Carlos Miller Under Surveillance for His Website, “Photography is Not a Crime”

Monday, April 30th, 2012

By Guest Writer Jacob Crawfird

Miami’s Homeland Security is keeping tabs on Carlos Miller, why? Not because he is any terrorist threat or some subversive radical. Rather because he runs the website, “Photography Is Not A Crime!” which documents police attacks on copwatchers, journalists, and ordinary citizens who catch heat for filming police interactions. He’s been supportive of my police accountability work with copwatch and I’ve appreciated his coverage of police issues over the last few years.

—Jacob Crawford
ladderfilms@gmail.com

Carlos Miller Under Surveillance for His Website, “Photography is Not a Crime” is a post from Cop Block - Badges Don't Grant Extra Rights

HonorYourOaths illegal arrest video(s)

Thursday, April 5th, 2012

On Wednesday I blogged about Jeff, aka HonorYourOath on YouTube, who was arrested for ‘refusing to show cops his ID.’ According to the description on HonorYourOath’s YouTube video of the arrest – the raw version (also posted below):

This video was being illegally held by the Lawtey police as evidence at the Bradford county Fl Sheriffs Department. When I explained my case to Sheriff Gordon Smith he immediately over road Lawtey Pd and returned my property. I then showed the video to Sheriff Smith and he said I did nothing illegal. I am asking the State Attorney of Bradford county to immediately drop charges against me.

I hope Jeff can get these charges dropped quickly as the video clearly shows he was doing nothing wrong. Makes one wonder if Jeff is having an affect on their revenue from speeding tickets?

The raw video has several of minutes at the beginning of Jeff holding up his sign, not yelling at cars like the police claim, so I took the time to edit dead time out, add a few graphics and include parts of Jeff’s video with commentary - video above.  Below is the raw arrest video.

Though I wish this didn’t happen to Jeff (or anyone), I’m submitting this video for April’s “Featured Content of the Month” contest, as best CopBlocking video thus far. Great job Jeff, you’ve set the bar high in the best CopBlocking video category. Remember, you too can win $100 worth of CopBlock.org goodies without being arrested. Click the link above for more details.

lwa ad HonorYourOaths illegal arrest video(s)

If you'd like a CopBlock.org Power Post - as seen above - contact us.

bloglink HonorYourOaths illegal arrest video(s) Join the forum discussion on this post

HonorYourOaths illegal arrest video(s) is a post from Cop Block - Badges Don't Grant Extra Rights

Central Florida Intelligence Exchange Promote CopBlock.org

Monday, March 26th, 2012

Back in November I blogged about the Arizona Counter Terrorism Information Center‘s release regarding a Larken Rose article, “When Should You Shoot A Cop” featured on CopBlock.org. It seems Arizona wasn’t the only state operated fusion center talking about the Larken’s post. Yesterday I received an email with a link to a document by the Central Florida Intelligence Exchange (CFIX) from June 28th, 2011. I’ve posted it in it’s entirety below, see scrib.

CFIX-CopBlock

I hope this doesn’t deter people, as the government might want it to, from filming government officials. IMO, I don’t care if the government wants to send pointless notices – I say pointless because CFIX even states there is no threat biased off Larken’s post – to every cop in the country. In fact, I appreciate them putting such great material in the inbox of every officer in their reach. After all, I don’t try to help just those abused by LEO’s via CopBlock, I also want to help LEO’s understand that their service can be better provided via the free market.

Keep sending those reports Fusion Centers, I appreciate the free PR.

 ttillegal banner Central Florida Intelligence Exchange Promote CopBlock.org

bloglink Central Florida Intelligence Exchange Promote CopBlock.org Join the forum discussion on this post

Central Florida Intelligence Exchange Promote CopBlock.org is a post from Cop Block - Badges Don't Grant Extra Rights

Police One Comments Reveled

Friday, March 23rd, 2012

Here’s a story from a few days ago in Orlando, Florida.

