A video showing police officers beating an unconscious suspect, Anthony Warren, had led to the firing of five Birmingham officers. The beating occurred after a high-speed chase. An officer turned off the video camera but it still was able to capture the critical footage.
What is most disturbing is that the video only recently was shown to top police officials despite the fact that any as six supervisors saw the video and apparently did nothing. To the credit of the department, there will be discipline for those supervisors who failed to report the incident to higher-ups. Hopefully, they will at a minimum be stripped of rank and returned to patrol duty as non-supervisors.
There is also the possibility of criminal charges against the officers.
From our past stories, it seems often the case that such brutality occurs after high-speed chases where officers are understandable “pumped up” and often angry. In this case, Warren almost ran over an officer and endangered numerous citizens before his van turned over and he was ejected on the side of the road.
It seems likely that there will be a civil lawsuit. While the actions this week are commendable, the failure of supervisors to act will likely support a tort action against the city and the police.
For the video and full story, click here
Annonymously Yours, I accept your contention. Patty C, sorry for trespassing on your private domain.
AY
‘…Buddha do you know where? I guess I am not that smart, oh well.’
—
No guess – NOT that smart is all… ;o
In case you haven’t guessed, I don’t buy anything you say.
It has more to do with those pesky discrepancies in your initial statements than your everyday writing style – once again…
Don’t waste ‘turlee’ time. We’re not, nor ever were, a
‘private chat’ room.
On the rare occasion, mespo and I apologize for use of it as same
invoking ‘sidebar’ rules.
sarcasm,
Each of us herein has questioned the value of a human life – the guy’s . . . with IQ’s above 136 – should have the highest value of life. What do you say?
Where do we sign up? Mespo, Buddha do you know where? I guess I am not that smart, oh well.
Each of us herein has questioned the value of a human life – the guy’s life who was the bad actor in this chase. After the chase is over and the dust has settled and no one else is in danger, is the value of the bad actor’s life the same, less or more than it was during his bad act? The emergency is over – no one else’s life is in danger. The same analysis is applied daily to the unborn (think abortion), the severely depressed (think Oregon’s assisted suicide laws), the mentally handicapped (think Florida’s Terri Schiavo) and the convict who is set to die for a murder conviction. Should life have the same value, or should it be on a sliding scale that I – or you – get to decide? To avoid abuse, what is the safest value to place on life? I think only the smartest people – with IQ’s above 136 – should have the highest value of life. What do you say?
uh, oh. i’m a thought police.
teach,
if you’ve considered smacking “the crap out of” your special needs kids “plenty of times”, i think you’re in the wrong business.
I am a special education teacher dealing with a behavioral population in a tough neighborhood. Trust me there have been plenty of times I would like to smack the crap out of my students for crossing the line or for disrespecting me. However I do understand that I am professional and if I can’t handle the position I should just resign. In other words, these police officers did not conduct themselves professionally and are rightfully terminated.
Since when do we hold criminals and law enforcement officers to the same moral standard?
No one has sympathy for the criminal. That’s a “straw man” presented by the dumbasses who blindly support law enforcement when they act unprofessionally.
Law enforcement officers are professionals who must abide by a code of conduct. Since when is beating an unconscious criminal part of law enforcement’s code of conduct?
The fact of the matter is that the officers acted out of character and were disciplined accordingly.
All parties involved received their proper comeuppance. The officers were fired and the criminal received 20 years.
Kudos to the Birmingham police department.
Wow. It’s truly sad to see people justifying the actions of out of control cops. I don’t care what this guy did, cops are NOT judge, jury or executioner. What the heck do you people think a court system is for? Once that chase was over, they should have cuffed him, tossed his ass in the back seat and took him to jail. The end.
Your a Muther,
Have you maybe thought they should have shot him to, made it look like self-defense, put a gun in his hand before the rig sets in and fire a few rounds just for the hell of it? I think maybe you have something there.
Not in the least, that has happened before and I am sure it will happen again. I know a of cop that got his jollys beating minorities near death and left em. You tell me thats not sick sh**, or do you get your life jollys the same way?
The thug animal almost ran over an officer of the peace and put countless innocent civilians in danger. Should have kicked him harder and saved the tax payers from covering his rent for the next 40 years. I’ll be sure to next time.
Now who are or was the criminal?
Yeah, the cops should have just taken out a serrated knife and cut the guys head off right there. Oh, wait, the other guy who flipped out the back was the actual bad guy. He forced a victim to change places with him in the van just before they crashed. Oh, wait. The cops cut the victims head off already. Oh well, we’re Christians, and so we’re forgiven. Thinking. Thinking. Try it.
“QUESTION: “What kind of people beat an unconscious person instead of assisting him with first aid, or at least first assessing his health status?”
ANSWER: A sociopath or psychopathic criminal.”
Buddha,I have one addition to your answer. I would suggest this amended version: A sociopath or psychopathic criminal or a Birmingham police officer and his/her supervisor.
That ahole deserved every lick he got, and some. He made the decision to break the law which led to him fleeing police and during that chase attempted to run down an officer. How would you feel if your father/brother/son was the officer that he killed? I don’t think you would be so sympathetic for this guy.
Yep, if you ever want to get really down on life, read the comments about an article like this on a popular local news site. If you go to my town’s local newspaper’s website, you’ll find the most hate-filled and ignorant comments imaginable. Local news sites: the Internet’s Mos Eisley.
After reading through some of the comments in the linked article, it’s truly scary how the South views policework. I don’t know when it became part of the police officer’s duty to beat people up….I thought they were in business to help prevent crime. Or did I miss something in civics class?
It is heartening that Alabaman’s may have come around from the time of Selma. LEO’s do not have the right to enforce justice by their own methods. The perp was undoubtedly reckless, but that doesn’t give the Officers the right to take out their anger on them. We are presumed to be a society with a Constitution and Laws. The police, as guardians of the law, have the absolute duty to model what “law abiding” stands for and if they don’t not only do they fail in their duty, but they make their own jobs less safe. It was disturbing to read though that about 50% of the comments on this story by the Alabama citizenry were on the side of the officers. All of those people assume it will never happen to them, or someone close to them. How ignorant of them to think that way.
QUESTION: “What kind of people beat an unconscious person instead of assisting him with first aid, or at least first assessing his health status?”
ANSWER: A sociopath or psychopathic criminal.
The supervisors must be fired for the cover-up. They must not be put back out on the streets with firearms. The citizen taxpayers should not have to pay for the officers’ violations. If more LEOs that are corrupt went to prison, then other officers would think before acting illegally.
What kind of people beat an unconscious person instead of assisting him with first aid, or at least first assessing his health status?