Free Republic

A Massachusetts woman says the FBI used a chain saw blade to cut through her door and held her at gunpoint for at least 30 minutes before agents realized they were conducting a raid at the wrong home. Judy Sanchez, of Fitchburg, says she awoke to heavy footsteps in the stairwell on Jan. 26 and walked into her kitchen in time to see a blade chop through her door. "I took two steps, face the second door, and I heard the click of a gun, and saying, ‘FBI, get down,’ so I laid down on my living room floor,” Sanchez...

FEBRUARY 3--A naked burglar covered in chocolate and peanut butter was arrested early Tuesday after workers found him inside a Kentucky supermarket. Andrew Toothman, 22, was collared by State Police troopers who responded to a 911 call from the Food World IGA market in the city of Neon (pop. 770). Pictured in the above mug shot, Toothman was charged with burglary, criminal mischief, and indecent exposure. A court citation filed yesterday notes that Toothman--who was only wearing a pair of black boots--had “peanut butter and chocolate smeared all over person.”

BERKELEY -- Why in the world does the University of California employ an armed police force on its campuses? That question, and the anger implied in its wording, was asked repeatedly Wednesday night by UC Berkeley students and faculty of top UC brass. Berkeley was a whistlestop on their tour of campuses before they prepare UC's official response to the use of batons and pepper-spray against peaceful protesters last November. ... Everyone sat in concentric circles waiting for the chance to influence recommendations being prepared on behalf of the university system by Charles Robinson, UC's general counsel, and Chris Edley,...

FOREST LAKE, Minn. - A Forest Lake homeowner says he is livid about an "outrageous, unnecessary ending to a great wildlife story" after a police officer came onto his property at about 7 a.m. on Saturday and shot two orphaned fawns that often slept in the dog house at close range without warning. Jeff Carpenter contacted FOX 9 News about the weekend shooting, saying an officer "brutally gunned down" the twin, 6-month-old fawns his family had come to love thirty yards from his home. Carpenter said he was working in the home office when he was startled by a shotgun...

Authorities say an Indiana man got so angry when he was arrested for stealing a car that he threatened to eat the police officers who arrested him, as well as their entire families and their dogs. CBS affiliate WISH-TV, Indianapolis, reports Paul Brock, 39, of Frankfort, Ind., was arrested at 10 p.m. on Friday of last week for after stealing a car from a Speedway gas station in Lafayette, Ind. The gas station manager said she had just unlocked the car and left it running so it would warm up by the end of her shift, WISH reported. Police caught...

DALLAS - Vehicles in Texas must display both front and back license plates. It’s been a state law since 1934. But lawmakers in rewriting the state transportation code recently made what could be a serious omission. “Absolutely it is a potentially very big problem,” said Robert Gregg, a criminal defense and personal injury attorney. “The issue is not whether it is a fine. That’s where we start. The issue is whether or not it’s a crime.” The old law read, “A person commits an offense if the person operates… a passenger car or commercial motor vehicle that does not display...

The foul-mouthed Canton, OH police officer who threatened to shoot an armed citizen in the head over his concealed pistol last summer has been fired, but he reportedly plans to appeal. Harless confronted a private citizen named William Bartlett in early June 2010 when the officer stopped to check out a vehicle parked on the side of the street. Bartlett’ sin was in not immediately advising Harless and another officer that he was carrying a concealed handgun, as required by Ohio statute. The problem, as can be seen by viewing the video, is that Harless never gave Bartlett the chance,...

Denver police officer Derrick Curtis Saunders was arrested for speeding and driving under the influence. Before he was pulled over, he was driving at 143 mph in a 55-mph zone. That’s 88 miles an hour more than the speed limit. His blood-alcohol level was 0.089 percent, slightly higher than the 0.08 legal limit. Appropriately, the Denver Police Department dismissed him. (A judge also sentenced him to five days in jail, fined him $300 and ordered him to perform 100 hours of community service.) Now, Saunders would like his job back — and the Denver Police Protection Association stands ready to...

