Free Republic

A Seattle police officer has been caught on tape talking about "making up" evidence while two wrongly arrested men sit in jail. It's the latest shocker uncovered by a KOMO 4 Problem Solver investigation into the Seattle Police Department's vanishing dashcam videos. Josh Lawson and Christopher Franklin filed a claim against the city Monday for excessive force and wrongful arrest. The two were arrested at gunpoint on November 16, 2010 and said the incident changed their lives forever. "I thought I was gonna die," Lawson said about that night. Franklin said it was "the most terrifying thing I've ever experienced."...

A sheriff and his sergeant in Washington state have bought burial plots next to Josh Powell's boys in order to block family members from burying him next to them, according to a media report Wednesday.

A sheriff and his sergeant in Washington state have bought burial plots next to Josh Powell's boys in order to block family members from burying him next to them, according to a media report Wednesday. "The bottom line is, Josh Powell will not be near those two boys," Pierce County Sheriff's Sgt. Ed Troyer said in an interview with a Seattle-area radio program called the Ron and Don Show.

Did Wisconsin’s Capitol Police Chief Charles Tubbs cut a secret access deal with one of Madison’s most infamous protesters? That’s the question being asked after one of our reporters caught an interesting conversation at the Wisconsin Capitol. While the rally was in violation of the policy governing access to state facilities, it appears protesters may have established an understanding with Capitol Police Chief Charles Tubbs. As he was speaking to veteran protester Miles Kristan about their understanding, the chief asked our reporter to leave. “You told me you were going to help me with this,” Tubbs is overheard saying to...

Officers and border guards violently burst into the Torah study hall of the town of Givat Asaf and began assaulting the students. The Rabbi approached the commanding officer and asked him why be violent in a holy place, and was assaulted and thrown to the ground and beaten. Four students were taken into custody including one on crutches, accused of rock throwing and fleeing the scene. A pregnant woman was also assaulted...

(Barbados Nation) More arrests are on the cards following an intense police audit of shooting clubs and firearm dealers this past week. The ongoing investigation has also resulted in the transferral of two police officers and the temporary closure of the firearms section of the Royal Barbados Police Force. The SUNDAY SUN has further been reliably informed that an undisclosed number of unregistered firearms and quantity of ammunition were uncovered during the probe, which has revealed some other stunning irregularities. Yesterday, Commissioner of Police Darwin Dottin said he preferred not to make any comment at this stage.

Greece's largest police union has threatened to issue arrest warrants for officials from the country's European Union and International Monetary Fund lenders for demanding deeply unpopular austerity measures. ---------------------------------------------------------- The threat is largely symbolic since legal experts say a judge must first authorize such warrants, but it shows the depth of anger against foreign lenders who have demanded drastic wage and pension cuts in exchange for funds to keep Greece afloat. "Since you are continuing this destructive policy, we warn you that you cannot make us fight against our brothers. We refuse to stand against our parents, our brothers, our...

<p>HENDERSON, NV (FOX5) - One of the officers videotaped beating a man during a traffic stop was identified Wednesday as a 9-year veteran of Henderson police.</p> <p>Sgt. Brett Seekatz was one of the officers videotaped beating Adam Greene near Lake Mead Boulevard and Boulder Highway in 2010, according to Keith Paul with Henderson police.</p>

The last general answer seems to be a popular subject, especially with the new legislative session: laws concerning open carry and carrying concealed weapons. First off, when dealing with police, just notify us of the fact that you have a firearm. I cannot tell you how an individual officer will react, but that's what you do. Let me first say that I believe in gun ownership. I believe in defending yourself if in a life-threatening situation or defending the life of someone else. I however do not understand the need to own an assault rifle for private use, with ammunition...

(Reuters) - Inmates working at a Vermont correctional unit's print shop managed to sneak a prank image of a pig into a state police crest that is emblazoned on police cars, and 30 cruisers sported the design for the last year, officials said on Thursday. The official crest depicts a spotted cow against a background of snowy mountains, but the inmates' version featured one of the cow's spots shaped like a pig in an apparent reference to the pejorative word for police, state police spokeswoman Stephanie Dasaro said. "It dishonors the memory of those past and present members, especially for...

(Reuters) - Inmates working at a Vermont correctional unit's print shop managed to sneak a prank image of a pig into a state police crest that is emblazoned on police cars, and 30 cruisers sported the design for the last year, officials said on Thursday. The official crest depicts a spotted cow against a background of snowy mountains, but the inmates' version featured one of the cow's spots shaped like a pig in an apparent reference to the pejorative word for police, state police spokeswoman Stephanie Dasaro said. "It dishonors the memory of those past and present members, especially for...

