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opinions {same police force i have talked about}
1911a1-fan
Member Posts: 51,193 ✭✭
of course a few on the board stand up for them, after repeated allegations
http://www.stltoday.com/suburban-journals/illinois/news/crime/granite-city-cops-accused-of-beating-man-during-arrest/article_a44934b1-353d-5abc-8380-32372c2b30dc.html
Granite City Cops accused of beating man during arrest
The Granite City Police Department is being sued for $600,000 over allegations staff members beat up a man during an arrest last year. Officials deny any wrongdoing.
Richard M. Hennemann, 36, filed the lawsuit in 3rd Circuit Court last month. The 12-count suit alleges that Hennemann was "beat, kicked, punched and battered" while he was being booked at the Granite City police station in May 2010.
Hennemann had been arrested on suspicion of public drunkenness. He also allegedly ran from police and gave them fake identification.
The lawsuit was filed against the city; police Lt. Raymond Takmajian; officers Dean Bastilla and Gene Wilkinson; and "unknown police officers."
Police Chief Rich Miller dismissed the suit as "frivolous" and said police were following proper procedures. He said Hennemann didn't follow instructions about emptying his pockets during booking and police had to forcefully make him comply.
"Police work is not a tap dance," Miller said. "Our guys did exactly what they were supposed to do."
Miller said that Hennemann was not treated for any injuries and was transferred to Madison County Jail.
Hennemann's attorney, Tom Lech, said Hennemann suffered a head injury during the incident. Hennemann was not available to talk about the case; his lawyers did not provide information about where he lives.
Hennemann was eventually charged with unlawful possession of a controlled substance and obstruction of justice, both felonies, and two counts of misdemeanor resisting arrest. The resisting arrest charges have been dismissed, while the felony charges are pending.
Bastilla and Wilkinson could not be reached for comment; Takmajian declined to talk about the case.
No court hearing date has been set.
The suit seeks $50,000 for each count.
http://www.stltoday.com/suburban-journals/illinois/news/crime/granite-city-cops-accused-of-beating-man-during-arrest/article_a44934b1-353d-5abc-8380-32372c2b30dc.html
Granite City Cops accused of beating man during arrest
The Granite City Police Department is being sued for $600,000 over allegations staff members beat up a man during an arrest last year. Officials deny any wrongdoing.
Richard M. Hennemann, 36, filed the lawsuit in 3rd Circuit Court last month. The 12-count suit alleges that Hennemann was "beat, kicked, punched and battered" while he was being booked at the Granite City police station in May 2010.
Hennemann had been arrested on suspicion of public drunkenness. He also allegedly ran from police and gave them fake identification.
The lawsuit was filed against the city; police Lt. Raymond Takmajian; officers Dean Bastilla and Gene Wilkinson; and "unknown police officers."
Police Chief Rich Miller dismissed the suit as "frivolous" and said police were following proper procedures. He said Hennemann didn't follow instructions about emptying his pockets during booking and police had to forcefully make him comply.
"Police work is not a tap dance," Miller said. "Our guys did exactly what they were supposed to do."
Miller said that Hennemann was not treated for any injuries and was transferred to Madison County Jail.
Hennemann's attorney, Tom Lech, said Hennemann suffered a head injury during the incident. Hennemann was not available to talk about the case; his lawyers did not provide information about where he lives.
Hennemann was eventually charged with unlawful possession of a controlled substance and obstruction of justice, both felonies, and two counts of misdemeanor resisting arrest. The resisting arrest charges have been dismissed, while the felony charges are pending.
Bastilla and Wilkinson could not be reached for comment; Takmajian declined to talk about the case.
No court hearing date has been set.
The suit seeks $50,000 for each count.
Comments
If you want to get pie-eyed drunk at home, fall on your face and pass out have at it.
Run from the cops while drunk, lie about your name and be a general PIA and you are not going to be treated with kid gloves.
Besides the drunk dude got a great excuse. Dude was drunk at the time so even if he did understand English he didn't then.
I think I'd rather clear mines, than be a Cop on Saturday night.
Granite City seeks to bar release of police video in lawsuit
Richard M. Hennemann was arrested by Granite City police in May 2010. A year later, on May 4, 2011, he filed a lawsuit, claiming three officers beat him. There's a video of the alleged beating, but even though both sides claim the video supports their case, Granite City does not want it to become public.
