Looks like a jailor is in some hot water. Many detention officers are really good people that perform a service to the tax payers as well as the inmates, but some cross the line far to often, forgetting that inmates are people also. Just because someone is in prison or jail does not mean that they deserve to be treated like this. I commend Miami County for taking some action criminally against this jerk. Here is the article from KCTV5.
Kansas AG files charges against jailor accused of using excessive force MIAMI COUNTY, KS (KCTV) -
By Laura McCallister, Multimedia Producer -
By Eric Chaloux, Reporter -
A couple of years ago, a former Miami County Jail inmate lost a federal civil lawsuit against a jailor and Miami County Officials, claiming excessive force from a 2009 incident. There is now a new twist in the case as the Kansas Attorney General has just filed criminal charges against the jailor.
Dennis Roberts used to deal with a lot of men who were on the wrong side of the law as a jailor in Miami County over the last five years.
Roberts left the job as an investigation began in January at the county jail in Paola, KS that involved inmate Tyler Hendry. A spokesman for the jail said the sheriff watched a video tape of the 2012 incident between Hendry and Roberts and turned it over to the Kansas Bureau of Investigations. No details are available about the 2012 incident that was caught on tape.
On Friday, the KBI's case led to the Kansas Attorney General filing misdemeanor charges from the January incident for mistreatment of a confined person and another count of battery. In the case of the inmate that claimed excessive force against Roberts for the 2009 incident that failed in federal civil court, the attorney general just decided to file two more criminal counts against Roberts for mistreatment of an inmate and battery. A spokesman for the AG declined to comment on the case Tuesday.
KCTV5's Eric Chaloux spoke to Christopher Johnson, the alleged victim from 2009, by phone. Johnson said he was tased numerous times inside the jail after a scuffle between he and Roberts broke out over a reported jail rule violation. "I'm finally glad to see here is some justice being done. This type of thing should not happen. I am glad the KBI and AG's office took the time to investigate and that there were things that were not right with the situation," said Johnson during the phone conversation.
Roberts told KCTV5 News he had no comment. He'll make his first appearance before a Miami County judge March 8.
I came across this the other day, and it is one of the most rampant abuses of police power I have seen in awhile. I understand forfeiture law, and how the police have the ability to confiscate the expected proceeds of drug sales and drug activity. I even see where it has a useful purpose in some limited cases. But this type of shakedown mentality is just appalling. What kind of a police state is Tennessee running? With competing agencies fighting over the ability to pull over drivers passing through so that they can confiscate cash off of the driver and not even charge them with a crime.
It seems like they are running a very expensive toll road. Check out the video.
If this type of stuff is allowed to continue we all need to take a good long look at the laws in this country. Some of the memorable quotes included.
"We are taking advantage of how the laws are, to use the money to be able to put back to fight the drugs." -Police Chief
Reporter: "So if these officers don't come up with cash then they might lose their job?" Police Chief: "It's a possibility, yes"
Reporter: "It looks like they are not concerned with stoping the drugs they just want the money?" Police Chief: "That shouldn't be the case but thats what it looks like."
As anounced a few weeks ago, President Obama will travel through the Kansas City metro area today on his way to a small town south of Kansas City called Osawatomie. President Obama is scheduled to land in Kansas City today and travel down to the small town to deliver a speach. Be assured his motorcade will cause some problems traveling in the metro especially with the fresh snow. With the presidential visit upon us I thought I would take a minute to explain why the president will get to speed through town, as well as what he will be riding in.
The Car
Here is the prediential limo. Also known as "Cadillac One," "Limo one," or "the Beast." Now much of it's bells and whistles are classified, but here is what we know about the car. The current presidential limousine entered service on January 20, 2009. According to the manufacturer, General Motors, the 2009 Cadillac presidential limousine is the first not to carry a specific model name.The vehicle's outward appearance carries many current Cadillac styling themes, but doesn't exactly resemble any particular production vehicle. The body itself seems to be a modification of the immediately previous DTS-badged Presidential limousines, but the vehicle's chassis and driveline are assumed to be sourced from the GMC Topkick commercial truck.Many body components are sourced from a variety of Cadillac vehicles; for example, the car apparently uses Cadillac Escalade headlights, side mirrors and door handles. The tail of the car seems to use the taillights and back up lights from the Cadillac STS sedan. Although a price tag has not been announced, there is a rumor that each limousine costs US$300,000.
