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Police Chief: Video of Black Officers Beating Tyre Nichols as Bad as Rodney King Assault

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Memphis Police Chief Cerelyn “CJ” Davis said the video of Memphis police officers beating Tyre Nichols earlier this month is perhaps worse than the infamous Rodney King footage. . .

King was beaten by a group of Los Angeles Police Department officers in 1991 in an attack that was captured on civilian video. The attack later spawned the 1992 Los Angeles riots, which resulted in dozens of deaths, after a jury acquitted or couldn’t reach a verdict for excessive force on the officers involved.

Memphis police say they pulled over Nichols on Jan. 7 around 8:30 p.m. for “reckless driving” near Raines Road and Ross Road in Memphis. A “confrontation occurred” during the stop, at which point Nichols ran away from police on foot. Officers pursued the 29-year-old and attempted to apprehend him, police said, and they said an ambulance was called when he complained of shortness of breath. He died at the hospital on Jan. 10.

Nichols family attorneys said Tuesday that following an independent autopsy on Nichols’ body carried out by a “highly regarded, nationally renowned forensic pathologist,” preliminary findings indicated that “Tyre suffered extensive bleeding caused by a severe beating.” They also said Nichols’ “observed injuries are consistent with what the family and attorneys witnessed on the video of his fatal encounter with police on Jan. 7, 2023.”

The five officers involved – Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills, Jr. and Justin Smith – were fired after an internal review of their actions, and they now face second-degree murder charges, along with several other felonies. (Read more from “Police Chief: Video of Black Officers Beating Tyre Nichols as Bad as Rodney King Assault” HERE)

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President Trump Signs Police Reform Executive Order — Here’s What It Will Do

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President Donald Trump signed an executive order Tuesday aimed at reforming police practices in America after a series of high-profile police killings sparked nationwide protests and riots, CNBC reported.

Trump, who is opposed to growing calls to defund police departments, is calling for increased transparency and accountability for police misconduct, a limit on the use of chokeholds, and increased use of non-police personnel to deal with issues related to mental health or drug addiction.

The order, titled, “Safe Policing for Safe Communities,” acknowledges instances of police abuse and brutality and the negative impact that has had on community relationships with police.

It establishes a national certification and credentialing system for law enforcement agencies; creates a federal database to track officers credibly accused of wrongdoing; discourages the use of chokeholds unless an officer’s life is in danger; and encourages Congress to pass further police reforms. (Read more from “President Trump Signs Police Reform Executive Order — Here’s What It Will Do” HERE)

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WATCH: Governor Promises to Deny Funding for Police Departments That Don’t Pass Race Reforms

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Democratic New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said local New York police departments must pass race reforms or they will lose state funding.

During a press briefing on Saturday, Cuomo told protesters they “won” by protesting over the issues of police violence and systemic racism, introducing a plan in which communities will implement reforms consistent with their constituency’s demands. . .

“If you don’t do it, local government, you won’t get any state funding. Period. We’re not going to tell you what to do. But we’ll tell you have to go through the process. And you have to pass a law with your redesigned police force,” Cuomo said, setting a deadline for April 1.

(Read more from “WATCH: Governor Promises to Deny Funding for Police Departments That Don’t Pass Race Reforms” HERE)

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George Floyd, Fired Officer Overlapped Security Shifts; Ex-Police Officer Charged With Murder

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By ABC 5 News. A former club owner in south Minneapolis says the now-fired police officer and the black man who died in his custody this week both worked security for her club up to the end of last year.

George Floyd and now-former Officer Derek Chauvin both worked security at the El Nuevo Rodeo club on Lake Street, according to Maya Santamaria. Santamaria owned the building for nearly two decades, but sold the venue within the last few months.

“Chauvin was our off-duty police for almost the entirety of the 17 years that we were open,” Santamaria said. “They were working together at the same time, it’s just that Chauvin worked outside and the security guards were inside.” . . .

