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: Injustice in Seattle

Police Misconduct NewsWatch - Catching Up Local Edition

By David Packman

Hey folks, sorry it's been a while since I posted anything substantive, been busy at work and just now caught a break to give you some updates and newer news...

Speaking of news, catch us on Twitter and get all the latest police misconduct news stories as we see them. Just follow Injust_Seattle and keep up on all the bad stuff going down.

On to it then...

Catching up?

First, there?s been a lot of response to an article I published about how different it is when police officers threaten police accountability activists and writers as opposed to when they reportedly receive threats in response to highly publicized stories of abuse that those police officers committed.

One officer took the time to write in response to that piece after it appeared in the Chicago Sun-Times, it was a really positive response and I appreciated it so much that I put it up as a post, if you haven?t yet, go read it? it?ll make you feel better after reading all the other bad stories I have to post here.

Over at Five Before Midnight, the author of that blog responds to the article by going through a brief history detailing some of her more persistent harassers who attack her simply for writing about some of the same issues I write about? Some disturbing incidents there.

But, I wanted to post an addendum to that article I did. I?d like to draw people?s attention to a more recent related development down in Arizona. Apparently the owner of a site devoted to covering corruption and misconduct in the Phoenix Police Department suffered some serious civil rights violations when the police raided his home and confiscated all of his computer equipment and several files related to a civil lawsuit he was filing against the city.

Not only that, but the police also took computers belonging to their children and detained them and a guest who was visiting for three hours while refusing to allow them access to their lawyers while the politically motivated raid was taking place.

Now, I read his site, badphoenixcops.com, and it is peppered with some pretty strong language and strong allegations, but it?s still protected speech and it?s incredibly disturbing if this kind of activity is allowed to stand without any legal recourse. It jeopardizes anyone who writes or speaks out about police misconduct if what?s going on down there isn?t stopped.

About that new chief?

Seattle Mayor Nickels? appointment of John Diaz as interim police chief raised some serious hackles within the Seattle Police Officer?s Guild, but nobody still can figure out exactly why this is. The rumors and innuendos continue to fly out from anonymous sources within the police department about his supposed nickname ?Shotgun Johnny? as if this was connected to some alleged act of misconduct, but none can be substantiated? (so persistent and secretive were these rumors that even local news outlets were reduced to searching this site for info on these allegations, and I know they hate this site with a passion.)

Interestingly, those disgruntled sources can?t reveal why they oppose Diaz because of the union?s own efforts in forcing the city to keep misconduct records secret. So, to reveal why they oppose Diaz, they would need those records to be public again, which puts them in the bind of opposing their own opposition to allowing such records to be accessible to the public? so the guild itself yielded and supported Diaz instead of fighting against their own fight for secrecy... Funny, isn?t it?

Better Later Than Never?

There was an incredible post put up a few days ago by Karl Mansoor over at Blue Must Be True about how systemic and pervasive police misconduct might really be based on disciplinary statistics already available to us. I really suggest that people go read it and think about exactly what those statistics might really mean when we look at how many people are employed in the law enforcement, corrections, and justice departments in the country. It?s pretty thought provoking.

Also local community radio station KBCS FM is holding their annual fund drive which started a few days ago. They are behind right now and really need everyone?s support to keep delivering their great content to the area. They were the only news outlet in the Seattle area that ever bothered mentioning us (on their news program called One World Report last year in response to the contract between the city and the police guild)? ever. So their commitment to deliver important news about civil rights issues in this area can?t be understated. Go and give what you can, they have some neat gifts too!

And Some Local News too?

Malika Calhoun Arrested Again

The now well-known victim of police brutality at the hands of King County Deputy Paul Schene, 15-year-old Malika Calhoun, was arrested and charged with felonious harassment and trespassing for an altercation she got into with another teenage girl at a local mall. Apparently Malika threatened to come back with a gun and shot the girl in the face for an alleged slight against one of her friends.

Apparently Malika and her friend were banned from that mall the day previous to this encounter, hence the trespassing charge in addition to the felony harassment charge filed against her by the Tukwilla Washington Police. The incident apparently occurred on February 2 of this year, three months after her arrest for allegations of auto theft in November where she was attacked in a holding cell by Deputy Schene and about 10 days before the details about the beating started to go public.

We never said she was an angel, but it does go to show that two wrongs don't make a right and if Deputy Schene thought that beating the snot out of her for kicking off a tennis shoe in his direction was going to teach her a lesson, he was horribly mistaken.

SPD Officer Arrested for Alleged DV

A Seattle Police Department officer was arrested over the weekend over an alleged early-morning domestic violence incident where he supposedly grabbed his spouse?s arms during an argument and cut her hand with a knife. That officer, Scott Moss, was arrested on Saturday and charged with 2nd degree felonious assault.

Officer Moss is a 15 year veteran of the SPD and previously served as a spokesperson for the department and was most currently assigned to the department?s internal investigation division, the Office of Professional Accountability. This, however, isn?t the first time Moss has been in trouble as he was arrested previously in 2005 for a DUI.

Seattle PD Forced To Rehire Officer Accused of Excessive Force

Ex-SPD officer Don ?Diamond Don? George will soon be current SPD officer Don George again after he appealed his termination from the SPD to the department?s Disciplinary Review Board, where it was promptly overturned and the city was forced to hire him back and pay his back-pay, benefits, etc? even though the arbiter in the case found Officer George?s testimony in response to allegations that he bounced the head of a 17-year-old suspect?s head off of a police cruiser?s partition when the boy asked for an attorney.

As you might have guessed, this isn?t the first time officer George has been in trouble, he has a long history of misconduct allegations that include one that earned him the nickname of Diamond Don where he was alleged to have stolen a diamond ring from a suicide victim?s body over 20 years ago. The chief at the time intervened and protected him from disciplinary action in that case, over 20 years ago.

Gig Harbor Police Department Sued In Perjury Case

A convicted drug dealer whose case was overturned when the officer involved in the case, Sgt Matthew Dougil, was accused of perjury for falsifying police reports and now faces trial himself is now suing Gig Harbor because the informant used in his case to buy drugs from him already had drugs on her before she bought anything from him.

The failure of Dougil to account for the drugs the informant already had meant that the suspect served an extra year for selling drugs he never sold. Another man involved in the case has already settled with the city for $45,000 in a similar suit related to Dougil?s perjury allegations.

Full post as published by Injustice in Seattle on March 25, 2009 (boomark / email).