"Robo Cop" gets 13 mos to 10 yrs and a stiff lecture from the Judge

news.yahoo.com...

Detroit Judge Vonda Evans has sentenced policeman Menendez for the beating of a black man during a traffic stop......
The gory details at the link, notwithstanding....I offer this snippet from the article:

It's questionable whether training would have done much good in this case. According to the Guardian, Melendez had long ago earned a reputation as one of the more volatile and violent police officers in the state of Michigan. He's been named a defendant in more than 12 federal lawsuits, "accusing him of planting evidence, wrongfully killing civilians, falsifying police reports and conducting illegal arrests," the report said.


"At least give me the satisfaction of knowing you're out there beating up 'n-word's right now." — Text sent in March by then-Officer William Melendez


At one point during his 16-year tenure with Detroit police from 1993 to 2009, he received more civilian complaints than any other officer in the department. His fellow police nicknamed him "RoboCop" — a nod to the fictional cyborg police officer known for his merciless violence against criminals.

My one burning question here is "how did this POS stay employed all this time as a cop?"
It is obvious that the system has failed when these kinds of people retain their jobs longer than ONE such incident!
And all the cops who stood around watching without intervening should be charged with aiding and abetting the crime.....

Why did it take 12 previous lawsuits to put him in prison?

In the first line it says Detroit.

a reply to: Ghost147

With so much corruption in the justice system, why is there no police offenders registry?

A did a Google search recently using the words police offenders registry and it brings up 732,000 results on sex offenders but only one result on police offenders, WTH...

Like the below quote says, LEO's found unfit for duty in one jurisdiction shouldn't be employed in another.

If one of these criminals goes back to work in my city, I sure would like to know about it...

EDIT: This search turns up much better results, changing up some of the words will probably turn up even a lot more...

There's a moral obligation to keep bad cops off the streets. There are other ways to keep bad cops off the streets. The federal government, and state governments, ought to create and encourage the use of a police offender registry list. Such a list would register individuals who while employed as law enforcement officers were found unfit for duty or faced serious disciplinary issues they may have resigned to avoid. Just as any other component of comprehensive police reform, this won't eliminate excessive police violence, but it's a start.

But it doesn't stop them from finding jobs elsewhere. Richard Combs, who was the sheriff and only cop in Eutawville, South Carolina, is now facing a murder charge for shooting a resident after an argument at Town Hall, but Combs had been previously terminated from the county sheriff's office for unspecified " unsatisfactory performance." In Cleveland, Ohio, the cop who shot 12-year-old Tamir Rice, mistaking the boy's toy gun for a real one, had been previously found too emotionally unstable and unfit to carry a firearm for law enforcement. In Georgia, the cop who shot and killed 17-year-old Christopher Roupe after the teen opened the door to his home holding a Wii controller, had been previously fired for multiple disciplinary problems including shooting at an unarmed person. Then there's guys like " Florida's worst cop."

This is just a sampling of stories that received enough local attention to gain some prominence. The situation is unconscionable. Police found unfit for duty in one jurisdiction shouldn't be employed in another. Cops who resign to avoid disciplinary charges shouldn't slither their way into another department. Cops who cost taxpayers millions in lawsuit settlements shouldn't be able to expose taxpayers in other places to the same risk.

Time for a Police Offenders Registry

Another reason for a Police Officers Registry... Let us quickly recount the glorious career of German Bosque, Florida's worst cop. He was arrested three times and fired five times. He was probed more than 40 times by internal affairs, including 16 cases involving serious battery and excessive force. He tried to board an airplane with a loaded gun, got caught with coke and counterfeit cash in his police car, was charged with domestic violence, lied to his bosses, and made up police reports. And through it all, he kept his job and avoided serious trouble. Until now! The Opa-locka sergeant was convicted last night of felony false imprisonment and witness tampering for assaulting a local youth counselor.

Time for a Police Offenders Registry

With nearly half its police force made up of officers with extensive and serious disciplinary histories in other departments, Jonestown is a dramatic example of the state’s troubled efforts to control the phenomenon known among police as gypsy cops. Despite a number of efforts by regulators to restrict the practice, Texas police officers with histories of misconduct often move easily from department to department.

After reports that some Jonestown police officers were hired despite past misconduct, investigative reporters Eric Dexheimer and Tony Plohetski wanted to know why. They found that it’s harder to revoke a peace officer’s license than that of a teacher or a nurse, and that some police officials are less than truthful when filing paperwork designed to prevent police with poor work histories from moving from job to job.

Town’s police force highlights struggle to track cops with a with a history

Colorado laws allow rogue officers to stay in law enforcement

originally posted by: Murgatroid
With so much corruption in the justice system, why is there no police offenders registry?

A bigger question might be, why is LEO certification by state?

It should be moved to the federal level. One certification. And that run by a non-LEO board, with the ability to test officers in the field 'live'. And to decertify them, permanently, on the spot, for cause.

Once decertified at the national level, you would be unable to ever be a LEO again. So no moving down the road.

originally posted by: bandersnatch

My one burning question here is "how did this POS stay employed all this time as a cop?"