Although the two overlapped working security on popular music nights within the last year, Santamaria can not say for certain they knew each other because there were often a couple dozen security guards, including off-duty officers.

Santamaria says she did not recognize either one of her security guards in the video showing Chauvin kneeling on Floyd’s neck not far from where they used to work. (Read more from “George Floyd, Fired Officer Overlapped Security Shifts” HERE)

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Ex-Police Officer Derek Chauvin Charged With Murder, Manslaughter in George Floyd Death

By Star Tribune. Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman on Friday announced murder and manslaughter charges that accuse a fired Minneapolis police officer of killing George Floyd — an act caught on video and seen around the world, sparking days of violent demonstrations across the Twin Cities.

Derek Chauvin, 44, was arrested late Friday morning and charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter four days after he pinned his knee on Floyd’s neck for nearly nine minutes Monday at the intersection of E. 38th Street and Chicago Avenue as the unarmed and handcuffed man told him he couldn’t breathe.

Chauvin is being held in the Ramsey County jail on $500,000 bail. The agency that led the investigation resulting in the charges, the state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, late Friday explained why he wasn’t jailed in the county where he was charged. (Read more from “Ex-Police Officer Derek Chauvin Charged With Murder, Manslaughter in George Floyd Death” HERE)

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Shocking Security Footage Exposes Cops Smacking Handcuffed Woman, Hurling Racial Slurs

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Photo Credit: YouTubeBad scene: A Chicago policeman hits a handcuffed, kneeling woman in the head, while another one shouts racially-charged comments at her. And threatens she’ll be murdered, no less.

Even worse – for the cops – the whole thing was caught on surveillance camera video, according to a lawsuit filed in federal court:

Filmed by a security camera during a Chicago Police vice raid at the Copper Tan and Spa last summer, the video appears to show one cop smack 32-year-old salon manager Jianqing “Jessica” Klyzek in the head with an open hand as she is on her knees, handcuffed.

Another large officer yelled at the 110 pound, 5-foot-2 Klyzek — a naturalized U.S. citizen who emigrated from China — “You’re not f—— American!”

Pretty bad, huh? It gets worse. The second cop continued to scream at the terrified woman, threatening that she and her family would be murdered…


(WARNING: Explicit Language)

Read more from this story HERE.

Policing for Profit? Lawmakers, Advocates Raise Alarm at Growing Gov’t Power to Seize Property

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Photo Credit: AP

Photo Credit: AP

Motel owner Russell Caswell wasn’t expecting to find himself at the center of a national controversy when FBI agents came knocking on his door.

They said they wanted his Tewksbury, Mass., business – and the land it was on – because they suspected it was a hotbed for drug-dealing and prostitution. The agents, who were working with state and local authorities, told a disbelieving Caswell they had the right to take the property, valued at as much as $1.5 million, through a legal process known as civil forfeiture.

Caswell, 70, fought back, and the case turned into one of the nation’s most contentious civil forfeiture fights ever – and one that legal experts say sheds light on a little-known practice that, when abused, is tantamount to policing for profit.

Civil forfeiture is when police and prosecutors seize property, cars or cash from someone they suspect of wrongdoing. It differs from criminal forfeiture cases, where prosecutors typically must prove a person is guilty or reach a settlement before freezing funds or selling property. In civil forfeiture, authorities don’t have to prove guilt, file charges or obtain a conviction before seizing private property. Critics say it is a process ripe for abuse, and one which leaves citizens little means of fighting back.

“You breed a culture of ‘take first, ask questions later,’” Larry Salzman, an attorney with the Institute for Justice, told FoxNews.com. “It’s thuggish behavior.”

Read more from this story HERE.

Horror: Why Did This Cop Fire 4 Shots At A Teen Girl, Killing Her?

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Photo Credit: Free Patriot

Photo Credit: Free Patriot

Family and friends of 19-year-old Samantha Ramsey are overcome with grief — and demanding answers — after a cop fired four shots into a car the teen was driving. Ramsey was struck by one of the bullets and died on scene.

