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https://abc11.com/brindell-wilkins-granville-county-sheriff-charles-noblin-indictment/11173518/ This made me think, has a UK Chief Constable ever been suspended and/or arrested for corruption charges?

Good documentary from Washington State.

#ShutdownStories: The impact of the government shutdown 2 January 2019 Related Topics US government shutdown Image copyright Win McNamee via Getty Images Image caption Rubbish has been piling up all along the National Mall monuments The partial US government shutdown has entered the new year as President Donald Trump's border wall standoff with Congress remains unresolved. With federal closures now on day 12, around 800,000 employees are feeling the impacts of no funding and no pay. On Wednesday, the president insisted he would keep the government closed for "as long as it takes" to fund the wall. And as agencies drop all non-essential work, the consequences are wider-reaching than just quiet Washington DC streets and shuttered museums. Since 22 December, Americans nationwide have expressed their worry and anger over the situation, taking to social media to share how they cannot pay their bills or afford medication thanks to the shutdown. 'We won't be able to pay our mortgage' The partial shutdown means about 25% of the US federal government has no funding. Only essential employees will continue working, but they'll do so without pay. Nine departments have been affected by the shutdown, including Homeland Security, Justice, Housing, Agriculture, Commerce, Interior, and the Treasury. Around 800,000 federal workers are now furloughed - that is, temporarily laid off due to a lack of funding - or working without pay. Many hope they will receive back pay when the government resumes, but that remains uncertain. Some have resorted to second jobs or fundraising to get by in the meantime. Employees have taken to Twitter to express their frustration over the shutdown, sharing financial difficulties with the hashtag #ShutdownStories. Skip Twitter post by @MofackieB Report End of Twitter post by @MofackieB Skip Twitter post by @LifeIsQuirky21 Report End of Twitter post by @LifeIsQuirky21 Skip Twitter post by @sinai_selah Report End of Twitter post by @sinai_selah On a GoFundMe page, one contracted worker wrote: "Being a single mom, I'm in panic mode." "I am not getting ANY PAY at all, even for the days that I did work before the shutdown. I hope that the government will see how this is having a dire affect on people like me." A worker's union representing some 400,000 essential personnel on Monday filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration for allegedly violating the Fair Labour Standards Act by not paying these employees since 22 December. No census in Indiana And the impact stretches beyond the capital city. In Indiana, the political standoff stopped US census work, with 40% of census bureau employees sent home without pay just after Christmas, according to the News and Tribune. Rubbish piles in national parks The National Park Service has suspended all non-emergency services, including all visitor services like public toilets, waste pickup, road maintenance and support centres, with over 21,000 employees now furloughed. The parks remain generally accessible to the public, but conditions have deteriorated due to a lack of staff. Noticeably, rubbish has begun to pile up outside national sites, including around the National Mall and the White House. Image copyright Bill Clark via Getty Images Image caption Garbage overflows on the National Mall across from the White House The Los Angeles Times reported human waste has created a health hazard in Yosemite after visitors began using the roadside as a replacement for public toilets. And without snow ploughs or rangers to help handle wintry conditions, the Sequoia and Kings Canyon national parks in California have seen an increase in vehicle accidents due to dangerously icy roads. The lack of staff has also impacted visitor safety by way of rescues: One backpacker in Texas had to be carried for two hours by a single ranger after breaking his leg on a trail. In addition, any park-operated monuments and homes are also closed, including the Frederick Douglass Historic Site, Ford's Theatre and Belmont-Paul Women's Equality National Monument. Science setbacks As many federally employed scientists stop working at agencies like the National Science Foundation, labs across the country are facing repercussions. Researchers are concerned about their ability to access federal data and getting in touch with grant officials about project funding. Rush Holt, head of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, emphasised the impact in a statement. "Any shutdown of the federal government can disrupt or delay research projects, lead to uncertainty over new research, and reduce researcher access to agency data and infrastructure," Mr Holt said. Skip Twitter post by @jessphoenix2018 Report End of Twitter post by @jessphoenix2018 Image copyright Saul Loeb/Getty Images Image caption All Smithsonian museums, one of DC's tourist highlights, are closed Panda cam goes offline Tourists in DC will find all of the popular Smithsonian museums - like the Air and Space, African American History and Natural History museums - are now closed. The National Zoo and all live-animal broadcasts - panda cam included - are also offline. The animals will still be cared for, the Smithsonian said. Smithsonian spokeswoman Linda St Thomas told the BBC an estimated 1.2 million visitors will be turned away if the shutdown continues through January. She noted two thirds of Smithsonian employees are now furloughed. The National Arboretum and National Archives have also shuttered. The National Gallery of Art has managed to acquire enough funds to stay open until Thursday. Thanks to an earlier appropriations bill, the US Botanic Garden and Capitol Building are also open. Meanwhile, nonfederal museums remain open with some, like the Woodrow Wilson House, offering free admission to federal workers. Image copyright Mark Wilson via Getty Images Image caption Tourists turn around after realizing the Smithsonian National Museum of American History is closed due to the partial shutdown Native tribes struggling Native American tribes receive substantial federal funding for essential services like healthcare and food as part of a deal negotiated decades ago in exchange for Native lands. In Michigan, a Chippewa tribe has already been forced to use their own funds to pay some $100,000 (£79,400) to keep clinics and food pantries open, the New York Times reported. Similar stories have cropped up across the country. Some Navajo tribes in New Mexico, Arizona and Utah are trapped in their homes without access to groceries and medicine due to unploughed roads. In Minnesota, police officers on the Boise Forte Indian Reservation are already working without pay. Discounted drinks in DC Washington DC's local government is still operating, and has been reminding tourists that businesses and restaurants are also open for business. And many local spots are offering discounts to government employees to help ease the strain of the shutdown. Skip Twitter post by @CapLounge Report End of Twitter post by @CapLounge Some bars in the capital began offering federal workers discounted drinks as soon as the shutdown began on 22 December. Celebrity chef José Andrés, who owns a number of restaurants in the Washington DC area, announced that federal employees and their families could get a free sandwich at any of his establishments throughout the shutdown. Skip Twitter post by @chefjoseandres Report End of Twitter post by @chefjoseandres Italian restaurant Carmine's will also be offering free food to workers. Skip Twitter post by @CarminesNYC Report End of Twitter post by @CarminesNYC As Washington locals band together to address food concerns, the shutdown has also sparked national concerns over benefit programmes like food stamps. The Department of Agriculture confirmed eligible families would continue to receive food assistance in January, but some programmes will operate solely on state funding through the shutdown. The National Women, Infants and Children (WIC) Association, which provides food and education to low-income pregnant mothers and children, issued a statement urging lawmakers to end the shutdown before state agencies run out of funds. "Over seven million mothers, pregnant women, and children rely on WIC," association president Rev Douglas Greenaway said. "The uncertainty and confusion that a shutdown causes is not only disruptive to people's lives, but could also lead to significant health consequences." 'Unofficial' marriages only The shutdown has also made its mark on some late December weddings in Washington DC. One couple tweeted that their marriage remains unofficial since marriage bureau staff in the capital were furloughed during their wedding. Skip Twitter post by @DSPollock Report End of Twitter post by @DSPollock But those hoping to file for divorce can still do so as the intake centre has stayed open, Buzzfeed News reported. View the full article

