Monday, May 29, 2017

Police Officer-Involved Domestic Violence in the News: From the Police Wife Blog (Up to Nov. 2017)

A selection of news article excerpts about incidents involving allegations of police officer-involved domestic violence and related issues from the Police Wife blog. All accused are presumed innocent unless proven guilty. 

I'll update this post with new items as they come in. Please send in other news of interest. 

Read my latest post with news since Nov. 2017

U.S. Air Force could face liability in Texas shooting: legal experts

(Reuters) November 9, 2017The U.S. Air Force’s failure to report the criminal record of Devin Kelley, the man who shot dead 26 people and wounded 20 more at a Texas church, could expose the service to liability, legal experts said.

Kelley was convicted five years ago of assaulting his then-wife and child while he was in the Air Force, offences that made it illegal for him to possess a firearm.

The Air Force said on Monday it did not enter that information into a federal database used in background checks for firearms purchases, something it was legally required to do.... Read the full article here.


Man linked to Texas shooting was discharged from Air Force over alleged domestic assault
Devin Kelley served 12 months’ confinement after a 2012 court-martial for allegedly assaulting his spouse and child, an Air Force spokesperson said.

A.R.Mass shootings often have a domestic abuse connection. In nearly two-thirds of such tragedies in the U.S., the shooter killed an intimate partner or family member, according to a study of 110 mass shootings from 2009 to 2014. The killer had a prior domestic violence charge in a fifth of the incidents, as I reported in Police Wife: The Secret Epidemic of Police Domestic Violence.

(The Associated Press) November 5, 2017, by Nomaan Merchant and Paul J. WeberThe man authorities have identified as the gunman in a mass shooting at a Texas church was discharged from the Air Force for allegedly assaulting his spouse and child, according to an Air Force spokeswoman.

The spokesperson, Ann Stefanek, said Sunday that Devin Kelley served 12 months’ confinement after a 2012 court-martial. He ultimately received a bad conduct discharge and reduction in rank.... Read the full article here.


Man suspected of killing wife, self was longtime Chicago police officer

(The Chicago Tribune) October 31, 2017, Chicago, IllinoisThe man who fatally shot himself moments after his estranged wife was found slain nearby was a longtime former Chicago police officer who had threatened to harm her before, according to her request for an order of protection against him years ago.

Police were trying to make contact with Raymond Zene at his Plainfield home early Saturday afternoon when they heard a gunshot and later found him dead in his garage from a self-inflicted wound, according to a Plainfield police news release.... Read the full article here.


Police officer takes plea deal in family violence case

(Pacific Daily News) October 31, 2017, GuamA Guam Police Department officer pleaded guilty to charges of family violence and assault Tuesday morning, in connection with the February assault of a woman.

Donny Topasna Pangelinan on Feb. 27 was charged with family violence as a third-degree felony, family violence as a misdemeanor and two counts of a violation of a court order as misdemeanors.... Read the full article here.


Dallas Police Officer Arrested; Charged With Family Violence

(NBC 5) October 28, 2017, Dallas, TexasA Dallas Police officer is facing family violence assault charges after being arrested on Saturday.

Investigators say Sr. Cpl. Charles Jones became involved in an argument with his wife while the two were driving. The reports states that Jones then committed an assault against his wife. The two then drove to DPD headquarters and told officers on duty what happened.... Read the full article here.


Former Bellingham police officer pleads guilty to domestic violence, gets suspended sentence

(The Bellingham Herald) October 25, 2017, Bellingham, WashingtonThe case involving a former Bellingham police officer, who was fired last fall over accusations of misconduct and later arrested on charges of domestic violence, has reached its conclusion.

Jacob C. Esparza, 35, of Lynden, pleaded guilty to one count of harassment with domestic violence, a gross misdemeanor, in Whatcom County District Court. He was sentenced to serve 364 days in jail, with 362 suspended.... Read the full article here.


A decorated Cleveland police officer-turned-fugitive takes his life after six-hour standoff

(The Washington Post) October 25, 2017, Cleveland, OhioA SWAT team surrounded a house on the west side of Cleveland at 11 a.m. Tuesday.

Inside was Tommie Griffin III, 52, a former police officer who once worked with several members of the SWAT team. Griffin had spent 22 years as a decorated member of the Cleveland Police Department, until he allegedly pistol-whipped and raped his girlfriend in January, which led to his arrest and subsequent resignation from the force.... Read the full article here.


Former Bellingham police officer pleads guilty to domestic violence, gets suspended sentence

(The Bellingham Herald) October 25, 2017, Bellingham, WashingtonThe case involving a former Bellingham police officer, who was fired last fall over accusations of misconduct and later arrested on charges of domestic violence, has reached its conclusion.

Jacob C. Esparza, 35, of Lynden, pleaded guilty to one count of harassment with domestic violence, a gross misdemeanor, in Whatcom County District Court. He was sentenced to serve 364 days in jail, with 362 suspended.... Read the full article here.


Mpls. Police officer charged in domestic incident

(KARE11) October 20, 2017, St. Paul, MinnesotaA Minneapolis Police officer is charged with threatening violence against his wife and her sister during a domestic incident. 

A criminal complaint details the allegations against 55-year-old James John Lopez, who lives on Sidney Street West in St. Paul.... Read the full article here.


Community support officer ‘raped victim of domestic violence’

(The Times of London) October 19, 2017, Leeds, UKA police community support officer raped and sexually assaulted women he met while investigating crimes, a court was told.

Orhan Yigit, 44, allegedly paraded naked in front of a victim of domestic violence, asked her for sexual favours in return for help to escape her marriage and forced her into a sex act.... Read the full article here.


Police watchdog finds evidence of GMP failures over murder of three domestic violence victims in one year
The IPCC investigation into the deaths of Linzi Ashton, Rania Alayed and Frakhanda Younis says there are 'recurring systems issues around the handling of domestic violence'

(The Manchester Evening News) October 19, 2017, Manchester, EnglandA police watchdog has found evidence of systems failures by GMP after the murders of three women who had suffered domestic violence.

