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Jefferson: Cops Overreacted On Minor Calls
by Thomas MacMillan | Jun 24, 2010 10:15 am
(49) Comments | Commenting has been closed | E-mail the Author
Posted to: Legal Writes
Isis Hargrove said she was sitting in a car on Hurlburt Street when police pulled her out of the vehicle, threw her to the ground, cursed at her, dumped out her pocketbook, then arrested her and took her to police headquarters, where she threw up after police ignored her complaints that she was feeling sick.
Police said they feared the 20-year-old woman (pictured) may have had a weapon. She was arrested for interfering with an officer during a drug bust on a house near where the car was parked.
The case is the one of several highlighted recently by local criminal defense attorney Mike Jefferson. Jefferson said the cases exemplify a trend of routine police interactions turning into an angry and sometimes violent encounters between cops and African-Americans. It’s part of an ongoing problem of over-aggressive police officers operating without checks, Jefferson said.
In another case, a woman named Doreen Hobson called police to report that her car had been vandalized—and ended up in handcuffs. She said police tried to antagonize and intimidate her and wouldn’t explain their actions.
Police said she had an outstanding warrant and fought with them when they arrested her.
Hargrove’s case was nolled last week. Hobson is due in court on June 24.
Both cases raise the question of how civilians should deal with police they feel are overreacting or mistreating them. Should they run? Cooperate? Curse back?
One local black cop has advice for African-Americans about dealing with routine police encounters. In a recent book, entitled “Driving While Black: A Black Man’s Guide to Law Enforcement in America,” Shafiq Abdussabur advises people to be polite and cooperative when dealing with police no matter what the circumstances. That’s the way to avoid escalating a situation into an arrest or conflict.
Jefferson said he agrees with that advice. But police should be held to that same standard, he said. They are the ones trained to diffuse tense situations, and should keep their cool even when confronted by anxious or uncooperative citizens, Jefferson said.
Activist Barbara Fair had a slightly different take on it. Despite their training, police act unnecessarily aggressive, she said. It’s therefore up to civilians to be cool and defuse tense situations.
Hargrove said she cooperated. Hobson said she cooperated, then struggled with police. Both incidents turned out badly.
Option 1: Ask For Badge Number, Throw Up
In a recent interview in Jefferson’s Dixwell Avenue law office, Hargrove, who lives in West Haven, told her side of the story. Here’s what she said happened:
It was the evening of Friday, April 9. Hargrove was sitting in the passenger seat of a car on Hurlburt Street, sending text messages. Her cousin had just run into a house to use the bathroom. She noticed some police activity three or four houses away. “I guess the cops were doing a bust or something.”
Suddenly a cop appeared at the driver’s side window. “Put down the fucking phone!” he shouted, according to Hargrove. “Get the fuck out of the car!”
“What did I do?” Hargrove said she asked. The cop continued to yell at her.
Then a female officer came up to her side of the car. “Ma’am, can you step out of the car please?” the officer said, according to Hargrove.
Hargrove said OK, then asked if the cop needed to see ID. “It’s in my pocketbook,” she recalled saying. “Do you want to get it or me?”
Hargrove said she knows police don’t like sudden movements or seeing people reach into bags, so she made sure to clarify what the cop wanted her to do. She said she was taking off her seat belt and reaching for the door when suddenly the male cop grabbed her and pulled her out of the car. “He takes me and slams me on the ground,” Hargrove recalled.
“Shut the fuck up!” the cop reportedly shouted when Hargrove tried to ask why she was being arrested. She said she asked for his name and badge number and he did not give it to her.
The officer grabbed her purse, dumped it out, and tossed it on the ground.
“Shut up before I take you to jail,” the cop said, according to Hargrove. He told her she was being arrested for interfering.
“Why?” Hargrove said. “You guys came and harassed me.” She said she wasn’t near the scene of the bust on Hurlburt Street.
“You’re at the wrong place at the wrong time,” an officer told her, according to Hargrove. She was handcuffed and put in the back of a cruiser.
Another officer saw her and started laughing at her.
“That’s Cody’s girlfriend,” the cop said according to Hargrove.
“Ex-girlfriend,” Hargove replied. “And what’s so funny?”
Hargrove started to feel sick. Her head was pounding and her whole back hurt. She was still recovering from a minor car accident she’d been in the night before. She asked the police to switch the handcuffs to the front. They did so.
She was moved to a police wagon. Before she got in, she asked several more times for the name and badge number of the cop who had cursed at her and thrown her on the ground. Police assured her it would be on the incident report, she said.
The police told her to “have fun in Union Station [police headquarters] for the weekend,” Hargrove said.
When she arrived at police headquarters, she started feeling worse, Hargrove said. She said she could “feel my brain pulsating” and she almost passed out. She told police she wanted to go to the hospital. They told her she was fine and should just take some Advil when she got home, Hargrove said.
