Stupid, Dumb and Just Plain Ignorant Cop Thread

spaminator · May 11, 2021

London cop guilty of discreditable conduct for harassing girlfriend
Author of the article:Randy Richmond
Publishing date:May 10, 2021 • 1 day ago • 2 minute read • 5 Comments
Const. Steve Williams
Const. Steve Williams
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A London police constable has been found guilty of discreditable conduct by a disciplinary tribunal for his “relentless” harassment of his ex-girlfriend.

The punishment for Const. Steven Williams, 44, will be determined after submissions from lawyers starting June 15, London police said.

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Williams was charged with two counts of discreditable conduct under the Police Services Act related to allegations involving a former partner, identified in the hearings as R.P. He pleaded guilty to one in October, but not guilty to the second — the subject of the decision released Friday.

“Const. Williams was relentless . . . He would not accept ‘No’ as a response and move on. It would appear it became a game with him to see if he could win her respect and admiration back to continue the relationship,” hearing officer Morris Elbers, a retired OPP superintendent, wrote in his decision.

Williams texted, called, emailed, showed up unannounced at her door and workplace, sent photos of his puppy and used his son to appeal to R.P’s heart strings and “vulnerability,” Elbers said.

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“Utilizing his son to gain benefit I find to be a low point for this officer which shows the extent he would proceed to achieve the goal of communicating with R.P.,” Elbers said.

“This shows a planned and manipulative move by Williams to get what he desired at all costs. I believe he had no regard for the feelings of R.P. and only was concerned with his feelings and wants.”

The on-again, off-again relationship started in 2014 and ended in November 2017 after Williams was charged with sexual assault involving another ex-girlfriend and suspended from his job, the tribunal heard.

In a November 2017 police interview, Williams said he was having relationships with three women, who all believed their relationship with him was monogamous. He also said he was shocked to learn R.P. was afraid of him, the hearing tribunal heard.

Soon after, Waterloo Regional police charged Williams with criminal harassment, being unlawfully in a dwelling and making a harassing phone call stemming from allegations made by R.P.

Williams, who has the same name as London’s police chief but isn’t related, pleaded guilty in criminal court to making a harassing phone call and two counts of breaching his release conditions. The remaining charges were withdrawn as part of a conditional discharge.

Given that the hearing process continues, it would be inappropriate to comment on the ruling, London police spokesperson Const. Sandasha Bough said Friday.

rrichmond@postmedia.com

London cop guilty of discreditable conduct for harassing girlfriend

A London police constable has been found guilty of discreditable conduct by a disciplinary tribunal for his “relentless” harassment of his ex-girlfriend.

torontosun.com

spaminator · May 11, 2021

'THOUGHT I WAS GOING TO GET SHOT': Women sue LAPD after held at gunpoint over U-Haul rental
The two women, who are Indian-American, said they cannot say whether the interaction would have gone differently had they been white

Author of the article:Washington Post
Washington Post
Andrea Salcedo, The Washington Post
Publishing date:May 10, 2021 • 1 day ago • 5 minute read • 7 Comments
Two women were held at gunpoint by LAPD during a U-Haul mixup in February 2020. Now they are suing the police force.
Two women were held at gunpoint by LAPD during a U-Haul mixup in February 2020. Now they are suing the police force. PHOTO BY SCREENGRAB /NBC News
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Shibani Balsaver parked the rented U-Haul in front of her new Hollywood apartment. It was moving day in February of 2020, and Balsaver was preparing to unload all of her belongings into her first solo apartment.

She and a friend, Sheilanee Sen, would be done in a couple of hours, if everything went smoothly.

Except it didn’t.

Moments later, a swarm of police officers ordered the two women to exit the truck and lay on their stomachs in the middle of the street while officers searched the rental truck, according to court records.

Balsaver, 31, and Sen, 33, remained motionless on the pavement as at least 10 officers surrounded them, some with guns drawn, while a police helicopter hovered above, court records and a video recorded by a bystander show.

“At that point, they had not told us why we were pulled over,” Balsaver, who works in the film industry, recounted in an interview with The Washington Post. “It was terrifying. I really thought I was going to get shot.”

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By the time both women were placed in handcuffs, police told them it had been a misunderstanding.

The U-Haul that officers initially believed was stolen had in fact been rented by Balsaver earlier that day, police told the women.

Now, Balsaver and Sen are suing the City of Los Angeles, the officers involved in the incident and the Los Angeles Police Department’s chief for unspecified damages. Their lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court Central Division of California, alleges excessive use of force, unreasonable seizure and search, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and assault.