All three victims were known to the force and had contact with officers before they were killed by their partners.

One had been the subject of 46 previous reports of domestic violence.... Read the full article here.


Post Falls police officer resigns due to domestic violence charges

(KXLY) October 18, 2017, Post Falls, IdahoA Post Falls police officer arrested last month on a felony domestic battery charge has resigned.

38-year-old Aaron Ogle, was a senior patrol officer and had worked for the department for nearly nine years. He was placed on paid administration leave pending an investigation by the city and a criminal probe by the Kootenai County Sheriff's Office.... Read the full article here.


EXCLUSIVE: Investigation into way police handled case of domestic violence murder victim 'in final stages'

A.R.The investigation isn't finished in this case, but we do know that when police departments tolerate domestic abusers in their ranks, they're less likely to respond properly to domestic violence in other people's homes. One more way officer-involved domestic violence hurts us all.

(The News and Star) October 16, 2017, Cumbria, UKAn investigation into the way police officers handled the case of Carlisle murder victim Melinda Korosi has reached its "final stages".

The Independent Police Complaints Commission confirmed it has completed its report into contact between officers and the vulnerable 33-year-old mum-of-two in the days prior to her brutal killing at the hands of violent ex-partner Miklos Verebes last year.... Read the full article here.


Envisioning an America Free From Police Violence and Control

(The Intercept) October 15, 2017Images from the mass protests in St. Louis last month against the acquittal of a white former police officer in the fatal shooting of Anthony Lamar Smith felt like déjà vu: raised fists, Black Lives Matter signs, swarms of police armed in full riot gear. But this time, as police made arrests on the third night of protests, they began to chant “Whose streets, our streets” — a refrain that, stolen from the voices of protesters, mutated into an unsettling declaration of power, entitlement, and impunity.... Read the full article here.


Calgary police officer pleads guilty in connection with domestic incident

(CTV News) October 13, 2017, Calgary, Alberta, CanadaA Calgary police officer who was accused of assault and uttering threats in an incident involving his ex-wife has pleaded guilty to the charges.

In October 2016, the Calgary Police Service’s Domestic Conflict Unit began an investigation involving Jeffery Duggan, a 16-year veteran of the force, and his ex-wife.... Read the full article here.


'I had to defend myself': the night Harvey Weinstein jumped on me
All throughout the evening, he flirted and stared at me as if I was a piece of meat. Then he lost control, writes the award-winning actor Léa Seydoux

A.R.A powerful account that raises issues similar to those facing police spouses: power, impunity and derogatory attitudes to women. 

(The Guardian) October 11, 2017, by Léa SeydouxI meet men like Harvey Weinstein all the time. I have starred in many films over the last 10 years and have been lucky enough to win awards at festivals like Cannes. Cinema is my life. And I know all of the ways in which the film industry treats women with contempt.

When I first met Harvey Weinstein, it didn’t take me long to figure him out. We were at a fashion show. He was charming, funny, smart – but very domineering. He wanted to meet me for drinks and insisted we had to make an appointment that very night. This was never going to be about work. He had other intentions – I could see that very clearly.... Read the full article here.


Emile Cilliers trial: Parachute murder bid accused 'unemotional'

A.R.While the charges in the case below haven't been proven, domestic violence in the military is another widespread, hidden problem, rooted in the same issues as officer-involved domestic violence: police power, impunity and derogatory attitudes toward women.

(BBC) October 9, 2017, Wiltshire, EnglandAn Army sergeant accused of sabotaging his wife's parachute was said to be "unemotional and bewildered" the day after the jump, a court has heard.

Victoria Cilliers, 40, suffered multiple serious injuries at Netheravon Airfield, Wiltshire, on 5 April, 2015.

Emile Cilliers, 37, denies attempting to murder her.... Read the full article here.


Las Vegas shooting: Gunman Stephen Paddock 'notorious for abusing girlfriend in public'
'He would glare down at her and say — with a mean attitude — ‘You don’t need my casino card for this. I’m paying for your drink, just like I’m paying for you.’' 

A.R.Mass shootings often have a domestic abuse connection. From my book Police Wife: "In nearly two-thirds of such tragedies in the U.S., the shooter killed an intimate partner or family member, according to a study of 110 mass shootings (defined as the killing of four or more people with a gun) from 2009 to 2014. The killer had a prior domestic violence charge in a fifth of the incidents." 

It's one more way all of society is affected when police get away with abusing a family member, making them more likely to mishandle domestic violence in other people's homes.

(The Independent) October 4, 2017Las Vegas gunman Stephen Paddock was notorious for verbally abusing his girlfriend in public, according to coffee shop staff who served the couple.

The 64-year-old, an avid gambler, was described as "rude" and "mean" by baristas at a casino Starbucks he would often visit with partner Marilou Danley in their hometown of Mesquite, Nevada.... Read the full article here.


Sheriff’s Office recommends three domestic violence charges against Spokane police officer

(The Spokesman-Review) October 3, 2017, Spokane County, WashingtonThe Spokane County Sheriff’s Office is recommending that prosecutors refile a charge of domestic violence assault against a Spokane police officer in a case that was dismissed in July.

A detective investigating the case also believes the officer should face two additional charges, including unlawful imprisonment, said Spokane County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Deputy Mark Gregory.

Spokane Police Officer John Scott was arrested in July on suspicion of fourth-degree assault stemming from an altercation at his home. However, Deputy Spokane County Prosecutor John Love dismissed the case the next day, saying he didn’t have enough evidence to show that Scott was the aggressor.... Read the full article here.


