More news from one of America's leading social problems, the cops

Selma officer arrested on drug charges resigns

A Selma Police officer behind bars in Virginia on drug charges has resigned from the department. (Doug Hoagland/The Enterprise)

A Selma police officer arrested in Virginia for allegedly smuggling marijuana has resigned from the department. In an unrelated development, another officer crashed a patrol car into a parked vehicle while on duty. The officer suffered minor injuries and the patrol car had major damage.

The resignation and crash are among recent news items involving the Selma Police Department.

Officer Frederick “Rick” Sayles resigned on May 4 in a letter to the city, according to interim Police Chief Myron Dyck.

Sayles did not say why he was resigning, and no one from the city asked him to do so, Dyck said.

Sayles, 34, was arrested in April in northern Virginia while allegedly transporting more than 27 pounds of marijuana. Two other men — former Selma cop Gabriel Sepeda and David Ray Flowers, both 38 of Fresno — were arrested in the case. Sayles lives in Selma.

The three men remain behind bars at the Alexandria Adult Detention Center, a spokeswoman said Monday.

Sayles worked for the police department for almost six years, according to Dyck. The interim chief said he couldn’t comment on whether Sayles would have been fired.

Dyck said of Sayles’ resignation: “It helps the healing process at the police department.”

Sayles’ resignation — along with the recent resignation of another officer for personal reasons — has created two vacancies in the department.

Dyck said he expects to hire two officers by the end of July. In the meantime, he said: “It puts a little more work on everyone until the positions are filled. We are having to fill some shifts on overtime.”

Selma had a third vacancy when Officer Perfecto Barbosa left to work for the San Francisco Police Department.

However, reserve officer Justin Holt moved into a full-time position in the police department. Holt worked two years as a reserve.

Meanwhile, Dyck provided these details about the patrol car crash. An officer was responding to a call for service about 11 p.m. Saturday, May 5. A piece of equipment slid off the front seat, and when the officer reached for it, the officer drove the patrol car into a parked 2000 Chevrolet Suburban on Dockery Avenue, south of Nebraska Avenue.

The patrol car was totaled, according to City Manager D-B Heusser. The city will replace it for about $35,000, which will cover purchasing and equipping the vehicle, Dyck said. City insurance will pay for the replacement.

The insurance company for the Suburban’s owner filed a claim with the city for $5,907, the amount of repairs. The city’s insurance will cover that cost, too, according to City Hall.

Dyck said he couldn’t discuss whether the officer faces discipline. However, he said, “Whenever there is a collision, there is follow-up.”

Troy cop snared in sting files to retire

TROY — A veteran city police sergeant facing Internet sex charges has filed for retirement, state records show.

Sgt. Patrick Rosney was suspended without pay after his June 1 arrest in an online sting conducted by the New York Police Department Vice Enforcement Division.

City payroll records show Rosney earned $89,167 last year. His 2012 base salary is $68,000.

Rosney, 53, of East Greenbush, has 26 years of service as a city police officer. He is credited with 31.21 years of service, the state comptroller's office said Tuesday.

The total amount of his pension benefit was not immediately available. It usually takes time for the exact figure to be calculated.

In the sting, an NYPD detective pretended to be a 14-year-old girl who allegedly chatted with Rosney by AOL and Yahoo instant messaging.

Rosney, a records officer, allegedly sent the messages from his home computer. Rosney did not use any department computers, Troy police officials said.

Rosney, who is free on $30,000 bail, is scheduled to return to court Friday in Queens to answer felony first-degree dissemination of indecent material to minors and misdemeanor attempted endangering the welfare of a child charges, a spokeswoman for Queens District Attorney Richard Brown said.

Rosney was arrested June 1 by NYPD detectives when he reported to work at Troy police headquarters.

His badge and service weapon were taken and he was immediately suspended

Two Notable Lawsuits Allege Police Misconduct in Harrisburg

 

In a story reported by CBS 21 News, a number of police officers in the city of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, have been sued in two separate civil lawsuits. Click here to view the CBS 21 News report.

These two notable lawsuits include:

1. Wrongful arrest and imprisonment. While en route to drop off a package as part of his job in publishing, a man found himself surrounded by cops and arrested. Not only was he arrested, but he was put behind bars. It took awhile for the authorities to figure out that the man's father, who has the same name, was the one who should've been arrested.

2. Injuries inflicted by the police. He may have been "mouthing off," says his attorney, but he was mouthing off while in handcuffs, and mouthing off is not a reason for the police to use force. The prosecutor is said to have investigated the incident and found nothing "criminal," unless you count a broken tooth, bruised ribs and a compressed fracture.

Not only have the police been sued, but the police department and the city of Harrisburg itself, according to CBS 21 News.

Former Fairfax, Va., County cop Ted Sibert says officer had no justification to enter family's home

CULPEPER, Va. (WUSA) - Just four months before Culpeper police officer Daniel Harmon-Wright shot and killed Patricia Cook who was unarmed sitting in her Jeep Wrangler, the officer used excessive force on the Wilson family.

