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LAPD Veteran Taped Assaulting Teen (While in holding cell with handcuffed hands behind back)
CBS News ^ | 8 December 2006

Posted on 12/08/2006 2:45:27 PM PST by bd476



LAPD Veteran Taped Assaulting Teen
Videotape Shows Officer Assaulting Handcuffed Youngster Inside Holding Cell

LOS ANGELES, Dec. 8, 2006
(AP) A videotape shows an officer assaulting a handcuffed teenager inside a police station holding cell, but the images won't be made public, the police chief said.

Sean Joseph Meade, 41, was arrested Thursday for investigation of assault under color of authority. He was released on $10,000 bail, and a court appearance was scheduled for Monday.

Police Chief William J. Bratton said the confrontation was part of an internal investigation, so the videotape won't be released publicly.

The department is still wrestling with fallout from two recent and very public videotapes that appear to show officers using excessive force against suspects. Both of those were taken by amateurs on the streets.

Bratton said Meade assaulted the youth after he was arrested early Tuesday for a curfew violation. The teenager was in a juvenile holding cell with his hands cuffed behind his back and did not physically provoke the attack, the chief said.

Bratton declined to provide details of what happened in the cell, but said no weapon was involved. The officer was apparently not aware of the camera, which had been set up to identify a vandal who had been damaging nearby office chairs.

"My concern was that the officer was engaged in an assault, which I felt was inappropriate," Bratton said Thursday.

The teen was examined at a hospital but had no apparent injuries and remained at Juvenile Hall while police tried to locate his guardians, Bratton said.

Meade, a 13-year veteran of the force, was immediately suspended. It was unclear whether he had obtained legal counsel, which often is handled by the police union.

Los Angeles Police Protective League President Bob Baker said the union would be consulting with the officer, but wasn't yet able to evaluate the facts of the case.


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Government; News/Current Events; US: California
KEYWORDS: bratton; lapd
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1 posted on 12/08/2006 2:45:30 PM PST by bd476
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To: BurbankKarl; Brad's Gramma; A CA Guy; Ernest_at_the_Beach; lainie
Ping.

2 posted on 12/08/2006 2:46:27 PM PST by bd476
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To: bd476

Story from the Associated Press about an abusive LA cop. Tough call here on which one is gonna tell the bigger lies.


3 posted on 12/08/2006 2:53:51 PM PST by Emmett McCarthy
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To: bd476

Don't know all the particulars of the case, but I do know if I assaulted some guy tied up or in handcuffs I wouldn't be getting out on a lousy $10,000 bond.
But as a cop he is free after putting up what, $1000 of his money?


4 posted on 12/08/2006 2:58:53 PM PST by Joe Boucher (an enemy of islam)
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To: bd476

Ah, the LAPD we know and love.


5 posted on 12/08/2006 2:58:57 PM PST by Constantine XI Palaeologus ("Vicisti, Galilaee")
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To: Emmett McCarthy
Emmett McCarthy wrote: "Story from the Associated Press about an abusive LA cop. Tough call here on which one is gonna tell the bigger lies."

Yep, Emmet, you have a point there.

However, the videotape was made by the LAPD, taped within a police station holding cell.

The story quotes the LAPD Chief of Police, William J. Bratton as saying the teen had done nothing to provoke the attack.

Obviously there's more to the story.

My concern is that the LAPD is very short on officers now, and this will not help matters at all.

6 posted on 12/08/2006 3:02:11 PM PST by bd476
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To: bd476
[. . .The teen was examined at a hospital but had no apparent injuries]

My guess is the kid was mouthing off, taunting, demeaning. Whatever the cop did was more psychological than physical. When I was growing up cops roughed up kids all the time, mostly with good reason, without really injuring them.
7 posted on 12/08/2006 3:02:23 PM PST by Brad from Tennessee (Anything a politician gives you he has first stolen from you)
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To: bd476; Dog Gone

I represented a young jerk in a police brutality jail claim where the insurance adjuster and I agreed we'd have popped him too.


8 posted on 12/08/2006 3:02:38 PM PST by Thud
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To: Constantine XI Palaeologus
Ah, the LAPD we know and love.

Santa's little helpers.


9 posted on 12/08/2006 3:02:50 PM PST by elkfersupper
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To: Thud
Thud wrote: "I represented a young jerk in a police brutality jail claim where the insurance adjuster and I agreed we'd have popped him too."