Police sergeant charged with murder of his detective wife
Darren McKie remains in custody after discovery of Leanne McKie’s remains in Poynton Lake, Cheshire

(The Guardian) October 2, 2017, Manchester, EnglandA police officer has been charged with the murder of his detective wife, whose body was found in a lake in Cheshire on Friday.

Sgt Darren McKie, 43, will appear at South and East Cheshire magistrates court on Tuesday after the discovery of the remains of Leanne McKie, 39, in Poynton Park near Stockport.... Read the full article here.


Former acting chief of Findlay police fired after domestic violence review

(The Toledo Blade) September 29, 2017, Findlay, OhioFindlay officials have fired the city's former acting police chief after an investigation of his domestic-violence case.

Sean Young, 46, collected tens of thousands of dollars in wages while on paid leave for several months. On Friday, Mayor Lydia Mihalik announced his termination.... Read the full article here.


Dickson City police officer fired amid domestic violence allegation

(The Scranton Times-Tribune) September 26, 2017, Dickson City, PennsylvaniaBorough council fired a police officer Monday after an internal investigation by police into a domestic violence allegation.

The borough terminated Officer John Sobieski, who had been a full-time member of the force for more than eight years, on a charge “neglect or violation of official duties and conduct unbecoming of an officer.”... Read the full article here.


Domestic abuse victims are ignored because some police officers see it as a 'lifestyle choice', report finds

(The Telegraph of London) September 19, 2017Child victims of domestic abuse are being ignored because some police officers see it as a “lifestyle choice”, a major report has found.

Authorities must undergo a “sea-change” in their attitudes, inspectors have warned, after finding that at times, victims have been “incorrectly held responsible for the risk of domestic abuse”.... Read the full article here and the investigation report here.


New police watchdog might investigate domestic assaults by officers

(The Victoria Times-Colonist) September 14, 2017, Victoria, British Columbia, CanadaThe head of a civilian police watchdog agency in Nova Scotia has been tapped to lead B.C.’s Independent Investigations Office.

Ron MacDonald will take over as chief civilian director of the IIO, which investigates police-involved deaths or serious injuries, on Oct. 24, the province announced Thursday.

MacDonald is considering expanding the agency’s mandate to include cases of domestic violence involving police officers, as well cases of less-serious injury that are in the public interest.... Read the full article here.


What The 2 Deadliest Mass Shootings This Year Have In Common

(HuffPost) September 12, 2017, by Melissa JeltsenIt was supposed to be a fun gathering.

On Sunday, 27-year-old Meredith Hight invited a group of friends over to her house in Plano, Texas, to watch football and grill. A few months earlier, she had filed for divorce from her husband, and she was looking forward to new beginnings.... Read the full article here.


Atlantic Beach police chief on leave with pay after domestic violence arrest

(The Sun News) September 8, 2017, Myrtle Beach, South CarolinaAtlantic Beach Police Chief Timothy Taylor is on administrative leave with pay after he was arrested Thursday, according to a news release from the town’s manager.

Benjamin Quattlebaum, the town manager, said in the statement, “Once the investigation is complete, a determination will be made regarding [Taylor’s] employment status.”... Read the full article here.


How West Midlands Police are failing victims of serious crimes
The handling of domestic abuse cases may significantly increase the potential risk of harm to these victims

(The Birmingham Mail) September 7, 2017, Birmingham, EnglandWest Midlands Police are currently failing to record violent crimes, rapes, sexual offences, and domestic abuse, with cases going uninvestigated as well.

The force is failing to record a fifth of violent crimes and one in 10 rapes and sexual offences reported to it, according to a report by HM Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS), which branded the force as inadequate.... Read the full article here.


Report Reveals Police Arrest Failures in Domestic Abuse Cases
Out of 224,930 warrants issued for domestic abuse, only 1,624 arrests were made from October 2016 until March this year.

(Eyewitness News) September 7, 2017, Cape Town, South AfricaPolice have failed to make over 220,000 arrests nationally for domestic abuse over a two-year period.

The Civilian Secretariat for Police presented a report to Parliament’s police portfolio committee on Wednesday.

Out of 224,930 warrants issued for domestic abuse, only 1,624 arrests were made from October 2016 until March this year.... Read the full article here.


Denver police officer arrested Sunday in connection with domestic violence
Officer Ryan Burke had previous disciplinary incident in 2013

(The Denver Post) September 6, 2017, Denver, ColoradoA Denver police officer was arrested Sunday and accused of domestic violence harassment after sending increasingly angry text messages to a woman and showing up at her hotel, authorities said Wednesday.

Officer Ryan Burke, 46, exchanged 118 text messages from 12:02 a.m. Saturday until 5:30 a.m. Sunday with a woman with whom he formerly had a relationship, according to the probable cause statement for his arrest. The two had been separated for about a week and a half.... Read the full article here.


DeKalb officer faces family violence charge, put on paid leave

(The Atlanta Journal-Constitution) September 5, 2017, DeKalb County, GeorgiaA DeKalb County police officer is on paid administrative leave following an arrest in connection with family violence, officials said.

Master Patrol Officer Todd Eason was arrested about 9 p.m. Friday at his Dunwoody home during a welfare check and charged with family/simple battery, according to a Dunwoody police report.... Read the full article here.


Former Marion police officer’s commission revoked over decades-old domestic violence case

A.R.Michael Stone was able to work for five years as a police officer in Kansas, including a stint as a police chief, before anyone realized he had a prior domestic violence conviction in California, according to the report below.

Kansas law prohibits anyone with a domestic violence conviction from working as a police officer. But three different Kansas police agencies hired the man without appearing to have checked his record. A heavily flawed hiring and screening process for new officers is a major problem in many departments.

(KSNW) August 29, 2017, Marion, KansasA former Marion police officer, who has served as a law enforcement officer with multiple Kansas departments, will no longer be allowed to serve as an officer in the state because of a domestic violence conviction from more than two decades ago.