That small voice caught the attention of the Illinois State Trooper who had just delivered Christmas packages to a needy family. "No, son, that's not yours." Trooper Bridget Rice had thought that the little boy whose face had lit up at the sight of all of the Christmas presents that she and an executive from one of their corporate sponsors had just delivered was one of the children benefitting from Operation C.A.R.E. Bears.

The number of officers killed in the line of duty jumped 13 percent in 2011 compared with the year before - and U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder condemned the increase as “a devastating and unacceptable trend” that he blamed on illegal firearms. The number of deceased law enforcement officers rose to 173 killed in the line of duty this year, from 153 in 2010, the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund announced Wednesday. This year’s figure is 23 percent higher than the 122 killed in the line of duty in 2009.

Joseph Wambaugh solves the great UC Davis pepper-spraying incident Forget hiring Bill Bratton. You can learn all you need to know by reading the papers. In light of the terrible financial crisis at our California universities, I feel the need to rescue UC Davis, whose administrators are, according to The Times, negotiating a price with the Kroll security firm in New York for none other than former LAPD Chief Bill Bratton to fly West and tell us what went wrong on the day that students were pepper sprayed. I can save the university a hefty Kroll consulting fee by suggesting...

STOCKTON, Calif. (KCRA) -- Earlier this year, a Stockton student was handcuffed with zip ties on his hands and feet, forced to go to the hospital for a psychiatric evaluation and was charged with battery on a police officer. That student was 5 years old. Michael Davis is diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder or ADHD. His mother says it has led to fights at school. But when the school district said it had a plan to change Michael's behavior, his mother says things went wrong. "Michael is energetic," Thelma Gray said. "He is one big ball of energy." Gray...

A Fort Myers principal involved Lee County sheriff’s deputies in an elementary school crush. Deputies were dispatched Wednesday to Orange River Elementary School in reference to what Assistant Principal Margaret Ann Haring called a “possible sex crime” — two students kissing. “This incident is more of a simple assault, though by definition there would have to be a victim,” Sgt. Stephanie Eller said. Haring told deputies she had two students, both under 12, who kissed while in physical education class, reports said. Haring said one of them was debating about who liked who more. The student then went over and...

UPDATE 11/14/11 @ 5 p.m. ST. ALBANS, W.Va. (WSAZ) -- St. Albans Mayor Dick Callaway says he hopes to have the situation involving Police Chief Brent Coates resolved 'shortly', and a city leader says a decision could come as early as Tuesday. Mayor Callaway says, at this time, Chief Coates is still on administrative leave. As WSAZ.com has previously reported, someone close to the investigation says allegations of sexual harrassment have been made against Coates. Click here to find out more! Mayor Callaway says they are serious allegations, and he is not ready to release any information until "all the...

Things have really gone into, or in this case, out of the toilet for at least one Florida Highway Patrol trooper's cruiser. According to the FHP, trooper Joe Sanchez, who was once a Miami City Commissioner, found his patrol car had been vandalized by having what is believed to be human feces spread across his car. Hazmat crews had to clean it up. Photo Gallery: Pictures of the vandalized FHP car

A war is brewing in South Florida, but don't look to the police to protect you. They're the ones who are fighting. Members of the Miami-Dade Police Department aren't taking kindly to having one of their own arrested at gunpoint by a State Trooper and now the threats and insults are flying. It started last month when Miami Officer Fausto Lopez was pulled over in his squad car for driving 120 MPH en route to an off-duty job. Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) Trooper Donna Jane Watts pulled him over, gun drawn, and put him in handcuffs. Miami cops are complaining...