“I start getting queasy,” she said. “I started throwing up everywhere.”
Police still told her there was nothing wrong with her, Hargrove said.
She was released on a promise to appear in court. She went to the hospital, where she was told she had received a concussion. It must have happened when she was thrown to the ground, she said. “My whole body was like in shambles.”
Hargrove said she still doesn’t know the name of the officer that pulled her out of the car.
“I just want to choke that guy,” she said. She said she wants her case to be thrown out and “justice to be served.”
On April 9, police were executing a search and seizure warrant at 68 Hurlburt St., where they arrested an alleged member of the Hill South Bloods on drug charges. On the sixth page of the report of that arrest, a paragraph describes the police interaction with Hargrove. Here’s what police say happened, according to the report, prepared by Det. Jodi Novella:
As the police were executing the warrant, an Acura Vigor with someone in the passenger seat was running with its lights on in front of 68 Hurlburt. The passenger, later identified at Isis Hargrove, told Det. Novella and Lt. John Velleca that her driver of the car had gone into 68 Hurlburt St.
Hargrove then started yelling at Novella and Velleca. She began reaching for a bag on the floor of the car. Velleca told Hargrove to keep her hands visible. Hargrove refused.
When she reached down toward the bag, police ordered her out of the car. She refused. Velleca and Novella feared she might be reaching for a weapon, according to the report.
“Isis was then pulled out of the car and arrested for interfering with an officer,” the report states. “It should be noted that in the past month there has been an increase in gun violence in this area.”
A judge nolled Hargrove’s case on June 16. “It worked itself out,” Jefferson said. He declined to give further details about his discussions with the prosecutor.
Option 2: Sing, Ignore Police
When Doreen Hobson (pictured) called the police to report that her car was vandalized, she was the one who ended up handcuffed in the back of a cruiser.
She said she was mistreated, harassed, and wrongly arrested by police.
A police report states that she was uncooperative and fought with police officers. According to court records, she had an outstanding warrant from 2002 for driving with a suspended license.
Hobson said she didn’t know about the warrant when she called the cops in April to report that a mirror had been broken off her car. Police ran her name before responding to the call, then arrested her when they showed up at her house. According to police, Hobson tried to escape from the police car. Now Hobson is due in court this week to answer to charges the old charges from 2002 and new ones from April.
Hobson said she took care of the charges from 2002 and didn’t have any warrants out on her. The police tried to antagonize and intimidate her when they showed up at her house, she said.
Hobson, who’s 32, spoke about the incident in an interview in the office of attorney Jefferson. Although he’s not representing her, Jefferson said Hobson’s case is typical of a ongoing police harassment and misconduct directed at African-Americans.
Here’s what happened, according to Hobson:
On Apr. 21 at 9 p.m., Hobson called the police to report that her Dodge Intrepid had been vandalized. The police showed up to her home, at 32 Read St. in the Newhallville neighborhood. They asked her about her car. Then one told her that she had an active warrant out against her. Hobson said she had been arrested in 2002 for driving with a suspended license. But she took care of that, she said. She paid a fine and other fees and had since gotten a new license in Connecticut and one in New Jersey, after she moved there for several years. She wouldn’t have been able to do that if there was a warrant out on her, Hobson said.
The police officer, Officer Ronald Pressley, was very rude to her, she said. She said he was trying to intimidate her. But he didn’t immediately arrest her. Instead he and another officer asked to see the car.
Hobson took two police officers across the street to look at her car. Since the car is registered out of state, Hobson said, she hasn’t been driving it. She had parked it in an empty lot across from her house, next to another car, whose owner had told her it was OK to park there.
She showed them the damage to the car. The mirror on the passenger side was hanging off. The police looked at the car. Then Officer Pressley said again, “You have two warrants.”
Hobson said she didn’t. Pressley asked for ID. Hobson asked why he wanted ID. Pressley asked again. Hobson asked why. Pressley got angry, Hobson said.
Pressley grabbed her arm, Hobson said. “He really tries to bend my arm,” she said. Hobson said she wasn’t resisting arrest or trying to run.
The police handcuffed her and put her in the back of a car. “Remember, you called us,” Hobson recalled Pressley saying.
Hobson said Pressley rolled down the window of the car and stood outside asking her questions. She said he was trying to antagonize her.
Hobson told him that her uncle works for the police department. “My uncle will get word of this,” she said.
Since her arm was hurting her, she tried moving around and managed to pull one of her hands out of the cuffs. She continued to sit in the back of the car, half out of the handcuffs, for 20 minutes.
When Pressley realized she was un-cuffed, he opened the door and tried to grab her. “I kicked him because of how he came at me,” Hobson said.
Pressley pulled her out of the car by her leg while she tried to hold onto the seats. Then six officers jumped on her and threatened to tase her, Hobson said. Her daughter came out of her house and asked why her mother was on the ground. The police told her to go back in the house.
After she was brought to her feet and re-handcuffed, Hobson said, she started to sing loudly. Pressley was trying to threaten her and she was was ignoring him, she said.
Eventually, Hobson was taken away and spent the night in jail.
An incident report prepared by Officer K. Malloy tells a different story:
According to the report, Hobson struggled and swore at police when they tried to arrest her. “Get the fuck off of me,” she said, reportedly.
When Pressley tried to ask her questions as she sat in the back of the cruiser, Hobson refused to cooperate. “I know my rights I don’t have to tell you nothing,” she reportedly said.
Officer Pressley allowed Hobson’s daughter and another woman to approach the car and speak with Hobson, according to Malloy’s report. He told them that it would take a few hours to process the arrest and they’d have to go to the station to bail her out.
When Pressley noticed she was uncuffed, Hobson reached for a door handle and tried to get out of the car. Pressley tried to grab Hobson’s legs. She kicked his hands. She began to struggle and resisted attempts to handcuff her. Three other officers helped Pressley subdue Hobson. Each one took a limb as Hobson flailed and screamed. Her sunglasses and an earring fell off and she cut herself while reaching for her glasses.
Hobson began to curse at the officers. She screamed that she would be out in an hour because she knows the police union president.
“This shit ain’t nothing to me. This ain’t my first time,” she reportedly said. “I got a fucking lawsuit right now. I got a lawsuit,” she reportedly yelled to people standing nearby.
Hobson said she started screaming when she was put on the ground, but prior to that she hadn’t raised her voice. She said the matter could have been easily resolved if the police had simply explained why they wanted her ID.
“It just doesn’t make sense,” she said. “Why are you going so hard for an eight-year-old warrant.”
Attorney Jefferson said that even if Hobson was screaming and swearing, it doesn’t excuse the threatening behavior of the police. They are trained to handle difficult situations, he said.
Jefferson said that if he were in a situation where he thought police were acting improperly, “I would request a supervisor to come to the scene.” Jefferson said he recognized that such a request could escalate the situation.
“I would keep my doors locked and my windows partially rolled up” and request a supervisor, he said.
Asked if he thought Hobson and Hargrove had mishandled the situation by not asking for a supervisor, Jefferson said, “I don’t think they did anything wrong.
“Could they have been anxious? That’s possible. But that’s not doing anything wrong,” he said.
It’s only natural to become anxious or uncomfortable when approached by a police officer with a badge and gun and handcuffs, Jefferson said. “Police should be sensitive to that.”
Jefferson said he agrees with Abdussabur that civilians should be calm and cooperative with police. “But the people we’re paying should also adhere to those guidelines.”
“For me, my first response is to chill things out,” Fair said. She said police often enter situations with very aggressive attitudes. A few minutes of level-headedness by civilians can help calm officers down, she said.
If things don’t improve, Fair recommended asking for a supervisor and a badge number and filing a complaint. Even if police don’t respond to the complaint, at least it’s on record, she said.
“The reality is that all the training they’re getting is not making them come into the community with respect,” Fair said. “We have to learn the realities of how to handle the police.”
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Comments
posted by: streever on June 24, 2010 10:35am
Police have a hard job, but it doesn’t excuse their behavior. For too long the Mayor’s office has tolerated poor behavior—a shining example being their telling the new Chief how to handle Bandy. That’s a shame.
posted by: STYLENE on June 24, 2010 11:34am
not that this matters, but i know doreen and she is not 32 yrs old…....more like 37 yrs old. im sure someone is gonna say…that’s all you got out of the article? just check your facts before you print, that’s all.
posted by: STYLENE on June 24, 2010 11:36am
@streever- totally agree. however, it is always best to cooperate. you will get further with sugar than with vinegar.
posted by: beefair on June 24, 2010 11:58am
Both incidents show clearly why I stress that we must actively defuse these overly aggressive officers or end up in cuffs or in a coffin.Simple reality for people of color and the poor: you are at risk whenever you are stopped by the police. The approach is generally an anxious situation with the “f” word being thrown around like officers are vocabulary deficient.We know we are not respected and can be arrested simply because they have the power to do so. They are trained in writing incident reports to justify their actions and can always find another officer to back them up because you see integrity is another character trait deficient in many officers. The profession has become so lax in quality and agency accountability that people like Billy White and his former gang flourish and officers like Bandy display despicable behavior and get to stay on the force while community minded officers are passed over for promotions . In addition the administration brings in former officers from questionable departments. At the same time a well liked assistant chief announces she is leaving at the same time the new administration is being put into place. What the heck is going on in NHPD? New Haven residents have no choice but utilize deescalation tactics or we will be hearing about more of these cases. Police are trained but in what?...the use of the “f” word? How to traumatize children by defiling their parents in their presence? Is this a police state where taxpaying citizens have no voice, no power, no rights? I have advocated for ALL officers to face periodic, mandatory unannounced drug testing. Some of them are so aggressive they have to be on steroids or other drug that increases aggression. We drug test for a Burger King job, why not for officers? I know the union will never go for that but why should we pay for services that are undermined by the very officers whom we pay to protect and serve us?
posted by: beefair on June 24, 2010 12:05pm
@Eastie, Yes race certainly matters but I must have missed the parts of the article where the race of the officers was mentioned. What paragraph was it?? Or maybe you mean we shouldn’t talk about the incidents because the women were African American. Throwing in the “r.a.c.e c.a.r.d” won’t make the despicable behavior go away.
posted by: ignoranceisbliss on June 24, 2010 12:07pm
” Her cousin had just run into a house to use the bathroom.”
