VB BAD COP NEWS....Wrongful Arrests, Cheating on Tests?!

A quote from Harvey L. Bryant,
Commonwealth’s Attorney for the City of Virginia Beach

"Police Officers’ must be fully supported when enforcing the law, and fully prosecuted when they break it,”



TOO MANY TO LIST, BUT THESE ARE GOOD!

STORY 1
Man awarded $123,000 in wrongful arrest case
By DUANE BOURNE, The Virginian-Pilot
© February 3, 2006

VIRGINIA BEACH — How much is six days in jail worth?

A jury Thursday said: $123,000.

A Circuit Court jury awarded that amount to a man who spent six days in jail after being wrongly arrested for allegedly robbing a cab driver in 2003.

The jury found that p olice Officer K.C. Reilly did not have sufficient probable cause to seek an arrest warrant for Joshua B. Shepherd, 28, a computer engineer. Shepherd had sued the officer for $850,000.

The criminal case against Shepherd hinged on a single fingerprint and a description of the robber ’s long dreadlocks. Shepherd, however, said he has always worn short, blond hair.

During a two-day civil trial, Deputy City Attorney Mark Stiles argued that the mistake did not constitute malicious prosecution.

On Aug. 2, 2003, cab driver Joseph Brannon was robbed at gunpoint near the College Park neighborhood. He said the robber was in his mid- to late 20s, weighed 150 to 160 pounds and had long, blond dreadlocks.

Police found four sets of fingerprints on the cab. One matched Shepherd’s. The others were untraceable. Shepherd said he had been a passenger in the cab a few hours before the incident .

For four months, the crime went unsolved. Then, in December 2003, Reilly got an arrest warrant against Shepherd. He said he relied on the 911 call, the incident report, a memo from another investigator, evidence and interviews with Brannon .

For several months, police could not find Shepherd to arrest him.

I n July 2004, Shepherd was stopped for a speeding violation in Blacksburg and taken into custody. He was released six days later on $10,000 bail.

At a preliminary hearing on Sept. 3, 2004, the charges were dropped when Brannon could not identify the man who robbed him.

Shepherd’s attorney, Moody E. “Sonny” Stallings Jr., told the jury that Reilly was lazy and had arrested Shepherd to close the case.

“This,” Stallings said, “is not the way law enforcement should act.”

STORY 2
Retired Nurse’s Federal Lawsuit Charges Virginia Beach County Deputies With Severely Beating Her And Denying Adequate Medical Care After Her Wrongful Arrest And Prosecution
October 18th, 2007

VIRGINIA BEACH, VIRGINIA - The lawsuit by a mentally ill woman who claims she was denied adequate medical care and severely beaten by sheriff’s deputies while at the city jail has been moved to federal court.

In a complaint filed in Virginia Beach Circuit Court last month, Janace Johnson, who has schizoaffective disorder, also claimed she was wrongfully arrested and prosecuted on a charge that was eventually dismissed. The lawsuit sought $2 million from the city, state and Virginia Beach Sheriff Paul Lanteigne.

STORY 3, Now this is comforting to know!
Three Beach police officers fired for cheating on leadership test
By JON FRANK, The Virginian-Pilot
© May 4, 2007

VIRGINIA BEACH - Three Police Department officers have been fired for cheating on a leadership test.

The three officers, a lieutenant and two sergeants, were terminated after a month-long investigation, according to sources close to the police department.

A memo was circulated Thursday throughout the police department, notifying other members of the terminations.

The officers fired were identified by sources as Lt. Kenny Miller, Sgt. Sam Thomson and Sgt. Chris Hammond.


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"This unfortunate situation was discovered internally," Chief of Police Jake Jacocks Jr. said during an interview last month.

Jacocks said the incident occurred during a session of the West Point Leadership Course, which the Beach conducts on a regular basis as a leadership developmental program.

The department's Professional Standards Office investigated the matter, Jacocks said.

" It is a very troubling matter to us," the chief said.

The leadership course is open to officers in both the Virginia Beach Police Department and the Sheriff's Office.

Other law enforcement organizations also send officers to the course, including police departments in Norfolk, Chesapeake and Suffolk, Jacocks said.

Jacocks would not comment on or confirm the firings, explaining that official police policy prohibits him from discussing personnel matters.


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