This week there has been yet another spate of police officers shooting black males (some of whom may have been unarmed) causing further racial tension with the communities they serve. Whether they are right to shoot or not I'm not gonna be the armchair judge, I've been in lots of situations where others might have seen my actions as disproportionate yet I was able to justify them due to circumstances that couldn't be seen by the onlookers or any MOP watching a video. What I do find rather unpleasant though is in a lot of these videos there is a very noticeable lack of aftercare. The cops just seem to handcuff then step back. No trauma first aid, no basic ELS, not even any CPR. I don't know if this is a lack of training, a lack of compassion or just dept policy. Either way it looks to outsiders looking in that these cops just don't care that they have potentially killed another human being (hell even if the officer that shot the firearm steps back then surely their colleagues can move forward and administer some aid). I think that this adds to the tension and makes it look like these cops have no consideration for the lives of the people they just shot (especially if that person is just a child). I was wondering if anyone with experience of US policing could enlighten me if this is standard across the board

I don't think I'd be so keen to free the bear... Can't imagine the insurance company would believe this one, they'd call you a bear faced liar. I'll get my coat.

Police hunt after shootings in Michigan 21 February 2016 From the section US & Canada US police hunt for suspect in Michigan town of Kalamazoo after multiple deaths in shootings This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly. Please refresh the page for the fullest version. If you want to receive Breaking News alerts via email, or on a smartphone or tablet via the BBC News App then details on how to do so are available on this help page. You can also follow @BBCBreaking on Twitter to get the latest alerts. View the full article

Breaking news on twitter that has just hit BBC, all from the last 10 mins (19:35) California shooting: Victims reported 4 minutes ago From the sectionUS & Canada Image copyrightAP Shooting in San Bernardino, California, up to 20 victims reported, according to Fire Department

