Thread: The US Has Become A Worse Police State Than Orwell Could Imagine

Dogs and Toddlers Breathe a Sigh of Relief as Over 400 Cops Call in Sick

RT.com​
July 8, 2014

The Memphis, Tennessee Police Department is hemorrhaging officers as hundreds of cops continue to call in sick as part of a growing act of protest.

On Monday this week, MPD spokesperson Sgt. Karen Rudolph confirmed to the Knoxville News Sentinel that 472 officers were off of work that afternoon after claiming to be sick. One day earlier, Mayor A C Wharton said at a news conference that 308 officer had called out of work since the previous Monday, causing a noticeable strain on the department’s ability to patrol the streets. Now if the trend continues in this manner, the number of active cops on the MPD may be obliterated even further.

Over the weekend, Police Director Toney Armstrong acknowledged that the growing number of officers calling out of work was the result of an effort waged after the City Council voted recently to reduce health care subsidies for city employees. According to the Memphis Flyer, city officials approved those changes when they agreed to pass a new budget last month. Now ahead of aJuly 15 vote where changes to the city employee pension plan are expected to be approved, officers are striking en masse by using up their sick days to express their outrage.

Officer Mike Williams, the president of the local police union, told a MemphisCBS News affiliate recently that a potential strike seemed to be among the only options the cops had left to speak up.

“Sometimes there’s a ground swell and sometimes you can only kick a dog for so long before it bites you,” Williams said.

Speaking to Memphis Commercial Appeal, however, Williams explained that his union isn’t necessary endorsing the strike.

“This is not something that the MOA (Memorandum of Agreement) orchestrated or condoned,” he said. “I don’t necessarily agree with this because we were getting support from the citizens and smaller businesses in the community.”

Meanwhile, the toll of the ever increasing list of officers on sick-leave is all too apparent in Memphis, where law enforcement officials from neighboring towns have been forced to assist in recent days. According to Commercial Appeal, around 50 Shelby County Sheriff’s deputies assisted with law enforcement procedures on Saturday, when 181 members of the MPD called in sick.

“I would like to publicly thank the sheriff and Shelby County Sheriff’s Office, as they always have, for being right there, our law enforcement brothers for being right there. They always have for us,” added Armstrong.

As of earlier this year in May, the total number of officers working for the MPD was just below 2,280. At the time, Armstrong said he needed at least 2,400 officers “to continue full services” for the city.

Republished with permission from Russia Today

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Corrupt and Racist Cops Caught Texting About Incentives to Beat People Down


The Free Thought Project
Matt AgoristJuly 9, 2014

Police Chief, Doug Jordan’s text messages show a disgusting level of racial slurs and incentive to harass and “take down” a local man.

The texts were given to Channel 2 Action News, in Coweta County, GA,which led to the department’s racist and corrupt practices being exposed.

According to Channel 2 News, the first set of texts started with, “OK. June Bug saw Henry and his wife at Dollar General, shot him the bird and yelled (expletive) U at him . So gloves off first officer to take him down gets a steak dinner” then, “(expletive) That drug pushing mother (expletive).” and finally, “We going to find that piece of (expletive).”

After finding out who ‘June Bug’ was, Leon Buchannan, Channel 2 showed him the texts.

“He threatened somebody’s life, like they making bets on me or something,” Buchannan said.

Buchannan did serve a year in prison on drug charges in 2008, but has been straight since getting out, “I changed my whole life, went to school, got my CDL,” Buchannan said.

“Are you a drug pusher?” Channel 2 investigative reporter Aaron Diamant asked.
“No, sir,” Buchannan said.

But the Buchannan’s innocence did not stop the man mentioned in the first text as “Henry, ” who is Grantville Police Officer Demetrius Henry, from descending quickly on Buchannan.

“He just jumped out the car, something like, ‘Didn’t I tell you don’t disrespect,’ and just started hitting and beating him in the car,” Buchannan’s cousin, April Heard said.