A prison inmate who makes car stickers and license plates decided to have the last laugh by adding the image of a pig to the official crest on state cruisers. On the 16-inch car door stickers, made by prisoners in Windsor, Vermont, a patch on a cow in a scene with mountains has been changed to the shape of a pig, a derogatory term for police. A Vermont state trooper discovered the pig while inspecting his vehicle on Wednesday and state police have said they believe the image has been added to about 30 cars.

MOSCOW, January 31 (RIA Novosti) Tags: Saiga-12, AK-47, Izhmash, USA, Russia, Moscow Izhmash, the manufacturer of the legendary Kalashnikov AK-47, will supply Saiga-12 semi-automatic smoothbore shotguns to a number of police forces in the U.S., Izhmash reported on its web site on Tuesday. The contracts were signed at the Shot Show exhibition in Las Vegas on January 17-20. “The first Saiga-12 deliveries to U.S. law enforcement were already made in January 2012,” Izhmash General Director Maxim Kuzyuk said. At the exhibition, Izhmash also signed an agreement on exclusive imports to the U.S. market with Russian Weapon Company and an agreement...

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?"

Police were in the process of arresting about 100 Occupy protesters for failing to disperse Saturday night, hours after officers used tear gas on a rowdy group of demonstrators who threw rocks and flares at them and tore down fences. Police Sgt. Christopher Bolton said the arrests came after protesters marched through downtown Oakland a little before 8 p.m. Saturday, with some of them entering a YMCA building. Meanwhile, about 100 police officers surrounded City Hall while others were swept the inside of the building to see if any protesters broke in.

The U.S. Secret Service is investigating the origins of a photo on an Arizona police officer's Facebook page that shows a group of armed youths posing in the desert with what appears to be a bullet-ridden image of President Barack Obama on a T-shirt. Max Milien, a Secret Service spokesman, said on Friday that the agency was looking into the picture taken of seven youths, four of them toting guns, that turned up on the Facebook page of Sergeant Pat Shearer of the Peoria, Arizona, police department. 'Any time information is brought to our attention where an individual or a...

MASSENA - A retired U.S. Border Patrol agent is working to stir up interest in a firearms training program that would give former law enforcement officers a chance to continue to carry concealed weapons. Jean-Pierre Plante has proposed bringing a certified gun instructor to the north country, giving former officers a one-day crash course on everything weapon-related. The class would be the first of its kind in the area and would help retirees take advantage of a federal law that allows them to carry a concealed handgun. "A lot of them (law enforcement officers) are retiring, and sometimes they are...

Law enforcement officers have names for the girls offering them sex on the beat: Badge Bunny. Holster Sniffer. Uniform Jumper. Handcuff Hugger. In Paso Robles, brethren in blue have one more: The Chief. A flurry of complaints and mounting formal grievances alleging sexual misconduct, illegal management practices and retaliation have been lodged against Paso Robles’ first female chief of police, Lisa Solomon. Those known to have made accusations against the chief include five current and former police officers, as well as a growing record of non-sworn police department personnel. The criticisms against Solomon include allegations of sexual assaults, many committed...

Chief Dan Kingsley of the Silver Lake Police Department has announced that Firearms Training Officer, Keith Kerwin will be offering CCW training classes in Silver Lake. Officer Kerwin will be teaching the DOJ Recommended 4 hr classes. Interested persons or if you have questions can call the Police Department at 262-889-4100 or email the Police Department at slpolice@bizwi.rr.com. Successful completion of this course will allow citizens to apply for a WI Conceal and Carry permit. Cost is $75, or $60 if you are a resident of Silver Lake.

A Virginia man claimed to be a Navy SEAL to talk his way out of a gun possession arrest on Thursday, and the New York Police Department committed him to a psych ward thinking his claims of elite military status were the rantings of a lunatic.NYC Police Throw Navy SEAL Into Psych Ward For Claiming... Hes a SEAL Turns out the guy was in fact an elite Navy SEAL. But as the New York Post put it, telling the NYPD “I’m in an elite military unit, you can’t arrest me,” doesn‘t help much when the city’s draconian gun laws are...

With the constitutionality of Illinois' eavesdropping law already facing several court challenges, a Democratic state representative from Northbrook has filed a bill that would allow people to audio-record a police officer working in public without the officer's consent. "I believe that the existing statute is a significant intrusion into First Amendment rights, so with the prosecutions and the court cases that have been reported about, it just seemed that this is a problem in need of a swift solution," Rep. Elaine Nekritz said in an interview Thursday. Illinois' eavesdropping law is one of the strictest in the country and makes...

Police have charged a Landstown High School math teacher with abduction and sexual abuse after a student reported being hit several times with a belt after school. Police in a news release said the female student stayed after school Wednesday for a tutoring session and had failed to complete an assignment. She accused the teacher of hitting her across the buttocks as punishment. The girl reported that to a school nurse, and the nurse called police and Child Protective Services. Police charged Michael David Shanklin Jr., 37, of the 2500 block of Hunters Run Trail. He was jailed without bond....

The NAACP is calling for a federal investigation into allegations a New London police officer planted drugs outside a suspect's house just before his arrest. The questionable conduct happened in October 2010 and was captured on tape by a camera inside a police cruiser. Lance Goode was arrested that night. He says the video shows Officer Roger Newton dropping drugs on the ground, looking around, and then kicking them underneath his car. "Someone we're supposed to trust, a police officer. His career was that important that my life, my family's life didn't mean nothing?" said Goode. Goode just filed a...

Ray Meyer [not shown] was a sergeant for the California Highway Patrol. The ex-cop emailed the Force Science Institute (FSI) a question that’s been rattling around my head for a while: why should cops get special treatment after a shooting? FSI’s run dozens of articles on how to protect cops’ legal rights and mental well-being after a shooting, from how not to interview them, to the officer’s need for not one but two night’s sleep before providing their sworn statement. Now that he’s retired, Ray wonders how he’d be treated if he’s involved in a DGU (Defensive Gun Use) ....

Report: Undercover police had kids with activistsBy: The Associated Press | 01/20/12 6:22 PM Britain's Guardian newspaper said Friday that two undercover police officers have fathered children with the activists they were spying on. Key details were hazy but the revelations are the latest in a series of reports which has cast doubt on whether undercover police in the U.K. go too far in seeking to infiltrate environmental, animal rights and extremist groups. British authorities are already preparing a report into the use of undercover officers after one of them caused a trial to collapse when his cover was blown.

Tempers flared Tuesday night at a Los Angeles Police Commission community forum on a controversial proposal to ease the towing and impound policy for unlicensed drivers. Under current laws, the cars of unlicensed drivers are towed and impounded for 30 days if they are stopped by officers. LAPD Chief Charlie Beck has proposed lifting the 30-day impound and giving the registered owner or a licensed driver a reasonable chance to retrieve the vehicle. Critics, including the LAPD police union, say the changes just reward lawbreakers and put politics above safety. The meeting in Northridge was packed with residents who were...

Manahawkin, NJ --(Ammoland.com)- On Wednesday January 4, 2012, Rick Gutman the attorney for the New Jersey Second Amendment Society (NJ2AS) filed an appeal with the NJ Appellate division in its lawsuit against the NJ Division of State Police. This case revolves around the state’s refusal to allow lawful New Jersey residents reasonable access to documents which directly impact the processing of their applications for Firearms Identification Cards and Handgun Purchase Permits. After receiving numerous complaints from applicants who were subjected to extended delays, intrusive forms and other requirements that clearly go beyond what is allowed by law, the NJ2AS took...

One thing six-plus decades in this life has taught me is that people are overly-optimistic with our culture’s custom of New Year’s Resolutions. Therefore, I figured I should wait until a couple of weeks in to put my own in perspective. New Year’s Resolutions often revolve around personal vices. Quit smoking, quit drinking, make your sex life less dangerous. They key here is reasonable expectations. My resolutions in this regard were to make love to only the cleanest and sweetest woman, drink only the finest adult beverages, and smoke only choice tobacco. It’s working so far, which obviously proves that...

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- A Louisville man was arrested Thursday night accused of doing doughnuts in his car at a park. Louisville Metro Police said 22-year-old Tony Fey was at Riverview Park off of Greenwood Road doing doughnuts in the snow. Police said the park has three signs reading "No Trespassing After Dark." Fey was charged with criminal trespassing and reckless driving.

Paul Weston’s latest essay concerns the apparent indifference of the British media and political establishment to racially motivated crime — unless, of course, that crime is committed by white people against non-whites... The mainstream media (MSM) have devoted a great deal of space to the Stephen Lawrence case of late. Many journalists have commented that whilst Britain was a racist country in the recent past, the Britain of today is a much more tolerant place. This may well be the case with regard to white-on-non-white racial crime, but what about the violent crime committed by non-whites on whites, and what...