Michael Stone had served as a full-time K-9 sergeant at the Marion Police Department from 2012 until August 5 of this year, when he resigned his position. He also served as the police chief of the Florence Police Department and had previously been a sheriff’s deputy with Butler County.... Read the full article here.


Espanola Police Chief on Leave After Child Abuse Indictment

(The Associated Press) August 21, 2017The police chief of a troubled northern New Mexico city has been placed on paid administrative leave following grand jury indictments in connection with child abuse and witness intimidation allegations.

Espanola Mayor Alice Lucero told The Santa Fe New Mexican last week she placed Police Chief Matthew Vigil on leave following news of the indictments issued in Taos....

One indictment references an Oct. 30 incident in which police responded to a report from Vigil's stepdaughter, who told police he was "very intoxicated and had a gun" during an argument with her mother. Police made no arrests during the call after finding no indications his wife had suffered physical abuse, according to police reports.... Read the full article here.


Outcry over secrecy surrounding termination of Honolulu police officer, possible pay off

(Hawaii News Now) August 21, 2017Police Commissioner Loretta Sheehan sent a letter Monday to HPD's Acting Chief Cary Okimoto, saying the public has a right to know about the termination of Darren Cachola, a former sergeant, who is trying to get his job back....

The 19-year HPD veteran was fired after video surfaced of him fighting with his ex-girlfriend in a Waipahu Restaurant in 2014.  He has been trying to get his job back since, but earlier this year, his new wife called 9-1-1 saying he tried to strangle her.  Cachola was never arrested or charged in either case.... Read the full article here.


One crime connects mass shooters and terror suspects: domestic violence
Academics at Northeastern University have been studying the common traits of terrorists and mass-murderers

(The Independent) August 19, 2017Before police in Virginia arrested a 20-year-old man they said plowed his car into a group of activists in Charlottesville over the weekend, killing one and injuring 19 others, the same man had come to the attention of law enforcement in another state. In 2010, police records show, the mother of James Alex Fields Jr. called 911 to report that her son had hit her and threatened to beat her. During another 911 call, made the following year, Fields's mother said he was "very threatening toward her," the dispatcher noted.... Read the full article here.


Coral Gables cop, accused of domestic violence, arrested on new battery charge

(The Miami Herald) August 17, 2017, by Elizabeth KohA Coral Gables police officer who was relieved of duty in June after a domestic violence allegation was arrested again on a battery charge against his wife Wednesday night, police said.

Manny Rivero, 39, was arrested by Miami-Dade police at his home in Southwest Miami-Dade on charges of domestic battery, Coral Gables police spokeswoman Kelly Denham said.... Read the full article here.


Sexual torture: American policing and the harassment of black men

A.R.—Police abuses of African Americans are closely linked to many of the same factors that are behind widespread, unchecked domestic violence in police homes: power, control and impunity.

(The Guardian) August 14, 2017, by Paul ButlerHere’s what happens when you are stopped and frisked. You are walking to work on a Monday morning. The cop car stops suddenly, two men with guns jump out, and they order you to face the building and put your hands up. They put their hands roughly all over your body, one squeezes something in your pocket and asks you, “What’s that?” You take out your asthma inhaler and show it to him. They pat you down one more time and then they just leave. They don’t apologize. Your neighbors are walking by, some looking at you sympathetically and others like they are wondering what crime you committed.

You feel humiliated.... Read the rest of the article here.


Osceola deputy threatened to kill girlfriend if he was fired after alleged beating, records show

(The Orlando Sentinel) August 7, 2017, Orlando, FloridaAfter grabbing his girlfriend’s hair, throwing her to the ground, punching her in the face and trying to choke her, Osceola County Deputy Sheriff Michael Keating told her that “if he lost his job because of this incident, he will kill her,” according to investigative records released Monday.

The allegations included in documents from an incident in 2016 that was investigated by the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office. The details came to light after Keating was arrested Saturday and accused of beating the same woman after they went out to two Osceola County bars. The 14-year department veteran was arrested on a charge of domestic battery and placed on unpaid administrative leave.... Read the full article here.


Tucson police officer arrested on domestic violence charges

(The Arizona Daily Star) August 1, 2017, Tucson, ArizonaA Tucson police officer has been arrested in connection with a domestic violence incident, according to the department.

Michael Sauber, who was hired in April 2016 and is still a probationary employee, is facing charges of domestic violence/aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and disorderly conduct, all felonies. He was booked into the Pima County jail.... Read the full article here.


Police officer arrested on domestic violence charges

(WRAL News) August 1, 2017, Asheville, North CarolinaA police officer in North Carolina faces misdemeanor charges related to a domestic violence investigation.

The Asheville Citizen-Times reports that 40-year-old Matthew Sy Rice with the Asheville Police Department was arrested July 27 by the Madison County Sheriff's Office and charged with assault by pointing a gun, assault on a female and assault with a deadly weapon.... Read the full article here.


Police: Bozeman officer shot, killed wife before killing himself

(The Bozeman Daily Chronicle) July 31, 2017, Bozeman, MontanaOfficials say a Bozeman police officer shot and killed his wife before killing himself in Bozeman on Saturday.

Bozeman Police Chief Steve Crawford said 31-year-old Danielle Heninger and 40-year-old Zach Heninger were the two killed on the 100 block of East Story Street in Bozeman on Saturday night.... Read the full article here.


Queensland police officer stood down amid domestic violence allegations

(The Courier Mail) July 30, 2017, Brisbane, AustraliaA Brisbane police officer has been forced to stand down from operational duties after being accused of domestic violence allegations.... Read the full article here.


Columbia Police Officer Charged With Domestic Violence

(LexingtonSCSheriff.com) July 28, 2017, Lexington County, South CarolinaDeputies arrested an officer with the Columbia Police Department after an altercation between the officer and his wife late Thursday night.

