Democracy Now: Historic $4.6 Million Settlement for Black Pastor murdered by Denver police

[99th_Monkey]

I wish these kinds of "settlements" came out of the Police Retirement Funds.

As Denver faces a string of police brutality cases, a federal jury has awarded a historic $4.6 million in damages to the family of a homeless preacher killed while he was in the booking area of the Denver jail. Marvin Booker died after he was grabbed and then piled on by a team of officers who handcuffed him, put him in a chokehold and tasered him. The coroner ruled his death a homicide, but prosecutors declined to charge the deputies involved, and Denver Sheriff Department officials never disciplined them, saying Booker could have harmed someone and that force was needed to restrain him. The case highlights a history of alleged misconduct by the police department, and has added momentum to calls for reform both locally and nationwide in the aftermath of calls for justice in the killing of unarmed teenager Michael Brown by an officer in Ferguson


Video and Transcript here: http://truth-out.org/news/item/26886-in-historic-police-brutality-case-family-of-homeless-denver-pastor-killed-in-custody-awarded-4-6-million

[Initech]

1. This is seriously becoming an epidemic.

Glad that justice was served here, but really our police forces have become out of control. Something has to be done.

[99th_Monkey]

2. +100 ~nt~

[merrily]

3. Money was paid, but justice was not served.

[CanonRay]

4. Cops get off scott free, taxpayers foot the bill for their brutality/incompetence

Something doesn't add up here.

[Omaha Steve]

5. Just the bad cops retirement funds

There are a lot of good cops. I work with them.

Disclaimer: I'm a uniformed civilian Information Specialist Technician for the Omaha Police Dept. I'm retired as of Nov. 30th. I was in Public Works at the Mo River wastewater plant before OPD. I went to OPD HQ after I got hurt on the job and couldn't do the required heavy lifting thanks to a union contract.

OS

[valerief]

6. It's up to the good cops to get the bad ones shit-canned. nt

[Omaha Steve]

7. My Dept got three of them last year

Including a Sgt.

Our chief also ORDERED that police personnel (sworn and civilian) must not hamper in any way when we are being recorded 9audio or video) at our job duties. It is a fireable offense.

OS