It's a gorgeous community of wide open spaces and small town charm, but not everything in Chelsea is as sweet as iced tea. "We live in a good ol' boy system here in this town," said assistant police chief Travis Hogan, playing a dashcam video of a DUI arrest from two months ago that has taken on a life of it's own. "My officers have received threats. I personally and the chief has received threats to our jobs," he said. It began with a white Jeep being pulled over by Officer Nicholas Pappe. "Evening sir," said Pappe. Soon to be under arrest, Mr. Brian Haggard, described as a well connected local businessman, none too pleased about the traffic stop. "It's very common for someone to say 'Please man don't do this to me,'" said Hogan. What isn't very common is what happened next. A flurry of phone calls from influential people. "I was shocked when I received the phone call from the police commissioner. I thought he knew better than that. But for him to call me and ask me if I would allow him to leave his home to the traffic stop and pick that individual up and take him home in lieu of even a citation much less an arrest, I find that highly unethical," said Hogan. And it didn't end there. The gentleman arriving at the scene there, that, says the assistant chief, is the city manager. Did you talk to the chief? "He says did you talk to the chief?" said Hogan. "It's not that he showed up and tried to prevent my officer from doing anything, but it was just his mere presence. I mean that is so rare for a city manager. This, I believe in my four and a half years this is the one and only time the city manager has come to a traffic stop," said Hogan. "If you would give me a free pass tonight, I would sure appreciate it," said Haggard to Officer Pappe. Undeterred, the officer continues with the arrest, which has since created, two months of unrest for the police department. "What we've been dealing with now we call it the fallout on Facebook," said Hogan. So much fallout, the assistant chief wrote a full page letter to the editor in the local paper. "We're human beings doing a job. Show some respect people," said Hogan. And on top of all that says Hogan, is the continued fury of Mr. Haggard. "He has made it a point to tell anybody that will listen in this town that 'I will have the job of the chief, the assistant chief, and Nick Pappe,'" said Hogan. Mr. Haggard declined an on camera interview but denied ever making any kind of threats and said that the "cops are ruining the reputation of the city." Chelsea, Oklahoma. Don't let the peace and quiet of the scenery fool you. "It's kind of put a wedge in the town," said Hogan. The police commissioner at the time of the incident declined an interview and efforts to contact the city manager were unsuccessful. http://www.ktul.com/story/28987833/dui-arrest-sparks-controversy Good on the cop I say!

Saw this on Facebook the other day... be prepared for some tears (I just have something in my eye, honest). As a side note, I believe this is an American tradition of sorts, but do these End of Watch/Last Call circulations happen anywhere else in the world?

I can't help but think if they both went hands on they could've cuffed him just after the second officer arrives.

There's also an equally good video:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-33613783 Not a good time for the relationship between the police and African American community in the States at the moment...

Don't pull guns on cops... SGT Green's footage, the other officer on scene. VIEWER DISCRETION IS ADVISED.

There has been some discussion in the press about the issue of whether it is appropriate to label gun massacres committed by white men as 'hate crimes', rather than terrorist incidents? What happened in Charleston was an unbelievably abhorrent act. What sickened me most was that the killer almost aborted the attack because everyone that he had encountered at the Church had previously been so nice to him. What he did was pure evil. I didn't want to consider the calls of 'hypocrisy' at first, as I often step back from debates when people start flinging race issues about because the discussions are often reactionary and emotive. But after some thought I think that such an argument has credence. Does going on a killing spree with a firearm amount to a terrorist attack? Certainly, it was motivated by an extreme political mindset, it had the intention of creating a 'war' and the intent was to kill based upon the demographic of the targets. If the U.S. treated these gun massacres as acts of terrorism would they take greater steps to prevent them? If it had been a Muslim going on a shooting spree would they have been viewed in the same light?

This made me chuckle...

Obviously resisting his captors.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8KIKUEjn3Z0 http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/Man-on-Stolen-Horse-Stunned-by-Sheriffs-Deputies-in-IE-299250951.html

At around 3:20 one officer shoots a man ontop of another officer, then a colleague kicks the grounded officer in the face ! One person died, news article in this link; http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2015/04/11/walmart-parking-lot-brawl-video/25625537/

