In an attempt to quell the violent protests that have rocked the St. Louis suburb of Ferguson, Missouri, police have now named the officer involved in the shooting of 18-year-old Michael Brown.
Officer Darren Wilson, a six-year member of the force, has been removed from duty with pay and he & this family evacuated to an unknown location because of fear the same people who sparked the violent rioting would attack him. Governor Jay Nixon said the family would be under 24-hour protection.
“I was pleased to hear the chief indicate this would be a day in which, finally, that initial name would come out, and we’ll work to make sure that his family [is safe] and there’s security around that,” Nixon told ABC News. “I think those kinds of concrete steps of transparency leading to justice are vitally important now to heal the old wounds that have been made a fresh by this difficult and horrific situation.”
Police noted that Officer Wilson has been treated for an injury that was sustained on the night he shot Brown. Witnesses had been trying to claim that Brown had done nothing wrong.
Police also handed out a report to those attending the press conference showing that Brown was a suspect in a “strong arm” robbery that had taken place in the area not long before the shooting incident.
An appeals court has ruled a police officer that was ordered to attend a Muslim worship service and then was punished for refusing due to his Christian faith, did not have his religious freedoms violated by the police department.
The 10th Circuit Court of Appeals claims that despite being ordered to attend the worship service, “no informed, reasonable observer” could say the order was an endorsement of Islam.
Captain Paul Fields, who said that as a Christian he could not participate in an event that was worshipping what he considered a false God, was suspended for two weeks without pay, demoted and prohibited from receiving any kind of promotion for one year for refusal to attend the “Law Enforcement Appreciation Day” at the mosque.
Fields’ attorney Robert Muise of the American Freedom Law Center, plans to appeal the ruling saying that the court chose to ignore the truth that detrimental actions were taken against Fields solely for exercising his freedom of religion.
“He was singled out for discriminatory treatment and punished because he raised a religious objection to the order,” Muise said. “That is religious discrimination, pure and simple.”
A Florida school district is responding to the release of a video showing two students beating another student by putting armed police on busses.
“We are going to have order on that bus one way or another,” said Dick Mullenax, head of the Polk County School Board. “We provide transportation to those schools, but if they can’t behave, we will see where we go from there.”
The video shows two students beating a third until they knocked out their victim with a sucker punch.
A spokesman for the sheriff’s office says that while the measure seems a little shocking at first, it’s necessary on a temporary basis to protect the safety of the children. They also believe that having the deputies on the bus gives them a chance to build relationships with the students that could lead to benefits in the future.
“They’re not going to be these hard-core monitors, they’re just going to be there, have a chance to interact with those kids, maybe get some information with things that are going on, It’s not going to be an adversarial relationship,” Sheriff’s Office spokesman Scott Wilder said.
A woman who was forced to spend a night in jail after recording a police officer on her phone has filed suit over wrongful imprisonment.
Brandy Berning, 33, was stopped for driving in the HOV lane at the wrong time and then began to record Lt. William O’Brien as he approached her vehicle. When Berning said that she was recording the stop, O’Brien said she had committed a felony and demanded the phone.
The officer then argued with the woman over the next few minutes before reaching into the car to take the phone and spraining her wrist.
In Florida, both sides of a conversation are required to know that a conversation is being recorded. It is legal for third parties to record a law enforcement officer performing duties.
The ACLU says it’s very likely the law will be on Berning’s side in the lawsuit.
Egyptian police have raided and taken over the town of Kerdasa near Cairo that has been a stronghold of the Muslim Brotherhood. The raid was the second big move against a Brotherhood stronghold since Mohammed Morsi was removed in July.
Egyptian General Nabil Farrag was killed when Islamists opened fire from the rooftops of several schools and mosques that were under Muslim Brotherhood control. Continue reading →
At least 24 Egyptian police are dead after a terrorist attack in the Sinai peninsula.
The BBC reports a police convoy near Rafah when the terrorists attacked it. The assault is one of the deadliest attacks on police in years. Officials says the officers were off-duty and riding in busses when the terrorists forced them off the bus and shot them point blank in the back of the head. Continue reading →
Unmanned drones are flying missions throughout the United States. The information was discovered as a result of a Freedom of Information act lawsuit filed by the Electronic Frontier Foundation.
The report released by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) detailed the organizations that applied for licenses for the drones and their locations. The reports didn’t state the type of drones being used or how many drones are owned and operated by each entity. The FAA stated that information will be released at a later date. Continue reading →