An internal investigation by the Orlando PD decided that an officer used excessive force when he threw a 100-pound woman violently to the ground face first, smashing her front teeth out on the sidewalk.

Go figure.

It doesn’t take a doctor or an expert in restraint techniques to realize that his actions were far too extreme to deal with a petite woman who might have had a couple of drinks in her.

OPD say officer used excessive force: MyFoxORLANDO.com

I read this story and watched the video (above) and was horrified as always when we hear stories like this that have become all too commonplace, but it was the comments at the bottom of the page, nearly all left by cops, that really got my blood boiling. You can go read them for yourselves, but here are some priceless gems that I’d like to make sure none of you miss out on:

Hey I have an idea…how about this POS female doesn’t fight with her POS boyfriend and act like a POS criminal and get assaultive with police when they show up to deal with her POS self?
This guy must have missed the ‘Protect and Serve’ memo.

Had it been a controled takedown, with an arrest afterwards…this wouldn’t be an issue.
Hmm, another cop suggesting that you arrest your victim to avoid scrutiny. I’m sensing a pattern here.

Ya know what…keep your hands off of my Officer`s, act like you have some sense and keep all of your teeth
Exactly the education level I would expect from one of these jackasses.

An arm bar technique often results in a busted mouth if the suspect does not hold their head up when landing.
In order words, it’s our fault that we haven’t been trained in the proper procedures for taking a beating.

We need a unit in every police department to be able to oversee the I.A. division. Who watches them and makes sure they are really upholding integrity?
OK, so watchers to watch the watchers who watch other watchers. No, all you need is Copblockers to record you.

Where I work if somebody gets hurt in a tussle with one of us…so be it
In other words, “I need to strut my manliness to feel better about my anatomical shortcomings and low test scores.”

I don’t care if the suspect weighs 65 pounds or 300 pounds, they CAN kill you or severely injury you.
Right… it’s much better to bodyslam the shit out of them and bust all their teeth out to make sure they can’t be a threat to you. I see that now.

Maybe if she didnt act stupid this would not have happened.
Here’s an obviously proud activist for cop’s rights to bash people’s brains in. I think he has a website at ISniffGlueOnTheJob.com.

Anyone can see that the officer was wrong, he shouldn’t have thrown her to the ground. He should have socked her in the gut.
Especially if she was pregnant, huh genius?

Anyway, there are a lot more. I’ll stop now since I’m only halfway down page 2 and this thing could get pretty long if I let my irritation get the better of me and just keep typing.

Keep up the good fight!

- Blither

[Editor's note: I figured I'd add a rational cops comments as well, see pic below. Ademo]

Yeah Police One Comments Reveled

Escape Banner 03 Police One Comments Reveled

Police One Comments Reveled is a post from Cop Block - Badges Don't Grant Extra Rights

Cops Among the Worst Speeders

Tuesday, February 14th, 2012

Though this article is about Florida, there is no doubt in my mind that this occurs nationwide. I suppose it should be expected.

Considering that the first rule of any officer is to protect his fellow officer; Does it really make sense to have members of the same agency investigate the crimes of their colleagues?

It’s time to hold police accountable! (below is an editor’s addition to the Sun-Sentinel’s Story)

We’ve all seen it, and now there’s proof: Police officers sworn to uphold our traffic laws are among the worst speeders on South Florida roads.

A three-month Sun Sentinel investigation found almost 800 cops from a dozen agencies driving 90 to 130 mph on our highways.

Many weren’t even on duty — they were commuting to and from work in their take-home patrol cars.

The extent of the problem uncovered by the newspaper shocked South Florida’s police brass. All the agencies started internal investigations.

“Excessive speed,” Margate Police Chief Jerry Blough warned his officers, is a “blatant violation of public trust.”

