Free Republic

Ignorance of the law helped clear Sheriff Jerry Demings' political lobbyist of wrongdoing for handing out gun owners' restricted driver's license photos last year in Tallahassee to lobby against an open-carry law, Orange County sheriff's records show. Capt. Mike Fewless set off a statewide controversy in a April by distributing eight photos from a secret intelligence file that he claimed were outlaw bikers with valid state Carry Concealed Weapon permits. The lobbying was part of an effort by the Florida Sheriff's Association to persuade legislators that tourists would avoid Florida if gun owners were allowed to openly display their firearms....

A confrontation between law enforcement agents erupted in gunfire Thursday evening at the federal building in Long Beach, leaving two dead and one seriously injured, authorities said.

Two friends who had planned to visit a Seattle sports bar claim they ended up being kicked, arrested at gunpoint and held in jail for several hours by a cop who said he intended to "make stuff up." Part of the arrest of Josh Lawson, 23, and Christopher Franklin, 22, on Nov. 16, 2010 is caught on tape by the officer's dashboard camera. But key moments of the arrest that should have been captured on video are missing and it was unclear whether the officer intentionally neglected to turn on the dash cam. None of the released footage shows the...

MARK FIORINO was legally carrying his .40-caliber Glock on his hip as he walked along Frankford Avenue on Feb. 13, 2011, when he was stopped by Philadelphia police, who pointed a gun at him, harassed him and handcuffed him. Today, he plans to file a civil suit against the department for the incident. Fiorino, who recorded his 45-minute confrontation with police and posted it on YouTube, is suing for "violation of his constitutional rights to be free from unlawful searches, excessive force and malicious prosecution," according to the complaint filed on his behalf by the American Civil Liberties Union. "Since...

A Dallas woman says TSA agents repeatedly asked her to step back into a body scanning machine at DFW International Airport. “I feel like I was totally exposed,” said Ellen Terrell, who is a wife and mother. “They wanted a nice good look.” When Ellen Terrell and her husband, Charlie, flew out of DFW Airport several months ago, Terrell says she was surprised by a question a female TSA agent asked her. “She says to me, ‘Do you play tennis?’ And I said, ‘Why?’ She said, ‘You just have such a cute figure.’” Terrell says she walked into the body...

Deputy Says He Shot 'Irrational' Marine to Protect Kids in Car 15-year veteran of Sheriff's Department says Sgt. Manny Loggins was about to drive away, so he opened fire to prevent a perceived danger to Loggins' daughters. One other deputy was nearby at the time. The deputy who shot and killed an unarmed Marine sergeant after a predawn traffic stop said the Marine was acting so "irrationally" that it seemed dangerous to let him drive away with his two daughters, an official said Friday. So when the Marine -- later identified as Sgt. Manny Loggins Jr. of Camp Pendleton...

The Marine killed by an Orange County sheriff's deputy during a confrontation this week in San Clemente had received medals for his good conduct, the Marine Corps said. The Marine Corps identified the victim as Sgt. Manuel Loggins Jr., 31, a native of Joliet, Ill. He was assigned to a battalion at Camp Pendleton. Loggins was fatally shot by the deputy at about 4:30 a.m. Tuesday in a parking lot near San Clemente High School, officials said. The circumstances of the shooting have not yet been explained publicly by the Orange County Sheriff's Department. Loggins enlisted in the Marine Corps...

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. -Under a just passed law, Illinois SWAT units can now attach silencers to their weapons. The silencer is designed to give police special operations teams the advantage if they find themselves in a firefight . The sponsor of the measure, state senator Dave Koehler says if police have to enter a room and fire their weapons the silencer allows them to concentrate on their target. “Hearing loss of up to 15 seconds can make a big difference between whether hostages are killed or not.”

A motorist who was pulled over after driving erratically and was methodically kicked in the head by a Henderson Police officer — while being videotaped by a Nevada Highway Patrol dashboard camera — will receive a $158,000 settlement. The motorist said he was weaving because he was in diabetic shock. Police found a vial of insulin in his pocket. The settlement amount was blessed by the city attorney then approved by the Henderson City Council tonight.

