"NYPD: A City and Its Police"
ofr...@hotmail.com
Date:Aug 24 2000 22:56:21 EDT
From: ofr...@hotmail.com
Subject:NYPD: A City and Its Police
"NYPD: A City and Its Police"
By Andrew O'Hehir
http://www.salon.com/books/review/2000/08/24/lardner_reppetto/index.html
Plenty of people have heard of Frank Serpico, the renegade hippie
detective who
blew the whistle on widespread graft and corruption in the New York
Police
Department, sparking a 1970 scandal that became one of the worst black
marks in
the NYPD's checkered history. (Serpico's exploits were made legendary,
of
course, when Al Pacino portrayed him in a now-classic 1973 film.)
But hardly anybody, outside a small circle of police scholars and New
York
history buffs, remembers David Durk, an intellectual,
suit-and-tie-wearing
detective who was Serpico's close friend and fellow songbird. Unlike
Serpico,
Durk actually testified before the commission appointed by Mayor John
V.
Lindsay to investigate police corruption, and his comments capture the
conflict
at the heart of James Lardner and Thomas Reppetto's gripping narrative
history
of New York's finest:
"The average cop, [Durk] declared in his opening statement, longs to be
honest
but is convinced that 'he lives and works in the middle of a corrupt
society.'
The police department had become 'a home for drug dealers and thieves'
in which
'men who could have been good officers, men of decent impulse ... were
told in
a hundred ways every day, "Go along, forget the law, don’t make waves
and shut
up."' Any anticorruption campaign that failed to fix responsibility
outside the
department as well as inside -- and in high places as well as low --
would be
viewed by cops as a 'swindle,' he said."
"NYPD: A City and Its Police" is a tremendously ambitious book --
arguably too
much so -- that seeks to identify repeating patterns and tidal currents
in the
story of America'' biggest and oldest police force. It’s also an
enthralling
chronicle full of colorful heroes and villains, some worthy of Damon
Runyon,
others closer to the realms of Dashiell Hammett or E.L. Doctorow. We
read about
the 1836 murder of a prostitute named Helen Jewett, which the authors
describe
as the O.J. Simpson case of its day, and which led indirectly to the
creation
of the NYPD nine years later. We learn of the valiant struggle by
police
officers, mostly Irish themselves, to save black men and women from
lynching by
Irish mobs during the catastrophic draft riots of 1863. We meet such
legends as
Sam Battle, the department's first black recruit, who outlasted
ingrained
racism in his long and distinguished career; Johnny Cordes, the
detective who
was shot five times during a 1923 arrest -- including twi!
ce by a fellow officer -- and still got his man; and Charles Becker,
the only
NYPD officer ever executed for murder (who may well have been
innocent).
- Outlaw Frog Raper -
Schenectady Copwatch
The schenectady copwatch mailing list contains archived
posts from anywhere regarding police abuse.
Read The Archives Online at:
http://www.listbot.com/archive/Schenectadycopwatch
To subscribe to the SchenectadyCopwatch mailing list:
http://Schenectadycopwatch.listbot.com/
(518) 356-4238
news:alt.thebird.copwatch
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ofr...@hotmail.com
From:"ofr...@hotmail.com" <ofr...@hotmail.com>
Subject: - PRISON: THE NEW SLAVERY? -
forward message
From: Kathy Muhammad <kmuhammad3@h...>
Date: Sun Aug 20, 2000 10:21pm
Subject: PRISON: THE NEW SLAVERY?
> THE REST OF THE NEWS by
> Lorenzo Komboa Ervin
>
> PRISON: THE NEW SLAVERY?
>
> Leave it to capitalism to find a way to make a profit from someone
else's
> misery. Over two million of our friends, neighbors, and relatives are
in
> state and federal prisons, for whatever reason, right now. The
> Prison-Industrial Complex, as it is called by some activists is
really a
> "new" form of slavery with a "twist", it's highly profitable several
> different ways.
>
> I only call it "new" advisedly because chattel slavery in the early
days
of
> this country also had a profit motive, but today's slavery is
corporate
> slavery run by some of the biggest businesses in the country. Its
motive
is
> to take a mass prison population of poor people and to make money by
: (1)
> charging rent and fees for being in jail,(2) private prisons, (3)
setting
up
> prison corporations to compete with "free" labor, and (4)exploitation
of
> prison labor by "factories behind fences".
>
> With the rise of the current right-wing (anti-crime) political agenda
by
> both of the major political parties in this country, more and more
prisoners
> have been preyed upon by a vindictive public, egged on by the greedy
> politicians. For years, the masses of people have been told that
prisoners
> are being "coddled" and treated better than the average worker
outside,
and
> in return they want to inflict pain on them more. "Take away their tv
sets
> and radios, seize their weight lifting equipment, stop their
visitation
with
> their families, lock 'em in their cells 24 hours-a day, and while
you're
at
> it make 'em pay rent just like we do!" These are poor people, many of
whom
> committed crimes in the first place because they couldn't pay their
own
> rent, less known paying the state's rent while in prison. It's a
foolish
> idea, and is even more punitive than the politicians called for, but
they
> were quick to latch on to it. "What a great idea, we *can* get blood
from
a
> turnip!"