The union that represents Twin Rivers School District Police Officers is apologizing tonight for putting something on a T-shirt that puts the department in a bad light. The shirt shows a terrified child, behind bars, and bears the caption : “U Raise ‘em, We Cage ‘em. [sic]” Mean-spirited at best, and at worst, well... the ramifications are unsettling. The T-shirt, put out by the Twin Rivers Police Officer's Association, has been rejected by even those who made it. "We agree that it wasn't sending the right message, and it certainly doesn't represent the views and opinions of the men...

"Deeply concerned" police sergeants are coming out swinging today against obnoxious Wall Street protesters, saying they plan to "pursue legal action" against demonstrators who injure any of its members. Ed Mullins, president of the NYPD's Sergeant’s Benevolent Association, said his group plans to pursue legal claims against Occupy Wall Street protesters should they cause injury to any of its 5,000 members. “In light of the growing violence attendant to the 'Occupy' movements across the country, particularly as evidenced by the recent events in Oakland, I am compelled to place these so-called 'occupiers' on notice that physical assaults on police officers...

Cops surrounding Occupy OaklandDemian Bulwa, Chronicle Staff Writer Tuesday, October 25, 2011 (10-25) 04:48 PDT OAKLAND -- Oakland police are arriving this morning in force, apparently preparing to remove hundreds of people from a plaza outside City Hall, two weeks after the protesters began building an intricate encampment as part of the Occupy Wall Street movement against corporate greed and economic inequality. Officers in riot helmets began arriving at Frank Ogawa Plaza at the corner of 14th Street and Broadway at 4:45 a.m. and formed a line in the street adjacent to the plaza. Some protesters began shouting, "Cops, go...

In essence, the reporting of this simple data, whether using Biden's data or city data, does not describe changes in the incidents of homicides in Flint or any city. The Facts Flint is certainly a violent city, ranked number one in many categories. The website of the Flint Police Department only gives data through 2008, but both the FBI and the Michigan State Police have more recent figures that are provided to them by the Flint police. The numbers are not precisely the same because of different reporting requirements, but they are roughly the same—and show a different picture than...

Roy Rutland was on his way back to police headquarters, westbound on Northwest 36th Street, when he saw an impact up ahead. He saw a flash of brake lights and an animal rolling on the street. Rutland, a Miami-Dade detective, pulled up to the spot impact Monday night and rolled down his window. "I saw this beautiful shepherd on the ground and yelping so loud in pain," he said. "Two otherdogs were there and they were barking, almost like they were asking for help."

Two men were arrested in St. Cloud after police say they dialed the wrong number and attempted to buy a pound of marijuana from a police officer. According to St. Cloud Police, a uniformed St. Cloud patrol officer received the call at 11:33 p.m. Sunday. After the officer received multiple phone calls from the suspect, a meeting was arranged on the 1100 block of 15th Avenue South. Police say the men fled when they met with uniformed officers, but were quickly apprehended and taken into custody. The two men have been identified by police as 21-year-old Kewon Donte Johnson of...

Lopez, of Coon Rapids, and two married couples he knows were attacked by a gang of 10 men ages 16 to early 20s, shortly after the group of friends left the Aqua nightclub in the city's Warehouse District early Sept. 2. The brazen assault took place not more than 30 feet from the 1st Police Precinct station on Fourth Street between Hennepin Avenue and First Avenue North. Now, if I were going to get assaulted, I would think that being next to a police station would be the best place to be. Help is next door, right? Not that morning,...

A violent night in San Francisco left one man dead in the Sunset District and several more wounded in separate incidents, including two bystanders who were hit by stray bullets after police opened fire on a suspect in North Beach. Police officials said officers noticed a suspect in the 400 block of Broadway at 2:06 a.m. Saturday. The man ran away and pulled out a semi-automatic pistol, and police fire multiple shots in his direction, according to San Francisco police Lt. Troy Dangerfield. "In the process, the suspect was not hit," Dangerfield said. "There were two other people who were...