Most details of the car are classified for security reasons; however, it is knownthat it is fitted with military grade armor at least five inches thick, and the wheels are fitted with run flat tires that makes the vehicle drivable for a certain length of time if punctured. The doors weigh as much as a Boeing 757 airplane cabin door. The engine is equipped with a Eaton Twin Vortices Series 1900 supercharger system.The vehicle's fuel tank is leak-proof and explosion resistant.Due to the thickness of the glass, much natural light is excluded, so a fluorescent halo lighting system in the headliner is essential. The outside crowd is only heard through internal speakers. The car is perfectly sealed against biochemical attacks and has its own oxygen supply and firefighting system built into the trunk. Unseen at a glance are two holes hidden inside the lower part of the vehicle's front bumper, which are able to emit tear gas. The vehicle can also fire a salvo of multi-spectrum infrared smoke grenades as a countermeasure to a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) or anti-tank missile (ATGM) attack and to act as a visual obscurant to operator guided missiles.This is fired remotely by the USSS countermeasures Suburban which trails the limo and contains the sensors to detect the launch of such an attack.The limo is equipped with a driver's enhanced video system which allows the driver to operate in an infrared smoke environment. This driver's enhanced video system also contains bumper mounted night vision cameras for operation in pitch black conditions.Kept in the trunk is a blood bank of the President's blood type.Interestingly, there are no key holes in the doors. A special technique, known only to Secret Service agents, is required to gain access to the passenger area
Since 2001, when the president travels out of town, his motorcade has consisted of about 45 vehicles. While the limousine itself is maintained by the Secret Service, motorcade support vehicles are maintained by the White House Military Office. At times, the president travels in the presidential Suburban, one of two Chevrolet Suburbans with the presidential seal on the sides. The presidental motorcade is allowed to speed and even required to speed for several reasons. Even though it seems counterintuitive speed is actually more safe for the president. It allows the secret service to identify possible threats because anyone trying to follow the president will also be traveling at a high rate of speed. Another reason the president will speed is because wherever the president goes the highways and roads will be closed and the public won't have access to them for a specified area around the presidents motorcade. It is in the interest of the public for the President to move quickly through the area so that traffic won't back up due to road closures. Probably the last and most obvious reason that the president will speed through an area is that he is usually on a strict and demanding schedule.
A federal judge in Kansas today sentenced the last of four buddies who staged an Overland Park kidnapping and bank robbery to time served and probation — the end to a heist hatched by youths who used to work at a movie theater.
U.S. District Judge Carlos Murguia sentenced David Batson, 21, of Overland Park, to three years of probation and ordered him to continue to participate in mental health counseling for anxiety and other problems.
He was the wheel man in the Nov. 10, 2010 theft and previously pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting embezzlement by a bank employee. The three others also have pleaded guilty and were sentenced to probation and time served, which for all of them amounted to a few days in jail.
Batson told police that he agreed to do the driving and got a coded text message from his friend Michael Grace, the insider bank employee, setting the caper into action.
When it was over, Grace told police that he had been abducted at knifepoint by masked men and taken to the U.S. Bank at 10100 W. 119th St., where they beat him and forced him to use his bank key to open the ATM to steal cash. His colleagues at the bank discovered him with a bloody nose and bound by duct tape.
Brenden Connors admitted that he played the heavy for bank surveillance cameras, wearing a Halloween mask and leaving his friend with a bloody nose.
Batson delivered more than $62,200 in stolen money to Jacob McWhirt, who had it a short time before police cracked the case.
Among all four of them, they must also pay a total of $3,822 in restitution to Overland Park police and to the bank.
Batson told the judge he made a bad choice without considering how serious it was or the consequences.
“I kind of just acted on a whim,” he said. “It changed my life completely.”