The evidence came from police SunPass toll records. The Sun Sentinel obtained a year’s worth, hit the highways with a GPS device and figured out how fast the cops were driving based on the distance and time it took to go from one toll plaza to the next.

Speeding cops can kill. Since 2004, Florida officers exceeding the speed limit have caused at least 320 crashes and 19 deaths. Only one officer went to jail — for 60 days.

- LiberT

Read more about the Sun-Sentinel’s four part series (including videos) about Speeding Cops and see the double standard for yourself.

BannerNTAP.org  Cops Among the Worst Speeders

Cops Among the Worst Speeders is a post from Cop Block - Badges Don't Grant Extra Rights

Officer Faces Unemployment for Casting a “Spell”

Monday, December 5th, 2011

So we know that assault and theft will often not end with a cop receiving a pink slip.  So what will?  Well if you are a cop for the North Miami Beach Police Department, attempting to cast a “magic” spell may very well get you fired.  From the Miami Herald:

Two North Miami Beach employees — one a police officer, the other a department office manager — are in hot water after trying to enlist some supernatural aid in the form of what they believed to be a Santeria practice.

Their alleged target: City Manager Lyndon Bonner, whose plan to slash the police budget prompted protests and union outrage this fall.

Their mystical material: handfuls of birdseed which, according to an internal affairs report, they hoped to scatter in and around Bonner’s fourth-floor office at City Hall.

But when they tried to recruit a janitor to sprinkle the seeds, she balked — and turned them in.

Officer Elizabeth Torres told investigators she meant the manager no harm: “I want to clarify, that it’s nothing malicious and nothing intended to hurt that person.”

She was told last week she faced termination over the August incident, which took place against the backdrop of a contentious budget season. Unionized city employees must go through an appeal process before they can be fired.

Office manager Yvonne Rodriguez, who is not a member of the union, was fired last week for her role in the plot.

While Santeria practitioners have argued that their practice constitutes a legitimate religion and bristle at depictions of the practice as black magic or witchcraft, they acknowledge that public displays of their traditions can spook non-believers. And both adherents and experts say that the Afro-Cuban religion, itself an amalgamation of Catholicism and African spiritual traditions, does not count malice — such as casting harmful spells — as one of its principles…

Torres, a 24-year department veteran, told investigators she was motivated in part because she couldn’t attend union protests over budget cuts due to her work and school schedule. She said she does not practice Santeria but said she was familiar with the religion through family members, according to an internal affairs report released Wednesday.

The report found the women violated city rules with conduct that is offensive toward a fellow employee, conduct unbecoming of a city employee and conduct that brings the department into disrepute or reflects discredit on the individual employee.

I wonder if Torres would face being fired if she had attempted to pray for the City Manager.

Officer Faces Unemployment for Casting a “Spell” is a post from Cop Block - Badges Don't Grant Extra Rights

Disabled Woman Assaulted, and They’re Charging WHO With Battery?!

Sunday, November 27th, 2011

Imagine a man threatened to burn your house down with your kids and disabled, elderly mother inside. You call 911, and attempt to continue to the store you were heading for. Less than 2 minutes after the threat, you are being viciously assaulted, kicked, punched, thrown to the ground, hair ripped from the scalp, by the man’s girlfriend, and her friend. Then, just when you finally think all will be well, the cops are there dealing with it, the officer comes over to talk to you, he opens his mouth, and says, “Ok, I’ve talked to my Corporal, and this is what she said we’re doing. You’re being charged with Battery. You’ll receive a notice in the mail to appear for arraignment.” Um, EXCUSE ME?!

Fact is, it happened. It happened to a disabled woman and her husband, Jason, and Geneva Robinson, on a ‘good’ day for her, one where she was walking, and not forced by pain into her wheelchair. The girlfriend mentioned above, Tina Jones, was quite aware of her disability, as she happened to be the assistant manager of the Dollar General store the couple was walking, to purchase food for their 5 young children. So how is it that a disabled woman can be brutalized in such a manner and the police choose to overlook the obvious facts? Quite frankly the answer is found in the officer’s statement, “…talked to my corporal…”.

