Another Alleged Police Brutality Incident Shakes Florida Law Enforcement

A recent suspected case of police brutality is putting the spotlight back on the actions of Florida's law enforcement officers.

2010-09-25

September 25, 2010 (Press-News.org) Another Alleged Police Brutality Incident Shakes Florida Law Enforcement

A recent suspected case of police brutality, this time resulting in the serious injury of 38-year-old Bamako Walton of Roodhouse, is putting the spotlight back on the actions of Florida's law enforcement officers. While the facts are still not completely clear, it is known that Walton was the passenger in a vehicle pulled over by an officer with the Jacksonville Police Department in the early hours of August 8, 2010. What remains to be seen, however, is how he ended up with multiple facial contusions, broken bones in his face and hands, a lip split so deeply it needed stitches, and a pool of blood behind one eye.

On August 25, a rally was held at the Morgan County Courthouse in support of Walton and other victims of police brutality/misconduct in Florida (like Omar Mieles, a 19-year-old killed when a negligently operated police vehicle crashed into the car he was riding in), drawing further public attention to the matter. Police brutality is generically defined as force in excess of what is permitted and/or necessary to commit a proper and legal law enforcement function. When police officers act outside the confines of carefully constructed parameters, suspects, codefendants, innocent bystanders and fellow officers can be injured in myriad ways, including:
-Chemical sprays (usually mace or pepper spray)
-Baton strikes
-Tasers
-Bites from K-9 officers
-Shootings
-Vehicle accidents
-Physical blows -- whether from fists, kicks or as the result of being forcibly subdued with a tackle or other full-contact maneuver

According to data compiled by the National Police Misconduct Statistics and Reporting Project (NPMSRP), Florida averages between 275 and 300 allegations of police brutality per year, with 283 in 2009. Florida also has the dubious distinction of having two local law enforcement agencies in the top 25 on a listing of reported police brutality/misconduct claims in departments with more than 1000 officers (Palm Beach County and the Jacksonville Police Department).

Clearly, police officers are taxed with a difficult duty. Keeping the peace is not an easy job, but that does not mean that law enforcers can abuse their authority and cause injury in the process. If you or a loved one has been injured at the hands of an overly eager or aggressive police agent, contact an experienced police brutality attorney in your area.

Article provided by Panter, Panter & Sampedro, P.A.
Visit us at www.panterlaw.com

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Presumed Occupational Diseases for Firefighters and Police Officers

2010-09-25

Presumed Occupational Diseases for Firefighters and Police Officers Maryland Annotated Code, Labor and Employment (LE) Article, 9-503 states that firefighters and police officers are given a presumption of compensability for certain occupational diseases if they contract heart disease or hypertension that results in "partial or total disability or death." Additionally, if a firefighter develops lung disease or certain specific cancers that results in partial or total disability, that firefighter is given a presumption of compensability that the disease was "suffered ...

Florida Sinkhole Claims Extending Beyond Sinkhole Alley?

2010-09-25

Florida Sinkhole Claims Extending Beyond Sinkhole Alley? Pasco and Hernandez counties are well established as the centers of sinkhole activity in Florida; Florida lawmakers have gone so far as to craft unique laws governing insurance coverage for sinkholes in these two counties. However, anecdotal evidence suggests that the problem may be spreading, with sinkholes reportedly appearing as far south as Miami and Naples. Florida Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty has requested claims data from both commercial and residential property insurance companies, with the ...

New Emphasis on Curbing Medicaid Fraud

2010-09-25

New Emphasis on Curbing Medicaid Fraud In 2009, President Obama revealed that Medicare and Medicaid are the biggest drivers of the federal deficit and debt. Both programs are crucial to the health care industry in the United States; however, crippling waste, abuse and fraud cost the system $60 billion annually. As such, the Obama administration seeks to crack down on Medicaid and Medicare fraud. Reports of flagrant Medicaid and Medicare fraud prompt public outcries. Consider the case of Elizabeth Corbitt, who in August was arrested on 419 counts of Medicaid fraud ...