‘COMPLETELY HUMILIATED’
“All of this was in full view of Ms. Balsaver’s neighbours,” said Brian Olney, an attorney representing both women. “This is how she was introduced to her neighbours: They got to watch Shibani being ordered out of her car with her hands on her head, lying face down in the street and being violently handcuffed. This has been traumatic. They were completely humiliated.”

“Frankly, they are fortunate that no one got shot.”

Neither the LAPD, the police union nor an attorney representing the plaintiffs responded to messages from The Post late Sunday. An attorney representing the city and the LAPD denied all of the allegations in a subsequent court filing.

Balsaver, who was moving to a new apartment less than a mile away from her residence in east Hollywood, rented a U-Haul on the morning of Feb. 8, 2020, court records state. She met Sen at the old apartment, and the women loaded Balsaver’s belongings into the truck. They began the trip to the new apartment just before noon.

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“I was very excited to move to a new apartment,” Balsaver told The Post. “It felt like a new chapter of my life.”

They had arrived on Balsaver’s new block and were about to begin unpacking, court records state, when two officers parked their squad car behind the U-Haul and briefly flashed their lights. The officers believed the truck was reported as stolen and had followed the women for several blocks, according to the lawsuit.

Soon after, additional patrol cars arrived and a LAPD helicopter circled overhead, the lawsuit states.

Then, officers with their handguns and long guns drawn ordered Balsaver to drop her keys out of the U-Haul’s window, and exit the truck with her back facing the officers and her hands on her head before laying facedown on the pavement with her legs spread apart.

Next, the lawsuit states, officers ordered Sen to come out of the truck and open the trunk before joining Balsaver on the ground.

“I saw the guns pointed at me,” Sen, who works in community development, told The Post. “We both thought we were going to get shot.”

The two women, who are Indian-American, said they cannot say whether the interaction with police would have gone differently had they been white; but statistics about police pulling over and violently arresting unarmed people of color speak for themselves, they say.

A 2019 Los Angeles Times investigation found that the LAPD searches Black and Latino drivers far more often than White drivers when they are pulled over, although White drivers are more likely to be found carrying illegal items.

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The women remained on the ground several feet away from each other while the truck was searched and officers formed a line, with their guns pointed at the women, the lawsuit states.

One of the officers jammed his knee into Sen’s back as he handcuffed her, according to the legal filing. She was later placed inside a squad car where she was shackled.

Another officer pressed his left knee into Balsaver’s back and his right knee onto her head and neck, pinning her face to the pavement before handcuffing her and taking her to the side of the road.

That’s when an officer told Balsaver that the U-Haul had been reported as stolen, the lawsuit states; Balsaver replied that she had rented it earlier that morning – and that the receipt was in her purse inside the U-Haul.

According to the lawsuit, a police sergeant told the women that the truck had previously been reported as stolen, but was recovered several weeks before Balsaver rented it.

After the mix-up was explained, Balsaver told The Post, the officers joked that she should ask U-Haul to give her free services for a year.

A representative for U-Haul, which is not named as a defendant in the lawsuit, declined to comment.

Olney, the attorney representing both women, said the officers have yet to apologize.

The trauma inflicted upon his clients, he said, could have been avoided had the officers asked for the receipt or given the women an opportunity to explain the situation.

“Instead, they both went through one of the most terrifying days of their lives and they are still dealing with the aftermath,” Olney said.

Long after the incident, Balsaver said, she struggled to eat or sleep; it also cost her a freelance job because she could no longer concentrate, Balsaver added.

The event made her distrustful of police, she said. She was also overcome with embarrassment.

“A few of my neighbours … thought that me and Sheilanee had been stealing from the U-Haul,” Balsaver said, adding: “I still feel a little shame walking down my street with the neighbors that I can’t explain this to.”

Sen added: “It’s been more than a year now and it’s still producing quite a bit of trauma for both of us.”

'THOUGHT I WAS GOING TO GET SHOT': Women sue LAPD after held at gunpoint over U-Haul rental

The two women, who are Indian-American, said they cannot say whether the interaction would have gone differently had they been white

torontosun.com

spaminator · May 12, 2021

Mountie charged with first-degree murder in Saskatchewan
Author of the article:Canadian Press
Canadian Press
Publishing date:May 12, 2021 • 1 hour ago • < 1 minute read • Join the conversation
File photo of an RCMP vehicle.
File photo of an RCMP vehicle. POSTMEDIA NETWORK / FILE PHOTO
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PRINCE ALBERT, Sask. — A Saskatchewan Mountie has been charged with first-degree murder.

