In 2020, the arrest of Amaurie Johnson by La Mesa police officer Matthew Dages sparked protests and riots. Following an investigation, Dages was fired and subsequently decertified under a 2021 state law, preventing him from working as an officer in California. This law, intended to enhance police accountability, has resulted in the decertification of nearly 300 officers statewide for various misconduct, though a significant backlog of cases at the California Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) threatens timely justice. The backlog, stemming from understaffing, risks allowing some officers to evade accountability due to expiring statutes of limitations.
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A federal jury awarded John Fulton and Anthony Mitchell $120 million—$60 million each—for their wrongful 2003 murder convictions, which were overturned in 2019 after they served over 16 years in prison. The men alleged coerced confessions and fabricated evidence by Chicago police and prosecutors, with no physical evidence or eyewitnesses linking them to the crime. The city’s Law Department intends to appeal the verdict. The ruling highlights a significant case of alleged police misconduct and wrongful conviction.
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This incident highlights the disturbing consequences of escalating transphobic rhetoric and legislation. The assertion that police officers entered a women’s restroom to remove a butch lesbian, accusing her of being a man, underscores the inherent dangers of policing gender presentation. The irony, that the only men present were the officers themselves, is stark. This action wasn’t about protecting women’s safety, as often claimed by proponents of restrictive bathroom bills; rather, it was an example of invasive overreach, based on prejudiced assumptions about gender identity.
This action was deeply unsettling, not just for the individual targeted but for all women. The event demonstrates how anxieties around transgender individuals can translate into the harassment of cisgender women who don’t conform to societal norms of femininity.… Continue reading
A Denver family was subjected to a SWAT raid in their apartment due to police error, resulting in the family being held at gunpoint and detained in a police car for an hour. The lawsuit alleges that officers, despite knowing the correct apartment number, wrongly raided the Shelton family’s home, violating their constitutional rights. The incident, captured on body camera footage, shows officers entering the family’s apartment while two young children were present, causing significant trauma. The family is suing under Colorado’s police reform law, seeking justice for the unlawful search and seizure and excessive force used against them.
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Following the forceful removal of Teresa Borrenpohl from a legislative town hall in Coeur d’Alene, investigations are underway into the conduct of Kootenai County Sheriff Bob Norris and private security guards. Borrenpohl, a Democratic candidate, was ejected after jeering at speakers; Sheriff Norris directed private security to remove her, leading to a physical altercation. Subsequent investigations by the Coeur d’Alene Police Department and an external review of Sheriff Norris’ actions are being conducted to determine if any laws or policies were violated. Charges against Borrenpohl for allegedly biting a security guard were later dropped, and a GoFundMe for her legal defense raised over $200,000.
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Following a triple homicide in Tamarac, Florida, Broward County Sheriff Gregory Tony publicly condemned his department’s handling of prior domestic violence calls involving the suspect, Nathan Gingles. Seven deputies are on paid leave pending an internal investigation into their alleged failures to take appropriate action, including a missed opportunity to arrest Gingles in December when his estranged wife expressed fears for her life. Sheriff Tony stated that deputies exhibited “piss poor performance” and that individuals will face consequences, emphasizing his intent to prevent arbitration. Gingles is currently jailed on multiple charges, including three counts of first-degree murder.
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In a move criticized by accountability advocates, the Department of Justice has deactivated the National Law Enforcement Accountability Database, a system designed to prevent the rehiring of officers with misconduct records. Operational for just over a year, the database compiled disciplinary information from nearly 150,000 federal officers across 90 agencies. The White House offered no specific reasoning for its elimination, despite concerns about “wandering officers” who transfer between agencies with past misconduct. The database’s closure, however, leaves the National Decertification Index, a separate registry for state and local officers, unaffected.
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The US Justice Department’s decision to cut the database tracking federal police misconduct is deeply troubling. It feels like a deliberate attempt to obscure the extent of police brutality and misconduct, particularly as tensions rise and dissent grows. The timing, coinciding with increased political polarization and a seeming shift towards more authoritarian policies, raises serious concerns about accountability and transparency.
This move is not simply an oversight; it feels calculated. By eliminating the database, the government effectively lowers the visible count of cases, mimicking how the handling of COVID-19 data minimized the apparent impact of the pandemic. This deliberate obfuscation creates an environment where potential abuses of power can easily go unchecked.… Continue reading
A grand jury’s recommendation to immediately abolish an Alabama police department is a stark indictment of the system, highlighting a situation where serious misconduct went unchecked for an extended period. The sheer audacity of a dispatcher casually removing evidence – drugs, specifically – from the evidence room, walking down the hall with it, and using it in his office without raising a single eyebrow speaks volumes about a deeply ingrained culture of disregard for rules and accountability.
This blatant disregard for procedure wasn’t just an isolated incident; it apparently took the dispatcher overdosing on the job, surrounded by illicit substances, before any action was taken.… Continue reading
A New Jersey jury awarded Cheryl Rhines $11.5 million after a state trooper, Jennifer Albuja, mistakenly attributed her stroke symptoms to intoxication, delaying crucial medical treatment. This delay, caused by Albuja’s misjudgment and subsequent actions, resulted in Rhines suffering permanent disability, including global aphasia. The jury found the delayed treatment responsible for 60% of Rhines’s disabilities, leading to the reduced award from an initial $19.1 million. The case highlights concerns about law enforcement’s response to medical emergencies and the potentially devastating consequences of misinterpreting symptoms.
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John Q. Hosedrinker 
Matt Underwood