>
> The idea of creating a private corporation to run the prison system
began
in
> 1980 with a Nashville-based company called Corrections Corporation of
> America. After taking over the Hamilton County (TN.) workhouse for
its
first
> contract in 1981, CCA has now spread to 32 states, and several
foregin
> countries. It is traded on the New York and American stock exchanges,
and
> has made its investors billions of dollars in profits. The way it
works is
> that it takes over a prison or series of prisons, promising local
government
> and state officials that it can save substantial amounts of money by
running
> the prison as a morfe efficient "business". This has yet to be
proven,
even
> though it slashes the wages of prison guards, and cuts back on
prisoner
> expenses for food, medicine and other supplies. What we do know is
that
the
> conditions for the people inside worsens drastically, when a private
company
> takes over. In fact, ten persons have died at the Silverdale
workhouse
> outside Chattanooga since CCA has taken over, and similar artrocities
have
> befallen CCA facilities all over the country, whether the beating or
deaths
> of prisoners, escapes, riots, or strikes. But the mistreatment of
prisoners
> or their protests did not affect the bottom line at all of the CCA
prison
> capitalists. In fact, smelling money, other corporations, especially
its
> main competitor Wackenhut Correctional Services, have entered ther
fray
like
> sharks feeding on a bloody carcass. The market between all the
corporations
> is $4 billion dollars in contracts now, and they don't intend to be
left
> out!
>
> Another bulding block of the prison-industrial complex is prison
industrial
> corporations such as the UNICOR, run by the Fedral Prison Industries.
> UNICOR, based in almost all the federal prisons, makes everything
from
> guided missle parts to clothing and furniture for the military and
federal
> agencies, in fact they make over 500 items. It may surprise some to
hear
> that they have almost $100-500 million dollars in sales, and $30-$50
million
> in profits each year. By contrast, the prisoners make about
$1.00-$2.00
per
> hour. For years, federal law forbade them from competing with free
labor,
> but this has now been changed, and the low waged prison labor is
being
used
> to not only undermine free labor, but drive companies out of business
in
the
> private sector. The state prisons have now formed similar companies
to run
> their own prison businesses. One thing for sure, it's not just
license
> plates they make any more!
>
> Finally, so called "factories behind fences", where a company is
allowed
to
> hire or rent a prisoner sales force or customer service team, is
becoming
> more and more common. Some of the largest companies in America:
Microsoft,
> TWA, Sears Roebuck and others are using prisoners as customer service
> agents, seamstresses, airline reservation agents, assemblers, and
other
> workers. This even includes the creation of unique brands of clothing
and
> other products such as "Prison Blues" denim jeans, which are made
> exclusively in prison workshops. This slave labor has not yet been
> vehemently objected to by either organized labor, civil rights groups
or
> prisoners rights organizations, though a number of exposes have been
done
by
> the radical press. But an effective coalition must be built before it
will
> stop.
>
> The upshot of all this is that this is slavery, and even though the
13th
> amendment to the national constitution allegedly outlaws slavery,
("except
> for commission of a crime") it is permitted because these slaves
don't
> belong to a plantation owner, but to the state. They are just "rented
out"
> to capitalist corporations. It is also popular because of the
anti-crime
> hysteria, and putting the prisoners to work is a popular idea. Yet,
nobody
> is seeing the real picture.
>
> Although we want to end prison slavery entirely, prisoners' rights
> activists, civil libertarians and the Black community generally, must
demand
> that these prisoners be given the same rights as workers outside:
that
they
> be covered by OSHA regulations to ensure a safe workplace, that they
be
> given the same rights to organize labor unions, and that they not be
> exploited by their keepers with their eyes on a fast buck. They
should b e
> paid the same living wage as workers on the outside. Ultimately the
whole
> question the outright abolition, or at least of a moratorium on the
building
> of prisons has to be factored in, but this will do for now. Some
fairness
in
> the current system.
>
> -END-
>
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kathy Muhammad
May Allah Bless You With The Light of Understanding and the Will To
Make
A
Change
A Trip Down Memory Lane
http://www.geocities.com/BourbonStreet/4712
WILLIE LYNCH
http://www.geocities.com/BourbonStreet/4712/willie-lynch.htm
MILLION FAMILY MARCH -OCTOBER 16, 2000
WASHINGTON, D.C.
http://www.millionfamilymarch.com/
Sincerely, Sister Regina Muhammad
Assalaamu'Alaykum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakaatuh
May the Peace, the Mercy and the Blessings of Allah Be Upon You."