Back in January, during a different incident, the woman was sexually assaulted (assault: any unwanted, unsolicited touch or strike) by an officer, Officer Procter, under the command of Corporal Melanie Law. When Mrs. Robinson requested of Corporal Law to file a report, and wanted to press charges on the Officer Procter for his actions, Corporal Law outright refused, and ignored Mrs. Robinson’s requests, finally telling her to just ‘file a complaint’ at the department, Panama City Police Department (Panama City, Florida), which she did. There was some harassment from the PCPD after the complaint was made, from bogus traffic stops to code enforcement (commonly called lawn nazi’s). The assault was the first time, however, that Corporal Law had run across Mrs. Robinson herself.

On the scene of the assault, while sitting holding her ribs, mouth bleeding, and clumps of hair in her hand, Mrs. Robinson, after being informed she was to be charged with Battery, repeatedly requested to file a report, as well as victim statements. Under the direction of Corporal Law, per his own statements, the officer refused, and ignored the requests, sending the Robinson’s to walk home.

SEE PICS OF THE EXTENSIVE BRUISING FROM THE ASSAULT

Currently, Mrs. Robinson has been speaking with Corporal Law’s Lieutenant, Lt. Clayton, and Officer McMillan, the ‘investigative officer’ on the case. At first, they tried to pander around and avoid answering questions. After speaking twice with the local prosecutor’s office, and being told to , “go to PCPD, and get in their faces until they let you file the victim statement”, 5 days after the attack, the Robinsons were finally allowed to file their statements. What hasn’t been answered satisfactorily, is why they were refused on the scene, and had to go to such extremes just to be allowed their basic right. At present, PCPD has still not allowed a report to be filed on the initial verbal threats, which were made by Mr. Jimmy F Bailey, the son, and worker, of his parents’ gas station, Bailey’s Gas Station, from which he was yelling the threats. In fact, during the most recent, and voice recorded, phone conversation with Officer McMillan, Mrs. Robinson was asked, “why haven’t you filed a report on the threats of his burning down your house?”. Point in fact, she made the initial 911 call due to those threats, the assault was a secondary issue that occurred after the 911 call was placed.

NOW AVAILABLE!!

Police Report with the Obvious Inconsistencies

911 Call Log Showing ROBINSON Number as the \’Initiating Call\’

MEDICAL DX FROM THE ASSAULT

Prior Report For BATTERY On Initial Attacker, Katherine Ashton

There remain many questions, and few good answers. It seems as though the longer it goes, the harder the questions PCPD has to answer to the Robinsons. This isn’t just a 3rd hand knowledge issue, either. I, the author, personally witnessed it. More than just witnessing, I am Geneva (Eva) Robinson. My hair was ripped out, I was repeatedly kicked, hit, scratched, and thrown to the ground by 2 women, Tina Jones, and Katherine Ashton. My husband and I were verbally assaulted by Ms. Jones’ boyfriend, Jimmy Bailey. Please, I invite you, look at the ‘witness’ statements (2 alleged witnesses were employees of Ms. Jones, the third was her own boyfriend, Mr. Bailey!), the ‘victim’ statements by Ms. Jones, and Ms. Ashton, and the intrepid Officer McMillan’s ‘Investigative Summary’. I will publish a list of various inconsistencies, though it’s hardly necessary, as even my own 10 yr old daughter can see them immediately. Form your opinion, and please, let me know what you think, and how you feel! I will post a separate post with a more detailed account of all that transpired, as well as an account of the initial incident involving Cpl. Law, and her sexual assaulting Officer Procter. I’m far from alone, this is epidemic everywhere. Let’s work together, and stop this from occurring!

To voice your opinion, and ask WHY this incident was handled in such a manner, please call PCPD at (850) 872-3112.