A depressed Army reservist who made a phone call for help says dozens of police responded by surrounding his home and arresting him, vandalizing and searching his place without a warrant, seizing his dog and killing his tropical fish. Matthew Corrigan, who lives alone with his dog, sued the District of Columbia in D.C. Federal Court. Confronted with a massive police presence after his plea for help, Corrigan says, he denied officers permission to enter his house, but they entered and trashed it anyway, saying, "I don't have time to play this constitutional bulls**t!" Corrigan says the debacle started on...

A man accused of fatally shooting a police officer and wounding five others during an Ogden drug raid last month says he feared for his life because he thought people were breaking into his home to rob and kill him. Matthew Stewart told The Salt Lake Tribune (http://bit.ly/zMxrig ) that he never heard the drug strike force members identify themselves or announce they were at his home to serve a search warrant the night of Jan. 4. Stewart, in an interview Friday at the Weber County Jail, said he was asleep when he heard his alarm clock and then a...

College students were glued to their television sets on April 16, 2007 when news broke of the Virginia Tech shootings. And with a tragedy that hits to close to home, we think, “Was there anything we could have done to stop this?” Well, no.  But, there are ways that we can help to prepare for future situations and maybe even save a few lives.At UNC Charlotte, the Campus Police and Public Safety Department are taking measuring to make sure their squad is prepared to match any dangerous encounters on its campus.  So, in 2010 the first UNC Charlotte Special Weapons...

FITCHBURG (CBS) – It’s going to be a while before things get back to normal for Judy Sanchez and her three-year-old daughter. Last Thursday, a team of FBI agents swarmed her apartment building as part of a massive citywide drug and weapons gang raid. Trouble is, Sanchez lives in apartment 2R. The suspect they were after is in 2F. At 6:04 last Thursday morning, just before Sanchez’ alarm was set to go off, she heard a pounding outside her second floor apartment. “I just happened to glance over and saw this huge chainsaw ripping down the side of my door,”...

A Montara man walking two lapdogs off leash was hit with an electric-shock gun by a National Park Service ranger after allegedly giving a false name and trying to walk away, authorities said Monday. The park ranger encountered Gary Hesterberg with his two small dogs Sunday afternoon at Rancho Corral de Tierra, which was recently incorporated into the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, said Howard Levitt, a spokesman for the park service. Hesterberg, who said he didn't have identification with him, allegedly gave the ranger a false name, Levitt said. The ranger, who wasn't identified, asked Hesterberg to remain at...

Not an actual photo ​Every once in a while, amid the stacks of semi-literate, pro se habeas corpus petitions, trademark suits and product liability complaints, there comes a federal filing so disturbing, so completely awful, that it leaves the reader with nothing but questions. This week, it's Danny Cantu v. The City of Dallas and a whole passel of named and unnamed police officers. According to the complaint, which made its way to Courthouse News yesterday, Cantu, a diesel mechanic, was making his lunch January 22, 2010, when he saw a few cops streaking across his yard. A deafening...

FORT LAUDERDALE— Tania Ouaknine is convinced the police are watching her. She's not paranoid — it says as much on the red sign painted along the side on the hulking armored truck that's been parked in front of her eight-room Parisian Motel for several days. "Warning: You are under video surveillance," reads the bold message on the side of the truck. From the front bumper of the menacing vehicle, another sign taunts: "Whatcha gonna do when we come for you?"

A Santa Maria police officer suspected of having a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old girl was shot and killed Saturday by a fellow officer as he was about to be arrested, authorities said. The officer, who has not been identified, was near the end of his shift at a DUI checkpoint when supervisors arrived after 1 a.m. to detain him, there was a struggle, the suspect officer drew his weapon and fired his gun; a fellow officer then shot the suspect in the chest, Macagni said. “He chose to resist,” Macagni said. “He drew his weapon. A fight ensued. He...

Dover, TN - It has happened again - a companion dog has been shot and killed by the police. In this case, the dog's name was Girl - she was a German shepherd who was a constant companion to 73 yr-old Blanks "Buddy" Phippen. Back on January 21, Buddy and Girl were sitting in their front yard when a car crashed into a nearby utility pole. From this point on, details become a bit muddy.

A New Mexico man who said he was forced to pull his own tooth while in solitary confinement because he was denied access to a dentist has been awarded $22 million due to inhumane treatment by New Mexico's Dona Ana County Jail. Stephen Slevin was arrested in August of 2005 for driving while intoxicated, then thrown in jail for two years. He was in solitary at Dona Ana County Jail for his entire sentence and basically forgotten about and never given a trial, he told NBC station KOB.com Tuesday night. "'[Jail guards were] walking by me every day, watching me...