Let me get this straight, she is from West Haven, her cousin stops to run into a house to use the bathroom? Where was the cousin from? Was it his/her house? If not what was the relationship of the person who occupied the house to the cousin? Seems weird to me and could have used some further inquiry.
posted by: unknown on June 24, 2010 12:19pm
@ Stylene who cares how old I am. Maybe that’s the age I told them ...
posted by: robn on June 24, 2010 12:23pm
BEEFAIR,
Race is mentioned as a factor in the 4th sentence of the article. Just sayin’.
posted by: Bill on June 24, 2010 12:26pm
It’s amazing how many people jump to the conclusion these women are telling the truth.
posted by: streever on June 24, 2010 12:45pm
As a citizen, I have been strangled & threatened by a police officer who said, “Sir you misunderstand, I just was trying to help you get to the sidewalk”
As a citizen, I have called the police because I was worried about a girl’s safety—someone who was walking across the green late at night & unable to stand up properly. They arrived and smacked her head into the squad car, screamed at her, and threatened her, while she cried and in no way resisted. When I tried to ask what they were doing, they “offered” to arrest me.
As a citizen, I know that there are NHPD officers who pull over parents riding with kids & yell at them for “putting the kid in danger”—the parent is following the law & doing nothing wrong.
While there are a lot of excellent cops, there are some that really need to be reprimanded.
posted by: STYLENE on June 24, 2010 12:47pm
@ignoranceisblis- i must admit that confused me as well. what i took from all of that was this….....it had to be a house that both parties involved knew someone who lived there, perhaps another relative or a friend.
posted by: STYLENE on June 24, 2010 12:49pm
@unknown-if that’s the age you told them, then is goes to credibility. why lie about your age? what since does that make? if you are truly innocent…the truth shouldn’t be a problem
posted by: HewNaven?? on June 24, 2010 12:52pm
I find it remarkable that certain people’s interpretation of reality should be more trustworthy because of their supposed “training.” Judging from the recent actions of new recruits, I doubt that it could be very hard to become a police officer in New Haven. It’s seems like they’re desperate enough to take anyone right now, and that’s why we have so many incidents like those described in the article. Does anyone test these guys psychologically? What about random drug testing? Something is seriously wrong.
posted by: beefair on June 24, 2010 1:04pm
@Robn, For clarity, There is no mention of the race of the officers so how is the “race card” being used? jus sayin @ Bill, when you live and experience incidents like this on a regular basis it’s easy to believe the women. If you haven’t and you believe in officers’ professional conduct then its understandable that you would question the women’s statements.It’s exactly why attorneys in defense of rogue officers are careful to find people who believe in the system and live outside our experience when going to trial in police misconduct cases.
posted by: 4sure on June 24, 2010 1:07pm
Neither chick is being truthful, there are too many holes in their versions…
Can’t wait for the cameras installed in cruisers so we can can get the actual version of events….. The last chick has a car registered in another state so she is not driving it, since when did out of state reistration become a crime?
Ooh I am sorry she actually lives in New Haven… Who is the supposed owner that allows her to park the car in the empty lot…
Bet you neither 1 would pass a LIE DETECTOR TEST.
posted by: Threefifths on June 24, 2010 1:08pm
STYLENE on June 24, 2010 12:36pm
@streever- totally agree. however, it is always best to cooperate. you will get further with sugar than with vinegar.
I am sick and tired of people saying cooperate.People do.These people did and look at what happen.
http://www.kirotv.com/video/23482801/index.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bmJukcFzEX4&feature=related
eastie on June 24, 2010 12:18pm
r.a.c.e. c.a.r.d.