The attorney for Granite City, Dawn O'Leary, filed the motion of a protective order on June 14, five days after the Granite City Press-Record filed a Freedom of Information Act request to view the tape. On June 16, the Press-Record was notified that its request had been denied, citing pending civil litigation and criminal charges.
There has been no court ruling on the motion, and no hearing date has been set.
Both Police Chief Rich Miller, and attorney Tom Lech, an attorney for Hennemann, discussed the video during interviews with the paper about the case. Miller said it shows that officers used proper force to make Hennemann comply with their orders, while Lech said it helps Hennemann's case.
According to the motion, the video shows Hennemann arguing with officers, resisting being searched and "being taken to the ground."
In her motion to bar the release, O'Leary argues that some police records are exempt from FOIA requirement. She also argues that the video could "cause misunderstanding and bias the jury pool" if released to the public "without explanation by the officers or the city of what was occurring" as well as embarrass the city and the police officers.
Josh Sharp, director of governmental relations for the Illinois Press Association, said because of the ongoing criminal case against Hennemann, the city is "probably within its right to do that."
"The FOIA exemption is pretty clear as long as there is a pending criminal case," he said.
Hennemann was eventually charged with unlawful possession of a controlled substance and obstruction of justice. Both are felonies and are still pending, according to Stephanee Smith of the Madison County State's Attorney's Office.
On Friday, Lech said he doesn't think the city's motion has any merit. He also said it makes him question the city's assertion that it will help their case.
"I believe the public can look at something and determine whether it's police brutality or battery," he said. "That's an easy judgment to make."
Although the motion has not been heard or ruled on by a judge, Lech said he would not release a copy of the video.
Hennemann's civil suit seeks more than $600,000 from the city, Granite City police officers Lt. Raymond Takmajian, and officers Dean Bastilla and Gene Wilkinson; and "unknown police officers."
The case had been assigned to Circuit Judge David Hylla, but on June 14 Hylla withdrew from the case, citing a friendship with one of the defendants. The case had not been reassigned as of Thursday afternoon
I think it better illustrates what being so drunk and stupid that you get yourself arrested can cause.
If you want to get pie-eyed drunk at home, fall on your face and pass out have at it.
Run from the cops while drunk, lie about your name and be a general PIA and you are not going to be treated with kid gloves.
Bingo! Dealing with drunks was never easy. Ya just can't reason with them!
and this is the same police force i have posted countless reports of beatings from, including a former high school acquaintance that is now in a wheel chair from his run in with them
"The Granite City Police Department is being sued for $600,000 over allegations staff members beat up a man during an arrest last year. Officials deny any wrongdoing."
Someone is filing suit, and the PD says there was no misconduct. It will now be up to the Court to decide.
Just because someone files suit, doesn't mean he had a reason. I spoke to a woman a few days ago that told me she filed this lawsuit and that lawsuit, against just about everyone she had ever spoken to. I did a search and found that to be true, and that EVRERY suit she filed had been dismissed as groundless.
If simply being sued meant a damn thing, I would have been driven out of police work and into the poor house a long time ago.
"According to the motion, the video shows Hennemann arguing with officers, resisting being searched and 'being taken to the ground.'"
If that's all the video shows, it seems pretty normal under the circumstances. Book-in time is not "pretty-please-with-sugar-on-it" time.
I have done both.. and you are right. Mine clearing is much better..[:0]
The system has to be such that people are not intimidated out of filing complaints or suits, and so it is.
Seriously, where there is smole. There is fire. This is just the smoke.
You all people ain't never been to Granite City before. This is pretty much mickey mouse corn flakes compared to what goes on down there.
Seriously, where there is smole. There is fire. This is just the smoke.
i try not to bring you into it, but you are the only other person on the board that actually has delt directly or in directly with these yahoo keystone cop wannabes
one day it will get widespread attention on how these robber baron/anti-constitutions cops do business, and i'll post here and everyone can say they where set up
and btw about 15 years ago the slowly weeded out the officers over 45, so they bring in fresh new rookies that would help with the new methods of law enforcement, not that the old ones where much better but they where not near anything like these new ones, and knew where to draw the line