Dashcam footage shows the encounter seconds before Boone County Sheriff’s Deputy Tyler Brockman fired four shots into a car full of teenagers. Brockman was standing on the highway in front of his vehicle as Ramsey slowly pulled her vehicle in front of him. He shined his flashlight into her face and appeared to signal her to stop the car, but she continues moving the vehicle out of dashcam view. Seconds later, Brockman fired four shots, causing the car to careen into a ditch, according to Fox 19.

Two passengers exited the vehicle. The driver, Ramsey, had been shot. She was taken away in an ambulance, but had died on scene, according to The Huffington Post.

Brockman claimed Ramsey tried to run him over, and he fired the shots in self-defense. The dashcam footage complicates this narrative, however.

Even so, it is difficult to imagine a scenario that justified the shooting, which could have harmed multiple people. There were four people in the car in total.

Read more from this story HERE.

What a Cop Was Caught on Camera Doing After He ‘Threw Himself On Top’ of a Woman Has Sparked an Investigation

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Photo Credit: Screen grab WPVI-TV

Photo Credit: Screen grab WPVI-TV

Cellphone video captured a Pennsylvania cop straddle a woman and repeatedly strike her, before then pulling out a taser and shocking her numerous times.

“I feel like this man came to the scene with anger. He came at her with complete aggression. He did not give her no chance,” one unidentified witness told WPVI-TV.

The incident took place Sunday when Chester City police were called to the scene over reports of a woman with a knife.

“She was yelling, chasing the guy I guess who stole her pocket book and was saying, ‘You are going to give me my money back,’ with a knife. She never touched nobody with it. It was a lot of her yelling and running around,” the witness told WPVI.

According to the local ABC affiliate, police said they are investigating the incident, but would not comment on whether or not the woman had threatened the officer with the knife.

Read more from this story HERE.

Policing Policies Increasingly Put the Public at Risk

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Photo Credit: katesheetsA news photograph from Friday taken in the normally placid suburban community of Roseville, east of Sacramento, was shocking. A California Highway Patrol officer was pointing a rifle at a motorist stopped at a checkpoint, as police searched for an armed parolee who had injured some of their colleagues. It seemed reminiscent of an occupying army.

News stories focused on the suspect and the details of the manhunt, but the police approach – evacuating houses, using military-style vehicles and helicopters – raises a question rarely asked about policing policies today: Do they unnecessarily endanger the public’s safety?

When agencies combed Southern California for former Los Angeles Police Department officer Christopher Dorner in February, some officers fired upon innocent bystanders who didn’t come close to the right profile. Dorner, a large black man, was driving a gray Nissan truck, but an officer shot two Latina women driving a blue Toyota truck. An officer also fired on another bystander 20 minutes later.

Police behaved similarly as they sought a Boston Marathon bomber. As Conor Friedersdorf asked recently in the Atlantic, “Does anyone else find it disturbing that Boston area police, confronted with an unarmed suspect in a backyard boat, fired so many bullets so wildly that multiple adjacent houses were strafed … ?”

This approach is not uncommon even in day-to-day policing. On October 22, in the middle of the afternoon, 13-year-old Andy Lopez Cruz was walking down the street in Santa Rosa with a plastic pellet rifle. Officers hid behind the door of their patrol car and called to him. As the boy turned, they shot him to death.

Read more from this story HERE.

Suit: Woman Suffered Broken Bones At Hands Of Skokie Cop (+video)

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Photo Credit: CBSA Chicago woman is suing the village of Skokie, claiming one of its police officers used excessive force that left her in need of surgery.

Cassandra Feuerstein admits to driving drunk when she was picked up in March but says her treatment by Skokie Police Officer Michael Hart was unnecessary.

In a civil rights lawsuit, Feuerstein claims Officer Hart shoved her into a concrete bench – breaking bones in her face and that required a titanium plate.

Read more from this story HERE.