Blacks in Law Enforcement of America Magazine

V OLUME 1 , ISSUE 1

NEWSLETTER DATE

Gun Laws 5

Leadership EfficiencyPart 1

6

Preventing and Respond-ing

7

LA Sheriff PunchesSpecial Needs Woman

9

Police Video ObservationBill Passes CT Senate

10

Where there's no JusticeThere is no Freedom

11

Who's Police Departmentis it?

12

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

Blacks in Law Enforcement

Of America

Moving Forward in 2012

Nassau investigation:Detective flips on

Sheriff, turns to FBI

Bringing in the New Year with a Spiritual Community Connection

Ronald Hampton

Washington DC,

Representative

BLEA NY Representative Damon K. Jones with officers from New York City and Baltimore Police Department page 13

Page 3 Page 10

V OLUME 1 , ISSUE 1P AGE 2

Blacks In Law Enforcement Of AmericaOur Mission Statement

It is our duty as peace officers and members of Blacks in Law enforcement of America to continue the fight for freedom,justice, and equality for all citizens. We will be advocates of law enforcement professionals by establishing continuoustraining and support. As black law enforcement professionals, we pledge our time, honor, and talent for the uplifting of ourcommunities. We are truly the leaders of the community, in and out of our blue uniform.

As civil service officers, it is our duty to uphold the laws of our local, state, and federal governments. However, as naturalleaders it is our moral, ethical, and human duty to reach and teach our families and youth by providing increased involve-ment and support, thereby enriching lives and enhancing our communities.

Blacks In Law Enforcement of America believes that Law Enforcements’ purpose is to protect and serve. Not to containthe poor, the economically disadvantage or to take advantage of those who cannot fight back or have a true voice in thematter at hand.

To truly protect the community we serve BLEA believes:

1.Better “Community Policing”, the philosophy of “Community Policing” that calls for a true, cooperative, partnershipbetween the Community and the Police for safer communities.

2.The allocation of local, county, state, and national crime fighting resources toward the prevention of crime. The strategyof proactive as opposed to reactive has always been the preference of the people.

3.State and national handgun legislation prohibiting further manufacturing of handguns, and limiting their sales, posses-sion, and use.

4.State and National Legislation defining “Street Gang” and “Street Gang Membership”, therefore developing legislationto combat “Street Gang criminal activity.”

5.Police brutality is a crime and must be confronted, controlled, and outlawed by all police departments throughout theUnited States.

6.Need for State Wide Special Prosecutor to insure transparency in the Justice System when investigation and prosecutinglaw enforcement accused of police criminality because the relationship with DAs office and police departments creates aconflict of interest.

7.Police should be required and have their official residency in the city or municipality in which they are employed, there-fore insuring they have a stake in seeing that the City will be successful.

8.The Police Department should racially reflect the community that it claims to protect and serve.

9.State politicians and local officials need to create oversight to govern policies and procedures to create consistencythroughout law enforcement agencies in the United States.

10. We believe that women are equal and equitable in the institution of law enforcement and they should be honored fortheir continuous courage and valor.

B LEA NEWSLETTER THE ACTIVIST P AGE 3

Ronald HamptonWashington D.C. Representative

As the Washington, DC representative of Blacks in Law Enforcement in America I haveparticipated in a variety of events and testified on issues affecting people and communitiesof color. I am working with a number of immigration advocacy organizations to prevent theimplementation of Secure Communities in Washington, DC and other major urban cities.The below listed activities have taken place in the past six months.

Albuquerque, New Mexico November 20111 Anti Secure Communities Conference

Washington, D.C. Testimony (Immigration Detainer Compliance Amendment Act -January 2012

Fayetteville, N.C. Supporting City Council’s investigation of racial profiling in the city of Fayetteville, NorthCarolina-January 2012

Washington, D.C. Secure Communities Rally- December 2011

Washington, D.C. D.C. Statehood Rally- November 2011

Washington, D.C. Press Conference on Secure Communities Report Longworth House Office Building-October2011

Finally, I attended and participated in the 2011 International Drug Policy Reform Conference, Los Angeles, Californiain November 2011. While attending the conference I was recognized with their H. B. Spear Award for Achievement inthe Field of Control and Enforcement. I am proud to be on the same scroll with individuals such as former Chiefs ofPolice Joseph McNamara and Patrick Murphy. This has been a very exciting and productive year. However, this is ouryear. We will be launching the organization this year. We need Blacks in Law Enforcement in America.

In order to join the Blacks in Law Enforcement of America, as an individual member the following process must befollowed:

INDIVIDUAL AND CHAPTER MEMBERSHIP

Fill out an individual membership application, with payment, and return to the national office of the Blacks In LawEnforcement of America.

Individual members will be permitted to vote at the General Session of the Annual Conference.

Membership benefits include: Membership card. Lapel pin. One year complimentary subscription to the BLEA newsletter. BLEA national report “State of the Black Officer”. Travel discounts. Reduced conference registration fees.

Blacks in Law Enforcement of America Moving Forward in 2012


more about the CIA's collaboration withthe police department tomonitor Muslims after anAssociated Press investi-gation.

A letter signed by 34members of Congress wassent to the Department ofJustice and House Judici-ary Committee asking for

a thorough probe.

Rep. Judy Chu, D-Calif., says: "Wecannot allow the explicit profiling andtargeting of Muslim Americans by thevery people who are tasked with pro-tecting and serving their community."

Earlier this year, the AP revealed thatthe CIA helped the NYPD build intelli-gence programs to monitor Muslimsafter Sept. 11, and a top CIA operativewas working at the police department

WASHINGTON— More thantwo dozen mem-bers of Congressare calling forinvestigationinto the CIA'srelationship withthe New YorkPolice Depart-ment.

The members of Congress want to know

A Mississippi resident who receives aconcealed carry permit and takes aneight-hour course can now carry a gunon college campuses, in bars and incourthouses.

As of this summer, Wyoming residentsneed no permits for concealed weapons.And in Indiana, private businesses mustallow employees to keep firearms intheir vehicles on company property.

Those and other recent changes on thestate level represent a growing shifttoward loosening state gun regulations,according to University of Chicagoprofessor Jens Ludwig.

"When you look across the states, theyare definitely moving in the direction ofallowing concealed weapons in morelocations," Ludwig said.

Supporters of the trend see it as a boostfor gun rights. The National Rifle Asso-ciation tracks the legislation online andhas praised the new state laws.

Others say the trend could pose a threatto public safety.

"The gun lobby won't stop," said BrianMalte, of the Washington, D.C.-basedBrady Campaign to Prevent Gun Vio-lence. Malte described the way he seesthe trend for the past 10 years: guns

"anytime, any place and for anyone."

Proponents of the shift say they are justtrying to give law-abiding citizens away to protect themselves.

"Somebody who's disturbed or a crook -- they're not going to care (if it's illegalto carry a gun in certain locations),"said Mississippi state Rep. GregSnowden, a Republican who was one ofthree authors of an amendment thatpaved the way for the new policy here.

"I don't think anyone believes it's thathigh," a lieutenant said. "This is a blow,but most of what I'm hearing they[DOJ] aren't right."A detective agreed,stating that in a department the size ofthe Seattle PD, there would theoreticallybe "40 rogue guys or gals out theregratuitously beating people and gettingaway with it," something he has "a hardtime believing." Characterizing an en-tire department based on isolated inci-dents is damaging, several officers saidfurther, and two retired Seattle officersinsisted most cops are good.

SEATTLE — Officers spoke outagainst the Department of Justice fol-lowing its scathing report released Fri-day alleging "routine and systematic"violations by the Seattle Police Depart-ment.

Several anonymous rank-and-file offi-cers spoke to the The Seattle Times andsaid figures in the DOJ report — suchas the finding that 20 percent of officers'use-of-force violate Fourth Amendmentprotection — don't seem to add up.

"If the Seattle Police Department iscorrupt, then the whole world is cor-rupt," Joseph Bouffiou, 68 said. "Do wehave bad apples? Do we have a badincident from a good guy once inawhile? Of course. But we're talkingabout rehashing the same handful ofincidents over and over in a force of1,200 officers."

"They said SPD officers 'routinely' didthis, or 'routinely' did that," MartinBisch, who retired last year, added."What does that mean? Ten percent?

34 Congress members call for NYPD-CIA probe Associated Press

More States Loosen Concealed Carry Gun LawsBy Elizabeth Crisp USA TODAY

Seattle officers say DOJ unfairly targeted them

"We cannot allow the

explicit profiling and

targeting of Muslim

Americans “


like being disrespected, prosecutorssaid.

Officer Daragjati then wrote in a policereport that the man had flailed his armsand kicked his legs during the arrest,causing the man to be detained forabout 36 hours, according to a federalcomplaint.

The next day, the government inter-cepted a phone call between OfficerDaragjati and a female friend in whichthe officer complained that he had justgotten out of court on the stop-and-friskcase, but that it had been worth the has-sle.

“I sat there for a couple of hours by thetime I got it all done but, fried anothernigger,” the officer says on a transcriptprovided by prosecutors. “What?” Thewoman asks. Officer Daragjati uses thesame phrase and then adds, “no bigdeal.” The woman laughs.

Officer Daragjati was charged with amisdemeanor civil rights violation thatcarries a sentence of up to a year inprison and a fine of up to $100,000,prosecutors said.

Allegations of racism in NYPD’s stop-and-frisk program are nothing new. ANew York Times investigation last yearfound that in neighborhoods like Brook-lyn’s Brownsville, police made nearly52,000 stops in an eight-block radiusover just four years but just one percentof the stops yielded arrests. 93 out ofevery 100 residents were stopped bypolice in Brownsville, a predominantlyAfrican-American community that’sdense with public housing.

Laws permitting stop-and-frisk comeout of a Supreme Court case, Terry v.Ohio, which allowed police to stop andfrisk citizens when they had reasonablesuspicion that a crime had been or wasabout to be committed. But advocatessay few departments use the SupremeCourt’s ruling stop as extensively as theNYPD.

In 2010 Colorlines.com visited Browns-ville and spoke to young men aboutbeing profiled by the NYPD. You canwatch the video and for further readingon racial profiling read “Voices fromBrooklyn: Racial Profiling’s Part ofEveryday Life Here.”

A New York City Police officer hasbeen charged with a federal civil rightsviolation after prosecutors said he useda racial slur while bragging that he hadfalsely charged a black man with resist-ing arrest. The man was detained lastspring in Staten Island as part of thedepartment’s controversial stop-and-frisk policy.

“I fried another nigger,” Officer Mi-chael Daragjati, who’s been with theNYPD for eight years, said in a conver-sation with a friend after his phone wastapped. “Another nigger fried, no bigdeal.”

Federal prosecutors tapped Daragjati’scell phone during an investigation for anunrelated insurance fraud case wheninvestigators heard him bragging to afemale friend about falsely charging aman with resisting arrest.The New York Times sums up the in-vestigation:

A search of the man revealed no contra-band, but after he complained about histreatment and asked for the officer’sbadge number, Officer Daragjati ar-rested him and charged him with resist-ing arrest, telling him that he did not

Over 100 people, mostly women,marched from Liberty Square toNYPD’s 1st Precinct HQ to demandthat all women in custody be treatedwith respect and dignity by the police.The march was organized after our sis-ters in custody made various complaintsof male officers patrolling the women’scells, unannounced. We were told thatmale members of the NYPD were spe-cifically making unannounced patrolsby the women’s cells, and by the sharedwomen’s toilet (in plain view of allwomen and officers)--which is a com-mon tactic used to humiliate those incustody.

