TheAgitator.com
Update on the Citizens-Recording-Cops Cases in New Haven
Friday, March 4th, 2011The New Haven Police Department’s internal affairs division has released two reports on recent incidents involving police and citizens with cameras.
The first report concerns the department’s SWAT raid on a nightclub where police suspected there was some underrage drinking. (My post on that raid here.) That report found no fault on the part of any individual officers, but did say the SWAT team was inappropriate and that police officers were wrong to forbid the nightclub’s occupants from recording the raid with cell phone cameras. Instead, the report blamed the incident on a lack of proper training.
The second report addresses an incident between then-New Haven Assistant Police Chief Ariel Melendez and Luis Luna, a student who attempted to record two police officers in the process of making an arrest. (My post on that incident here.) Melendez ordered subordinate officers to arrest Luna, to confiscate his camera and to delete the video. The second report is actually quite critical of Melendez, concluding that he behaved in an “intimidating” matter, and that the arrest, confiscation, and destruction of the video were all unlawful.
Melendez has been the subject of at least two other misconduct investigations, including the nightclub raid. He has since resigned from the New Haven Police Department. According to the New Have Independent, he’ll get to keep his $124,500 annual pension.
Last month, the New Haven police union President Sgt. Louis Cavaliere called Mayor John DeStefano’s decision to lay off 16 of the city’s 448 police officers due to budget constraints a “disgusting embarrassment”. New Haven cops also called in sick and took to the streets and blocked traffic to protest the layoffs. When asked how those tactics protect New Have from crime, Cavaliere suggested residents take up arms.
“When asked how those tactics protect New Have from crime, Cavaliere suggested residents take up arms.”
Exactly when did this url, formerly a blog by one Radley Balko, become a mirror site for “The Onion?”
Obviously when Cavaliere suggested that residents take up arms he was being sarcastic although he was absolutely right.
When are people going to discover the the police cannot, will not actually protect them nor are they truly duty bound to do so.
Many police cars have “To Serve and Protect” painted on the side but the sick little joke behind that is that it means “To Serve and Protect the State.”
“Instead, the report blamed the incident on a lack of proper training.”
Well, it’s good to know that the next time I’m charged with a crime, I can explain that my illegal activities were due to a lack of proper training.
What’s that? That only works when cops do illegal things? Well…shit.
So New Haven taxpayers get to pay $124,500 a year to this douchenozzle for the rest of his life?
I shoulda been a police chief.
Gee, 124K for a disgraced cop…and New Haven is out of money. Wonder if there is any link?
A $124,500 pension???. Am I missing something here? I thought pensions were typically a percentage of an averaged annual salary.
What pension fund do they have? Microsoft EBIT?
“When asked how those tactics protect New Haven from crime, Cavaliere suggested residents take up arms.”
Well, you can’t find fault in the guy for telling the truth.
Delegating the responsibility for self-defense to an unaccountable superagency is exactly the reason why the world is so fucked up.
I applaud Cavaliere’s cavalier attitude toward his “profession,” also known as a protection racket.
For the millionth time, I ask how anarchy could possibly be any worse than the status quo. Or to put it another way, if the status quo is so beneficial to a given individual, what does that say about that individual?
I’ll tell you what it says, it says that said individual benefits at the expense of those forced to fund his/her lifestyle.
@#1 – he’s shilling for the Zweibel/Baruch/Jemima oligarchy
Good advice, even if the guy backed into it accidentally.
Now, if they would just refrain from hassling peaceable individuals who choose the most effective tool of self defense.
I did an IT contract for the Orange County Sheriff’s Department (OC California) many years ago and the homicide detectives I talked all said they didn’t believe citizens should be allowed to have guns. Bastards!
And cops wonder why everyone hates them.
When would it ever be legal SOP to delete a pic/video?
Perhaps the first crime the people of New Haven should have taken up arms against was the disorderly conduct of the people blocking traffic on a public street.
@13 That would be New Haven’s largest street gang.
Sgt Cavaliere flippant remark about arming ourselves is excellent advice it would make it possible to replace useless pieces of excrement like himself. America has no place for non serving public servants. It is a crime when ANY public servant can retire with a pension of $125,00.00 the more they run their mouths the more taxpayers find out how really selfish they are and how little we need these bozos.
[...] news on the subject. [...]
Certainly, it’s all merely a small matter of police training. In fact, their training complete;u omitted that bothersome Bill of Rights that our H.S. Civics teachers made us practically memorize.
The police aren’t responsible for knowing anything about the 1st Amendment, but you can bet they know the police department overtime rules and compensatory time rules: By HEART.
OT:
http://www.powelltribune.com/news/item/6358-police-officers-weren%E2%80%99t-sure-where-flashbang-would-land
jury gave her $30,001
she wanted more
[...] update on police misconduct in New Haven incidents of citizens recording cops. Does anyone other than me find extremely [...]
“When asked how those tactics protect New Have from crime, Cavaliere suggested residents take up arms.”
Finally a cop with some brains in his head, I agree wholeheartedly, while the residents take up arms, they should fire ALL the cops in New Haven, if they’re willing to let the residents arm themselves.
[...] Yesterday I posted on two internal affairs reports addressing citizens-recording-cops incidents in New Haven, Connecticut. [...]