Looks like the OHP takes it on the chin yet again.

[buckeye]

Anybody heard about the OK State House investigation into OHP's recent cock-ups?

[patric]

Anybody heard about the OK State House investigation into OHP's recent cock-ups?

KOKH Fox25 in Oklahoma City has been running a series of articles on DPS and OHP corruption/mismanagement, but Ive only seen one of them on our local Fox station (about them attending union meetings on taxtayer time).
Trying to find anything on either website is almost impossible though.

The legislature wont really be of any help because DPS is where people who are owed political favors get paid off, and I hate to think getting the Federal Government involved would be the only way to clean up the mess.

[patric]

Largely ignored by Tulsa media, this OKC station has been investigating OHP performing union business on taxpayer's time, conflicts of interest, and retaliation for a whistleblower.  Open Records requests were routinely ignored here, too:

http://www.okcfox.com/newsroom/top_stories/videos/kokh_vid_583.shtml

http://www.okcfox.com/newsroom/top_stories/videos/kokh_vid_494.shtml

http://www.okcfox.com/newsroom/top_stories/videos/kokh_vid_527.shtml

http://www.okcfox.com/newsroom/top_stories/videos/kokh_vid_534.shtml

http://www.okcfox.com/newsroom/top_stories/videos/kokh_vid_504.shtml

http://www.okcfox.com/newsroom/top_stories/videos/kokh_vid_499.shtml

[patric]

OHP burned by video again... This time it was a news helicopter:

OKLAHOMA CITY -- A high-speed chase has launched an internal review from the Oklahoma Highway Patrol. It's what happens at the end of the pursuit that has OHP wanting to take a second look at the video. SkyNEWS 9 HD captured the chase on video from the air.

Once the suspect realized NEWS 9's helicopter was on his tail, he decided to give up. Near Choctaw Road and Interstate 40, the man made a U-turn and went back to the main intersection. Once there, he waited for troopers to arrive. He then slowly lowered himself to the ground and that's when a trooper approached with his gun drawn.

A few seconds later, a second trooper approached the cyclist and put his knee into the man's back. The trooper then strikes the suspect's back with his fist before taking him into custody.

Immediately following the arrest, NEWS 9 asked for an Oklahoma Highway Patrol supervisor to come to the station and take a look at the video from SkyNEWS 9 HD. After reviewing the incident, a department Major said it is a case worth looking into.
http://www.newson6.com/Global/category.asp?C=121535&clipId=4245787&autostart=true

[cannon_fodder]

I'm seeing a pattern here:

Citizen's witness or capture OHP performing in a non-professional if not criminal manner:  OHP pretends to care.  If it isn't on camera (or involving a very public repeat offender) - OHP never does anything wrong.  In all instances, nothing really happens.

I have faith that the dash cam will exonerate the officers.

[However, if a law was put to referendum that a high speed chase that endangers the public entitled the officers to one free slug - I'd vote for it ]

[Conan71]

Ahhh, crotch rocket rider, a future organ donor for certain if he doesn't shape up.  Do we know why this guy was being chased in the first place? 

I can't see that the knee on the shoulder was unreasonable restraint, and from the camera angle of the helicopter, the OHP can claim he was pulling the perp's arm back and it slipped, since you can't see his fist strike the guy.  There's weasel room here and you can bet they will say that's what happened.

Hey, I'm not apologizing for the OHP, just not sure we've got the full context of what happened here.  I'm really surprised a trooper would strike someone especially if they were being submissive as this guy obviously was, and after the whole Daniel Martin fiasco.

[patric]

I can't see that the knee on the shoulder was unreasonable restraint, and from the camera angle of the helicopter, the OHP can claim he was pulling the perp's arm back and it slipped, since you can't see his fist strike the guy.  There's weasel room here and you can bet they will say that's what happened.

Knees tend to come down on ribs with breaking force, and im betting there is a 2:1 weight ratio between the two.

Hey, I'm not apologizing for the OHP, just not sure we've got the full context of what happened here.  I'm really surprised a trooper would strike someone especially if they were being submissive as this guy obviously was, and after the whole Daniel Martin fiasco.

Old habbits...
They are probably used to relying on the fact that almost all their arrests wont be independently videotaped (that, and knowing that their cronies in the legislature will keep their own dashcam video secret),
but on the other hand we now live in a time when under-$100 dashcams are available to consumers, too.
http://www.proofpronto.com/dashcam-original.html?gclid=COCJ9cXC3p0CFR4eDQodonpSNg   

[Conan71]

Man, you don't think the OHP would snatch that little gem out of someones car and claim it was stolen after the car was impounded?

[patric]

Man, you don't think the OHP would snatch that little gem out of someones car and claim it was stolen after the car was impounded?

Im sure it would be the first thing they grab, even under the guise if "impounding evidence" unless it was built into the vehicle or hidden.

As for the helicopter chase video, OHP is now claiming the unnamed trooper "ordered (the suspect) to give them his arm at least three times so that he could be handcuffed" but he refused, before being punched.