The Federal Criminal Appeals blog reports on a decision from the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals regarding when the government can use drug possession as an excuse to deny weapons-possession rights. In short, it can't just assert that there is a good reason to bar drug users from guns: it has to try to prove it. But the Court also seems to think such proof won't be too hard. Let's take a walk through the decision to see what happened and why the Fourth Circuit decided as it did: Following a police search that uncovered marijuana and firearms in Benjamin...

DeKalb County, GA - On Tuesday night, a DeKalb County police officer went to a family's home on Silva Court in response to a domestic dispute call. When the officer went into the family's garage, he encountered a German shepherd who was on a chain. Upon seeing a stranger approach, the German shepherd lunged - the officer's response was to shoot and kill the dog. Tragically, after the damage was done, it was discovered that the responding police officer had actually gone to the wrong house. Right now, the officer is not facing any charges - there will be an...

A third member of the KCK SWAT Team pleaded guilty as part of a sting operation to catch officers stealing during raids. Wednesday morning, Jeffrey Bell pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy against civil rights. Two other members of the KCK SWAT Team pleaded guilty to similar charges Tuesday. Dustin Sillings and Darryl Forrest each pleaded guilty to one count of violation of civil rights during hearings in U.S. District Court. The remaining charges against them were dropped in exchange for their guilty pleas. In his plea, Bell admitted that Jan. 4, 2011, he, Sillings and Forrest stole several...

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...

Direct link to video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=2FAbUZd3zoMSynopsis Excerpt: A Melbourne, Florida cop turned off his audio and video equipment before beating a 66-year-old man suffering from dementia "for no apparent reason," WFTV reports. The officer turned off his video and audio equipment before the beating. The department was able to extract the video from the hard drive, but not the audio. The only disciplinary record the officer received for the incident was a written reprimand for turning off the recording equipment. Flowers was charged with battery on a law enforcement officer. "It's ridiculous. Clearly from this video there was no assault on...

A Kihei couple is suing the Maui Police Department in federal court after officers allegedly raided their home while executing a search warrant on the wrong address last year. April and Norman Freeland allege that police forced them outside and searched their home for nearly half an hour, even after they knew they were at the wrong location. Attorney Sam MacRoberts of the Law Office of Philip Lowenthal said the couple still has never seen a warrant for the search. --SNIP-- The Freelands' lawsuit naming Maui County, Maui Police Chief Gary Yabuta and Maui Police officer Jerald Perkett was filed...

Murder suspect hides gun in rectum Posted: Jan 13, 2012 11:53 AM CST Updated: Jan 13, 2012 2:53 PM CST JACKSONVILLE, NC (WECT/WITN) – A man wanted for first degree murder in the Atlanta area was arrested in Onslow County. Deputies in Onslow County say the man hid a large handgun in a body cavity. According to the sheriff's office, Trooper Scott Merritt spotted Michael Ward driving more than 90 mph on Highway 17. He and another trooper from Duplin County worked together to stop Ward. Highway Patrol told WITN Ward rolled up his windows and locked his car when...

A mentally ill grandfather died after police officers strapped him naked to a chair, smothered him with a 'spit hood' and pepper-sprayed him 10 times during a 43-hour ordeal, it has been claimed. Nick Christie, 62, was allegedly tortured in the 'Devil's Chair' at Lee County jail after being detained by Florida police officers in March 2009 following a 'mental breakdown'. The hood, designed to stop him from spitting at officers, meant he could not escape the noxious spray's fumes - and he was never allowed to clean the residue from his body. His family is now suing Lee County...

The state will pay a Longview man nearly $123,000 almost exactly two years after he was acquitted of assault after waving a gun at employees of a downtown Longview nightclub. Most of the money will go to his lawyers. The State of Washington must pay Brian Barnd-Spjut's attorney's fees, appeals costs, lost wages and other expenses. The payments will be made under a state law that reimburses defendants for trial-related expenses if a jury finds they acted in self defense. Barnd-Spjut was on trial in January 2010 for four counts of assault after he pulled the gun in an alley...

Six police officers were shot by Matthew David Stewart on January 4, one of them died. Officer Jared Francom was laid to rest today with thousands of mourners in attendance. Police are being pretty button-lipped about some of the basic questions about the case, though there have been strange reports in the last few fays that Stewart had a "possible bomb" in his house. CNN reported: "There was a device that was fashioned in a way that concerned those who found it that there were materials that could have been used as a bomb," Weber County Attorney Dee Smith told...

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,...

Pontiac MI -- An Oakland County Sheriff's deputy has been charged under Michigan's new "super drunk" driving law after police said he lead officers on a dangerous chase Sunday afternoon through Oxford. Michael Daves, a 19-year veteran with Pontiac police and now a Sheriff's deputy, led police on, what officers called, an ultra drunk, ultra dangerous chase. Witnesses called 911 with descriptions of a wild chase. "I mean, he's all over the road, severely," said a 911 caller. Daves was wearing a fraternal order of police uniform and badge at the time of the chase and arrest and was driving...

When Jermaine Green and his fiancee Violet Roberts got on a Metro bus in Bellflower Monday night, they took notice of another passenger. "The lady got on the bus with a stroller full of pillows, she was very polite, said hello to everyone and sat down," Green said. At the next stop, two LA County sheriff's deputies, one male and one female, boarded the bus and called the passenger by name. "They said get off the bus. She then started cursing at (the female deputy). You could tell she had special needs. After that they grab her, she curses him...

A city police officer at the center of a controversial traffic stop involving a man with a permit to carry a concealed handgun has been fired. Bill Adams, president of the Canton Police Patrolmen’s Association, the union that represents Patrolman Daniel Harless, confirmed that city Safety Director Thomas Ream ruled that Harless is no longer a member of the city’s police force. Ream issued a three-page ruling dated Tuesday. “It is quite clear that (Harless’) actions represented a pattern of behavior where inappropriate verbal abuse and threats of death or great bodily harm of the various complainants occurred,” Ream wrote....

Some residents at Danville Park Apartments are outraged over police firing at two dogs on the walkway outside their front doors. The residents said the shooting killed one animal, injured another and put the tenants in danger of gunfire that left bullet holes in doors, walls and a wooden deck around 2 a.m. on New Year’s Day. Witness accounts of the shootings contradict the reports of officers and a supervising sergeant. The shootings by officers Demetrius Hightower and Jarrod Birchfield are being reviewed by Decatur Police’s office of professional standards, police spokesman Lt. John Crouch said. Danville Park resident Steven...

Investigators discovered FDOT was covering speed limit signs with plastic bags -- an apparent violation of federal guidelines that suggest speed limit signs be posted after every major intersection. Drivers pulling onto SR-60 westbound at SR-39 go nearly three miles without seeing a posted speed limit. Similarly, there are no signs posted for miles for drivers pulling onto SR-60 eastbound at Turkey Creek Rd. FHP wrote over 200 citations in the area from Nov. 25 to Dec. 22, but claims it is being lenient in enforcement. It wrote 225 warnings over the same time period.

Seattle has a brilliant solution to their many police problems — refuse to release police dash-cam footage, then sue the person requesting said footage.

CHARLTON (CBS) – A Charlton mom says her local library crossed the line when they sent police to collect her daughter’s overdue library books. Her mom says the 5-year-old girl was so afraid that she burst into tears. Charlton Police Sergeant Dan Dowd stopped by the home of Shannon Benoit to let her know that her daughter had two books several months overdue which needed to be returned or paid for. ...

The former Hoboken police lieutenant who was fired after 2007's Hoboken SWAT team scandal and an angry airport incident is continuing the fight to get his job back. Angelo Andriani will appear before an Office of Administrative Law judge several more times within the next few months. Andriani was fired after he carried a badge during his suspension for two trips to Louisiana when he was photographed pretending to be a Ku Klux Klan member, posing with bare-breasted women at Mardi Gras, letting Hooters girls hold his weapons and more.

I don't think there are any real articles written about this yet. Seems to have occurred about 11 months ago and is just coming to light. The action occurs at exactly the 1 minute mark.As many of you know, I'm a cop. I complain about the anti-cop posts and posters, but I also have the responsibility to bring things like this to light. If this went down, this guy needs to be fired and sent to prison. I have also heard that one of the cops is the son-in-law of the new Mayor.

CHARLTON (CBS) – A Charlton mom says her local library crossed the line when they sent police to collect her daughter’s overdue library books. Her mom says the 5-year-old girl was so afraid that she burst into tears. Charlton Police Sergeant Dan Dowd stopped by the home of Shannon Benoit to let her know that her daughter had two books several months overdue which needed to be returned or paid for. “I thought it was way overboard,” says Benoit. “I closed my door, I looked at my daughter and she started crying.” Hailey asked her mom if the police were...