Report on State of Oregon Hospitals Released

2010-09-25

Report on State of Oregon Hospitals Released In 2008, the Oregon Patient Safety Commission (OPSC) set a simple goal for itself - become the safest health care delivery system in the United States. The OPSC set out procedures and standards to measure progress in hospitals across the state. Noting that Oregon's level of care was only "average" by any measurement, the OPSC's objective was to use these standards to improve patient safety. The standards asked five main questions: -Can we demonstrate that we are eliminating preventable harm events? -Are we using evidence-based ...

The Costs of Medical Errors

2010-09-25

The Costs of Medical Errors According to a recent ABC story, a study confirmed anecdotal evidence of the "July Effect" - a rise in medical errors during the month of July, when new residents fresh out of medical school report to their teaching hospitals. A 2000 publication by the Institute of Medicine indicated that up to 98,000 Americans may die each year as a result of preventable medical errors. Though the qualitative costs of medical errors can be devastating, a recent article in The Wall Street Journal says the quantitative costs can also be staggering. Citing ...

British Airways Launches New Lowest Price Holiday Finder On ba.com

2010-09-25

British Airways has launched its new 'lower price holiday finder' which allows customers to save time and money when booking their holiday package. Claire Bentley, managing director BA Holidays commented: "Following the success of dynamic packaging where flight plus hotel or flight plus car rental were combined to offer our customers the lowest pricing on ba.com, we have now developed more advanced options such as the new 'lowest price holiday finder' on ba.com. This new technology ultimately gives customers the opportunity to save even more time and money when booking ...

Hotels.com Reports Its Fastest-Rising Global Destinations

2010-09-25

Hotels.com's latest destination hot list league table has found Venice taking the top spot list as the fastest rising destinations in terms of year on year searches through the site. The Italian city of Venice came out as being the hottest destination on the list for Brits with a 655% increase in searches on the UK Hotels.com site in June 2010 compared to June 2009, however with summer in full swing, traditional UK seaside destinations have also been proving popular as Cromer in Norfolk and Llandudno in North Wales saw rises of 565% and 495% respectively year on year. ...

Hotels.com Sees Farnborough Hotel Searches Soar

2010-09-25

Hotels.com's latest hot list of the fastest-rising destinations for hotel searches across in July has revealed that Farnborough in Hampshire has managed to top the list. The town famed for its annual summer air show topped the table of fastest rising destinations with a 565% increase in searches in July compared with the same time last year. The interest in staying in Farnborough around the time of the air show provides a good indicator of the continued endurance in popularity of the UK 'staycation' throughout 2010. Further afield and with schools out for the summer, ...

Hays and AmicusHorizon Working With Tenants To Get Them Into Employment

2010-09-25

Hays Social Housing, the leading recruiting expert, is working in partnership with AmicusHorizon, one of the largest housing associations in the South East region on a job seeking skills programme. The three-month programme, which was set up because residents said they needed support in gaining employment, has already secured jobs or training for several tenants and has improved the employability of many others. The programme started in June with introductory seminars and a series of one-on-one career coaching sessions. Each participant also attended five Hays workshops, ...

ExecPlan Express Professional Financial Planning Software's Adds Free Retirement Planning Software Tools To Its Website

2010-09-25

Most professional financial planners will tell you that planning for retirement is an ongoing process that requires a comprehensive strategy with continuous reviews and adjustments. This usually means a commitment of both time and money either by hiring a professional financial advisor or dedicating the resources to acquiring and learning a professional financial planning software like ExecPlan Express. Though ExecPlan Express is an easy to use application because of its needs based analysis design and its focus on the basic fundamentals of retirement planning, it is ...

Another Alleged Police Brutality Incident Shakes Florida Law Enforcement

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES: