It’s no secret that a major part of what drives me as an activist and writer exposing police misconduct, corruption, and dirty cops is my Dad Mario Vara.

My Dad was a long-time community activist who for many years exposed the corrupt Rochester, NY Police department.

Having left Cuba with my mom and my brother in 1968, in search of a better life, my Dad was saddened to see that here, in the United States of America, a “free” country, the police could break into innocent people’s homes, abuse, beat, and in some cases even kill them.

And get away with it.

It reminded my Dad of his homeland.

However, unlike many people born here in the U.S., who take their rights for granted and who are complacent when it comes to standing up and denouncing injustices, my Dad did something.

He became active in the local community, attending meetings, organizing people, holding rallies and marches, but most importantly being a voice for those too afraid to speak out.

As a young teen, I recall my Dad’s passion.

It was contagious.

Unlike fake politicians who promise potential voters the world, while posing for photo-ops with babies, my Dad truly cared about people.

I admired my Dad so much.

He was real.

His passion to fight against, and expose injustices was genuine.

I began to help him, sometimes by making signs for different protest rallies, other times by simply accompanying him to meetings and rallies.

My Dad co-hosted a Spanish-language cable access television show called ‘La Voz del Pueblo’, (The Voice of the Town).

The show was another way for my Dad to educate and inform the community in Rochester, on issues varying from police misconduct to discrimination in the workplace.

But my Dad’s major thing was exposing police corruption and demanding accountability and action from City government, yes those same elected officials who at one point in time or another, promised the world to those who helped them get into office.

You see, my Dad had no problem calling those officials out, reminding them that they had a job to do, and demanding that they do it.

They hated him.

He was a thorn in their sides.

And no one hated my Dad more than the Rochester, NY Police department.

They hated that he was not afraid to stand up to them.

They hated that he rallied and inspired others to also stand up and get involved.

As a result of my Dad’s work, the Rochester Police department would constantly harass and intimidate him.

Sometimes on a daily basis.

With their intimidation tactics, the Rochester, NY Police department broke my Dad down in the worst way a person can be broken down.

Psychologically.

Which is worse than any beating.

Unfortunately, my Dad fell into a very bad, deep depression and committed suicide, while me and my mom were home.

It’s something I have never gotten over, and despite what people say that things get better — they don’t.

My Dad wasn’t just my father, he was my best friend.

My Dad may be gone, but what he instilled in me, will forever be in me.

A relentless passion to stand up to injustices and corruption.

Like those committed by dirty, rogue cops.

The same ones who take an oath to serve and protect.

Dirty, rogue cops like Cleveland, Ohio Police officer Luis M. Rivera, who used the “City of Cleveland Municipal Courts IP address, “12.202.84.226″, during work hours, to post this comment:

BuckNut says:

November 14, 2012 at 1:12 am

Davy V. Your father was a coward who took the easy way out. Go cry a river to someone else. Nobody cares that suicide is a sensitive subject to you. Anyone who takes his or her own life is self centered and selfish including your father. The only way his action could be forgiven in my eyes is if he iced you before offing himself. Oh the pain  is unbearable… And Davy V. You know what they say…like father like son!!!

But officer Rivera didn’t stop there.

No.

He also somehow got a hold of my personal email address and sent me this email:

fuck you go kill your self

fuck you go kill your self

fuck you go kill your self

fuck you go kill your self

fuck you go kill your self

fuck you go kill your self

fuck you go kill your self

fuck you go kill your self

And now, I get to do what I love to do.

Expose a dirty cop.

Cleveland, Ohio Police officer Luis M. Rivera.

Although officer Rivera made this personal, the reality is that this is so much more than about my Dad, Mario Vara and his memory.

Nothing officer Rivera or anyone else says about my Dad will change who he was.

A Great man.

This is about a police officer in the City of Cleveland, Ohio, who swore an oath to serve and protect.

A Cleveland Police officer who has been entrusted with the power and authority to make life and death decisions in his daily interactions with the citizens of Cleveland.

