Police use excessive force on man with camera

[Sdog1982]

This is exactly why people hate the police. These cops should have lost their jobs and been put in jail.

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=099_1332378872

 

[Jupiter551]

They should be in jail.

 

[PlayboyMegan]

Damn, I always liked the Las Vegas police. That sucks. Here in LA, every experience I've had w/ them has been horrible. But they didn't seem so bad in LV. I still choose to not judge them as a whole, just as I don't like being judged for my job just because there are a few crazy camwhores.

 

[SoTxBob]

Las Vegas police agree to pay $100,000 to beaten videographer. Crooks was videotaping police from his driveway the night of March 20 as officers investigated a burglary across the street near East Desert Inn Road and South Maryland Parkway. As Colling was driving away, he stopped his car, got out and approached Crooks.He ordered Crooks to stop filming, and when Crooks refused, Colling beat him, according to the lawsuit.

They have agreed to pay?..... Not even close to the blood I'd be after for that shit. :angry4:

 

[Sdog1982]

Yeah I should've said not all the police do that kinda stuff. I just shocked at these officers conduct. It just blew my mind.

 

[lordmagellan]

I am curious why he said he didn't live there.

Officer: "Do you live here?"
Crooks: "Nope."


Any word on that? Did he just mishear the question?

 

[Nordling]

I am curious why he said he didn't live there.

Officer: "Do you live here?"
Crooks: "Nope."


Any word on that? Did he just mishear the question?

That's my guess. Plus he was probably a bit nervous--most people are when challenged by a cop, but he did correct himself within seconds. I can think of dozens of times in my life when I've said something, in answer to a question, that was totally off the wall and didn't really reflect what I really was thinking. Dunno why, I kick myself later.

 

[DudeExtreme]

Damn, I always liked the Las Vegas police. That sucks. Here in LA, every experience I've had w/ them has been horrible. But they didn't seem so bad in LV. I still choose to not judge them as a whole, just as I don't like being judged for my job just because there are a few crazy camwhores.

I'm glad I've never lived in LA to experience a potential "bad" policeman/woman. What gets me is the fact that only the "bad" videos gets leaked instead of the good ones. Many people love to tell bad news as if there is a reward for it. I too often hear the words, "I knew you were going to fail (fill in the blank)," instead of "You handled that situation well, good job."

I believe that the police as a whole are doing a lot more good than harm. Have I encountered rude police, yes. But I've also experienced several that are as nice as they could be in helping me out.

 

[AllisonWilder]

You don't actually have a right to film a police officer or lie to one, but this was crazy extreme and not how things should ever happen.

 

[SatanJonez]

You don't actually have a right to film a police officer or lie to one, but this was crazy extreme and not how things should ever happen.

I think in most states, as long as you don't get in the way of what they are doing (like walking in front of them, blocking their view, etc) it's not illegal or anything. As for lying to the cops, that just isn't smart.

 

[Jupiter551]

You don't actually have a right to film a police officer or lie to one, but this was crazy extreme and not how things should ever happen.

I think in most states, as long as you don't get in the way of what they are doing (like walking in front of them, blocking their view, etc) it's not illegal or anything. As for lying to the cops, that just isn't smart.

you're right, but he may not have intentionally lied, he may have misheard the question and in any case he declared that he did live there more than once.

For some reason I find it particularly chilling that the cop called him 'dude', before beating him. Like cmon, beat me if you must but 'dude' is a friendly term, don't use that THEN beat me...

 

[Just Me]

You don't actually have a right to film a police officer or lie to one, but this was crazy extreme and not how things should ever happen.

It really depends on the state. Rule of thumb is, it is legal to record public servants doing their job as long as you are not in the way or interfering. http://reason.com/archives/2012/04/05/7-rules-for-recording-police It is also not illegal to lie to the police in most states and vice versa, the police can lie to you too. You are usually required to be truthful if they ask your name or other basic demographic information. You can't lie under oath and you can't lie to a federal agent under federal law.

 

[Zoomer]

Just like to point out that the guy doing the taping was a whining twit...

No, it doesn't excuse the officers whatsoever, but unless he was seriously injured then $100,000 is ridiculous. Hope he gives it to charity... otherwise it is a great way to make a fast buck.

 

[Just Me]

Just like to point out that the guy doing the taping was a whining twit...

No, it doesn't excuse the officers whatsoever, but unless he was seriously injured then $100,000 is ridiculous. Hope he gives it to charity... otherwise it is a great way to make a fast buck.

I have to agree with you. Unless there is more that we haven't seen, this is one of the tamest police brutality claims I have seen. It does not excuse the police but I kept waiting for something horrific to happen since the video was from LiveLeak.

 

[Jupiter551]

Just like to point out that the guy doing the taping was a whining twit...

No, it doesn't excuse the officers whatsoever, but unless he was seriously injured then $100,000 is ridiculous. Hope he gives it to charity... otherwise it is a great way to make a fast buck.

I have to agree with you. Unless there is more that we haven't seen, this is one of the tamest police brutality claims I have seen. It does not excuse the police but I kept waiting for something horrific to happen since the video was from LiveLeak.

well, it's not like he could point the camera to himself and the officer purposely kicked it away So I dunno what happened off camera but since there was a settlement SOMETHING did. You can't just go up to the local police station and demand $100k, or we'd all be doing it lol.

 

[camstory]

Just like to point out that the guy doing the taping was a whining twit...

No, it doesn't excuse the officers whatsoever, but unless he was seriously injured then $100,000 is ridiculous. Hope he gives it to charity... otherwise it is a great way to make a fast buck.

I have to agree with you. Unless there is more that we haven't seen, this is one of the tamest police brutality claims I have seen. It does not excuse the police but I kept waiting for something horrific to happen since the video was from LiveLeak.

