Lufkin, Texas
The Lufkin Police Department is being sued for allegedly violating the civil rights of a Hispanic resident.
Claiming the officers illegally entered his home, Marco Sauceda filed suit against city of Lufkin, Lufkin Police Department, John Davis, Jason Vance, Christopher Carroll, Trent Sobolewski and Christopher Rodriguez, all individually and as Lufkin police officers, and Jerry Smith, individually and as supervisor for the city.
The suit was filed on Jan. 21 in the Eastern District of Texas, Lufkin Division.
According to the lawsuit, Sauceda was in the locked bathroom of his residence when the police officers entered the home. Sauceda claims the entry was made without probable cause.
The officers removed the hinges from the bathroom door, released some form of gas and kicked in the door.
Sauceda does not speak English and did not understand what the officers were saying. His lawyer states the officers continued to beat Sauceda with excessive force causing bruises and a severe head injury.
Sauceda was taken to jail after receiving medical treatment. The charges were later dismissed.
Source
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Dallas Police Officer in Charge of Crime Stoppers May Face Charges After Detained by FBI in Missing Funds Probe
Dallas, Texas
A Dallas police senior corporal who led the Crime Stoppers program was escorted from police headquarters in handcuffs Wednesday afternoon.
Theadora Ross had been under investigation for about eight months over funds missing from the popular tips-for-cash program. She is expected to face federal charges.
Source
Wife of Victim Killed By Humble Police Officer Says Shooting Was No Accident
Humble, Texas
Questions are surfacing about a recent fatal police shooting at Deerbrook Mall. An earlier report indicated even experts who reviewed the case are questioning the police officer’s method of using his gun to break a window. The victim's wife is speaking out and she has some unusual evidence.
The Humble Police Department is calling it an accident, but was it? That's what the victim's family is asking, especially after the victim's wife received a voicemail that recorded the entire shooting.
Police said they responded to a burglary-in progress call at the mall on Monday. Officers saw one of the burglars get out of a victim's car and into an alleged get-away car.
Officers went up to that car and one tried to break-in the window with his gun. He says it accidentally went off, shooting and killing 23-year old Esteban Carlon.
Esteban's wife tells us during this whole incident, her brother-in-law, Joaquin, called her phone. No one answered and the shooting was recorded on her voicemail.
A local community activist says, “This police officer, on that faithful day yesterday, became the judge, the jury and the executioner. If this young man was truly breaking into a vehicle, that’s why we have a system, we have a judge, we have a jail we have prosecutors. You give a man his day in court, innocent until proven guilty.”
Source
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Experts: Humble Police Officer's Actions In Fatal Shooting Unusual
Humble, Texas
Two police tactical experts said they would not advise officers to use their guns to shatter a car window during an attempted arrest because of the risks involved — something that became patently clear Monday when such an incident turned fatal outside Deerbrook Mall.
An Humble police officer had apprehended two suspects in an alleged crime. One of the suspects, whose identity has not been released, was accidentally shot to death by the police officer, who used his duty weapon to break the passenger window of the truck, Humble police said.
Police refused to answer further questions about the case or discuss its departmental policies Tuesday and did not release the name of the police officer who fired the fatal shot.
But two police tactical experts said the action taken by the Humble police officer is not common practice and is not taught in police academies.
Source
Two police tactical experts said they would not advise officers to use their guns to shatter a car window during an attempted arrest because of the risks involved — something that became patently clear Monday when such an incident turned fatal outside Deerbrook Mall.
An Humble police officer had apprehended two suspects in an alleged crime. One of the suspects, whose identity has not been released, was accidentally shot to death by the police officer, who used his duty weapon to break the passenger window of the truck, Humble police said.
Police refused to answer further questions about the case or discuss its departmental policies Tuesday and did not release the name of the police officer who fired the fatal shot.
But two police tactical experts said the action taken by the Humble police officer is not common practice and is not taught in police academies.
