police and city employees were receiving threats, a police spokesperson said.

    On June 9, Aurora police and city officials announced changes to police policies, including a ban on carotid holds.

    Ten days later, Gov. Polis signed police accountability legislation into law, requiring all officers to use activated body cameras or dashboard cameras during service calls or officer-initiated public interactions. The measure also barred officers from using chokeholds.

    Polis also signed an executive order appointing Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser to investigate McClain’s case, the governor announced on June 25. More than 2 million people had signed a petition urging officials to conduct a new investigation.

    Demonstrators carried a giant placard during protests on June 27, 2020, outside the police department in Aurora.

    On June 27, protesters in the Aurora area gathered on Highway 225, temporarily shutting it down in a demonstration calling for justice in McClain’s death.

    On June 30, the US attorney’s office for Colorado, the US Department of Justice’s civil rights division and the FBI’s Denver division announced they have been reviewing the case since 2019 for potential federal civil rights violations.

    Aurora police on July 3 fired two officers who they say snapped selfie photographs at McClain’s memorial site, located where he was killed, while they were on duty.

    Officer Rosenblatt also was fired, with police saying he received the photo in a text and replied, “ha ha,” and did not notify supervisors. The photos were taken on October 20, 2019.

    A third officer seen in the photos resigned days before a pre-disciplinary hearing, police said.

    On July 20, the Aurora City Council approved a resolution for an independent investigation of McClain’s death to proceed.

    A mural of Elijah McClain, painted by Thomas

    The McClain family filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against the city of Aurora on August 11.

    “Aurora’s unconstitutional conduct on the night of August 24, 2019, is part of a larger custom, policy, and practice of racism and brutality, as reflected by its conduct both before and after its murder of Elijah McClain, a young Black man,” the lawsuit stated.

    On the same day, Aurora city officials announced the police department would undergo a “comprehensive review” by external experts on civil rights and public safety.

    Aurora city officials released a 157-page report on February 22, detailing the findings of the independent investigation it commissioned into McClain’s death.

    The report asserted that officers did not have the legal basis to stop, frisk or restrain McClain. It also criticized emergency medical responders’ decision to inject him with ketamine and rebuked the police department for failing to seriously question the officers after the death.

    01 elijah mcclain

    Elijah McClain’s mom has watched the bodycam video ‘over and over’

    Sheneen McClain, Elijah’s mother, cried while reading the report.

    “It was overwhelming knowing my son was innocent the entire time and just waiting on the facts and proof of it,” Sheneen McClain told CNN at the time. “My son’s name is cleared now. He’s no longer labeled a suspect. He is actually a victim.”

    Elijah McClain’s father said the report only confirmed what the family already knew. “The Aurora police and medics who murdered my son must be held accountable,” LaWayne Mosley said after the report’s release.

    In response to the report, city officials began work on establishing an independent monitor to scrutinize police discipline, Aurora City Manager Jim Twombly said.

    “I believe the investigative team has identified the issue that is at the root of the case: the failure of a system of accountability,” Twombly said after the report’s release.

    On September 1, the state attorney general announced a grand jury indicted officers Roedema, Rosenblatt and Woodyard and paramedics Cichuniec and Cooper.

    Each was charged with manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide as part of a 32-count indictment.

    The five people charged in the case are (clockwise, from top left): Randy Roedema, Nathan Woodyard, Jeremy Cooper, Peter Cichuniec and Jason Rosenblatt.

    Roedema and Rosenblatt also were indicted on one count of assault and one count of crime of violence. Cooper and Cichuniec were further indicted on three counts of assault and six counts of crime of violence.

    “Our goal is to seek justice for Elijah McClain, for his family and friends and for our state,” Weiser, the state attorney general, said. “In so doing, we advance the rule of law and our commitment that everyone is accountable and equal under the law.”

    The charges brought McClain’s parents to tears. “I started crying because it’s been two years,” Sheneen McClain said. “It’s been a long journey.”

    “Nothing will bring back my son, but I am thankful that his killers will finally be held accountable,” Mosley, his father, said through the attorney’s release.

    On September 15, the Colorado attorney general’s office released a 112-page report that found the Aurora police had a pattern of practicing racially biased policing, excessive force, and had failed to record legally required information when interacting with the community. The report also found the police department used force against people of color almost 2.5 times more than against White people.

    The state investigation also revealed the fire department had a pattern and practice of administering ketamine illegally, the attorney general’s office said.

    The state attorney general’s office and the city of Aurora agreed November 16 on terms of a consent decree to address the issues raised in the office’s report two months earlier.

    On November 19, the city finalized an agreement to pay $15 million to McClain’s family to settle the federal civil rights lawsuit.

    The cause of death in McClain’s case was changed in light of evidence from the grand jury’s investigation, according to an amended autopsy report publicly released September 23.

    The initial autopsy report had said the cause of death was undetermined. But the amended report listed “complications of ketamine administration following forcible restraint” as the cause of death.

    The manner of death remained undetermined in the amended report.

    “Simply put, this dosage of ketamine was too much for this individual and it resulted in an overdose, even though the blood ketamine level was consistent with a ‘therapeutic’ concentration,” pathologist Dr. Stephen Cina wrote in the amended autopsy report. “I believe that Mr. McClain would most likely be alive but for the administration of ketamine.”

    Cina could not determine whether the carotid hold contributed to the death, but “I have seen no evidence that injuries inflicted by the police contributed,” he wrote.

    On September 20, Roedema and Rosenblatt, two of the officers who arrested McClain, stood trial on charges of manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide and assault.

    Prosecutors said they used excessive force on McClain, failed to follow their training and misled paramedics about his health status. In contrast, defense attorneys placed blame on McClain for resisting arrest and on the paramedics who treated him.

    Roedema was found guilty of criminally negligent homicide and assault. Rosenblatt was acquitted of all charges.

    On October 16, the third officer, Woodyard, stood trial on charges of reckless manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide. Like in the earlier trial, prosecutors argued he used excessive force on McClain, while defense attorneys argued the force was necessary and blamed the paramedics.

    Woodyard was found not guilty on all charges.

    McClain’s mother Sheneen told CNN affiliate KUSA she no longer has faith in the justice system after Woodyard’s acquittal.

    “It lets us down, not just people of color, it lets down everybody,” she said. “They don’t do the right thing, they always do the bare minimum.”

    Cooper and Cichuniec, the paramedics who treated McClain, stood trial on charges of reckless manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide.

    Both paramedics testified they believed McClain was experiencing “excited delirium” during his confrontation with Aurora police officers, and their treatment protocol was to administer a ketamine dose they believed was safe and would not kill a person.

    Prosecutors said the paramedics “didn’t take any accountability for any single one of their actions” while testifying at their trial.

    “They both stood there while Elijah got worse and worse and did nothing,” Colorado Solicitor General Shannon Stevenson said. “They are both responsible.”

    Cooper and Cichuniec were found guilty of criminally negligent homicide Friday.

    Cichuniec was also found guilty of a second-degree unlawful administration of drugs assault charge.

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  • Controversial Police Encounters Fast Facts | CNN

    Controversial Police Encounters Fast Facts | CNN



    CNN
     — 

    Here’s a look at controversial police encounters that have prompted protests over the past three decades. This select list includes cases in which police officers were charged or a grand jury was convened.

    March 3, 1991 – LAPD officers beat motorist Rodney King after he leads police on a high-speed chase through Los Angeles County. George Holliday videotapes the beating from his apartment balcony. The video shows police hitting King more than 50 times with their batons. Over 20 officers are present at the scene, mostly from the LAPD. King suffers 11 fractures and other injuries.

    March 15, 1991 – A Los Angeles grand jury indicts Sergeant Stacey Koon and Officers Laurence Michael Powell, Timothy Wind and Theodore Briseno in connection with the beating.

    May 10, 1991 – A grand jury refuses to indict 17 officers who stood by at the King beating and did nothing.

    April 29, 1992 – The four LAPD officers are acquitted. Riots break out at the intersection of Florence and Normandie in South Central Los Angeles. Governor Pete Wilson declares a state of emergency and calls in the National Guard. Riots in the next few days leave more than 50 people dead and cause nearly $1 billion in property damage.

    May 1, 1992 – King makes an emotional plea for calm, “People, I just want to say, can we all get along? Can we get along? Can we stop making it horrible for the older people and the kids?”

    August 4, 1992 – A federal grand jury returns indictments against Koon, Powell, Wind, and Briseno on the charge of violating King’s civil rights.

    April 17, 1993 – Koon and Powell are convicted for violating King’s civil rights. Wind and Briseno are found not guilty. No disturbances follow the verdict. On August 4, both Koon and Powell are sentenced to 30 months in prison. Powell is found guilty of violating King’s constitutional right to be free from an arrest made with “unreasonable force.” Koon, the ranking officer, is convicted of permitting the civil rights violation to occur.

    April 19, 1994 – King is awarded $3.8 million in compensatory damages in a civil lawsuit against the City of Los Angeles. King had demanded $56 million, or $1 million for every blow struck by the officers.

    June 1, 1994 – In a civil trial against the police officers, a jury awards King $0 in punitive damages. He had asked for $15 million.

    June 17, 2012 – King is found dead in his swimming pool.

    November 5, 1992 – Two white police officers approach Malice Wayne Green, a 35-year-old black motorist, after he parks outside a suspected drug den. Witnesses say the police strike the unarmed man in the head repeatedly with heavy flashlights. The officers claim they feared Green was trying to reach for one of their weapons. Green dies of his injuries later that night.

    November 16, 1992 – Two officers, Larry Nevers and Walter Budzyn, are charged with second-degree murder. Sgt. Freddie Douglas, a supervisor who arrived on the scene after a call for backup, is charged with involuntary manslaughter and willful neglect of duty. These charges are later dismissed. Another officer, Robert Lessnau, is charged with assault with intent to do great bodily harm.

    November 18, 1992 – The Detroit Free Press reports that toxicology tests revealed alcohol and a small amount of cocaine in Green’s system. A medical examiner later states that Green’s head injuries, combined with the cocaine and alcohol in his system, led to his death.

    December 1992 – The Detroit police chief fires the four officers.

    August 23, 1993 – Nevers and Budzyn are convicted of murder after a 45-day trial. Lessnau is acquitted. Nevers sentence is 12-25 years, while Budzyn’s sentence is 8-18 years.

    1997-1998 – The Michigan Supreme Court orders a retrial for Budzyn due to possible jury bias. During the second trial, a jury convicts Budzyn of a less serious charge, involuntary manslaughter, and he is released with time served.

    2000-2001 – A jury finds Nevers guilty of involuntary manslaughter after a second trial. He is released from prison in 2001.

    August 9, 1997 – Abner Louima, a 33-year-old Haitian immigrant, is arrested for interfering with officers trying to break up a fight in front of the Club Rendez-vous nightclub in Brooklyn. Louima alleges, while handcuffed, police officers lead him to the precinct bathroom and sodomized him with a plunger or broomstick.

    August 15, 1997 – Police officers Justin Volpe and Charles Schwarz are charged with aggravated sexual abuse and first-degree assault.

    August 16, 1997 – Thousands of angry protesters gather outside Brooklyn’s 70th Precinct to demonstrate against what they say is a long-standing problem of police brutality against minorities.

    August 18, 1997 – Two more officers, Thomas Wiese and Thomas Bruder, are charged with assault and criminal possession of a weapon.

    February 26, 1998 – Volpe, Bruder, Schwarz and Wiese are indicted on federal civil rights charges. A fifth officer, Michael Bellomo, is accused of helping the others cover up the alleged beating, as well as an alleged assault on another Haitian immigrant, Patrick Antoine, the same night.

    May 1999 – Volpe pleads guilty to beating and sodomizing Louima. He is later sentenced to 30 years in prison.

    June 8, 1999 – Schwarz is convicted of beating Louima, then holding him down while he was being tortured. Wiese, Bruder, and Bellomo are acquitted. Schwarz is later sentenced to 15 and a half years in prison for perjury.

    March 6, 2000 – In a second trial, Schwarz, Wiese, and Bruder are convicted of conspiring to obstruct justice by covering up the attack. On February 28, 2002, the Second Circuit Court of Appeals overturns their convictions.

    July 12, 2001 – Louima receives $8.75 million in a settlement agreement with the City of New York and the Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association.

    September 2002 – Schwarz pleads guilty to perjury and is sentenced to five years in prison. He had been scheduled to face a new trial for civil rights violations but agreed to a deal.

    February 4, 1999 – Amadou Diallo, 22, a street vendor from West Africa, is confronted outside his home in the Bronx by four NYPD officers who are searching the neighborhood for a rapist. When Diallo reaches for his wallet, the officers open fire, reportedly fearing he was pulling out a gun. They fire 41 times and hit him 19 times, killing him.

    March 24, 1999 – More than 200 protestors are arrested outside NYPD headquarters. For weeks, activists have gathered to protest the use of force by NYPD officers.

    March 25, 1999 – A Bronx grand jury votes to indict the four officers – Sean Carroll, Edward McMellon, Kenneth Boss and Richard Murphy – for second-degree murder. On February 25, 2000, they are acquitted.

    January 2001 – The US Justice Department announces it will not pursue federal civil rights charges against the officers.

    January 2004 – Diallo’s family receives $3 million in a wrongful death lawsuit.

    September 4, 2005 – Six days after Hurricane Katrina devastates the area, New Orleans police officers receive a radio call that two officers are down under the Danziger vertical-lift bridge. According to the officers, people are shooting at them and they have returned fire.

    – Brothers Ronald and Lance Madison, along with four members of the Bartholomew family, are shot by police officers. Ronald Madison, 40, who is intellectually disabled, and James Brisette, 17 (some sources say 19), are fatally wounded.

    December 28, 2006 – Police Sgts. Kenneth Bowen and Robert Gisevius and officers Robert Faulcon and Anthony Villavaso are charged with first-degree murder. Officers Robert Barrios, Michael Hunter and Ignatius Hills are charged with attempted murder.

    August 2008 – State charges against the officers are thrown out.

    July 12, 2010 – Four officers are indicted on federal charges of murdering Brissette: Bowen, Gisevius, Faulcon and Villavaso. Faulcon is also charged with Madison’s murder. Bowen, Gisevius, Faulcon and Villavaso, along with Arthur Kaufman and Gerard Dugue are charged with covering up the shooting.

    April 8, 2010 – Hunter pleads guilty in federal court of covering up the police shooting. In December, he is sentenced to eight years in prison.

    August 5, 2011 – The jury finds five officers guilty of civil rights and obstruction charges: Bowen, Gisevius, Faulcon, Villavaso and Kaufman.

    October 5, 2011 – Hills receives a six and a half year sentence for his role in the shooting.

    April 4, 2012 – A federal judge sentences five officers to prison terms ranging from six to 65 years for the shootings of unarmed civilians. Faulcon receives 65 years. Bowen and Gisevius both receive 40 years. Villavaso receives 38 years. Kaufman, who was involved in the cover up, receives six years.

    March 2013 – After a January 2012 mistrial, Dugue’s trial is delayed indefinitely.

    September 17, 2013 – Bowen, Gisevius, Faulcon, Villavaso and Kaufman are awarded a new trial.

    April 20, 2016 – Bowen, Gisevius, Faulcon, Villavaso and Kaufman plead guilty in exchange for reduced sentences.

    November 25, 2006 – Sean Bell, 23, is fatally shot by NYPD officers outside a Queens bar the night before his wedding. Two of his companions, Joseph Guzman and Trent Benefield, are wounded. Officers reportedly fired 50 times at the men.

    March 2007 – Three of the five officers involved in the shooting are indicted: Detectives Gescard F. Isnora and Michael Oliver are charged with manslaughter, and Michael Oliver is charged with reckless endangerment. On April 25, 2008, the three officers are acquitted of all charges.

    July 27, 2010 – New York City settles a lawsuit for more than $7 million filed by Bell’s family and two of his friends.

    2009 – Oakland, California – Oscar Grant

    January 1, 2009 – San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) officer Johannes Mehserle shoots Oscar Grant, an unarmed 22-year-old, in the back while he is lying face down on a platform at the Fruitvale BART station in Oakland.

    January 7, 2009 – Footage from station KTVU shows demonstrators vandalizing businesses and assaulting police in Oakland during a protest. About 105 people are arrested. Some protesters lie on their stomachs, saying they are showing solidarity with Grant, who was shot in the back.

    January 27, 2010 – The mother of Grant’s young daughter receives a $1.5 million settlement from her lawsuit against BART.

    July 8, 2010 – A jury finds Mehserle guilty of involuntary manslaughter. At the trial, Mehserle says that he intended to draw and fire his Taser rather than his gun. On November 5, 2010, Mehserle is sentenced to two years in prison. Outrage over the light sentence leads to a night of violent protests.

    June 2011 – Mehserle is released from prison.

    July 12, 2013 – The movie, “Fruitvale Station” opens in limited release. It dramatizes the final hours of Grant’s life.

    July 5, 2011 – Fullerton police officers respond to a call about a homeless man looking into car windows and pulling on car handles. Surveillance camera footage shows Kelly Thomas being beaten and stunned with a Taser by police. Thomas, who was mentally ill, dies five days later in the hospital. When the surveillance video of Thomas’s beating is released in May 2012, it sparks a nationwide outcry.

    May 9, 2012 – Officer Manuel Ramos is charged with second-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter, and Cpl. Jay Patrick Cicinelli is charged with involuntary manslaughter and felony use of excessive force. On January 13, 2014, a jury acquits Ramos and Cicinelli.

    May 16, 2012 – The City of Fullerton awards $1 million to Thomas’ mother, Cathy Thomas.

    September 28, 2012 – A third police officer, Joseph Wolfe, is charged with involuntary manslaughter and excessive force in connection with Thomas’ death. The charges are later dropped.

    July 17, 2014 – Eric Garner, 43, dies after Officer Daniel Pantaleo uses a department-banned chokehold on him during an arrest for allegedly selling cigarettes illegally. Garner dies later that day.

    August 1, 2014 – The New York City Medical Examiner rules Garner’s death a homicide.

    December 3, 2014 – A grand jury decides not to indict Pantaleo. Protests are held in New York, Washington, Philadelphia and Oakland, California. Demonstrators chant Garner’s last words, “I can’t breathe!”

    July 14, 2015 – New York settles with Garner’s estate for $5.9 million.

    August 19, 2019 – The NYPD announces Pantaleo has been fired and will not receive his pension.

    August 21, 2019 – Pantaleo’s supervisor, Sgt. Kizzy Adonis, pleads no contest to a disciplinary charge of failure to supervise, and must forfeit the monetary value of 20 vacation days.

    August 9, 2014 – During a struggle, a police officer fatally shoots Michael Brown, an unarmed 18-year-old.

    August 9-10, 2014 – Approximately 1,000 demonstrators protest Brown’s death. The Ferguson-area protest turns violent and police begin using tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse the crowd. Black Lives Matter, a protest movement that grew out of the Trayvon Martin shooting in 2012, grows in visibility during the Ferguson demonstrations.

    August 15, 2014 – Police identify the officer as 28-year-old Darren Wilson. Wilson is put on paid administrative leave after the incident.

    August 18, 2014 – Governor Jay Nixon calls in the Missouri National Guard to protect the police command center.

    November 24, 2014 – A grand jury does not indict Wilson for Brown’s shooting. Documents show that Wilson fired his gun 12 times. Protests erupt nationwide after the hearing.

    November 29, 2014 – Wilson resigns from the Ferguson police force.

    March 11, 2015 – Ferguson Police Chief Thomas Jackson resigns a week after a scathing Justice Department report slams his department.

    August 9-10, 2015 – The anniversary observations of Brown’s death are largely peaceful during the day. After dark, shots are fired, businesses are vandalized and there are tense standoffs between officers and protestors, according to police. The next day, a state of emergency is declared and fifty-six people are arrested during a demonstration at a St. Louis courthouse.

    June 20, 2017 – A settlement is reached in the Brown family wrongful death lawsuit against the city of Ferguson. While the details of the settlement are not disclosed to the public, US Federal Judge Richard Webber calls the settlement, “fair and reasonable compensation.”

    October 20, 2014 – Chicago police officer Jason Van Dyke shoots and kills Laquan McDonald, 17. Van Dyke says he fired in self-defense after McDonald lunged at him with a knife, but dashcam video shows McDonald walking away from police. Later, an autopsy shows McDonald was shot 16 times.

    April 15, 2015 – The city agrees to pay $5 million to McDonald’s family.

    November 19, 2015 – A judge in Chicago orders the city to release the police dashcam video that shows the shooting. For months, the city had fought attempts to have the video released to the public, saying it could jeopardize any ongoing investigation. The decision is the result of a Freedom of Information Act request by freelance journalist, Brandon Smith.

    November 24, 2015 – Van Dyke is charged with first-degree murder.

    December 1, 2015 – Mayor Rahm Emanuel announces he has asked for the resignation of Chicago Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy.

    August 30, 2016 – Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson files administrative charges against six officers involved in the shooting. Five officers will have their cases heard by the Chicago Police Board, which will rule if the officers will be terminated. The sixth officer charged has resigned.

    March 2017 – Van Dyke is indicted on 16 additional counts of aggravated battery with a firearm.

    June 27, 2017 – Three officers are indicted on felony conspiracy, official misconduct and obstruction of justice charges for allegedly lying to investigators.

    October 5, 2018 – Van Dyke is found guilty of second-degree murder and of 16 counts of aggravated battery with a firearm, but not guilty of official misconduct. Though he was originally charged with first-degree murder, jurors were instructed on October 4 that they could consider second-degree murder. He is sentenced to six years and nine months in prison. On February 3, 2022, Van Dyke is released early from prison.

    January 17, 2019 – Cook County Associate Judge Domenica Stephenson finds three Chicago police officers not guilty of covering up details in the 2014 killing of McDonald. Stephenson’s ruling came more than a month after the officers’ five-day bench trial ended.

    July 18, 2019 – The Chicago Police Board announces that four Chicago police officers, Sgt. Stephen Franko, Officer Janet Mondragon, Officer Daphne Sebastian and Officer Ricardo Viramontes, have been fired for covering up the fatal shooting of McDonald.

    October 9, 2019 – Inspector General Joseph Ferguson releases a report detailing a cover-up involving 16 officers and supervisors.

    April 4, 2015 – North Charleston police officer Michael Slager fatally shoots Walter Scott, 50, an unarmed motorist stopped for a broken brake light. Slager says he feared for his life after Scott grabbed his Taser.

    April 7, 2015 – Cellphone video of the incident is released. It shows Scott running away and Slager shooting him in the back. Slager is charged with first-degree murder.

    October 8, 2015 – The North Charleston City Council approves a $6.5 million settlement with the family of Walter Scott.

    May 11, 2016 – A federal grand jury indicts Slager for misleading investigators and violating the civil rights of Walter Scott.

    December 5, 2016 – After three days of deliberations, the jury is unable to reach a verdict and the judge declares a mistrial in the case. The prosecutor says that the state will try Slager again.

    May 2, 2017 – Slager pleads guilty to a federal charge of using excessive force. State murder charges against Slager – as well as two other federal charges – will be dismissed as part of a plea deal. On December 7, 2017, Slager is sentenced to 20 years in federal prison.

    April 12, 2015 – Police arrest 25-year-old Freddie Gray on a weapons charge after he is found with a knife in his pocket. Witness video contains audio of Gray screaming as officers carry him to the prisoner transport van. After arriving at the police station, Gray is transferred to a trauma clinic with a severe spinal injury. He falls into a coma and dies one week later.

    April 21, 2015 – The names of six officers involved in the arrest are released. Lt. Brian Rice, 41, Officer Caesar Goodson, 45, Sgt. Alicia White, 30, Officer William Porter, 25, Officer Garrett Miller, 26, and Officer Edward Nero, 29, are all suspended.

    April 24, 2015 – Baltimore police acknowledge Gray did not get timely medical care after his arrest and was not buckled into a seat belt while being transported in the police van.

    April 27, 2015 – Protests turn into riots on the day of Gray’s funeral. At least 20 officers are injured as police and protesters clash on the streets. Gov. Larry Hogan’s office declares a state of emergency and activates the National Guard to address the unrest.

    May 21, 2015 – A Baltimore grand jury indicts the six officers involved in the arrest of Freddie Gray. The officers face a range of charges from involuntary manslaughter to reckless endangerment. Goodson, the driver of the transport van, will face the most severe charge: second-degree depraved-heart murder.

    September 10, 2015 – Judge Barry Williams denies the defendants’ motion to move their trials out of Baltimore, a day after officials approve a $6.4 million deal to settle all civil claims tied to Gray’s death.

    December 16, 2015 – The judge declares a mistrial in Porter’s case after jurors say they are deadlocked.

    May 23, 2016 – Nero is found not guilty.

    June 23, 2016 – Goodson is acquitted of all charges.

    July 18, 2016 – Rice, the highest-ranking officer to stand trial, is found not guilty on all charges.

    July 27, 2016 – Prosecutors drop charges against the three remaining officers awaiting trial in connection with Gray’s death.

    August 10, 2016 – A Justice Department investigation finds that the Baltimore Police Department engages in unconstitutional practices that lead to disproportionate rates of stops, searches and arrests of African-Americans. The report also finds excessive use of force against juveniles and people with mental health disabilities.

    January 12, 2017 – The city of Baltimore agrees to a consent decree with sweeping reforms proposed by the Justice Department.

    2016 – Falcon Heights, Minnesota – Philando Castile

    July 6, 2016 – Police officer Jeronimo Yanez shoots and kills Philando Castile during a traffic stop in Falcon Heights. Castile’s girlfriend, Diamond Reynolds, live-streams the aftermath of the confrontation, and says Castile was reaching for his identification when he was shot.

    November 16, 2016 – Yanez is charged with second-degree manslaughter and two felony counts of dangerous discharge of a firearm.

    December 15, 2016 – The Justice Department announces it will conduct a review of the St. Anthony Police Department, which services Falcon heights and two other towns.

    February 27, 2017 – Yanez pleads not guilty.

    June 16, 2017 – A jury finds Yanez not guilty on all counts. The city says it will offer Yanez a voluntary separation agreement from the police department.

    June 26, 2017 – It is announced that the family of Castile has reached a $3 million settlement with the city of St. Anthony, Minnesota.

    November 29, 2017 – The city of St. Anthony announces that Reynolds has settled with two cities for $800,000. St. Anthony will pay $675,000 of the settlement, while an insurance trust will pay $125,000 on behalf of Roseville.

    September 16, 2016 – Tulsa Police Officer Betty Shelby fatally shoots Terence Crutcher, a 40-year-old unarmed black man, after his car is found abandoned in the middle of the road.

    September 19, 2016 – The Tulsa Police Department releases video of the incident captured by a police helicopter, showing Shelby and other officers at the scene. At a news conference, the police chief tells reporters Crutcher was unarmed. Both the US Department of Justice and state authorities launch investigations into the officer-involved shooting.

    September 22, 2016 – Officer Shelby is charged with felony first-degree manslaughter.

    April 2, 2017 – During an interview on “60 Minutes,” Shelby says race was not a factor in her decision to open fire, and Crutcher “caused” his death when he ignored her commands, reaching into his vehicle to retrieve what she believed was a gun. “I saw a threat and I used the force I felt necessary to stop a threat.”

    May 17, 2017 – Shelby is acquitted.

    July 14, 2017 – Shelby announces she will resign from the Tulsa Police Department in August. On August 10, she joins the Rogers County, Oklahoma, Sheriff’s Office as a reserve deputy.

    October 25, 2017 – A Tulsa County District Court judge grants Shelby’s petition to have her record expunged.

    June 19, 2018 – Antwon Rose II, an unarmed 17-year-old, is shot and killed by police officer Michael Rosfeld in East Pittsburgh. Rose had been a passenger in a car that was stopped by police because it matched the description of a car that was involved in an earlier shooting. Rose and another passenger ran from the vehicle, and Rosfeld opened fire, striking Rose three times, Allegheny County police says.

    June 27, 2018 – The Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, district attorney charges Rosfeld with criminal homicide.

    March 22, 2019 – A jury finds Rosfeld not guilty on all counts.

    October 28, 2019 – A $2 million settlement is finalized in a wrongful death lawsuit filed against Rosfeld and East Pittsburgh.

    September 1, 2018 – During a traffic stop, O’Shae Terry is gunned down by an Arlington police officer. Terry, 24, was pulled over for having an expired temporary tag on his car. During the stop, officers reportedly smelled marijuana in the vehicle. Police video from the scene shows officer Bau Tran firing into the car as Terry tries to drive away. Investigators later locate a concealed firearm, marijuana and ecstasy pills in the vehicle.

    October 19, 2018 – The Arlington Police Department releases information about a criminal investigation into the incident. According to the release, Tran declined to provide detectives with a statement and the matter is pending with the Tarrant County Criminal District Attorney’s Office. Tran is still employed by the police department but is working on restricted duty status, according to the news release.

    May 1, 2019 – A grand jury issues an indictment charging Tran with criminally negligent homicide. On May 17, 2019, the Arlington Police Department announces Tran has been fired.

    March 13, 2020 – Louisville Metro Police officers fatally shoot Taylor, a 26-year-old EMT, after they forcibly enter her apartment while executing a late-night, no-knock warrant in a narcotics investigation. Taylor’s boyfriend, Kenneth Walker III, is also in the apartment and fires one shot at who he believes are intruders. Taylor is shot at least eight times and Walker is charged with attempted murder of a police officer and first-degree assault. The charges are later dismissed.

    April 27, 2020 – Taylor’s family files a wrongful death lawsuit. In the lawsuit, Taylor’s mother says the officers should have called off their search because the suspect they sought had already been arrested.

    May 21, 2020 – The FBI opens an investigation into Taylor’s death.

    June 11, 2020 – The Louisville, Kentucky, metro council unanimously votes to pass an ordinance called “Breonna’s Law,” banning no-knock search warrants.

    August 27, 2020 – Jamarcus Glover, Taylor’s ex-boyfriend and the focus of the Louisville police narcotics investigation that led officers to execute the warrant on Taylor’s home, is arrested on drug charges. The day before his arrest, Glover told a local Kentucky newspaper Taylor was not involved in any alleged drug trade.

    September 1, 2020 – Walker files a $10.5 million lawsuit against the Louisville Metro Police Department. Walker claims he was maliciously prosecuted for firing a single bullet with his licensed firearm at “assailants” who “violently broke down the door.” In December 2022, Walker reaches a $2 million settlement with the city of Louisville.

    September 15, 2020 – The city of Louisville agrees to pay $12 million to Taylor’s family and institute sweeping police reforms in a settlement of the family’s wrongful death lawsuit.

    September 23, 2020 – Det. Brett Hankison is indicted by a grand jury on three counts of wanton endangerment in the first degree. The other two officers involved in the shooting are not indicted. On March 3, 2022, Hankison is acquitted.

    April 26, 2021 – Attorney General Merrick Garland announces a Justice Department investigation into the practices of the Louisville Police Department.

    August 4, 2022 – Garland announces four current and former Louisville police officers involved in the raid on Taylor’s home were arrested and charged with civil rights violations, unlawful conspiracies, unconstitutional use of force and obstruction. On August 23, one of the officers, Kelly Goodlett, pleads guilty.

    May 25, 2020 – George Floyd, 46, dies after pleading for help as Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin kneels on Floyd’s neck to pin him – unarmed and handcuffed – to the ground. Floyd had been arrested for allegedly using a counterfeit bill at a convenience store.

    May 26, 2020 – It is announced that four Minneapolis police officers have been fired for their involvement in the death of Floyd.

    May 27, 2020 – Gov. Tim Walz signs an executive order activating the Minnesota National Guard after protests and demonstrations erupt throughout Minneapolis and St. Paul.

    May 27, 2020 – Surveillance video from outside a Minneapolis restaurant is released and appears to contradict police claims that Floyd resisted arrest before an officer knelt on his neck.

    May 28-29, 2020 – Several buildings are damaged and the Minneapolis police department’s Third Precinct is set ablaze during protests.

    May 29, 2020 – Chauvin is arrested and charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter, according to Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman.

    June 3, 2020 – Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison announces charges of aiding and abetting second-degree murder for the three previously uncharged officers at the scene of the incident. According to court documents, Thomas Lane and J. Alexander Kueng helped restrain Floyd, while officer Tou Thao stood near the others. Chauvin’s charge is upgraded from third- to second-degree murder.

    October 21, 2020 – Hennepin County Judge Peter Cahill drops the third-degree murder charge against Chauvin, but he still faces the higher charge of second-degree unintentional murder and second-degree manslaughter. On March 11, 2021, Judge Cahill reinstates the third-degree murder charge due to an appeals court ruling.

    March 12, 2021 – The Minneapolis city council unanimously votes to approve a $27 million settlement with Floyd’s family.

    April 20, 2021 – The jury finds Chauvin guilty on all three counts. He is sentenced to 22 and a half years.

    May 7, 2021 – A federal grand jury indicts the four former Minneapolis police officers in connection with Floyd’s death, alleging the officers violated Floyd’s constitutional rights.

    December 15, 2021 – Chauvin pleads guilty in federal court to two civil rights violations, one related to Floyd’s death, plus another case. Prosecutors request that he be sentenced to 25 years in prison to be served concurrently with his current sentence.

    February 24, 2022 – Lane, Kueng and Thao are found guilty of depriving Floyd of his civil rights by showing deliberate indifference to his medical needs. The jurors also find Thao and Kueng guilty of an additional charge for failing to intervene to stop Chauvin. Lane, who did not face the extra charge, had testified that he asked Chauvin twice to reposition Floyd while restraining him but was denied both times.

    May 4, 2022 – A federal judge accepts Chauvin’s plea deal and will sentence him to 20 to 25 years in prison. Based on the plea filed, the sentence will be served concurrently with the 22.5-year sentence tied to his murder conviction at the state level. On July 7, Chauvin is sentenced to 21 years in prison.

    May 18, 2022 – Thomas Lane pleads guilty to second-degree manslaughter as part of a plea deal dismissing his murder charge. State and defense attorneys jointly recommend to the court Lane be sentenced to 36 months.

    July 27, 2022 – Kueng and Thao are sentenced to three years and three and a half years in federal prison, respectively.

    September 21, 2022 – Lane is sentenced to three years in prison on a state charge of aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter in Floyd’s death.

    October 24, 2022 – On the day his state trial is set to begin on charges of aiding and abetting in George Floyd’s killing, Kueng pleads guilty.

    December 3, 2022 – Kueng is sentenced to 3.5 years in prison for his role in the killing of Floyd.

    May 1, 2023 – A Minnesota judge finds Thao guilty of aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter, according to court documents. He is sentenced to four years and nine months in prison.

    June 12, 2020 – Rayshard Brooks, 27, is shot and killed by Atlanta police officer Garrett Rolfe outside a Wendy’s restaurant after failing a sobriety test, fighting with two officers, taking a Taser from one and running away.

    June 13, 2020 – Rolfe is terminated from the Atlanta Police Department, according to an Atlanta police spokesperson. A second officer involved is placed on administrative leave.

    June 14, 2020 – According to a release from the Fulton County, Georgia, Medical Examiner’s Office, Brooks died from a gunshot wound to the back. The manner of death is listed as homicide.

    June 17, 2020 – Fulton County’s district attorney announces felony murder charges against Rolfe. Another officer, Devin Brosnan, is facing an aggravated assault charge for standing or stepping on Brooks’ shoulder while he was lying on the ground. On August 23, 2022, a Georgia special prosecutor announces the charges will be dismissed, saying the officers acted reasonably in response to a deadly threat. Both officers remain on administrative leave with the Atlanta Police Department and will undergo recertification and training, the department said in a statement.

    May 5, 2021 – The Atlanta Civil Service Board rules that Rolfe was wrongfully terminated.

    November 21, 2022 – The family of Brooks reaches a $1 million settlement with the city of Atlanta, according to Ryan Julison, a spokesperson for Stewart Miller Simmons Trial Attorneys, the law firm representing Brooks’ family.

    April 11, 2021 – Daunte Wright, 20, is shot and killed by Brooklyn Center police officer Kimberly Potter following a routine traffic stop for an expired tag.

    April 12, 2021 – During a press conference, Brooklyn Center Police Chief Tim Gannon announces Potter accidentally drew a handgun instead of a Taser. According to Gannon, “this was an accidental discharge, that resulted in a tragic death of Mr. Wright.” Potter is placed on administrative leave. According to the Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s Office, Wright’s death has been ruled a homicide.

    April 13, 2021 – Gannon submits his resignation. CNN is told Potter has also submitted a letter of resignation.

    April 14, 2021 – Potter is arrested and charged with second degree manslaughter. Washington County Attorney Pete Orput issues a news release which includes a summary of the criminal complaint filed against Potter. According to the release, Potter shot Wright with a Glock handgun holstered on her right side, after saying she would tase Wright. Later, the state amends the complaint against Potter, adding an additional charge of manslaughter in the first degree.

    December 23, 2021 – Potter is found guilty of first and second-degree manslaughter. On February 18, 2022, she is sentenced to two years in prison. In April 2023, Potter is released from prison after serving 16 months.

    June 21, 2022 – The city of Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, agrees to pay $3.25 million to the family of Wright. The sum is part of a settlement deal the family struck with the city, which also agreed to make changes in its policing policies and training, the Wright family legal team said in a news release.

    2022 – Grand Rapids, Michigan – Patrick Lyoya

    April 4, 2022 – Patrick Lyoya, 26-year-old Black man, is shot and killed by a police officer following a traffic stop.

    April 13, 2022 – Grand Rapids police release video from police body camera, the police unit’s dashcam, a cell phone and a home surveillance system, which show the police officer’s encounter with Lyoya, including two clips showing the fatal shot. Lyoya was pulled over for an allegedly unregistered license plate when he got out of the car and ran. He resisted the officer’s attempt to arrest him and was shot while struggling with the officer on the ground.

    April 19, 2022 – An autopsy commissioned by Lyoya’s family shows the 26-year-old was shot in the back of the head following the April 4 encounter with a Grand Rapids police officer, attorneys representing the family announce. The officer has not been publicly identified.

    April 21, 2022 – Michigan state officials ask the US Department of Justice to launch a “pattern-or-practice” investigation into the Grand Rapids Police Department after the death of Lyoya.

    April 25, 2022 – The chief of Grand Rapids police identifies Christopher Schurr as the officer who fatally shot Lyoya.

    June 9 ,2022 – Schurr is charged with one count of second-degree murder in the death of Lyoya. Benjamin Crump. the Lyoya family attorney says in a statement, “we are encouraged by attorney Christopher Becker’s decision to charge Schurr for the brutal killing of Patrick Lyoya, which we all witnessed when the video footage was released to the public.” On June 10, 2022, Schurr pleads not guilty.

    January 7, 2023 – Tyre Nichols, a 29-year-old Black man, is hospitalized following a traffic stop that lead to a violent arrest. Nichols dies three days later from injuries sustained, according to police.

    January 15, 2023 – The Memphis Police Department announces they immediately launched an investigation into the action of officers involved in the arrest of Nichols.

    January 18, 2023 – The Department of Justice says a civil rights investigation has been opened into the death of Nichols.

    January 20, 2023 – The five officers are named and fired: Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills Jr. and Justin Smith.

    January 23, 2023 – Nichols’ family and their attorneys view police video of the arrest.

    January 26, 2023 – A grand jury indicts the five police officers. They are each charged with second-degree murder, aggravated assault, two charges of aggravated kidnapping, two charges of official misconduct and one charge of official oppression, according to both Shelby County criminal court and Shelby County jail records.

    January 27, 2023 – The city of Memphis releases body camera and surveillance video of the the traffic stop and beating that led to the Nichols’ death.

    January 30, 2023 – Memphis police say two additional officers have been placed on leave. Only one officer is identified, Preston Hemphill. Additionally, the Memphis Fire Department announces three employees have been fired over their response to the incident: emergency medical technicians Robert Long and JaMichael Sandridge and Lt. Michelle Whitaker.

    May 4, 2023 – The Shelby County medical examiner’s report shows that Nichols died from blunt force trauma to the head. His death has been ruled a homicide.

    September 12, 2023 – The five police officers involved are indicted by a federal grand jury on several charges including deprivation of rights.

    November 2, 2023 – Desmond Mills Jr., one of the five former Memphis police officers accused in the death of Nichols, pleads guilty to federal charges and agrees to plead guilty to related state charges as part of a plea deal with prosecutors.

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  • Jury begins deliberations in trial of officers charged in Elijah McClain’s death | CNN

    Jury begins deliberations in trial of officers charged in Elijah McClain’s death | CNN



    CNN
     — 

    A jury began deliberations Tuesday in the trial of two Aurora, Colorado, police officers who arrested Elijah McClain, an unarmed 23-year-old Black man, who died after he was subdued by police and injected with ketamine by paramedics in 2019.

    The two officers, Randy Roedema and Jason Rosenblatt, each face charges including reckless manslaughter and have pleaded not guilty.

    Jurors were given the cases at around 4:30 p.m. local time and spent about half an hour in the jury room before being dismissed for the day. The 12 jurors will return at 8:30 a.m. local time Wednesday to resume deliberations.

    During closing arguments of the trial on Tuesday, prosecutors said the two officers used excessive force, failed to follow their training and misled paramedics about his health status.

    “They were trained. They were told what to do. They were given instructions. They had opportunities, and they failed to choose to de-esclate violence when they needed to, they failed to listen to Mr. McClain when they needed to, and they failed Mr. McClain,” prosecutor Duane Lyons said in court.

    Rosenblatt was fired by the police department in 2020 and Roedema remains suspended. Roedema and Rosenblatt have pleaded not guilty to charges of reckless manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide and assault causing serious bodily injury in connection with McClain’s death.

    The case stems from the events of August 24, 2019, when officers responded to a call about a “suspicious person” wearing a ski mask, according to the indictment. The officers confronted McClain, a 23-year-old  massage therapist, musician and animal lover who was walking home from a convenience store carrying a plastic bag with iced tea.

    In an interaction captured on body camera footage, police wrestled McClain to the ground and placed him in a carotid hold, and paramedics later injected him with the powerful sedative ketamine. He suffered a heart attack on the way to the hospital and was pronounced dead three days later.

    Prosecutors initially declined to bring charges, but the case received renewed scrutiny following the nationwide Black Lives Matter protests in spring 2020. Colorado Gov. Jared Polis appointed a special prosecutor to reexamine the case, and in 2021 a grand jury indicted three officers and two paramedics in McClain’s death.

    In closing arguments, the prosecution played body-camera footage of the arrest and said the footage showed officers used excessive force for no reason. McClain also repeatedly said he couldn’t breathe, yet the officers did not tell that to anyone on the scene.

    Roedema and Rosenblatt’s joint trial began last month and featured testimony from Aurora law enforcement officers who responded to the scene as well as from doctors who analyzed how McClain died. The defense did not call any witnesses.

    In opening statements, prosecutors argued the officers used excessive force against McClain in the form of two carotid holds. The officers then failed to check his vital signs, even as he threw up in his ski mask and repeatedly said “I can’t breathe,” according to the prosecution.

    Dr. Robert Mitchell Jr., a forensic pathologist who reviewed McClain’s autopsy, testified the cause of death was “complications following acute ketamine administration during violent subdual and restraint by law enforcement, emergency response personnel.” He testified there was a “direct causal link” between the officers’ actions and McClain’s death.

    The defense argued the carotid holds were appropriate because McClain was physically resisting. Defense attorneys also argued there was no evidence the officers’ actions led to his death, and instead placed the blame on the paramedics’ decision to inject McClain with a dose of ketamine too large for his size.

    Dr. David Beuther, a pulmonary critical care physician, testified on cross-examination he believed McClain would not have died if the paramedics had recognized his issues and intervened.

    A third officer and two paramedics who responded to the scene are set to go on trial in the coming weeks. They have also pleaded not guilty.

    In 2021, the city of Aurora settled a civil rights lawsuit with the McClain family for $15 million, and the Aurora police and fire departments  agreed to a consent decree to address a pattern of racial bias found by a state investigation.

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  • The Police Chief Who Led A Raid Of A Small Kansas Newspaper Has Been Suspended

    The Police Chief Who Led A Raid Of A Small Kansas Newspaper Has Been Suspended

    The police chief who led a highly criticized raid of a small Kansas newspaper has been suspended, the mayor confirmed to The Associated Press on Saturday.

    Marion Mayor Dave Mayfield in a text said he suspended Chief Gideon Cody on Thursday. He declined to discuss his decision further and did not say whether Cody was still being paid.

    Voice messages and emails from the AP seeking comment from Cody’s lawyers were not immediately returned Saturday.

    The Aug. 11 searches of the Marion County Record’s office and the homes of its publisher and a City Council member have been sharply criticized, putting Marion at the center of a debate over the press protections offered by the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

    Cody’s suspension is a reversal for the mayor, who previously said he would wait for results from a state police investigation before taking action.

    Vice-Mayor Ruth Herbel, whose home was also raided Aug. 11, praised Cody’s suspension as “the best thing that can happen to Marion right now” as the central Kansas town of about 1,900 people struggles to move forward under the national spotlight.

    “We can’t duck our heads until it goes away, because it’s not going to go away until we do something about it,” Herbel said.

    Cody has said little publicly since the raids other than posting a defense of them on the police department’s Facebook page. In court documents he filed to get the search warrants, he argued that he had probable cause to believe the newspaper and Herbel, whose home was also raided, had violated state laws against identity theft or computer crimes.

    The raids came after a local restaurant owner accused the newspaper of illegally accessing information about her. A spokesman for the agency that maintains those records has said the newspaper’s online search that a reporter did was likely legal even though the reporter needed personal information about the restaurant owner that a tipster provided to look up her driving record.

    The newspaper’s publisher Eric Meyer has said the identity theft allegations simply provided a convenient excuse for the search after his reporters had been digging for background information on Cody, who was appointed this summer.

    Legal experts believe the raid on the newspaper violated a federal privacy law or a state law shielding journalists from having to identify sources or turn over unpublished material to law enforcement.

    Video of the raid on the home of publisher Eric Meyer shows how distraught his 98-year-old mother became as officers searched through their belongings. Meyer said he believes that stress contributed to the death of his mother, Joan Meyer, a day later.

    Another reporter last month filed a federal lawsuit against the police chief over the raid.

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  • Ohio police release video of fatal police shooting of pregnant 21-year-old Ta’Kiya Young | CNN

    Ohio police release video of fatal police shooting of pregnant 21-year-old Ta’Kiya Young | CNN



    CNN
     — 

    Newly released police body camera footage shows an officer firing through the windshield of a pregnant woman’s car after she was accused of shoplifting at a grocery store in a Columbus, Ohio, suburb last week.

    Ta’kiya Young, 21, was later pronounced dead at a hospital.

    The video shows a Blendon Township police officer approaching Young’s driver’s side window outside a Kroger in Westerville and repeatedly telling her to get out of the car.

    A second officer, who is also wearing a body camera, then steps in front of the vehicle.

    “They said you stole something….get out of the car,” the officer at the window says, telling Young not to leave.

    “I didn’t steal sh*t,” Young can be heard saying as the two argue back and forth with her window slightly ajar.

    Police previously said a grocery store employee had notified police officers a woman who had stolen bottles of alcohol was in a car parked outside the store.

    “Get out of the f**king car,” the officer standing in front of the car says, with his gun drawn and his left hand braced on the hood of the car, the video shows.

    Young can then be seen turning the wheel of the car as the officer next to her window continues to urge her to exit the vehicle.

    “Get out of the f**king car,” the officer in front of the car repeats as the vehicle begins to move slowly forward, the video shows.

    A few seconds elapse and then the officer standing in front of the hood fires into the vehicle.

    After the shot is fired, the officers run alongside the car yelling at the driver to stop.

    The car rolls onto a sidewalk between two brick columns and into a building.

    Police then call for backup and work to break the window to get to the driver, who appears to be slumped over to one side.

    The body camera footage released by the Blendon Township Police Department blurred the faces of the officers. The footage is also edited and spliced together.

    Young was pregnant at the time of her death and the fetus did not survive, the Franklin County Coroner’s Office previously said. Her cause of death is pending.

    Police say the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation is conducting an independent investigation of the incident.

    The BCI probe could take “several weeks or months,” according to Steve Irwin, the press secretary for the Ohio Attorney General’s Office, which includes BCI. After investigators finish the examination, their findings will be forwarded to the county prosecutor who will make a decision on pursuing any potential charges, he said.

    “Having viewed the footage in its entirety, it is undeniable that Ta’Kiya’s death was not only avoidable, but also a gross misuse of power and authority,” lawyers representing Young’s family said in a news release.

    “After seeing the video footage of her death, this is clearly a criminal act and the family demands a swift indictment of this officer for the killings of both Ta’Kiyah and her unborn daughter,” they said.

    Police say the officers haven’t “waived their rights as victims” in this incident and are withholding their identities, according to a news release from Blendon Township police.

    “When Ms. Young drove her car directly at Officer #1, striking him, Officer #1 became a victim of attempted vehicular assault,” police said in a news release.

    “When Ms. Young pulled away from Officer #2 while his hand and part of his arm was still in the driver’s side window, Officer #2 became a victim of misdemeanor assault,” they said in the news release.

    Authorities said the officers worked quickly to help Young after the shooting, saying EMS was called 10 seconds after she was taken out of the car. The officer who fired the shot also grabbed a trauma kit and applied a chest seal to her wound in under two minutes after she was removed from the vehicle.

    The officer who fired his weapon is still on administrative leave, but the second officer who was at the window is back at work. Chief John Belford said after he reviewed the videos, he didn’t see a reason to keep the second officer on leave.

    “I returned him to duty, as our staffing is already very limited,” he said, noting both officers would still be subject to a “full administrative review” after the BCI investigation.

    “Last week, there was a tragedy in our community,” Belford said in a statement. Due to potential pending litigation, he says the department is “very limited in what we can say.”

    “We’re being as transparent and forthcoming as we can, given these significant legal constraints.” He cited an ongoing BCI investigation and potential “personnel actions” regarding the officer who opened fire.

    The local police union said others would make any decisions regarding whether either officer is charged in the incident. But, Brian Steel, executive vice president of Fraternal Order of Police Capital City Lodge #9, noted “a weapon is not just a firearm. A weapon is also a 2000-pound vehicle that somebody puts in gear and is driving at you.”

    “I understand why it could be justified but, again, I don’t make that decision,” Steel said at a news conference Friday, adding he was assuming the officer believed he could not get out of the way of the vehicle quickly enough.

    The Blendon Township Police Department’s use of force policy says when it’s “feasible,” officers should take “reasonable steps” to get out of the way of an approaching vehicle instead of firing a weapon.