"I see a gun to my face. It was terrifying, a little scary," said Patrick Wilson, 19.

Harmon-Wright was searching for Patrick's younger brother who somebody thought looked suspicious, even though he was on his way to school. Court documents say Harmon Wright drew his gun and demanded he be allowed inside. The boy's mother was scared and said no, but finally let him.

"He had no right to be in their house, should no be pushing way into the home," said Ted Sibert, an attorney, former prosecutor and former Fairfax County police officer. He says before police enter a home, they need either a warrant, consent, or an emergency situation. Otherwise, it's a violation of one's constitutional rights.

"I can't see there was any justification for entering the home and searching the house," he said.

After reading through court documents, Sibert sees similarities between that incident and the killing of Patricia Cook. "It's all about excessive use of force. It's of the same ilk."

Officer Harmon-Wright's only punishment concerning the incident at the Wilson home was this letter of reprimand. Sibert believes if it had happened in Fairfax County, the officer would have had to receive additional training.. And a possible suspension.

"I think they would have considered it a major violation. In nothing else, for the liability of the police department."

The husband of Patricia Cook has already filed a civil suit against Harmon-Wright, now it's likely he'll expand that to include the police department.

The next hearing in the case is July 24th for Harmon-Wright's motions which include a change of venue. His lawyer says he can't get a fair trial in the Town of Culpeper. The prosecutor says he certainly can and he'll fight the motion.

 

Former Hopewell police officer arrested after standoff

 HOPEWELL, Va. --

A former Hopewell police officer who barricaded himself inside his residence and held Virginia State Police at bay earlier Wednesday surrendered peacefully and was arrested on an abduction charge.State police identified Bobby CoPenny Jr., 41, of the 5000 block of Moody Drive as the man taken into custody and who had been indicted in the January abduction of an 18-year-old woman. City police had asked state police assistance in investigating the abduction incident.CoPenny is being held in the Dinwiddie County Jail without bond and is scheduled to be arraigned June 27 in Hopewell Circuit Court. CoPenny had been a uniformed Hopewell officer since 2003 and was fired in February; he had been suspended in January.The barricade situation earlier today lasted nearly 90 minutes and involved no injuries.

DeKalb cop charged with DUI

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

A DeKalb County police officer was arrested Sunday for driving drunk, according to jail and police records.Fredrick A. Hicks, 41, was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol, reckless driving, driving in an improper lane and speeding, DeKalb County jail records show.DeKalb police arrested Hicks on I-85 near Clairmont Road, authorities said. A 10-year officer with the department, Hicks was booked into the DeKalb jail around 7:30 a.m. Sunday and was released that afternoon on $2,500 bond.DeKalb police spokeswoman Mekka Parrish said Hicks will be placed on restrictive duty, assigned to working at a desk, pending an internal investigation and the adjudication of the charges

Slammer for ‘Tiffany’s’ cop

A drunken off-duty cop who neglected to brake fast at Tiffany’s was sentenced yesterday to six months in jail. Raphael Ospina, 28, will do the time for ramming his Chrysler 300 sedan into a tree outside Tiffany’s flagship Fifth Avenue store and then careening into the pricy bauble joint itself, back in February 2010. Ospina suffered a broken hip and five broken ribs, while his two passengers suffered lasting, debilitating injuries, and the sidewalk outside the granite storefront was left bloodstained and littered with glass. Ospina’s blood-alcohol level was .13, well above the legal limit of .08. “My life is over. My career is over,” he told cops at the hospital.

Earlier woe for killer Bx. cop

A cop scheduled to turn himself in today on a manslaughter charge in the shooting death of an unarmed Bronx teen is also a defendant in an unrelated police-brutality suit.

A Bronx grand jury will hand up indictments today against Officer Richard Haste in connection with the death of Ramarley Graham, 18, on Feb. 2, sources said.

Haste, a four-year NYPD veteran, was part of a narcotics unit that followed Graham into his Wakefield home believing he had a gun, officials said. Haste shot the teen in the bathroom in front of his little brother and grandmother. A suit filed last year named Haste as a defendant in a police-brutality case. Although Haste is not accused of participating in the attack, he is accused of lying to help cover up a false arrest.

DPD Officer Suspended For Alleged Family Violence

The Dallas Police Department sends word that it has suspended officer Jakarsha Carter following a family violence call early this morning. According to the police report, Carter, 29, and a 25-year-old woman were arguing in a car in the 9800 block of Sophora Circle just after midnight. When the woman took her seat belt off, Carter allegedly grabbed her by the left arm and shoved her head into the passenger window. The woman left the car and fled down the street. Carter, who joined DPD in January 2010, was charged with misdemeanor assault and placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of her trial and an administrative investigation. The Dallas County Jail had no mug shot for Carter. Spokeswoman Carmen Castro said that happens sometimes with misdemeanors. Carter posted a $1,500 bond this afternoon