Being a police officer isn't easy, but unless you've been living under a rock, you know that there is a lot in the news about the systemic corruption of police departments and law enforcement abuse in general. There are shootings that go without any punishment, and, in the case of Ferguson, MO, proven systemic racism that goes unchecked. This list looks into many of the reported and alleged abuses that police officers have committed in 2015.
Whether it's the aforementioned racism that's sadly still deeply ingrained in American culture, the abuses of civil forfeiture that have eroded public trust in police, or the excessive force debate that's been raging for many years, there are plenty of questions about corrupt police officers that have arisen in 2015. There are also have stories of cops being mistreated by other cops - even America's own cops aren't safe from policing abuses.
These police crimes and scandals come from all across America, finding the bad, the stupid, and the just plain weird actions that police have taken without any real logic. So take a look at this list and vote up the police violence stories from 2015, that you think are the worst.
The Worst Police Officers of 2015,
Arizona Cop Enters Naked Woman's Home "Illegally" and Arrests Her
Police in Chandler, AZ responded to a domestic disturbance complaint that a couple, Esmerelda Rossi and her estranged husband, was arguing loudly in their home. When authorities arrived at the scene, Rossi was in the shower, so after her daughter alerted her to the officers' presence, she grabbed a towel and went to the door. During her interaction with Officer Doug Rose, Rossi claims he became aggressive, so she asked him to wait while she got her phone. In response, Rose entered the house, without Rossi's permission, and arrested her while she was naked.
Rose was later cleared by Chandler Police of any wrongdoing.
California Deputies Mistakenly Kill Someone, Block Access to Video Evidence
After killing a man and injuring another for being bike thieves (which they actually weren't), the Gardena Police Department then attempted to get video evidence blocked from release. Apparently, they felt it implied that the money they spent on the lawsuit settlement implied that the unjustified homicide video should be blocked. The judge disagreed.
NYPD Cop Arrested for Dealing Drugs in Vermont
Andre "Dre" Clarke, an NYPD officer, was arrested for attempting to conspire with two people in Vermont to sell oxycodone to drug addicts. Somehow, Clarke himself had the supply and was working to provide them with what they needed to sell their wares. Hundreds of thousands of dollars were transferred to and from accounts attached to Clarke.
NYPD Sergeant Throws Semen on His Crush
A 54-year-old NYPD sergeant in the Organized Crime Control Bureau had a crush on a civilian woman who worked as an administrative aide. As she walked out of the women's restroom, Sergeant Michael Iscenko allegedly splashed a substance on her leg that turned out to be semen. Not surprisingly, Iscenko was suspended. An investigation is ongoing.
SoCal Sheriff Fatally Shoots Suspect While He's Handcuffed
Riverside County agreed to pay $500,000 to the family of an 18-year-old man who was fatally shot in the back - while he was handcuffed. Lamon Khiry Haslip reportedly had a gun on his person and the deputies in question stated that he was reaching for it. However, he was handcuffed, meaning that would have been rather difficult. The courts agreed.
Woman Kidnapped, California Police Refuse to Investigate, Calling It a Hoax
When Denise Huskins and her boyfriend went to the Vallejo Police to report that Denise had been kidnapped and released, the police refused to investigate. It took the actual perpetrators of the crime, one of whom felt bad (Huskins was evidently not the intended target), to set the record straight. Vallejo PD never did anything about it and the FBI had to step in.
Tennessee Officer Pockets $6K from Forfeiture Victims
An investigation revealed that Sergeant Michael Hurt, a 15-year veteran of the police force, had kept more than $6,000 in cash he received from property owners whose vehicles were seized. Civil forfeiture has been back in the civil discourse, largely thanks to John Oliver's Last Week Tonight showing video after video of police officers taking citizens' cash, even if they had not committed a crime.
The McKinney, TX Pool Party Fiasco
Officer Eric Casebolt, along with 11 other officers, were called to a scene in McKinney, TX - a pool party had gone awry. There are conflicting stories about how the incident came to be, but ultimately, while the other officers were calmly breaking up the party up and sending folks home, Casebolt went nuts, running almost literal circles around the entire incident, tackling teenagers and putting cuffs on them, despite no evidence of wrongdoing.
Video of the incident was uploaded to YouTube and went viral, resulting in Casebolt's resignation from the force.
Mississippi Officer Put an Unarmed Man in a Chokehold for 20 Minutes
Attorneys for the family of Jonathan Sanders, a 39-year-old black man, have stated that state medical examiners found he died through manual asphyxiation - i.e., strangulation. Multiple witnesses said independently of one another that Officer Kevin Harrington, after muttering a racial slur, put Sanders in a chokehold for over twenty minutes, denying witnesses requests to perform CPR on him.
Alabama Cops Taser Woman Having a Seizure, Plus Mother Who Tried to Help
A young woman in Alabama had a seizure while attending a concert. She was predisposed to seizures, and had, in fact, had one earlier that day, while at school. At the concert, a "stampede" caused by one of the musicians jumping into the crowd triggered her seizure. A venue worker took her to the lobby and allegedly dropped here on the ground, where she was placed in a chokehold by police. They allegedly tased her three times as well.
When her mother arrived to assist, she was also tased and arrested for disorderly conduct. A lawsuit is pending.