Charles Starling, 37, is charged with second-degree domestic violence after grabbing, pushing and elbowing his wife in the jaw, according to arrest warrants.... Read the full article here.


1 in 6 women in Japan suffered violence

A.R.—The article below talks about a disturbing finding that virtually no women in Japan reported their experiences of domestic violence to police. 

A question that isn't asked: How do police attitudes to domestic violence influence whether the women reported incidents?

(NHK World) July 27, 2017, JapanA survey in Japan shows that one in 6 women have suffered violence by their husbands or others but that most of the victims did not contact the police....

126, or 17 percent of those responding, said they had suffered physical or sexual violence. 53 of them said they suffered violence by their husbands or other partners. None of them said they contacted the police.

59 respondents said they suffered violence by people other than their partners. 11.9 percent, or 7, said they talked to the police.

Some of the respondents who did not consult the police said they did not do so because they did not want others to know or because they thought they themselves were to blame.

An opinion survey conducted by the Cabinet Office 3 years ago shows only 1.8 percent of respondents consulted with police about violence by their spouses.... Read the full article here.


Police say Los Alamitos captain shot ex-girlfriend, then himself


(The Orange County Register) July 21, 2017, Seal Beach, CaliforniaA Los Alamitos police captain fatally shot his ex-girlfriend three times with a personal firearm and then killed himself with that weapon, police said Thursday, July 20.

The Orange County Coroner’s Office on Thursday completed autopsies on Capt. Rick Moore, 49, and Westminster City Clerk Amanda Jensen, 37, and preliminary results showed the 17-year Los Alamitos officer used his personal .380 caliber semi-automatic handgun, not a police-issued firearm, said Sgt. Michael Henderson....

Van Der Linden said the DA’s Office was aware of “several incidents” between the pair in the past. Police responded to Jensen’s Garden Grove house three times from September to June 3.... Read the full article here.


Greenwood Police officer arrested for domestic violence

(KTBS) July 23, 2017, Marshall, TexasA Greenwood Police officer was arrested by the Harrison County Sheriff's Office and charged with assault on a family member.

Sgt. Kevin Ainsworth, 38, was booked into the county jail on Sunday. He is a shift leader with the Greenwood Police Department. He lives in Marshall, TX.... Read the full article here.


Pueblo police officer arrested for domestic violence

(KKTV) July 19, 2017, Pueblo, ColoradoA Pueblo police officer is facing charges of domestic violence and assault against his wife, who is also an officer.

Donald Lambert, 39, was arrested following two separate incidents.... Read the full article here.


Former Utah officer sentenced to probation for domestic violence episode

(The Salt Lake Tribune) July 13, 2017, by Jessica MillerA former West Jordan police officer has been sentenced to probation with Utah's veterans' court this week after he pleaded guilty to domestic violence charges.

James Michael Harvie, 30, pleaded guilty last month in 4th District Court to second-degree felony aggravated assault, admitting in court papers that he pointed a gun at his live-in girlfriend last August.

A Utah County judge on Monday suspended a prison sentence for the military veteran, opting instead to order a 36-month probation through veterans' court....

The victim told police that she and Harvie had been arguing for several hours when the man pointed an AR-15 rifle at her.... Read the full article here.


Soldier accused of killing his wife and a New York state trooper, police say

A.R.Domestic violence is also a huge, poorly addressed problem in the military, with similar roots in power, control, impunity and derogatory attitudes to women.

(The Washington Post) July 10, 2017A U.S. Army soldier killed his wife and a New York state trooper outside the infantryman’s home near the Canadian border on Sunday night, according to police.

Justin Dean Walters, a staff sergeant with 10 years in the Army and two tours in Afghanistan, lived with his wife off a county road in Theresa, N.Y.... Read the rest of the article here.


Ex-Coburg police chief pleads guilty

(The Register-Guard) July 6, 2017, Eugene, OregonThe former interim police chief of Coburg pleaded guilty Wednesday to a charge of harassment constituting domestic violence after being arrested earlier this year.

Sean Michael Gilhousen, 50, was sentenced to 1½ years of probation and two days in jail, which he already has served.... Read the rest of the article here.


Southwest Regional police officer charged in domestic incident

(The Observer-Reporter) July 6, 2017, Washington County, PennsylvaniaA police officer faces charges in connection with an incident at his home in Monongahela during which he allegedly pointed his service weapon at a woman.

Monongahela police charged Gregory L. Respress, 25, with simple assault, harassment and terroristic threats after officers responded to 516 Pleasant St. Monday afternoon. A woman told an officer she and Respress had been arguing when “Respress became enraged and grabbed her on the back of the neck then pushed (her) to the ground,” according to court records.... Read the rest of the article here.


Oxford County lieutenant charged with domestic violence terrorizing

(Sun Journal of Lewiston, Maine) June 29, 2017, Paris, MaineA lieutenant with the Oxford County Sheriff’s Office was arrested and charged Wednesday afternoon with misdemeanor domestic violence terrorizing, according to Lt. Walter Grzyb of the Maine State Police.

Grzyb said Brian Landis was arrested at 2:30 p.m. by state police and booked at the Oxford County Jail on Class D domestic violence terrorizing.... Read the full story here.


Franklin police officer put on leave after domestic violence arrest

(WishTV.com) June 26, 2017, Franklin, IndianaA Franklin Police Department officer was placed on leave pending an investigation of a domestic disturbance at a home, the department said Monday....

Officer Schyuler Z. Brown on Monday was preliminarily charged with domestic violence, Johnson County Sheriff Doug Cox said in an email.

According to reports, Brown threw a paper plate with a fork on it at his wife following an argument. It resulted in a scratch under her right eye.... Read the full story here.


The Super Predators; When the Man Who Abuses You Is Also a Cop


(HuffPost Highline) June 21, 2017, by Melissa Jeltsen and Dana LiebelsonAll Sarah Loiselle wanted was a carefree summer. There was no particular reason she was feeling restless, but she’d been single for about a year and her job working with cardiac patients in upstate New York could be intense. So when she learned that a Delaware hospital needed temporary nurses, she leapt at the chance to spend a summer by the beach. In June 2011, the tall, bubbly 32-year-old drove her Jeep into the sleepy coastal town of Lewes. She and her poodle, Aries, moved into a rustic apartment above a curiosity shop that once housed the town jail. The place was so close to the bay that she could go sunbathing on her days off. It didn’t bother Loiselle that she’d be away from her friends and family for a while: She felt like she’d put her real life on hold, that she was blissfully free of all her responsibilities.

And then she met a guy. She’d never dated online before, but an acquaintance convinced her to try a site called PlentyOfFish. Loiselle, who has a slender face framed by auburn hair, soon found herself messaging with 36-year-old Andrel Martinez, a muscular Delaware state trooper.... Read the rest of the story here.


Bergen: Domestic abuse can portend terror violence

A.R.The article below illustrates yet another reason why it's vital for police to respond appropriately to domestic violence calls, which is harder to do if an officer himself is an abuser.

(CNN.com) June 15, 2017, by Peter Bergen and David StermanJames T. Hodgkinson, the man who carried out Wednesday's shooting at a baseball practice by congressional Republicans, was a small-business owner from Illinois. He also was charged 11 years ago with domestic abuse.

In 2006 Hodgkinson was arrested on charges of domestic battery after, according to a police report, he went into a neighbor's house to find his daughter, used bodily force to damage a door, grabbed his daughter by her hair, and when she escaped him and ran to a car, used a knife to cut her seat belt. He punched the neighbor, and brandished a shotgun, firing one round, the police report said.

The charges against Hodgkinson were later dismissed, but the allegations have a new resonance after Wednesday's shooting attack. A history of association with domestic violence is relatively common among those who have committed political violence in the United States.

Of the 48 perpetrators of lethal political violence in the United States since 9/11whether they were motivated by jihadist, far right or black nationalist ideologies11, or almost a quarter, had allegations or convictions of domestic violence or sexual crimes in their past, according to an analysis of New America's research.... Read the rest of the article here.


Birkirkara incident ‘sparked by domestic violence, not car crash’

(The Malta Independent) June 14, 2017, MaltaLast Sunday, David Joseph Gauci and a former police inspector were involved in an aggressive fight in Birkirkara. Sections of the media reported that the fight, which took place in front of Gauci’s home, was sparked by a car crash. But according to Gauci’s partner Michaela, who is undergoing separation proceedings with the former inspector, the real reason was an ongoing case of domestic violence.

Michaela and Moira Gauci, David’s mother, alleged to The Malta Independent that what happened on Sunday was another episode in a domestic violence case going back approximately a decade, intertwined with a series of protection orders and domestic violence reports.

The former inspector has been involved in numerous court proceedings over his behaviour and faced disciplinary proceedings and was even suspended from the force. The two told this newspaper they smell something “fishy” with how, throughout the years, reports against him have “not been addressed properly.”... Read the rest of the story here.


Family of woman killed by Clackamas County cop lobbies for domestic violence law

(The Oregonian/OregonLive) June 7, 2017, Clackamas County, OregonJay Hoffmeister remains haunted by the failure of the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office to address a veteran sergeant’s troubled history before he opened fire on Hoffmeister’s wife and two of her friends seven years ago.

He’s convinced that early intervention by the agency could have kept Sgt. Jeffrey Grahn’s from killing his own wife Charlotte, Hoffmeister’s wife, Kathleen, and their friend, Victoria Schulmerich.

Grahn, a 15-year veteran of the Sheriff’s Office, shot himself after killing the three women. Nine months before the shooting at the M&M Lounge & Restaurant in Gresham, Charlotte Grahn’s sister told police she thought the Grahns’ increasingly abusive relationship could end in murder-suicide.

Hoffmeister, 60, of Albany, pressed lawmakers this week to pass House Bill 2712, which would require police agencies to adopt policies dealing with officers involved in domestic violence. Hoffmeister and Schulmerich’s husband, Scott, have made multiple trips to Salem to try to win support for the bill.

“If this bill was in place, we wouldn’t be here today,” Kelsey Hoffmeister, 27, Kathleen and Jay Hoffmeister’s daughter, said at a legislative hearing Wednesday. “My mom would be alive.”

But the bill isn’t expected to go anywhere this session because key law enforcement groups don’t support it, said its sponsor, Rep. Carla Piluso, D-Gresham. The Oregon State Sheriffs’ Association and the Oregon Association of Chiefs of Police oppose it.... 

Read the rest of the article here. See also the Feb. 9, 2012, item below about the $8-million lawsuit filed by the families of two of the murdered women.

The suit was settled in 2015 with a payment of $800,000 to each of the two families. The Clackamas County Sheriff's Office also adopted a policy addressing officer-involved domestic violence.


Salt Lake City police officer charged with domestic violence

(The Salt Lake Tribune) June 6, 2017A Salt Lake City police officer has been accused of choking, hitting and handcuffing his now ex-wife.

Matthew Robert Collins, 24, was charged Friday in 3rd District Court with first-degree felony aggravated kidnapping and two counts of third-degree felony aggravated assault.... Read the rest of the article here.


Two-thirds of Mississippi's mass shootings linked to domestic violence

(The Clarion-Ledger) June 2, 2017, Jackson, MississippiMass shootings this year have stolen the lives of 20 Mississippians, with two-thirds of those deaths linked to domestic violence.

That’s even higher than a national study, which found a little more than half of mass shootings are related to such violence....

Last weekend near Brookhaven, Willie Cory Godbolt reportedly killed eight people, including a deputy, a teenager and his 11-year-old cousin.

Authorities have been told Godbolt beat his wife, who had moved out with their children three weeks earlier....