This is about the City of Cleveland, Ohio, not only the residents of the 2nd district where officer Luis Rivera works 3rd platoon, but also the need that City of Cleveland, Ohio officials, such as Police Chief Michael McGrath and Mayor Frank G. Jackson, take notice who they have on their police force.

After officer Rivera’s hurtful, insensitive, disgusting comments, not only about my Dad, but sending me a disturbing, 8 line, repetitive email telling me to kill myself, I shake my head when I think that this man is a police officer, on the streets of Cleveland, who in his capacity as a law enforcement officer, deals with mentally-ill, disturbed people.

Does the City of Cleveland, Ohio and its Police force really want a police officer who engages in this sort of behavior?

I intend to see this through and will not stop until action is taken against officer Luis M. Rivera.

In closing, I can’t help but think that Cleveland, Ohio Police officer Luis M. Rivera, who again works 3rd Platoon out of the City’s 2nd district, had no idea that his name, and photo, along with his disgusting, disturbing behavior, would be exposed not only to his City, family, friends and colleagues, but to the world.

On officer Rivera’s facebook page he lists his occupation as “Garbage Collector.”

I wonder what the City of Cleveland Ohio, Mayor Jackson and Police Chief McGrath have to say about having an officer like Rivera on the force, an officer who thinks so highly of his chosen profession, and the oath he swore.

Do Cleveland officials even care?

Update:

Officer Luis Rivera’s response:

Bucknut says:

November 17, 2012 at 10:21 pm

Very nice picture of me Davy. Thank you. Unfortunately, the only thing that’s going to be exposed is what a liar you are. While I understand your purpose in life is to incite negative emotion amongst your mindless flock im afraid you may have opened your mouth a little too much this time.

If you think by posting my picture and where I work you’re going to scare me off you’re sadly mistaken. If you think by publicly acusing me of a crime im going away I have news for you my friend. You have a bigger problem than you think. While I do not deny and stand by everything I posted, accusing me of privately emailing you is another story. See Davy Im a real man. I don’t need to write lies like you to have people follow me. That my friend is cowardly. Remember the apple? Point proven.

So Davy, don’t be a hypocrite. Don’t stand on your soapbox and preach about the constitution and how “dirty rogue cops” violate them them in the same breath tell me I can’t have an opinion because your feelings were hurt. Take your skirt off alice and man up.

In closing it would be in your best interest to edit your article. Like I stated, if you want to keep what I posted on there its fine by me. Once again I don’t deny it and I stand by it. You better remove the lie about emailing you. If you refuse my lawyer will be getting into contact with you. If you think im bluffing call me. Im all in.

Sincerely, 

Luis M. Rivera

Cleveland Police Department

2nd District

C Platoon 

Anyone interested in contacting the Cleveland, Ohio Police department 2nd District

(216) 623-5200  or  (216) 623-5220

Follow me on twitter https://twitter.com/davyvara

The post Cleveland, Ohio Police Officer Luis M. Rivera, who Refers to His Job as a “Garbage Collector”, Uses City’s Municipal Courts IP Address to Post Disturbing Messages appeared first on Ohio CopBlock.

For those who don’t know, Jake may (but hopefully not) be heading to a cage for a little while pending the outcome of his legal system dealings.  So between that and life in general Jake has asked me if I would be willing stepping in as the main admin for Ohio Cop Block.  So as of now I’ll be the one mainly handling Ohio Cop Block administration duties such as answering emails and setting up new contributors, etc… I will continue to cross-post anything I write for Free Rock Press that is police related on Ohio Cop Block and Jake will continue being involved just not as often so nothing really changes.  Also the job might be up for grabs again at some point in 2013 since I (maybe Jake too) will be moving to NH.

We obviously need some more content creators so if you would like to write for Ohio Cop Block on a regular basis please use the contact form and let us know.  We’re looking for Ohio centric topics regarding police accountability, police state actions, jury outreach, rights violations, war on drugs, cop blocking activities and tactics, etc… Quality counts so please use proper grammar and punctuation.  Video creators are wanted as well.  As always when interacting with the police be the calm, cool and collected one.  If you’re the one who’s acting like a dick then video footage of it does us no good and probably does harm for the cause.

