Posted on 10/02/2016 5:06:34 AM PDT by marktwain
HARTFORD In a complaint filed today in the U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut, the American Civil Liberties Union of Connecticut (ACLU-CT) contends that three state police troopers illegally retaliated against a protester by searching and detaining him, confiscating his camera, and charging him with fabricated criminal infractions. On behalf of Connecticut resident Michael Picard, the ACLU-CT alleges that John Barone, Patrick Torneo, and John Jacobi, all employed by the state police division of Connecticuts Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection, violated Picards First Amendment rights to free speech and information and Fourth Amendment right against warrantless seizure of his property.Here is the complaint filed with U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut. From the lawsuit:
On September 11, 2015, Picard was protesting near a police DUI checkpoint in West Hartford. Barone approached him under the pretext of public complaints and confiscated Picards legally-carried pistol and pistol permit. Barone then claimed that filming the police is illegal, and took Picards camera. Unbeknownst to the troopers, the camera was recording when Barone brought it to Torneos cruiser. With the camera rolling, the officers proceeded to: call a Hartford police officer to see if he or she had any grudges against Picard; open an investigation of him in the police database; and discuss a separate protest that he had organized at the state capitol.
After Barone announced we gotta cover our ass, either Torneo or Jacobi stated lets give him something, and the three settled on fabricating two criminal infraction tickets that they issued to Picard. Torneo drove away with Picards camera on top of his cruiser, upon which the camera fell onto the hood of the car, Torneo stopped, and Jacobi returned the camera to Picard. In July of this year, the criminal charges against Picard were dismissed in the Connecticut Superior Court.
If you were wondering what happened to the cops,nothing
Barrett said they had not heard anything from Connecticut State Police regarding what action the agency took, if any, as a result of the incident.
It was unbelievable this is an interaction that was recorded from start to finish on high-quality digital video, Barrett said in an ACLU summary of the case. A year later, there has been zero movement on the internal affairs investigation as far as anyone knows, which just shows that police and prosecutors in Connecticut should not be in charge of policing themselves.
A Connecticut State Police spokeswoman said the agency was not making any statements about the case, nor would it confirm the current employment status of the three troopers named in the lawsuit.
If I was that guy I'd be suing the State of Connecticut *and* the individual cops involved for millions.
18USC242.
Armed Robbery
Kidnapping
Using a Firearm during the Commission of a Violent Felony
They belong in PRISON FOR LIFE
For once the ACLU is on the side of right.
WHO polices the police is getting to be the BIG question taught to our nation by Barack Obama, Eric Holder, Lynch, Comey and the IRS top people.
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