In the spirit of the Occupy movement,the crowd of 100 gathered in a show ofsolidarity to demand that the NYPDissue a formal statement that this will beaddressed and that there be no more

instances of this humiliating tactic beingused. There were no arrests at tonight’ssolidarity march.

Some chants from the crowd: “All day,all night, occupy women’s rights!” and“Courtesy, professionalism and respect”and “If you see something, say some-thing!”

100 March on NYPD 1st Precinct toDemand Dignity; Women in CustodyBeing Harassed, Police Protocols InQuestion

NYPD Cop Taped Making Racial Slur About Black Man After Stop-and-Frisk

Message from Protestors to NYPD: If you SEE something,a fellow officer violating protocol, SAY something


“We find that peo-p le 's b el i ef s aboutthei r e f f i cacy affectthe so rt s of choicesthey m ake in verys igni f i cant wa ys . Inpart icula r , i t a f fect sthei r levels o f m ot i -va t ion and persever -ance in the face ofobstacl es . Mo st suc-cess requires p ers i s-tent ef fo r t , so lowsel f - ef f i cacy b ecom esa sel f - l im i t ing proc-ess . In order to suc-ceed , people need asense o f sel f -e f f i cacy,s t rung tog ether wi thres i l i ence to m eet theinev i tab le ob stacl esand inequi t i es ofl i fe .” ~ Albert Ban-dura

Eff i cacy Defin i t ion :Th e po wer or cap ac i tyto produce a desi r edresu l t .

Lead er sh ip Eff icacy:Possess ing an in-sp i red vi s ion o f suc-cess ; excel l ing atco mmunicat in g th evi s ion so th at o the rscan see and bu y- in tothat vis ion ; and exer -c is in g jud gment thati s rou t in ely viewed assuper io r b y tho se thatkno w ho w to gau gepr incip l e-cen teredjudgment .

In a wo rld en vi ron ment th atencourages excess at an y ex-pense , i t i s beco mes easy forthe immoral , the ignoble andthe ignoran t to co mpro misewh at l i t t l e e th ical and moralva lues tha t they may po ssess .Have we not observed a l i t an yof fai lu res occur when gro wnman ' s mon ey is given to imma-ture bo ys? Ho w mu ch an gs tmust we su ffer when gro wnwo men dress l i t t l e gi r l s up asfloo zi es ; and are we st i l l su r -pr i sed when th e miso gynis t sand patho lo gical preda torsabuse and in jure our wo me n?

Should these imp ai red ind i -vidual s ever ascend to l eader-sh ip ro les , th ei r p as t behavior sin deal ing in appropr i a te ly wi throu t ine chal l en ges or cr i ses-laden event s can pred ic tab lypro jec t ho w appropr ia t e th ei rfu ture b ehavior s wi l l be whendeal in g wi th l ike ch al l en gesand event s .

Th e pr inc ipal reason man y or-gan izat iona l lead ers fa i l i n theproduct ion o f the d es i red re-su l t s res t s in a p as t wh ere thei rperson al beh avior was unpro-duct ive; and a t a t ime wh enthey had l i t t le or no idea wh atthe resu l t s cou ld , should orought to be. Not kno win gwh ere th ey were headed or nothavin g an y ear th ly id ea whatthe goal s were or were not ledto the inevi tab l e go in g throughthe mot ions t r ap th at man y in-e f fec t ive leaders fa l l .

Wh at these ine ffect ive l eaderswere at e igh t year s o ld , mostoft en th an not d ic t a t e wh a t theywi l l b e at 18 , 38 , 58 , and 78unless they exper ien ce a t r ans-formin g epiphan y tha t r e-d i rects o r re-bal an ces the i rl i fe ' s p r io r i t ie s and br ing a newlevel o f under s t and ing to thei r

wo rk .

Pete Luongo - the au thor o f"THE LEADERSHIP EDGE" -had a t ran s formin g epiph an y.He real i zed th at a l l re su l t s arebased on behavior s appropr ia t eto the c i r cu mstan ces . Luo ngobegan to under s t and that ac-t ions a re d et ermined b y sp e-ci f i c , wel l -de f ined st andards .His research and exper ien cehelped him to develop a modelfor leadersh ip success . Th ismodel was based on the fo l lo w-ing five t enet s :

Recru i t , Hi re , and Retain ;

P rovide the Suppor t ;

Set th e Stand ard ;

Share Honest Feedb ack,

and Encourage; and

Ind ividua l Accountab i l i t y .

Luongo iden t i f ied t en o f themost co mmon obst ac les to lead-ersh ip success and p ai r ed themwith agel ess pr in cip les he cal l sTh e Ten Tru ths . Luon go p ro-vides s t r a igh t forward ad vice ,based on data and hard earnedexp er i ence. He al so pro vid es anunders t andable and vi r tual lyguaran t eed plan for leader sh ipimpro vemen t and ach ievement .

P res ton K. Gi ls t r ap , P res iden t& Chie f Educat ion Off i ce r -Th e Gi ls t rap Group , LLC

Part 2 Next Issue

Leadership is Efficacy Part 1 By Preston Gilstrap


The recent surge in fatal police shoot-ings is weighing heavily on law en-forcement trainers, some of whom arecalling for a reassessment of high-riskfugitive and drug raids that have re-sulted in a number of deadly ambushes.

"It's time to change our thinking," saysPat McCarthy, who advises police agen-cies across the country. "Cops are ex-posing themselves to increasing dangermany times over, and it's just not neces-sary."

Harvey Hedden, executive director ofthe International Law EnforcementTrainers and Educators Association,said the group is urging its 4,000 mem-bers to "look at everything" in an effortto avoid potentially dangerous compla-cency on the streets.

"Police work can be 99% boredom and1% panic," Hedden said. "Routine canbe the most dangerous of all. We needto go back to the basics."

