By Carlos Miller
On Feb. 6, a woman in Spokane, Washington spotted a hooded man peering into the bedroom window of her 14-year-old daughter.
The woman was alarmed because her daughter had been receiving sexually explicit phone calls from an unknown man, including the previous night where a man asked her daughter if she touches herself.
The women was obviously panicked as she described the man’s actions to the 911 dispatcher, according to a transcript of the call.
When two officers arrived on the scene, including a Spokane police officer and a school resource officer, the man picked up a pile of snow and packed it into a snowball while appearing to stare right through one of the officers with a thousand-mile stare.
The police officer ordered him to drop the snowball. Twice. Then they ordered him to lock his hands behind his head in order to be frisked.
But the man refused to cooperate, telling the officers he was just looking for his dog.
The man then placed his hand into his pocket, making the officers think he was reaching for a gun, so they each grabbed one of his wrists in an attempt to arrest him.
But the man was larger and shook them off.
One of the officers called for backup and another pulled out a Taser gun.
“Don’t fucking taze me or I’ll sue you,” the man threatened while glaring at them with that empty stare.
Two additional Spokane police officers pulled up to the scene and hopped out their cars and that was when the man finally allowed himself to be restrained.
And it was only after he was handcuffed that one of the officers recognized the man as a fellow law enforcement officer, a Spokane Sheriff’s Sgt. named Patrick “Pete” Bunch.
Officer Zinkgraf states she did not recognize Sgt. Bunch until rolled him over. She described his eyes as being glossed over and him having a blank stare. She stated he was unshaven and at first she thought he might be intoxicated except for the lack of any odors associations with the consumption of alcoholic beverages.
The 40-page internal affairs report also states that Brunch told investigators that he was merely standing up for his Constitutional rights and that he was only being playful when making a snowball because he thought the school resource officer was a friend of his.
But the report also indicates that the three Spokane police officers as well as the school resource officer gave statements that all contradicted Bunch’s statements, saying he was being uncooperative, combative, threatening and gave off the impression that he was intoxicated even though he did not smell of booze, which is why they charged him with obstructing a law enforcement officer and resisting arrest.
Even Spokane City Attorney Jim Bledsoe determined he had broken the law.
However, Bledsoe also chose to drop the charges against Bunch on the basis that he is a law enforcement officer.
According to documents obtained by The Spokesmen-Review, Spokane City Prosecutor Jim Bledsoe believed that Bunch committed a “technical violation of the law” but was not going to prosecute because his job was to go after “criminals and not law enforcement officers demonstrating a temporary lapse of judgment.”
This was not the first “temporary lapse of judgment” for Bunch.
In 2002, he was demoted from lieutenant to sergeant for an administrative blunder.
In 2003, he entered into a “Last Chance Agreement” for misusing a county cell phone and for “false reporting of payroll/leave accrual/usage.”
And in 2004, he was suspended for ten days and entered another “Last Chance Agreement” for “criminal conduct” and/or “presenting official department identification in an attempt to gain special consideration or privilege.
And just when you thought he had used up all of his last chances, he was handed another one by an apologist prosecutor.
But apparently Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich is not so forgiving. When he decided to open an internal investigation against Bunch earlier this month, the 30-year deputy turned in his badge.
Now somebody needs to investigate Bledsoe to see how many cases he has dropped involving police officers.
-30-
Via Injustice in Seattle who recently launched a National Police Misconduct NewsFeed Twitter @Injust_Seattle in order to see how many stories about police misconduct are reported across the US each day. It’s been only 11 days, but the numbers are staggering.
