Man Wins $1 Million for Excessive Force in EVSE Charging Case

Don't try this at home. While he won a million dollars, he has shoulder problems and lingering cognitive difficulties:

http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/Father-Who-Won-1M-Police-Excessive-Force-Verdict-Speaks-Out-392663451.html

Thanks for the link, Stoaty. The man and his wife are young, nice people who we would love to have more of as EV drivers to grow the movement. It is so unfortunate the man was permanently harmed with a traumatic brain injury. The most important thing I get from his interview is that he felt most concerned with his own integrity by his being proved to have told the truth.

why do cops in the US have this thing about "their authority"? I was raised in England and cops are there to enforce the laws not "be" the law. I was never threatened by a UK police presence. The more I interact with US 'city' police when they are excited, the more I feel they need better support and training from their force. I sometimes feel as though when some cops turn up, things are going to escalate to a bad place. Not that I have much dealings with them, but I do live near a large'ish city.

Again, with any news report, who knows what, and how, he said the things that triggered them to tackle him so harshly.

Cops in the US are out of control

I've charged at this spot... No wonder they now shut off the charger with a timer after hours...

"why do cops in the US have this thing about "their authority"?"

Everybody is different. It is really dangerous and wrong to lump all police together. There are some police who are really nice and kind people with no interest in ever using force or being the authority. And there are others, each with their own situation.

We can't generalize, but in some cases, people get jobs as police because they want to be the boss.

Again, we can't generalize, but in other cases, I suspect that police training teaches them that to control crowds and unruly people, they must show their authority. I have no idea if that is the most effective method of managing difficult situations but it sure seems to be used a lot.

Bob

Bob said:

"why do cops in the US have this thing about "their authority"?"

Everybody is different. It is really dangerous and wrong to lump all police together. There are some police who are really nice and kind people with no interest in ever using force or being the authority. And there are others, each with their own situation.

We can't generalize, but in some cases, people get jobs as police because they want to be the boss.

Again, we can't generalize, but in other cases, I suspect that police training teaches them that to control crowds and unruly people, they must show their authority. I have no idea if that is the most effective method of managing difficult situations but it sure seems to be used a lot.

Bob

Click to expand...

Hard not to think it's a systemic problem, when despite losing the case, the department has the nerve to say the officers didn't do anything wrong.

DuncanCunningham said:

Again, with any news report, who knows what, and how, he said the things that triggered them to tackle him so harshly.

Click to expand...

The story showed the cell phone video of the incident, which it was fairly dark but still it didn't appear that he did anything to justify such a physical response. Apparently too it was proven, maybe by the cell phone video time-stamp (?) that it was before 11 p.m. and thus had a legal right to be in the charging station and in the park, which didn't close until 11 p.m.

davewill said:

Hard not to think it's a systemic problem, when despite losing the case, the department has the nerve to say the officers didn't do anything wrong.

Click to expand...

If you want to see a "systemic problem," take a look at the record of Lisa Womack, the illustrious ex-police chief from Elgin, Illinois, accused in a lawsuit filed in Federal Court of allowing a rampantly racist police force to exist by one of the black officers (I never did get to find out the ultimate outcome of that lawsuit), got another minority Hispanic officer kicked out of his home that he was living in as part of a neighborhood task force even AFTER he was exonerated of the accusation of shoplifting, and he was reinstated to the force with back pay by an independent arbitrator then relegated to menial duties by her. One of the best is the beating of handcuffed suspect Kevin Schwartz in the back of a police car by one of Elgin PD's finest, Christopher Darr, who she kept on the force until she was basically forced to fire him (first photo):
https://www.google.com/imgres?imgur...orPAhXKGz4KHYBDAMsQMwgeKAAwAA&iact=mrc&uact=8

There is a fairly good synopsis of the entire story at: http://www.camicjohnson.com/Articles/Ex-Elgin-Cop-Guilty-of-Beating-Handcuffed-Suspect.shtml

Then, as if that's not enough, in a different city, 1200 miles away in Lakeland Florida, under the now disgraced ex-police chief Lisa Womack for many, many other problems, including but not limited to "The Bra Shaking Incident" which generated nation-wide outrage:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ip4QY9IWeEo

another incident which is eerily familiar:
http://polkcounty.wtsp.com/news/news/196222-man-files-civil-rights-suit-over-police-beating

This was about not Clyde Barrow or "Machine Gun" Kelly, but a guy who mowed his neighbor's lawn!!

According to the 10News WTSP report: "Late Friday, Lakeland Police responded to our inquiry regarding the lawsuit by saying in part: 'This incident was reviewed by the chain of command of the Lakeland Police Department at the time it occurred. The officers were found to have acted within policies and law.'" (bold added)
and
"Joseph Florence and his entire legal team agree that the lawsuit being filed in federal court is more than just toward a police officer, but it is an indictment of the Lakeland police chief and the entire department." (bold added)

So not one, but two lawsuits filed against her in Federal Court. Of course, this does not mean that she was/is guilty of those accusations, but it is interesting. For the incident in Lakeland, the city settled with him for $275,000. Another link, to News Channel 8, which has the extremely questionable title "Man who fought with Lakeland cops gets $275,000 settlement," as I'd change fought to beaten as it seems obvious from the photos:
http://wfla.com/2016/03/30/man-who-fought-with-lakeland-cops-gets-275000-settlement/

Oh, but don't worry about Lisa Womack. She's back in Texas, I believe with the Arlington police force where her husband is, (I believe as I didn't do a lot of research about him) the police chief there, and she is a WELL RESPECTED member of CALEA, the task force that rates police forces around the country!! Talk about irony.
http://www.calea.org/

Police are increasingly trained to be safe. Safe, safe, safe. If anything gets in the way of feeling safe, then take aggressive measures. If someone talks back, that isn't safe. Slam them to the ground, knock them unconscious, pepper spray the, cuff them, now there is safety.