Cop Turns Off Video Equipment, Beats 66-Yr-Old Man w/ Dementia, falsely charges him with battery on - Polidicks

[url=http://www.wftv.com/news/news/local/video-shows-officer-beating-66-year-old-man-suffer/nGMgh/]Source[/url] [release] [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2FAbUZd3zoM[/media] MELBOURNE, Fla. — WFTV obtained dash camera video of a violent police beating in Melbourne. The video shows an officer attacking a 66–year-old man who WFTV learned is suffering from dementia. In the video, Melbourne police Officer Derek Middendorf is shown giving Albert Flowers a front kick to his stomach. Middendorf then punched Flowers repeatedly while he was on the ground. In a report, Middendorf said Flowers walked towards him in an aggressive manner at a fast pace and he couldn't tell whether he had a knife in his hands. Raw Dash Cam: Man beaten by Melbourne officer Flowers' nephew, Garrick Flowers, said he yelled at the officer to stop and told him his uncle has dementia. "He's 66 years old, he had triple bypass, I think he's killing him," said Garrick Flowers. Flowers owns a lawn care business, and said an employee called the police because he said Flowers pulled a knife on him during a fight about money. When police arrived, the family said Flowers never pulled a knife and that the issue had been resolved. "Everything was taken care of. If he forgot, I was there to take care of whatever," said Garrick Flowers. The family said Middendorf was choking Flowers, and the video shows another officer running over and tasing Flowers in the face. The family said Flowers was hospitalized for close to a month. The officer turned off his video and audio equipment before the beating. The department was able to extract the video from the hard drive, but not the audio. The only disciplinary record the officer received for the incident was a written reprimand for turning off the recording equipment. Flowers was charged with battery on a law enforcement officer. "It's ridiculous. Clearly from this video there was no assault on a law enforcement officer. We asked for a speedy trial. We want a jury to see this video," attorney Paul Bross said. The police chief said he could not comment on the allegations of excessive force, because he had not yet seen the complaint, which was filed on Friday. [/release] The officer only received a written reprimand for turning off the recording equipment. Dont worry guys, he is just one bad apple!

[quote]he is just one bad apple![/quote]

[QUOTE=TheFilmSlacker;34246503]We only hear the stories of bad cops because cops actually doing their job isn't news[/QUOTE] ftfy Anyone who tries to pass this off as "Oh, we don't have a police brutality problem, the majority of cops are good, etc" needs to shut the fuck up. He turned off the video equipment, beat an old man with dementia, and [I]only had to write an apology, like he was a fucking elementary school student writing a 'plan'.[/I] Yes, the majority of cops are good. No shit, Sherlock, that's their fucking job. But there are way too many stories of police brutality here to leave it up to just freak occurrences. Hell, half of the issue is the fact that when there [I]is[/I] police brutality, all too often they get off with almost no punishment.

[QUOTE=TheFilmSlacker;34246503]We only hear the stories of bad cops because they're more interesting. Ever hear of the saying "the one bad apple that spoils the basket"?[/QUOTE] The "good cops" arent exactly good cops either, they just arent bad, just trying to get by doing their job. If they were good they would be trying to stop this sort of abuse rather than letting it happen and actually protecting these guys simply because they are friends.

the dude shouldn't even need an attorney, the dirty cop should be charged and fired and that's done and over with. that just shows how corrupt their police dpt. is.

Every system has `bad apples`. Of course there are going to be assholes who deviates from what seems both reasonable and ethical to 99.99% of people. However, the problem with this is that if in the UK at least, that cop would be fired, without a doubt and would appear on his record if he applied for any kind of job. In America, at least from my observations, they are much more leaning towards the officer than to the public, which can be extremely dangerous, whether it being biased to cops or being biased to the accused. Keep an open mind when making such decisions! Rate dumb if dumb or whatever

How the fuck does a cop just go out on a limb and tell himself "I'm gonna beat the shit out of this guy" then turn off video.

[QUOTE=TheFilmSlacker;34246503]We only hear the stories of bad cops because they're more interesting. Ever hear of the saying "the one bad apple that spoils the basket"?[/QUOTE] It's been known for years in the US our police force has been abusive. The standards to become one are very low. All you really need is a highschool diploma and pass the training course.

[QUOTE=ForgottenKane;34246713]It's been known for years in the US our police force has been abusive. The standards to become one are very low. All you really need is a highschool diploma and pass the training course.[/QUOTE] Also you can't be too intelligent.

every cop in that department who sits by and allows these things to go on is a bad cop as well.

[QUOTE=Last or First;34246566]ftfy Anyone who tries to pass this off as "Oh, we don't have a police brutality problem, the majority of cops are good, etc" needs to shut the fuck up. He turned off the video equipment, beat an old man with dementia, and [I]only had to write an apology, like he was a fucking elementary school student writing a 'plan'.[/I] Yes, the majority of cops are good. No shit, Sherlock, that's their fucking job. But there are way too many stories of police brutality here to leave it up to just freak occurrences. Hell, half of the issue is the fact that when there [I]is[/I] police brutality, all too often they get off with almost no punishment.[/QUOTE] Did you even read your own god damn post? You talk about 1 cop and say it is a widespread problem.

