Ferguson PD: wretched hive of scum and villainy

Posted on: Fri, 08/15/2014 - 16:15 By: Tom Swiss

But the problem isn't just the local PD. "...[A] federal magistrate ruled that the apparent perjury about the “property damage” charges was too minor to constitute a violation of due process and that Davis’ injuries were de minimis—too minor to warrant a finding of excessive force. Never mind that a CAT scan taken after the incident confirmed that he had suffered a concussion."

More and more it appears there is no fix possible within the system as it exists now. Radical change to the system is required -- perhaps a re-thinking of the whole notion of police forces. Maybe Robert Peel's experiment was a failure, maybe a standing police force is as bad an idea as a standing army.

The Day Ferguson Cops Were Caught in a Bloody Lie (The Daily Beast)

The booking officer had no other reason to hold Davis, who ended up in Ferguson only because he missed the exit for St. Charles and then pulled off the highway because the rain was so heavy he could not see to drive. The cop who had pulled up behind him must have run his license plate and assumed he was that other Henry Davis....

...

“He ran in and kicked me in the head,” Davis recalled. “I almost passed out at that point… Paramedics came… They said it was too much blood, I had to go to the hospital.”

...

He was driven back to the jail, where he was held for several days before he posted $1,500 bond on four counts of “property damage.” Police Officer John Beaird had signed complaints swearing on pain of perjury that Davis had bled on his uniform and those of three fellow officers.