    “An officer should only discharge a firearm at a moving vehicle or its occupants when the officer reasonably believes there are no other reasonable means available to avert the imminent threat of the vehicle, or if deadly force other than the vehicle is directed at the officer or others,” the policy says.

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  • Minnesota officials investigating fatal officer-involved shooting of a man during a traffic stop in Minneapolis | CNN

    Minnesota officials investigating fatal officer-involved shooting of a man during a traffic stop in Minneapolis | CNN



    CNN
     — 

    Three Minnesota State Patrol troopers are on leave after one of them fatally shot a man during a traffic stop early Monday in Minneapolis, and the state is investigating the shooting, authorities say.

    “This is just a tremendously sad situation,” the state patrol’s chief, Col. Matt Langer, said in a news conference Tuesday. The names of the troopers have not been released.

    Law enforcement has also not named the driver who was killed, but his family has identified him as Ricky Cobb II. The man’s face is blurred in body-worn camera footage released by the state patrol on Tuesday.

    “I am so hurt. I’m confused. I’m speechless,” Cobb’s mother, Nyra Fields-Miller, said during a news conference Tuesday.

    The fatal interaction began when troopers pulled over a car that was traveling on Interstate 94 without its taillights turned on, according to Langer.

    “Troopers learned that the driver was actually wanted by law enforcement in Ramsey County in connection with a felony Order for Protection violation,” Langer said.

    The body camera footage shows a trooper speaking to Cobb through the driver’s side window. The trooper asks him to step out of the car and says, “We just have some stuff to talk about.”

    The driver – who is Black – asks for a more detailed explanation. When Cobb asks whether the stop is related to a warrant, the trooper replies, “No, it’s not a warrant.” Cobb then refuses to get out of the car.

    A second trooper opens the front passenger-side door, and then the first trooper opens the front driver-side door and attempts to remove Cobb physically, body camera and dashboard camera footage shows. The car appears to move forward, and then shots are heard, the dashboard camera footage shows.

    “A state patrol trooper discharged their firearm during the course of this incident,” Langer said. The trooper who fired was the one standing at the front passenger-side door, Langer said.

    Both troopers are seen falling to the ground as Cobb drives away, the footage shows. A third trooper is also seen standing next to the car.

    The troopers then pursue the man’s car in their patrol vehicles and eventually catch up to it as it is slowly moving next to a guardrail, the video shows. The troopers use their vehicles to pin the car to the guardrail.

    The video shows the troopers attempting to administer first aid to Cobb. “I don’t have a pulse. I’m going to start CPR,” one trooper says.

    CNN has sought comment from the Minnesota State Patrol Troopers Association.

    Langer said he could not immediately explain why the trooper thought deadly force was required.

    “I simply don’t know what they were thinking,” he said.

    The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension – a separate state law enforcement agency – is investigating the shooting. The case will then be turned over to the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office, which will determine whether any charges will be filed, a spokesperson for the office told CNN.

    “This is an important decision that impacts everyone in our community, including the family and friends of Ricky Cobb, the troopers who were involved, and our broader community,” Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said in a written statement. “I take both police accountability and the integrity of the legal process very seriously.”

    Cobb’s mother said his death has had a “devastating” impact on his children and siblings.

    “I’m hurting so incredibly bad from my heart, my soul and my body,” Fields-Miller said. “I want justice for my son.”

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  • 3 San Antonio officers charged with murder in fatal shooting of woman at her apartment | CNN

    3 San Antonio officers charged with murder in fatal shooting of woman at her apartment | CNN



    CNN
     — 

    Three San Antonio police officers were charged with murder on Friday, less than 24 hours after they fatally shot a woman during a police call, their chief announced.

    Officer Eleazar Alejandro, 28; Sgt. Alfred Flores, 45; and Officer Nathaniel Villalobos, 27, are suspended from the force without pay as the investigation continues. All were released on $100,000 bond, Bexar County jail records show, and none has commented to CNN.

    “The shooting officers’ actions were not consistent with SAPD policies and training, and they placed themselves in a situation where they used deadly force which was not reasonable given all the circumstances as we now understand them,” Chief William McManus said in a news conference Friday night.

    Police were responding to a call that a woman later identified as Melissa Ann Perez, 46, was cutting wires to a fire alarm system at her apartment complex, McManus said.

    “It appeared that Ms. Perez was having a mental health crisis,” said the chief.

    After initially speaking with officers outside, Perez went back inside her apartment and locked the door, according to McManus.

    Officers continued to talk to Perez through a rear patio window, urging her to come out, edited and blurred body camera video released by the police department shows.

    “You ain’t got no warrant!” she says twice, according to the body camera video.

    One officer tried to open the window, and McManus said Perez threw a glass candleholder at him, McManus said. She later swung a hammer at an officer but hit the window instead, breaking it, police said.

    According to McManus, one officer opened fire, but Perez was not hit and could be heard still speaking on the body camera video.

    But seconds later, Perez “advanced toward the window again while still holding the hammer, and all three officers opened fire,” McManus said.

    More than a dozen shots are heard on the body camera video. Perez was struck at least twice, McManus said. Officers “attempted life-saving measures,” the arrest warrant said, but Perez died at the scene.

    Although she was allegedly approaching the officers with a hammer when they opened fire, the arrest warrant said Perez “did not pose an imminent threat of serious bodily injury or death when she was shot because the defendants had a wall, a window blocked by a television, and a locked door between them.”

    CNN has requested the unedited body camera videos in the case.

    Perez’s children, who range in age from 9 to 24 years old, are have been struck with “incomprehensible grief” following their mothers’ death, the family’s attorney, Dan Packard, told CNN Monday.

    “There’s no words to explain to a 9-year-old how three police officers all thought it was okay to gun this woman down in unison while she was in her own house behind a wall,” Packard said.

    The San Antonio Police Officers’ Association expressed its condolences for Perez’s family in a statement Monday. Citing the active investigation, the association said it “cannot speak to the matter further until the investigation is complete and judicial process is underway.”

    “Following the tragic incident, Chief McManus followed all necessary protocols. All three officers have been suspended indefinitely,” the police association said.

    The swiftness of the charges against the officers reflects a trend as communities reckon with police accountability in the wake of the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

    Five officers in Memphis, Tennessee, were quickly charged in the death of Tyre Nichols, in contrast to earlier cases, such as the police shooting of Jacob Blake, in Kenosha, Wisconsin, in which officials decided not to charge the officer five months later.

    Officer use of force also has been under scrutiny nationwide, especially against people facing mental health crises. The City of Rochester, New York, reached a settlement with the family of Daniel Prude, who died following an encounter with police. In Virginia, Irvo Otieno died after being pinned to the floor by security officers at a state mental health facility. And in California, Miles Hall was shot by police during what his family called a mental health episode.

    Melissa Ann Perez

    Perez’ family is “heartbroken,” it said, and plans to file a lawsuit against the city, according to reports and information from family attorney, Dan Packard.

    “We are not talking about a rogue officer who just lost his mind or got mad,” Packard said in an on-camera interview with CNN affiliate KENS 5. “We’re talking about three officers who thought it was OK to gun this woman down in her own house.”

    “We believe that there are systemic problems in the department that allowed this to happen,” Packard added.

    CNN has reached out to Packard for a copy of the suit, once it’s filed.

    Packard told CNN Perez had schizophrenia and may have had prior interactions with police. The attorney said he’s not sure how easily accessible that information would have been to the officers who responded to her home last week.

    “I think that’s an important component that (Perez’s family) are not angry people who are overly suspicious of the police, but this has shattered their trust in the police force and in the system,” Packard said.

    Perez’s family has requested prayers as they grapple with her sudden death.

    “They do not know how these children are going to cope and deal with this and so they take it one day at a time,” the attorney said. “We’re getting them the professional help that they need. But they’re asking for your prayers.”

    The police department will conduct an internal review and turn it over to prosecutors once it is completed. Court records indicate their preliminary hearing is set for July 25.

    CNN left messages with Alejandro and Villalobos requesting comment Saturday. CNN was unable to find contact information for Flores.

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  • Minneapolis reaches settlements in 2 suits alleging then-officer Derek Chauvin used excessive force years before George Floyd’s killing | CNN

    Minneapolis reaches settlements in 2 suits alleging then-officer Derek Chauvin used excessive force years before George Floyd’s killing | CNN



    CNN
     — 

    The city of Minneapolis has reached settlements totaling more than $8.8 million in two civil lawsuits that accuse former police officer Derek Chauvin of using excessive force in two incidents that happened nearly three years before he killed George Floyd during an arrest.

    The plaintiffs, John Pope and Zoya Code – both Black – said Chauvin restrained them on the ground with his knee on their necks, a move similar to the one he would later deploy on Floyd and which was determined be a contributing factor in his death.

    Chauvin was sentenced to more than 20 years in prison for Floyd’s 2020 murder, during which the former officer knelt on the 46-year-old Black man’s neck for more than nine minutes as he cried out, “I can’t breathe.”

    The Minneapolis City Council unanimously voted Thursday to approve a $7.5 million settlement in Pope’s case and a $1.375 million in Code’s case, the city said in a release.

    Their lawsuits alleged that the Minneapolis Police Department’s failure to intervene in Chauvin’s pattern of excessive force ultimately led to Floyd’s killing. The two suits collectively named seven other Minneapolis police officers who were present during the arrests as defendants.

    “Derek Chauvin is exactly where he should be, which is in federal prison,” Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said during a media conference on Thursday. “He should have been fired in 2017. He should have been held accountable in 2017. … If the supervisors had done the right thing, George Floyd would not have been murdered.”

    Frey went on to apologize to Pope, Code and any others who have “experienced this kind of egregious conduct at the hands of Derek Chauvin.”

    The attorney who represented Pope and Code, Bob Bennett, said Thursday that problem far exceeds Chauvin.

    “Beware the ease of blaming Chauvin alone. While he is a blunt instrument of police brutality and racism, he could never flourish in a police agency that lived up to its mission statement,” Bennett said in a statement.

    They urged people to “focus instead on the MPD rank and file who supported Chauvin with their unquestioning obedience, failure to intervene to stop his heinous acts, and their failure to report them per policy and human conscience.”

    Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara apologized Thursday to Pope and Code and called Chauvin “a national embarrassment to the policing profession.”

    “This is an example of the cancer that has infected this department,” O’Hara said. “Today is not a day for excuses or attempts at justification. The notion that we are dealing with the bad actions of one employee is false. We are dealing with the ugly consequences stemming from a systemic failure within the Minneapolis Police Department that has allowed for, and at times encouraged, unjust and brutal policing.”

    The US Department of Justice launched a federal civil investigation into the Minneapolis Police Department’s practices in April 2021.

    CNN has attempted to reach out to Chauvin’s attorney for comment.

    Code encountered Chauvin on June 25, 2017, when he and another officer responded to a call in which Code’s mother reported her daughter assaulted her, the lawsuit states.

    While in the home, the officers forced Code to the ground and handcuffed her “without incident,” according to the lawsuit. Chauvin then carried her out of the house by her arms, which were handcuffed behind her back, it says.

    “Outside the residence, Defendant Chauvin gratuitously slammed Zoya’s unprotected head on the ground. Then he immediately took his signature pose, kneeing on the back of Zoya’s neck,” the lawsuit states. The city said in its Thursday release that Chauvin knelt on her for several minutes, even after she had been restrained by a hobble.

    Chauvin later lied about the encounter in his police report and “left out critical information about the interaction,” the city said.

    Code’s experience was “strikingly similar” to that of Pope, who was 14 years old at the time of his September 4, 2017 arrest, their attorneys said.

    While responding to a domestic dispute call, Chauvin repeatedly struck Pope in the head with a metal flashlight and pinned him to the floor with his knee on Pope’s upper back and neck for more than 15 minutes, the lawsuit states.

    “Many significant details in the officers’ reports are not consistent with what happened,” during their interaction with Pope that day, the city said.

    That encounter led to a federal civil rights indictment against Chauvin, who pleaded guilty to all charges in December 2021, admitting to using “unreasonable and excessive force.”

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  • The Tennessee Expulsions Are Just the Beginning

    The Tennessee Expulsions Are Just the Beginning

    The red-state drive to reverse the rights revolution of the past six decades continues to intensify, triggering confrontations involving every level of government.

    In rapid succession, Republican-controlled states are applying unprecedented tactics to shift social policy sharply to the right, not only within their borders but across the nation. Just last Thursday, the GOP-controlled Tennessee House of Representatives voted to expel two young Black Democratic representatives, and Texas’s Republican governor, Greg Abbott, on Saturday moved to nullify the verdict of a jury in liberal Travis County. In between, last Friday, a single Republican-appointed federal judge, acting on a case brought by a conservative legal group and 23 Republican state attorneys general, issued a decision that would impose a nationwide ban on mifepristone, the principal drug used in medication abortions.