This is the latest release of Gary Pinkle's field sobriety test. It may give you some insight as to why he plead to the DWI charge so quickly. Here are the tests you be the judge.
1. The one-leg stand
To perform the one-leg stand test, you must stand with one foot six inches off the ground while counting aloud in thousands (one-one thousand, two-one thousand, etc.) until the officer instructs you to stop. You are also required to keep your arms at your side, look down at your foot, and keep your toes pointed.
As with the other field sobriety tests, the officer will look for clues during the one-leg stand test. These include putting your foot down before the test is over, swaying while trying to balance, hopping, and using arms to balance. If you exhibit two or more of these clues, you could be arrested for drunk driving.
The important thing to remember about the field sobriety tests is that the scoring is entirely subjective. Police officers, like anyone else, can show bias if they already believe that you are under the influence. They may cite even minor actions as “clues.” In addition, the one-leg stand test is normally administered in adverse conditions that increase its difficulty. The flashing of the patrol car’s lights, a sloped roadway, and the glare of the headlights of passing cars may make performing this test extremely difficult. Also, people who are over the age of 65 or are more than 50 pounds overweight, or who have a physical condition should not be asked to take the one-leg stand test.
2. The Walk and Turn
While it may seem as though the walk-and-turn test is meant to measure the driver’s physical abilities, this is known as a “divided attention” test. This means that the test was designed to assess the driver’s ability to pay attention and to follow the officer’s directions.
To administer the test, the officer will place the driver in an awkward stance. The driver is expected to stand like this for a prolonged amount of time while listening to the police officer’s directions.
The officer will tell the driver to take nine heel-to-toe steps, turn and pivot off his or her front foot, and take nine more heel-to-toe steps back towards the officer. During this time, the driver must also count out loud the number of steps he or she has taken.
While the driver is taking this test, the officer is looking for certain criteria. The criteria are: inability to maintain balance while listening to directions, missing steps, taking an improper number of steps, stepping off of the imaginary line, turning improperly, or failing to count out loud while taking steps.
3. The horizontal gaze nystagmus test.
One common tactic used by police to detect intoxication is the horizontal gaze nystagmus test, or HGN test. This is one of the many field sobriety tests officers use to determine one’s sobriety.
Police officers will ask the suspect to look at an object (usually a pen). While the object is moved back and forth, the officer is watching the eyes of the suspect looking for a lack of smooth pursuit. If nystagmus can be detected, the suspect will likely be arrested. Nystagmus is an involuntary jerking of the eyes.
However, the HGN test is far from perfect. Many other conditions may cause nystagmus. These include:
• Multiple Sclerosis
• Stroke
• Brain Tumors
• Visual loss
• Sedatives
Unless the police officer is also a well-trained ophthalmologist, his or her tests are often completely inaccurate! Even if nystagmus is properly detected, alcohol may not be the cause. The HGN test is one way to identify intoxicated behavior, but is very ineffective if tested alone.
This week's cover story (Recent article in The Pitch) focused on a couple of Kansas Citians spearheading a movement opposing the use of DUI checkpoints by local law-enforcement agencies. One, Michael Mikkelsen, stands along roads near checkpoints holding a sign warning motorists to turn before going through the roadblock.
In the story, Mikkelsen recalled a Kansas City Police Department officer taking his sign during a protest during the summer. Mikkelsen spent the rest of the night driving to police stations looking for it. He eventually found his sign at a police gas station on Prospect. This annoyed Mikkelsen, and he filed a complaint with the KCPD's Office of Community Complaints.
The police looked into it, and they conceded that they took the sign. But they decided that their officer didn't violate any department policies. The letter sent to Mikkelsen came with something of a warning: "Furthermore, the officers did not cite you, but they could have for you interfering with them conducting official police business — a DUI checkpoint." Read the whole letter after the jump.
Here is a Picture of the Sign.
Here is a picture of the Response Letter.
Tell us what you think in the comment section below...Did the police violate this mans right to free speech? Is this fair? Should the police be able to randomly stop drivers?