Molon Labe!

Disabled Woman Assaulted, and They’re Charging WHO With Battery?! is a post from Cop Block - Badges Don't Grant Extra Rights

The Perils of Cop on Cop Law Enforcement

Tuesday, November 15th, 2011

UPDATE: I highly recommend you take a look at the attitude of Florida cops with respect to this trooper and her enforcement of traffic laws on other LEO’s. This is an extremely instructive forum thread, and you should see it before they hide it from the public:

Trooper Watts HOW DARE YOU?????

 

Back on October 30th, a Florida State Trooper actually pulled over a Miami Police Department officer in a marked squad car for traveling in excess of 120 miles per hour on the freeway, weaving in and out of traffic, and doing so without lights and sirens, ultimately executing a felony stop, which includes a drawn weapon and loud voice commands requiring the driver to exit the vehicle to and submit to handcuffing at gunpoint. It turns out, the MPD officer was on his way not to an urgent call, but an off-duty event at a school, with some “very important people” present. He was cited for misdemeanor reckless driving, and released, after a lengthy bitching out by the FHP trooper. You can bet your ass that if an average citizen were going 120 on the freeway and weaving in and out of traffic and failing to stop for 7 solid minutes of hot pursuit, he’d get a lot worse than a stint in cuffs and a stern talking to. He’d have his head caved in while the Fox news chopper circled overhead.

It appears that this incident is the culmination of a long-standing situation wherein MPD officers drive at crazy speeds on highways patrolled by the FHP, expecting what is known as “professional courtesy” from the troopers, meaning essentially that speeding laws simply don’t apply to Miami police officers like they do the rest of us. Apparently, Miami PD have worn out their welcome on the freeways of southern Florida and exhausted any “professional courtesy” the FHP was willing to extend.

The fallout from the event has become an even more interesting story than the unusual traffic stop itself. Police officers across the country, and especially the Miami Police Union, have severely criticized the Florida Highway Patrol officer’s actions, but beyond their stern official press release, and internet comments filled with righteous indignation and liberally seasoned with misogyny, they have resorted to some very juvenile retaliation in an effort to express their disgust for this violation of the “code.” In one instance, a load of human feces was spread all over an FHP trooper’s patrol car, and in another, a Miami PD officer pulled over and harassed (but did not cite) an FHP trooper as he was driving in Miami, although, that didn’t work out too well, when it turned out the trooper’s brother is a detective in the Internal Affairs division of the Miami PD. The feud is getting out of hand, and as incidents like this escalate, accompanied by heated rhetoric all over the police-focused blogosphere and social media sites, the Chief of Miami’s PD, Manuel Orosa told reporters at a recent press conference, “whatever issues may be out there have to stop, and stop now,” according to the Miami Herald.

For readers of CopBlock.org, this kind of reaction shouldn’t be surprising. After all, we have whole categories full of stories for this kind of double-standard, where the cops assume they are above the law, and get royally pissed whenever they are held to any sort of account, much less the same standards of behavior and compliance with the law they enforce on the rest of us. But this story is unique in the near universal consensus on the part of police officers across the country that the Florida trooper was in the wrong. Sometimes, when the police have to enforce the law against one of their own, there is substantial division in the LEO community, or at least an acknowledgment that the arrestee did something wrong, whether or not they agree with the collar. There seems to be almost no willingness to admit that the Miami cop was endangering the lives of everyone on that road, just because he was late for an *OFF DUTY* event. I’ve been pulled over for speeding before when I was late for work. I got a ticket and no sympathy whatsoever from the cop, and I sure as hell wasn’t going 120 mph.

trooper1 150x150 The Perils of Cop on Cop Law Enforcement trooper2 150x150 The Perils of Cop on Cop Law Enforcement trooper3 150x150 The Perils of Cop on Cop Law Enforcement