A 73-year-old reserve deputy in Tulsa, Okla., is under investigation after he shot and killed a suspect earlier this month when he mistook his handgun for a Taser, authorities say. But the incident also is gaining national attention because other deputies can be heard on video berating the suspect, Eric Courtney Harris, 44, after he had been shot by Tulsa County Reserve Deputy Robert Bates. The shooting occurred on April 2 in Tulsa during an undercover sting operation. Days earlier, Harris, an accused felon, had sold methamphetamine to an undercover officer, During the sting, he tried to sell an illegal handgun to an undercover officer in a vehicle. As police pulled up on the scene, Harris jumped out of the car and ran. An officer caught up to Harris and Bates arrived moments later. As officers try to restrain Harris, Bates can be heard yelling "Taser" before a shot rings out. Bates then immediately apologizes. "Oh! I shot him! I'm sorry!" Bates can be heard saying on video. "Oh, God. Oh, he shot me," Harris yelled. Harris then complains that he's losing his breath, at which point a deputy can be heard saying "F--- your breath." Harris was taken to a hospital, where he died about an hour after the shooting, CNN reports that Tulsa Police Sgt. Jim Clark, who has been brought in to review the case, said Bates "inadvertently" shot Harris and described Bates' actions as "slip and capture": Quoting Bill Lewinski, executive director of the Force Science Institute, Clark further explained: "These are mistakes that are made when you think you are doing one thing but you actually are doing another, and the result often is directly opposite of what you intended. In effect, your intended behavior slips off the path that you want it to go because it is captured by a stronger response and sent to a different direction." Clark also defended the deputy heard berating Harris, saying that it's likely he didn't hear the gunshot because he was so focused on restraining Harris. He said the deputy thought Harris was out of breath from running. "It is my opinion, after reviewing all the facts and circumstances of this case, [the state's excusable homicide statute] was applicable in this incident," Clark tells the L.A. Times. "Reserve Deputy Bates did not commit a crime. Reserve Deputy Bates was a victim, a true victim, of 'slips and capture.' There's no other determination I could come to." The case has been referred to the Tulsa County District Attorney's Office, which will decide whether to file charges, the Times reports. Harris family said in a statement it doesn't think it's "reasonable" to believe Bates mistook a handgun for a Taser. "We do not believe it is reasonable for a 73-year-old insurance executive to be involved in a dangerous undercover sting operation," the statement says. "... We do not believe it is reasonable - or responsible - for [the sheriff's office] to accept gifts from a wealthy citizen who wants to be [a] 'pay to play' cop." http://www.cleveland.com/nation/index.ssf/2015/04/oklahoma_reserve_deputy_mistak.html

http://www.abcactionnews.com/news/region-pinellas/pinellas-county-beach-brawl-video-going-viral#St.%20Pete%20Beach%20Brawl%20RAW%20VIDEO A number of videos on the page, the best one being in the crowd on the link above. A perhaps 'interesting' use of force/technique?! Can't imagine the situation would be nice to be in though, by yourself, and then immediately encircled by the crowd. Not sure what blue shorts thought he was going to achieve though. That Sheriff is a big bloke.

