'Officer of the Year' Caught on Camera Attacking Man Who Asked for Help

[Project Grudge]

'Officer of the Year' Caught on Camera Attacking Man Who Asked for Help

The victim, 60-year-old Maryland businessman Brian Hudkins, was in town last September to attend a home theater trade show he co-founded, and was booked to stay at the local JW Marriot...

In his official report, Wilson claimed that Hudkins was asked to "quiet down" but refused, and stuck a finger in the officer's face.

The video clearly contradicts this claim, as well as the officer's allegation that he "attempted to push Mr. Hudkins backwards and away from the situation," only to have Hudkins "forcibly push backwards."

Hudkins hands were behind his back practically the entire time, the video shows...

Hudkins suits says he was compelled into a guilty plea on the night of his arrest that allowed him to expunge the charges from his record if he stays away from the JW Marriott, avoids another arrest, and donates $500 to the IMPD's Clothe a Child program.

The victim was lucky he had an "officer of the year" responding and not some regular officer. I also like how the officer arrested another man for videotaping the incident...

[Duckhunter935]

1. Officer needs to be fired

for lying on an official report.

[Mariana]

28. I don't agree.

The officer needs to be fired, arrested and prosecuted for lying on an official report.

[matthews]

29. No he needs to be arrested for assault and then work up the additional

charges from there.

Office of the year. I think that one of the things looked at anymore for promotions or awards for police officers is the number of civilians that you're manged to manhandle, bully, lie about, or assault. The more the better.

[Cooley Hurd]

2. this is what cops do....

...they lie to fit their official narrative. In court. As a rule. And, they're rarely questioned.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

8. You can just see the little piggies' wheels turning in their heads.

Let's see, no audio.... Hmmmm...... He made a terroristic threat! Yeah, that's the ticket! He said he was going to kill me and everyone I have ever loved! I had no choice but to sweep his leg and make him face-plant! On the way out to the car he informed me he had a dirty bomb in his pants so I had to throw him to the ground!

[Logical]

3. Many cops are assholes, and I guarantee this cop will get....

No punishment except a paid vacation.

[99Forever]

4. Pigs hate cameras. n/t

[baldguy]

11. So do people who claim to be libertarians.

[99Forever]

12. Got any proof of that horseshit response?

No?

Gee, wadda surprise.

[abelenkpe]

14. Here you go

http://www.prnewschannel.com/2011/04/19/libertarians-green-light-actions-to-ban-red-light-cameras-again/

http://www.dailypaul.com/290581/libertarian-drafted-bill-to-ban-traffic-cameras-gets-bipartisan-support-in-ohio-house

A quick google search turns up many articles illustrating libertarian opposition to traffic cameras.

[99Forever]

17. And that has what to do with my original response?

Your strawman distraction is weak sauce.

"Traffic cameras," my ass.

[MNBrewer]

18. I'm a socialist and am opposed to traffic cameras

[baldguy]

20. Is it deliberate myopia? Or just the standard ignorant stupidity?

A little of both, I guess.

[JoeyT]

22. Bipartisan support seems to indicate it isn't libertarians that don't like them.

Most sane people don't like them because they're not for traffic safety, they're for revenue generation. It's why towns keep getting caught shortening yellow lights after they're installed.

[Logical]

27. Traffic cameras issue tickets? Get the difference? n-t

[reusrename]

47. Lerp.

Just sayin.'

[nashville_brook]

54. Lerpness factor of +8, at least.

[MNBrewer]

16. When only the Police have cameras, that is.

[morningfog]

57. A libertarian under every post!~

[damnedifIknow]

5. "Well we have to look into this further"

No you don't you saw the video and witnessed this officer attacking the 60 year old man so case closed. Fire him.

[magical thyme]

6. the comments after the article are hysterical...

worth going to link just for the comments



There are upsides to the culture of surveillance. Yesterday 8:20pm
NotSoRandomUTRONBALL
Yeah, but national and state legislations are working on that



Hmmm, didja ever notice Indiana is kinda shaped like Florida without the panhandle? Just sayin'.



"Absent of any additional information at this point, you have forced me to now request every piece of paper, every document related to this case for immediate review by internal affairs," Hite told the station's reporter.

I feel ya buddy, working is hard. Yesterday 8:24pm



Wait, this happened to an old, rich white guy?
The apocalypse has begun. Yesterday

[Brigid]

34. Yeah, the comments were pretty funny.

[reusrename]

48. That's the one that got me, too.

KinglyCitrusUNeetzan


Wait, this happened to an old, rich white guy?

The apocalypse has begun.

