Police

NBC News reports: The Los Angeles County sheriff on Tuesday disputed allegations he orchestrated a cover-up of an incident where a deputy knelt on a handcuffed inmate’s head and said a Los Angeles Times reporter who used leaked documents and video to first report on the case is part of his criminal investigation. Sheriff Alex Villanueva’s comments at a news …

The Chattanooga Times Free Press reports: A U.S. District Court judge gave the go-ahead to a lawsuit against a former Hamilton County deputy accused of baptizing a woman against her will after a 2019 traffic stop. In addition to ruling that the suit against Daniel Wilkey, 28, may proceed, Tennessee Eastern District Court Judge Travis R. McDonough ruled that several …

The Associated Press reports: An arbitrator has ruled that two Buffalo police officers didn’t violate the department’s use-of-force guidelines when they pushed a 75-year-old protester to the ground in June 2020 during racial injustice protests following the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis. The episode drew national attention when a news crew captured video of Martin Gugino being shoved by …

The Birmingham News reports: A north Alabama sheriff’s deputy is no longer with his agency and another was disciplined after they allegedly caused a “rowdy” scene at the Birmingham airport when they allegedly cursed at officers and refused to wear masks and were drunk on their flight. Authorities were called to Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport around 5:36 p.m. Feb. 26 after …

Law & Crime reports: A former Virginia police officer who was fired for allegedly storming the Capitol on Jan. 6 with his platoon sergeant has pleaded guilty to a felony and will cooperate with prosecutors. Jacob Fracker [above left], 30, formerly a K9 unit officer with the Rocky Mount Police Department in Virginia, was accused of traveling to Washington with …

Politico reports: Mayor Eric Adams rolled out a controversial new NYPD unit Wednesday dedicated to getting guns off the streets, fulfilling a campaign pledge to revamp and revive a team that was disbanded over concerns about police brutality.  Adams welcomed the new anti-gun unit at the city’s Police Academy in Queens — vowing not to repeat the mistakes of the …

The New York Daily News reports: The gunman police believe has been targeting homeless men in New York City and Washington, D.C., shooting at least five of them as they slept and leaving two dead, was nabbed in the nation’s capital early Tuesday, authorities said. “Early this AM, law enforcement arrested the suspect in Washington, DC,” the Metropolitan Police said. …

The New York Daily News reports: An NYPD sergeant has hit a less than enviable milestone — lawsuits against him have topped the $1 million mark in settlements, the Daily News has learned. Sgt. David Grieco, nicknamed “Bullethead” by his detractors, has been sued 46 times — believed to be near the top of the list for the most-sued cop …

The New York Times reports: Three former Minneapolis police officers were found guilty on Thursday of federal crimes for failing to intervene as another officer killed George Floyd by pressing his knee on his neck for more than nine minutes. The case was an extraordinarily rare example of the Justice Department prosecuting officers for their inaction while another officer used …

The New York Daily News reports: Firebrand former NYPD union boss Ed Mullins surrendered to federal authorities Wednesday after being hit with federal criminal charges for allegedly plundering his union’s bank accounts, the Daily News has learned. The charges, which have not been officially presented, center around Mullins’ alleged misuse of union funds as president of the Sergeant’s Benevolent Association, …

The Texas Tribune reports: Gov. Greg Abbott on Wednesday blasted the indictment of more than a dozen Austin police officers for alleged excessive force during the May 2020 racial justice protests — and dangled the possibility of pardons for them. “Those officers should be praised for their efforts, not prosecuted,” Abbott said in a statement. “Time will tell whether the …

The Associated Press reports: An Arizona House committee on Monday approved a proposed law that would make it illegal to make video recordings of police in many circumstances after the Republican sponsor made changes he said were designed to address constitutional concerns. The original proposal from Rep. John Kavanagh made it illegal to record within 15 feet of an officer …

Minneapolis’s NBC News affiliate reports: Former Brooklyn Center police officer Kimberly Potter has been sentenced to 24 months in prison after being found guilty of first and second-degree manslaughter in the shooting death of 20-year-old Daunte Wright in April of 2021. She will serve 16 months in prison, followed by 8 months of supervised release. Potter, a 26-year police veteran, …

The Miami Herald reports: In Miami Beach, getting pulled over by city police didn’t just mean a ticket for some drivers. Officers also handed them an invitation to check out a website selling Trump 2024 merchandise. A city police flier in circulation until last week explaining how to resolve minor traffic tickets online dropped a crucial hyphen for a Miami-Dade …

The Washington Post reports: A real estate broker was leaving the parking lot of a Mexican restaurant in Fort Myers, Fla., when a sheriff’s deputy pulled him over for an alleged traffic violation. The Dec. 16 stop escalated when Deputy Niko Irizarry, with the Lee County Sheriff’s Office, said he suspected there were illegal substances in the car. With the …

CTV News reports: Ottawa police chief Peter Sloly has resigned, sources confirmed to CTV News Ottawa. Sloly’s resignation comes amid criticism of his handling of the ongoing trucker protests in downtown Ottawa. The protests have reached day 19, with demonstrators encamped on Wellington Street and the surrounding area and showing no signs of leaving. In the midst of the crisis …

Agence France-Presse reports: Paris police said Thursday they would ban so-called “freedom convoys” inspired by a truckers’ protest against coronavirus restrictions that has paralyzed the Canadian capital Ottawa. Convoys of vehicles from across France are expected to converge on the French capital on Friday, risking a possible standoff with the police similar to the violent “yellow vest” protests that rocked …

The New York Daily News reports: Unvaccinated NYPD officers currently on unpaid leave after a sweeping COVID-19 vaccine mandate late last year will be fired next month if they don’t get the jab, the Daily News has learned. Officers who have refused the shot have until Feb. 11 to comply, according to a memo sent out to NYPD sergeants by …

Miami’s ABC News affiliate reports: Dozens of Florida sheriffs declared their support for Governor Ron DeSantis during a Monday morning press conference. According to Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey, 59 of Florida’s 67 sheriffs recognized that “Governor DeSantis’ support of law enforcement is why Florida’s crime rate is going down.” The eight sheriffs who did not announce their support for …

The Associated Press reports: The federal trial for three former Minneapolis police officers charged with violating George Floyd’s civil rights as Derek Chauvin pinned the Black man’s neck to the street is expected to begin Monday with opening statements, after a jury of 18 people was swiftly picked last week. J. Kueng, Thomas Lane and Tou Thao are broadly charged …