We really need to start creating a network of people that can go video record trials and pick-up/copy FOIA documents and get them to people when needed.  Trial coverage can be a very valuable tool to be able to see the legal circus in action and see what tactics do and do not work.  Since Ohio is such a huge state it’s impractical for video editors, like myself, to drive 2 ½  hours each way on a work day to pick-up a dvd of a dash cam (or pay $250 to send me a copy) when someone local can go in with their computer and make a copy and send it.

For those who are already contributors please shoot me a message through the contact form letting me know that you’re still active with Ohio Cop Block so we can exchange direct contact info.  The current roster is a bit fuzzy so I’m not even sure who’s still doing stuff.

For activists in Ohio who are active in police accountability please shoot me a message and let me know where you are and what kind of activities you do and are available/willing to do.  With this information we should be able to better coordinate efforts on getting locals together so none of us are going out by ourselves.  Also let me know what recording equipment you have to use for documentation.

Everyone else in Ohio; I would encourage you to get involved in holding the police accountable.  There are plenty of no-risk activities that can help out in the mission.  As I said, just being able to pick-up/copy/photograph documents can be helpful.  Maybe be a contact to provide a ride should a car get impounded.  Or any other type of support role you can think off.

For the most up-to-date goings on please join our Facebook group by clicking the button on the right.  Most of the daily community communication happens there and subscribe to our RSS feed on the right as well.  Also make sure to share articles you like on Facebook and Twitter so everyone in Ohio knows that badges don’t grant extra rights.

Thanks,
Eric Freerock

The post Changes for Ohio Cop Block appeared first on Ohio CopBlock.

Disclaimer: I am not a legal expert.  Do not take my word as gospel.  Do your own research.

This is part three in the series of articles about laws that Cop Blockers in Ohio should know.  Make sure to check out the previous items: “Knowledge You Need If You’re Going to Copblock” and “Obligation to Stop and Identify.”  In this part I’ll cover what is commonly called a Terry Stop, as well as Reasonable Articulable Suspicion and Probable Cause.  Reference text will be included below which covers all of the US and hinges on the 4th and 5th Amendment as well as Terry v Ohio (the namesake of the “Terry Stop.”)

First some quick acronyms for those who might not know:
LEO – Law Enforcement Official/Officer
RAS – Reasonable Articulable Suspicion
PC – Probable Cause

As mentioned in the Obligation to Stop and Identify, two phrases should be your best friend.  Those are, “Am I being detained?” and “Am I free to go?”  Before working your next course of action it must be established what kind of encounter you’re currently involved in.  There is no grey area between those two questions.  It is a Yes/No answer and the answer to both CANNOT be the same.  If you’re being detained you are not free to go.  If you’re free to go you are not being detained.  Once you confirm that you are being detained you must ascertain WHY you’re being detained.  In order to be detained the LEO must have RAS.

Many times you will hear the phase Reasonable Suspicion but what it really is referring to, which is important, is Reasonable ARTICULABLE Suspicion.  “Articulable” being the key word.  Terry v. Ohio is pretty much the textbook, most used, and best ruling on the matter.  The decision made it very clear that RAS cannot be a “hunch” or a “feeling.”  In order to satisfy RAS the LEO “must be able to point to specific and articulable facts which, taken together with rational inferences from those facts, reasonably warrant the intrusion.”  The best part, and this is important, REMEMBER THIS PART, is “Would the facts available to the officer at the moment of the seizure or the search warrant a man of reasonable caution in the belief that the action taken was appropriate?”  Here let me write that on its own with emphasis.

“Would the facts available to the officer at the moment of the seizure or the search warrant a man of reasonable caution in the belief that the action taken was appropriate?”

