Lydia P. Jackson, LA state senator for shreveport

I think it goes beyond the academy. Given that some states will wait up to 2 years before they even send the recruits to academy I cant just blame it. Its an internal culture problem where over the years police have learned they can get away with more “indiscretions” shell we call them. As shown in the market place video, its turned into a “I’m up here your down there” mentality where the basic citizens are turned into peasants and the police are our ruling lords. I think part of that is due to not having cops actually walk a beat through a neighborhood giving them face to face time with the people they are suppose to be protecting. Part is from blaming them on increased/decreased crime when the stats goes up & down and a large part is turning them into revenue agents. Then there’s problems in the system with holding them accountable when they do break the law.

You can see a smaller version happening at some Renaissance Fairs where the actors who play nobility start acting like they are really nobility behind sceans, until some one knocks them down a peg or two. At least there they can be knocked down, not nearly as easy to do with a cop.

The reason it isn’t unlawful imprisonment is that the phone call is not associated with the arrest. For it to be unlawful imprisonment you have to be inprisoned falsely. And it has to be known that the inprisonment is false. The phone call is irrelevant in that. The inprisonment was for the DUI and regardless of the assault it was legally justifiable. At least I haven’t seen any claims that the DUI arrest itself was false. There is a saying that two wrongs don’t make a right. Same applies here. Just because of the assult doesn’t mean the DUI goes away. If she should get away with the DUI because of the procedural violation and assault by the officer. Then you have to agree the reinstatement of the officer was also justified since the polygrapher violated procedure and the officers transgression should be forgiven. I don’t beleive that. I don’t think you do either. But you would have to to be consistent in your statement. Granted the DA will often drop the charges is such cases as long as they are not violent charges. But that is the DA’s or prosecutors choice.

People should be held responsible for their actions. Just because something bad happens doesn’t mean you get a free pass. Also just because you get arrested doesn’t mean you get a phone call. Nor do you always have to be read Miranda. Those are myths. I don’t know how LA does it but some states and/or departments do a cite and release on DUI’s. That means you are arrested, processed, and then released to either a detox facility or someone is called to pick you up. In that case you don’t have to be given a phone call and even in cases that you are allowed a call it is usually done after processing. I can’t tell what part of the detention this is based on the video or the story.

You are correct that if a private citizen did this they would probably be charged with assault and false inprisonment. However the difference is that in most cases a citizen does not have the right to detain someone. While an officer with probable cause does. However in some cases private citizen can. Store security officers routinely detain shoplifters until officers get there and that isn’t false inprisonment.

The officer in this case should have been charged. I didn’t see anything in the story to indicate why this was not done. It also sounds like the police chief did the right thing. He fired the guy and an independent board reinstated him. Also the chief seems to be appealing that decision. Good for him.

Shortly after the Breathalyzer camera is turned off, the squad room camera (mounted on the wall adjointing the two rooms, remember) shakes violently in a distinctive BAM-BAM-BAM sequence. Then the Breathalyzer camera is turned back on, we see other officers come in and out of the room, and eventually the paramedics.

Pretty sure it was put together by one of the Shreveport TV stations, and it was about 30 minutes long. That’s all I can give you.

If an ordinary citizen had kept her in that room to beat the crap out of her like the cop did I think the prosecutor would at least consider the charge. Once the cop violates procedure I think he should be subject to every criminal charge with which an ordinary citizen could be charged. If that’s not how the law reads now, it should be changed, at least for egregious violations like this one.

You may be right on the assault. Could possibly add tampering with evidence. But unlawful imprisonment? Not sure how you got there. She was arrested for DUI. So her being there in jail isn’t unlawful imprisonment unless you can prove that her DUI arrest was knowingly false by the officer.