The Prince Albert Police Service says Bernie Herman, a 32-year member of the RCMP, is to appear in court on the charge tomorrow.

The 53-year-old is accused of killing 26-year-old Braden Herman while off duty.

Police say the two men knew each other but are not related.

They say officers were called to a wooded area in the city last night after receiving a report that a man’s body had been discovered.

The service’s criminal investigations division is leading the investigation, but city police have requested the appointment of an independent observer to oversee the case.

Saskatchewan Mountie charged with first-degree murder after man found dead in woods

PRINCE ALBERT, Sask. — A veteran Saskatchewan Mountie is facing a charge of first-degree murder after police say a man’s body was discovered in a wooded area.

torontosun.com

spaminator · May 14, 2021

Saskatchewan Mountie charged with first-degree murder after man found dead in woods
Author of the article:Canadian Press
Canadian Press
Publishing date:May 12, 2021 • 1 day ago • 1 minute read • Join the conversation
Braden Herman, 26, was found dead on Tuesday, May 11 in a wooded area. A Prince Albert RCMP officer, Bernie Herman -- who is not related to Braden -- has been charged with first-degree murder.
Braden Herman, 26, was found dead on Tuesday, May 11 in a wooded area. A Prince Albert RCMP officer, Bernie Herman -- who is not related to Braden -- has been charged with first-degree murder. PHOTO BY FACEBOOK /Facebook
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PRINCE ALBERT, Sask. — A veteran Saskatchewan Mountie is facing a charge of first-degree murder after police say a man’s body was discovered in a wooded area.

Cpl. Bernie Herman, a 32-year member of the RCMP, was serving with the Prince Albert RCMP Traffic Services Unit at the time of his arrest. He is to appear in Prince Albert court on Thursday.

The officer, who turns 53 on Thursday, is accused of killing 26-year-old Braden Herman.

Investigators said the alleged killing took place while the officer was off duty, but few details have been released.

“The victim and the accused in this file are known to each other, but are not related,” a news release from the Prince Albert Police Service said Wednesday.

It said officers were called to a wooded area in the city Tuesday night after receiving a report that a man’s body had been discovered.

An autopsy was to take place Thursday in Saskatoon.

Police also said officers have secured a vehicle and a home in Prince Albert as part of the investigation.

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The service’s criminal investigations division is leading the case, but city police have requested the appointment of an independent observer to oversee it.

“Any time someone’s life is taken it is certainly tragic and just really sad,” said Charlene Tebbutt, media coordinator with the Prince Albert police.

In a release Wednesday night, Saskatchewan RCMP said Herman’s duty status as a Mountie is in the process of being modified but did not say how.

“The RCMP has processes in place to handle conduct issues, including those as serious as the arrest announced today,” the release reads.

“Public trust is essential for the RCMP to effectively serve and protect Canadians. As a result, RCMP employees must conduct themselves in a manner that not only meets, but exceeds, the rightfully high expectations of Canadians.”

The RCMP said any information relating to the arrest and criminal investigation will be released by the Prince Albert Police Service.

Saskatchewan Mountie charged with first-degree murder after man found dead in woods

PRINCE ALBERT, Sask. — A veteran Saskatchewan Mountie is facing a charge of first-degree murder after police say a man’s body was discovered in a wooded area.

torontosun.com

spaminator · May 19, 2021

Stolen watches, planted evidence alleged in bungled York police bust
The complaints, stemming from the July 2020 bust of an illegal casino allegedly operating out of a Markham mansion, prompted the Crown to drop charges against 52-year-old Wei Wei

Author of the article:Bryan Passifiume
Publishing date:May 18, 2021 • 17 hours ago • 2 minute read • Join the conversation
York Regional Police Supt. Mike Slack during a press conference in front of 5 Decourcy Court, near Major Mackenzie Blvd. and Warden Ave. in Markham, Ont. on Wednesday September 30, 2020.
York Regional Police Supt. Mike Slack during a press conference in front of 5 Decourcy Court, near Major Mackenzie Blvd. and Warden Ave. in Markham, Ont. on Wednesday September 30, 2020. PHOTO BY ERNEST DOROSZUK /Toronto Sun
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The man at the centre of a bungled York Regional Police bust at a Markham mansion wants an independent review amid accusations of theft and evidence-planting following the raid.

The call for a review is contained in a letter to the Office of the Independent Police Review Director (OIPRD) from Danielle Robitaille, lawyer for 52-year-old Wei Wei — who along with his wife and daughter — was arrested last July in a raid of an alleged illegal casino

York police officers held a news conference last Sept. 30 outside of the 53-room mansion at 5 Decourcy Ct., in Markham — the site of the July 23 bust.

Wei, his wife and daughter were arrested July 30 at the family’s Vaughan home.

The case unravelled earlier this year with charges against the three being dropped. Letters alleging police misconduct were sent to prosecutors by Robitaille, prompting the Crown to request York police Chief Jim MacSween to investigate.

An empty baccarat table at an alleged illegal casino inside of a mansion at 5 Ca5 Decourcy Ct.
An empty baccarat table at an alleged illegal casino inside of a mansion at 5 Ca5 Decourcy Ct. PHOTO BY HANDOUT /York Regional Police
The bust netted 29 arrests, firearms, gaming tables, bales of cash, and more than $10-million in seized property.

What happened to that property makes up the crux of the complaint from Wei, who accuses police of stealing two high-end Swiss watches, planting a handgun holster in Wei’s bedroom, and violating solicitor-client privilege.

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The watches — a $300,000 Patek Phillipe and $150,000 Jaeger-Le Coultre — went missing after search warrants executed at Decourcy Ct., the letter claims.

“YRP members took numerous videos and photographs of the bedroom and Mr. Wei’s personal belongings upon entry,” Robitaille wrote, adding the two watches were visible in the police footage, but absent in exit video taken by police the next day.

“The watches were never bagged or tagged as exhibits,” the letter said.

“Now YRP cannot locate them.”

An empty baccarat table at an alleged illegal casino inside of a mansion at 5 Ca5 Decourcy Ct.
An empty baccarat table at an alleged illegal casino inside of a mansion at 5 Ca5 Decourcy Ct. PHOTO BY HANDOUT /York Regional Police
Robitaille also alleged police planted an empty gun holster in Wei’s bedroom on July 24, an attempt, she argued, to connect her client to firearms found at Decourcy Ct.

“A close examination of police videos and photographs raise serious concerns about how a gun holster appeared for the very first time in Mr. Wei’s bedroom suite almost 17 hours after the search commenced,” she wrote.

The holster, found on the floor outside of a closet, doesn’t appear in police video taken upon initial entry into the bedroom, she claimed.

She also alleged police violated solicitor-client privilege by photographing legally-sensitive documents in Wei’s home, including a retainer agreement with Robitaille’s law firm.

The TorontoSun contacted York police for comment, but received no reply.

bpassifiume@postmedia.com
On Twitter: @bryanpassifiume

Stolen watches, planted evidence alleged in bungled York police bust

The complaints, stemming from the July 2020 bust of an illegal casino allegedly operating out of a Markham mansion, prompted the Crown to drop charges against 52-year-old Wei Wei

torontosun.com

spaminator · May 21, 2021

N.Y. cop's dog slept in heated room while son, 8, froze to death: Housekeeper
Author of the article

ostmedia News
Publishing date:May 20, 2021 • 17 hours ago • 1 minute read • Join the conversation
Thomas Valva.
Thomas Valva. PHOTO BY SCREEN GRAB /HANDOUT
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The sickening allegations of an autistic boy left for dead at the hands of his cop dad were laid out during a pre-trial hearing.

In the hours before his death from hypothermia, eight-year-old Thomas Valva was allegedly forced to sleep in below-freezing temperatures in a garage belonging to his father on Long Island, N.Y. At the same time, the family’s dog, Bella, slept comfortably in a heated room nearby, a former housekeeper testified this week, according to PEOPLE.

The trial for ex-New York City police officer Michael Valva opened on Monday.

Prosecution witness Tyrene Rodriguez recalled hearing the young boy take his final breaths on the morning of Jan. 17, 2020.

“He made noises as the air was expelling from his body,” Rodriguez said in court, according to PIX 11, Newsday, and the New York Post.

Valva and fiancee Angela Pollina both face second-degree murder charges for their alleged roles in the unthinkable death. Both have pleaded not guilty.

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Valva reportedly wiped away tears as Rodriguez testified he tried to revive the boy, who was naked at the time, in the family’s basement.

“He was very blue … his lips were blue,” Rodriguez said, adding the family’s dog was sleeping in the nearby mudroom, which is heated.

Prosecutors say Thomas was made to sleep in sub-zero temperatures in the garage after soiling his pyjamas.

