The Great Police Work Thread

Jiggyfly

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A black mother told police a white man assaulted her child. They arrested her instead.

A Fort Worth police officer has been placed on “restricted duty status” after a viral video emerged Wednesday showing the officer arresting a mother who called authorities to report that her 7-year-old son has been assaulted.

In a statement posted on Twitter on Thursday, police said the department’s Internal Affairs Unit is investigating the incident, which led to the arrest of the mother, Jacqueline Craig, and her two daughters, according to video of the incident that was posted on Facebook.

Craig, 46, and her relatives are black, and the officer — who has not been named by police — is white.

The nearly 6-minute video — which shows the officer pointing his stun gun at teenagers during the controversial arrests — has been shared more than 65,000 times and racked up nearly 1 million views.

Craig was charged with resisting arrest, according to jail records obtained by the Star-Telegram.

Brea Hymond, one of Craig’s teenage daughters, was also charged with resisting arrest and interfering with public duty, the paper reported.

A second 15-year-old daughter was also arrested, but charging information was not immediately available.

Lee Merritt, an attorney for the woman, told the Star-Telegram that he wants the charges against his clients “dropped immediately,” calling them “completely manufactured.”

“We want to see the officer involved terminated from his position as a peace officer within Fort Worth and would also like to see him prosecuted criminally for his behavior — for his felony assault of my clients,” Merritt added. “We would like to see the individual who all this started from — the neighbor who assaulted a 7-year-old child — prosecuted as well.”

He noted on Twitter that police didn’t take Craig’s original report about her son allegedly being assaulted.

On Wednesday morning, Merritt tweeted that he was working to secure the release of both women. By Wednesday afternoon, that release had occurred, according to the lawyer’s Twitter feed.

The police statement said investigators “worked throughout the night” interviewing witnesses and reviewing video evidence, including footage from the officer’s body camera.

The statement asked the public to remain calm Thursday as their investigation into the troubling continues.

“We acknowledge that the initial appearance of the video may raise serious questions,” the police statement said. “We ask that our investigators are given the time and opportunity to thoroughly examine the incident and to submit their findings.”

“The process may take time, but the integrity of the investigation rests upon the ability of our investigators to document facts and to accurately evaluate the size and scope of what transpired.”

The video begins with Craig explaining to the officer that her children told her that a man in her Fort Worth neighborhood grabbed her son by the neck after the child refused to pick up litter.

“You could’ve came to me,” Craig tells the accused man, who stands nearby. “Don’t put your hands on my son.”

“Well why don’t you teach your son not to litter,” the officer responded. :picard

Craig then replied, “He can’t prove to me that my son littered, but it doesn’t matter if he did or didn’t, it doesn’t give him the right to put his hands on him.”

“Why not?” the officer responded.
:lol seriously?

The comment prompts someone outside the shot to remind the officer that he’s being recorded.

Craig, growing pained, tells the officer that he doesn’t know what she teaches her son and that children don’t always follow their parent’s rules when adults are out of sight.

The officer replies that if she keeps yelling it’s going to “piss me off and I’m going to take you to jail.”

As tensions rise, the video shows Hymond, 19, step in front of Craig and begin to push her away from the officer. At that point, the officer grabs the teenager from behind before aggressively pushing her to the side, knocking Craig to the ground and shoving a taser into her back and then pointing the weapon at others at the scene.

Merritt told KXAS-TV that Craig’s teenage daughter stepped in between the officer and her mother to de-escalate the situation.

As the officer grabs the teen’s shoulder from behind a voice screams, “Don’t grab her! Don’t grab her!”

As the incident unfolds a woman can be heard telling the officer that he is “on live.”

The video shows the officer arresting Hymond while the person filming follows him with her phone yelling profanities and telling the officer that he’s “arresting a 15-year-old.”

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/a-black-mother-told-police-a-white-man-assaulted-her-child-they-arrested-her-instead/ar-BBxt7N3?li=BBnb7Kz
 

Jiggyfly

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The only reason I can think of for the sudden and extreme response was that he thought maybe the guy was calling someone on the phone to come attack the police. It's all very strange. Officers are on such high alert at all times that it seems like the most mild thing can set them off.
You can hear the guy talking to his mother.
 

fortsbest

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Ok, for openness sake I will tell all of you that this officer works in my division. I am in WI again this year and only have a little more information you all do. What I have been told is that what is seen on the video is not all there is to the incident. Since I will likely have to review the investigation I'll reserve comment and conversation on the incident other than to say, the video is obviously a poor showing for this officer.
 

Jiggyfly

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Get shot playing with a toy gun in Walmart, walk into a police station fully strapped and get a stern warning.

Seems legit.

 

Cotton

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Stupid asses. It's amazing they didn't get their dumbasses shot.
 

2233boys

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I am curious if a lot of our policing issues could be better solved with better and more extensive training.

I'd be interested to know from [MENTION=49]fortsbest[/MENTION] what is the length of the training it takes to become police officer and is there any ongoing training/certifications an officer has to maintain.

If the training is standard in duration and content (aside from local and state law) throughout the country.

Particularly interested in the training sheriffs officers receive throughout the country and his opinion of the training they receive.

You may not know all the answers or resources, but any insight would be helpful. Thank you in advance.
 

skidadl

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I am curious if a lot of our policing issues could be better solved with better and more extensive training.

I'd be interested to know from [MENTION=49]fortsbest[/MENTION] what is the length of the training it takes to become police officer and is there any ongoing training/certifications an officer has to maintain.

If the training is standard in duration and content (aside from local and state law) throughout the country.

Particularly interested in the training sheriffs officers receive throughout the country and his opinion of the training they receive.

You may not know all the answers or resources, but any insight would be helpful. Thank you in advance.
I view it sort of like a trade. I do know that it is a profession but it is similar in education. I don't think more education is needed as much as more training should be required. Maybe have lower level positions should be created so there is opportunity for experi nice and training to take police officers higher in their careers.
 

2233boys

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I view it sort of like a trade. I do know that it is a profession but it is similar in education. I don't think more education is needed as much as more training should be required. Maybe have lower level positions should be created so there is opportunity for experi nice and training to take police officers higher in their careers.
More education and training is never a bad thing. Many other places in the world have (what I assume) are far more extensive training programs not only for their police but their corrections officers.

My assumption is based on a friend's education/training experience as a state trooper. That was more than 20 years ago, so a lot could have changed. Other countries also don't have as many guns circulating in the population, which I am sure exaggerates our issues.
 

skidadl

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More education and training is never a bad thing. Many other places in the world have (what I assume) are far more extensive training programs not only for their police but their corrections officers.

My assumption is based on a friend's education/training experience as a state trooper. That was more than 20 years ago, so a lot could have changed. Other countries also don't have as many guns circulating in the population, which I am sure exaggerates our issues.
Right, but with a shortage of cops does making career entry harder help the situation. That's why I suggested a tiered training program. But what do I know?
 

2233boys

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Right, but with a shortage of cops does making career entry harder help the situation. That's why I suggested a tiered training program. But what do I know?
I don't look at it as making it harder, but gaining a better trained police force.
 

Cowboysrock55

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That's true but maybe not reasonable.
Yeah it may not be. Frankly I think we just need screen applicants better and do something to break some of the "brotherhood" culture that officers have. I don't think there are that many bad officers out there but they get covered up by fellow officers who feel like it's their duty to protect each other.

But really the only way to solve an officer shortage is to raise pay (benefits) or make it easier to become an officer.
 

skidadl

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Yeah it may not be. Frankly I think we just need screen applicants better and do something to break some of the "brotherhood" culture that officers have. I don't think there are that many bad officers out there but they get covered up by fellow officers who feel like it's their duty to protect each other.

But really the only way to solve an officer shortage is to raise pay (benefits) or make it easier to become an officer.
I'm not defending it but being a police officer is a unique thing that requires a brotherhood, IMO. It is almost like being a soldier. They see and defuse the darkest things in society so sticking together is just part of survival.
 

Cotton

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I'm not defending it but being a police officer is a unique thing that requires a brotherhood, IMO. It is almost like being a soldier. They see and defuse the darkest things in society so sticking together is just part of survival.
I would agree with this. Obviously, there are times that cops do unsavory things that are covered up (which is terrible), but I think the camaraderie (brotherhood) is essential to the job's function.
 
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