Federal and local officials have beentroubled for the past two years by thenumber of firearms-related fatalities.Gun-related fatalities last year were up15% from 2010. So far in 2012, fourofficers have been killed by gunfire --one more than at the same time in 2011.

Last week, in the most violent episodeof the new year, one Utah officer waskilled and five others were woundedwhen they attempted to serve a drug-related search warrant in Ogden.

The officers, members of a narcoticsstrike force, were met at the door by aformer soldier, who allegedly openedfire on the squad, killing 30-year-oldOgden officer Jared Francom. The sus-pect, Matthew Stewart, 37, waswounded in the confrontation. His inju-ries are not considered life-threatening.

Weber County Sheriff Terry Thompsonsaid that the incident and the officers'actions remained under investigationand that the activities of the strike forceare "on hold" because about half of theunit was involved in the shooting.

McCarthy said the deadly confrontationunderscores a need for police to rethinktheir tactics.

"The days of knocking down doors indrug cases should be over. Given what'sgoing on now, you have to considerother options," McCarthy said.

He said law enforcement officialsshould focus more on attempting to luresuspects out into the open or simply"wait them out."

comprehensive literature review of in-stitutional sexual assault.This report is the result of an NIJ-funded project but was not published bythe U.S. Department of Justice

This report presents the findings from adescriptive study of promising practicesto prevent and respond to inmate-on-inmate sexual assault in jails and resi-dent-on-resident sexual assault in juve-nile correctional facilities, including a

Police Deaths Trigger Training Review

Preventing and Responding to Sexual Assault in Corrections

Of the 68 firearm-related fatalities lastyear, a Justice Department review foundthat at least 10 officers died while serv-ing search warrants or participating inmultiagency raids.

Later this month, the Justice Depart-ment is hosting a meeting of researchersand law enforcement officials to discusstactics and training in the wake of theofficer deaths. "You can have all of theequipment in the world, but if some-body wants to kill you, they will if yougive them the opportunity," he said

Sexual Assault in Jail andJuvenile Facilities: PromisingPractices for Prevention andResponse, Final Report


Stationed in Deming, N.M., Mr. Gon-

zalez was in his green-and-white Border

Patrol vehicle just a few feet from the

international boundary when he pulled

up next to a fellow agent to chat about

the frustrations of the job. If marijuana

were legalized, Mr. Gonzalez acknowl-

edges saying, the drug-related violence

across the border in Mexico would

cease. He then brought up an organiza-

tion called Law Enforcement Against

Prohibition that favors ending the war

on drugs.

Those remarks, along with others ex-

pressing sympathy for illegal immi-

grants from Mexico, were passed along

to the Border Patrol headquarters in

Washington. After an investigation, a

termination letter arrived that said Mr.

Gonzalez held “personal views that

were contrary to core characteristics of

Border Patrol Agents, which are patriot-

ism, dedication and esprit de corps.”

After his dismissal, Mr. Gonzalez

joined a group even more exclusive than

the Border Patrol: law enforcement

officials who have lost their jobs for

questioning the war on drugs and are

fighting back in the courts.

In Arizona, Joe Miller, a probation offi-

cer in Mohave County, near the Califor-

nia border, filed suit last month in Fed-

eral District Court after he was dis-

missed for adding his name to a letter

by Law Enforcement Against Prohibi-

tion, which is based in Medford, Mass.,

and known as LEAP, expressing sup-

port for the decriminalization of mari-

juana.

“More and more members of the law

enforcement community are speaking

out against failed drug policies, and

they don’t give up their right to share

their insight and engage in this impor-

tant debate simply because they receive

government paychecks,” said Daniel

Pochoda, the legal director for the

American Civil Liberties Union of Ari-

zona, which is handling the Miller case.

Mr. Miller was one of 32 members of

LEAP who signed the letter, which

expressed support for a California ballot

measure that failed last year that would

have permitted recreational marijuana

use. Most of the signers were retired

members of law enforcement agencies,

who can speak their minds without fear

of action by their bosses. But Mr. Miller

and a handful of others who were still

on the job — including the district attor-

ney for Humboldt County in California

and the Oakland city attorney — signed,

too.

LEAP has seen its membership increase

significantly from the time it was

founded in 2002 by five disillusioned

officers. It now has an e-mail list of

48,000, and its members include 145

judges, prosecutors, police officers,

prison guards and other law enforce-

ment officials, most of them retired,

who speak on the group’s behalf. “No

one wants to be fired and have to fight

for their job in court,” said Neill Frank-

lin, a retired police officer who is

LEAP’s executive director. “So most

officers are reluctant to sign on board.

But we do have some brave souls.”

Mr. Miller was accused of not making

clear that he was speaking for himself

and not the probation department while

advocating the decriminalization of

cannabis. His lawsuit, though, points

out that the letter he signed said at the

bottom, “All agency affiliations are

listed for identification purposes only.”

He was also accused of dishonesty

for denying that he had given ap-

proval for his name to appear on the

LEAP letter. In the lawsuit, Mr.

Miller said that his wife had given

approval without his knowledge,

using his e-mail address, but that he

had later supported her.

Kip Anderson, the court administrator

for the Superior Court in Mohave

County, said there was no desire to limit

Mr. Miller’s political views.

“This isn’t about legalization,” Mr.

Anderson said. “We’re not taking a

stand on that. We just didn’t want peo-

ple to think he was speaking on behalf

of the probation department.”

Mr. Miller, who is also a retired police

officer and Marine, lost an appeal of his

dismissal before a hearing officer. But

when his application for unemployment

benefits was turned down, he appealed

that and won. An administrative law

judge found that Mr. Miller had not

been dishonest with his bosses and that

the disclaimer on the letter was suffi-

cient.

In the case of Mr. Gonzalez, the fired

Border Patrol agent, he had not joined

LEAP but had expressed sympathy with

the group’s cause. “It didn’t make sense

to me why marijuana is illegal,” he said.

“To see that thousands of people are

dying, some of whom I know, makes

you want to look for a change.”