Valva called 911 that morning to report his son had taken a fall while waiting for the school bus outside their house, saying he was unconscious.

The boy was pronounced dead upon arrival at the hospital and the cause of death was ruled a homicide with hypothermia a contributing factor.

NYPD Cop's Dog Slept in Heated Room While Son, 8, Froze to Death in Garage: Housekeeper

Former NYPD officer Michael Valva is accused of murdering his 8-year-old son, who had autism

people.com

N.Y. cop's dog slept in heated room while son, 8, froze to death: Housekeeper

The sickening allegations of an autistic boy left for dead at the hands of his cop dad were laid out during a pre-trial hearing.

torontosun.com

spaminator · May 26, 2021

Ottawa rapist got lift to victim’s home courtesy of police
“He choked me…he tried to kill me…he strangled me.”

Author of the article:Gary Dimmock
Publishing date:May 25, 2021 • 12 hours ago • 3 minute read • Join the conversation
Files: The provincial courthouse in Ottawa.
Files: The provincial courthouse in Ottawa. PHOTO BY JEAN LEVAC /Postmedia/File
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The woman was in so much pain it hurt to talk to the detectives at her hospital bedside hours after she was raped and almost choked to death on Oct. 29.

Her drunken attacker advanced as she slept in her Vanier bedroom on the other side of midnight and she managed to escape, running down McArthur Avenue bloody, naked and crying.

She was screaming that someone was trying to kill her.

The woman was taken to hospital, where she later told Ottawa police detectives: “I wish he would have just killed me.”

She detailed the vicious attack to detectives, repeatedly saying “he choked me…he tried to kill me…he strangled me.”

He also punched her repeatedly in the face and she was treated for multiple injuries all over her body. She told detectives that she feared retribution for coming forward.

These disturbing details are found in Ottawa police notes in the rape case against Guy Paniloo, who pleaded guilty last week in Ottawa court. The police case, adopted by the Crown, included incriminating DNA evidence. The case against Paniloo, 55, was successfully prosecuted by Ottawa Crown Attorney Moiz Karimjee, who filed an agreed statement of facts. The police investigation revealed that he had choked another woman hours earlier, and he pleaded guilty to that crime too.

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Paniloo was too drunk to remember what he did, but accepted responsibility after reviewing the case against him.

“Although I have no specific recollection due to consumption of alcohol, I agree based on the statements (from the complainants), the police observations of the victim immediately after the incident, the forensic evidence including photographs on the injuries and the sexual assault kit evidence,” Paniloo wrote in his guilty plea filed in court.

“I am pleading guilty by choice,” he said.

Paniloo didn’t have a criminal record until last week, but some Ottawa patrol officers still recognized him when they came to arrest him for rape on Oct. 29.

That’s because it was the Ottawa Police who gave the rapist a lift to the victim’s apartment.

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Two hours earlier, according to court filings, patrol officers responded to a call, again on McArthur. Only this time it was Paniloo running down the street. He was drunk, with no shirt or shoes and was yelling and swearing.

Paniloo told police to take him back to an apartment on McArthur and they gave him a lift. Police reported they confirmed with the woman he could stay the night, and then pulled away.

Two hours later, Paniloo entered the woman’s bedroom and attacked her — leaving her in severe pain and fear, with a long list of injuries.

Paniloo was arrested at the apartment turned crime scene 11 minutes after someone called 911.

The officer read him his rights and told him why he was being arrested, to which Paniloo replied: “ F-ck you guys man…I don’t give a f-ck,” according to police notes filed in court.

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The police gave him an opportunity to talk to a lawyer, and he selected veteran Karen Reid. But Paniloo was still drunk and too uncooperative to give instruction or understand legal advice.

The successful police investigation also uncovered another attack hours earlier — the one in which Paniloo choked another woman after hanging out and eating. It was two boxes of wine, a six pack over caribou and, by all accounts, everyone was in a good mood but things turned violent when Paniloo and the woman stepped outside.

“Unprovoked, he turned toward (the woman) placed one hand on her throat and choked. (She) could not breathe and was gasping for air. She was frightened,” according to court filings.

She doesn’t recall escaping Paniloo but she managed to run away. In a videotaped police interview at Elgin Street headquarters on Novemeber 4, she detailed the choking attack and told them “what he did was wrong, and he cannot choke women.”