[Brigid]

52. Can we give KinglyCitrusUNezztan an honorary DUzy?

I wonder if he knows he's a hit on DU?

[Liberal_in_LA]

53. lol

[Iggo]

7. Yay, Cops!

They're the best!

[backscatter712]

10. QUICK MAN! Post the pic of the cops with the milk jugs! n/t

[marble falls]

33. Just for you:

?itok=Clo8dq6M

Gestapo delivering milk. I would not answer the door for anyone dressed like the fourth Reich.

And where he got the milk:

http://ts4.mm.bing.net/th?id=H.4780733462085739&pid=1.7&w=231&h=167&c=7&rs=1

Commemorated here:

http://ts2.mm.bing.net/th?id=H.4811743166922869&pid=1.7&w=227&h=179&c=7&rs=1

What really happened:

http://ts1.mm.bing.net/th?id=H.4931967819581744&pid=1.7&w=344&h=188&c=7&rs=1

[PatSeg]

9. Surprised he didn't taze the guy

No one is safe anymore. Police all over the country are abusing children, the elderly, the disabled, and even pregnant women. There is seriously something wrong with law enforcement in this country.

[Jackpine Radical]

19. I sometimes wonder if we're not just hearing more about it these days.

Certainly the cops have been attacking the populace for many years.

Haymarket Square comes to mind. I also have an acquaintance who had been a captain in the State Patrol who talks about his time on the force, many years ago, when he and others would find any excuse to beat the hell out of motorists they had stopped.

There were no squad car cameras in those days. He also said that when he went to court to testify, when he swore to "tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth," he modified it in his head to "the truth, the whole truth, and whatever it takes to convict the sonofabitch."

I also think of the many stories I heard in Milwaukee years ago about a brutal police chief named Breier and his out-of-control cops with their throw-down weapons running roughshod over minority neighborhoods.

Maybe we've had for a cop problem for generations but we're just now recognizing it because of the universality of recording devices. The cops' version of the story was all that ever got out to the public in the past, but the power of the citizenry to document events and distribute the documentation via Youtube, etc. has leapt upward in scale by at least a couple of orders of magnitude in recent years.

[Ed Suspicious]

25. Absolutely! That's why the behavior seems

to be so deeply ingrained. They're having a real hard time adjusting to the ubiquitousness of the cell phone camera because they have been able to operate in the dark exactly tho way for so long. I'm willing to bet we're seeing much less excessive force ready due to the cameras. It makes me cringe thinking of what it must have been like when it was all arrested person's word vs professional court witness (cops) word.

[PatSeg]

63. Oh that definitely occurred to me

I spent most of my life in the Chicago area and the stories of police brutality and corruption was very common. Video cameras and smart phones everywhere have certainly made us more aware of the abuse.

What is bothering me is the overuse of tazers and that police have become more like soldiers and less like cops. I head recently on television that police departments get money from the federal government to fight terrorism and they buy a lot of military equipment with it. A lot of cities are starting to look like a futuristic police state.

I would have thought with the increased use of videos, police would be more restrained though. Of course, this might BE restrained.

[Auggie]

13. Bad cop -- hot head and a liar. Fire his ass.

[Mariana]

30. Bad cop -- hot head and a liar and a criminal.

Fire his ass, and arrest him and prosecute him for the assault and the false report.

[jimlup]

15. Cops have learned that

They can say whatever the hell they want and most people will accept their story over others. Video is the only way of countering this effect and should be used extensively to stop police abuse. That video taping cops is illegal now in some cities and states is an outrageous restriction on personal liberties.

[Ed Suspicious]

26. The most outrageous indeed.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

39. I used to know a cop who would wave his pen and say "I have the power of the pen!"

"Whatever I write in my report is true!"

Then there is a story told by a Chicago cop: the prosecutor was teaching an academy class on Probable Cause for searches. After the class ended, the police instructor came back in and told the recruits "forget what he just told you, the only probable cause you need is the pen in your pocket"

[Th1onein]

61. Don't spread the lie that videotaping cops is illegal in this country. It is NOT.

The SC has ruled that it is legal to videotape cops, period. They are public servants that have no expectation of privacy in a public space. Period. It is NOT illegal to videotape them, despite what some would have you believe.

[JimboBillyBubbaBob]

21. The color of the shirt.....

.....may be blue, yet the doctrine is brown. We've seen this movie before.

[A Simple Game]

23. Perhaps the chief should be "forced" to take some unpaid leave.

Maybe that would adjust his attitude.

We need civilian review boards, police can not be trusted to "police" themselves.

[The Wizard]

31. In a word

Gestapo

[Brigid]

32. I love this from the comments:

"Wait, this happened to an old, rich white guy? The apocalypse has begun."

[The Wizard]

35. To avoid arrest and beating, don't call the police for anything(NT)

[AnotherMcIntosh]

36. Is this guy strung out on steroids and experiencing 'roid rage?

[Taitertots]

37. Two laws would end police abuse and improve the Judicial system

1. Require that police record everything they do while on duty. Literally make them wear helmets with cameras on them. Gun cameras, tazer cameras....

2. Create an independent division in the Judicial system that exists with the sole purpose of oversight for police officers. The monitors would be selected democratically.

An a bonus would be creating a new felony called "Criminal misuse of Police Authority". Basically, 20 years mandatory if you commit a felony while on-duty, in uniform, claiming to be a police officer....

[Hassin Bin Sober]

40. Agree.

Especially about the cameras. It would cut down on the rude behavior and outright abuse.

[tumtum]

44. There's already such a law.

An a bonus would be creating a new felony called "Criminal misuse of Police Authority". Basically, 20 years mandatory if you commit a felony while on-duty, in uniform, claiming to be a police officer....

It's called Oppression Under the Color of Badge, and it is a Felony with stiff sentences.

[hootinholler]

45. And just who is going to enforce it?

I am just wondering if anyone has ever been charged under that law.

[tumtum]

46. The District Attorney's and Courts enforce it and, yes, it is used often.

Case in point.

Troopers Indicted After Roadside Cavity Search Of Two Women

DALLAS (CBS 11 NEWS) - CBS-11 has learned two state troopers involved in a controversial roadside cavity search of two North Texas women have been indicted on criminal charges by a Dallas County Grand Jury.

CBS-11 has learned that one of the troopers, Kelley Helleson, who left the courthouse after testifying Friday, is charged with two counts of sexual assault and two counts of official oppression.

She was seen on dashcam video searching the body cavities — front and back — of the two women along an exit ramp of the Bush Turnpike in Irving last summer.

The Texas Department of Public Safety fired Helleson.

CBS-11 has learned the other trooper in the case, David Farrell, is charged with theft after one of the women said her prescription bottle of the painkiller hydrocodone was missing after the search.

Farrell initially stopped the women after seeing them throw a cigarette out of their car window.

http://dfw.cbslocal.com/2013/03/22/two-texas-state-troopers-indicted-on-criminal-charges-after-roadside-cavity-search-of-two-women/

[NickB79]

66. Google Glass for all cops!

Honestly, I'm half-serious about that.....

[SamKnause]

38. Cops

Just one bad apple. Ha Ha.

The entire barrel of apples are rotten to the core.

They specialize in escalating every situation into a violent outcome.

They are not your friends.

They are not there to protect and serve.

They can't even handcuff a suspect without violently throwing them to the ground.

They have earned zero respect.

They are always on the wrong side of every issue.

I can't wait until the 1% bust all their unions and hire private security.

When the police start acting in the best interest of the 99%, they will earn my respect.

[hfojvt]

41. some parts of the story do not make sense

First they thought his hotel room was being robbed, so they asked for the cops to be called.

But it turns out they moved him to another room.

Did they explain that and the two guys got upset and started demanding some sort of compensation? And when they could not get the two to calm down or be reasonable, the hotel called the cops?

Otherwise what is the point of the discussion that is going on before the guy is slammed to the ground?

The cops actions do not make a lick of sense in almost any context.

For one, did you see the size of that hotel? That is a BIG hotel and a pretty fancy one. That means the hotel owner, and his main man the hotel manager - they have some clout. They have far more clout (and thus power) than one random member of the police force. You do not just come into their hotel and slam their guests to the ground in the main lobby without their permission.

I have managed tiny little places - a youth center and a community center, and in general, you only call the cops - as a last resort. The last thing you want in your hotel - or any business is some kind of incident like this.

I am kinda surprised that the hotel owner or manager did not call the Police Chief and several City Council members to complain about this.

It only makes sense to me that he gets away with it if the entire force is corrupt and being run like a protection ring, like that group in the TV show "Person of Interest".

[dballance]

42. The presumption of innocent until proven guilty has never really worked and cops know it.

The police report this officer wrote certainly appears to be a complete fabrication. I doubt it's his first time at that rodeo. Law enforcement officers are trained on how and what to write in their reports to make them seem unimpeachable in court. I have no doubt that if you pulled the reports of officers within a precinct or department they would read very much alike. Same words, phrases, descriptions of multiple and various situations. But all with some telling, provocative action that caused the "justified" use of force.

Courts and juries are naturally pre-disposed to believe the police rather than the accused. It's human nature. In the back of most jurors' minds is the that thought "Well they must have been doing something to get arrested." It's not intentional or malicious - it just is they way things really are. Just being in court makes people think you're guilty of something.

Police hate the cameras because, as in this case, they show the lie that is some of the worst people in law enforcement.

As much as I hate the thought of being monitored more I appreciate that the cameras were there in this case.

And yes, I do realize, as I hope everyone else does, the cameras could have just as easily vindicated the officer had his version of the story been true. So, good cops should welcome the additional proof of their actions found on video. What is it we're frequently told be those in power? It's "If you haven't done anything wrong you have nothing to worry about" isn't it? Well, officer Wilson. I think you have something to worry about.

[Plucketeer]

43. Reading the replies here.....

it seems there's about as much intelligent response as this cop of the year demonstrated.

All cops must be low-lifes, eh? LOL - "As seen on TV" "They must ALL be bad - I've seen it too many times on YouTube!"

WHO has time to watch endless hours of dash cam (or wherever cam) footage of cops doing their jobs with professionalism and pride??? Who would dare post videos like that here? You'd be forced off DU for posting such boring, inconsequential tedium!
I've got friends who've spent their lives on patrol - or in a management position. Great folks doing thankless duty that most of us are never even aware of. Are there bad or misguided examples out there? Sure! There's jerks in ALL walks of life.
If you buy a quart of blueberries and one of them is bad - do you summarily toss all of them - or do you remove the bad one? Geesh! The NRA' gotta love the mindset here. Such an incentive to sell more and more guns. Hell, why even have a police force at all? I'm sure Boehner and crew could quickly draft legislation banning public servants in any realm. Yeah! That's the ticket! We all just need to hire private security services. Think of the taxes we'd save. Think of the perfect controls we'd have over how they act and execute their assigned tasks.

[Progressive dog]

49. ^^K&R^^

[The Straight Story]

51. Yep. Like gun threads. Judge the 99% on the less than 1%. Unless we are talking about....

Muslims, Jews, Minorities, Democrats, pot smokers, and so.

The logic is ok to apply though to guns, Christians, pit bulls, SUV owners, smokers, and so on.

When you apply the logic across the board to the latter issues you are a libertarian who hates and don't care if kids die or something like that. Judge the many...but only when it is something you personally hate, then the logic is amazingly sound and people can post a thread a day to bolster their biases and it's just fine. Post one that does not confirm the bias and it gets locked....

[Comrade Grumpy]

58. We have serious problems with cops in this country. Here's ONE DAY'S worth of bad apples:

http://www.policemisconduct.net/

National Police Misconduct NewsFeed Daily Recap 08-01-13

August 2, 2013 @ 2:27 PM by Tim Lynch

Here are the 13 reports of police misconduct tracked for Thursday, August 1, 2013:

Nassau County, New York: A police officer has pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor for pointing his department-issues weapon at a bartender’s head during an off-duty confrontation. He faces up to three months at his sentencing. ow.ly/ny9mG

Richmond County, Georgia: A now-former deputy was indicted on charges of tampering with evidence and violation of his oath of officer. He confiscated a large amount of Marijuana, money, and a handgun and did not document any this in any report of recover the property correctly. ow.ly/ny8dQ

Washington County, Alabama: The sheriff says he intends to fight charges of conspiracy and theft of government money. The indictment alleges the sheriff conspired with others to fraudulently obtain Social Security benefits for one of his employees. ow.ly/nxYIx

Nolensville, Tennessee: An officer pled guilty to a federal mail fraud charge for demanding $200 from a woman in exchange for not arresting her for driving without a license. ow.ly/nxVtg

Shoshoni, Wyoming: A legally blind man says two local police officers used excessive force when they came to his home to investigate complaints about his cats. All the charges against him were dropped. ow.ly/nxSvU

Sedgwick County, Kansas: The Sheriff says two deputies were arrested and booked into jail after a criminal investigation found possible crimes of making false information and official misconduct. They are on administrative leave without pay. ow.ly/nxPDq

Cleveland, Ohio: A police officer who was suspended has resigned from his job. A woman filed a formal complaint alleging that the officer sexually assaulted her at her residence. ow.ly/nxCHj

Rock Rapids, Iowa: A sheriff’s deputy has been accused of sexually abusing a teenager. He was arrested and charged with third-degree sexual abuse. ow.ly/nxAuA

Update: Anne Arundel County, Maryland (First reported 06-10-13): A police detective has been indicted on a first-degree murder charge in the shooting of another driver in a road rage incident. ow.ly/nxzWn