    All of these actions are coming as red states, continuing an upsurge that began in 2021, push forward a torrent of bills restricting abortion, LGBTQ, and voting rights; loosening controls on gun ownership; censoring classroom discussion of race, gender, and sexual orientation; and preempting the authority of their Democratic-leaning metropolitan cities and counties.

    This flood of legislation has started to erase the long-term trend of Congress and federal courts steadily nationalizing more rights and reducing the freedom of states to constrict them—what legal scholars have called the “rights revolution.” Now, across all these different arenas and more, the United States is hurtling back toward a pre-1960s world in which citizens’ basic rights and liberties vary much more depending on where they live.

    Read: The Republican axis reversing the rights revolution

    “We are in the middle of an existential crisis for the future of our burgeoning multicultural, multiethnic democracy,” and the extreme events unfolding in Tennessee and other states “are the early manifestations of an abandonment of democratic norms,” Janai Nelson, the president and director-counsel of the Legal Defense Fund, wrote to me in an email.

    The past week’s events in Tennessee and Texas, and the federal court case on mifepristone, extend strategies that red states have employed since 2020 to influence national policy. But these latest moves show Republicans taking those strategies to new extremes. Together these developments underscore how aggressively red states are maneuvering to block the federal government and their own largest metropolitan areas from resisting their systematic attempt to carve out what I’ve called a “nation within a nation,” operating with its own constraints on civil rights and liberties.

    “It shows there really is no limit, no institution that is quote-unquote ‘sacred’ enough not to try to use to their advantage,” Marissa Roy, the legal team lead for the Local Solutions Support Center, a group opposing the broad range of state preemption efforts, told me.

    This multipronged offensive from red states seeks to reverse one of the most powerful currents in modern American life. Since the 1960s, on issues including the legalization of abortion and same-sex marriage and the banning of discrimination on grounds of race or gender, the Supreme Court, Congress, and federal agencies have broadened the circle of rights guaranteed nationwide and reduced the ability of states to limit those rights.

    Over the past decade, Republican-controlled states have stepped up their efforts to reverse that arrow and restore their freedom to impose their own restrictions on rights and liberties. Nelson sees this red-state drive as continuing the “cycle of progress and retrenchment” on racial equity through American history that stretches back to Reconstruction and the southern resistance that eventually produced Jim Crow segregation. “The current pendulum swing is occurring both in reaction to changing politics and changing demographics, making the arc of that swing that much higher toward extremism,” she told me.

    The vote in the Tennessee House of Representatives, for instance, marked a new level in the long-term struggle between red states and blue cities. In most red states, Republicans control the governorship and/or state legislature primarily through their dominance of predominantly white non-urban areas. Over the past decade, those red-state Republicans have grown more aggressive about using that statewide power to preempt the authority of, and override decisions by, their largest cities and counties, which are typically more racially diverse and Democratic-leaning.

    These preemption bills have removed authority from local governments over policy areas including minimum wage, COVID masking requirements, environmental rules, and even plastic-bag-recycling mandates. Legislatures have accompanied many of these bills with other measures, such as extreme gerrymanders, meant to dilute the political clout of their state’s population centers and shift influence toward exurban and rural areas where Republicans are strongest. In Tennessee, for example, the legislature voted to arbitrarily cut the size of the Nashville Metropolitan Council in half, a decision that a state court blocked this week. Many of the bills that red states have passed since 2020 making it harder to vote have specifically barred techniques used by large counties to encourage participation, such as drop boxes or mobile voting vans.

    Republicans who control the Tennessee House took this attack on urban political power to a new peak with their vote to expel the two Black Democratic representatives, Justin Pearson and Justin Jones, who represent Memphis and Nashville, respectively. Though local officials in each city quickly moved this week to reappoint the two men, the GOP majority sent an ominous signal in its initial vote to remove them. The expulsions went beyond making structural changes to diminish the power of big-city residents, to entirely erasing those voters’ decision on whom they wanted to represent them in the legislature. Conservative legislatures and governors “have become so emboldened [in believing] that they can tread on local democracy,” Roy said, “that they are going all out and perhaps destroying the institution altogether.”

    One of the most aggressive areas of red-state preemption this year has been in moves to seize control of policing and prosecutorial powers in Democratic-leaning cities and counties, which typically have large minority populations. In Georgia, for instance, both chambers of the GOP-controlled state legislature have passed bills creating a new oversight board that would be directed by state officials and have the power to recommend removal of county prosecutors. In Mississippi, both GOP-controlled chambers have approved legislation to expand state authority over policing and the courts in Jackson, the state capital, a city more than 80 percent Black. The Republican governor in each state is expected to sign the bills.

    Tennessee legislators passed a bill in their last session increasing state authority to override local prosecutors. This week they went further. Although it didn’t attract nearly the attention of the expulsion vote, the Tennessee House Criminal Justice Committee on Tuesday approved a bill to eradicate an independent board to investigate police misconduct that Nashville residents had voted to create in a 2018 referendum.

    In 2019, the GOP legislature had already stripped the Nashville Community Oversight Board of the subpoena power that was included in the local referendum establishing it. The new legislation approved this week, which is also advancing in the State Senate, would replace the board and instead require that citizen complaints about police behavior in Nashville and other cities be directed to the internal-affairs offices of their police departments. The legislation is moving forward just weeks after five former police officers were indicted in Memphis for beating a Black man named Tyre Nichols to death. “You would think that while the Tyre Nichols case is going on … that we would be really wanting more oversight, not less,” Jill Fitcheard, the executive director of the Nashville oversight board, told me. Coming so soon after the vote to expel the two Black members, the attempt to eradicate the oversight board, she said, represents “another attack on democracy in Nashville.”

    Texas has joined this procession with bills backed by Governor Abbott and Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick advancing in both legislative chambers to make it easier for state officials to remove local prosecutors who resist bringing cases on priorities for the GOP majority, such as the measures banning abortion or gender-affirming care for transgender minors.

    But Abbott last Saturday introduced an explosive new element into the red-state push to preempt local law-enforcement authority. In a statement, Abbott directed the Texas Board of Pardons and Parole to fast-track consideration of a pardon for a U.S. Army sergeant convicted just one day earlier of killing a Black Lives Matter protester in 2020. Abbott, who had faced criticism from conservative media for not intervening in the case, promised to approve the pardon, and criticized the Democratic district attorney who brought the case and the jury that decided it in Travis County, an overwhelmingly blue county centered on Austin.

    Although many Republicans are seeking ways to constrain law-enforcement officials in blue counties, Abbott’s move would invalidate a decision by a jury in such a Democratic-leaning area. And whereas the preemption legislation in Texas and elsewhere targets prosecutors because of the cases they won’t prosecute, Abbott is looking to override a local prosecutor because of a case he did prosecute.

    Read: America is growing apart, possibly for good

    Gerry Morris, a former president of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers now practicing in Austin, told me that Abbott’s move was especially chilling because it came before any of the normal legal appeals to a conviction had begun. Morris said he can think of no precedent for a Texas governor intervening so peremptorily to effectively overturn a jury verdict. “I guess it means if you are going to kill somebody in Texas,” Morris said, “you need to make sure it’s somebody Governor Abbott thinks ought to be killed; because if that’s the case, then he’ll pardon you.”

    The past week’s third dramatic escalation came from District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk, an appointee of former President Donald Trump with ties to the social-conservative movement. Kacsmaryk’s ruling overturning the FDA’s approval in 2000 of mifepristone was in one sense unprecedented. “Never has a court actually overturned an FDA scientific decision in approving a drug on the grounds that [the] FDA got it wrong,” William Schultz, a former deputy commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, said on a press call Monday.

    But in another sense, the case merely extended what’s become a routine strategy in the red states’ drive to set their own rules. Nearly two dozen Republican state attorneys general joined the lawsuit in support of the effort to ban mifepristone. That continued a steady procession of cases brought by Republican-controlled states to hobble the exercise of federal authority, or to erase rights that had previously been guaranteed nationwide.

    The most consequential example of this trend is the case involving a Mississippi abortion law that the Republican-appointed Supreme Court majority used to overturn Roe v. Wade last summer. But shifting coalitions of GOP state attorneys general have also sued to block environmental regulations proposed by President Joe Biden, and to prevent him from changing Trump-administration immigration-enforcement policies or acting to protect LGBTQ people under federal antidiscrimination laws. Red states “have been very interested in opposing virtually every rule or guidance that would provide nondiscrimination protection to LGBTQ people,” says Sarah Warbelow, the legal director for the Human Rights Campaign.

    All of these legal and political struggles raise the same underlying question: Can Democrats and their allies defend the national baseline of civil rights and liberties America has built since the 1960s?

    Democrats have found themselves stymied in efforts to restore those rights through legislation: While Democrats held unified control of Congress during Biden’s first years, the House passed bills that would largely override the red-state moves and restore a set of national rules on abortion, voting, and LGBTQ rights. But in each case, they could not overcome a Republican-led Senate filibuster.

    The Biden administration and civil-rights groups are pursuing lawsuits against many of the red-state rights rollbacks. But numerous legal experts remain skeptical that the conservative U.S. Supreme Court majority will reverse many of the red-state actions. The third tool available to Democrats is federal executive-branch action, such as the Title IX regulations the Education Department proposed last week that would invalidate the blanket bans against transgender girls participating in school sports that virtually all the red states have now approved. Yet federal regulations that attempt to counter the red-state actions may prompt resistance from that conservative Supreme Court majority.

    And even as Democrats search for strategies to preserve a common baseline of rights, they face the prospect that Republicans may seek to nationalize the restrictive red-state social regime. Congressional Republicans have introduced bills to write into federal law almost all of the red-state moves, such as abortion bans and prohibitions on classroom discussion of sexual orientation or participation in school sports by transgender girls. Several 2024 GOP presidential candidates are starting to offer similar proposals.

    The past week has seen Republicans reach a new extreme in their effort to build a nation within a nation across the red states. But the next time the GOP achieves unified control of Congress and the White House, even this may seem like the beginning of an attempt to impose on blue states the rollback of rights and liberties that continues to burn unabated through red America.

    Ronald Brownstein

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  • What we know about the fatal police shooting of Jayland Walker as grand jury considers the case | CNN

    What we know about the fatal police shooting of Jayland Walker as grand jury considers the case | CNN



    CNN
     — 

    The city of Akron, Ohio, is bracing for the findings of a special grand jury, which has been tasked with deciding if any of the eight police officers directly involved in the fatal shooting of Jayland Walker last summer will face criminal charges.

    The shooting – in which Walker, who was Black, was shot dozens of times – came after police said the 25-year-old fled an attempted traffic stop early one morning last June. Walker’s death prompted an investigation by the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation, along with protests over racial injustice and police use of force – a few of which erupted into violence, resulting in damage to local businesses, according to Akron police.

    Walker was unarmed at the time he was killed, according to police, though a gun was found in his vehicle after the shooting, and officers said Walker fired a gun from his vehicle during the car chase.

    The Ohio BCI investigation has been completed and was referred to the special prosecutor, a spokesperson for the Ohio Attorney General’s Office confirmed to CNN last month. The office declined to comment on any matters related to grand jury proceedings.

    The city and attorneys for Walker’s family, however, acknowledged the grand jury review was underway in statements to CNN, with the latter criticizing the process as one that favored the police.

    “Today an Akron grand jury began its process of determining whether the officers who gunned down Jayland Walker last summer will be held criminally accountable for their actions,” attorney Bobby DiCello said in a statement Monday.

    “As part of that process, as Ohio law allows, the officers will be invited to testify before the grand jury on their behalf. Keep in mind that if any other Akron citizen was accused of a crime, they would not necessarily be afforded that same privilege,” he said. “Simply put, it’s a process that favors the officers.”

    City officials hosted public meetings to address concerns about the grand jury proceedings and how any decision might impact the community. At one, Police Chief Stephen Mylett said he was “anticipating that there is going to be a response from Akron and beyond.”

    The city also has established a demonstration zone downtown, along with temporary barriers and fencing around court and municipal buildings – moves a city spokesperson described as purely precautionary.

    Here’s what we know about the shooting of Jayland Walker:

    Walker was killed in a burst of gunfire early June 27, 2022, following a vehicle pursuit and foot chase that started when officers tried to stop him for traffic and equipment violations.

    Walker fled the stop and officers gave chase, according to a narrated video timeline police played at a news conference July 3, when police released parts of body camera videos from 13 officers at the scene.

    About 40 seconds after the start of the pursuit, the narrated video said, “a sound consistent with a gunshot can be heard” in body camera footage, and the officers told dispatch a gunshot had been fired from Walker’s vehicle. Police also showed still images taken from traffic cameras that showed “a flash of light” – purportedly a muzzle flash – along the driver’s side of the car.

    “That changes the whole nature” of the incident, Mylett said at the time, turning a “routine traffic stop” into a “public safety issue.”

    After several minutes, Walker’s vehicle slowed and he exited and ran, police said. Several police officers got out of their patrol cars and chased him, and officers deployed Tasers in an effort to stop him, police said, but were unsuccessful.