Paniloo is awaiting sentencing.

gdimmock@postmedia.com

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1397338437775208457

Ottawa rapist got lift to victim’s home courtesy of police

torontosun.com

spaminator · May 31, 2021

Colombia to probe police who stood by as civilians shot at protesters
Author of the article:Reuters
Reuters
Luis Jaime Acosta
Publishing date:May 31, 2021 • 4 hours ago • 2 minute read • Join the conversation
A woman mourns the death of demonstrators during protests against Colombian President Ivan Duque's government, in Cali, Colombia, on May 29, 2021.
A woman mourns the death of demonstrators during protests against Colombian President Ivan Duque's government, in Cali, Colombia, on May 29, 2021. PHOTO BY LUIS ROBAYO /AFP via Getty Images
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BOGOTA — Colombian authorities are investigating 10 police officers who allowed civilians to shoot at demonstrators in Cali, a high-ranking official said on Monday, while the attorney general’s office linked three more deaths to protests.

The Andean country has seen more than a month of protests against the social and economic policies of the government of President Ivan Duque. The demonstrations were sparked by a now-withdrawn proposed tax reform.

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Since the tax reform was withdrawn, protesters’ demands have expanded to include a basic income, opportunities for young people and an end to police violence, including the dissolution of the feared anti-riot unit ESMAD.

Protests have been marked by violence. The attorney general’s office on Monday said 20 deaths have been linked to demonstrations – three more than a previous tally – while rights groups report dozens more protesters have been killed by security forces.

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Colombia’s third-largest city Cali, which has become an epicenter for protests, once more saw bloodshed on Friday with civilians and even an off-duty agent of the attorney general’s office shooting at demonstrators, the attorney general said.

An investigation has been launched to identify those who broke the law in Cali, General Jorge Luis Vargas, director of Colombia’s national police, said on Monday, adding that information concerning officers who may have broken the law or not performed their duties has been sent to the military justice unit.

Over the weekend Cali Mayor Jorge Ivan Ospina reported more than a dozen violent deaths took place in the city on Friday and reported armed men shooting at demonstrators in the presence of the police.

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The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, on Sunday called for those responsible for the violence in Cali to be held accountable.

“It is essential that all those who are reportedly involved in causing injury or death, including state officials, are subject to prompt, effective, independent, impartial and transparent investigations and that those responsible are held accountable,” she said.

As the death toll rises, negotiations between the government and protest leaders have stalled. The government says protesters must condemn and reject road blocks before further negotiations take place. Protest leaders accuse the government of backtracking on earlier commitments.

The national strike committee has called for more protests to take place on Wednesday.

Colombia to probe police who stood by as civilians shot at protesters

BOGOTA — Colombian authorities are investigating 10 police officers who allowed civilians to shoot at demonstrators in Cali, a high-ranking official said on Monday,…

torontosun.com

spaminator · Jun 3, 2021

OPP revealed auxiliary officer's theft charge, but not child porn count
Author of the article:Susan Gamble • Postmedia News
Publishing date:Jun 03, 2021 • 10 hours ago • 1 minute read • Join the conversation
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SIMCOE – A Norfolk OPP auxiliary constable charged last week with theft is also facing child pornography charges, according to court documents.

Const. Todd Frederick Boylan, 47, a five-year member of the Norfolk detachment, was charged May 27 with nine counts of theft under $5,000 relating to multiple thefts from the men’s locker-room at the Simcoe Recreation Centre from 2016, 2018 and 2019. The OPP announced the charges on Monday.

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The court documents include a charge against Boylan on April 6 of possession of child pornography and a charge of making pornography from between June 1, 2020, and March 18, 2021.

The documents also allege that underwear was stolen in the locker-room thefts at the public facility, which includes a hockey rink and swimming pool.

Boylan, who lives in Simcoe, has been suspended from duty.

There are two publication bans in place in the Boylan case. One protects the names of any alleged victims and the other means no information can be shared from his bail hearing, which took place on May 31.

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Norfolk OPP acting Sgt. Ed Sanchuk said the child pornography charges were not listed in Monday’s news release about Boylan because of the possibility of identifying victims in the case.

Boylan returns to court on June 22.

“Investigators believe that there may be additional victims,” Norfolk OPP said in a statement about the thefts.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Norfolk OPP crime unit at 1-888-310-1122 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.

Auxiliary officers are volunteers who work with regular OPP officers and typically perform traffic safety and crime prevention duties.