Would you say this is the race card.Check this guy out and by the way his father is a retired judge.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=96uEeo69-Ws&feature=channel
How about this race card.
http://www.phawker.com/2010/05/11/cop-shot-self-said-black-man-did-it/
Even when black cops cooperate.Look at what happens.
posted by: STYLENE on June 24, 2010 1:52pm
@THREEFIFTHS- you are ASSUME that what these women has said is correct. while im not saying they are wrong and im not excusing the behavior of the police officers….it is still better to cooperate!!! resisting (as history has taught us) DOES NOT WORK!!!! Like you, i too am sick and tired. now, let us both say a prayer.
posted by: Bill on June 24, 2010 2:15pm
Confucius says, if you walk around with a chip on your shoulder, someone will knock it off.
posted by: Kris on June 24, 2010 2:22pm
Beefair you mentioned the bad boys Billy White and Jason Bandy but you left out the cop on unregistered/insured motorcycle who hit and run on that little girl….now lets “be fair” and not leave anyone out….someone may feel it is discrimination to be left out.
posted by: michaelben-elohim on June 24, 2010 2:54pm
People justify the cops having this power that no other human being is allowed to display towards another based upon what? a badge municipal authorization, and law.
posted by: HewNaven?? on June 24, 2010 3:40pm
“Confucius says, if you walk around with a chip on your shoulder, someone will knock it off.”
I think this is good advice for all the “bad apples” in the NHPD. These cops cannot really expect to gain more respect by acting above the law, can they? Where’s the logic there? Do they really think we admire mistreatment and unfairness? Eventually there’s going to be a confrontation with anyone who displays such arrogance, which is I think what the commenter was alluding to.
However the more I think about this, the bigger the problem reveals itself to be. I think the root of it lies in the reality of that occupation. IMO, it has to be one of the toughest jobs in the world. Not many adults aspire to be in the law enforcement field. The kids who do show interest, even in the most altruistic cases, soon find out that they bit off more than they can chew. They realize that being a cop isn’t all free coffee and found puppies. The majority of your duties are undesirable and even disgusting.
As the old saying goes, “it’s a dirty job, but somebody’s gotta do it.”
We somehow expect these men and women to solve the complex web of cause and effect that we call “crime” yet the only tools we give them are guns and handcuffs. We challenge them to uphold justice and fairness but also provide them the means to deny it. We teach them the myth that is is possible for one sovereign body to govern another despite the fallacy of logic therein.
Cops are fed a steady diet of these logical inconsistencies and non sequiturs from the beginning of their academic training in law enforcement until their first “mishap.” When they get caught red-handed, it is then that society finally steps in to check their power, after it’s too late.
The only way to fix this is radical change. The entire field of law enforcement needs to be restructured to meet reality and reason. Given that crime is ultra complex and that the roots of crime spread across a wide variety of scientific and social disciplines, law enforcement needs to be re-tooled to deal with these complexities more effectively. In other words, we can’t prepare cops to be grunts with clubs and chains and then act surprised when they behave violently and without reason. They will require a larger, more diverse toolbox and better training to do their jobs effectively.
If you want to hear this told from a cop’s perspective (written almost 40 years ago!), you can read former NHPD Chief, Jim Ahern’s book, “Police in Trouble”. You’d be surprised how little has changed since then.
posted by: beefair on June 24, 2010 3:54pm
@Kris: You might need to reread my post. There’s no discrimination in listing White and Bandy because I was speaking to rogue officers who were found to be “bad boys” and yet kept their jobs. The other officer who injured the little girl with his motorcycle was quickly removed from his post and scheduled for termination as he should be.
posted by: beefair on June 24, 2010 4:10pm
@ Bill: We all have the right to walk around with a “chip on our shoulder” and officers do not have the unique right to “knock it off”. Maybe anti bullying training should be implemented in their training.
posted by: Hood Rebel on June 24, 2010 4:15pm
I recently had a ticket nolled by prosecutors when I was wrongly stopped for supposedly running a stop sign. It all happened in April during the same time that the new police chief had all his cops looking for guns in the “corridor.”
I definitely felt targeted and harassed but I focused hard on “being nice” because I was really p*&^d off for wrongfully stopped. I know that I absolutely did not run the stop sign. I think the cops wanted to say anything so they could look for weapons.
Luckily the state prosecutors know the law and how to use discretion better than some cops do; and the prosecutors handled the situation professionally. They nolled the unfair ticket. Oh, by the way…there were no weapons.
posted by: junebugjune on June 24, 2010 4:43pm
I agree with a lot of what is being said here 1) we all need to do our best to cooperate and defuse heated encounters with police 2) police must be accountable for their behavior and we need to adopt a zero tolerance policy for this kind of abuse.
This also brings to mind for me the enormous quantity of money that the city pays in lawsuits etc whenever some “bad boy” (or girl) cop gets out of control and effs up a perp. That’s tax payer money. That’s fewer services and higher car and property taxes.
Paying the salary of a bad cop is infuriating enough, paying his/her legal fees. Lord Jesus.
posted by: Threefifths on June 24, 2010 5:48pm
posted by: STYLENE on June 24, 2010 2:52pm
THREEFIFTHS- you are ASSUME that what these women has said is correct. while im not saying they are wrong and im not excusing the behavior of the police officers….it is still better to cooperate!!! resisting (as history has taught us) DOES NOT WORK!!!! Like you, i too am sick and tired. now, let us both say a prayer
You need to read this story again.Look at what both woman said.
