Holder announces New Orleans police reforms. Amnesty International Urges Stricter Limits on Police Taser Use as U.S. Death Toll Reaches 500. NEW YORK - February 15 - Two days after the death of a Georgia man who was shocked with a police Taser -- raising the known death toll from tasers to 500 in the United States -- Amnesty International today repeated its call for tighter limits on police use of the weapons. According to data collected by Amnesty International, at least 500 people in the United States have died since 2001 after being shocked with Tasers either during their arrest or while in jail.
Amnesty International recorded the largest number of deaths following the use of Tasers in California (92), followed by Florida (65), and Texas (37). The Oklahoma City Police Department led all law enforcement agencies in deaths (7) following by Las Vegas Metropolitan Police, Harris County Sheriff’s (Tx), Phoenix, Az and San Jose, Ca., all with six deaths. On Monday, Johnnie Kamahi Warren was the latest to die after a police officer in Dothan, Al. deployed a Taser on him at least twice. Cities That Have Fired Their Police Forces. On December 1, Youngtown, Ariz., joined the ranks of the many U.S. cities and towns that have fired their local police forces.
In recent years, it has become somewhat of a trend across the country for municipalities to disband police departments, most often due to financial restrictions. 24/7 Wall St. has identified six cities and towns that have completely dissolved their local law enforcement groups. Using information from the National Fraternal Order of Police and conversations with a number of police departments, 24/7 found nearly 50 cities and towns that either considered dismantling or have already dismantled their police forces in the past four years. 24/7 also received help from Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard and the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office — a department that has taken over law enforcement responsibilities for 16 police forces in the country.
A number of reasons contribute to a local government dismissing its police department. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. ACLU objects to NOPD plans to identify properties investigated after drug tips. New Orleans Police Superintendent Ronal Serpas said Tuesday that officers will begin placing bright orange stickers on properties they have searched for drugs. The octagonal, saucer-sized stickers will be affixed to homes that are under investigation and have been singled out through anonymous tips to Crimestoppers Inc. The signs will go up after officers execute a warrant at the property, regardless of whether drugs are found or arrests made. View full sizeMichelle Hunter, The Times-PicayuneNew Orleans Police Chief Ronal Serpas holds a sticker that he says officers will begin placing on properties that have been investigated in connection with Crimestoppers tips on drug activity.
Serpas said he wants the public to know that officers are following up on drug-related tips, even though those investigations are done in a clandestine manner. The labels note, in smaller print, that the NOPD "has served a narcotic-related warrant or checked this residence" as a result of a Crimestoppers tip. An Innocent Tourist Gets "A Break" In the early days of my career as a lawyer, I spent a lot of time in the 34 Precinct. The cops had a curious relationship with the residents, where everyone was a perp. Eventually. Things have quieted down quite a bit since then, after the crack days of cold bodies appearing in the park every morning, but it apparently hasn't done much to change the attitude. Via Jim Dwyer at the Times, a Christmas tourist, Aaron Vansintjan, from Belgium by way of McGill University in Montreal, wanted only to meet his friends at the Cloisters, a museum of medieval art in Fort Tryon Park, at 190th Street.
The day being fine, he decided to scramble up. “I was catching my breath for about 15 seconds,” he said. He was led up the stairs in handcuffs by a plainclothes police officer and others in uniform. That's the funny thing about not having the slightest clue why a guy is pointing a gun at you. As he was being held on the street, he said, “they told me someone had reported the theft of a Macy’s bag.” Local Cops Ready for War With Homeland Security-Funded Military Weapons. Nestled amid plains so flat the locals joke you can watch your dog run away for miles, Fargo treasures its placid lifestyle, seldom pierced by the mayhem and violence common in other urban communities.
North Dakota’s largest city has averaged fewer than two homicides a year since 2005, and there’s not been a single international terrorism prosecution in the last decade. But that hasn’t stopped authorities in Fargo and its surrounding county from going on an $8 million buying spree to arm police officers with the sort of gear once reserved only for soldiers fighting foreign wars. Every city squad car is equipped today with a military-style assault rifle, and officers can don Kevlar helmets able to withstand incoming fire from battlefield-grade ammunition.
And for that epic confrontation—if it ever occurs—officers can now summon a new $256,643 armored truck, complete with a rotating turret. The new weaponry and battle gear, they insist, helps save lives in the face of such threats. The Daily Beast, Center for Investigative Reporting Take On Police Militarization. The Daily Beast and the Center for Investigative Journalism have put out a new report on police militarization, focusing primarily on police departments stockpiling battle gear in the decade since 9/11.
There’s some great reporting here, particularly on the absurd Homeland Security outlays to states and police departments across the country. There’s also a cool interactive map. (I love that the feds gave Oklahoma $2 million for port security.) And while it’s great to see this issue get more coverage, I do have a couple quibbles. First and foremost, there’s no mention at all of the drug war’s role in all of this. It seems odd to leave the drug war out entirely. A few more stats, courtesy of criminologist Peter Kraska: In the early 1980s, the average city deployed a SWAT team once per month.
The other reason why the drug war is a critical component of this issue is actually contained in The Daily Beast piece, though you have to look for it. But of course now you have all this stuff. In Police Training, a Dark Film on U.S. Muslims. Feds: Cops Acted Like "Bullies With Badges"