SGamble@postmedia.com

@EXPSGamble

Area OPP revealed auxiliary officer's theft charge, but not child porn count

SIMCOE – A Norfolk OPP auxiliary constable charged last week with theft is also facing child pornography charges, according to court documents.

torontosun.com

spaminator · Jun 27, 2021

Colorado man who fatally shot cop killer was mistakenly slain by police
Author of the article:Reuters
Reuters
Keith Coffman
Publishing date:Jun 26, 2021 • 1 day ago • 1 minute read • 9 Comments
John Hurley is pictured in a photo posted on the Arvada Police Department's Facebook page.
John Hurley is pictured in a photo posted on the Arvada Police Department's Facebook page. PHOTO BY ARVADA POLICE DEPARTMENT /Facebook
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DENVER — A Colorado man who fatally shot a gunman who had just killed a police officer was himself slain by a responding officer who apparently mistook him for the cop killer, authorities said on Friday.

Johnny Hurley, 40, was shot while holding a rifle belonging to a 59-year-old man who moments earlier had fatally ambushed police officer Gordon Beesley, police in the Denver suburb of Arvada said in a statement.

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Hurley shot Ronald Troyke with a handgun. It was unclear why he picked up the dead man’s weapon.

The tragic series of events unfolded on Monday afternoon after Troyke’s brother called police saying he feared his sibling was going “to do something crazy,” the statement said.

Gordon Beesley is pictured in a photo posted on the Arvada Police Department’s Facebook page.
Gordon Beesley is pictured in a photo posted on the Arvada Police Department’s Facebook page. PHOTO BY ARVADA POLICE DEPARTMENT /Facebook
Beesley and another officer went to Troyke’s apartment but were unable to locate him. Minutes later Beesley responded to a report of a suspicious man in Arvada’s Olde Town Square.

Video footage released by police shows Troyke getting out of a pickup truck with a 12-gauge semiautomatic shotgun and approaching Beesley.

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Police said Troyke called out to Beesley, who is seen turning toward the gunman, and the officer was shot twice with no time to take “defensive action.” Police did not release video of the actual shooting.

Troyke then shot out windows in nearby patrol cars before running back to his truck and retrieving an AR-15 rifle, police said. He headed back to the plaza, where he was shot by Hurley.

Police also released excerpts from a four-page handwritten manifesto that Troyke left in his apartment, in which he vowed to kill as many police officers “as I possibly can.”

“I just hope I don’t die without killing any of you pigs,” he wrote, according to police.

Beesley, 51, was a father of two and a 19-year veteran of the police force.

An online fundraiser set up for Hurley’s family described him as a “Good Samaritan” and true hero.

The Jefferson County District Attorney’s Office is investigating the incident.

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spaminator · Aug 4, 2021

Allegations of sexual assault against N.L. police breed mistrust among women
Author of the article:Canadian Press
Canadian Press
Sarah Smellie
Publishing date:Aug 03, 2021 • 17 hours ago • 4 minute read • Join the conversation
A Royal Newfoundland Constabulary police car is shown in St.John's in a June, 2020 photo.
A Royal Newfoundland Constabulary police car is shown in St.John's in a June, 2020 photo. PHOTO BY SARAH SMELLIE /THE CANADIAN PRESS / FILES
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ST. JOHN’S, N.L. — With a growing number of sexual assault allegations surfacing against officers with Newfoundland and Labrador’s provincial police force, women in St. John’s, N.L., are calling for cuts to police budgets and questioning who will protect them.

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Lynn Moore, a lawyer who works with victims of sexual assault in the provincial capital, says 15 women have now approached her with allegations about nine Royal Newfoundland Constabulary officers. Eight of the officers identified have since retired and one remains on the force, she said in an email last week.

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The underlying allegation, Moore has said, is that on-duty officers would scout downtown St. John’s in their cruisers, offering women rides home. On July 21, Supt. Tom Warren of the RNC told a news conference the force was looking into sexual assault allegations against four officers. The news came less than three months after RNC Const. Carl Douglas Snelgrove was convicted of raping a young woman in her living room in 2014 after offering her a ride home from a downtown nightclub.

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Moore has said the women who have contacted her are not interested, so far, in taking their claims to police.

The situation has women downtown on edge and questioning whether police have a role to play in keeping women and marginalized people safe in the city.

Ursula Dumaresque said when she heard about the allegations last month, “I felt absolutely terrified and betrayed and angry.” She works in a downtown bar and walks home late at night from work. When asked in a recent interview if she would ever approach an officer in his cruiser late at night for help, she said no: “I would not feel safe whatsoever.”

The Royal Newfoundland Constabulary has about 400 officers who serve the eastern Avalon region, which includes St. John’s, as well as the Corner Brook area in western Newfoundland and the western part of Labrador. The RCMP police the rest of the province. The RNC’s operations cost the provincial government about $67 million in the 2020-2021 fiscal year, according to budget documents.

