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.
Ping.
Story from the Associated Press about an abusive LA cop. Tough call here on which one is gonna tell the bigger lies.
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?
Ah, the LAPD we know and love.
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.
I represented a young jerk in a police brutality jail claim where the insurance adjuster and I agreed we'd have popped him too.
Santa's little helpers.
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?
Whatever the police, District Attorney's Office/Criminal Division and Courts are doing these days is not very affective.
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.
Also you wouldn't have the benefit of LAPD's union, the Los Angeles Police Protective League in your corner.
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.
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.
The kid probably doesn't have any real parents. Maybe the jailer was serving as a temporary father figure.
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.
Well...hopefully they'll be short one bad officer shortly.
Well, that settles it. Nothing to see here folks...move along.
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.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.