Officier suspended after hitting wheelchair bound prisoer

[longnecker]

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – A Duluth police officer, who was caught on surveillance video punching a 50-year-old man in a wheelchair last month, now faces two misdemeanor charges, authorities said Thursday.
Officer Richard Jouppi, 34, was charged with fifth-degree assault and disorderly conduct after an investigation into the events of Sept. 21, the Duluth Police Department said. On that night, surveillance video caught Jouppi punching Anthony Jon Jackson five times in the headand dragging him out of his wheelchair at the Duluth Detoxification Center.
Jackson was allegedly intoxicated and had been involved in a fight earlier that night. The video initially shows Jackson standing, but then he’s seated while Jouppi tries to take his jacket off him. After a struggle, Jackson hits Jouppi, who then punches back several times.
The police department responded to the video by putting Jouppi on administrative leave for alleged use of excessive force. It was the fifth complaint filed against Jouppi during the two years he has been with Duluth Police.

[Bellicose]

5 times in two years, and all the dude got was a charge of 5th degree assault, and a suspension. Seriously?

[Joe Walther]

5 times in two years, and all the dude got was a charge of 5th degree assault, and a suspension. Seriously?

“Administrative” leave is not a suspension. In police matters it usually means that a final outcome awaits a full investigation into the matter. Police officers are routinely placed on administrative leave, especially whenever they fatally wound suspects.

In fact, anytime police officers are suspected of misconduct of any kind, departmental policy calls for administrative leave pending detailed investigations. The full investigations lead to either full exoneration or to additional disciplinary actions.

As for charges in this case, the article reads that he “faces” a POSSIBILITY of charges “this” time because he had recently signed a “last chance” agreement relative to 5-previous excessive force complaints.

I’m not defending this man; any police officer who’s garnered five excessive force complaints in a mere two years probably has some serious anger management issues. And, he’s using his badge as a means of dealing with them. He’s a potential jack-boot who’s eventually going to kill someone unnecessarily.

Although the article does not go into the details, I suspect that this officer’s going to be criminally charged and placed on 30-day suspension with intent to dismiss. I also suspect that the evidence in prior complaints must have been blatantly conclusive resulting in settlements to the victims. As such, the department’s not going to be granting any benefits-of-the-doubt to the guy.

As reluctant as police departments are to nail one of their own, they don’t kowtow to officers whom they’ve required to sign “last chance” agreements because they don’t require it without having absolute evidence in support of the action.

As for the ultimate leveling of charges, the police department won’t have the final say. That will fall to the prosecuting authorities. And, they’ll base the charges on what they can prove beyond a reasonable doubt in a criminal court, not on how pissed off they may be that a rogue managed not only to slip though the psychological screening, but has also managed to evade formal charges for two years.

[Beau Stockard]

Good points,Joe. And this story shows that local police do discipline their own ,even if it means jail time or firing of the bad officer. This story reminded be of the Philly cop Lt. Jonathan Josey case where he was fired for striking a woman at a public event. Josey had been a highly decorated officer for heroism and community service, but also had numerous anger management complaints against him. NBC 10 Philadelphia : Officer Who Hit Woman Will be Fired


www.newsworks.org/index.php/the-feed/item/45103-philly-officer-who...
NBC10 has just confirmed with sources close to the investigation that Lt. Jonathan Josey, the Philadelphia police officer who hit a woman during a public event on ...

[Bellicose]

Can't you post the links in a working sense? Hate just getting a tid bit of your stuff, and not being able to just click and go straight to the story. I am not one to do anything extra then I have to do, when I am just sitting down and relaxing.

[Beau Stockard]

Didn't the link work for you? Sorry ,try this one . Officer Who Hit Woman Will Be Fired | NBC 10 Philadelphia

www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/breaking/Officer-Who-Hit-Woman-Fired...
Oct 03, 2012 · NBC10 has just confirmed that Lt. Jonathan Josey, the Philadelphia police officer who hit a woman during a public event on Sunday, will lose his job.

[Curly]

Jackson was allegedly intoxicated and had been involved in a fight earlier that night. The video initially shows Jackson standing, but then he’s seated while Jouppi tries to take his jacket off him. After a struggle, Jackson hits Jouppi, who then punches back several times.

The cop screwed up but I'm having a hard time feeling any sympathy for Jackson.

[Bellicose]

Yup your linking ability sucks. Still don't work.

[Beau Stockard]

I just used the link and it worked for me. Hmmmm...? Are you sure that you know your linking skills as well as you pretend ?

[Grin]

I just used the link and it worked for me. Hmmmm...? Are you sure that you know your linking skills as well as you pretend ?

your links are not working for me either, never have.

[Bellicose]

I just used the link and it worked for me. Hmmmm...? Are you sure that you know your linking skills as well as you pretend ?

Yeah, pretty sure I'm smart enough to scroll over the link you post and it does not let me click it. Well I can click it, it's just not going to direct me to the actual link you posted. It's just going to let me keep clicking and eventually highlight the entire page.

You can try and play smart ass all day with this. I am sure there will be plenty of people that will tell you, your links don't work! It's not us again Beau.

[Joe Walther]

The cop screwed up but I'm having a hard time feeling any sympathy for Jackson.

I know what you’re saying, Curly, but I’m going to clarify something technical about this instance, anyway.

This cop didn’t just “screw up;” and neither did the City Administration of Duluth when they issued this officer a badge and weapon. If the evidence against him is credible—and it certainly appears so—he’s committed a crime.

And the City of Duluth is off the hook as well since here’s no such thing as a fool-proof psychological test. Rogues do slip through the cracks occasionally. But there’s no discernible evidence that the City of Duluth has made a habit out of letting it happen.

As a paid municipal firefighter, I know that you also know this, but I’m going to emphasize it anyway.

Police officers often have to contend with two-bit thugs in search of ways of leveling abuse charges against them while simultaneously de-fanging a fairly small horde of ambulance-chasing attorneys that file contingency-based civil actions on said thugs’ behalf.

But this officer’s done this five times in two years. And the charges have been credible as evidenced by the fact that his department had forced him to sign a “last chance” agreement, which was their NOT so subtle way of telling him that he’s got a problem and he’s had his LAST chance.

As well—and speaking only for myself—I didn’t detect any sympathy for Jackson; I certainly have none. If people get drunk and make colossal menaces of themselves, they should suffer the consequences.

I’m a leading proponent of righteous skull-cracking… whenever the circumstances call for it. But there is damaging video evidence that this was not one of those times.

And if Jackson ends up as a legitimate surrogate poster child for examples of police abuse in Duluth, there’s no justification for blaming Jackson, the Duluth Police Department, or cops in general. The blame belongs with THIS particular cop.