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Proviso Probe

Thursday, August 02, 2007

Latino couple sues Rosemont over Taser in used during dubious arrest

Jose Blancas and Maria Martinez were arrested in Rosemont. See Chicago Tribune (Liam Ford).
Stephens and the other officers saw Blancas outside the apartment building and followed him inside, said Neil Toppel, the couple's lawyer. The lawsuit does not state what provoked a confrontation, but Toppel said police used a stun gun on Blancas and Martinez before arresting them.

So Blancas was already inside his aparment building when the confrontation with the police began.
Both Blancas and Martinez were charged with resisting a police officer. Blancas also was charged with public intoxication and Martinez with battery, according to the suit.

So, the only reason the police had for instigating contact with Blancas was that he was intoxicated. If you're drunk and made it home, shouldn't the police leave you alone at that point? The threat of public drunkenness has passed, right?

Someone may want to inform the Rosemont PD that in the United States we are governed by the U.S. Constitution. And even of Alberto Gonzales considers the protections of the Constitution quaint, it's the law of the land.

Fourth Amendment:
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.

Maybe some of our law enforcement officials, like the Cook County State's Attorney or U.S. Attorney Northern Illinois District, will do the right thing and prosecute the cops involved in this case.

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3 Comments:

  • Okay, so he made it home. What about the battery? Were you there? Like you said when you saw an arrest in F P that involved a taser? You Carl, the one that you insisted on having a lawyer present when you were going to come in and fill out a witness statement? You know, the statement that you NEVER came in and filled out?

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 5:25 PM, August 07, 2007  

  • The battery didn't happen until the Rosemont police initiated contact after the individual was already in his apartment building or unit.

    The Fourth Amendment was probably violated before the battery happened.

    The cops took a non-incident and made it into an incident where a cop was hit and a couple citizens were shocked. In my book this qualifies as bad police work.

    Police are supposed to maintain order using the least disruptive techniques available.

    Or is it good police work when they are beating Blacks and Latinos in your book?

    quack, the Forest Park Police (officer Biel plus at least one other cop) lied in the police report of the incident in question. If multiple cops are lying in the police report, it's virtually a certainty that the investigation is going to be a cover-up.

    We'll see what truths come out of the criminal and civil trials in the case.

    By Blogger Carl Nyberg, at 10:15 PM, August 07, 2007  

  • Amazing how you can take a blurb from the newspaper and assume you know all the details. Further evidence of your bias against the police, Carl. You have no verifiable facts of the case and you publicly state that these cops should be prosecuted. And you claim to be an activist against things like unlawful and overzealous prosecutions. What a joke. You just hate authority in any form. It's okay, you can admit it, we know.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 7:38 AM, August 08, 2007  

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