This is by far the most important part of the ruling.  As long as you keep your mouth shut (we’ll have to talk about this one later) the only facts that can be utilized are, essentially, pre-contact knowledge.  Asking something along the lines of, “Prior to contacting me what crime did you suspect me of committing?” or something like, “Before walking up to me what was your reasonable suspicion of a crime?”  This is usually where they pull out the good old, “I don’t know; that’s what I’m trying to find out.” or something along those lines.  If they don’t know, they don’t have RAS, and have no reason to detain you and you go back to, “Am I being detained?” and, “Am I free to go?”

So where as Reasonable Suspicion is where there MAY be a crime Probable Cause is where there is MOST LIKELY (probably) a crime given the current known facts and them probably being true.  BALLENTINE’S LAW DICTIONARY defines Probable Cause as, “A reasonable ground of suspicion, supported by circumstances sufficiently strong in themselves to warrant a cautious man in believing the accused to be guilty.” (emphasis added).  Remember that non-cooperation is not grounds for Probable Cause of guilt.  You are protected by the 5th Amendment to the US Constitution to remain silent.

If you are being detained you are covered by the 5th Amendment and if told you are not under arrest and you don’t have a right to remain silent then ask again, “Am I being detained?”  Then you can pretty much go through the whole spiel again.  Assuming you haven’t dug your own grave you could force their hand and pull out the whole “I’d like a lawyer before I answer any questions.”  At that point they either have to arrest you for something or cut you loose.  Also, when choosing to remain silent, qualify the reason for you remaining silent with something like, “My lawyer told me to never talk to the police without speaking to him first.” Or if you don’t have a lawyer on standby you can go the hard truth route, “I know of way too many instances where talking to police don’t have positive outcomes so I would rather not say anything without counsel.”  Pre-arrest silence without a reason can be used against you in court as an out of ordinary reaction when told you are a suspect in a crime.  Of course that’s assuming you’ve been told you’re a suspect in a specific crime.

Traffic Stops:
Just like street encounters with the police you cannot be pulled over without Reasonable Articulable Suspicion/Probable Cause or the obvious observance of a traffic violation.  Assuming that the reason for being pulled over is because of a traffic infraction that is the only topic that should be discussed and even then limited as much as possible.  When it comes to searching your car there has to be Probable Cause like everything else.  Just remember so long as your current moving violation suspicion doesn’t hinder on an object being in the car then there’s no reason to search a car.  There is not going to be any physical evidence of a crime when you crossed a double yellow or sped.  So in short they must have a reasonable suspicion that you have evidence of a crime in your car.  Of course this a good reason to keep your car clean and tidy, or just shove a bunch of junk (non-weapons/illicit items) in your trunk so if they do search your car they’ll have fun going through your trunk.  A whole bunch of Russian Nesting Dolls would be awesome.

“I Smell Marijuana”
Since this happened a couple times recently I figured I’d address it.  The case law is extremely varied.  Almost all of the decisions covering the topic are situational to the facts involved with the specific case.  Rule of thumb, smelling marijuana needs to coincide with a totality of facts that could give suspicion of a crime.  Of course those could be as little as behavior.  Also, police will use the threat of “smelling marijuana” solely to gauge your reaction to the question.  In short, if you do smoke don’t EVER do it in your car.

To sum it all up, unless there is a suspicion of a crime you should not be detained.  If you are when there is no RAS you are being detained illegally.  Like always, make sure you always have at the bare minimum a voice recorder on you so you have an objective record of the interaction.  The best recorded conversations I’ve seen are mostly questions to the LEO and the only statements are quotations or explanations of law/constitution/decisions.  Don’t make positive statements but also never lie.  Ignoring the question would be better.

4th Amendment of the US Constitution:
The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

5th Amendment of the US Constitution:
No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia, when in actual service in time of War or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offense to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.

Terry v Ohio 392 U.S. 1 (1968) – Excerpts
1. The Fourth Amendment right against unreasonable searches and seizures, made applicable to the States by the Fourteenth Amendment, “protects people, not places,” and therefore applies as much to the citizen on the streets as well as at home or elsewhere. Pp. 392 U. S. 8-9.