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One of the UK’s most senior police officers has called for a review of why UK authorities were forced to free a Manchester terrorist in 2009 due to lack of evidence, when US prosecutors managed to convict the same man on Wednesday. Greater Manchester’s chief constable, Sir Peter Fahy, has said Abid Naseer, who was arrested six years ago amid fears that he was planning to bomb the city’s Arndale shopping centre, should have been put on trial in the UK. However, Fahy explained his force’s inability to collect sufficient evidence against Naseer by saying the need to protect the public had taken priority. Pakistani-born Abid Naseer, 28, was the head of a UK-based cell of young al-Qaida recruits under orders to infiltrate and attack western society. Before his arrest he was believed to have been planning operations on multiple transatlantic targets including the New York subway, in an event that would rival 9/11. However, after UK police found no explosives, the men were released without charge. Naseer was only rearrested in July 2010 at the request of US prosecutors. After a series of court challenges he was extradited to New York in 2013. During his trial, in which Naseer acted as his own lawyer, prosecutors presented evidence linking him with declassified documents seized in Osama bin Laden’s compound in during the US Navy Seal raid in 2011 in which the al-Qaida leader died. On Wednesday he was convicted by a jury. Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, Fahy agreed that Naseer should have been brought to trial in the UK. “We did absolutely think he should have been prosecuted here and called for a review into the circumstances. We put evidence in front of the Crown Prosecution Service, but at the end of the day we have an independent [charging] system in this country and that is their decision. “I had to be driven at the time by the need to protect the people of Greater Manchester. The difficulty we had was because we were very concerned about the nature of the threat that was being run and governed by a foreign terrorist organisation, and because we were unsure at the time about exactly what was going to happen, we had to intervene early to disrupt the plot. “That obviously meant we didn’t have all the evidence we might have had later in the investigation.” Fahy said: “We are obviously pleased now that a conviction has arisen, but the case does need to be reviewed. “There was a robust debate at the time [with the CPS] and we put in a lot of challenges. But you have also got to take into account that the Americans have been able to draw together further evidence since our investigation, including the evidence from Bin Laden’s house. Tony Lloyd, the elected police and crime commissioner for Greater Manchester, said he would be raising the issue with the home secretary. “The reality is that, had the Americans not acted, a dangerous man who was intent on causing death and destruction here in Greater Manchester could potentially still be walking our streets,” Lloyd said. “This is deeply worrying and I will be raising this issue with the home secretary because we need real assurances that whatever went wrong here is never repeated. “The work by police and security services in this case has been tremendous. This investigation ensured that potentially hundreds of people were not killed on the streets of Greater Manchester. I have no doubt that lives were saved. “But we should not have had to wait for the Americans to step in to extradite Abid Naseer. The public will want to know why he wasn’t brought to trial here.” Fahy denied that police were forced to arrest Naseer and his alleged accomplices earlier than intended, after former Metropolitan police assistant commissioner Bob Quick inadvertently exposed documents on the case outside 10 Downing Street. The sensitive operational documents were captured by press photographers and the mistake cost Quick his job. At the time, it was believed that the raids on Naseer and other alleged conspirators, which were carried out in broad daylight, were conducted far ahead of schedule after Quick’s blunder. “That obviously did happen, but that [document] actually said that we were planning to make those arrests because of the fact that we had to protect the people of Greater Manchester,” Fahy added. Naseer grew up in Peshawar, Pakistan, in a wealthy, middle-class family, his father working as a government contractor and property developer. He came to the UK in 2006 aged 19 on a student visa, he said to improve his English language and study computer science at a college in Manchester. He lived in the Cheetham Hill area of the city, which has a large Pakistani population. The CPS defended its decision in 2009 not to charge him. “The evidence in our possession in relation to Abid Naseer which would have been admissible in a criminal court was very limited,” said a spokeswoman. “Crucially, there was no evidence of training, research or the purchasing of explosives. “We had no evidence of an agreement between Abid Naseer and others which would have supported a charge of conspiracy in this country. The evidence used by the US authorities to extradite a suspect does not need to meet the same tests as set out in the code for crown prosecutors.” During the trial at Brooklyn federal court, MI5 agents testified wearing disguises. Most of the case hinged on email exchanges in 2009 between Naseer and a person described by prosecutors as an al-Qaida handler who was directing plots to attack civilians in Manchester, New York City and Copenhagen. Naseer faces a lifetime in prison. View the full article

Video of a Police Officer shooting a male who has made of from him, I'm not sure of the background to the call. The early release of the BWV has presented the cold hard facts, essentially preventing another excuse for mindless looting and rioting.

Associated Press – SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — The family of a young Utah man killed by police while wielding a samurai sword is suing the officers and the city that employs them. The federal civil rights lawsuit filed Friday says 22-year-old Darrien Hunt wasn't a threat and two officers fatally shot him after he tripped while running away. His family has said Hunt was treated differently because of his race. Hunt was black and the two officers are white. Prosecutors say the September shooting was legal and Hunt lunged at police with the sword. Hunt's family is suing the city of Saratoga Springs and the two officers, Matthew Schauerhamer (SHOWER-hammer) and Nicholas Judson. The suit seeks unspecified damages. Messages left with a city spokesman weren't immediately returned, and publicly listed numbers for the officers were disconnected Friday. View the article source

ST. LOUIS (AP) — A St. Louis man was charged Thursday with making threats against police and the St. Louis City Justice Center on Twitter. Jason Valentine, 35, faces 10 felony counts of making a terrorist threat, the St. Louis Circuit Attorney's office said Thursday. Valentine is being held on a $100,000 cash-only bail, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, which did not specify which jail. It wasn't clear from online court records whether he has an attorney or when his first court appearance would be. Valentine allegedly tweeted about "Kill a pig Night" throughout December, the probable cause statement said, and that he threatened an explosion at the Justice Center on Wednesday. "St. Louis City Justice Center Mysteriously Exploded 12/31/2014," one tweet read, according to the statement. Another said, "New Years Eve Massacre Kill A Pig Night." Many of the alleged tweets mentioned Ferguson, a St. Louis suburb where an unarmed black 18-year-old was shot and killed by a white police officer in August. The incident spurred local and nationwide protests in the following months. Prosecutors also said in the statement that Valentine's tweets alluded to Vonderrit Myers, a black 18-year-old who was fatally shot by a white, off-duty St. Louis city police officer in October. Police contend Myers opened fire on the officer first, though Myers' family has disputed that. Valentine's Twitter account has been suspended. View the article source