Using FBI reports and news reports, Everytown for Gun Safety analyzed 156 mass shootings in the U.S. between 2009 and 2016, finding that 54 percent of them were related to domestic or family violence.

Sadly, one out of four victims was a child.... Read the full story here.


Former acting chief of Findlay police to enter domestic violence program

(The Toledo Blade) June 2, 2017, Findlay, OhioA former acting chief of Findlay police agreed to enter into a domestic violence diversion program that could dismiss a case against him for throwing a video camera at his wife’s head and grabbing his daughter’s throat.

Sean Young pleaded guilty early today in Findlay Municipal Court to a domestic violence charge, and agreed to enter into a domestic violence program for a minimum of 26 weeks, perform 70 hours of community service, and pay court costs and fines.

If he completes the program and continues to follow the terms of a protection order, the case against him will be dismissed.

A protection order petition submitted by Mr. Young’s wife, Toni, alleges he threw a camera at her head Feb. 4. Her injuries sent her to a hospital and required five stitches.

She also accused Mr. Young of grabbing his daughter’s throat while their son watched, and referenced prior “emotional and physical violence.”... Read the full story here.


Ex-NYPD cop Michael Dowd arrested in domestic violence incident

(Newsday) May 30, 2017A former NYPD cop at the center of a notorious department drug scandal and arrested twice since December faces a new charge “in connection with a domestic violence incident,” Suffolk police said Tuesday.

Michael Dowd, 56, was arrested Monday and charged with second-degree criminal contempt for disobeying a court order, a Suffolk police spokeswoman said.

Dowd was taken into custody at 9:47 p.m. but the location was not immediately available, the spokeswoman said.

A former resident of Port Jefferson Station, Dowd was convicted in 1994 of confiscating cocaine from Brooklyn dealers and reselling it on Long Island....

The May 1992 arrest of Dowd and other NYPD officers from Long Island in connection with the drug shakedown scheme led then-Mayor David Dinkins to form the Mollen Commission, a panel designed to root out corrupt city officers.

Officers involved in the nearly decade-long scandal abused their authority by taking payoffs from dealers and shaking others down in order to peddle and use the drugs they stole while maintaining lavish lifestyles.

Dowd, a central figure in the scheme, had testified that he operated with near impunity as supervisors and fellow cops looked the other way and, by some estimates, his enterprise scored him $4,000 a week from Brooklyn cocaine dealers.

“It’s Us against Them out there,” Dowd said in testimony before the Mollen Commission in 1993, according to a Newsday report at the time. “Us is the police officers, Them is the public.... Cops don’t turn in other cops. Cops don’t want to be labeled as rats. Cops have to depend on each other for survival.”

He spent nearly 12 years in prison on racketeering and drug convictions. The scandal is considered among the biggest in the NYPD’s history.... Read the full story here.


When police are charged with domestic violence, questions arise about gun use

(The Chicago Tribune) May 23, 2017When legal gun owners are charged with domestic battery, their constitutional right to bear arms may end up in the hands of a local judge.

Police officers are no exception, though policies and rules often apply to them beyond the laws that govern everyone else.

The ongoing case of Aurora Police Officer Brian Shields illustrates the predicament of law enforcement officers who have been charged, but not yet convicted of a violent domestic crime.... Read the rest of the story here.


Ex-wife of rapist police officer calls for better protection for domestic violence victims going through divorce

(The Northern Echo) May 23, 2017, Darlington, County Durham, UKA woman tormented by her rapist ex-husband from his prison cell is calling for a change in the law which allowed him to contact her through the family court.

Nicola Richardson, who has waived her right to anonymity, said she was left feeling angry and frustrated as former Cleveland Police officer Wayne Scott delayed their divorce for four years in a bid to retain his control over her.

He was jailed for 19 years in 2013 for a catalogue of rapes on two womenone of whom was his wifeas well as a number of sexual assaults carried out both on and off duty was branded "manipulative, controlling and domineering by Judge James Goss.... Read the rest of the story here.


It’s not just the RCMP: Police culture is toxic

Lesley J. Bikos, a former officer for the London police service, is a PhD candidate in sociology at Western University working on a nationwide study of Canadian police officers and the impact of police culture on their on- and off-duty lives.

(The Globe and Mail) May 17, 2017, Toronto, Canada, by Lesley BikosThe Civilian Review and Complaints Commission for the RCMP unveiled a damning report on systemic workplace harassment in the RCMP. In a one-two punch, former auditor-general Sheila Fraser also released a second federal report of her review of four harassment lawsuits from female RCMP members. Both reports call for substantial reforms to the operations of the RCMP. Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale responded to the reports stating they both contained “similar serious and long-standing concerns.”

While some in the public may see these reports as earth-shattering revelations about the workplace culture of Canadian police forces, their content should not surprise many of the officers who serve.... Read the rest of the opinion piece here.


Shreveport Officer Arrested on Domestic Abuse Charges by Bossier Police

(News Radio 710 Keel) May 10, 2017A Shreveport Police officer has been arrested by Bossier Police on domestic abuse charges.

Gary Thomas was arrested overnight after officers responded to a domestic violence call at his home on Northgate Drive in Bossier City. Shreveport Chief Alan Crump has placed Thomas on leave following the arrest.

Thomas is charged with domestic abuse battery, false imprisonment for injuring his wife and refusing to let her leave the home. Thomas’ wife refused emergency medical treatment.... Read the rest of the story here.


Mound City police chief charged with domestic violence

(The Southern Illinoisan) May 9, 2017The Mound City police chief was arrested at his home in rural Union County on Monday, charged with domestic violence, according to Union County State's Attorney Tyler R. Edmonds.

James Page is being held in the Jackson County Jail, where those arrested in Union County are held, Edmonds said.... Read the rest of the article here.


