How prosecutors came to dominate the criminal-justice system

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too much political correctness going on .. if trooper above handled things like this Sheriff did perhaps Sandra Bland would still be alive?

if State Trooper Brian Encinia had simply told Sandra Bland to STFU, take the ticket and go ... or escalate this and go to jail. anyone with a lick of sense knows to STFU and go on your way.

 

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Psychologist who trains cops to shoot first, ask questions later makes big money at their trials (nytimes.com)
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/02/u...first-and-he-will-answer-questions-later.html

Raising a Gun and Running Away

A video, taken as part of one of William J. Lewinski’s studies, shows how quickly suspects can raise a gun and turn to run. Dr. Lewinski uses videos like this to explain why police officers shoot suspects in the back.

A Gun in the Car

This video simulates a driver with a gun stashed in the center console. It is used to help demonstrate how officers cannot always wait to see a gun before reacting.

 

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Documents, 911 call notes from Broken Arrow quintuple homicide released Aug 6, 2015

http://www.kjrh.com/news/local-news...bever-case-released?google_editors_picks=true

 

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Investigation: Police shootings

581

people shot dead by police this year

At least 85 people have been shot and killed by police across the United States within the past 30 days, according to Washington Post data. This data will be regularly updated with new shootings and details. Send tips and information to The Post.

This database is based on news reports, public records, Internet databases and original reporting. Read more.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/national/police-shootings/

The data is available for download on GitHub.
https://github.com/washingtonpost/data-police-shootings

 

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SLED declines to release video amid new allegations in Seneca police shooting
Aug 14 2015

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Angie Hammond (center) stands with her husband Paul Hammond during a news conference Wednesday afternoon in downtown Greenville while taking questions about the death of their son Zachary, who was shot and killed by Seneca police.

Quoting a letter from Hammond’s attorney to the FBI, FOX Carolina 21 in Greenville reported that a witness saw an officer pull Hammond’s body from the car and go to the trunk of his police cruiser to pull something out. The officer then reportedly returned to Hammond’s body, rolled it on the side, placed the object under his body, and then rolled it back.

Hammond’s attorneys also wrote that the witness stated that “After Zachary had been shot and killed, members of the Seneca Police Department lifted his dead hand and ‘high fived’ Zachary Hammond,” the television station reported.

Hammond, a 2014 graduate of Seneca High School, was unarmed in his car at a Hardee’s when officers converged on his car as part a drug sting. In past statements, Seneca police said Hammond drove toward Lt. Mark Tiller, prompting Tiller to fire two shots, killing Hammond. Police also have said a white powdery substance was found at the scene.

Hammond’s family hired a medical examiner to do a private autopsy, which showed that the teen was shot in the back. Earlier this week, the Justice Department said its civil rights division would investigate the shooting to “run parallel” with the state’s investigation.

A police video of the shooting reportedly exists, and the family tearfully pleaded for its release on Wednesday. The Post and Courier submitted a request under the Freedom of Information Act immediately after the shooting.

Eric Bland, an attorney for the family, declined to release the letter his office sent to the FBI. Of the denial by SLED to The Post and Courier’s request, he said it was “disgraceful. Par for course in this matter. A consistent lack of sunlight. Video is what it is.”

http://www.postandcourier.com/artic...mid-new-allegations-in-seneca-police-shooting

 

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Children Life in Prison Only in US(2014)- us justice system sends children to life in prison without parole for non deadly crimes.



In 2001 at age 14, Kenneth Young was arrested for aiding his mother's drug dealer in a series of armed robberies. He was told she would be killed if he didn't help settle her debts. No one was harmed during the robberies. Subsequently, Kenneth was sentenced to FOUR CONSECUTIVE LIFE SENTENCES. In 2010, the US Supreme Court did away with Life Without Parole for Juveniles in non-homicide cases. Kenneth was re-sentenced to 30 years in prison. He is currently 29 years old and won't be eligible for parole until he is in his 40's.
https://www.change.org/p/free-kenneth-young

from Judge who sentenced Young:

'The retired judge lives in the deep woods southeast of Tampa, a quarter-mile down a narrow dirt road. Late in the afternoon, J. Rogers Padgett is brooding on how much he misses the courtroom. He has heard hundreds upon hundreds of cases over the years, so it's a long shot when he's asked if he recalls an armed robbery case from eight years ago. The defendant was a kid named Kenneth Young.
Yes, the judge says, he remembers it well. Young was all of 14 when he helped a 25-year-old crack dealer pull armed robberies of hotels around Tampa Bay. Young would take down the video surveillance cameras and grab the cash while the boss held a gun on the clerks and barked orders. No shots were ever fired. Padgett remembers the address of one of the hotels, the pile of video cameras in the back seat of the crack dealer's car when he and Young were arrested, Young's annoying courtroom behavior as he tried to avoid trial. And he remembers sentencing Young to life in prison. What he does not remember is that it was life in prison with no chance of ever getting out. Padgett ruminates on it a minute and volunteers something extraordinary:
He says he made a mistake. He never meant to send Young away forever.
"I didn't think when I gave Kenneth Young life that it was life without parole," said Padgett. "At this point, I'd sign a clemency petition for him to be considered for release." - Excerpt from For young people in prison, life sentence can mean no parole