Source
Update: No Bond Decrease For Houston Police Officer Indicted on Multiple Sexual Assault Charges While On-Duty
Houston, Texas
A Houston police officer will likely stay in jail a while longer as he faces at least 2 counts of sexual assault charges.
Abraham Joseph is accused of raping a woman Jan. 2 while on duty and in uniform.
A Harris County judge refused Tuesday morning to reduce Joseph's bond, which is set at $250,000 per count, or a total of $500,000.
Prosecutors say Joseph is a flight risk because he has not surrendered all of his passports and he might still try to flee to his birth country of India.
Authorities believe other victims are likely and are looking at at least five other incidents.
Source
Authorities Fear Cops Being Targeted After at Least 11 Officers Shot in 24 Hours
Authorities are worried a recent wave of police officer shootings may not be a coincidence. In just 24 hours, at least 11 cops were shot around the country.
The most recent incident at a fugitive's house in St. Petersburg, Fla., left two officers dead and a U.S. marshal wounded Monday. Hours earlier, an Oregon officer was critically wounded after being shot multiple times during a traffic stop.
"It's not a fluke," Richard Roberts, a spokesman for the International Union of Police Associations, told MSNBC.com. "There's a perception among officers in the field that there’s a war on cops going on."
According to National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund, an organization that tracks police casualties, there have already been as many officer deaths in January 2011 as in January of last year. The organization reported that officer deaths were 43 percent in 2010 compared to 2009.
Update: Victim Sues Houston Police Officer Indicted for Multiple Sexual Assaults While On Duty
Houston, Texas
Houston Police Officer Abraham Joseph, recently indicted on charges of sexually assaulting a woman, is now being sued by the victim. Authorities have indicated that more victims are likely.
To recap, Officer Joseph allegedly drove up to a Houston area business where the victim was working. At the time of the arrival, the victim was standing outside of the business. Court documents indicate that Officer Joseph arrested a man at the business and also placed the woman in his police cruiser.
According to court documents, Joseph began to fondle the woman. Then, Joseph drove to a remote location and freed the man. He drove to another location, where he repeatedly assaulted the woman. At one point, the officer placed the woman on the rear of the city patrol car as he assaulted her.
Joseph previously served on the New York City police force. Joseph, who joined HPD in July 2009 and is assigned to the Southwest Patrol Division, worked alone on the late-night shift and had stopped at the business, where he picked-up the woman, a month earlier, according to the victim's attorney.
"One of the issues we want to look at is did he do this kind of conduct up in New York as well,“ the attorney said.
"The point is not merely catching after doing a bad act," the attorney said. "We give them the prerogatives to take our lives and use deadly force, so we have to make sure we get them before they do the bad acts."
Source
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| Houston Police Officer Abraham Joseph |
Houston Police Officer Abraham Joseph, recently indicted on charges of sexually assaulting a woman, is now being sued by the victim. Authorities have indicated that more victims are likely.
To recap, Officer Joseph allegedly drove up to a Houston area business where the victim was working. At the time of the arrival, the victim was standing outside of the business. Court documents indicate that Officer Joseph arrested a man at the business and also placed the woman in his police cruiser.
According to court documents, Joseph began to fondle the woman. Then, Joseph drove to a remote location and freed the man. He drove to another location, where he repeatedly assaulted the woman. At one point, the officer placed the woman on the rear of the city patrol car as he assaulted her.
Joseph previously served on the New York City police force. Joseph, who joined HPD in July 2009 and is assigned to the Southwest Patrol Division, worked alone on the late-night shift and had stopped at the business, where he picked-up the woman, a month earlier, according to the victim's attorney.
"One of the issues we want to look at is did he do this kind of conduct up in New York as well,“ the attorney said.
"The point is not merely catching after doing a bad act," the attorney said. "We give them the prerogatives to take our lives and use deadly force, so we have to make sure we get them before they do the bad acts."
Source
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