Continued page 9

Police Officers Find That Dissent on Drug Laws May Come With a Price


When Jermaine Green and his fiancéeViolet Roberts got on a Metro bus inBellflower Monday night, they tooknotice of another passenger.

"The lady got on the bus with a strollerfull of pillows, she was very polite, saidhello to everyone and sat down," Greensaid.

At the next stop, two LA County sher-iff's deputies, one male and one female,boarded the bus and called the passen-ger by name.

"They said get off the bus. She thenstarted cursing at (the female deputy).You could tell she had special needs.After that they grab her, she curses himout, calls him a big shot, next thing youknow he gives her a big shot," Greensaid.

Green captured the incident with his cellphone's video camera.

"It was like they were tired of dealingwith her so they didn't try to talk to heror anything," Roberts said.

"I couldn't believe it. He seen me tap-ing. He looked up at the camera a fewtimes, and he still hit her like that, and Ican't believe he didn't try to diffuse thesituation at all," Green said.

Green recently returned home fromserving six years in the Army, includingtours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"In the Army, they gave us extensivetraining for rules of engagement.There's proper protocols and steps youtake. This lady didn't do anything, shewasn't combative and he actually turnedcombative on her," Green said.

Green claims the deputies then tried tointimidate him when he refused to handover his cell phone.

"He comes to me and says you can beunder arrest if you don't give me thatvideo," Green said.

Green said the deputy then asked if hehad any warrants.

"I said no, I'm a veteran, I just came

back, I have six years, I have no record,and he said 'We'll see about that.'"

Why didn't Green want to hand overthis video to the deputies involved?

"I think they would try to cover it up. Ithink a lot of things get covered up andpeople need to come forward if they seesomething, report it because it can't befixed unless it's brought to the public'sattention," Green said.

A sheriff's department spokesman toldNBCLA over the phone the departmentwould not comment on this case andwould not look at the videotape, but thespokesman said the department doesinvestigate all use of force claims.

Click Here to Watch Video

LA Sheriff Punches Special Needs Woman In The Face On A Bus

“No one wants to be fired and have to

fight for their job in court,” said Neill

Franklin, a retired police officer who is

LEAP’s executive director. “So most

officers are reluctant to sign on board.

But we do have some brave souls.”

Mr. Miller was accused of not making

clear that he was speaking for himself

and not the probation department while

advocating the decriminalization of

cannabis. His lawsuit, though, points

out that the letter he signed said at the

bottom, “All agency affiliations are

listed for identification purposes only.”

He was also accused of dishonesty for

denying that he had given approval for

his name to appear on the LEAP letter.

In the lawsuit, Mr. Miller said that his

wife had given approval without his

knowledge, using his e-mail address,

but that he had later supported her.

Kip Anderson, the court administra-

tor for the Superior Court in Mohave

County, said there was no desire to

limit Mr. Miller’s political views.

“This isn’t about legalization,” Mr.

Anderson said. “We’re not taking a

stand on that. We just didn’t want

people to think he was speaking on

behalf of the probation department.”

Mr. Miller, who is also a retired po-

lice officer and Marine, lost an ap-

peal of his dismissal before a hear-

ing officer. But when his application

for unemployment benefits was

turned down, he appealed that and

won. An administrative law judge

found that Mr. Miller had not been

dishonest with his bosses and that

the disclaimer on the letter was suf-

ficient.

Police Officers Find That Dissent on Drug Laws May Come With a Price


HARTFORD — A watered down ver-sion of a bill that would make policeliable for unreasonably interfering withobservers who record them as they carryout their duties has passed the stateSenate and is now headed for theHouse.

The bill was proposed by state SenateMajority Leader Martin Looney, D-New Haven, in response to several inci-dents in New Haven and one in EastHaven where citizens were arrested forrecording incidents, with the arrestslater dismissed.

“Police officers do not have an expecta-tion of privacy in the public perform-ance of their duties,” Looney said.

“I think this is a great bill,” said stateSen. John Kissel, R-Enfield, the onlyRepublican to support the measure inthe 22-14 vote. He said it strikes theright balance between law enforcementand the rights of individuals in a freesociety.

Under the bill, the officers are liable for

a civil action if they lack a reasonablebasis for believing that they are enactinga criminal or municipal law; they areprotecting public safety; they are pre-serving the integrity of a crime scene orcriminal investigation, or are safeguard-ing the privacy of any person, includinga crime victim.

“I think this is a reasonable public pol-icy that will improve the performance ofour police,” Looney said, with munici-palities incorporating training on how toapproach the issue. He said it also offers“broad-based protection for police.”

Both Looney and state Sen. Eric Cole-man, D-Bloomfield, pointed to severalnational incidents where videotapinguncovered egregious behavior by lawenforcement officers.

“This is a step toward holding peoplewho wield awesome power to be ac-countable,” said Coleman, co-chairmanof the Judiciary Committee.

In New Haven, two Yale Universitystudents were arrested for taping a raid

“Are you with the FBI, sir?” a strangevoice asked.

“Yeah, who are you with?” Thompsonreplied.

Tice told him.“I’m at the Nassau County Sheriff’sOffice interviewing Brandon aboutsome recordings he made of fellowpeers and he’s informed me he’s donethat at your direction,” Tice said.

Thompson left Tice little doubt. Smithnever saw his accusers again.

The St. Johns detectives were in Yuleethat warm April afternoon helping Sher-iff Tommy Seagraves investigate hisembattled narcotics unit. But after learn-ing Smith had turned on Seagraves, St.Johns Sheriff David Shoar pulled his

Detective Brandon Smith grew bitterwith the two St. Johns County copsgrilling him over tapes of his bossesthey found on his computer. So Smithmade what he assumed was his onephone call.

He dialed the FBI.

Detective Sean Tice stood over Smith ashe handed Tice his cell phone. Veteranagent Byron Thompson spotted Smith’snumber and took the call.