In The Name Of ALLAH, The Beneficent, The Merciful - English
Kwa Jina La Mwenyezi Mungu Mwingi wa Rahema Mwenye Kurahemu - Swahili
Egameni likALLAH, Onomusa, Onesihawu - Zulu
Au Nom d'ALLAH le Tout Misericordeux, Le Tres Misericordeux - French
En El Nombre De ALA, El Compasivo, El Misericordisio - Spanish
In Names ALLAHS, des Gnadigen, des Barmherzigen - German
http://listen.to/sonsofafrika
-
ofr...@hotmail.com
Date:Aug 25 2000 00:04:29 EDT
From: "ofr...@hotmail.com" <ofr...@hotmail.com>
Subject:- 4 NJ Thieving Cops Not Charged -
Ridgefield to charge 4th cop with false claims for overtime
Saturday, August 19, 2000
By PETER J. SAMPSON Staff Writer
RIDGEFIELD -- A panel investigating allegations that police submitted
bogus overtime claims has directed that a fourth officer be brought up
on administrative charges for allegedly violating the department's code
of conduct.
Borough Attorney Christos J. Diktas said that his office is preparing a
complaint against Police Investigator Nicholas Kowatch and it would
likely be signed by Acting Deputy Chief John Bogovich next week.
The council's three-member Police Investigatory Commission met in
closed
session with Kowatch on Aug. 10 and after hearing testimony from five
officers issued a recommendation to Bogovich that Kowatch be served
with
departmental charges.
Citing the officer's right to confidentiality in such matters, borough
officials have refused to discuss the alleged violations, or the
specific charges he might face.
However, several sources familiar with the case said that part of the
testimony focused on the allegation that Kowatch did not take part in a
police raid in 1998 for which he claimed 10 hours of overtime
compensation.
Earlier testimony during public sessions of the inquiry linked Kowatch
to a handful of officers suspected of filing requests for overtime and
compensatory time off for which they allegedly were not entitled.
Kowatch, a 12-year veteran of the force who makes $75,600 annually,
went
on disability Aug. 5 after injuring his back and knee in a fall while
chasing teenagers in the borough's Nature Trail park. The 43-year-old
investigator previously worked as a detective and a juvenile and DARE
officer and was on a disability pension for about seven years because
of
an earlier on-the-job injury.
The commission's investigation, underway since February, led to the
resignations of Chief Lars Oyen and his administrative officer, Capt.
Vincent Zacco, in April as the council was about to file charges
against
them.
In May, Detective Thomas Neary was cited with nine violations,
including
conduct unbecoming a police officer, breach of discipline and theft of
services, and suspended without pay from his $79,000-a-year post. Neary
responded a month later with a federal lawsuit alleging the charges
were
orchestrated by Republican Mayor Stewart V. Veale in retaliation for
Neary's support of Democrats in last year's election.
After several delays, a two-day administrative hearing for Neary is
scheduled to begin Monday at 9:30 a.m. in Borough Hall before hearing
officer Peter Ciolino, a retired Superior Court judge.
Neary, a 20-year veteran, has denied any wrongdoing and said he intends
to waive his right to a closed hearing and hopes there will be a large
turnout.
The charges against Neary allege he claimed excessive hours by
requesting overtime and comp time when he was eligible for neither;
that
he worked 27 days less than required under the contract last year, that
he charged the borough for gasoline for his private use, and that he
had
possession of original personnel records of the department's five
newest
officers.
In a statement released this week, Veale again denied retaliating
against Neary and said the officer's lawsuit was not worth the paper it
is written on.
He added that the hearing before Ciolini "will demonstrate conclusively
whether Neary was the subject of a vendetta or was simply a bad cop who
got caught."
ofr...@hotmail.com
Date:Aug 24 2000 22:07:27 EDT
From:"ofr...@hotmail.com" <ofr...@hotmail.com>
Subject:- Autopsy report doesn't settle Chandler's death for everyone -
August 24, 2000 - e-mail this story
Autopsy report doesn't settle Chandler's death for everyone
By CINDY CLAYTON Š 2000, The Virginian-Pilot
NORFOLK -- Avis Powell said Wednesday that she is no expert, but she
isn't sure she agrees with the medical examiner's conclusion about the
death of Raymond Chandler.
Chandler's death during a July 15 traffic stop at the corner of
Virginia
Beach Boulevard and Monticello Avenue was ruled an accident by the
medical examiner. Chandler died, the examiner said, because he couldn't
breathe during a struggle vith police who were on top of him.
``I don't know all the details of the story,'' said Powell, 24. ``I
only
know what I heard. I think that excessive force could be the cause of
death.''
Like Powell, many residents said Wednesday that they are not completely
satisfied with the conclusion of the autopsy. Some said they are
willing
to wait for an FBI investigation to be complete. Others called for the
community to come together in various ways such as attending Saturday's
``Redeem the Dream'& march on Washington.
Byron Joyce said that if the FBI or city officials can't figure out
what
happened to Chandler that night, he feels that a higher power will
intervene.
``I'm not outraged, but I believe God will do what he has to do,'' said
Joyce, 39.
Joyce, who stopped by a convenience store in Berkley Wednesday
afternnon, said there was a time when he was on the wrong side of the
lav. But now he mentors and works with children at the Diggs Town Boys
and Girls Club.
In his mind, Chandler's death and others like it across the country are
indicators of racial division that needs the immediate attention of
city
and national leaders.
``My question is this. . . how is it, nationwide, in the majority of
these stops, that you have a white cop is the arresting officer and the
person who dies is a black male or female?'' Joyce said. ``If it was
vice versa, would it be accepted?''
Powell said that she knows the police have a job to do and there are
times when they have to use caution.
``But I don't know, if they could just take the time to talk. . . there
seems to be miscommunication,'' Powell said. ``I think the community
and
the police should communicate more often.''
A woman who would only give her name as Julia said television coverage
of events surrounding Chandler's death has influenced her opinions.
She thinks that city leaders have been too slow to react to public
concerns.
``What can the public believe except what we hear?'' said the woman,
41.
``I don't want to just judge the situation, but people say these guys
acted out of contempt or something. But you've got prejudice in every
race and creed and you can always find somebody that's got something
against somebody else.''
One group that voiced concerns about the response of city leaders
Wednesday was the New Black Panther Party for Self Defense. Local
chapter Chairman Michael F. Muhammad said during a press conference
that
he would like to sit down with Police Chief Melvin C. High to discuss
many issues of concern.
``This is the black community, not just the family'' of Raymond
Chandler, Muhammad said. ``We want to understand your strategies and
your tactics.''
Vhile Muhammad's group and members of the Rev. Al Sharpton's National
Action Network said they continue to be outraged about Chandler's
death,
they are not advocating a violent response to the autopsy report.
``We all know that the dream was not about violence,'' said Tiahmo
Ru-uf, national field director of the National Action Network.
Organizers of Saturday's march on Washington hope that number will
include a large contingent from Hampton Roads.
Members of Chandler's family have been invited to attend the march as
special guests, and his death is expected to be highlighted by
Sharpton,
Ru-uf said, adding: ``Virginia will rally behind this case.''
-
ofr...@hotmail.com
Date:Aug 25 2000 00:18:44 EDT
From:"ofr...@hotmail.com" <ofr...@hotmail.com>
Subject: - Woman sues cop who killed her son -
Woman sues cop who killed her son
Wednesday, August 23, 2000
By DAN KRAUT Staff Writer
A Fort Lee woman has filed a wrongful-death suit against a Paterson
police officer who killed her son and against the city Police
Department, accusing the force of poor hiring, training, and
supervision.
"This was a clear case of a shooting that did not have to happen," said
Nancy Lucianna, the lawyer for Marcia Cunningham, whose son, Tyrone
Niles, was fatally shot by Officer Dewayn Giles in the bedroom of a
woman with whom both were romantically involved.
The shooting occurred about 3:30 a.m. Sept. 12, 1998, after Niles
entered the bedroom of an East 27th Street home that Yvette Colon
shared
with a roommate. Giles was in the bedroom with Colon and fired twice at
Niles, striking him in the chest and abdomen. Niles was pronounced dead
shortly afterward.
The Passaic County Prosecutor's Office said Niles forced his way into
the room, had a knife, and claimed to have a gun before the officer
fired. A county grand jury in 1999 cleared Officer Giles of criminal
wrongdoing, and he is now on active patrol duty, said Paterson Police
Chief Lawrence Spagnola. The chief would not comment on the suit, which
was filed last week in U.S. District Court in Newark.
Lucianna, who handles numerous cases alleging police brutality,
suggested a knife may have been planted after the shooting from the
butcher block in the kitchen. "Tyrone was shot twice at close range,
and
he was unarmed," Lucianna contended.
She said no fingerprints were found on the knife linked to Niles.
Cunningham has said Colon's roommate saw the confrontation but did not
see a knife. But police counter that the roommate's view may have been
obstructed.
Lucianna said a better-trained officer could have avoided the fatal
confrontation simply by calling for help, and she said one of her first
steps in the legal proceeding will be to demand Giles' training
records.
Detective Robert D. Smith, the president of the city's police union,
said the law clearly justifies the use of deadly force when a life is
threatened. And Smith said it was already clear from the police
investigation and the grand jury review that Giles was in danger.
"Unfortunately, it was a tragic thing," Smith said, "but the guy came
at
him, and he had to overcome the force with deadly force."
