Hendererson, NV cops beat the daylights out of driver in diabetic shock

Radley Balko, via Ed Brayton:

Adam Greene is on his stomach as a pack of police officers pile on him, driving their knees into his back and wrenching his arms and legs. One officer knees him in the ribs; another kicks him in the face.

“Stop resisting,” officers on the video yell, but Greene, his face pushed into the pavement, hasn’t resisted. He doesn’t even move — maybe can’t move — because he’s gone into diabetic shock caused by low blood sugar…

A Highway Patrol trooper enters the scene first, gun drawn, and kicks the driver’s window of Greene’s four-door sedan. After several moments, the trooper opens the door.

The trooper, his gun still raised, then gives Greene conflicting commands. He first tells him not to move, then tells him to come forward.

A second trooper quickly cuffs Greene’s wrist and pulls him from the car, which rolls forward until an officer stops it.

Greene flops to the ground, clearly dazed as five officers rush him. A sixth officer, with Henderson police, enters the frame late and delivers five well-placed kicks to Greene’s face.

“Stop resisting mother (expletive)!” one officer yells.

Greene doesn’t scream until a second Henderson officer knees him in the midsection — and then does it three more times. Greene was later treated for fractured ribs.

The victim of this savage attack was awarded $295,000 in a settlement. None of police officers involved have been charged with a crime and all are still on the job. Only one of them received unspecified discipline.

They probably don't really know why they did what they did. They would be exceptional if any of them could even admit to themselves that they did something wrong. And I bet they still divide the world into good guys and bad guys and, in their own minds, they are still unequivocally the good guys.

See tribes, warfare and hypocrisy.

Comments

[Mike Rebate]

Uniformed criminals should be required to source a portion these mega buck settlements from the pension fund of every member of the department. I suspect that would motivate them to exercise restraint, preventing them from using citizens as an alternative to the weight room punching bag.

I discovered this Blog years ago due to a reference to the crusading, cop busting teenager Brett Darrow. I believe the small town PD he exposed was subsequently disbanded.

After a few encounters with lawless and unprofessional cops I was motivated to explore the underbelly of this profession, which served to validate my opinion that the profession is not only plagued by a few "bad apples". The law enforcement barrel is actually rotting from within. The failure of all those good cops (tongue in cheek) to police the ranks, and eradicate the deviants before they make headlines, is an indictment of the entire profession.

Not only does law enforcement fail to adequately police their ranks, they have yet to realize there must be a mandatory death penalty for lawmen who utilize police powers during a crime resulting in the death of an innocent. I am referring to incidents such as the murder of Kathryn Johnston during a phony drug raid.

Josh Griffin was a cop who stalked and murdered a waitress, using his squad car to pull her car over at 3am. Ironically, the victim reached out to police for protection several weeks prior to her death, asking they "keep an eye out for her" during her late night trips home from her workplace due to a few bad experiences with bar patrons.

Tim Harris was a Florida state trooper who used his squad car to pull over, kidnap rape and murder a motorist in Indian River County Florida. This deviant patrolled the same roads many of my friends and family travelled. He should have been executed but received a life sentence. After incarceration he was permitted to remarry.

Craig Peyer is another killer cop who abducted and murdered a motorist but somehow avoided the ultimate punishment.

The public servants involved in this Henderson, NV incident exemplify everything that is wrong in a profession which is held in contempt by a disconcerting percentage of the public.

Last summer I telephoned to report an off road motorcycle (no plates) speeding in a residential area. When the gestapo arrived it was apparent this surly moron did not relish responding to the call. He soon warned me not to lean on (touch) the door frame of the patrol car. His supervisors received a scathing letter regarding his attitude.

It was also necessary to report a lawman for habitually violating the state firework laws every year. Readers will undoubtedly find the reaction from the cop, and his supervisor, quite amusing. Rather than embrace the validity of my complaint, which provided dates, times and locations of the illegal fireworks, they elected to skirt the issue and offer a logic defying response. "What about everyone else ignoring the law" was the essence of their defense !! Yes, these lawmen were invoking the lame excuse they hear from Joe Citizen every day of week.

[The Armchair Philosopher]

They are public servants, these officers of law. Entrusted with the responsibility to serve and protect. But, we just can't seem to train them to react to all situations objectively; dispassionately---particularly when their own lives might be on the line. There are no easy answers because law is fluid, authority is local and we have only two options: the rule of law or abject anarchy.

Though I abhor abuse of authority, I'd rather have an abusive police force than no police force at all. Mostly, I try to stay out of their way. Because you just never know. And they don't either. If we had no crime, we would need no justice.
But we do, and we do---it is all just a part of civilization---whatever that is, hmmmm? What did I read on the Philosophy Talk blog: doomed if you do, doomed if you don't? Yes, that's about it.