Police video observation bill passes in Connecticut Senate; next stop, House ofRepresentatives

Nassau investigation: Detective flips on sheriff, turns to FBI

guys out. He wasn’t about to cross wireswith the feds.

By then, Smith had been making secretrecordings for more than a year as a keyplayer in the FBI’s dual investigationsinto civil rights abuses and corruption atthe Nassau Sheriff’s Office. Authoritieshaven’t charged anyone and wouldn’tsay when they expect the investigationsto end.

Smith said he made more than a dozenrecordings for the FBI and leaked themdocuments and video of what he de-scribes as crimes and misconduct. Hesaid he also gave firsthand accounts ofpolice brutality and obstruction of in-vestigations.

by police on a private party in the city,while two others were charged withinterfering. All the charges were laterdismissed, and the city issued a policypreventing officers from stopping suchvideotaping in the future.

In East Haven, a police officer chargeda priest with threatening him after thepriest started videotaping an incident ata local store. The video clearly showed,however, that the officer knew the shinyobject in his hand was a camera and nota weapon.

In another New Haven incident, a manwho was recording an arrest was ar-rested by a former assistant chief. Theofficer took the camera, arrested theman and ordered another officer to erasethe video. He has since left the depart-ment and was found to have violatedinternal police policy.

The Republicans argued that the billgoes too far and unnecessarily burdenspolice with worrying about videotapingas they try to establish a crime scene.


Where there is noJustice, there is nofreedom and whenpeople lose trust inauthority and thosewho are in chargeof the authority,they lose faith inthe process of thesystem of Justice

that has been their right through theConstitution of the United States. Todemand freedom is to demand justice.When there is no justice in the land, aman's freedom is threatened. Freedomand justice are interdependent. When aman has no protection under the law itis difficult for him to make others rec-ognize him. Many people have ques-tioned are poor white people and peopleof color truly recognized and respectedin this so –called justice system inWestchester County.

We have watched our Westchester Jus-tice System blatantly defy logic and truetransparency and accountability of thelaw for too long. Westchester CountyJustice Officials, Law EnforcementOfficials, and Elected Politicians havecontinued to apply band aid solutions toa wound in our law enforcement institu-tion that clearly needs a surgeon. It is atrue American tragedy when you cannotrely on your local justice system forprotection of your civil and humanrights. Transparency and accountabilitywhen they are linked to violations ofpeoples civil and human rights havebeen thrown out the door for friendshipsand political gain. What you do find isthe violated are prosecuted and request-ing intervention from higher governingbodies like the Department of Justice.When these rights are violated consis-tently, and create disadvantages forsome, more than others, then you have asociety where the people lose trust, theylose hope, and they lose faith in ALLinstitutions.

How many times shall we see our moth-ers’, fathers’, sisters’ and brothers’ civiland human rights violated and ourWestchester Counties Justice System“Eyes Wide Shut” on the issue? It hasbeen said that “The Lady Justice” isblind but in Westchester “Lady Justice”is peeking under her blindfold to see

what color, race, immigration or eco-nomic status you are before a decisionis made. As a result, the masses of thecollateral damage are victims that can’tafford good lawyers or will never berecognized by our Westchester media;their cries of injustice will continue togo unheard. This Westchester CountyJustice System has a history of prose-cuting victims of Police Brutality likeNaimah Yancy, Dara Massey, PrimivitaDiaz, and Lance Cooper, who all werefound innocent by trial. Unfortunately,when this cancer rises to the level thatmedia pays attention again, they alwaysreport the effect but never question thecause and why. We have found thatcontroversy sells media but logic anddialog don’t fit the status quo agenda.

We have watched as the victims of thisWestchester County injustice syndromefall victim to character assassinationlike Detective Christopher Ridley, whowas shot and killed while making an offoff-duty arrest without any independentinvestigation of his death. NYPD Ser-geant Kenny Kessiedu who was as-saulted on his way to work by Yonkersuniform police officers and a year laterfound not guilty of any charges broughtby the District Attorney’s office. If ourWestchester County Justice system cancreate an atmosphere with leaks thatwill create doubt on the victims that arein law enforcement, then any youngman, especially, a young black mandoes not have a chance for any realtransparency of the law in WestchesterCounty.

Even the NAACP expressed its disap-pointment in the actions by the DistrictAttorney and the evasive right of ob-taining Justice for African Americans inWestchester County. They also notedthat the District Attorney has renegedon the Pamphlet and fairly investigatingpolice encounters with civilians.

The reoccurrence of the same problemsthat have occurred in the DetectiveChristopher Ridley, NYPD SergeantKenny Kessiedu and Danroy Henrycases, reveal a disturbing pattern indifferent municipalities in WestchesterCounty. These problems underscore theneed for a systematic change and true

accountability of transgressions of lawenforcement agencies in WestchesterCounty.When allegations’ of policebrutality reaches this level, it’s nolonger a single municipality problem; itbecomes a Westchester problem, thenevery taxpayer in Westchester County’sproblem.

Of course, there are many in this JusticeSystem that truly believes in the coretenants of Justice. At the end of the daythe rank and file of our Justice Systemare victims as well because of fear oflosing a paycheck, a promotion or so-called respect of their comrades; theyplay along with this dismal downfall oftrust in this system we call Justice. Allalong forgetting the oath we take touphold the State Constitution and theConstitution of the United States and itscitizens. These lawyers, officers andofficials work within hierarchies thathave put personal and political agendasbefore real freedom, truth, and justicefor the citizens they have sworn toserve.

This continuous influx of abuse of lawabiding citizens gives a black eye to theentire law enforcement institution, notjust those rouge officers who disobeyproper protocol and procedure. Withouttrue transparency and accountability oflaw enforcement, the citizens lose trustin the uniform and badge. Then the lawenforcement management is in amaze-ment when the communities they serve,especially the communities of color, donot cooperate with them. Why shouldthey? If you can’t have true accountabil-ity within your own, then how can yoube fair and just with the communitiesyou claim to serve?