The brazenness with which the LEO’s on PoliceOne, YouTube, and Big City Cops, for instance, assert that they ought to be entirely immune from any kind of restraint on their driving, regardless of where they are going or why is almost shocking, until you remember, these are the police. They typically recognize no authority but their own. However, that attitude is particularly ironic in light of recent events in Tucson, Arizona. Just a couple of days ago, a suspect managed to steal a police car and lead the cops and sheriff’s deputies on an 80+ mile high speed chase, on the freeway, at speeds in excess of 120 mph. Hmm. And last year, I wrote about this guy, who stole a cop car and drove recklessly around the city until he crashed into a bus and died as a result. Since that Miami PD officer did not at any point communicate with the FHP trooper via radio, she really had no reason not to assume a crime was in progress (and she was right).

Ultimately, what galls me most is the sense of entitlement to this double standard that pervades the law enforcement community, and the culture of back-scratching, covering up and outright dishonesty that goes along with it. Police can literally get away with murder, and their coworkers are loathe to do anything about it. Honest cops who do stand up and enforce the law against misbehaving fellow officers have their careers destroyed, or at the very least can expect to get no assistance or back-up if their lives are ever actually in danger. They’ll make no bones about it either, they’re happy to declare, out in the open for all to see, that their “brotherhood,” and loyalty to each other is far more important than actually obeying the laws they themselves are charged with enforcing on the rest of us. It absolutely creates corruption, fosters abuse of authority, and guarantees that the worst of the worst ascend to ever-higher positions within the force, while the good guys get run out of their jobs altogether.

Just look at the fiasco in New York City, where several officers are up on charges of corruption, including rampant ticket fixing and even covering up an aggravated assault by an officer. Far from being embarrassed by these cops “tarnishing the badge,” their fellow officers have been out in large numbers at the courthouse nearly every day to support these accused criminals, intimidating the press, and the prosecutor, and telling anyone who will listen that what they supposedly did was “no big deal,” a “courtesy,” and bizarrely, employing the Nuremberg defense, saying they were “just following orders.” Under the circumstances, how can anyone have any respect for the badge, or the men and women who wear it? I know I don’t.

The Perils of Cop on Cop Law Enforcement is a post from Cop Block - Badges Don't Grant Extra Rights

Rights Flexed! CopBlocking Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office

Tuesday, September 27th, 2011

Another great post submitted from HONORYOUROATH (Jeff)

Jacksonville Florida,Chaffe Road and Interstate 10. I was swinging by Mc Donald’s for an un sweet tea when I noticed a large police presence in shopping centers parking lot. Being a CopBlocker my video camera seemed to leap into my hands and next thing I know I’m filming. At first I get some footage of the horses they use for crowd/riot control and then I notice a box truck with what appeared to be some sort censors on the side of it. As I’m filming the truck three JSO officers approach and surround me. It’s not long before Officer Carlson attempts to obtain my ID.

Rights Flexed! CopBlocking Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office is a post from Cop Block - Badges Don't Grant Extra Rights

Speed Trap Cop Blocked. Operation Booty Saver!

Friday, September 23rd, 2011

This post was submitted by Jeff from HONORYOUROATH.

8/30/2011 Lawtey Florida – Operation Booty Saver!

My intent is both slowing people down for public safety and to save peoples booty from the Lawtey looters/pirates.At 1:52 you can see the Lawtey Police pulling over some one headed north bound 301.I guess I was successful at slowing down southbound traffic so he had catch a north bounder! At 2:40 you can see the South Carolina Deputies I spoke with heading south bound. At 3:05 you can see the Deputies had done a U-Turn and were headed back north. When I was speaking with the Deputies I must have accidentally zoomed my camera to max zoom…sorry bout that. At 3:16 you can see the Lawtey Pirate headed back south driving right by me as I show him my sign!
Waldo and Hampton your next!

Speed Trap Cop Blocked. Operation Booty Saver! is a post from Cop Block - Badges Don't Grant Extra Rights