He described Giles, who has been on the force five years, as a "good
communicator" and "professional policeman" who "handles himself very
good in the street."
The legal proceedings in the civil case -- in which the burden of proof
is not as strong as in the criminal case to find Giles liable -- will
likely revisit several discrepancies in the various accounts of events.
For instance, police said Niles forced his way inside the door;
Lucianna
said Giles and Colon let him in, and that it was Giles who was
threatening, with his hand on his service revolver.
--
ofr...@hotmail.com
Date:Aug 25 2000 00:18:09 EDT
From:"ofr...@hotmail.com" <ofr...@hotmail.com>
Subject: - Cop Shoots Partner -
Cop Shot in Groin by Partner
Bullet Meant for Charging Dogs on False-Alarm Call
Aug. 22, 2000
By Richard Zitrin
MIAMI (APBnews.com) -- A Miami-Dade
police officer is lucky to be alive after he was
accidentally shot in the groin by another officer
while they were responding to a false alarm
at a home Monday, authorities said.
Officer Henry McAleenan Jr., 50, a 17-year
veteran of the Miami-Dade police force, is in serious condition today
at
Jackson Memorial Hospital, where he underwent surgery Monday to repair
a
femoral artery that was damaged when he was shot by Officer Itala
Elias,
police said.
Elias, a five-year veteran, was shooting at one of two Rottweiler dogs
that
were charging the officers when they entered the yard at a home on
Southwest 147 Court around 2:30 p.m. Monday, police said. The dogs
were
not hit.
Saved by paramedics
Miami-Dade Fire Rescue paramedics, en route to the home in response to
a
possible medical alarm, arrived within seconds of the shooting,
Detective
Nelda Fonticella said.
"That's basically what saved his life," Fonticella told APBnews.com.
"The
bullet took out a main artery and he was bleeding very badly. The
surgeon
said if it hadn't been for the fact that fire rescue was there, he
probably
would not have made it. The surgeon said he's not a superstitious man,
but
this officer was very lucky."
Responding to false alarm
The medical alarm turned out to be false, as did the holdup alarm to
which
the officers were responding, she said.
The false alarms occurred because the homeowner's mother had hit the
wrong buttons when trying to disengage the burglar alarm, Fonticella
said.
Elias, 41, remains on duty while Miami-Dade police internal affairs is
investigating the shooting, Fonticella said.
-
ofr...@hotmail.com
Date:Aug 24 2000 22:17:52 EDT
From:"ofr...@hotmail.com" <ofr...@hotmail.com>
Subject: - Whistle-Blowing Cops Sue LAPD for Harassment -
Whistle-Blowing Cops Sue LAPD for
Harassment
Claim They Were Hassled After Alleging Misconduct
Aug. 24, 2000
By Randy Dotinga
LOS ANGELES (APBnews.com) -- A group
of 39 police officers is filing a class-action
lawsuit against the Los Angeles Police
Department claiming their reports of
misconduct in the ranks were met with
retaliation and harassment.
"These good cops fear their own
administration and management more than
the criminals on the street," attorney Bradley
Gage said in a statement.
The lawsuit comes at an especially difficult
time for the LAPD, which is facing a barrage
of allegations about corruption.
LAPD officials declined to comment about the
lawsuit.
Keeping officers quiet
According to an excerpt of the lawsuit released by the officers'
attorney, the
LAPD's policy of discouraging reports of misconduct directly led to
the
current
corruption scandals.
The lawsuit contends: "When a police department punishes its officers
who
report misconduct, it leads to a pattern and practice of officers
keeping quiet
so they will not be the victims of harassment, retaliation, demotion
or
termination."
The lawsuit accuses the LAPD of using an "underground system" known as
a "phone jacket" to spread harassment and intimidation. According to
the suit,
administration officials disseminate confidential information about
whistle-blowing officers through telephone calls.
-
ofr...@hotmail.com
Date:Aug 25 2000 00:28:01 EDT
From:"ofr...@hotmail.com" <ofr...@hotmail.com>
Subject: - Former cop accused of torture lies low in Fla. -
Former cop accused of torture lies low in Fla.
August 20, 2000
BY JOHN CARPENTER STAFF REPORTER
APOLLO BEACH, Fla.--The small lizard sat quietly on the St. Francis of
Assisi statue in the pristine Florida yard of Chicago's most notorious
former police commander.
This neat subdivision full of modest homes might have been in Oak Lawn
but for the blistering Florida sun, the palm trees, the boats parked on
the channel running through everyone's backyard--and the lizard, which
breathed quietly as he stared at me as I perched on the front steps,
ringing the doorbell.
Jon Burge wasn't home, as if that really mattered. If he had been home,
he wouldn't have talked.