I'm starting to believe some cops like to do silly shit like this because they know they can get off with something light. Iunno.

This happened in my city. :tinfoil:

[QUOTE=toaster468;34246813]Did you even read your own god damn post? You talk about 1 cop and say it is a widespread problem.[/QUOTE] It happens way to often, and mostly goes more or less unpunished. The system is flawed, plain and simple, which causes all this police brutality. If they were more selective during training, and had sever punishments for shit like this, we wouldn't hear about stuff like this nearly as often. So yeah, it IS a widespread problem that no one wants to acknowledge

[QUOTE=toaster468;34246813]Did you even read your own god damn post? You talk about 1 cop and say it is a widespread problem.[/QUOTE] You [I]do[/I] know that this isn't the only police brutality thread, right? There's been tons in the past few months. A few weeks or so ago, there were like half a dozen a week.

Just another day as the law.

At some point, we need to acknowledge that the problem isn't just "a few bad apples" but a far more widespread condition. There is a large number of police officers who are outright abusive, and a larger number who are at best willingly blinded by the Blue Code of Silence. You have to begin considering if it is just a few bad apples or if it is a disease in the tree. [editline]16th January 2012[/editline] [QUOTE=tomatmann;34247291]Just another day as the law.[/QUOTE][img]http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2009/1/7/1231344042974/Sylvester-Stallone-as-Jud-002.jpg[/img]?

[QUOTE=ForgottenKane;34246713]It's been known for years in the US our police force has been abusive. The standards to become one are very low. All you really need is a highschool diploma and pass the training course.[/QUOTE] You also need a background check that will follow you back to the womb if need be, a polygraph (Which, granted, is nonsense science.) that asks you things from "Do you watch porn?" to "Do you plan to overthrow the United States Government?", a written psych test, and an oral psych test. If you even fail one of these things for a minor reason, most departments will instantly disqualify you. Oh, and due to the fact that thousands of people tend to apply for a job when only a couple hundred slots are available, it's pretty rare to see someone hired with "just" a high school diploma. A lot of departments won't even hire guys without an associate's degree or prior military service. High school diplomas are often the requirement just to apply. Requirements for new police hires are far from "very low."

I hate hearing of things like this, shit like this makes being a good cop harder because things like this cause people to generalize cops as all being assholes. Here in Spokane we have been lucky, their are some asshole cops but I have been lucky in only having to deal with the ones who care. I had a cop bring me to school once when I was walking there. I hope everyone involved in this is held responsible.

I don't think I can watch the video without getting really pissed off. :(

[QUOTE=Sleepy Head;34246656]the dude shouldn't even need an attorney, the dirty cop should be charged and fired and that's done and over with. that just shows how corrupt their police dpt. is.[/QUOTE] Everyone is innocent until proven guilty. Yeah he is a fucking asshole, but everyone has the right to a speedy and fair trial. People like you want to scream injustice but at the same time you give a solution that represents injustice. Personally i feel as if he should be fired after a investigation, be charged afterwards with assault on a elderly person and mentally ill person (yes these are charges), then be charged with tampering with evidence. Fucking disgusting what happened to that elderly man.

[QUOTE=MR-X;34248212]Everyone is innocent until proven guilty. Yeah he is a fucking asshole, but everyone has the right to a speedy and fair trial. People like you want to scream injustice but at the same time you give a solution that represents injustice. Personally i feel as if he should be fired after a investigation, be charged afterwards with assault on a elderly person and mentally ill person (yes these are charges), then be charged with tampering with evidence. Fucking disgusting what happened to that elderly man.[/QUOTE] are police investigations done publicly? not trying to zing or attack you i just legitimately want to know if the process in which these investigations are done is revealed to the public so that any signs of corruption and tampering can be spotted and dealt with by non-police investigators

[QUOTE=Kopimi;34248271]are police investigations done publicly? not trying to zing or attack you i just legitimately want to know if the process in which these investigations are done is revealed to the public so that any signs of corruption and tampering can be spotted and dealt with by non-police investigators[/QUOTE]Not unless they choose to make it public.

there should be legislation passed to force all internal investigations done by police to be just as public as a non-police trial don't violate the privacy of anyone involved but don't shroud the investigation so that corruption is possible either

It says in the video that the department got into the hard drive on the camera and got the video out regardless. I guess that shows that they're at least trying to not cover it up and that they're actually actively trying to expose the bad guy. Not perfect, but it's a damn sight better than covering it up.