[Mike Rebate]

Law biding citizens can avoid interaction with cops for the most part, but the beating of this helpless diabetic clearly illustrates everyone is vulnerable.

In July of 1999 I confronted a rookie cop who lied to justify his lawless search of my vehicle during a routine, daytime traffic stop in Florida. This fork tongued devil arrived five minutes after I was pulled over for rolling a stop sign on a lazy Sunday afternoon. My right front tire was going flat and I was in a hurry to reach my shop. The large bolt head was protruding and shown to the first cop who pulled me over.

The rookie had no reservations about engaging in his lawless conduct in the presence of a veteran cop. He floated a blatant lie about seeing me reach under my car seat. I immediately realized why he instructed to get inside my car a few minutes earlier, to set me up for his game. The veteran cop didn't have any problem with me leaning against my fender.

I went face to face with this uniformed criminal upon exiting the vehicle and invited him to vacuum my car. Probably not the most prudent reaction on my part, but I was justifiably angered by this fraudster posing as lawman. He then
asked me if "there was going to be problem", which is when I told him his problems would soon begin, and of my intentions to file a formal complaint. He devoted all of 2 seconds to glance around the floor of the driver area. I came to learn his lie was to justify what is known as a car frisk (limited search) predicated on an officer safety issue. I was told by another cop from a department 100 miles south, these bogus frisks are quite common. I met this cop the previous month when he inquired about purchasing a lot I had for sale.

My meeting with the chief a week later confirmed cops protect their own regardless of the circumstances. I asked the chief if his men are required to keep or submit records of their car frisks and searches. This common sense requirement would serve to identify cops who deserve scrutiny due to an unusually high number of these incidents.

He increduously maintained that procedure would require too much time, but had no response when I pointed out the two cops involved in my stop were jawboning at the scene 30 minutes later. Quite obviously this chief realized I had him cornered. His assistant blew a fuse when I produced a notebook and related my interview with another motorist I observed receiving a "complimentary search", and informed them I intended to interview every citizen I saw stopped by his department.

My experience with this lying rookie and bogus car frisk was detailed in a less than flattering letter to the editor.

I recently learned this chief was recently forced to resign. Unfortunately his demise came 20 years too late. This public servant will retire with a fat pension, clean conscience and blemished record.

[Mike Rebate]

"Though I abhor abuse of authority, I'd rather have an abusive police force than no police force at all".

=======

I don't profess to be an authority on the subject, but some experts (who shall remain anonymous) would be inclined to categorize this perspective as "identifying with the aggressor".

My cop files contain the following comment from the same professional .......

" the tendency among the population at large is pay homage to the bullies in their midst. The prevalence of misplaced deference for police officers makes it all the more important for people who know better to speak up"

I would like to think speaking up serves a benefical purpose, but I remain skeptical if law enforcement will ever be motivated to implement reform.

Those interested in additional insight regarding the law enforcement culture should google POLICE CODE OF SILENCE FACTS REVEALED.

Additional information on this general topic available at
THIS WEEKS CORRUPT COP STORIES

[The Armchair Philosopher]

Thanks Mike. It is all connected, yes?
(Think about it),
TAP.

[Ralph H.]

I disagree with what Armchair Philosopher said. No one should become a policeman without clearly and unambiguously accepting the fact that at times their lives might be on the line, and this fact should NEVER excuse them from exercising careful judgment and restraint. What I always hope to see coming out of a situation like this is five officers fired, no pension, no severance, nothing. On the street as a message to their peers. But this never seems to happen.

[Mike Rebate]

Ralph,

The vast majority of cops die of coronary artery disease after retirement. Cops aren't drafted. Their choice to become lawmen carries a great deal of responsibility.

Unfortunately, far too many have learned to game the system and avoid repercussions for deviant, lawless and criminal behavior.

Five or six years ago there was a website called Bad Cop News. It posted information on every uniformed miscreant from coast to coast on a daily basis. The degree of dysfunction and criminal conduct within the ranks was beyond comprehension.

If you visit the link POLICE CODE OF SILENCE FACTS REVEALED you will find a high percentage of those involved in cover-ups are superiors:

"73 percent of the individuals pressuring officers to keep quiet about the misconduct were leaders".

In a similar vein I have been following professional integrity polls for quite a few years. If memory is correct; 58 percent of the populace rank policemen HIGH or VERY HIGH in honesty and integrity.

I can't understand how they have fifty eight percent of the public hoodwinked.