SWAT raids 81 yo's home, breaks his hip, leaves without calling paramedics

[DetlefK]

http://www.alternet.org/news-amp-politics/swat-raids-81-year-old-navy-vets-home-broke-his-hip-left-him-dead-pool-his-own

Excerpts:

"As Crisp was sitting on his front porch last summer, he was met by a heavily militarized SWAT team. The Williamson County Sheriff’s department was executing a search warrant of the home over an incident involving Crisp’s nephew who’d reportedly been staying at the house."

...

"As the SWAT team arrived, they threw a flashbang at the house which knocked Crisp off of his chair, according to the lawsuit. Officers then threw Crisp to the ground and placed him in cuffs. During the assault, Crisp’s hip was broken, according to the suit.

After the SWAT team searched the home, Crisp was brought back inside and placed on the floor by the officers. According to the suit, police refused to call paramedics and Crisp was left immobilized and alone."

...

"He was found a day later by his sister. When she found him, he was lying in his own feces.

According to Boadus Spivey, Crisp’s attorney, police have engaged in a silent cover-up. They have been forced to hire a private investigator to get the information for them."

[A Little Weird]

1. Every one of those cops should see jail for this

I really didn't think my regard for police could get lower but they really outdid themselves here.

[mnhtnbb]

2. I clicked on the story and scrolled down to see a photo--and surprise, surprise--

Mr. Crisp is an African-American.

This is outrageous. Totally outrageous.

[Fast Walker 52]

10. I figured as much

I'm so so tired of this shit, and I can't imagine what black people have to deal with.

[BrotherIvan]

28. Not this shit again

When is someone going to stand up and say, it's not open season on black folk?? When? When will these cops be arrested for stripping the victim of his civil rights? When? Who will stand up for people?

[Cali_Democrat]

29. What a shock!

[avebury]

3. That is a jury I would love to serve on.

I imagine that, given Mr. Crisp's age and the nature of his injuries, the SWAT team probably hoped that he would die before anybody found him therefore eliminating any witness and allowing them to spin the narrative as they wished.

[Ghost in the Machine]

6. I would love to be sitting on that jury with you!

The only thing that sucks about it is the fact that it would be the taxpayers who ultimately paid for any damage awards. I would want to see every cop involved have to give up their homes, vehicles, pensions and anything else you could think of to pay for it, but as I'm typing this part out I find myself a little conflicted because of the impact to the families of the "officers" involved. Their spouses and children, if they have any, shouldn't have to be victimized because of the actions of the jack-booted thugs. Compassion can be so damned confusing sometimes!

Peace,

Ghost

[avebury]

8. I remember a while back reading an article about

a city in Ohio where the City Council was yet again voting on a multi-million dollar settlement on a police brutality case. The head of the City Council stated that he didn't want to sign off on it because he was tired of having to pay all these settlements on police brutality cases.

My thoughts on the matter - The City obviously hadn't learned anything. If you keep having to settle police brutality cases then you need to take a hard look at your police department and institute changes.

The problem with this country is that money is king. You cannot depend upon police departments to do the right thing when it comes to policing their own and actually protecting and serving the public. A militarized police state is the US version of a terrorist group.

If a police department, city, county, whatever refuses to step up to the plate, take responsibility for the crimes that are committed by their employees on their watch then I have no problem with suing them into total bankruptcy. You have to make it totally financially unbearable for them to continue functioning as they currently do. While cops never are held financially liable for their actions, if you bankrupt a police department/town/county whatever, they can't get their salaries paid.

Why should cops be any less financially liable for their actions then those who work in other professions? They should be required to carry the police version of malpractice insurance. Maybe if they realize that there are consequences for their actions they might think twice about what they do.

[Thor_MN]

12. Not only malpractice insurance, the people that hire the officers should have some skin in the game.

They need to understand they have some responsibility for the people they are hiring.

[Ghost in the Machine]

13. "They should be required to carry the police version of malpractice insurance."

Yes, that is a great idea! I wonder if it could be instituted? Make the officers be bonded and insured, just like contractors and a lot of other occupations require.

I agree with everything else you wrote about the city or county needing to step up and do something about these officers that they have to keep paying out settlements for too, but until they do it still falls on the taxpayer. I think the taxpayers need to wise up and step up too. Send a message to their city/county leaders by voting them out and getting someone in there to fix the problem.

Peace,

Ghost

[libdem4life]

27. Been on record for saying this a long time ago...E&O Insurance. Even members of Board of Directors

carry it now. Time for the police to finance their misdeeds. Taxpayers should not have to pay for both salaries and damages done by cops to the taxpayers then demand the taxpayers support them financially by suing the municipality. I guarantee an insurance company will let them know when they've crossed the line...and cancel them. Then they'll be "going naked"...i.e. Not Covered and be personally liable or they could quit.