4. The Fourth Amendment applies to “stop and frisk” procedures such as those followed here. Pp. 392 U. S. 16-20.
(a) Whenever a police officer accosts an individual and restrains his freedom to walk away, he has “seized” that person within the meaning of the Fourth Amendment. P. 392 U. S. 16.

It must be recognized that, whenever a police officer accosts an individual and restrains his freedom to walk away, he has “seized” that person. And it is nothing less than sheer torture of the English language to suggest that a careful exploration of the outer surfaces of a person’s clothing all over his or her body in an attempt to find weapons is not a “search.” Moreover, it is simply fantastic to urge that such a procedure performed in public by a policeman while the citizen stands helpless, perhaps facing a wall with his hands raised, is a “petty indignity.” It is a serious intrusion upon the sanctity of the person, which may inflict great indignity and arouse strong resentment, and it is not to be undertaken lightly.

The post Detainment, Search and Seizure appeared first on Ohio CopBlock.

according to cleveland.com

CLEVELAND — Cleveland police officer Gregory C. Jones was indicted Tuesday by a grand jury on charges of rape, gross sexual imposition and kidnapping.

Jones, 47, and a 21-year veteran on the police force, was investigated by the police Internal Affairs Unit after the 34-year-old victim, a Chicago resident visiting friends in the city, told police specifics of the incident which occurred this year on July 13.

She and two friends were playing cards when one friend decided to call Jones to join them, said Nicole DiSanto, a spokeswoman for the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office. Jones and the woman left the social gathering together and went to his home on Lawndale Avenue.

On July 18, a search warrant was issued for Jones’ residence where police obtained DNA samples.

On August 9, Jones was arrested and charged with rape. He was removed from active duty pending the outcome in court.

An arraignment date has not yet been scheduled.

Thing’s like this happen everyday, but most the time go unreported or completely ignored by internal affairs , a major props for the prosecutor and the internal affairs unit for not following the thin blue line.

The “City of Cleveland” is showing that they are one of the most progressive cities for police accountability, i could imagine how most cities would try to cover this up and say it was consensual.

The post Cleveland Police Officer Gregory Jones Indicted on rape and kidnapping charges appeared first on Ohio CopBlock.

In Ohio, citizens were horrified to find police abuse, as well as political hatred towards CHL holders that visit their community.  A dash cam video was released in June, 2011, of a police officer, who had verbally abused a CHL holder, and even threatened his life.  Shortly after this video appeared, two others appeared, of the same officer verbally abusing citizens, and threatening their lives.  All three videos went viral on youtube, and became top news for four months on local news, national news, as well as being top news for gun groups all over the United States.  After these videos went viral, the City Council President, on live AM radio, voiced his opinions of CHL holders, and calling the 2^nd Amendment insane. There was a video made of his opinions, and this video also started a viral movement in gun groups across the United States.  Through the madness of this encounter, citizens became outraged, protested against the city for immediate dismissal of the police officer, and a new gun group was born. Because of these anti-gun beliefs, citizen terrorism will be discovered, as well as profound hatred for the fundamental rights of citizens, to be able to carry concealed in the State of Ohio.

In June, 2011, William Bartlett was in Canton, Ohio, looking for a street cleaning company, when he would be engaged with a police officer of the horrific kind.  A young woman remembered Mr. Bartlett from when he drove cab, and she haled him for a ride.  It was 1:30 a.m. in a bad community, but remembering her, he gave her and her friend a ride to a hotel.  William, being the kind soul he was, gave them a ride to their destination.   As he was dropping off the individuals, a police car that was “blacked out” pulled behind Mr. Bartlett.  The two officers, Daniel Harless and Mark Diehl, were concerned as they approached the car, because one of the individuals had moved towards the door to get out. The Officers felt that was probable cause to make the traffic stop, as well as questioning the individuals who were exiting the car. As they interrogated the passengers, Mr. Bartlett remained in his car with hands on the steering wheel, as he was taught during his CHL training.  The officers finished questioning the two individuals, and that is when they perform and illegal search of the back seat of the car, never once approaching Mr. Bartlett or speaking to him.  Approximately five minutes into the stop, Officer Daniel Harless approached Mr. Bartlett, and started to ask questions about why he was in the neighborhood.  Mr. Bartlett, knowing the law, answered his questions.  Several times Mr. Bartlett tried to inform the officer that he was a concealed carry license holder, however the officer kept interrupting Mr. Bartlett and continued to question him, and Mr. Bartlett obeyed the Officer.   Mr. Bartlett had tried, several times, to give the officer his carried concealed license, but the officer continued to ask questions.  Mr. Bartlett complied with the Officer, and with answering the questions, the officer started to verbally abuse Mr. Bartlett with great profanity.