A Kingsport motorcyclist — allegedly spotted traveling Stone Drive at more than 120 mph — has been arrested after trying to elude police and being struck by a squad car. The collision occurred at approximately 10 p.m. Thursday night on Bloomingdale Pike, at a back entrance to Dunkin' Donuts. Police say the rider was attempting to swerve into the parking lot when hit by the cruiser, which was traveling approximately 5 mph. A Kingsport arrest report states the incident began approximately two miles away. An officer in the parking lot of an East Stone Drive business reportedly spotted a motorcycle...

Wearing a plastic protector around his face, 'Blue,' a three year male pit bull, has been shot and wounded in the shoulder and hip. "This is wrong. This is animal cruelty, this is excessive", says his owner Tiffany Reynolds. Reynolds, and her angry and concerned neighbors, say the gunfire came from an MPD officer's service weapon. "It was like pop pop pop pop," recalls neighbor Sheila Love. "We heard five shots," says Kathy Washington, who also lives nearby. "We actually jumped up and ran in the house, because in the beginning we didn't know what was going on," she adds....

Francesca Rice no longer serves in her country’s armed forces, but she brought a piece of the action back home with her. It seems the Lakewood vet had stockpiled her Edgewater Towers condo with a home arsenal including handguns, shotguns, a sniper rifle — plus a Thompson sub-machine gun, just in case the pizza guy got fresh. Her cache somehow caught the attention of Lakewood Police, who paid a visit last September. When they found Rice wasn’t home, they asked an obliging employee of the complex to open up the apartment without her consent. Once inside, they raided the gun...

For those of you not familiar with Simon Glik's case, Glik was arrested on October 1, 2007, after openly using his cell phone to record three police officers arresting a suspect on Boston Common. In return for his efforts to record what he suspected might be police brutality -- in a pattern that is now all too familiar -- Glik was charged with criminal violation of the Massachusetts wiretap act, aiding the escape of a prisoner and disturbing the peace. As tends to happen in cases like these, the charges didn't hold up, with the Commonwealth dismissing the aiding escape...

This is great. (PDF) Here’s what happened: As he was walking past the Boston Common on the evening of October 1, 2007, Simon Glik caught sight of three police officers — the individual defendants here — arresting a young man. Glik heard another bystander say something to the effect of, “You are hurting him, stop.” Concerned that the officers were employing excessive force to effect the arrest, Glik stopped roughly ten feet away and began recording video footage of the arrest on his cell phone. After placing the suspect in handcuffs, one of the officers turned to Glik and said,...

FREEMANSBURG, Pa. (AP) -- Authorities say a police officer slain while responding to a domestic disturbance in a small eastern Pennsylvania borough had pointed a stun gun at two dogs before being shot. The Morning Call of Allentown reports Freemansburg police Officer Robert Lasso had pointed at the attacking dogs when the homeowner pulled out a shotgun and fired the fatal blast Thursday evening.

Just when you thought you'd seen it all on reality TV shows, along comes: * California DMV: Field Offices No I'm not making this up. Can you imagine what the show will be like? Long lines, short tempers - bad attitudes? Apparently it will be formatted along the lines of Ice Road Truckers .. Deadliest Catch etc. So who's behind this one? Published reports say Entertainment Weekly has and TruTV are working on four episodes of: * California DMV: Field Offices

Because BBM, which rioters are using to communicate, is not traceable by cops, PM David Lammy says it’s “one of reasons why unsophisticated criminals are outfoxing an otherwise sophisticated police force.” LONDON – What, you might wonder, is the modern urban guerilla’s rioting weapon of choice? A machete? You might think so. But for most of the youngsters looting and ransacking the streets of London for the past three nights, cement blocks, iron bars and supermarket trolleys seemed to do the job of smashing in shop windows just as well. A balaclava? Perhaps. Per the multiple videos posted on Twitter...

Pressure is mounting for the Fullerton Police Department to break its silence and provide some type of narrative about how a homeless man died after a violent confrontation with six police officers last month. From the cops lawyer: "Unfortunately, public perception of officers trying to control a combative, resistive suspect rarely conforms to those officers' training, experience, what those officers were experiencing at the time or reality," he said. "This seems to be a case in point."

(CBS/AP) FULLERTON, Calif. -- In the nearly two decades since his son descended into madness, Ron Thomas has worried every day that the schizophrenic 37-year-old would die of exposure or illness on the streets. He never imagined the end would come in a violent confrontation with police. (Here's the money quote): "A police spokesman, Sgt. Andrew Goodrich, said the case was an isolated incident. "We have a good department full of good individuals," he said. "We've made more than half-a-million law enforcement contacts over the past 4.5 years ... This is the only instance of this kind that's happened."

SALEM, IN (WAVE) – A police officer is facing drunk driving charges in Washington County, Indiana and the arresting officers say he was carrying a message about drug abuse education at the time. Not only a police officer, but according to the Seymour Police Department website, he is the School Resource Officer, responsible for seven schools, acting as a mentor and providing students with a role model. It even states that he conducts lectures on narcotics and alcohol and their effects on driving. Seymour Police Officer John Newcomb (Source; Washington County, IN Jail) Witnesses say when Newcomb was taken from...

Two Richmond officers who resigned in the midst of a police Explorer scandal have been indicted on allegations they intimidated two young Explorers they illegally armed and put to work for their private security firm. A federal grand jury in Oakland on Thursday indicted 31-year-old Danny Harris and 34-year-old Ray Thomas on conspiracy counts for allegedly trying to prevent the Explorers from telling authorities that Harris illegally bought them guns and sent them into crime-plagued neighborhoods. Federal law prohibits people under 21 from buying or owning guns.

Boston teens, urged by city councilors to speak out about crime, say helping cops will mark them as targets. “People wouldn’t want to say anything because they’re scared,” said Miguel Peguero, 15, of Dorchester, one of more than 50 youth workers who attended a roundtable yesterday about youth violence. Twenty-six people have been killed in Boston so far this year, including four on July 4 alone. As of June 13, police had reported 110 shootings in the city, a number that has spiked to more than 120 in recent weeks.

On Sunday a Kern County, California, sheriff's deputy shot and killed David Lee "Deacon" Turner, a 56-year-old former running back for the Cincinnati Bengals, outside a convenience store in Bakersfield. Police questioned Turner, who was coming out of the store with his 19-year-old son, while investigating reports of teenagers asking adults to buy them alcohol and cigarettes. The Kern County Sheriff's Office says Deputy Wesley Kraft fired twice at Turner after the former football player hit Deputy Aaron Nadal over the head with a bag containing two 24-ounce cans of beer. Turner's son offered a strikingly different account: Turner's son was too shaken...

Next month the Broward County Police Benevolent Association is holding a "Party to Leave the Party" -- an event coordinated with the Supervisor of Elections where police officers and the general public can switch their voter registrations from Republican to Democratic or Independent...So here are the details: On Saturday, July 16, from 11 a.m. - 3 p.m. behind the PBA headquarters on SW 26th Terrace in Fort Lauderdale, the union will have elections officials standing by to register new voters or switch party registrations for anyone with a valid Florida ID.

As Wisconsin heads toward lifting a ban on carrying concealed weapons, researchers at the University of California-Davis have turned up some unsettling information about those who may take advantage of the law. In a study using 15-year-old data -- the most recent available -- published online in the journal Injury Prevention, the UC Davis Violence Prevention Research Program says those who carried concealed weapons or who had confronted someone with a gun were twice as likely to be heavy drinkers than non-gun owners. Gun owners who drove with loaded weapons were four times more likely to hop behind the wheel...

VIDEO

Thoughts from a cop who just retired. Just before retiring, some young Officer was busting my chops about how law enforcement has changed, and the system is improving for the best. I just smiled and gave him a little laugh. He asked what was so funny. I told him that I felt sorry for him. When asked why, I told him, "Because in about 15 years, THIS is going to be your good old days." We all saw the change in our jobs. I came on in 1990. And the first order we received when we were assigned to a...

A California man who initially claimed to a local television station that he was roughed up by "SWAT team" members who allegedly battered down his front door to execute a search warrant related to his estranged wife's unpaid student loans was targeted due to an ongoing probe into alleged financial aid fraud. Local law enforcement officials have thus far not commented on the Stockton man's claim to ABC News 10/KXTV that he was grabbed by the neck and placed in handcuffs in back of a patrol car for six hours as his three children looked on during execution of the...

For a few years, Mike Haege’s sister lived in north Minneapolis. He knows the neighborhood at least a little bit, and when a tornado tore through the area on Sunday, May 22, he took notice. On the news he saw trees strewn about lawns and streets. Then inspiration struck. He wanted to help. His schedule for Monday, May 23, was wide open. And, since he operates Custom Cut, a tree trimming business here, he figured his services could be put to good use. “I thought it would be the perfect chance to help,” he said. “I knew there would be...

TUCSON (KGUN9-TV) – Video of the SWAT raid and deadly shooting of former Marine Jose Guerena has raised many questions from 9 On Your Side viewers who wanted to know how much force police are legally allowed to use when serving a search warrant. 9 On Your Side Reporter Steve Nuñez sat down with Criminal Defense Attorney Michael Bloom to show him the raw footage of the raid. The Pima County Sheriff's Department released the video to the media on Thursday. "I'm sure everyone's reaction first of all, it's horrible," said Bloom as he watched SWAT officers fire 71 bullets...

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. -- A special type of government search warrant that allows authorities to search homes without informing the owner for months is becoming more common, Target 7 has learned. /snip The number of delayed-notice search warrants spiked nationally from nearly 700 in fiscal year 2007 to close to 2,000 in 2009.

A story in today's Philadelphia Daily News shows why it's so important that citizens be allowed to videotape cops - it can be citizens' only way to fight back against police abuse of power. This incident happened several weeks ago in Philadelphia to Mark Fiorino, a 25-year-old IT worker who carries a gun on his hip at all times for self defense. He got the gun after several friends were mugged. But he didn't count on attacks by police: On a mild February afternoon, Fiorino, 25, decided to walk to an AutoZone on Frankford Avenue in Northeast Philly with the...

THE group behind a children's book that endorses killing police officers say several school have expressed interest in it. And Chief Commissioner Simon Overland says police can't do anything to stop the twisted book being shopped around schools. The authors - members of a heavy metal band - defended the book's perverse content, saying it will "provoke discussion" among impressionable children. Band spokeswoman Sarah Dobbs said 17 schools across four states had expressed interest in the book - even thought it has not yet been approved by the Classification Board. Ms Dobbs said it was important to contradict the...

NC allows visiting cops to help Charlotte for DNCThe Associated Press Wednesday, May 11, 2011 RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina is changing state law so that thousands of outside police officers can come in and help keep the peace in Charlotte when it hosts the Democratic National Convention next year. The state Senate voted 50-0 on Wednesday to recognize out-of-state law enforcement officers as having the same powers and immunities as local cops. Charlotte is hosting the convention in early September 2012. It's expected to attract an estimated 30,000 to 35,000 delegates, media members and political leaders to the...

A former school resource officer at Rainier Junior/Senior High School was charged Monday with 40 counts of sexual abuse, all involving a single victim now 22 years old. The crimes are alleged to have taken place between 1999 and 2006, according to Columbia County District Attorney Steve Atchison. The alleged sex acts occurred before John Lawrence Hinkle joined the Columbia County Sheriff's office as a full-time deputy. Atchison said the prosecution will present its case Thursday to the Columbia County Grand Jury, which will determine if more charges will be filed against Hinkle, 47, of St. Helens. The allegations came...