Given that the suspect went to the trouble of backtracking to where the OHP could find him and laid down on the ground on his own in an effort to surrender, hesitating to give them his arm isnt consistent with his previous actions.  Also looking at the video I dont see that the anonymous trooper had time to make three demands before using force.
But OHP says it's a textbook arrest. 
Maybe their textbook was "Helter Skelter"?

[Conan71]

Im sure it would be the first thing they grab, even under the guise if "impounding evidence" unless it was built into the vehicle or hidden.

As for the helicopter chase video, OHP is now claiming the unnamed trooper "ordered (the suspect) to give them his arm at least three times so that he could be handcuffed" but he refused, before being punched.

Given that the suspect went to the trouble of backtracking to where the OHP could find him and laid down on the ground on his own in an effort to surrender, hesitating to give them his arm isnt consistent with his previous actions.  Also looking at the video I dont see that the anonymous trooper had time to make three demands before using force.
But OHP says it's a textbook arrest. 
Maybe their textbook was "Helter Skelter"?

I'm in total agreement with you on this one.  It's not like this guy was standing there with his hand down his pants trying to stare them down.  So the OHP is admitting to the punch...hmmm.

[custosnox]

Man, you don't think the OHP would snatch that little gem out of someones car and claim it was stolen after the car was impounded?

And that is why if I was to install a camera in my car (or six), it would feed to a harddrive in the trunk, as well as use a cell signal to feed to an offsite computer (like at the house).  Wouldn't be cheap, but in the unlikely event that something like this happened, it would be worth while.

[patric]

Another day, another OHP atrocity:


OKLAHOMA CITY -- The Oklahoma Highway Patrol is once again under attack by a man claiming he suffered alleged abuse at the hands of an OHP trooper.

An attorney for 33-year old Jose Serrano said his client was beaten severely by a highway patrol trooper last November during a routine traffic stop in Clinton.

Several picture of Serrano revealed his injuries from the alleged abuse, and that is now the subject of a lawsuit. The pictures taken three days after his arrest by OHP, showed one of Serrano's eyes was swollen shut, his lip was busted, his teeth were loosened and he was covered in bruises.

"This was just breathtaking. It was just that when you look at him it took your breath away. The amount of injuries to his face and everything else," said Michael Brooks Jimenez, Jose Serrano's attorney.

Dash camera video from that incident showed Serrano driving off after briefly pulling over. Jimenez said Serrano wasn't trying to escape; he just couldn't understand what the trooper was saying because he doesn't speak or understand much English.

"What he thought the officer was saying was get out of here. I believe the officer probably was saying get out of the car, but the client didn't understand that," Jimenez said.

Serrano pulled over once more and then took off again, this time pulling into the driveway of his home. At least one other trooper and Clinton police respond to a call for backup. The arrest happened off camera.

"The officer came up and without saying a word, began to punch my client in the face, and my client says that he was punched in the face about 13 times," Jimenez said.

But according to a probable cause affidavit, Trooper Steven Cornell only admitted to hitting Serrano four times. He said he did that to control Serrano and remove him from the car. He went on to state that Serrano, an illegal immigrant, resisted arrest and would not obey his commands to get out of the car.

Serrano is now suing the Department of Public Safety, which oversees OHP.

NEWS 9's legal analyst Irven Box said his case may have merit.

"Just because someone is not a legal citizen it doesn't give law enforcement or anyone else the right to violate their rights," Box said.

An OHP spokesman said Cornell did what he needed to do to get the situation under control, and he used the minimum amount of force possible.

Cornell was not suspended or placed on paid administrative leave following the incident.

Interestingly, OHP released dashcam video from probably the only vehicle that didnt show the assault (and that also doesnt show the trooper exiting his vehicle until he's beating the suspect in his driveway).

So is there going to be a big Open Records battle for the dashcams that actually show what happened?
It's only been a year...

[cannon_fodder]

I'll have to see the video on that before making any judgments.  Since he pulled into his driveway it seems doubtful that he would have been alluding arrest or putting up a fight, but since he is an illegal immigrant he had an incentive to NOT be arrested in Oklahoma.  Given what the attorney said, it seems atrocious.  BUT, his job is to advocate for his client.  Clearly if the story is as told, it's horrible . . . but I want to see the video.

[patric]

I'll have to see the video on that before making any judgments.  Since he pulled into his driveway it seems doubtful that he would have been alluding arrest or putting up a fight, but since he is an illegal immigrant he had an incentive to NOT be arrested in Oklahoma.  Given what the attorney said, it seems atrocious.  BUT, his job is to advocate for his client.  Clearly if the story is as told, it's horrible . . . but I want to see the video.

DPS apparently didnt release video from the other vehicles, just the one that doesnt show anything:
http://www.newson6.com/Global/category.asp?C=121535&clipId=4269034&autostart=true

[buckeye]

...alluding escape and eluding arrest more like it...