Portsmouth Police Lt. charged with domestic violence

(ABC6.com) May 9, 2017, Portsmouth, R.I.A high-ranking Portsmouth Police officer is on the wrong side of the law, after getting arrested by the State Police.

Lt. George Grassi, 48, has been charged with domestic assault and battery, after the 37 year-old woman he lives with was treated at Newport Hospital for minor injuries. The arrest stemmed from an incident that happened on I-95 during a ride from Providence to Newport, according to State Police.... Read the rest of the story here.


Milwaukee police knew of past abuse allegations before cop shot and killed wife, family says

(Milwaukee-Wisconsin Journal Sentinel) April 26, 2017The Milwaukee police officer who killed his wife and himself last month [see article below -A.R.] had been reported for domestic violence before, according to interviews and records released Wednesday.

The Police Department had been notified of Leon Davis' violent behavior several times in the years before he shot Sherida Davis with his department-issued gun before turning it on himself at their northwest side home, according to Sherida's mother, Sylvia Moragne.

He was never arrested, she said in an interview Wednesday.

At least two city officials have said publicly Davis' behavior was known to his department bosses and have questioned why they did not effectively deal with it.

I’ve had several people from the community reach out and some officers reach out and say this was something that has been known to the department and it did not reach the Fire and Police Commission, Ald. Chantia Lewis said during the Common Council's Public Safety Committee meeting this month.

It should have been under review a long time ago before this incident escalated to this degree,” said Lewis, who represents the district where the murder-suicide occurred....

Dispatch records obtained by the Journal Sentinel earlier this year for an unrelated story indicate police were called to the Davis home Sept. 8, 2015, for a report of a battery-domestic violence.

Leon Davis was not arrested and police called to the scene determined there was no evidence of a domestic violence incident, according to Sgt. Tim Gauerke, the department's spokesman. The incident led to an internal investigation and the allegation was deemed baseless, he said.... Read the full article here.


Invercargill shooting: Police officer Ben McLean charged with murder

(The New Zealand Herald) April 26, 2017, Invercargill, New ZealandThe alleged murder of an Invercargill woman by her police officer husband is the greatest tragedy Mayor Tim Shadbolt has encountered in his 23 years on the job.

Constable Benjamin Peter McLean was today charged with the murder of his wifethe mother of his three childrenand the attempted murder of a man she was believed to be in a relationship with.... Read the rest of the article here.


RCMP officer sentenced in St. John's to 14-day conditional sentence for assaulting girlfriend

(The St. John's Telegram) March 17, 2017, St. John's, Newfoundland, CanadaAn RCMP officer convicted of assaulting his girlfriend eight years ago has been given a 14-day conditional sentence with one year's probation.

Cameron D. Lockhart was sentenced this morning (Friday) at Newfoundland Supreme Court in St. John's.

Lockhart had been facing several charges involving two former girlfriends between 2009 and 2011 when Lockhart was stationed at the Trinity Conception RCMP detachment. But following a trial last month, a jury found him guilty of one count of assault.... Read the rest of the story here.


Milwaukee police officer fatally shoots wife before turning gun on himself

(Milwaukee-Wisconsin Journal Sentinel) March 13, 2017, Milwaukee, WisconsinA 47-year-old Milwaukee police officer apparently shot his estranged wife before turning the gun on himself last weekend.

Leon Davis and his 38-year-old wife, Sherida Davis, died in a shooting Saturday afternoon that Milwaukee police have said was domestic violence related. ... Read the rest of the story here.


Judge: Cleveland Co. magistrate's office policy not consistent with state law

(WBTV) July 25, 2016, Shelby, North CarolinaAn On Your Side investigation has uncovered a policy at the Cleveland County magistrate’s office that prohibits spouses and partners of law enforcement officers from getting emergency protection in situations where they feel they are in imminent danger.

The discovery was made amid a months-long investigation prompted by a Cleveland County woman who says she was denied help by a magistrate because her then-husband was a state trooper.... Read the full article here.


Statistics of domestic violence, divorce higher for police families

(KSL.com) January 17, 2014, Salt Lake City, UtahRecent studies and statistics show that the chances of domestic violence, suicide and murder-suicide are higher among police families.

Univeristy of Utah professor Dr. Sonia Salari and a colleague have been researching trends and warning signs when it comes to murder-suicides. In the past 10 years, they have looked at 730 murder-suicides nationwide, which included about 1600 deaths.

"We decided to start working on this because there is no justice. It doesn't go through the justice system," Salari said.... Read the full article here.


Families of women killed by off-duty Clackamas deputy file $8 million lawsuit

(The Oregonian/OregonLive) Feb. 9, 2012, Clackamas County, OregonThe families of two women murdered by an off-duty Clackamas County sheriff's sergeant filed an $8 million lawsuit Thursday, alleging that the county, Sheriff Craig Roberts and two of his top aides knew the man was dangerously unstable but failed to intervene.

Roberts and other defendants knew Sgt. Jeffrey A. Grahn presented a threat to his wife, Charlotte, and that he was emotionally unsteady, angry, depressed and had substance-abuse problems, according to the wrongful-death lawsuit filed in Multnomah County.... Read the rest of the article here.


Few Answers in Randolph Co. Family's Death

(ABC 33/40) July 21, 2010, Randolph County, AlabamaThe Randolph County Sheriff's Office on Wednesday refused to answer questions surrounding the deaths of three members of one family in what the county's coroner had described as an apparent double murder/suicide.

The bodies of 28-year-old Oxford Police Officer Bill Hancock, his wife, 28-year-old Tabatha Murphy Hancock, and the couple's eight-month-old son, Logan, were found in the family's home Tuesday morning. They had all been shot.

"We're not going to say anything else about it," Randolph County Chief Deputy William Dillard said Wednesday, referring to a news release he said his office had drafted on Tuesday.

Dillard refused to provide a copy of the news release and then hung up on ABC 33/40 when he was asked again to provide a copy.... Read the full article here.


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