Finally, Mr. Bartlett was able to “notify” the officer “promptly”, as under State Law demands, that he was a carry concealed license holder.  At that moment, Officer Daniel Harless snapped, and became very threatening to Mr. Bartlett.  At one point, Officer Daniel Harless stated, “I should blast you in the mouth right now…I’m so close to caving in your head.”  (Baus, 2011).  Officer Harless then asks Mr. Bartlett if he wanted the Officers gun put to his head, and continues with the threatening vulgarity, but Mr. Bartlett remains cool and calm.   Approximately 10 minutes later, the officer is notified by dispatch that Mr. Bartlett does have a carry concealed license.  Such rage had taken over of this Officer, and he made this comment to Mr. Bartlett, “You know what I should of done?  I’ll tell you what I should have done, as soon as I saw your gun, I should have taken two steps back, pulled my glock .40 and just put ten bullets in your ass and let you drop.  And I’ve wouldn’t have lost any sleep.”  (ohioccwdotorgLast, 2011)

After the arrest was made, William Bartlett went to Internal Affairs to file a complaint against the Officer.  Once I had learned about this, which was the next day, I decided to take action against these horrific acts by this Officer.  As a firm believer in the right to bear arms and all rights under the Constitution, there was a cause that needed fighting for.    I started a group on Facebook, and we went into action, by spreading the dash cam video all over the internet.  We informed the citizens of Canton through flyers, as well as protested against the arrest of William Bartlett, and the threats by Officer Harless.  It was quoted in the local newspaper, “We’re out here … to let people know that we are standing (up) for the citizens of Canton for the right to bear arms without terrorist threats to carry a concealed weapon license…” (Balint, 2011) This was the beginning of a new Gun Group, called OHGO, and was the only gun group that stood with Mr. Bartlett, as he went through each stage of the trial, and to the very end.  As Ohio for Concealed Carry Gun Organization did put up a legal fund, and released the dash cam video, they took no other action, nor stood behind William Bartlett.  With this knowledge, it became evident that there was a great need for OHGO, who stands behind Gun Owners, at any cost.

During this process, City Council President, Allen Schulman, delivered a comment about the case on live AM Radio. Mr. Schulman stated, “Um, the – these laws that allow our citizens to carry a concealed weapon at a university, in a school, in a bar where liquor is served, in automobiles in the worst part of our, uh, neighborhoods, whether it’s high crime, drugs, prostitution, and somebody is packing a Ruger at 1:30 in the morning? That’s not acceptable in our society.”  (Baus, 2011) He further stated, “Because as long as these laws permit people to carry weapons under the worst of circumstances, and in the worst situations, there are deaths waiting to happen – either police officers or citizens who think by arming themselves they’re somehow safe.”  “Believe me, if you allow the kind of carry and conceal weapons laws that are in existence in Ohio and are all over the United States you’re gonna have the same problems over and over again, and death will result.”  He concluded by stating, “But these laws are completely insane.”  .”  (Baus, 2011).   It has been seen that the views from the Council President, also reflects the same views as the Officer.

According to the statistics, as well as Buckeye Firearms, crime has dropped due to those who are now carrying.  “Their predictions of “blood in the streets” have never materialized. A record number of Ohioans are carrying guns and recently the FBI reported preliminary data indicating a 6.2% drop in the nation’s violent crime in the first six months of 2010, with the Midwest dropping 7.2%. In the Northeast where guns laws remain restrictive, they only saw a 0.2% decrease. More indications that more guns do equal less crime.” (Irvine, 2011).