Burge used to like reporters. He'd often toss the beat guys a few bones
to make their deadlines on hot cases when the suits downtown at News
Affairs had nothing to say. He'd even invite the occasional scribe to
drink beer with him on Vigilante, his 40-foot cabin cruiser parked in
Burnham Harbor.
That was then; this is now.
Then, when he was a homicide dick from central casting, a beefy
bachelor
who was a legitimate hero and lived and breathed his job, he seemed the
perfect marriage of passion and ability. His bravery earned him a stack
of department commendations. And he and the detectives working for him
closed case after case.
Now, he is the torturer, his name synonymous in some circles with
painful interrogation.
To the people who loathe him, the people who believe 10 men are on
Death
Row and many more are in prison because Burge and the men working for
him used torture to secure confessions, he is living high off the hog,
lounging in the sun while his victims rot in prison.
Maybe that's why neither Burge nor his lawyer, nor the many friends he
still has in the Chicago Police Department, will say much about his
life
now.
"I'm retired," the 52-year-old Burge said in a very brief phone
interview.
Indeed, a computerized background search of Burge yielded much current
information about him--including a 1996 arrest for drunken driving near
his home after he rear-ended another vehicle. But there is no evidence
Burge is working again.
He paid $154,000 for his home in this sleepy little enclave along the
eastern shore of Tampa Bay. It's a four-bedroom, two-bathroom,
one-story
stucco house. A driveway and garage face the street, while a
screened-in
porch faces the channel.
Burge appears to have replaced Vigilante with a smaller motor boat,
which is docked behind the house. Although most of the homes in the
subdivision are neatly kept, Burge's house is slightly neater than the
rest, its landscaping well-manicured, its paint fresh and well-applied.
He has a full pension even though he was fired. Only convicted felons
don't get their pension, Burge's attorney William Kunkle said. And
Burge
has never been charged with, much less convicted of, a felony.
Police pension board officials would not say how much Burge receives.
He
was eligible for 50 percent of his last salary, which was approximately
$60,000.
But the controversy surrounding the death penalty in Illinois has
conspired against any thoughts of disappearing into the sunset for
Burge. More than a dozen people have been released from the state's
Death Row after evidence showed they were innocent. Though Burge had
nothing to do with those cases, the drumbeat for 10 Death Row inmates
who say he tortured them has not subsided.
To opponents of the death penalty in Illinois, or to people who simply
believe the justice system is not working as well as it should,
especially for poor African-American men, Burge is the poster boy.
* * *
Chicago was just still settling into post-war prosperity around
Christmas 1947, when Floyd and Ethel Burge gave birth to their second
son, Jon, on Dec. 20. Floyd worked for the phone company, and Ethel
wrote a fashion column for the Chicago Daily News.
Author John Conroy, who profiled Burge as part of his just-released
book
on torture, Unspeakable Acts, Ordinary People, had a rare interview
with
Burge in 1989. Conroy said Burge, who was a good student as a boy,
flunked out of the University of Missouri.
"He told me that he was enjoying too much to study, and so was asked to
leave," Conroy said.
Burge worked odd jobs before joining the Army, reaching the rank of
staff sergeant. He also attended military police school at Fort
Benning,
where Conroy said he acknowledged receiving some training in
interrogation.
Burge volunteered to go to Vietnam, and served as a military police
officer assigned to the 9th Infantry Division. He was twice awarded an
Army commendation for valor, both times for leaving a bunker to drag a
wounded man to safety while under enemy fire. Other military honors
included the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry, a Bronze Star and a Purple
Heart. He told Conroy he earned the last medal for a shrapnel wound
that
laid him up for "about 15 minutes."
Burge joined the Chicago police force in 1970 and quickly distinguished
himself. In one 1972 incident, after a lengthy stand-off with a woman
threatening to kill herself, Burge pounced on her. She pulled the
trigger with the gun pointed at her head, but Burge had jammed his
thumb
into the firing mechanism, saving her life.
In another incident, this one in 1980, Burge witnessed a robbery of a
camera store by three men. Even though he was off duty, carrying no
radio and only a small gun, Burge caught up to the men at a stop light,
sneaked up on them and ordered them out of the car. He forced them to
lie on the ground until a patrol car arrived.
"How many guys would do something like that when they were off duty?"
Conroy recalled. Burge "joked about it. He had them lying there on the
ground in a public street, and he was thinking, `Where's a cop when you
need one?' "
By 1982, Burge was a lieutenant and he was the commander of the Area 2
violent crimes unit, supervising a cadre of detectives. On Feb. 2,
Chicago patrol officers William Fahey and Richard O'Brien made a
routine
stop of a two-door 1978 Chevy Impala. The officers did not know the
occupants of the car, brothers Andrew and Jackie Wilson, had robbed a
house less than an hour before.
