Six months after a Schuylkill County Pennsylvania jury acquitted two teens of aggravated assault and murder in the date of Luis Ramirez, three officers were charged with conspiring to obstruct justice in the investigation of Ramirez’ death. Ramirez, a Mexican immigrant, was beaten into a coma during a street brawl in Shenandoah in July 2008. Shenandoah Police Chief Matthew Nestor, Lt. William Moyer, and Officer Jason Hayes allegedly failed to “memorialize or record” statements made by the teens involved in the beating death, and “wrote false and misleading reports that intentionally omitted information about the true nature of the assault and the investigation.” Moyer faces additional charges of witness and evidence tampering and making false statements to the FBI. Each officer could face 20 years in prison on each of the obstruction charges and additional 5 years on conspiring to obstruct justice. Moyer could face another 5 years if convicted of making false statements to the FBI.
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Police Officers Indicted for Obstruction in Race Related Beating
Monday, December 21st, 2009Police Misconduct : YOU May Be The Next Victim
Wednesday, November 18th, 2009The majority of law enforcement officers in this country perform their difficult occupations with a respect for the law and the community. However, there are some officers who believe that the power of their job elevates them to a different position then you and me…above the law. When an officer acts in a manner contrary to the law, he or she is engaging in police misconduct.
It is a violation of your rights for an officer acting under the “color of law” to deprive you of any right protected by the Constitution or laws of the United States. Police misconduct prohibited by these laws includes excessive force, sexual assault, intentional false arrest, and the intentional creation of evidence resulting in a loss of liberty to another.
Most of us think that we could never be a victim of police misconduct because we obey the law. In my practice, I commonly encounter the mentality that only criminals have run-ins with law enforcement officers. Bad things only happen to bad people right? The scary truth is that we are all potential victims.
National Seminar on Police Misconduct
Monday, October 19th, 2009
Keith Weidner attended a seminar in Seattle, Washington on October 15, 2009. The seminar was hosted by the National Police Accountability Project (“NPAP”). Lawyers from across the nation met to discuss trial practices specific to police misconduct. The NPAP was founded in order to end police abuse of authority and is made up of lawyers who exclusively represent victims of police misconduct.
Pensacola Police Department reviews taser use
Monday, October 5th, 2009The Pensacola Police Department (PPD) is reviewing its’ policies on the use of tasers after an officer discharged his taser from a moving vehicle. Officer Ard was in pursuit of a man fleeing by bicycle early Saturday morning when he fired his taser from his vehicle. The unidentified man fell from the bicycle and was fatally run over by the officer’s patrol car. An autopsy is set for today to determine if the taser struck the man. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) is investigating the incident and Officer Ard has been placed on paid administrative leave pending review.
http://www.pnj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/200910050100/NEWS01/910050310