    Moments later, police said, Walker “stopped and quickly turned towards the pursuing officers.” Mylett told reporters officers believed Walker was reaching towards his waist and they “felt that Mr. Walker had turned and was motioning and moving into a firing position,” Mylett said, and officers opened fire, killing him.

    Walker was handcuffed behind his back after the shooting – a move Mylett said was in accordance with department policy. Mylett indicated at a community event in late March that adjustments would be made to the policy.

    Walker suffered 46 gunshot entrance or graze wounds, according to an autopsy by Summit County Medical Examiner Dr. Lisa Kohler, who found the cause of death was multiple gunshot wounds.

    Per Kohler, the wounds included:

    • 15 on Walker’s torso, where he had internal injuries to his heart, lungs, liver, spleen, left kidney, intestines and multiple ribs.

    • 17 on his pelvis and upper legs, where the right major artery going to the leg and the bladder were injured and the pelvis and both femurs were broken.

    • One on his face, where the jaw broke.

    • Eight on his arms and right hand.

    • Five on his knees, right lower leg and right foot.

    Though police accused Walker of firing a gunshot out his vehicle’s window, a gunshot residue test was not performed as part of the autopsy, Kohler said, explaining gunshot residue testing can detect specific particles related to the discharge of a firearm “but the results of that testing is not conclusive as to whether the person did or did not fire a weapon.”

    The FBI discontinued this testing in 2006, and Kohler said her office discontinued the collection of that sampling a decade later and no longer purchases collection kits.

    Eight police officers “directly involved” in the shooting were initially placed on paid administrative leave pending the investigation, according to department protocol, Mylett said.

    They were reinstated by October 10, a decision Mylett attributed to “staffing issues” in comments to CNN affiliate WEWS, acknowledging “there may be some community concern.”

    While back at work, the officers were not in uniform or responding to service calls, the Akron Police Department said.

    According to information released by the city, seven of the eight officers are White and one is Black.

    “The decision to deploy lethal force as well as the number of shots fired is consistent with use of force protocols and officers’ training,” the Fraternal Order of Police Akron Lodge 7 said in a statement last year.

    The week following the shooting, police released 13 videos from officers’ body cameras – eight from the officers directly involved in the shooting and five others from others who were at the scene.

    The videos were released according to a city ordinance requiring video footage documenting an active police officer’s use of force to be released within seven days of the incident.

    Toward the end of the pursuit, some of the footage shows the silver car Walker was driving stopping before he begins to exit the driver’s side.

    At least one officer shouts, “Let me see your hands,” and tells him not to move. The video shows Walker getting back into the car, which slowly moves forward. He is then seen getting out of the passenger side door and running from officers.

    At least one officer again yells for Walker to show his hands, one video shows. The foot chase continued for several seconds, before a series of gunshots ring out over seven seconds.

    The videos end right after the gunshots were fired and do not depict police officers’ efforts to provide medical care, though police say they attempted first aid after the shooting.

    Walker was declared dead at the scene.

    Through a Freedom of Information Act request, CNN obtained in early September 24 more heavily redacted video clips showing more than four hours of the shooting and its immediate aftermath.

    Each video contains several sections where the footage is blurred or blacked out, or where audio is muted. The city told CNN at the time this was done to redact officers’ identifying information.

    In several videos, gunfire is heard for seven to eight seconds, followed by officers’ attempts to determine whether Walker is armed while he lies face-up and non-responsive on the ground.

    “Can anyone see the gun?” one officer is heard repeatedly asking, as a group of officers stand with guns still aimed at Walker. “Where is the weapon at?” one is heard asking in several videos.

    Several officers are heard rendering first aid, shouting for light and asking for tourniquets and packing gauze.

    None of the videos showed the inside of Walker’s car, though some show officers approaching the vehicle after the shooting. “It’s got a firearm in it,” one officer is heard saying.

    Police are seen in other footage trying to sequester police who fired at Walker while discussing collecting their body-worn cameras.

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  • New Jersey Attorney General’s Office takes control of Paterson Police Department, citing ‘crisis of confidence’ | CNN

    New Jersey Attorney General’s Office takes control of Paterson Police Department, citing ‘crisis of confidence’ | CNN



    CNN
     — 

    The New Jersey Attorney General’s Office announced it has assumed control of the Paterson Police Department until new leadership can be installed, saying there is a “crisis of confidence” in the city’s law enforcement.

    “People throughout Paterson deserve a public safety system that protects and serves all members of its community, just as the members of the Paterson Police Department deserve adequate resources, support, and innovation from their leadership,” Attorney General Matthew Platkin said in a release Monday.

    The top prosecutor said the decision is due to “a number of events and concerns” related to the police department, but he didn’t mention a specific case.

    Platkin appointed Isa Abbassi, a 25-year veteran of the New York Police Department, to lead the Paterson Police Department beginning in May.

    The state takeover follows a call from nearly 50 state groups, including the ACLU New Jersey, for the US Justice Department to investigate Paterson police after the fatal police shooting of 31-year-old Najee Seabrooks earlier this month.

    Seabrooks was apparently having a mental health crisis when he barricaded himself in a bathroom on March 3 and called police for help, according to a statement from the attorney general’s office. Family members told responding officers Seabrooks was hallucinating and behaving erratically, the statement said.

    The family and police officers tried to talk him out of the bathroom, where Seabrooks had knives and told officers he had a fully loaded gun and was threatening to shoot police, the statement said.

    In body camera footage, police can be seen pleading with Seabrooks to come out of the room and asking him to drop a knife.

    The attorney general’s office says Seabrooks lunged at police with the knife and was shot and killed.

    The case is under investigation, but New Jersey state law requires all officer-involved death investigations be brought before a grand jury, to determine whether the officers should be indicted.

    “All I want is justice for my son,” said Melissa Carter, Seabrooks’ mother, at a news conference Monday, reports CNN affiliate WCBS.

    Carter was one of the family members present when her son was killed.

    “I can’t sleep at night. I can’t sleep. I can’t eat. It’s just painful, very painful. I won’t wish this on no mother,” Carter said.

    In a letter to the Justice Department, the state groups accused Paterson police of having “a history of excessive force” and referenced Seabrooks’ death.

    “A trend of widespread, unconstitutional (Paterson Police Department) misconduct is unmistakable – and has disproportionately impacted Black and Brown residents, depriving them of their civil rights,” the letter said.

    In September two Paterson police officers were sentenced to prison after each pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy to violate individuals’ civil rights, using unreasonable and excessive force and filing a false police report, a release from the attorney general’s office said.

    From October 2020 to February 2023, there were 736 use-of-force reports submitted by Paterson Police to the state attorney general, according to a database maintained by the attorney general’s office.

    More than 55% of use-of-force reports in Paterson involved a Black person, though 23% of Paterson’s residents are Black, an analysis by NJ Spotlight News shows. Statewide, 45% of use-of-force reports involved a Black person, the analysis shows.

    ACLU New Jersey’s executive director, Amol Sinha, called Platkin’s announcement a “welcome step” but stressed the importance of giving community leaders a chance to work with the attorney general’s office during this time.

    “As we await next steps it is imperative that Paterson community leaders have a voice at the table,” Sinha, said in a statement Monday. “We hope that this process is a collaborative one that will help bring about trust and integrity to the Paterson Police Department, and safety from police violence for the people of Paterson. The community deserves nothing less.”

    Paterson Police Chief Bert Ribeiro, who was sworn in the same day Seabrooks was shot, has stepped down, CNN affiliate WCBS reported.

    Until Abbassi begins overseeing the police department in May, New Jersey State Police Major Fred Fife will act as interim officer-in-charge, the attorney general’s office said. Fife will be joined by State Police Captain Jafca Mandziuk, Assistant Attorney General Joseph Walsh and other public safety officials.

    “Chief Abbassi is an experienced, proven leader who has built community trust and achieved excellence through his innovation at the highest levels of law enforcement in this country,” Platkin said in his office’s release. “I am grateful for his service and I look forward to working with him to ensure public safety in Paterson.

    Platkin acknowledged that the change in leadership is just the first step in the long process of trying to regain public trust.

    “It will not immediately restore public confidence that the police are committed to providing every resident of Paterson with fair, just, and effective public safety,” he said. “Nor will it address the concerns of officers asked to do a hard and dangerous job in a community that – after years of fiscal challenges and a revolving door of police leadership – has lost faith in its police department, making the jobs of those officers even more difficult.”

    New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy applauded Platkin’s announcement, calling the takeover a “bold action.”

    “I am confident that his actions will ensure needed reform and give police officers in Paterson the resources, support, and training they need to serve their community,” Murphy said in a statement on Twitter.

    The attorney general said he aims to provide officers with more adequate support, resources and supervision.

    Platkin also announced a handful of new initiatives, including revising the state’s use of force policy and expanding an initiative that pairs crisis intervention-trained officers with mental health personnel on personal crisis calls.

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  • Philadelphia reaches $9.25 million settlement over police misconduct during the 2020 George Floyd protests | CNN

    Philadelphia reaches $9.25 million settlement over police misconduct during the 2020 George Floyd protests | CNN



    CNN
     — 

    The City of Philadelphia has announced a $9.25 million settlement with hundreds of people who sued the city alleging “excessive and unreasonable force” by police during the civil unrest over the killing of George Floyd in 2020.

    The lawsuit filed on behalf of 343 plaintiffs alleged that the response by police left protesters with “physical injuries that, in some cases, required medical treatment and hospitalization, as well as emotional anguish” during a protest over police brutality on May 31, 2020 – just a few days after Floyd was killed by a police officer in Minneapolis.

    Philadelphia police officers used “tear gas, pepper spray, and rubber bullets” against protesters “and in some cases arrested participants and bystanders” according to the lawsuit, which was filed by the Legal Defense Fund, the Abolitionist Law Center, and Kairys, Rudovsky, Messing, Feinberg & Lin LLP.

    The city also agreed to disengage from the 1033 program, “a federal program which arms state and local law enforcement with military weapons and equipment,” according to a statement by the Legal Defense Fund about the settlement.

    Under the agreement, the city will also give a grant of between $500,000 and $600,000 to Bread & Rose Community Fund to provide free mental health counseling and community-led programing for “all residents within a radius of 52nd Street corridor in West Philadelphia, not just plaintiffs in the lawsuit,” according to the city’s press release.

    The settlement did not include an admission of liability or wrongdoing by the defendants, and the court filings with the settlement terms indicate the city continues to deny any wrongdoing.

    How police respond to protests came under intense scrutiny during the massive protests that erupted nationwide after Floyd’s death as police in major cities tried to quell unrest with tear gas and rubber bullets.

    In the statement, the Legal Defense Fund said this is an “unprecedented settlement with the City of Philadelphia for the Philadelphia Police Department’s excessive, militaristic use of force” during the 2020 protests.

    Philadelphia Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw said “the Philadelphia Police Department is a learning organization, and we remain dedicated to moving forward in meaningful and productive ways,” according to a news release from the city.

    “We will continue to work non-stop towards improving what we as police do to protect the first amendment rights of protestors, keep our communities and officers safe, and to ultimately prove that we are committed to a higher standard,” she continued.

    The settlement “features a recognition of the damage the PPD has done throughout West Philadelphia and it communicates the importance of centering the community in a path towards healing,” said Cara McClellan, director and practice associate professor of the Advocacy for Racial and Civil Justice Clinic at the University of Pennsylvania.

    “Today’s settlement sets an important precedent for accountability in future cases,” she added.

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  • Memphis officials to release more video from Tyre Nichols’ deadly beating today, after saying a 7th officer was fired | CNN

    Memphis officials to release more video from Tyre Nichols’ deadly beating today, after saying a 7th officer was fired | CNN



    CNN
     — 

    Officials in Memphis are expected Wednesday to release about 20 more hours of video relating to January’s deadly police beating of Tyre Nichols – as well as some records of the city’s now-finished internal probe into 13 police officers and four fire department personnel, a Memphis official said.

    The anticipated release comes a day after the official revealed that a seventh police officer has been fired and others were suspended or left the force after the brutal encounter in the western Tennessee city. Previously, authorities said six officers were fired, five of whom have been criminally charged.

    The city’s internal investigations into the beatings have finished, so the city intends to release the additional video footage Wednesday afternoon, Memphis Chief Legal Officer Jennifer Sink told a city council committee Tuesday morning.

    The unreleased footage most notably will include audio of what was said after the beating and after an ambulance took Nichols to a hospital, and it could play an investigative role as his office contemplates additional charges, the county prosecutor previously told CNN.

    Nichols, a 29-year-old Black man, was repeatedly punched and kicked by Memphis police officers following a traffic stop and brief pursuit on foot on January 7. Nichols was hospitalized after the beating and died three days later.

    Five police officers, who are also Black, were fired following an internal investigation and were indicted on criminal charges January 26.