More important than the assorted body/helmet/dash cameras at this time, although those are important. Even more important, however, is the public now armed...with cell phones.

[daleanime]

22. +1

[Ghost in the Machine]

4. More actions by jack-booted thugs! That poor man, and a Navy Retiree! The police need someone to

police them, and they need to start being prosecuted to the full extent of the law... fuck all this immunity bullshit! Pure and simple abuse of power which, IMHO, should be cause for stiffer sentencing. These stories make me sick.

Here in our small town a few years ago we had a few new young officers hired by the Sheriff's Department. They were dressing in camo gear and looked more like soldiers than police officers, with the attitude to match. Not long after the old Sheriff was voted out after 20+ years in office, the new Sheriff got rid of those guys. Our cops here are pretty cool, but it's a small town where everyone knows everyone and half of them are related in some way or another. We have cops who arrest members of their own families, doesn't matter if they are brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, cousins etc.

The militarization of those who are *supposed* to "Protect and Serve" needs to be stopped... like yesterday! I hope this poor man has a full recovery and sues their asses off. What he endured is just plain WRONG, not to mention CRIMINAL. I'm not a lawyer, but this is a clear case of Civil Rights Violations, with a "Failure to render aid" tacked on.

Peace,

Ghost

[think]

5. How is this not criminal behavior on the part of the SWAT members?

[damnedifIknow]

7. A SWAT team for something like this?

Was it really necessary or just an excuse to play soldier?

[Fast Walker 52]

9. as the saying goes...

shit is fucked up and bullshit.

And cops like this make me sick. Freaking psychopaths.

[eShirl]

11. elder abuse

among a multitude of other things

[DFW]

14. I'm sorry for the families of cops that do this

I'm sure they don't leave their attitudes at work when their shift is done.

But I'm even sorrier for the victim, and believe the cops who perpetrated the assault need to be required to make personal restitution. If city councils are tired of making payouts for incidents caused by cops that behave like this, maybe someone, some day, will suggest to them a simple solution: DON'T HIRE COPS THAT BEHAVE LIKE THIS!!! It HAS to be cheaper to screen applicants for the job than it is to pay out millions every time one or more of them thinks they are auditioning for the lead in a remake of Terminator.

[avebury]

16. I read something the other day that indicated

that cops have a greater chance of abusing a spouse or children then other professions.

It is incredible that no criminal charges have been filed against any of the SWAT cops. A reasonable person would know that if you break the hip of a fragile 81 year old person, dump them on the floor of the house without medical aid and not knowing when (or if) the person would be found that it could result in the death of the person. It smacks of negligence at a minimum and malfeasance at the worst. It makes you wonder if they hoped that he would die and thus not be a witness to what transpired. Without a live witness, they could spin whatever story they wanted to spin.

[gollygee]

15. Disgusting

Why couldn't the cops show him a warrant and say they're searching for his nephew, and then go into the house? At some point we have to assume police do this because they like it - it's more fun to play soldier.

[DetlefK]

18. He sat on the front porch and they threw a flashbang outside of the house.

Wouldn't it be better to remove the bystander and then to throw the flashbang grenade inside the house?

[Dont call me Shirley]

17. These swat officers have no business being in any position of authority. Prison time for them.

[Pooka Fey]

19. This is NOT a 'bug'. It's a 'feature'.

[djean111]

20. Sadly, if the police had malpractice insurance, the insurance companies would fight tooth and nail

and highly paid retained lawyers to fight each and every instance of police brutality, and drag the process out for years and years. And lobby government to limit the size of any settlements.

[ladjf]

21. Police brutality is nothing less than a total disgrace.

What kind of a Country allows it's citizens to be treated that way? nt

[Stainless]

23. Had to click on the link to find out this was in TEXAS

Why am I not surprised? This incident is worse than what happens in a third world dictatorship.

[MosheFeingold]

24. Yet another WOD victim

We lost this "war" before it started.

It needs to stop.

(And, no, I am not pro-drug. To the contrary, it's a family destroyer. SWAT teams, however, are democracy destroyers.)

[frylock]

25. fuck tha police

not one fucking good cop in the bunch? not even ONE?!

[HassleCat]

26. Well. sure

They're the SWAT team. Their job is to dress up in cool black outfits and run around like ninjas. Oh, what's that? To protect and serve? hahahahaha

[Warren DeMontague]

30. Yay Drug War!