A struggle between the officers quickly began after the car was pulled
over. Andrew Wilson stripped Fahey of his gun and, as the two struggled
and were slipping in the snow, shot Fahey in the head.
O'Brien, according to Conroy's re-creation of the chain of events,
heard
the shot just after he'd found a gun in the car. Pointing his revolver
at Jackie Wilson, O'Brien ordered the man to "freeze!" But Andrew
Wilson
shot O'Brien in the chest with Fahey's gun. Wilson, told by his younger
brother that O'Brien was still moving, shot the officer four more
times.
Fahey and O'Brien were the fourth and fifth police offers shot in Area
2
within the span of the month, the third and fourth to be killed.
Police,
who always respond with full force when one of their own is killed,
fanned out across the neighborhood, kicking down doors and rounding up
suspects.
A tip from a witness led police to Andrew Wilson. And it was Burge who
broke down the door to arrest him.
The police board fired Burge 11 years later for denying Wilson medical
attention and for "abuse," which they said included punching and
kicking. No mention was made of alleged use of an electric shock
device,
which alleged victims say Burge used on several people.
But in an unsuccessful federal civil rights case against Burge, Wilson
offered this chilling account of what he said was his experience behind
closed doors in Area 2.
Burge "got the other one out," Wilson testified. "It's black and it's
round and it had a wire sticking out of it and it had a cord on it. He
plugged it into the wall. . . . He took it and ran it up between my
legs, my groin area, just ran it up there very gently . . . up and
down,
up and down, you know, right between my legs, up and down like this,
real gentle with it, but you can feel it, still feel it. Then he jabbed
me with the thing and it slammed me . . . into the grille on the
window.
Then I fell back down, and I think that's when I started spitting up
blood and stuff. Then he stopped."
Wilson was convicted of the murders, only to have his conviction
overturned and a new trial ordered. He was convicted a second time,
this
time without the confession, and he was sentenced to life in prison.
Kunkle, Burge's attorney, said Wilson's and other claims that Burge
used
an electric shock device to torture suspects is "mostly baloney." Asked
to explain the fact that several defendants have made the same claims
against Burge and other Area 2 detectives, Kunkle said, "If you tell a
lie often enough, people start to believe it."
But the Police Department's Office of Professional Standards, in a 1990
report that remained suppressed until a judge ordered it released in
1992, looked at 50 complaints by suspects questioned at Area 2 under
Burge's command. It found dozens of cases in which Burge or his men
were
accused of torture--including electric shock, suffocation, beatings,
burnings on a hot radiator, jabs with a cattle prod and intimidation
with weapons and other threats.
Most of the often similar complaints had come from suspects who had no
way of knowing each other, or knowing about other torture charges, the
report said.
"In the matter of alleged physical abuse," wrote police investigator
Michael Goldston, the author of the OPS report, "the preponderance of
the evidence is that abuse did occur and that it was systematic. The
time span covers more than 10 years. The type of abuse described was
not
limited to the usual beating, but went into such esoteric areas as
psychological techniques and planned torture."
* * *
When allegations against Burge surfaced and proceedings for firing were
brought against him, there was as much of an outcry from people
supporting his victims as there was from the fraternity of police
officers and their families, who view Burge as a victim of criminals
making up stories to avoid punishment.
Burge spoke only briefly on the phone last week when contacted for an
interview. He said he has turned down media requests since his firing
and will continue to do so.
It is not hard to find friends of Burge still associated with the
Police
Department. It is hard, however, to find people willing to talk on the
record about the case, given the political volatility surrounding the
issue of police brutality. Most simply defend Burge as a dedicated cop,
while detractors tar him as a heinous criminal who belongs behind bars.
How Burge feels is not known. Conroy, whose book examines the societal
factors that allow for torture to take place, said he does not believe
Burge feels any remorse for whatever he may have done as a detective.
"He probably doesn't spend a whole lot of time justifying himself,"
Conroy said. "The lack of public response from anywhere in the
community
to the allegations that more than 60 people were tortured, and that
there are 10 men on Death Row who say they were tortured, indicates to
me that in this society of Chicago, nobody cares.
"If the community doesn't care, I would argue that Jon Burge probably
doesn't care, either."
-
kjuyh
Most NYPD cops are incapable of competent police work.
Many have only a high school education. They have only a fuzzy idea what
the various crimes are. Most NYPD cops spend little time investigating or
preventing crime. They lack the education (and, in many cases, the
intelligence) to spot the crime around them or be able to investigate it.
When they do investigate something, they often investigate perfectly
non-criminal conduct.
May MYPD cops had a job before they were hired to be NYPD cops. Some were
enlisted personnel in the military (rarely as cops). At least one NYPD
cop previously worked behind the counter in a video rental store.