Hargrove said she cooperated. Hobson said she cooperated, then struggled with police. Both incidents turned out badly.
Look at the Youtube that I post it of the people that also cooperated.look at the Black police officer who cooperated.We don’t need pray.We need to have a law that when police do these typs of things.They get automatic jail sentence of 25 to life.
posted by: JLAW on June 24, 2010 6:37pm
“Attorney Jefferson said that even if Hobson was screaming and swearing, it doesn’t excuse the threatening behavior of the police. They are trained to handle difficult situations, he said.”
Act with respect and you will be treated with respect. Screaming and swearing is OK? I don’t think so, ...
posted by: Concerned Citizen on June 24, 2010 7:00pm
Why is it O’K for the police officers to abuse citizens with obscenities? We teach our children to be respectful and law-abiding, but some of the most disrespectful and unlawful encounters they will ever have are with the police! Why are we prepared to accept that these are givens in today’s society? Isn’t there a code of conduct for police officers?
Beefair has written a few potent statements with which I firmly agree; however, it seems that black people are in a no-win situation when it comes to dealing with police officers who are obnoxious, arrogant, bigoted, uncouth bullies who get a real kick out of throwing their power around. These officers do not throw the “f” word around because they are vocabulary deficient; they do so because they are vulgar and lack self-respect.
I agree 100% w/Beefair that “They are trained in writing incident reports to justify their actions and can always find another officer to back them up because you see integrity is another character trait deficient in many officers.” Those who keep quiet are just as bad
I also agree that “The profession has become laxed in quality and agency accountability” and that ...“community minded officers are passed over for promotions.” This is a truly frightening statement made by Beefair “New Haven residents have no choice but (to) utilize deescalation tactics or we will be hearing about more of these cases. Police are trained but in what?...the use of the “f” word? How to traumatize children by defiling their parents in their presence? Is this a police state where taxpaying citizens have no voice, no power, no rights?”
These are questions to be addressed to Mayor DeStefano. The fact that Ms. Hargrove’s case was nolled is not enough. The records are full of irrefutable evidence of the police lying on a range of situations. We can understand why some of our young people refuse to give police any information about crimes because they do not believe the police can be trusted any more than those committing the crimes.
Billy White and Bandy are only two of thousands across the country who have disgraced their badges. There was a time when police officers deserved respect. While there are still many who do, because they often keep quiet and tacitly support the wrong-doers, it is hard to have respect for them.
Yes, there should be mandatory unannounced drug testing for police officers. Again, I agree with Beefair that “Some of them are so aggressive they have to be on steroids or other drug that increases aggression… I know the union will never go for that but why should we pay for services that are undermined by the very officers whom we pay to protect and serve us?”
NHPD needs a really good undercover STING operations to expose the dirty cops and purge the department; unfortunately, there might be so many, it will be hard to fill the slots. While citizens are being hurt, the larger hurt and disgrace, long-term, are squarely on the NHPD. Do Mayor DeStefano & brass really care?
posted by: JMills on June 24, 2010 8:00pm
It’s not just African Americans. If we can come to terms with that, a stronger push for reform can emerge. Meanwhile, it is going to be more of the same, civil rights attorneys working their cases to make a living.
It’s the truth.
It’s very hard to bridge the gap between whites, blacks (all colors), interested in this issue to acknowledge how much common ground there is when it comes to police misconduct. The rhetoric and lopsided numbers of blacks in jail is exploited to suggest there is far less common ground than there really is.
The result is a potentially more powerful coalition that could push for reforms that remains divided, merely a potentiality.
(And hostage to the limits of civil rights’ attorneys work-a-day product)
I’ve personally made efforts to reach out on issues in common and have met with only the tiniest minority of black activists in New Haven showing an interest and already aware of the issue, that it is true, that there is a lot in common.
People are not always treated properly by police.
Certain aspects of misconduct are systemic and actually colorblind.
posted by: nfjanette on June 24, 2010 8:55pm
Both cases raise the question of how civilians should deal with police they feel are overreacting or mistreating them. Should they run? Cooperate? Curse back?
It is disappointing and irresponsible of the author and NHI to even propose two out of those three options. There is only one rational option: obey the lawful orders of a police office and keep your attitude in check. Any claims of mistreatment can be made after the encounter.