Buchannan was beat so badly that he ended up in the hospital. His family filed excessive force complaints against Henry, but of course, the internal “investigation” found no wrong doing.

Channel 2 News showed these texts and another set of texts, that were related to a news story on Officer Henry, to Mayor Jim Sells.
“Henry’s on the news.” The chief wrote back, “What’s that about?” then added “He probably beat the (expletive) out of some ‘n-word.’”
Sells quickly suspended Jordan, who resigned 2 days later. Henry also resigned shortly after the internal review cleared him of the force complaints.

No charges have been filed against Henry or Jordan.



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Trooper Who Probed Women’s Genitals During Traffic Stop Pleads Guilty, Will Serve No Jail Time

By DEBORAH HASTINGS

A fired Texas state trooper — who made national headlines after a dash cam video went viral showing her conducting genital probes during a routine traffic stop – pleaded guilty to criminal charges on Friday.
Kelly Helleson, 34, admitted to two counts of official repression in exchange for prosecutors dropping sexual assault charges against her. She was sentenced Friday to two years of probation.

The trooper was fired last year after a graphic 2012 dash cam video of a traffic stop in the Dallas area showed Helleson donning blue gloves and inserting her fingers into the vaginas and rectums of Angel Dobbs and her niece, Ashley Dobbs, after they were pulled over for allegedly throwing lighted cigarettes out of their car’s windows.
Angel Dobbs testified Friday she felt sexually assaulted during the disturbing interlude. Helleson had been summoned to the 2012 scene by trooper David Farrell, who said he smelled marijuana in the car. No illegal substances were found.
Trooper Who Probed Women’s Genitals During Traffic Stop Pleads Guilty, Will Serve No Jail Times [continued

Texas state trooper who probed women’s genitals during traffic stop pleads guilty to criminal charges

Fired last year from Texas Department of Public Safety, Kelley Helleson pleads guilty Friday and gets two years of probation. She was caught on dash cam using same set of gloves to search rectums and vaginas of two women.

BY Deborah Hastings
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Friday, May 23, 2014, 1:46 PM

KTXA-TV Former Texas state trooper Kelley Helleson, seen here searching the vagina of Ashley Dobbs in July 2012.
A fired Texas state trooper — who made national headlines after a dash cam video went viral showing her conducting genital probes during a routine traffic stop - pleaded guilty to criminal charges on Friday.
Kelly Helleson, 34, admitted to two counts of official repression in exchange for prosecutors dropping sexual assault charges against her. She was sentenced Friday to two years of probation.
The trooper was fired last year after a graphic 2012 dash cam video of a traffic stop in the Dallas area showed Helleson donning blue gloves and inserting her fingers into the vaginas and rectums of Angel Dobbs and her niece, Ashley Dobbs, after they were pulled over for allegedly throwing lighted cigarettes out of their car's windows.
Angel Dobbs testified Friday she felt sexually assaulted during the disturbing interlude. Helleson had been summoned to the 2012 scene by trooper David Farrell, who said he smelled marijuana in the car. No illegal substances were found.
KTXA-TV Dash cam footage shows Ashley Dobbs, 24, with former Texas state trooper Kelley Hellenson, who conducted body cavity searches on two women after a traffic stop for allegedly throwing cigarettes out of the car's windows. No ticket was issued.
During the probes, Dobbs told the Dallas court, she was thinking "Oh my God, did she just do that?" according to KXAS-TV.
Farrell was suspended, but not indicted over the invasive searches.
Farrell is back on active duty, the Texas Department of Public Safety told the Daily News in an email. He had been accused of theft over a bottle of prescription pain pills reported missing from the women's vehicle, but a grand jury declined to indict him. He was returned to full duty last September.
NBCDFW Former Texas state trooper Kelley Helleson, left, being fingerprinted in court Friday. Angel Dobbs, right, testifed she felt sexually violated by Helleson searching her vagina and her rectum during routine traffic stop in July 2012.
Helleson apologized in court, saying she was only doing what she was trained to do.
The women sued the department, saying they were violated and their health endangered because Helleson did not change gloves at any point during the rectal and vaginal searches of both women.
The suit was settled for $185,000.




