Sunday, June 07, 2009

Something really needs to be done about this

The main thing that needs to be done is that applicants for police work need to be screened for sadistic tendencies and anger management problems:

This is from the CNN website:

Surveillance video shows a Passaic, New Jersey, police officer beating a 49-year-old man standing idly on a street corner.

Surveillance tape from Lawrence's Grill and Bar in Passaic on May 29 shows a police car pull up to Ronnie Holloway, who is standing still on the curb outside the restaurant. After a few moments Holloway zips up his sweatshirt -- because the female officer in the car instructed him to do so, Holloway said.

At that point, the other officer in the vehicle, Joseph R. Rios III, exits the car, grabs Holloway and slams him onto the hood of the police car. He then pummels Holloway with his fist and baton.

Holloway said he had exchanged no words with the officer before he pounced on him.

After the incident, police locked Holloway in a holding cell for the night and did not provide treatment for his injuries, according to Holloway's attorney, Nancy Lucianna. Those injuries included a torn cornea and extensive bruising to the left side of his body, she said.

Holloway is schizophrenic, according to his mother, Betty, with whom he has lived for more than 20 years. But Holloway's attorney says that is not the full extent of his mental disabilities and that her client was "mentally challenged on multiple levels."

At the time of the incident, Holloway told CNN, he was in the midst of a walk around the neighborhood. His attorney described such walks as his chief pastime.

Some information has come to me about another police officer who likes to beat up people for fun. (I'm not at liberty to discuss details here.) To say that this is appalling is to put it mildly. For our society to tolerate it says something very unsavory about our society.

1 comment:

  1. Ellie, I must have caught a bit of this on FB? Not sure but I'm finally getting around to commenting. I couldn't help wondering if the individuals come to the police forces already prone to violence/anger or if the police force itself nurtures those tendencies present to an extent in all of us and develops them in cadets and young officers. Over time job frustrations etc cause individuals to cross a line.

    Just thoughts really, not meant to be challenges. I've never quite figured out why I admire and respect fireman and merely tolerate policemen.

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