As I’ve posted previously, NHPD needs video/audio recording in their vehicles ASAP. Only then will the game of he-said she-said be over. I certainly know which side of these stories I think is more believable, but opinion doesn’t matter in these cases - facts do.
posted by: sam on June 25, 2010 5:10am
to a bad cop master beware ye also have a master. the more you harm people the more harm will come to your family. this can proven watch your life you will see things happen because of what you do.when an officer is kill in the line of duty how do you want people to fill? maybe you don’t care think about their family
posted by: beefair on June 25, 2010 6:10am
We should obey “the lawful orders” of the police. “Get the “f” out the car” is not a lawful order.It might be part of academy training but it’s not an appropriate greeting. Police can’t approach with the “f” word and expect “Yassir”.How can anyone continue to be blind to a real problem with policing when you watch the videos posted by three fifths? Do you think they are trick videos? They are real!
posted by: STYLENE on June 25, 2010 6:19am
@THREEFIFTHS- i don’t need to re-read the article. i stand by my original statement!!! u can’t cooperate at first, then don’t cooperate. you are right we need harsh punishment for those police officers who thinks it’s ok to verbally/physically abuse citizens. ...
posted by: Threefifths on June 25, 2010 7:36am
posted by: STYLENE on June 25, 2010 7:19am
@THREEFIFTHS- i don’t need to re-read the article. i stand by my original statement!!! u can’t cooperate at first, then don’t cooperate. you are right we need harsh punishment for those police officers who thinks it’s ok to verbally/physically abuse citizens. ...
And I stand by this statement that people do cooperate,But they are put into a position by the police into not cooperating.Again look at the you tubes,All of these people cooperate and look what happen.If you or one of you love one’s being beat down by the police,I bet you will not cooperate and in fact you would fight
back.
posted by: will on June 25, 2010 7:39am
These two ladies must live in a different New Haven than I do. Over here in Fair Haven we see mostly passivity from NHPD. Truly, maybe they can transfer some of those cops over to this area. And give them some unmarked cars too so they can have a little element of surprise which they sorely lack. There is utter lack of respect for the police here. Crazy driving, drug sales, prostitution, 100+ decibel car sound systems at full blast, you name it, we have it. NHPD needs to seriously ramp it up over here. We can hardly wait to see what they (don’t) do 4th of July weekend.
posted by: Jay Tee on June 25, 2010 8:02am
I got worked over by the New Haven police- I was waiting for a friend to come out of her house, and a black new haven cop (I’m white) came over and verbally attacked me; I thought he was literally going to attack me. My crime? It turned out I was in a no parking zone, which I hadn’t realized. I can only imaging how they treat black people. They are extremely unprofessional and antagonistic, from what I’ve heard.
Officer who worked me over: badge number 357.
posted by: bull caca on June 25, 2010 9:02am
I think everyone with an outstanding arrest warrant should fight and kick the cops, remove their handcuffs because they are not comfortable, and refuse to show id. Then when we receive additional charges we should run to attorney jefferson’s office (who i think we should hire as mayor ...)and cry about how we cooperated by fighting the police.
By the way a nolle doesnt mean your charges are unwarranted. It just means the courts are willing to give u another chance.
posted by: Morris Cove Mom on June 25, 2010 9:18am
It’s hard not to be confused/angry when dealing with police. The best thing to do is cooperate and play dumb. Never yell, ask mild questions, and explain yourself, but briefly. The more you talk, the guiltier you look.
I am sorry for what the victims have3 gone through, it is intolerable. The police, and the dispatchers for that matter, need to be trained on how to deal with the public properly, or they will incite rioting and hate.
posted by: obvious on June 25, 2010 9:31am
if you have nothing to hide and you have done nothing wrong, you should not fear the police.
posted by: will on June 25, 2010 9:54am
Ooh ooh! We want the black cop Jay Tee mentioned here in Fair Haven. He sounds perfect for enforcing quality of life issues that currently get NO attention whatsoever. Littering, loitering, all manner of noise pollution, fishing off the Grand Ave bridge & fish-hooking boaters passing underneath. Just whatever. I’m telling you it’s a match made in heaven. Really, send him right over.
posted by: beefair on June 25, 2010 10:06am
@obvious who said that police are “feared”? Believe me, fear is not the reaction their violent, disrespectful, and unprofessional behavior evokes. Again look at the posted videos of the consequences of those who cooperated and remind us that the police are our friends and somehow justify in your mind their sadistic behavior.Rogue cops can only gain respect from those indifferent to our experiences.Unfortunately they stain the entire department.
posted by: roger huzendubel on June 25, 2010 10:25am
Once again the new haven independent has assumed these people are innocent. I find it hilarious that They print these one sided stories that make the cops look very bad, wether they are true or not and then have a “cop of the week”. This site used to be great lately it has been very one sided.
posted by: HewNaven?? on June 25, 2010 10:52am
“I find it hilarious that They print these one sided stories that make the cops look very bad, wether they are true or not and then have a “cop of the week”.”
roger huzendubel,
Why is it so hilarious that the Independent covers both the good and bad cops in New Haven. That seems like a pretty normal and fair thing for journalists to do: to cover both sides of the story.
posted by: HewNaven?? on June 25, 2010 10:55am
“if you have nothing to hide and you have done nothing wrong, you should not fear the police.”
obvious,
Don’t be facetious or naive. You have plenty to fear. Just ask all the people who have been accused or convicted of a crime they didn’t commit. There’s plenty of good stories out there involving bad cops. If you’re more of a movie person, just watch “The Hurricane.”
posted by: JMills on June 25, 2010 1:12pm
To the person who said that nolle’s just mean the court wants to give you another chance:
Nolle’s, known commonly as “dropped charges,”
are decisions by prosecutors, not courts.
