Is There Any Merit To Police Claims of War on Cops?

Between January 20 and January 25, 13 police officers were shot in the U.S., five of them fatally. These tragic incidents have led some police advocates to draw unsupported conclusions, claiming that they are tied to rising anti-police sentiment, anti-government protest, or a lack of adequate gun control laws. Media outlets also have been quick to draw connections between these unrelated shootings. While these incidents are troublesome, many are asking if law enforcement advocates are attempting to use the tragedies to stifle much-needed debate about police tactics, police misconduct, and police accountability. Radley Balko, Senior Editor at Reason Magazine takes a closer look. 

Dig into most of these articles, however, and you will find there is no real evidence of an increase in anti-police violence, let alone one that can be traced to anti-police rhetoric, gun sales, disrespect for authority, or "don't tread on me" sentiment. (CNN is one of the few media outlets that have covered the purported anti-police trend with appropriate skepticism.) Amid all the quotes from concerned law enforcement officials in MSNBC's "War on Cops" article, for example, is a casual mention that police fatality statistics for this month are about the same as they were in January 2010. 

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Houston Police Officer Accused of Multiple Rapes is Freed On Bail

Houston, Texas

A Houston police officer charged with sexually assaulting a woman while on duty was released on bail Saturday.

Abraham Joseph was released the day after state District Judge Denise Collins lowered his bail from $500,000 to $150,000.

Joseph, 27, has been indicted on charges of aggravated sexual assault. Joseph is accused of handcuffing a cantina waitress outside a bar on Jan. 2, driving her to a secluded area and raping her on the trunk of his police car, according to a civil lawsuit filed by the woman.

Authorities say Joseph is implicated in five additional sexual assault cases.

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Judge Lowers Bail for Houston Police Officer Charged With Multiple Rapes

Houston, Texas

A judge has lowered the bail for a Houston police officer accused of sexually assaulting a woman while on duty and implicated in five other possible cases, disappointing advocates of the other alleged victims.

State District Judge Denise Collins lowered the bail from $500,000 to $150,000 for Abraham Joseph after tearful testimony from Joseph's wife, who is eight months pregnant, saying the family doesn't have any money.
Katrina Patrick, an attorney involved in a civil suit against the officer, said other women accusing Joseph of attacking them are concerned for their safety.

"I find it terribly, terribly alarming that Joseph's bond was reduced today, especially in light of the fact that we are seeing more and more victims coming forward," Patrick said.

"This is a guy who has done some horrendous acts against the community, and he deserves to be behind bars," she added. "I think this is going to alarm a lot of the victims. A lot of their ... solace comes from the fact this guy is behind bars."

Benjamin Hall, who represents the woman Joseph is charged with raping and two other possible victims, said he worries the former officer may be released.

"He's got a constitutional right to have a reasonable bond, but we're just going to make sure he has no contact with our clients," Hall said.

Joseph, 27, was indicted last week on charges of aggravated sexual assault. The charges stem from an alleged attack on Jan. 2 in which Joseph is accused of handcuffing a cantina waitress outside of the bar, driving her to a secluded area and raping her on the trunk of his police car, according to a civil lawsuit filed by the woman.
He was relieved of duty by HPD officials later that day. Prosecutors argued Friday that Joseph is a suspect in five other cases involving four other women.

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Former Liberty County Judge Indicted in Fraud

Beaumont, Texas

A former Liberty County Judge and Commissioner, along with a business owner, have been indicted in a Hurricane Ike fraud scheme by a federal grand jury.

Former judge John 'Phil' Fitzgerald, 51, former commissioner Herman 'Lee' Groce, 62, and Mark Wayne Miksch, 52, were listed in a 25-count indictment on Wednesday. A summons has been issued to all three men and they are scheduled to make their initial appearances Feb. 1 before U.S. Magistrate Judge Earl S. Hines.

After Hurricane Ike made landfall in southeast Texas on Sept. 13, 2008, Fitzgerald and Groce, who served as Liberty County Precinct 2 Commissioner, used their elected positions to influence and award debris removal contracts to a company in exchange for sub-contracts to be awarded to Miksch's business, according to the indictment. Miskch is Fitzgerald's brother in law.

Fitzgerald, according to the indictment, received more than $600,000 in "kickbacks" accounted for as legitimate business transactions. He has also been charged with "unauthorized use of a 155 kilowatt generator," which was purchased by and for the benefit of Liberty County and then reimbursed by FEMA. Fitzgerald is "alleged to have commandeered and used the generator" to power Fitzpak, a convenience store and gas station in Moss Hill that he owned and operated.

The alleged conspiracy resulted in more than $3 million in debris removal contracts fraudulently awarded by Fitzgerald and Groce in violation of state and federal laws.

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Lufkin Police Department Sued After Arresting and Allegedly Beating Man

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.

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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.

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Wife of Victim Killed By Humble Police Officer Says Shooting Was No Accident

Wife of Victim Says Shooting Was No Accident: MyFoxHOUSTON.com

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.”

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