[QUOTE=Kopimi;34248271]are police investigations done publicly? not trying to zing or attack you i just legitimately want to know if the process in which these investigations are done is revealed to the public so that any signs of corruption and tampering can be spotted and dealt with by non-police investigators[/QUOTE] No internal investigations are done within the department, however let it be known that CID/Internal Investigations are not "buddy, buddy" with the rest of the force. They're known as headhunters and not many people trust them. The department investigation is private and done in house, let it be known it isn't some bullshit thing, it is fucking serious. However the DA can decided to prosecute and the criminal trial and crime aspects are public. [QUOTE=Kopimi;34248424]there should be legislation passed to force all internal investigations done by police to be just as public as a non-police trial don't violate the privacy of anyone involved but don't shroud the investigation so that corruption is possible either[/QUOTE] Uh no, because it is protected like any other employee information. An investigation does not mean the person did something, if they did do something it is normally made public or dealt with. But like any investigation the details will be kept from the public until the case is solved. It is to protect the integrity of the case and protect any of the participants (victims, suspects, witness, etc). You guys are basically saying we should just go back to the "old days" and do lynch mobs and other bullshit like that. Witch trials anyone? You guys don't seem to understand internal investigations are done for the department to find any type of criminal activity and charges. Afterwards they can peruse criminal charges and that goes in to another world of the criminal justice system. Internal investigations for the most part as a god damn mess and shitstorm. It is the worst thing that a person can go though besides a criminal trial. A co-worker/officer of mine did something bad, it was a bad choice and risked the security of our facility and we all suffered because of it. Anyone that made contact with him within the following days got investigated, we all started getting patted down daily and other shakedowns on our own people. I was not mad they did that to us, but it really shook me up because it happened so quickly, the person in question was caught and put in jail (which was a door away, sucked for him). Alot of people don't know, but once you get investigated police do not have the right to remain silent during a investigation like a internal one. If you don't answer a question you're ordered to do so, if you don't follow that persons order they get the next person in charge they do the same all the way till you reach the top-boss. If you take it that far you got other problems coming. Along with that he can get hit up with regular charges like i said in my other post, but on top of that other charges that can only be applied to police. So it is like a double-whammy when it comes to the law like, False arrest and fabrication of evidence, color of law, abuse of power and other charges related to public officials. Once charges are made like anyone else (depending on the crime) can bail out, trial is date is set and it goes from there. You can't just say "Oh shit, lets bump him to the front of the trial line because he fucked up good." That would fuck up other peoples trials and deprive them the right of a fair and speedy trial. Yes with this cop did was completely outrageous and disgusting. He will be dealt with, there is a process for a reason. No matter how obvious it looks, IT HAS TO BE INVESTIGATED. A fair trial must happen as well, he is a citizen of this county and by law and the constitution he has rights. Just like any scum bag that deserves total punishment he has rights. Once we start stripping these rights from people simply because of a career choice it starts with that and slowly moves to other places. We need to keep our rights and stop coming up with ideas to strip them, if it starts with them whats going to stop it from spreading to you? Nothing. All you do is punish good people who follow the law on duty and off. Instead of just creating more restrictive laws and other bullshit some sort of training needs to be set up, and more programs to help officers deal with stress, depression, anxiety and other issues that come from a such difficult job. All you guys are suggesting is we just cover up these issues and sweep them under the carpet instead of actually treating the issue. This isn't a simple issue, it is complicated and a lot of variables are involved, but it does need to be dealt with. On a side note i find it so funny and hypocritical that people want to be judged as individuals and by their own merit, but they want to generalize the entire police force because of one guy. This isn't the only career path to be plagued by some flawed individuals. I could list the all the jobs in the world and easily say some of the people in this careers are flawed, they abuse drugs, commit crimes, and various other things. But does that mean retail, marketing, food service, medical, and other places are all filled with assholes? Nope, it means nothing. It means an asshole just happened to get a job doing whatever it was. It's by no mean an excuses, but it is just stupid and really just undermines the work good people do on a daily basis. Are you being raped, murdered, or have some type of criminal activity effect you? No, why? Because someone is out there doing a 12-16 hour shift is being proactive and keeping you as safe as you can.

[QUOTE=TheFilmSlacker;34246503]We only hear the stories of bad cops because they're more interesting. Ever hear of the saying "the one bad apple that spoils the basket"?[/QUOTE] Yeah, but there is a LOT of bad apples.

There's an inherent flaw in the system when it allows someone who considers the thought "I know, I'll severely beat this sixty-six year old delusional man for shits an' giggles!" to become an enforcer of the law.

[QUOTE=Ray-The-Sun;34249793]There's an inherent flaw in the system when it allows someone who considers the thought "I know, I'll severely beat this sixty-six year old delusional man for shits an' giggles!" to become an enforcer of the law.[/QUOTE] But-but-but- He could've had a knife in his hand!

FUCKING PIG, this is how 90% of cops in Florida are. There are nice ones here don't get me wrong, but MOST are bad. I hate it, if your spanish, black, or have a Honda your instantly discriminated against here.