Alan C. Posted October 15, 2013 Posted October 15, 2013 Cleveland police suspend 63 officers over deadly chase A review of a deadly police chase in Cleveland nearly a year ago has led to suspensions for 63 patrol officers who violated orders and department rules, the city's police chief said Tuesday.A fleeing driver and passenger were killed when officers fired 137 shots at them in the 23-minute chase that involved five dozen cruisers and wove through residential neighborhoods before ending in gunfire.Police Chief Michael McGrath said the suspensions were the result of disciplinary hearings, and violations ranged from insubordination to driving too fast during the chase.The hearings did not involve any of the officers involved in the shooting because a county grand jury is investigating possible criminal wrongdoing among the 13 officers who fired their weapons. No weapon or shell casings were found in the fleeing car.An initial review of the chase found 75 patrol officers violated orders, but the disciplinary hearings reduced that number to 64 officers. All but one received a suspension, with the longest being 10 days, McGrath said.None of the violations was so serious it warranted termination. Some of the officers received a written warning.Police previously announced punishments for 12 supervisors stemming from the chase. One sergeant was fired. A captain and lieutenant were demoted, and nine sergeants were suspended.. . .Driver Timothy Russell, 43, was shot 23 times and passenger Malissa Williams, 30, was shot 24 times.
jdirt2019 Posted November 16, 2013 Posted November 16, 2013 Interesting story... I've spent a lot of time in Cleveland (born/raised/in/around), and I've no special knownledge to share, other than that it has nice neighborhoods and bad neighborhoods. It's a city with subsurbs, overall "East Cleveland", to my experience means lower income, scary for us white kids after dark (when i was tooling around back in the 90's, doubt it's changed much/at all). "137 shots fired" raises a lot of questions. Among them relates to the "monopoly of force" frequently tossed around by Stef. Since many of those questions are unaswerable based on the limited teachings of this story, I'll broadly submit that I cannot understand the justification for more than 20, 50, 80, or 100 bullets being fired. At any point in that span of gunfire, was the question asked if "our point has been made" or "is this working" or "are we there yet"? I guess I'm glad to see some disciplinary action taken; based on the idea that a few firings suspensions on the north shore will cause constables across the land to think twice about emptying magazines (what kind of clips do cops carry?), i guess i would expect to see fewer of these type events, but in the end i expect this to have little or no action. In the NFL, a much, much smaller employee pool, i'm certain that firings/suspensions/finings for misconduct weigh heavily on the minds of the atheletes when faced with a choice of engaging in misconduct, and summarily the frowned-upon misconducts are effectively squashed. However, regarding police officers nationwide (794,300 in 2010) i'm saying this should have little or no effect. Yes, i understand running and jumping and smashing into other adult kids is hardly comparable to the police force, but just for comparison's sake.... .... i don't know. i forgot where i was going with this. quite eloquent though, eh?
Alan C. Posted June 2, 2014 Author Posted June 2, 2014 6 Cleveland Officers Indicted in Deadly Car Chase A police car chase that ended in a schoolyard with two unarmed suspects dying in a hail of 137 bullets is part of a wide-ranging federal investigation into the Cleveland Police Department's use of deadly force and its pursuit policies. Six officers in the police department were indicted Friday on charges related to the chase, Cuyohoga County prosecutor Tim McGinty said. Patrol officer Michael Brelo, who the prosecutor said stood on the hood of the suspects' car and fired at least 15 shots through the windshield, has been charged with two counts of manslaughter. Five supervisors have been charged with dereliction of duty for failing to control the chase. . . . Driver Timothy Russell was shot 23 times. Passenger Malissa Williams was shot 24 times.
J-William Posted June 2, 2014 Posted June 2, 2014 Patrol officer Michael Brelo, who the prosecutor said stood on the hood of the suspects' car and fired at least 15 shots through the windshield, has been charged with two counts of manslaughter. Jesus Christ! Whaat does it take to charge a cop with murder? shooting old ladies while they're sleeping? "But her movements suggested she was going for a gun!" However, regarding police officers nationwide (794,300 in 2010) i'm saying this should have little or no effect. Yeah, more likely a potential victim of the police in Cleveland will be worried that he's dealing with a homicidal maniac when he sees the lights flashing in his rearview... and will proceed to shit himself, pass out and plow his car into a bus full of nuns on their way to help sick children.
shirgall Posted June 2, 2014 Posted June 2, 2014 Jesus Christ! Whaat does it take to charge a cop with murder? shooting old ladies while they're sleeping? "But her movements suggested she was going for a gun!" The necessary condition to make it murder is intent. Intent is hard to prove. Manslaughter, however, only requires evidence reckless or negligent behavior would a reasonable person would consider likely to result in death and it did have such a result. When you see a charge fall short of murder then the prosecution could not prove intent. Self-defense is a positive defense, which shifts the burden of proof to the defendant. The defendant will have to prove to the jury that a reasonable person knowing what he knew would suspect the victim capable of causing death or grave bodily harm. If the car was operating after a high-speed chase it is entirely likely a policeman would believe it. High speed chases are already evidence of desperation and reckless behavior. Furtive movement cases are real, but it's up to the policeman, his lawyer, his expert witnesses, and his documentation to prove to the jury that it was reasonable to suspect a furtive movement was a danger to his life.
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