LOL! Maybe I shouldn't laugh, but I know what you mean. In fact anyone living in a large city can relate.

Just curious, did you win the case?

10 posted on 12/08/2006 3:08:48 PM PST by bd476
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To: Brad from Tennessee
Brad from Tennessee wrote:
[. . .The teen was examined at a hospital but had no apparent injuries]
My guess is the kid was mouthing off, taunting, demeaning. Whatever the cop did was more psychological than physical. When I was growing up cops roughed up kids all the time, mostly with good reason, without really injuring them."


Whatever the police, District Attorney's Office/Criminal Division and Courts are doing these days is not very affective.

11 posted on 12/08/2006 3:12:31 PM PST by bd476
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To: bd476

Oooh, big tough guy. What a scumbag POS. Anyone who abuses their position of authority in such a way should be sentenced to life in prison. Gen pop. Scumbag slime POS, rot in hell.


12 posted on 12/08/2006 3:13:50 PM PST by Fierce Allegiance (SAY NO TO RUDY!)
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To: Joe Boucher
Joe Boucher wrote: "Don't know all the particulars of the case, but I do know if I assaulted some guy tied up or in handcuffs I wouldn't be getting out on a lousy $10,000 bond.

But as a cop he is free after putting up what, $1000 of his money?"


Also you wouldn't have the benefit of LAPD's union, the Los Angeles Police Protective League in your corner.

13 posted on 12/08/2006 3:16:16 PM PST by bd476
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To: bd476; Dog Gone; Dark Wing
Yes, as the 16 year-old kid had some justification for mouthing off to the jailer. He was there on bogus charges by his girlfriend's aunt, who had custody of her neice and bopped him on the back of the head with a baseball bat while he was screwing the girlfriend on the aunt's couch.

He had gotten up somehow (the rest of him went "down"), grabbed the bat from the aunt, chased her out of the house and down the street. This attracted the attention of the neighbors and police as he was not wearing any pants at the time. The police thought it was attempted rape and asked the aunt if she wanted to press charges, which she did.

So the kid was in a properly foul mood in the jail when he mouthed off and was bopped by a jailer. Even the city's insurance adjuster sympathized with the dude. But we agreed that we'd have bopped him too given what he said to jailer.

14 posted on 12/08/2006 3:20:25 PM PST by Thud
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To: bd476

Sounds like a video camera trained on the holding cell would be a good idea full-time, not just when trying to catch a vandal. Other areas in the station too. If the government is going to put up cameras all over the place to watch us, it's time they started surveilling themselves.


15 posted on 12/08/2006 3:21:29 PM PST by John Jorsett (scam never sleeps)
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To: bd476

The kid probably doesn't have any real parents. Maybe the jailer was serving as a temporary father figure.


16 posted on 12/08/2006 3:25:30 PM PST by Brad from Tennessee (Anything a politician gives you he has first stolen from you)
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To: bd476

you are correct.

I say what i did cause as a kid I had a black spanish teacher whose brother was sitting in a friends kitchen talking to her over a cup of coffee. The two were life long friends.
The womans cop husband came home and found them sitting across the kitchen table talking and shot him. He got out on a promise to appear.
NO hanky panky going on, just lifelong friends and the cop was jelous and shot him.
If it were anyone other then a cop or Mrs. Clinton we'd still be in jail.


17 posted on 12/08/2006 3:35:03 PM PST by Joe Boucher (an enemy of islam)
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To: bd476
My concern is that the LAPD is very short on officers now, and this will not help matters at all.

Well...hopefully they'll be short one bad officer shortly.

18 posted on 12/08/2006 3:43:01 PM PST by TankerKC (When I think about me, I touch myself.)
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To: Brad from Tennessee
When I was growing up cops roughed up kids all the time...

Well, that settles it. Nothing to see here folks...move along.

19 posted on 12/08/2006 3:44:29 PM PST by TankerKC (When I think about me, I touch myself.)
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To: bd476
The officer was apparently not aware of the camera,

He should be fired for doing something like that in front of a camera or for not being aware of the camera. I'm not sure I'd want that guy "protecting" me.

20 posted on 12/08/2006 3:50:58 PM PST by FreePaul
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