Probable cause means (more or less) that, if a cop sees someone doing
something, more than 50% of the people doing that are doing a crime (or
just did a crime). If only 50% of the people doing that (what the cop is
watching someone do) are doing a crime (or just did a crime), there is no
probable cause. Many high school graduates, and even many college
graduates, do not know if the more-than-50%-requirement has been
satisfied. This is one of the reasons why most NYPD cops are incompetent.
Most NYPD cops also lack physical fitness to be cops. AFAIK, they have to
meet reasonably difficult motor (movement) requirements to become cops but
not to remain cops. As the years go by, the physical fitness of almost
all cops deteriorates much. Sensory and perceptual requirements for new
cops is pretty much limited to vision.
If a cop did his job well, he would occasionally arrest criminals. The
average NYPD cop, in an average year, arrests zero (rounded to the nearest
whole number) people. Of course, some arrests do occur. Many of those
NYPD arrests are of innocent people.
Many NYPD cops do crimes sometimes (often because they do their jobs the
way management wants). Many NYPD cops, out of a sincere desire to do
something, wind up interfering with perfectly noncriminal behavior.
They annoy.
We need to improve the NYPD by replacing the present NYPD cops with cops
who are intelligent, educated, and physically fit enough to spot the crime
around them and lawfully act appropriately in response to it (instead of
wasting their time responding to perfectly noncriminal behavior, a common
activity of NYPD cops).
Alan J. Munn
M. Simon
Schenectady Copwatch Home Page: Archive: Message #253
Date:Aug 24 2000 22:17:52 EDT
From:"ofr...@hotmail.com" <ofr...@hotmail.com>
Subject: - Whistle-Blowing Cops Sue LAPD for Harassment -
Whistle-Blowing Cops Sue LAPD for
Harassment Claim They Were Hassled After Alleging Misconduct
Aug. 24, 2000
By Randy Dotinga
LOS ANGELES (APBnews.com) -- A group
of 39 police officers is filing a class-action
lawsuit against the Los Angeles Police
Department claiming their reports of
misconduct in the ranks were met with
retaliation and harassment.
The LA cesspool gets deeper.
Coming soon to a neighborhood near you.
M. Simon Space-Time Productions http://www.spacetimepro.com
Free CNC Machine Control Software
Free Source Code
Control the World From a Parallel Port
Stephan Schaem
ofr...@hotmail.com <ofr...@hotmail.com> wrote in message news:39A607...@hotmail.com...
> Date: Aug 24 2000 23:20:46 EDT
> From:"ofr...@hotmail.com" <ofr...@hotmail.com>
> Subject: - PRISON: THE NEW SLAVERY? -
>
> forward message
>
> From: Kathy Muhammad <kmuhammad3@h...>
> Date: Sun Aug 20, 2000 10:21pm
> Subject: PRISON: THE NEW SLAVERY?
>
> > THE REST OF THE NEWS by
> > Lorenzo Komboa Ervin
> >
> > PRISON: THE NEW SLAVERY?
> >
> > Leave it to capitalism to find a way to make a profit from someone
> else's
> > misery. Over two million of our friends, neighbors, and relatives are
> in
> > state and federal prisons, for whatever reason, right now. The
Is this a sick joke?
Who here consider rapist/murdered/assaulting/thief/wife beater/... their friends?
Man, people really want to strike other nerves with this.
This article is so sickening...
What do people expect? I rape a kid, beat my wife... then get free food & shelter for the
next 6 month? Exersise room , cable TV, learneing center, library, art, etc..
The author of this horrid article should live one day in the real world... and tell me where
food and hotels is free...
Just sick...
Stephan
dciF...@cheetah.net
wrote:
>Who here consider rapist/murdered/assaulting/thief/wife beater/... their friends?
>
>Man, people really want to strike other nerves with this.
>This article is so sickening...
>
>What do people expect? I rape a kid, beat my wife... then get free food & shelter for the
>next 6 month? Exersise room , cable TV, learneing center, library, art, etc..
>
>The author of this horrid article should live one day in the real world... and tell me where
>food and hotels is free...
>
>Just sick...
>
>Stephan
A major contributor to the California
Governor's political campaign fund: the
Calif. Correctional Officers Association.
To date that organization has made
million dollar contributions to former
Governor Pete Wilson and current Governor
Gray Davis. It sure wasn't to increase the
concepts of "rehabilitation" or treatment
within the system for both adult and
juvenile.
So who suffers? The public. 98% of the
inmates, prisoners and wards, will return
to the community, this, after being
punished by those running the system in the
name of the people of California. Who
really needs protection from what?
And the problem is compounded by bad people
doing bad things in our communities. The
issue is making sure the bad people are
properly dealt with in a humane fashion,
quickly and fairly.
The so-called criminal justice system has
been so thoroughly compromised that is
easy to see that each element of the system
is very angry and distrusting of itself and
others, whose responsibility is to the law
abiding citizens.
Been there, done that.
DCI