A similar case in Houston produced far different results. Trooper Jennie Bui was fired last year over nearly identical allegations — two women pulled over for a traffic stop were strip-searched on the side of the road and the humiliating incident was captured on dash cam video.
A grand jury declined to indict her, saying she was only following the orders of Trooper Nathaniel Turner, who summoned her to the scene. Bui has been reinstated. Turner was fired.

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Colorado Sheriffs Search ‘Every Vehicle,’ Set Up Checkpoint Following Concert Shooting

Police responded to a shooting outside Colorado’s Red Rock Amphitheater late Thursday night by forcing thousands of concert goers through a mandatory checkpoint. Story: http://bit.ly/1lbXVg6



Colorado Sheriffs Search ‘Every Vehicle,’ Set Up Checkpoint Following Concert Shooting
The Free Thought Project


Drivers forced to wait hours, show ID before leaving checkpoint Infowars.comMikael ThalenJune 20, 2014 Police responded to a shooting outside Colorado’s Red Rock Amphitheater late Thursday night by forcing thousands of concert goers through a mandatory checkpoint. The shooting, which left three people with non-life threatening injuries, occurred in the parking lot following performances by…


Colorado Sheriffs Search ‘Every Vehicle,’ Set Up Checkpoint Following Concert Shooting

Drivers forced to wait hours, show ID before leaving checkpointInfowars.comMikael ThalenJune 20, 2014Police responded to a shooting outside Colorado’s Red Rock Amphitheater late Thursday night by forcing thousands of concert goers through a mandatory checkpoint.

The shooting, which left three people with non-life threatening injuries, occurred in the parking lot following performances by rappers Nas, Flying Lotus and Schoolboy Q.


“I’m backstage; we’re on lockdown waiting to leave,” concert promoter Faithon Lucas told the Denver Post.
Attendees of the concert took to Twitter to air their concerns as law enforcement began searching vehicles and demanding ID from every one attempting to leave.

@DenverPolice ofcrs manning checkpoint Gate 1 #redrocks. Searching vehicles and checking ID of departing concertgoers pic.twitter.com/fNcNkJHBro — Rob McClure (@RobCBS4) June 20, 2014

Every car leaving #redrocks is being searched, line is starting to move. Cars parked in south lots cannot leave at this time. — Souls In Action (@soulsinaction) June 20, 2014

Police: still about 2000 patrons trying to get out of #RedRocks. Checkpoints slowing process. No access into park. pic.twitter.com/Yl6vXJ5rQI — Pete Burd (@PeteBurd) June 20, 2014

Police checking IDs in every vehicle leaving #redrocks, been stuck for almost 2 hours
— Briana (@LoveBrianaXO) June 20, 2014

Image: Warantless Checkpoint (Rob McClure / Twitter)


A representative with the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department boldly confirmed that every vehicle would be searched, regardless of probable cause, before being allowed to vacate the area.

Large police presence at Red Rocks Park due to shooting. All “concert goer” cars in the park being searched. #JCSO #Jeffco
— Jeffco Sheriff (@jeffcosheriffco) June 20, 2014

“You forgot (conveniently) to include the word ‘illegally’ between ‘being’ & ‘searched,’” one Twitter user said in response.

Such scenes, where law enforcement disregard constitutional rights through mandatory dragnets, have begun appearing across the country at an alarming rate.

Following a bank robbery in Maryland last March, police shut down an entire Interstate in both directions to search countless vehicles at gunpoint.

Last year after several officers were injured in a gang-related shooting in California, a police checkpoint resulted in numerous innocent drivers having a rifle put to their head.

During the Boston bombings manhunt, the entire town of Watertown was literally placed under martial law as militarized police forced residents out of their homes at gunpoint without warrants.

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