    Body camera videos and surveillance footage from the arrest were released on January 27, showing the severity of the beating to the public and drawing widespread condemnation from residents and police officials alike. The video shook a nation long accustomed to videos of police brutality – especially against people of color – and spurred protests and vigils in Memphis and other major US cities.

    The video released in January contradicted what officers said happened in the initial police report filed after Nichols’ beating, the county prosecutor said, and spurred renewed national debate on justice in policing and reform.

    In early February Shelby County prosecutor Steven Mulroy told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer the video released in January are “the relevant parts” of the initial stop and the beating after the foot chase, but the yet-to-be-released footage could play a role in investigations.

    Potential charges of “false reporting” related to the initial police report were being investigated, Erica Williams, a spokesperson for Mulroy’s office, told CNN around the same time.

    When asked whether anyone new will face criminal charges now that the city’s investigation is finished, Williams told CNN on Tuesday: “Not at this time.” Mulroy’s office previously told CNN it would wait for the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation to conclude an investigation before deciding on more charges.

    The city will also release Wednesday some records related to the internal probes of the 13 police officers and four fire department personnel, including documents indicating what they were being investigated for, Sink said.

    Other investigative files have information that needs to be redacted, and will be posted online when that is completed, she added without giving a timeline.

    But Sink already announced the bottom line on Tuesday: Seven police officers were fired, three were suspended, one retired and two had their investigations dropped as result of the probes, she said.

    That was the first time the city announced a seventh officer was fired. That person’s name, and details about what the officer is accused of doing, weren’t immediately released.

    Also, the officer who retired likely would have been terminated, Sink said without elaborating about what that officer was accused of doing.

    The city has previously said that three Memphis fire department personnel who responded to the scene – two emergency medical technicians and a fire lieutenant – were fired, though none was criminally charged. On Tuesday, Sink said a fourth fire department worker was suspended. Sink did not elaborate.

    The two fired EMTs did not conduct a primary examination of Nichols for the first 19 minutes they were on scene, and the lieutenant stayed in a fire truck, according to a state emergency medical services board.

    A council member asked Sink whether anyone who struck Nichols was still part of either the police department or fire department.

    “No. All of those officers … have been charged criminally,” Sink said.

    Those five former Memphis police officers indicted in January were arraigned February 17 on criminal charges.

    Five former Memphis police officers face criminal chagres in connection with the death of Tyre Nichols. Top: Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III. Bottom: Desmond Mills Jr., Justin Smith.

    Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Justin Smith, Emmitt Martin III and Desmond Mills Jr. each face charges of second-degree murder, aggravated assault, aggravated kidnapping, official misconduct and official oppression. Second-degree murder in Tennessee is considered a Class A felony punishable by 15 to 60 years in prison.

    Their attorneys entered not guilty pleas on their behalf. They are due back in court on May 1.

    The five charged officers were part of the department’s SCORPION unit, which was launched in 2021 to take on a rise in violent crime in Memphis. Shortly after video of Nichols’ arrest was released in January, Memphis police announced the unit would be permanently deactivated as a sign the department was taking “proactive steps in the healing process for all impacted.”

    Police in February identified a sixth officer who was fired. Preston Hemphill, who is White, saying he was accused of violating departmental policies including those covering personal conduct and truthfulness.

    Sink said February 7 that seven officers – beyond the six who’d been fired at the time – were facing disciplinary action for policy violations. Tuesday’s announcement covers the discipline decisions for all 13.

    In addition, two Shelby County Sheriff’s Office deputies who were at the scene were suspended for five days each without pay for their parts in the case, according to a sheriff’s office news release obtained by CNN affiliate WHBQ.

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  • ‘A recipe for disaster.’ Deadly encounter in Memphis comes at a critical time in American policing | CNN

    ‘A recipe for disaster.’ Deadly encounter in Memphis comes at a critical time in American policing | CNN



    CNN
     — 

    Since the night Tyre Nichols was kicked, pepper-sprayed, punched and struck with a baton by Memphis police officers, six cops have been fired and five of them charged with murder. Seven others face internal disciplinary charges.

    Nichols died three days after the January 7 traffic stop and subsequent fatal encounter captured on video and principally involving five officers with two to six years on the job.

    The death of the 29-year-old Black man comes at a critical juncture in American law enforcement, as departments across the country – including the Memphis PD – struggle to recruit qualified officers and fill shifts, lure candidates with signing bonuses worth thousands of dollars, and at times curtail standards and training in a desperate bid to strengthen patrols amid rising gun violence, according to law enforcement experts.

    “That is a recipe for disaster,” said Kenneth Corey, a retired NYPD chief who once ran the training division. “We’ve seen it happen before. You couldn’t fill seats. You lowered standards. And now you’ve got scandal and use of force. And when you look at the individuals involved you say, we never would have hired this guy once upon a time.”

    In the weeks since authorities released video of Nichols’ brutal beating, little information has come out about the recruitment and training of the five former officers facing murder charges – Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Justin Smith, Emmitt Martin III and Desmond Mills Jr.

    The five men were part of a now disbanded specialized street crime unit formed just over a year ago as part of the city’s strategy to combat rising violence. The SCORPION unit focused on homicides, robberies, assaults and other felonies.

    Chuck Wexler, the executive director of the Police Executive Research Forum, said Nichols’ killing raises questions about “how those officers were trained and supervised and selected.”

    “Over time you always want to look at the backgrounds of those officers – that will be important. The hiring process – that will be important,” he said. “In this case we don’t know enough yet.”

    Bean, 24, was commissioned as an officer in January 2021, personnel records show. His attorney has not responded to CNN’s requests for comment.

    Haley, 30, was commissioned as an officer in January 2021, the records show. He is a former correctional officer. His attorney has not respond to requests for comment.

    Martin, 30, joined the department in 2018, according to the records. He will plead not guilty, according to his attorney, William Massey, who said: “No one out there that night intended for Tyre Nichols to die.”

    Mills, 32, a former jailer in Mississippi and Tennessee, joined the department as a recruit in March 2017, the records show. He, too, plans to plea not guilty, said Blake Ballin, his attorney, who described Mills as “devastated” and “remorseful.”

    Memphis Police Chief Cerelyn “CJ” Davis told CNN last month that Nichols’ death was indicative of “a gap somewhere” in the specialized street crime unit.

    “We train and we retrain these officers, just like specialized units around the country,” she said. “These officers working in specialized units, you always need to make sure that the supervision is there and present.”

    On January 28, one day after the release of the video, Memphis PD announced that it had permanently disbanded the unit.

    Davis said the department was unaware of any evidence the unit had previously engaged in misconduct but added that an investigation is ongoing.

    The five former Memphis officers charged in Nichols’ death also are accused of assaulting another young Black man just three days before the fatal police encounter, according to a federal lawsuit filed Tuesday.

    The suit accuses the city of failing to prevent or address an alleged pattern of policing abuses by the SCORPION unit, which it claims operated like a “gang of vigilantes” without adequate training or supervision. Police declined to comment on the lawsuit, citing ongoing litigation.

    The Shelby County District Attorney’s office in Memphis said it will review all cases involving the five officers charged with Nichols’ death.

    Davis, speaking at a Memphis city council meeting Tuesday, said training was not an issue with the unit. Instead, she said, “egos” and a “wolf pack mentality” contributed to the killing.

    “Culture is not something that changes overnight. You know, there is a saying in law enforcement that ‘culture eats policy for lunch.’ We don’t want to just have good policies because policies can be navigated around,” she said. “We want to ensure that we have the right people in place to ensure our culture is evolving.”

    Memphis Police Chief Cerelyn

    In this still from video released by the City of Memphis, officers from the Memphis Police Department beat Tyre Nichols on a street corner.

    These are the moments that led to Tyre Nichols’ death

    Nichols’ death comes as many police departments in the US have been reeling from an exodus of officers due to resignations and retirements and scrambling to attract new recruits. The staffing crisis has been exacerbated by high-profile cases such as the 2020 murder of George Floyd that have put policing under scrutiny and made it a frequent target of protests and moves to decrease funding.

    “The pandemic impacted recruiting and then George Floyd’s murder really was a moment in time that made prospective police applicants think twice – Is this a job for me?” Wexler said.

    “And now, unfortunately, with the Tyre Nichols killing you simply compounded what was already arguably a challenging environment to hire a police officer.”

    Wexler’s group, in a 2021 survey, found that retirements had risen 45% that year since 2019. Resignations had jumped 18% in that two-year period.

    The number of officers on the Memphis Police Department dropped by more than 22% since 2011 – from 2,449 in September 2011 to a low of 1,895 officers last December, according to the Memphis Data Hub website.

    The department was budgeted for 2,300 officers last year, CNN affiliate WMC reported. In 2015, nearly 200 Memphis police officers resigned over changes to pension and benefit plans, according to WMC.

    “It had gotten to the point that we were having sergeants as acting lieutenants,” said Alvin Davis, a former Memphis police lieutenant and recruiter who retired last year. “Hundreds of people did it over a period of time because we didn’t have enough supervisors. So many people were running out the door.”

    In this still from video released by the City of Memphis, officers stand around as Tyre Nichols leans up against a car after being detained and beaten on January 7.

    Like other departments around the country, the Memphis PD in 2021 began offering $15,000 signing bonuses and $10,000 in relocation assistance. Additionally, requirements on college credits, military experience and employment history have been loosened, WMC reported.

    “Departments around the country … are offering between $25,000 and $30,000 signing bonuses,” Wexler said. “You’ve got a national shortage of applicants which has forced police departments to do unprecedented things like offering signing bonuses and, in some cases, modifying the standards for hiring.”

    Greg Umbach, associate professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, said there is a direct correlation between higher standards for new recruits and lower incidents of bad behavior.

    “We know from decades of research that the number of cops meeting higher qualifications, most notably a college degree, matters far more than anything else, for the number of civilian complaints a department gets,” Umbach said.

    And if the pipeline of good officers is low, Umbach said, then so is the quality of supervision – a reality that has plagued the Memphis Police Department and other agencies nationwide.

    “Any police sergeant watching that video, their first thought is, ‘My God, where was the supervision and why did they think this was okay,’” Umbach said.

    The Memphis Police Department urges recruits to

    Davis, the former lieutenant and recruiter, asked a similar question about supervision.

    “If you pepper-spray someone or you tase someone, you’re supposed to call a supervisor,” said Davis, who spent 22 years on the job. “That’s just policy. Why they didn’t, I can’t say.”

    But, Davis said, the behavior of the former officers who beat Nichols did not entirely surprise him – given the curtailed training and standards, shortage of skilled supervisors and growing number of officers lured by monetary incentives and without the requisite experience being deployed on the city’s streets.

    “The standards kept dropping and dropping to bring people in,” said Davis, who was in charge of recruiting. “And then they start throwing money out to lure people in and this is what you got.”

    He added, “Just about everybody who came, the first thing they asked us was about was the money. How long did they have to stay on the job? Do I have to do a year? Two years? Nobody is trying to make a career out of it. It was the money.”

    The Memphis PD did not immediately respond to a request for comment on training, recruitment and staffing issues.

    “It’s not the job that it used to be, when you felt like you’re the ‘best in blue’ and you have your head up because you really feel like you accomplished something,” said Davis, referring to the Memphis Police Department’s longtime “Join the best in blue” recruitment campaign. “It’s not that kind of job anymore.”

    It’s too early to tell exactly what factors contributed to the behavior of the former officers who beat Nichols to death on January 7, law enforcement experts said.

    Wexler and others pointed to previous policing scandals that were preceded by periods of hiring under lax standards and curtailed training.

    In the late 1980s, nearly 10% of the officers in the Miami Police Department were suspended or fired after a corruption scandal involving rogue officers who became known as the “River Cops.” Nearly 20 former officers were convicted on various state and federal charges, including using their police powers as a racketeering enterprise to commit murder.

    Atlanta police officers keep an eye on marchers during a rally on January 28 protesting the fatal police assault of Tyre Nichols.

    In 1990, an investigation into the hiring and training of police officers in Washington, DC by the General Accounting Office found that a hiring rush during the previous decade – prompted by a wave of drug and gun violence – led to cutting corners on recruiting, background checks and training.

    Eight years later, another report by the GOA, the investigative arm of Congress, examined drug-related police corruption and said “rapid recruitment initiatives” coupled with loosening education requirements and inadequate training and supervision “might have permitted the hiring of recruits who might not otherwise have been hired.”

    “These are all lessons of history,” said Corey, the former NYPD chief. “You have to make the profession attractive to the type of people you want to recruit. It’s not that people have lost interest in policing. They just don’t see it as a viable occupation.”

    He added, “What we ask of our cops is that they think like lawyers, speak like psychologists, and perform like athletes but we pay them as common laborers. A starting officer in New York City makes $42,000 a year, which means about $20 dollars an hour. It also means that at McDonald’s they could be making $15 dollars an hour with none of the stress, trauma or risk.”

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