The Police Department is the primaryentry point to the justice system and thepart in closest contact with the public.The investigation and prosecutionshould be an issue of Justice and “FairDealing”. This means no bias or thepresumption of bias in our Justice Sys-tem. Clearly the investigation of theshooting of DJ Henry, Detective Ridleyand the prosecution of NYPD SergeantKenny Kessiedu will continue to fuelthe growing doubt among black, white,brown and yellow if there is any trueJustice in the Westchester County Jus-tice System.

Where there is no Justice, there is no Freedom By: Damon K. Jones


Whose Police Department? How the NYPD Serves the Rich and Oppressesthe People

Critics of the NYPDoften cite its harsh,arrogant, sometimesviolent conduct, as ifits officers see them-selves as outside therule of law. Perhapsthe proprietary andaggressive tone set atthe top of New YorkCity governmentsends an ‘enabling’message to cops onthe street – that theyare not accountableto the people, butrather that they aremembers of an occu-

pying force and the people are the en-emy.

This powerful blend – the permission tobe aggressive and the message of immu-nity – helps to explain the numerousstories police reform organizations hearabout abusive police practices, espe-cially from members of New YorkCity’s marginalized groups: Young menof color arrested and ticketed for tres-pass while standing in front of their ownbuilding. Sex workers pressured to pro-vide sex in return for their release. Gayor transgender people roughed up andtouched inappropriately while congre-gating on a street corner.

The approach of acting aggressivelywith virtual impunity that characterizesmuch of the NYPD’s practices may alsohelp explain these damning statistics: in2010, the NYPD reported making about614,000 stop and frisks, nearly 90%

involving people of color; a resident inthe Brooklyn neighborhood of Browns-ville is 150 times more likely to be ar-rested for marijuana possession thansomeone living on the Upper East Sidein Manhattan.

The pressure of being, in effect, alwaysin battle mode leads some officers toobject to the tactics they are expected toemploy. “I’m not going to keep arrest-ing innocent people, I’m not going tokeep searching people for no reason,I’m not going to keep writing up peoplefor no reason, I’m tired of this,” wasone such statement made by a streetlevel cop.

These stories, statistics, and quotestogether present a disturbing and all-too

-real picture of apolice departmentthat engages inharsh and objec-tionable practicesthat harm peopleand communities,and seriously com-promise the qualityof life of hundredsof thousands of thecity’s residents.

Perhaps if Mayor Bloomberg refrainedfrom referring to the NYPD as an armyresponsible only to him, and insteadreframed their purpose and presence onthe city’s streets as peace-keepers andproblem-solvers, they would cease theirbullying and badgering tactics and useof verbal slurs and take positive steps tocreate a liveable and inclusive city for

all New Yorkers.

Police Reform Organizing Project

123 William Street

16th Floor

New York, NY 10038

Plainly racist comments made byNYPD officers were recently publishedon a Facebook page for the world tosee. “Savage Day”, “this coconut pa-rade”, and “pure savagery” were justsome of the scurrilous terms posted.While these ugly comments targetedpeople who participated in the city’West Indian American Day Parade, theydo not merely reflect an isolated inci-dent – rather, they represent a dailyreality for communities of color inNYC, and are emblematic of wide-spread and toxic NYPD attitudes andpractices.

Late last month, NYC Mayor MichaelBloomberg told an audience of MITstudents, “I have my own army in theNYPD,” referring to the city’s policeforce as the 7th largest army in theworld. The Mayor’s words raise thequestion – whose army truly is theNYPD? Shouldn’t it be the people’s,whose taxes provide the funding for theDepartment, and whom police officerspledge to honor, serve, and protect?“Army” denotes an agent of war, onethat applies force to achieve its ends,rather than an instrument of solvingproblems and keeping the peace. Whatdoes it mean for the communities wherethe city’s officers are mostly deployed –namely, low-income neighborhoods ofcolor – if the city’s mayor views thecops there as part of an army, soldiers ina war?

By Bob Gangi

“The NYPD are not accountable to the

people; they are members of an occupying

force and the people are the enemy”

Police Appreciation Worship Service

Law enforcement is one of the most stressful professions in the world. On January 8th, 2012 we

gathered with the Rev. Conrad B. Tillard in Worship and Prayer to celebrate our accomplishments

and triumphs and our continuous love for our God and the Communities that we proudly serve.

Keynote Speaker:

Senator Eric Adams, Co– Founder, 100 Blacks in Law Enforcement

To see more picture on facebook please click here

To see video of the event click here



.

The number of minority officers in theChattanooga Police Department is thehighest it has been in at least five years,despite recent criticism from a localcivil rights group.

"I think it's important for the African-American community and especiallyAfrican-American kids to see people ina position of authority," said Chatta-nooga Police Chief Bobby Dodd, "tosee people in a position in law enforce-ment -- someone they can identify andlook up to and maybe look to for guid-ance if they are interested in cominginto law enforcement."

As of this month, records show the de-partment has a total of 81 black officers,or 18.8 percent of the total; 12 Hispanicofficers, 2.8 percent; and five NativeAmerican officers, 1.2 percent. Thereare 334 white officers, or 77.3 percent,on the force.

But an official with the local NAACPsaid that, despite the increases in mi-norities on the force, more black offi-cers are needed to more closely matchChattanooga's population.

The city has a population of 167,674,according to the 2010 U.S. census. Ofthat, 58 percent of residents are white,34.9 percent are black, 5.5 percent areHispanic, 2 percent are Asian and 0.4percent are Native American.

"If you think where we are now and theissues we're facing, I think we're goingback in the way we address policing inChattanooga," said Joe Rowe, first vicepresident of the Chattanooga chapter ofthe NAACP. "Just as a rule of thumb, asyou look at the population, you would

think we would need 150 African-American officers."