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In St. John’s, especially at night, “downtown” refers to stretches of Water and Duckworth streets that are lined with bars and restaurants, as well as George Street, which is tucked between them. Cabs circle the area until the early morning hours, waiting to be flagged down by people spilling out of the establishments.

It’s not uncommon to see police cruisers among the cabs, or parked along the downtown streets, Dumaresque said, though she notes there have been fewer since the Snelgrove verdict in May. The latest allegations show it’s time to listen to women and marginalized communities who have been speaking up about the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary and to put more money into community groups working to keep people safe downtown, she said.

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Musician Kelly McMichael regularly walks home late at night after downtown gigs and said she agrees with Dumaresque. “Defund the police,” she said in a recent interview. Referring to the most recent allegations against officers, she said, “If they can do that, then the system is clearly not working.”

Laura Winters, executive director of the St. John’s Status of Women Council, said her organization is renewing its call to cut police funding. “Sustainable change and institutional change for survivors of sexual violence really is not going to come from inflated budgets for these institutions,” she said in a recent interview. As for whether she thinks the force could ever win the trust of women in the province, Winters said it would first have to acknowledge that the issue is bigger than a few bad officers.

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Renee Sharpe teaches self-defence for women and marginalized groups and works at a women’s shelter. “My phone’s been off the hook with people calling me for one-on-one self-defence stuff,” she said in a recent interview, adding that the latest news about the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary is partly responsible.

Sharpe said she feels “hurt and angry and at a loss” about the recent allegations against the force. Like McMichael and Dumaresque, she said she looks to the work by Indigenous groups and Black Lives Matter as examples of how to advocate for communities that are safe for everyone.

The Royal Newfoundland Constabulary’s new interim chief, Patrick Roche, declined a request for an interview. Spokesman Const. James Cadigan said in an emailed statement Tuesday that the force “will continue to work with community groups and services to provide a safe space to best support the needs of survivors.”

Dumaresque said she’ll continue to rely on the network of women working downtown who check in with one another at the end of their shifts and keep in touch until everyone is home safe. As for the police, she said, “Until there is some sort of investigation or some sort of insight from somebody that’s not already tarnished … they’re not needed to be patrolling downtown, in any way.”

Allegations of sexual assault against N.L. police breed mistrust among women

ST. JOHN’S, N.L. — With a growing number of sexual assault allegations surfacing against officers with Newfoundland and Labrador’s provincial police force, women in…

torontosun.com

DaSleeper · Aug 4, 2021

The Sun!

spaminator · Aug 5, 2021

Hiker's death during Arizona heatwave suspicious?
Author of the article

enette Wilford
Publishing date:Aug 03, 2021 • 2 days ago • 1 minute read • Join the conversation
Technical Rescue Teams on scene at Camelback Mountain for reports of a missing hiker.
Technical Rescue Teams on scene at Camelback Mountain for reports of a missing hiker. PHOTO BY TWITTER /Phoenix Fire Department
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A Boston woman was found dead in Arizona after the unbearable heat became too much for her, but her friends believe the circumstances of her death are suspicious.

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The body of the woman, identified by WBZ as Angela Tramonte, 31, was discovered Friday off a trail near a home in Phoenix, according to the Phoenix Fire Department.

The out-of-towner “turned around halfway up the trail” on Camelback Mountain while the group she was with continued hiking, according to Phoenix fire officials. She was reported missing after she didn’t return to the parking lot, and rescue crews actively searched for her.

Tramonte, however, wasn’t hiking with a group.

She was reportedly with a man who she had met on Instagram and was meeting for the first time, in person, according to WBZ. It was that man who called police, after he returned to his car and saw she wasn’t there, but her belongings were.

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He reportedly called police around 1 p.m. and crews began searching for her shortly after, reportedKPNX.

“The city employee who was with [the woman] is a witness and is cooperating with investigators,” said police, adding that foul play isn’t suspected.

Tramonte’s friends have their doubts.

“As a cop, as a first responder, you’re supposed to help people,” her friend, Stacey Gerardi, told WBZ. “If somebody’s walking up a mountain, and you’re seeing her in distress, and she’s not feeling well, and she’s exhausted — why wouldn’t you walk her back down? Why would you continue to walk back up? It doesn’t make sense.”

Authorities believe Tramonte collapsed while seeking help for heat exhaustion and dehydration.

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