 

[Dave70968]

I'm as big of a justice system reformer as you'll find, but calling "armed robbery" a "non-deadly crime" is a bit of a stretch even for me. Just because nobody got killed in this particular case doesn't mean it's not a crime of deadly violence; that's the whole point of going armed.

 

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I'm as big of a justice system reformer as you'll find, but calling "armed robbery" a "non-deadly crime" is a bit of a stretch even for me. Just because nobody got killed in this particular case doesn't mean it's not a crime of deadly violence; that's the whole point of going armed.

totally agree .. poorly written trying to trivialize crimes when there's no need. point is how often does an armed robber get life without parole? in the case above the four robberies all occurred within 30 days when the kid was 14 yr old ...

now if the intend was to kill multiple people like the recent Bever brothers ages 18 and 16 yrs old planned killings in Broken Arrow .. that would be a clear cut case.
http://www.newson6.com/story/296442...nned-attack-of-broken-arrow-family-in-advance

 

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Passenger in unarmed teen’s car describes deadly police shooting
Tori Morton's description of Zach Hammond's death differs from police account
Sept 05, 2015

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“In order to stop the continuing threat to himself and the general public, two shots were fired by Lt. Tiller in quick succession,” Mussetto’s release said. “If not for Lt. Tiller’s quick reflexes and his ability to push off of the car, Lt. Tiller would have easily been run over by Mr. Hammond.”

Morton’s affidavit written on Aug. 11 provides a different description of what happened.

Her verbatim statement as she wrote it:

“Pulling into Hardee’s parking lot, Zach and I were sharing a chocolate dipped ice cream cone from McDonald’s and as we were pulling into a parking spot. The police SUV was lighted up in blue flashing lights.

The two officers got out and had they’re gun drawn, yelling that he would blow our (expletive) heads off and immediately started firing. As the shots rang the car moved and rolled forward and along the curb until another cop car crashed into the back of Zach’s car to stop us. Ad the surrounded the car they started yelling, “Where’s the gun? Get the gun” Zach was already dead and then they drug (sic) us out of the car and onto the ground and the officer that stood me up -- he put the car in park.

“When we pulled into the parking spot not fully in the spot and the car still in drive the police exited they’re (sic) SUV and came and aimed weapons towards each of our windows and were in arms length aimed at Zach and shouting ‘We’re going to blow you (expletive) heads off.

“As the car stopped and Zach saw the lights in the mirror and I looked up to notice the cops as well he turned toward me to look at me when the first shot was fired then he lost motor control causing the care to roll toward the curb rolling left and forward only stopping by the cop car smashing into the left back side of Zach’s car.

"It happened within seconds with no warning.

"The car was never in park pulling into the Hardee’s parking spot. That’s why the officer put it in park after the handcuffs were put on me,

"I watched them take the gun from the officer that killed Zach and move it from car to car as they were in and out of the trunks of each car present. I was unhandcuffed given a cigarette and place in the alley behind the Hardee’s alone for a long time and remained on the scene for hours. Taken away and brought back multiple times before my arrest."

Morton said in her statement that two officers got out of their car with their guns drawn, with one of them “yelling that he would blow our (expletive) heads off and immediately started firing.”

She says she and Zach had just arrived in the Hardee’s parking lot and the car was still in drive when the officers approached with their guns drawn.

“As the car stopped and Zach saw the (blue) lights in the mirror and I looked up to notice the cops as well, he turned towards me to look at me when the first shot was fired,” she said in the affidavit. “Then he lost motor control causing the car to roll forward only stopping by the cop car smashing into the left back side of Zach’s car.

“It happened within seconds with no warning. The car was never in park pulling into the Hardee’s parking spot”

“The police asked me who Zach was. They asked was this guy Zach, was that his name and how did I know him. I said he’s Zach and asked Zach what? So I said I don’t know. I just know he’s Zach and it was our first date.”

http://www.wyff4.com/news/Passenger-in-unarmed-teen-s-car-describes-deadly-police-shooting/35105190

 

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Innocent Man On Death Row? The Richard Glossip Story (2015) ... scheduled to be executed today, Richard Glossip is the only prisoner on Oklahoma's death row that didn't physically kill anyone