Dodd said the number of minorities hasincreased since he became chief 19months ago.

In 2010, records show, there were 63black officers, or 14.8 percent, sevenHispanic officers, 1.6 percent, and fiveNative Americans, 1.2 percent. Therewere 263 white officers, or 61.6 per-cent, at the time.

"I don't agree that we have problemsdealing with minority communities be itAfrican-American or Hispanic," Doddsaid. "We've reached out."

There have been three police academiessince then with one now under way. Outof the group of 29 cadets now in theacademy, 24 are white, four are blackand one is Asian.

The issue of hiring black officers, aswell as other minorities and women, isseen in law enforcement across the na-tion, according to experts.

"I think some of the challenges of re-cruiting minorities and women, andbringing them into a profession thatwas, in not-so-recent history, mostlywhite males," said Vic Bumphus, asso-ciate professor of criminal justice at theUniversity of Tennessee at Chattanoogawho is black. "So there's been a lot ofintegration in the last few decades, andof course, there are some challenges.How do you get minority candidateswho have been somewhat ambivalenttoward the police historically to join thepolice?"

Blacks represented 11.7 percent, or52,853 officers, of the nation's law en-forcement population in 2003, accord-ing to the most recent study publishedby the federal Bureau of Justice Statis-tics. That's an increase from 9.3 percentcompared to the law enforcement popu-lation in 1987.

"We learned some time ago in policingwe can't police the community without

the support of the citizens," Bumphussaid. "You want a police departmentthat might respect your kind of free-doms as well as the freedoms of allpeople."

Dodd said he has recruited minoritiesfrom out of state and across the country.He said he also has invited local pastorsto send him promising candidates al-though to date no candidates have beensubmitted. Sometimes members of thedepartment go to colleges to look forrecruits, he said.

"He's done a great job in trying to makeit a more diverse police force. That kindof attitude he has is the kind of attitudeto have. He works diligently to get someof the officers there," Bumphus said.

"When you think about gangs and inner-city types of issues, you often thinkabout populations that are at risk and,all too often, they might be lower-classminority populations. Having informa-tion about those kinds of communities isimportant as well."

Reuben Justice, 30, of Harrison, one ofthe black recruits on the Chattanoogapolice force, said that, in some cases, hemay be able to reach out better to otherblack residents during calls, "but whenit comes down to it, we're not whiteofficers. We're not black officers. We'renot Asian officers. We're Chattanoogapolice officers and that's the bottomline."

Montague Hicks III, 29, of Chatta-nooga, a white recruit in the academy,said while he agrees with that senti-ment, many in the public want to dealwith someone who understands theirculture.

"I do agree if you're dealing with lots ofgroups of people, you're normally morecomfortable, many times -- the public is-- if they're dealing with someone whois the same nationality," Hicks said. "Ithink it's important and there's enoughqualified people and so many differentraces. I'm glad our department doeshave diversity there."

Chattanooga hires more minority police officers, but some critics say it's not enough


Renault RobinsonFlorence A. Taylor

Blacks in Law Enforcement of America (BLEA) recognizes the rich history of the African American law enforcement professional who foughtfor our survival and 120 years later, we now have black commissioners and chiefs in law enforcement.

We will never forget the shoulders that we stand on, because we did not get here on our own.

Blacks in Law Enforcement of America “Wall of Honor has been created to honor the importance of black men and women’s achievements andcontributions in the institution of law enforcement in the United States.

It is important for the law enforcement community; especially the black law enforcement community, not only understand recent history concerningblacks in law enforcement, but also to understand their past. BLEA is committed to preserving the history and legacy of the black law enforcement

Roger L. Able Norwood E. Jackson

Thomas Brooks

It is our duty as peace officers and members of Blacks in Law enforcement of Americato continue the fight for freedom, justice, and equality for all citizens. We will be advo-cates of law enforcement professionals by establishing continuous training and support.As black law enforcement professionals, we pledge our time, honor, and talent for theuplifting of our communities. We are truly the leaders of the community, in and out ofour blue uniform.

As civil service officers, it is our duty to uphold the laws of our local, state, and federalgovernments. However, as natural leaders it is our moral, ethical, and human duty to

reach and teach our families and youth

405 Tarrytown RdWhite Plains, New York 10607

Blacks in Law Enforcement of America

Phone: 1-877-218-8835E-Mail: [email protected]

WE ARE ON THE WEB

WWW.BLEAUSA.ORG

When he or she initiates a career in law enforcement…

He or she is often the motif in political agendas; agendas that lack the political substance andsupport, therefore…

He or she often endures the trials and tribulations, reserved for culprits, although…

He or she is proficient and dignified; to their taskmasters he or she is falsely depicted, incompe-tent and a prevaricator, withal…

His or her accomplishments are often exploited by their taskmasters; therefore tutelage and hon-ors of distinction are far and in-between, whereby…

His or her comrades often ignore their dedication and character; but are cognizant of their Nu-bian features and the melanin within, moreover…

He or she is often the target of an offender’s agitation and a comrade’s violence, still he or sheremains their protector, eventually…

He or she is celebrated by most for their obligation to public safety, but they are still, despised bysome for a commitment to justice and equality…

Yet

He or she is in possession of a strong sense of morality; as seductions will beset his trail…

He or she is methodical as a human and in his thoughts; for his or her confidence and aspirationswill plead for this…

Tolerance and fortitude is his or her partner; tolerance smoothes the approach for his or herbalanced pondering, while his or her fortitude is infinite…

His or her status imparts in him a sense of authority; to which he or she must discipline so that noman, woman, or child need fear…

Except when there is justification…

Therefore, because of these concepts and by these concepts he or she will become stalwart. A trueservant and sentinel of the law…

I speak this creed, because I am this creed, I am the Black officer

Anthony C. Mitchell

The Black Officers Creed

Documents

Blacks in Law Enforcement of America Magazine