Verdict upheld against police in gun-planting

[alp227]

Source: San Francisco Chronicle

(05-18) 17:27 PDT OAKLAND -- A federal appeals court upheld $3.7 million in damages Tuesday against the city of Oakland and two police officers who, according to a jury, planted an assault rifle on a parolee's property.

Jurors found in November 2007 that the officers had violated the civil rights of the parolee, Torry Smith, and his then-girlfriend, Patricia Gray, by fabricating a case against Smith to justify his arrest in September 2004.

Smith spent 4 1/2 months in jail before being cleared.

The officers, John Parkinson and Marcus Midyett, denied wrongdoing. Alex Katz, spokesman for City Attorney John Russo, called the verdict a "travesty" Tuesday and said that "the officers are the victims."

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/05/18/BALT1DGQNI.DTL&feed=rss.bayarea

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US Magistrate Edward Chen, an Obama federal court nominee, presided over the initial lawsuit against the OPD.

And how the hell can the police be the victims when the police have usually gotten away with all sorts of excessive force and other civil rights violation and when Mr. Smith and many other innocent people have lost jobs and the pursuit of happiness over a false arrest?

[SkyDaddy7]

1. Just imagine...

How many plant cases have sent innocent people to jail!

...And then think of how many cops who are out there doing this and can actually come home & put their head on their pillow and go to sleep like they are good little Christian cops. SICK!