“Dismissals” are issued by judges, by the court, and they are not the same as nolle’s.
Prosecutors “drop” charges, judges dismiss them. Prosecutors can not dismiss charges.
When prosecutors drop charges they can bring those charges back for a 13 month period. After that 13 month period, the arrest record is no longer public.
The arrest record is “erased” under the law which means that it is accessible to a very large number of law enforcement related entities and in other circumstances, including some employment and school related procedures, but not the public at large. They can, in fact, circulate quite surprisingly freely among an equally surprising array of entities to the point where one wonders sometimes if only the unaffiliated “everyman” off the street is the only one who can’t access them.
The system of segregation can be a sieve. That is a bit of an overstatement, but not much. “Erased” is a deceiving term that really means segregated, not erased.
If a judge dismisses charges, the arrest record becomes non public in a matter of days, something like 20 or 25 days, and is erased under the law.
Defendants can reject a prosecutor’s offer to nolle charges, which means the law recognizes that a nolle and a dismissal are not the same thing.
Lots of nolle’s is not necessarily a good sign. They can indicate a status quo of weak and problematic arrests and a dysfunctional system. Also, a prosecutor’s office can maintain this way of operating because it gives police the ability to master the streets through arrests even though the charges are never prosecuted and never could all be prosecuted. Aside from any other issues, I doubt the courts could ever handle the full adjudication of such a large number of arrests.
An arrest begins a process of criminalization that can be a totally arbitrary one, as the standard for arrest combined with conventional practices that are widely accepted, is so low as to be nil. There is a disturbing level of irrationality in the process with extremely weak checks on it.
The “erasure” law tends to silent the falsely accused. Having been acquitted or agreeing to a nolle and knowing the record won’t be public for the most part, arrestees rather keep it to themselves. To speak out, they need to disclose the arrest and the so called erasure is a very very strong disincentive.
Also, there is a lot of confusion about erasure too, that it is very complete, final, actually gone off the books and local lawyers do very little to dispel that misconception among their clients.
The ‘noble lie’ that is the erasure statute, passed by the CT legislature, is a double edged sword.
It tends to leave us to our stereotypes about the kind of people who experience arrests. We don’t put a face to them because we don’t see them. If they were more public, we might lose some faith in the integrity of the arrest/criminal process. If wrong arrests remained public, believe me, victims would be shouting out about it much much more.
Erasure tends to protect the state’s/police image and actually increases the stigmatization of those who have experienced an arrest. It tends to further denigrate our belief in the presumption of innocence. These are, it would seem, the unintended consequences of the law, which was passed to protect unconvicted arrestees from most of the collateral consequences of arrests.
It is a statute that very much reflects our culture. In states that don’t have such statutes, stereotypes are less in circulation, stereotypes that assume that all arrestees are criminals, are people of a certain type, are people who cause trouble with police, and that arrests literally can’t happen unless arrestees bring it on themselves.
The citizenry can not make informed decisions about what is going on, in part, because the erasure statute conceals the true picture. The erasure statute weakens controls on police misconduct.
An arrest record also increases the chances of rearrest, so the more arbitrary, the more based on chance than on reason, the more horrifying the potentiality for an innocent who has experienced an arrest. The erasure statute does nothing to affect that.
It is a very legitimate question to ask whether merely living in New Haven increases the chance of arrest for anybody, innocent or guilty, cooperative and law abiding or not. There are just a myriad of questions that emerge when you start to pick apart the laws and conventions of police and the courts and the makeup of one’s community and police department.
The public needs a lot more demystification and demythologizing and some of our laws obstruct that process.
This article is about overuse of force for the most part, but the meaning of nolle’s was raised in someone’s comment so I thought I would respond to that.
posted by: Threefifths on June 25, 2010 1:50pm
posted by: obvious on June 25, 2010 10:31am
if you have nothing to hide and you have done nothing wrong, you should not fear the police.
And it was obvious that these man had nothing to hid and look what happen to them.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=oUkiyBVytRQ&feature=related
posted by: Ned on June 28, 2010 8:53am
Cops you won’t see on television…
http://www.unknownnews.org/cops.html
latest update, from the Middletown Press
“3 more officers named in anal-cavity search lawsuit”
posted by: civilian review board on June 28, 2010 10:53am
http://www.cityofnewhaven.com/CivilianReviewBoard/index.asp
For more information on how a citizen can report complaints about officers in the line of duty, follow the link above. Complaints are important, and are FINALLY being tracked at IA through IAPro - which is simply a database tracking software that will be able to tell the OIC how many times an officer has been reported, what type of offenses, clearance rate, and punishment (if any necessary).