Update: Minidoka County, Idaho (Previously reported 07-02-13): The now-former sheriff has pleaded guilty to felony misuse of public funds. He admitted to using his gas card to buy fuel for personal reasons. ow.ly/nxrYK

Los Angeles, California: A college student mistakenly left in a Drug Enforcement Administration interrogation room for five days will receive $4.1 million from the government in a settlement in advance of a lawsuit. He was in the windowless room for five days without food, water, or toilet facilities. He suffered hallucinations and was forced to drink his own urine to survive. ow.ly/nxcYE

Update: Socorro, Texas (First reported 11-09-12): Charges against two now-former officers have been dismissed by a judge who determined the case against them lacked sufficient evidence. ow.ly/nuP7k

[VADem1980]

64. No guns, no body armour, period.

Police do not need guns, tazers, or body armour. Nationally they should be disarmed of these tools of oppression. All firearms should be locked in an armoury at the station, like in the UK, and only issued out with approval from top levels of command to respond to specific incidents!

Without their murder implements and body armour to hide behind, they would be forced to actually SERVE the public and use their HEADS in dealing with the people.

[Plucketeer]

65. As legend has it...

the last perfect person on this planet was crucified at age 33. But I guess we should be expecting legions of them for our law enforcement duties. See - our species only THINKS it's smart.

These 13 incidents are what's called "anecdotal evidence". If there were only 100 law enforcement officers in total, this would be evidence there's a problem. Now would you believe that Rolls Royce actually has troubleshooting techs? Guys to fix what ought to be PERFECT cars! Go figure!

[DisgustipatedinCA]

68. He'll yes, I expect better behavior on the part of cops than this

Fuck anyone who defends police brutality.

[Plucketeer]

69. LOL!

So it's being intimated that I defend "police brutality"??? Oh hell yes! There's NOTHING that pleases me more than seeing or hearing about folks being mistreated by "the law". Oh yeah - I do so dearly defend their rights to beat the shit out of anybody who jaywalks or drops a cigarette butt. Yeah - keep on believing that. That sort of across-the-board condemnation is the very reason we can't get more GOOD folks to run for public office. Who would want their efforts to be lumped in with those of Louie Gohmert, Steve King or the infamous Allen West?

Part

[Th1onein]

62. Thankless? They are public servants. WE PAY THEM. That's their "thanks."

We DON'T pay them to manhandle our elderly, pregnant women, and just about anybody else they can get their fucking hands on. I am SICK of it, and it happens constantly. These are not isolated cases. They happen CONSTANTLY.

It's no longer a "one bad apple" kind of thing in this country and something needs to be done about it.

[Plucketeer]

67. We're dealing with human beings.

None of which, have a halo over their head. I'm betting there's MILLIONS of law enforcement types in this country. But you'd have them all be perfect and beyond temptation of any kind? Let's round these folks up - and if there's any of them left over we can make congresspersons and senators out of them!

[Th1onein]

70. I don't expect them to be "perfect." I DO expect them to obey the law that they've

sworn to uphold. Yeah, I expect that.

And so should you.

And by the way? Your argument is akin to the "boys will be boys" argument. Fuck THAT.

[Plucketeer]

72. Nope - not "boys will be boys

Just humans will be human. Those who take jobs policing ARE NOT drawn from some special breed. And what you seem unable to grasp is that NO screening process is infallible. However much you expect of us, there's those amongst us who are defective by your standards. Sorry to have to break that to you. Cain killed Able - remember?

[Th1onein]

74. Don't quote the bible to me. I'm an atheist.

And by "us," do you mean that you are a LEO?

[Plucketeer]

75. LOL

Enjoy your perfect world.

[Th1onein]

76. Yeah, I kinda figured you were a LEO.

Seriously, though, what does it feel like to be called a pig?

[Plucketeer]

77. I'm an Aquarius

But to answer your question, find a mirror. Maybe some lipstick would help.

[Brigid]

50. It seems to me that the hotel management could have prevented this.

Why did they move the guest to another room without informing him? And what about the damaged/missing belongings?

I live here, and I know which hotel this is. It's one of the fanciest ones in town, and it seems puzzling that, if a room change was necessary, it was handled so poorly.

[newcriminal]

56. I can't believe Debra Knox is still doing the news.

Sorry off topic but I remember watching her when I was a kid.

[arely staircase]

59. I'd hate to see the rest of them nt

[Enthusiast]

60. I would like this flim to be used as an example in officer training.

As how 'not to react' in a similar circumstance.

[tabasco]

71. They'll take anybody off the street to be a deputy where I live

You just have to swear loyalty to the sheriff. It's exactly the same just about everywhere.