One of the nice things about debating about the cons and cons of gun control: the real world is full of real-world examples of why gun grabbing is beyond foolish. I’ve already connected the dots between gun control and the destruction of press freedom, drawing on the lessons provided by Mexico. Today’s case-in-point hails from the land down under. smh.com.au reports . . . THE police have launched an audacious effort to get thousands of illegal guns off Sydney’s streets, urging people to be more courageous and simply pick up the phone to tell them where weapons are in order...

Last month, a story explained the workings how people go to court for help in the return of legally owned guns confiscated by police under a variety of circumstances. Two men trying to get multiples guns and money back were told in October they had to return for November's hearing after police and a prosecutor said they needed more time. Both eventually won orders from Circuit Judge Charles Kahn. As a state-licensed security guard, James Perry, 35, could legally carry a weapon to and from jobs. He said he was wearing his outside a theater where a shooting occurred (he...

Mitt Romney is a loser...an election loser. In his 1994 senatorial campaign, he lost by a huge margin (by more than 17 points) in a year when Republicans took over Congress. Despite everyone else’s success, Romney managed to lose. Of all his campaigns he has won only once when he won a single term as governor of Massachusetts, but he quickly tarnished that close victory. After becoming governor in 2002 with Kerry Healey as his running mate, Romney proceeded to mismanage his position so that his approval dropped rapidly into the 40's and then the 30's. He left that mess...

WASHINGTON -- Tensions between the rich and poor are increasing and at their most intense level in nearly a quarter-century, a new survey shows. Americans now see more social conflict over wealth inequality than over the hot-button topics of immigration, race relations and age. The survey released Wednesday by the Pew Research Center highlights U.S. perceptions of the economic divide, an issue that has moved to the forefront in the 2012 presidential campaign amid stubbornly high unemployment, increasing poverty and protests by the Occupy movement.

Republican presidential contenders brought buckets of cash and sharp rhetoric to South Carolina on Wednesday for an intense 10-day battle that may determine whether anyone can stop front-runner Mitt Romney's march to the party's nomination. Despite fierce attacks from his rivals, the former Massachusetts governor captured New Hampshire's primary 16 percentage points ahead of the rest of the field on Tuesday to go two-for-two at the start of the Republican nomination race after his narrow victory in Iowa's caucuses a week earlier.The New Hampshire victory felt "like Christmas Day," Romney told reporters as his plane left the state for South...

ALBANY — Police Chief Steven Krokoff roared to the defense of his department Thursday night, singling out city lawmakers by name in a blistering speech as he accused two of being "too weak to stand for the truth" and capitalizing on recent traumas for their own political gain. The normally mild-mannered chief's scorching offensive, which he began by citing the number of officers injured in the line of duty in each of the last two years, seemed to stun some members of the Common Council, who had summoned Krokoff before them to explain his department's actions during the Dec. 22...

The last two presidential election cycles have revealed a stinking hypocrisy in conservatives: They profess their love of capitalism and entrepreneurship, but when offered a real capitalist and entrepreneur, they go, “Eek, a mouse!” And they tear him down in proud social-democrat fashion. In the off season, they sound like Friedrich Hayek. When the game is on, they sound like Huey Long, Bella Abzug, or Bob Shrum. Last time around, Mike Huckabee said Romney “looks like the guy who laid you off.” Conservatives reacted like this was the greatest mot since Voltaire or something. To me, Romney looked like someone...

As many as 5 million California property-tax payers who have been taking the entire amount they pay off their state income taxes could see a major cut in their deductions when they file next year. Beginning with the 2012 tax bill (the one due in April 2013), the state Franchise Tax Board will require property owners to break down their property taxes into deductible and non-deductible portions. That means property owners who have been deducting their Mello-Roos fees — often running into thousands of dollars — will no longer be able to deduct those or any other special assessments like...

According to the Quinnipiac Poll released Monday, Romney leads the field among Florida Republicans with 36 percent of the vote, followed by Newt Gingrich with 24 percent, then Rick Santorum at 16 percent. Behind them, Ron Paul has the support of 10 percent of Florida Republicans, Rick Perry has five and Jon Huntsman trails with two percent. The poll also found that 54 percent of Florida Republicans say they could change their minds in the coming weeks.

Seton Hall Constitutional L.J. 2001, 685 ARE COPS CONSTITUTIONAL? Roger Roots* ABSTRACT Police work is often lionized by jurists and scholars who claim to employ "textualist" and "originalist" methods of constitutional interpretation. Yet professional police were unknown to the United States in 1789, and first appeared in America almost a half-century after the Constitution's ratification. The Framers contemplated law enforcement as the duty of mostly private citizens, along with a few constables and sheriffs who could be called upon when necessary. This article marshals extensive historical and legal evidence to show that modern policing is in many ways inconsistent with...