It is obvious that the system has failed when these kinds of people retain their jobs longer than ONE such incident!

I think you just answered your own question. Stage 4 metastasized corruption, beyond any hope of meaningful change.

I have a suggestion: Mandatory life sentence without possibility of parole for abuse of one's authority as a law enforcement officer.

a reply to: Bedlam

I wasn't even aware that was the case, I imagine most are unaware of this fact as well...

I did a quick search but didn't see too much on this topic...

A few of the results are below:

4 Ideas That Could Begin to Reform the Criminal Justice System and Improve Police-Community Relations

We should get rid of local policing. Ferguson shows why the system just doesn’t work

What Has Changed About Police Brutality In America

How Did America's Police Get So Militarized?

a reply to: Murgatroid
The much vaunted RCMP force....that we have in Canada is descended from a quasi military policing force set up before confederation.....The Northwest Mounted Police...
I would not recommend choosing that route.....
This national police force is patrolling most Canadian Communities except for large City Police forces....Much like pedophile priests.....
These thugs get transferred to other communities across the country........or sent up north to isolated communities...WHERE THEY JUST CONTINUE THEIR BEHAVIOR with greater impunity........
Now a National registry for police officers would be a great thing....

Love this post. And I loved that judge. Watched the video and read the story earlier on another website. I got real excited when she got ticked off at some clown in the audience. Bravo!!!!!!!!

I didn't see OCP anywhere or anyone named Boddicker....no robocop here.

originally posted by: Murgatroid
a reply to: Bedlam

I wasn't even aware that was the case, I imagine most are unaware of this fact as well...

Yeah, it's by state, and AFAIK, it seems to be run by good ol' boy network. Seldom do you see a LEO face decertification, even when it's a slam dunk.

THAT needs to change. If that was moved to the feds, you'd have all the GOB and local chicanery by the nards.

ESPECIALLY if that federal bureau sent "secret Santa" agents into the field. Imagine how that performance would change, if a LEO knew he might "tune up" the wrong person and instantly end his career. I bet you you'd see a much more professional force.

Also, it would be nice to be able to file a certification grievance against LEOs, since local citizen review boards seem unable to prevail against FOP and the like. Let's see if NYPD keeps you on after you are decertified. Oh, IA gave you the rubber stamp? Great! You just got decertified, though.

a reply to: GrantedBail

The sentencing video you mentioned is below if anyone wants to see it...

The video is 4 1/2 hours long and the sentencing starts at the 4 hour & 5 minute point...

The second video is the trial testimony from the motorist who was beaten.

The other videos below that are the dashcam videos of the arrest...

Other videos show up using this search.

A former Inkster chief, Hilton Napoleon, was at the protest and said he tried to fight dysfunction in the department while he was in command, according to the newspaper. He told the Detroit News he thinks the department should be disbanded:

"I would disband this department and turn it over to the sheriff’s department. You do have good officers out here but you have enough bad apples to poison the system. You have officers out here that need to go turn their badges in right now. I said that when I was chief."

heavy.com...

a reply to: Murgatroid
Your contributions much appreciated....( I don't do embedding n stuff..yet)
The National Police Registry should be implemented soonest.....
I think that last Quote by the ex chief about says it all.....

originally posted by: Bedlam

originally posted by: Murgatroid
With so much corruption in the justice system, why is there no police offenders registry?

A bigger question might be, why is LEO certification by state?

It should be moved to the federal level. One certification. And that run by a non-LEO board, with the ability to test officers in the field 'live'. And to decertify them, permanently, on the spot, for cause.

Once decertified at the national level, you would be unable to ever be a LEO again. So no moving down the road.

I think you are spot on but can you imagine how sharp the drop in recruitment would be .....there is no way they could go down that road

originally posted by: hopenotfeariswhatweneed

I think you are spot on but can you imagine how sharp the drop in recruitment would be

.....there is no way they could go down that road

If your motivation to be a LEO is to kick ass, shoot people and dogs and steal stuff, maybe it's better you left.

There are a lot of firefighters and rescue personnel that actually DO risk their lives, and don't have, or apparently want the "perks", and there seem to be plenty of them.

I'd love to see jackasses like German Bosque getting their adios on the first or second offense, regardless how their buddies in the union, IA and the prosecutor's office swear by them. Time for them to start a new career as a car washer, maybe a bar bouncer.

originally posted by: Bedlam

originally posted by: hopenotfeariswhatweneed

I think you are spot on but can you imagine how sharp the drop in recruitment would be

.....there is no way they could go down that road

If your motivation to be a LEO is to kick ass, shoot people and dogs and steal stuff, maybe it's better you left.

There are a lot of firefighters and rescue personnel that actually DO risk their lives, and don't have, or apparently want the "perks", and there seem to be plenty of them.

I'd love to see jackasses like German Bosque getting their adios on the first or second offense, regardless how their buddies in the union, IA and the prosecutor's office swear by them. Time for them to start a new career as a car washer, maybe a bar bouncer.

Bar bouncer....bad idea more lawsuits...

a reply to: Ghost147

Or to fire him before the 3rd or 4th?