Former NJ police officer who staged his own shooting won't get disability pension

By Jeff Goldman/The Star-Ledger 
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on May 06, 2014 at 9:54 AM, updated May 06, 2014 at 2:07 PM

CAMDEN — A former police sergeant in Camden who arranged for his wife to shoot him in the leg in order to receive a disability pension has been denied in his quest to collect one,according to a report on Philly.com.

A state pension board denied Jeffrey Frett's application Wednesday. A member of the board who heard Jeffrey Frett's case then blasted the Blackwood resident for wasting the board's time.

"No way is this deserving of an accidental-disability pension," John Sierchio said. Sierchio also told the Philadelphia Inquirer it was "insane" the officer was not charged with a more serious offense and that Frett's wife wasn't charged.

Frett, 43, previously admitted that he and his wife had staged the incident in November 2010. Frett pleaded guilty to a disorderly persons offense. His wife, who was pulled over in a van a short distance away after firing on her husband along the side of Interstate 676, was not charged.

The bullet tore through her husband's pants and grazed his leg while he was on-duty, the report said.

A month later Frett applied for the disability pension, citing a car accident in which he was involved in 2008.

If Frett's request had been accepted he would have been eligible to receive up to 66 percent of his salary annually.

Frett agreed to resign from the force in May 2011 when he pleaded guilty to making a false police communication. He served a year of probation and paid $158 in fines.

http://www.nj.com/camden/index.ssf/2014/05/former_nj_police_officer_who_staged_his_own_shooting_wont_get_disability_pension.html

Sober driver arrested on 'trumped up DWI charges' after sheriff's deputy smashed into HER car leaving her with a broken neck

By SNEJANA FARBEROV

PUBLISHED: 11:11 EST, 3 May 2014 | UPDATED: 16:02 EST, 3 May 2014

A Wisconsin woman says she was wrongly accused of driving drunk when a Milwaukee sheriff's deputy T-boned her car last year, leaving her with serious injuries and a pile of medical bills. 

Tanya Weyker, 25, a jewelery designer and blogger from Milwaukee, was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving in connection to a February 2013 accident involving Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Deputy Joseph Quiles - even though blood tests showed that she had no alcohol or drugs in her system.

The driver's neck was broken in four places, leaving Weyker unable to perform a field sobriety test on the scene of the crash, or even blow into a Breathalyzer.

Prosecutors later declined to pursue charges against her, but the woman has spent the past year struggling to clear her name and force the county to pay her mounting medical bills, according to Fox6, which broke the story. 

Deputy Quiles, who in the original accident report claimed that he came to a full stop right before the collision and saw no headlights in front of him, later admitted that he was the one who caused the crash. 

However, the law enforcement agent was never held accountable for filing a false accident report. So far, his punishment has been limited to nine days' suspension for minor transgressions.

On the night of February 20, 2013, Deputy Quiles was working the night shift at General Mitchell International Airport when he pulled onto Howell Avenue, smashing into the side of Tanya Weyker's car and sending it flying into a tree. 

'It was a miracle I wasn't paralyzed,' Weyker recalled the harrowing moment.

As a toddler, Weyker was diagnosed with cancer and had to undergo chemotherapy, which curved her spine and required doctors to insert metal rods in her back to straighten it out. Now, the 25-year-old University of Wisconsin-Parkside student had four broken bones in her neck.

Weyker was too injured to submit to field sobriety tests, but that did not stop responding sheriff's deputies from questioning her about her alcohol and drug consumption.

Weyker truthfully responded that she had a few sips from a friend's drink earlier that night and had taken Vicodin a week earlier to help with the pain from a dental procedure. 

The accident report stated that Weyker's breath faintly smelled of alcohol, her eyes appeared red and glassy, and her speech was slurred. 

In the end, Weyker was arrested on five DWI charges, including drunken driving causing injury. 

In his report, Deputy Quiles wrote that he came to a full stop at the stop sign, looked both ways and saw no headlights - even though the lights on Weyker's Toyota Camry turn on automatically.

But the law enforcement agent was later forced to amend his account of the accident when a surveillance video surfaced showing Quiles' squad car rolling through the stop sign and into the side of Weyker's Camry. 

When questioned about the accident 10 months later, Quiles acknowledged to internal investigators that he was at fault for the accident because he did not come to a full stop. 

Aside for his brief suspension for breaking traffic laws and damaging county property, Quiles has faced no disciplinary action for his falsified report. 

‘I think he was trying to protect himself and his department,’ Weyker said.

Even though she had been cleared of any wrongdoing, Weyker is still waiting for the county to foot her medical bills, which her attorney Todd Korbs says could amount to $1million.

But in the best-case scenario, the 25-year-old psychology major will get no more than $250,000 because of a cap on claims filed against government agencies. 

Quiles, who now appears to move around with a cane, has been on leave since the accident. He recently filed for permanent duty disability for injuries allegedly sustained in the February 2013 crash - but the accident report noted last year that he was treated for only slight injuries. 

In a Facebook post written in response to the Fox6 investigation into her ordeal, Weyker added that what upset her the most about the way she was treated by sheriff's deputies was how they wouldn’t let her see her parents at the hospital. 

‘The only thing I wanted at the time was my parents for comfort, but the officers refused until they paid my bail,’ she wrote.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2619533/It-miracle-I-wasnt-paralyzed-Sober-driver-arrested-trumped-DWI-charges-sheriffs-deputy-smashes-car-leaving-broken-neck.html

New Mexico State Police officer arrested after assaulting repo man

Alex Goldsmith, Kayla Ayres and Katherine MozzoneUpdated: Friday, May 2, 2014, 10:17 pmPublished: Friday, May 2, 2014, 1:33 pm

LOS LUNAS, N.M. (KRQE) -A New Mexico State Police officer was arrested Thursday after allegedly assaulting a repo tow-truck driver. Los Lunas Police say around 3 p.m. they responded to a call that the driver and a man where in some sort of conflict after an attempted repossession.

The repo man tells News 13 he had no idea Vernier was a police officer but, says he was surprised and scared at Vernier’s behavior.

When police arrived on scene, they say State Police Officer Charles Vernier was choking the driver and they ordered him to stop. According to the news release, after Vernier released the man he attempted to run from officers.

In body cam video from LLPD, you see a large crowd gathered around watching the 6’5″ Vernier holding the tow truck driver. Vernier won’t let the driver go until an officer pulls out his Taser. Vernier repeatedly tells police they need to handcuff the driver for assaulting him.

Police say Vernier refused to turn around and comply.

“I’m not being handcuffed today,” Vernier says in the video.

Vernier runs a short distance before falling in the video.

It was only after his arrest that police found out Vernier is a cop.

“No one is above or below the law,” LLPD Lt. Carl Padilla told reporters Friday.

During an interview, Vernier told officers he was restraining the tow truck driver until police arrived. Vernier also said that he wasn’t 30 days late on his car payment, so he told the driver he couldn’t take his SUV.

Vernier is now charged with aggravated battery and interference with a police officer. He bonded out of jail Friday afternoon.

NMSP says Vernier has been with the department for about two years, and was on administrative leave at the time of the incident.

Sources tell News 13 Vernier was already being investigated by New Mexico State Police to determine if he was mentally competent to be an officer.

NMSP Chief Pete Kassetas issued a brief statement on Vernier.

“An internal inquiry will be launched into this new incident immediately. As Chief I take my officer’s conduct on and off duty seriously and I will not tolerate this type of behavior,” Kassetas wrote.

http://krqe.com/2014/05/02/nmsp-officer-arrested-after-assaulting-repo-man/

Officers Knowingly Arrest The Wrong Man And Joke That They Should Plant Drugs In His Vehicle (Video)

By Dominic Kelly, Sat, May 03, 2014

Back in September of 2011, Seaford, Delaware resident Reginald Johnson was pulled over by police officers while driving on the night of his 43rd birthday. The officers believed he was somebody else, and after tasing him and putting him in handcuffs, they realized they didn’t have the right guy. Still, the officers arrested him.

When the officers, Cpl. March D. Russell and “Officer Mills,” pulled Johnson over, they immediately asked him to get out of his car, and without even giving him a chance to respond, they shot him with the taser gun.

"As can be seen on the video, a total of 14 seconds elapsed from the time defendants first requested that plaintiff exit the vehicle and the time plaintiff was shot with defendant Russell's Taser," said Johnson’s attorney Stephen Norman in court documents.

During the arrest, Johnson argued that he had done nothing wrong, and surveillance video shows the moment that the officers realized their mistake.

“Dude, we got the wrong guy,” said one officer while placing Johnson in the police car.

“Someone drop the dope in here,” said another officer, joking about how they should plant drugs in Johnson’s car.

Johnson was ultimately arrested on charges of disorderly conduct and arrest, but after the details of the incident became known, the charges were dropped. Johnson then proceeded to file a federal lawsuit against the officers, and now, he has finally settled with the Seaford Police Department for $270,000.

“By putting that much money on the table, they recognize their officers were out of line there,” said Norman in a statement following the settlement.

Johnson reportedly sustained serious injuries as a result of being tased and dragged on the ground by the officers during the ordeal.

http://www.opposingviews.com/i/society/cops-know-theyre-arresting-wrong-guy-and-joke-about-planting-drugs-his-car-video

Speeding Alameda deputy won't be charged in fatal crash

Henry K. Lee

Updated 7:44 pm, Tuesday, April 29, 2014

An Alameda County sheriff's deputy was speeding when he struck and killed a pedestrian and injured another near Hayward last year but won't be criminally charged, authorities said.

Deputy Jonathan Hamm was traveling above the speed limit in a marked Dodge Charger near Mission Boulevard and Cherry Way in the unincorporated Cherryland neighborhood about 4:30 a.m. April 19, 2013, when he hit 38-year-old Valdemar Flores-Rosas of Hayward and Delia Delgadillo, according to a California Highway Patrol investigation.

Flores-Rosas died at the scene, and Delgadillo was injured.

Sheriff's Sgt. J.D. Nelson said Monday that Hamm had been looking for a car involved in a crime in the predawn hours, when there is usually little pedestrian traffic.

Prosecutors have declined to file charges, and Hamm is still with the Sheriff's Office.

Flores-Rosas' family and Delgadillo are suing Alameda County in Superior Court.

Henry K. Lee is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: hlee@sfchronicle.comTwitter: @henryklee

http://www.sfgate.com/crime/article/Speeding-Alameda-deputy-won-t-be-charged-in-fatal-5437026.php

Tennessee policeman fired after photos show him choking student

By Tim Ghianni of Reuters

The photographs published by online edition of the Daily Mail showed an unidentified officer appearing to throttle 21-year-old Jarod Dotson, while two fellow officers handcuffed the student's hands behind his back, after arresting him at a party near the University of Tennessee, in Knoxville.

The student did not appear to show any sign of resistance, while the officer, later identified as 47-year-old Frank Phillips, held him by the neck until he collapsed to his knees.

John Messner, the Knoxville photographer who took the pictures, described to the Mail how the officer then slapped Dotson around the head a few times before walking off.

Knox County Sheriff Jimmy "J.J." Jones said in a written statement that Phillips was found by department investigators to have used excessive force during the arrest on Saturday night.

"In my 34 years of law enforcement experience, excessive force has never been tolerated," Jones said in the statement, posted on the Knox County Sheriff's Department website.

"After an investigation by the Office of Professional Standards, I believe excessive force was used in this incident," the sheriff said.

Jones said that Phillips had been terminated with immediate effect and that the investigation would be turned over to the Knox County Attorney General's Office to determine if any charges should be filed. Phillips had been with the Sheriff's Office since 1992.

"This incident provides a perfect example of why we are in the process of purchasing officer-worn body cameras (video and audio recordings) so incidents like this will be fully documented," the sheriff concluded.

Dotson was charged with public intoxication and resisting arrest. He was released from jail on $500 bond Sunday morning.

He was among several party-goers arrested, when law enforcement personnel were summoned to a party, attended by a reported 800 revelers, that had turned unruly and spilled onto the streets. Beer bottles were thrown at officers when they arrived at the scene, according to local media reports.

No comment was available from University of Tennessee spokesmen, the university police department or from various student organizations Sunday evening.

(Editing by Dan Whitcomb and Simon Cameron-Moore)

http://news.msn.com/us/tennessee-policeman-fired-after-photos-show-him-choking-student

Officer tripping kids: Video catches Texas police officer tripping, pushing kids

Linsey Bald
Long Island Top News Examiner
April 22, 2014

A video of an officer tripping kids has one Texas policeman sitting at home today on leave. Perhaps officer George Bermudez, a nine-year veteran of the Georgetown, Texas police force, has some time on his hands to review the viral video and rethink his crowd control techniques. Video of a girl’s soccer game shows Bermudez tripping and shoving students as they rushed the field last weekend.

ABC News on April 22 says that the uniformed officer is now on paid administrative leave. Cell phone video shows exuberant high school students running out onto the soccer field after the championship win. The cop is seen tripping students as they rush by and then later shoving other students. The Georgetown police department called Bermudez’s actions “inappropriate,” and is investigating the incident.

In the game, the Vandegrift High School girls soccer team beat Wiley High in the 4A state championships. School administrators tried to warn students ahead of time to remain in their seats, but after the winning goal was scored, a number of Vandegrift students eagerly ran out, despite an announcer urging otherwise.

One of those students was Gray Goolsby, says KEN5.com out of San Antonio. “We get in the dog pile and it's just crazy you know,” said Goolsby, who joined the others after the celebratory goal. Goolsby said the officer grabbed him and spun him around. “I felt this hand grab my shoulder and just pull me out of the dog pile and he says ‘Get back to the stands!’” Gray recounted.

Goolsby says he understand that Bermudez was just trying doing his job, although he concedes that other students, especially those who were blatantly tripped, may feel differently. “I hope he doesn't lose his job over this because we were just trying to have fun and he's just trying to do his job and hopefully everything works out,” added Goolsby.

Georgetown Police Chief Wayne Nero issued a lengthy statement Monday evening, which reads, in part:

As would be appropriate given the circumstances, I have fielded a number of phone calls and emails regarding the recent actions of Officer Bermudez as depicted in the circulating videos. After personally watching the videos, the actions of my officer are very concerning to me as well. As the Chief of Police, it is my responsibility to ensure that this matter is investigated objectively, thoroughly, and in a timely manner without bias. We are doing just that. I want to reassure the public that it is not the position of the Georgetown Police Department to neither condone nor tolerate misconduct of any type.

Nero said the matter has been forwarded to the department’s Professional Standards Division for further investigation and that “consistent with allegations of similar nature, Officer Bermudez has been placed on administrative leave with pay pending the outcome of the internal affairs investigation.” Nero also said that many have been calling for the immediate termination of the officer, but asks for the “public’s patience so that we can ensure that a thorough and fair investigation be conducted and the appropriate accountability take place.”

The game was the first time any soccer program from the Austin area has won the state championship. However, the strange actions of this officer are eclipsing the gameplay and putting the focus on what happened afterwards. Many parents are outraged after witnessing the video.

"These kids were excited. They wanted to celebrate," said parent Karen Morse, whose daughter is a junior on the team. "It was so exciting. In fact, it was so exciting, I jumped up and almost blacked out and hit the woman in front of me! All the kids are jumping over, friends, boyfriends, everybody’s just running. Then I see this police officer just sticking out his leg," she said.

"They just wanted to, you know, go and celebrate with the girls basically and have a good time," said sophomore student Rohan Gupta. "We’re just kids running on to a field to celebrate our team and it was kind of too much. It was kind of a cheap shot going for his legs."

Last year, the Georgetown police department named Bermudez "Officer of the Year."

http://www.examiner.com/article/officer-tripping-kids-video-catches-texas-police-officer-tripping-pushing-kids