Accumulated budget deficits of $15.2 trillion and unfunded entitlement liabilities of $117 trillion cannot dissuade Paul Krugman, New York Times columnist and Princeton University professor, from his belief that government must go many trillions more into debt immediately to rescue Barack Obama's presidency. In his latest column extolling the virtues of the late British economist John Maynard Keynes, Mr. Krugman asserts anew that the nearly $800 billion Obama stimulus of 2009 failed to produce 4 million new jobs and keep unemployment under 8 percent simply because it was too small. (He has argued $2.9 trillion of government pump-priming was the...

A dog that reportedly bit a policeman during a domestic battery investigation last year was shot dead Wednesday night by a detective during a drug raid at the same house, according to Key West police reports. Buddie, a 5-year-old pit bull terrier mix, was shot in the head by Detective Michael Chaustit, who reportedly fired one bullet from his .45-caliber service handgun while the dog's mouth was clamped down on his left hand -- requiring three stitches at Lower Keys Medical Center. A veterinarian euthanized the dog at the scene about an hour laterreports say. During a 9 p.m. raid...

Innovation is the key driver of competitiveness, wage and job growth, and longterm economic growth. Therefore, one way to approach the question of how to improve the competitiveness of the United States is to look to the past and examine the factors that helped unleash the tremendous innovative potential of the private sector. Among these factors, three pillars have been key: Federal support for basic research, education, and infrastructure. Federally supported research laid the groundwork for the integrated circuit and the subsequent computer industry; the Internet; and advances in chemicals, agriculture, and medical science. Millions of workers can trace their...

Today many in the United States are crying out to President Obama and Government to do more and more to fix our social ills. The notion that Big Government has all of the answers and solutions we need in this very chaotic and unstable world is a fairy tale. It is one that is rooted in the mistaken belief that Fallen Man through and by the efforts of Big Government or Socialism can bring security and comfort to its citizens or constituents. There is no man-made ideology or system that can ever usher in a world Utopia of perfection and...

TAMPA - Two years ago in the midterm elections, the Tea Party dominated the conversation -- and the results at the polls. But this time around, with the presidency at stake, the Tea Party is making very little noise. And that's making some people wonder if the Party's over. With Sarah Palin at the helm, and a legion of newly energized voters, the Tea Party wielded enormous clout in 2010, sending favored sons and daughters like Rand Paul of Kentucky and Nikki Haley of South Carolina to Congress. The defeats of Sharon Angle and Christine O'Donnell show that they didn't...

KEENE, N.H. (AP) - Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum called Friday for immediate cuts to Social Security benefits, risking the wrath of older voters and countless others who balk at changes to the entitlement program. "We can't wait 10 years," even though "everybody wants to," Santorum told a crowd while campaigning in New Hampshire and looking to set himself apart from his Republican rivals four days before the New Hampshire primary. Most of his opponents have advocated phasing in a reduction and say immediate cuts would be too big a shock to current and soon-to-be retirees.

A Chicago police officer allegedly turned a $132 speeding ticket into a pick-up opportunity when he later tracked down the female driver and asked her out, saying the least he could do for the money he cost her was to treat her to dinner, according to a lawsuit the woman filed in federal court. Evagelina Paredes filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Chicago, accusing police officer Chris Collins of violating her privacy, according to the Associated Press. She alleges that after she was ticketed on Oct. 22, Collins searched for her address in the motor-vehicle database and left...

SEATTLE – A Seattle police officer who was arrested for possession of cocaine Thursday morning committed suicide after he was released from jail. The body of Officer Richard F. Nelson, 50, was found on the John Wayne Trail near Rattlesnake Lake with a self-inflicted gunshot wound, Seattle Police said. Just hours earlier, Nelson was arrested and booked into the King County Jail after police officers in the Rainier Valley area provided him with an unknown amount of cocaine. Nelson was pulled over in his personal vehicle and arrested following the end of his shift. Nelson was the subject of an...

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.

Via CBS 19 News: The School Board in Charlottesville is clearly out of line, and not fooling anyone with their lame explanation for how kids came to sing a class warfare song at an assembly. Indoctrinating other people’s children with their political message is a tactic leftists use all the time. Conservatives shouldn’t stand for it, and need to continue to sound the alarm about this story.