On January 6, Selective Crime Occurrence Reduction Enforcement Unit officers served a search warrant at a rented house, carefully staged with thousands of dollars' worth of electronics, weed, and cash, unaware that the house was wired with hidden cameras embedded into an alarm clock and smoke detector, recording their every move.
The mother of Stephen Lawrence is pressing for the cowardly undercover police officer who spied on her family's campaign for justice to be questioned at a public inquiry. The spycops inquiry has previously ruled that the undercover officer, David Hagan, was too ill to give live evidence, after submissions by his lawyers. But this ruling is to be challenged on Monday by Doreen Lawrence and many victims of covert surveillance who argue that Hagan is a key witness in a crucial issue that is being examined by the inquiry.
Prosecutors say Farwell groomed Birchmore from the time she was a high school student, committing statutory rape and engaging in a yearslong sexual relationship with her. She became pregnant in late 2020 and told Farwell that he was the father. He allegedly killed her in February 2021 to prevent the truth about their relationship from coming to light, strangling her in her apartment and staging it to look like a suicide.
Michael Mangan, who once led the Lawrence Police Department's Special Operations division, was indicted Tuesday on two counts of deprivation of rights under color of law and two counts of false report, according to the indictment. The accusations stem from a 2023 incident in which Mangan allegedly attacked Sodiq Amusat, 29, as he was being booked. Amusat filed a civil rights lawsuit following the alleged assault, which was captured on a surveillance video recording, according to the complaint filed in federal court.
On Wednesday, Larry Bushart was released from Perry County Jail, where he had spent weeks unable to make bail, which a judge set at $2 million. Prosecutors have not explained why the charges against him were dropped, according to The Intercept, which has been tracking the case closely. However, officials faced mounting pressure following media coverage and a social media campaign called "Free Larry Bushart," which stoked widespread concern over suspected police censorship of a US citizen over his political views.
Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging. At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
A former New York state trooper who shot himself on Long Island and then lied about it was sentenced Wednesday to six months in prison and five years probation as part of a plea deal. Thomas Mascia pleaded guilty over the summer to charges of falsely reporting an incident, tampering with physical evidence and official misconduct. As part of his plea deal, he was also ordered to pay $289,511 in restitution. He originally faced up to four years in prison.
The fact that he met them in public [near] his place of work, which is a police station, obviously provided, I would think, some other form of assurance for our clients that this was a legitimate real estate transaction, said Alex Henderson, the plaintiffs' lawyer. He was someone whose job is to maintain public trust as a police officer; I'm sure that did play a role in our clients decision to trust him.
Dakarai Larriett is not your conventional candidate for the U.S. Senate, least of all from Alabama. The gay, Black 43-year-old entrepreneur and community activist founded a pet aromatherapy business, studied dance at a progressive high school in Birmingham, champions the rights of trans people in the Cotton State, and embraces his ghost sightings as a gift. He's also sunny, charming, and attractive, and has surrounded himself with an experienced team of political veterans in his campaign for U.S. Senator from Alabama.
As well as the photo of the woman at the children's park, whose face was not shown though who PC Jacks had described as having the biggest fake boobs, they included references to a friend as a big fat poof, a commentary on other passengers during a journey home in which a woman is called an old slag and a post stating AIDS is a terrible thing. Especially Turkish AIDS.
Pacheco faces several charges, including second-degree hindering prosecution-a Class E felony-two counts of official misconduct, and two counts of second-degree obstruction of governmental administration, both of which are Class A misdemeanors. The first charge, which is the most serious, accuses Pacheco of rendering criminal assistance to a person who has committed a Class B or Class C felony. According to the Elmira Star-Gazette, Elmira police chief Kristen Thorne was informed in July of Pacheco's alleged unauthorized release of sensitive information regarding an ongoing investigation.
Doreen Lawrence also questioned why a politician who had held the post of home secretary had keenly sought her out and was at pains to reassure her that the government department had nothing to do with the surveillance. She said this had raised her suspicion that it was an attempt by the Home Office to get their defence in early.
Jon Boutcher, chief constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland, told the Northern Ireland Policing Board that he had appointed an "eminent" legal counsel, John Beggs KC, to review a 200 page report on PSNI surveillance and report back to confirm there was no misconduct or wrong-doing by police officers. Beggs, a specialist in police misconduct cases, represented the police commanders at the 2016 Hillsborough inquests, and is the co-author of Police Misconduct, Complaints, and Public Regulation
The county did not admit wrongdoing as part of the settlement. "There was no admission of liability," he said. Although the settlement offers some relief, he noted it cannot account for the "immeasurable loss" Porter and her family endured. "We can never restore what Ms. Porter really lost, but at least we can try to prevent it from happening somewhere else," Almadani said. "Putting this to bed is going to help with the healing process itself."
However, it is feared hundreds were wrongly hired with substandard or no vetting carried out, including many during the Conservative government's so-called uplift recruitment drive, The Guardian reports. The alleged recruitment predates the tenure of Met commissioner Sir Mark Rowley (PA) The Met is now carrying out an internal review into vetting and hiring practices between 2016 and April 2023, the force has confirmed.
It's the city that's proved irresistible for Chappell Roan and marked the finish line for fictional character Forrest Gump. Santa Monica easily sits among the pantheon of iconic Southern California communities due to its combination of weather, beach backdrop, energy and friendliness. Yet, that lore has been chipped away by sexual scandal, stagnation and, more recently, by another bubbling calamity.
Often officers are required to remain at home during their shift while an investigation takes place. One of the people Corpus sent home is deputies union president Carlos Tapia, who she had arrested on Nov. 12 on what turned out to be false allegations of timecard fraud. He remains at home, nearly a year later, while his internal affairs case is pending. He is suing the sheriff and the county for false arrest, discrimination and retaliation.
Prosecutors alleged during trial that the conspiracy was laid out in texts between Wenger and fellow officers Morteza Amiri and Eric Rombough, who discussed beating people, hitting them with less lethal launchers, and dog bites. In one exchange, Amiri then a K9 officer wrote, Let's (expletive) some people up next work week, and Wenger reposnded, Bro, (expletive) to the mother(expletive)ing yes, according to prosecutors.
No criminal charges have been filed, Baker notes, but the results of the internal review could require further action including a criminal investigation. "The public can be assured, the Department acted swiftly when this information came to light, and this action ensures that police operations remain fully effective and above reproach while the internal investigation is ongoing," Baker said. "Our focus remains on protecting the community, ensuring accountability, and supporting the wellness of our personnel."