William Bartlett fought the case against him as Stop Police State/ OHGO took front stage in informing thousands of citizens, across the nation, of what was transpiring.  November 9, 2011, Judge Belden ruled in favor of Mr. Bartlett, stating that he complied with “promptly notifying”, as State Law requires. Furthermore, Mr. Bartlett was acquitted of his crimes, because there wasn’t any evidence against him.  During the process of the trial, and since June, 2011, Officer Daniel Harless was under investigation for his behavior towards a CHL Holder.  On January 11, 2012, the Canton Repository had reported that Officer Daniel Harless was fired from his duties as an active officer.  Daniel Harless is appealing his case, and Stop Police State/ OHGO is there to prevent the winning of the appeal.  As of August 14, the Canton Repository reported that Daniel Harless is not looking to get his job back, however, excepts settlement in a lawsuit.  Again, this is another sweet victory for citizens of Canton, Ohio, and for Stop Police State.

William Bartlett, and those who supported him, as well as Stop Police State/OHGO, shouted in sweet victory over this very troubling and terrifying case.  Today, OHGO still stands firm on the Ohio Gun issues that they are faced with daily, by those who are against gun rights, which is the 2^nd Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.  Those who are anti-gun activists enjoy the fundamental rights they have, however they enjoy picking and choosing which rights we should have.  OHGO is still in the beginning stages, but their active participation will not be forgotten by the City establishment of Canton, Ohio.  In 2002, the First Ohio District Court of Appeals that a state law barring the carrying of concealed firearms is unconstitutional. According to Outdoor Life (Jun/Jul2002), “The First Ohio District Court of Appeals ruled that a state law barring the carrying of concealed firearms “effectively prohibits law-abiding citizens from bearing weapons.” Ohio’s Constitution provides that the “people have the right to bear arms for their defense and security.” This decision upholds a ruling made earlier this year by a Hamilton County judge who found the law to be unconstitutional.” (Their goal is to continue to grow, and bring efforts to take the State of Ohio to Constitutional Carry.  So far, five states have already implemented Constitutional Carry, and these five states are Vermont, Alaska, Arizona, Wyoming, and parts of Montana.

A few months after this case was over, and the officer was fired for his conduct, once again Canton tried to implement a gun bounty program.  This program was designed for citizens to contact the Canton Police Department if they saw a citizen carrying a weapon.  As the City tried to influence the citizens by stating they are targeting criminals to turn in criminals, OHGO didn’t see it that way.  This was another way for the City of Canton to harass CHL holders as they have already done in the past. I spoke at the City Council meeting, being sharp in my comments, including what took place with Mr. Bartlett, and the Council Presidents public remarks about concealed carry.  I further commented how Mayor William Healy, Jr. was also on the Bloomberg’s list of anti-gun Mayors.  I ended respectfully by stating that this new program would further cause harassment to CHL holders by their police department, and that gun owners of Canton, Ohio, are against this program.  At this time, the new Chief of Police was there listening to my comments of what transpired before he went into office.  The program was voted into legislation, but it was up to the new Chief of Police to make the final decision of this program.  As of March 15, 2012, we just heard that the city will not be implementing the program, and there won’t be any program like this in the future.  OHGO now has three victories, and our efforts are not in vain.