Norton woman shot in abdomen; he mistook her two dogs for deer Save The hunter who shot a 66-year-old woman in Norton on Saturday after apparently mistaking her dogs for deer is a Massachusetts state trooper, a State Police spokesman said yesterday. The spokesman, David Procopio, confirmed that the hunter is a trooper. Norton police identified him as John Bergeron, 50, of Norton, and identified the woman as Cheryl Blair, also of Norton. “It was an accidental shooting,’’ Procopio said in a telephone interview, adding that Bergeron immediately called 911 and administered medical aid to Blair while waiting for emergency...

SCOTUSblog flags a pending cert petition on an interesting Fourth Amendment question: What limits, if any, does the Fourth Amendment place on the use of a trained drug-sniffing dog to approach the front door of a home? The police might do this to see if the dog will alert for the presence of narcotics in the home, which might then be used to help show probable cause and obtain a warrant to search it. Under Illinois v. Caballes, the use of the dog around a car is not a “search” and therefore outside the Fourth Amendment. The question is, does...

When Pompton Lakes police seized Darren Richardson’s car on a rainy September afternoon, they told him it was headed for an impound lot. When they returned it three weeks later, he says, the 2004 BMW belonged in a junk yard. The instrument cluster and leather dashboard were gone. The caramel-colored seats were torn up. The gear shift was ripped out and stray wires hung limp everywhere. Geico, Richardson’s insurance company estimated the damage at $12,636.42 — more than he paid for the car — and declared the vehicle a "total loss." According to police reports, the damage to the black...

“San Jose Police Detective Matthew Christian created a document, on letterhead that bore the seal of the Santa Clara County Crime Lab, which falsely stated that Michael Kerkeles’s semen was found at the alleged crime scene. The fake report purported to be authored by a technician named ‘Rebecca Roberts.’ Christian then testified under oath that the report was true.

A Wake County sheriff’s deputy shot and killed a couple’s 3-year-old dog Wednesday night while searching for a runaway teenager. John and Linda Super say two deputies came to their home on King Circle, looking for a 15-year-old neighbor who had run away and had often spent time with them. One of the couple’s dogs, Elvis, forced his way out the front door and ran outside as the couple talked to the deputies, they said. One of the deputies shot Elvis twice, including once in the back of the head, killing him, according to the Supers. “All we’ve got is...

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...

An off-duty police officer has been charged with executing a man in a sports bar - after an argument over a game of darts. Riverside County sheriff's deputy Dayle Long, 42, allegedly shot Samuel Vanettes, 36, three times, leaving him to die on the floor of the bar in Murrieta, California. SNIP An altercation allegedly broke out after the police officer told one of the friends 'I’m better at darts than you are', Chris Hull, 39, told Patch.com. 'My buddy says, "Aw, you suck at darts". (The man) says, "That’s why I’m a cop, I can do whatever I want...

BOSTON -- A Peabody woman says a cupcake she tried to take on a flight with her sparked a potential security threat this week. Rebecca Hains says she was going through security at the airport in Las Vegas when a TSA agent pulled her aside and said the cupcake frosting was “gel-like” enough to constitute a security risk. She said she was able to pass through Logan International Airport security with two cupcakes, but she was stopped on the way back when she tried to return with one of them.

"Arrest is a pretty common experience," says Robert Brame, a criminologist at the University of North Carolina-Charlotte and principal author of the study. Nearly one in three people will be arrested by the time they are 23, a study to be published today in Pediatrics found. – USA Today Dominant Social Theme: It's for your own good, dammit. Free-Market Analysis: This is a stunning statistic, in our view. According to a study generated via numbers collected by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics and reported in USA Today (see above excerpt) one out of every three people in the US...

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives wants to prohibit patients from protecting themselves. If you are a medical marijuana patient in one of the 16 states (plus the District of Columbia) that allow for it, you’ve got reason to believe lately that the government has it in for you. You’ve got federal raids on the places where you can conveniently buy your medicine, the governor of Arizona trying to overturn in court her citizens’ choice to institute a medical marijuana system, and Michigan’s attorney general trying to make life as hard as he can for those using the...