This ^^^^^^^ is so wrong. 100K is ridiculous if you are compensating for injury and there was none. But the $ in this case has to be the price the LV police pay for not firing cops with this mentally, and yes it is ridiculous. It is rediculouslly low!!! If you want to stop this sort of thing than police forces have to stop excusing their cops who get caught doing this shit. And that has to be everywhere across the board, no exceptions. It will only be when it is understood that if you're a cop and you get caught ABUSSING the huge POWER you have been ENTRUSTED with, that you will be fired and won't ever be given that power ever again, that this sort of shit will stop. If you aren't willing to fire your bad cops, than you should pay big. The $ isn't about compensating this one guy for his beating, it's for compensating the public for excusing this cop/s and allowing them to remain cops. I know cops, I have probably dealt with more cops than any 10 other members here combined, and this/these cops are wrong for the job. They have before, and will continue to abuse their power, if allowed to remain in that position. That does not mean they are going to beat someone every day, but it means every time they deal with Joe public they are abusive cops, with an abusive attitude. Their abuses might only amount to the shitty way they talk to Joe, and deal out the authority they have 99.9% of the time, but they have the wrong make up for the job. It is because of cops like this that most ppl fell some ambivalence toward police. Most of those ppl have never been beaten by an abusive cop, but they have dealt with one somewhere along the way. If they are going to be allowed to remain in a position where they WILL CONTINUE to ABUSE the HUGE POWER they have beenENTRUSTED with, than Joe public needs to be compensated for that. The fact that the compensation is unevenly distributed, and goes to one person is an imperfect result of doing things this way, but so is leaving abusive cops on the force. And in my opinion Joe Public is getting shorted at 100K for the price he/she has to pay. :twocents-02cents:

 

[LadyLuna]

Well said camstory!

I've never had a bad experience with a cop, but I've known plenty who have. The fact that cops who abuse their power continue to thrive in the police force is one of the major reasons Americans don't trust cops. It's sad, because cops are supposed to be the people we can trust, people we can turn to when we're in a bad situation and need help. Instead, we feel like turning to a cop is flipping a coin- will we get help, or will we be put in a worse situation by the person we turned to for help?

 

[Jupiter551]

Well said camstory!

I've never had a bad experience with a cop, but I've known plenty who have. The fact that cops who abuse their power continue to thrive in the police force is one of the major reasons Americans don't trust cops. It's sad, because cops are supposed to be the people we can trust, people we can turn to when we're in a bad situation and need help. Instead, we feel like turning to a cop is flipping a coin- will we get help, or will we be put in a worse situation by the person we turned to for help?

Yeah bad cops are a universal phenomenon. Doesn't matter where you are in the world there will be corrupt, abusive cops, because it's no surprise that power and authority appeals to a certain type of thug/psychopath.

 

[camstory]

A Las Vegas officer accused of beating a man for videotaping police was fired Monday after a lengthy inquiry into his actions.

Officer Derek Colling was terminated after an eight-month investigation into the March 20 confrontation between him and videographer Mitchell Crooks.

Internal investigators concluded in July that Colling, a six-year veteran, violated several Metropolitan Police Department policies. Police did not release the specific policy violations.

The officer had been on paid suspension since April 1.

Clark County Sheriff Doug Gillespie made the final decision on Colling, police said. The harshest punishment short of firing is a 40-hour unpaid suspension.

Crooks, 37, was videotaping police from his driveway the night of March 20 as officers investigated a burglary across the street from his home near East Desert Inn Road and South Maryland Parkway.

Crooks said that when he refused to stop filming, Colling beat him, with much of the altercation recorded by the camera.

Crooks was arrested for battery against an officer, trespassing and resisting arrest, but the charges were dropped.

The video went viral on the Internet, and local activists and national "cop watch" blogs scrutinized Colling's actions.

Local American Civil Liberties Union lawyer Allen Lichtenstein reviewed the video and found clear policy violations.

"It raises serious questions about whether the officer used good judgment and whether he was properly trained," Lichtenstein said. "Those questions require answers."
Rank-and-file officers who spoke to the Las Vegas Review-Journal after the incident were as demoralized as the public was incensed.

"The majority of us think Colling made a mistake," one patrol officer said. "All the officers I talked to understand that citizens will see this video, and yeah, we know it looks bad."

Colling has been involved in two fatal shootings in his 5½ years as a Las Vegas police officer.

In 2006, he and four other officers shot Shawn Jacob Collins after the 43-year-old man pulled a gun at an east valley gas station.

In 2009, Colling shot and killed Tanner Chamberlain, a mentally ill 15-year-old who was holding a knife at his mother's neck.

Both shootings were ruled justified by Clark County coroner's juries.

Chamberlain's mother, Evie Oquendo, sued Colling and the Police Department in May.

On Tuesday, Oquendo said she was breathing a sigh of relief.

"I just wanted to make sure this didn't happen to any other parent and he wouldn't harm anyone again," she said. "I'm glad he's off the streets."
But the pain of losing her son has not gotten any easier.

"It's eaten away at me," she said.

A Review-Journal examination of all police shootings in Clark County since 1990 found that officers who use their guns sometimes show a pattern of questionable behavior beforehand or land in serious trouble after. Colling was mentioned as an example in the five-part series earlier this month.

Oquendo's lawyer Brent Bryson said the newspaper investigation showed a pattern of abuse by Las Vegas police.

"I think there's an element in Metro that believes they're untouchable," Bryson said.

"Sheriff Gillespie, if he wants to regain the public trust of this community, needs to set an example and make it understood in the department that excessive force and rogue police behavior won't be tolerated."