In Conclusion, since the Ohio Conceal Carry Law states, under section 2923.126- 5503.04, that the citizen is to promptly inform the officer that he carries a concealed weapon, Ohio for Concealed Carry is trying to “fix” this terminology.  However, it was Ohio Concealed Carry that
wrote this bill, and had it passed into law, in 2004.  OHGO believes that Ohio needs to lead, as other states have already done, to not fix a broken law, but to pass Constitutional Carry.  OHGO doesn’t want any citizen to go through what Mr. Bartlett had endured. That night, Mr. Bartlett could have lost his life, and having his son be without a father, because of a very anti-gun police officer, and the confusion of the law.  It is citizens Constitutional right to carry, and nobody should make laws that interfere with that inalienable right.  Also, Ohio has passed further laws stating that one can carry concealed in restaurants, as well as bars slowly moving in the right  direction.  Whether anyone agrees with the right to bear arms, or not, nobody should ever infringe on anyone’s rights or liberties in this country.  As we have seen from the FBI reported statistics, because of concealed carry, crime is going down.  That should be enough evidence, for
anti-gun Officers and Politicians, seeing that citizens are much safer when they have armed themselves; protecting what is most precious to them, family, and their own lives.

References

Balint, E. (2011, August `1). Bartlett’s family leads protest against canton police officer. Canton Repository. Retrieved from   http://www.cantonrep.com/news/x643159054/Bartletts-family-leads-protest-against-Canton-police-officer

Baus, C. D. (2011, June 27). Ccw laws “completely insane”: Canton city council president rails against americans upset about cop’s behavior on dash cam video. Retrieved from http://www.buckeyefirearms.org/node/7910

Irvine, J. (2011, May 27). Attorney general announces first quarter 2011 chl statistics; ohio concealed carry numbers continue to climb. Retrieved from http://www.buckeyefirearms.org/node/7814

ohioccwdotorgLast. (Producer) (2011, July 20). Dash cam: Canton pd “notification” arrest & officer goes berserk / threatens [Video podcast]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kassP7zI0qc

Outdoor Life, (Jun/Jul2002). Concealed Carry Wins, Vol. 209 (Issue 4, p16, 1/6p). Retrieved from Colorado Technical University Online Library

The post CHL HOLDER HARASSED BY POLITICIANS, AND LIFE THREATENED BY POLICE OFFICER appeared first on Ohio CopBlock.

The average intelligence of most police officers have an average IQ of 104 and test around 21-22 on their police examination. Jordan scored a 33 on the same examination and has an IQ of 133. New London Police only interview people who score between 20-27 on these examinations, but not anyone that scores higher. The reason; those who scored too high could get bored with police work and leave soon after undergoing costly training. Basically they are saying if you are intelligent don’t waste your pursuing law enforcement. Jordan still wanted to be an officer, he alleges he was rejected from becoming an officer because of discrimination. He tried suing the city, saying his civil rights were violated because he was denied equal protection under the law.

But the U.S District Court did not see it this way and sided with the city saying that the city of New London “shown a rational basis for the policy.” In a ruling dated August 23 the 2nd District Court upheld what the U.S District Court said saying it was a rational way to reduce job turnover.   In my opinion if this was a private security company they could do what they want, but since i am being forced at gunpoint for this service then i believe everyone baring proper hiring procedure should be aloud to work as an officer.  Because police want people who will obey mindless immoral order they want to avoid the “trouble makers”.

Jordan now works as a prison guard where they dont discriminate against people who are intelligent.

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What do you think? Was this officer out of line? Does informing people of their rights constitute hindering an investigation?

The post Police Use Scare Tactics to Get Information appeared first on Ohio CopBlock.

Lee was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol. Lee was brought to the police station where she refused a breathalyzer test and argued with police. During the argument Lee threw a piece of paper to the ground and then, reportedly, stood up to use the restroom. An officer attempted to prevent Lee from using the restroom. That is when officer James Montana grabbed Lee from behind.

It was at this point that Lee appeared to resist Montana by attempting to pull away from his grip. When Lee attempted to turn and face Montana, the officer slammed Lee into the wall and then the desk and proceeded to choke her with his forearm against Lee’s throat for approximately 20 seconds.

Lee did not appear to be resisting office Montana while he was choking her and her body was relatively limp and her face showed discoloration. Other officers in the room made no attempt to stop Officer Montana. It was at this point that Montana threw Lee to the ground and began to place her in handcuffs with the help of other officers.

Lee has a history of drunk driving and other reckless behavior but this level of force is not at all justified for a small unarmed woman. Judge for yourself.

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