The police officer shown on YouTube striking bicyclist Christopher Long without cause has been indicted. The officer, Patrick Pogan, has been instructed to report to State Supreme Court for the unsealing of the indictment. It is not clear what the specific charges may be: assault or a rumored false statement charge.
The charges stem from a video taken on July 25 during the Critical Mass protest where Pogan knocks down Long.
Officer Pogan charged him with attempted assault, resisting arrest and disorderly conduct. In his police report, Officer Pogan claimed that Long was obstructing vehicular traffic and, after Pogan instructed Long to stop, Long rammed him with his bicycle. Pogan claimed that it caused him fall to the ground and receive cuts on his forearms and that Long resisted arrest.
The video does not support Pogan’s account. However, there is also the question of the other officer who clearly witnessed much of the action but did nothing to intervene or contradict Pogan.
The officer swore out an affidavit that is clearly false. That would be perjury, I believe. When cops are caught lying under oath, they should face the same penalties that defendants do.
Justice is slow, but at least this officer has been charged for the crime that everyone saw in that video this past summer. It is obvious to everyone except the police department,not to mention the charged officer’s partner. If we do not press charges for obvious crimes, it will give other officers the green light that anything goes.
FFLEO,
Just put up a picture of your brain. The above was very well said!
Jill
“…assault or a rumored false statement charge.”
I would opt for both charges.
As long as governments continue to lower entrance standards for LEOs, cover-up for them, and then continue to retain “bad cops,” such abuse by incompetent officers will continue.
The officer clearly assaulted the bicyclist and then submitted a false statement (according to reports regarding his official report). If there were no the video evidence, and even with the many eyewitnesses, the bicyclist would most likely be the person facing a judge.
Society must never tolerate police abuse at any level and the judicial system must be cautious of taking any LEOs statement at face value; increasingly their statements and testimony are questionable. Although law enforcement officers take oaths of office and they must adhere to strict codes of conduct, those once-strong standards are lowered or ignored to allow for mentally, physically, and ethically unqualified recruits’ entry into the ranks of law enforcement and their retention following obvious abuses of their powers.
Amadou Diallo was shot 42 times while reaching for his wallet. NYPD Officers don’t need no stinking excuse. Slap on the wrist time in NYC again, after all why should NYC be different than anyplace else?
“The video does not support Pogan’s account.”
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I saw the video. That’s an understatement!