In the first 11 days of April, 2009:
195 Cases were reported in the news.
146 Individual officers were convicted, arrested, charged, jailed, accused of, or sued for misconduct.
16 Different Police Chiefs were convicted, arrested, charged, jailed, accused of, or sued for misconduct.
The worst states for police misconduct in the first 11 days of April and number of cases in each:
1. Illinois with 16 cases
2. Pennsylvania with 15 cases.
3. Texas with 15 cases.
4. New York with 14 cases.
5. Florida with 13 cases.
The worst cities for police misconduct in the beginning of April were:
1. Chicago – 8
2. Dallas – 5
3. Philadelphia – 5
4. Minneapolis – 4
5. Denver – 4
Popularity: 1% [?]
19 responses so far ↓
1 Andrew DeFilippis // Apr 14, 2009 at 12:34 AM
It’s good that they finally were able to rid the department of at least one out of line deputy. They should find more deputies that are out of line and oust them.
The more law abiding deputies and compassionate deputies that we have on the streets, the more trust they will have from the public and the more we will enjoy their patrols through our cities.
2 Packratt // Apr 14, 2009 at 12:37 AM
Thanks for giving this outrageous story much better treatment than I could have.
For all the times we see stories that only hint at the biases that allow police officers to get away with so much, it’s amazing to see one where a prosecutor just comes right out and says he’s not going to prosecute someone just because he’s a cop.
It’s not outrageous for the fact that a dangerous officer has gotten preferential treatment by the justice system, it’s that the system is being so brazen about it for once.
Also, thanks for mentioning the feed, I hope it helps convince people that police misconduct is quite real and at least starts to paint an image of just how prevalent it might be.
…and if it helps great writers like you spot stories that should get more attention, all the better!
3 Carlos Miller // Apr 14, 2009 at 12:39 AM
Thanks Packratt,
I’m trying to figure out a way to embed that feed into one of my sidebars because you do such a great job on updating it.
4 Macro photography // Apr 14, 2009 at 12:44 AM
It is amazing what police officers are able to get away with. There has to be something that can be done.
5 the lone white boy // Apr 14, 2009 at 1:35 AM
lol, He quit before he could be fired. Its not uncommon. They do it so its not on their record & they can get on at another PD.
6 Pinandpuller // Apr 14, 2009 at 2:14 AM
He had the charges dropped because he had a snowball instead of a camera. The question is does Washington have the castle doctrine? Some creep hanging outside my daughter’s window has the life expectancy of a Somali hostage negotiator.
7 Carlos Miller // Apr 14, 2009 at 2:21 AM
OK, everybody, so check out the new news feed on the left sidebar.
This is the Twitter news feed compiled by Injustice in Seattle. It will offer us non-stop police misconduct news.
8 genewitch // Apr 14, 2009 at 8:32 AM
Carlos, what did you mean by “Apologist” in the end of your article?
9 Scott Chamness // Apr 14, 2009 at 8:36 AM
A “technical violation of the law”? There is no technicalities here, he violated the law! Evidently he is also seems like a big time creep.
Congrats to the sheriff though for, finally, taking action against him.
10 jones // Apr 14, 2009 at 10:13 AM
OK, everybody, so check out the new news feed on the left sidebar.
This is the Twitter news feed compiled by Injustice in Seattle. It will offer us non-stop police misconduct news.
I think you meant alleged misconduct news
11 Duane Kerzic // Apr 14, 2009 at 12:23 PM
jones,
what if the story is about a conviction?
12 Kol. Klink // Apr 14, 2009 at 12:52 PM
They are the ONLY ONES – a term used at http://waronguns.blogspot.com
Even if he had been “disciplined” or “convicted” it would probably be a one day suspension WITH PAY.
13 jones // Apr 14, 2009 at 1:37 PM
Duane – What if the story is about a conviction?
Duane if it’s a conviction you can drop the alleged because we know he is guilty, especially if it’s a jury that convicted him.
14 Carlos Miller // Apr 14, 2009 at 1:48 PM
Jones,
The word alleged should be used when referring to a specific individual who has not been convicted but I am using it in a very broad manner which doesn’t single anybody out.
In some of the cases that appear on the feed, the officer has been convicted and in others they have not.
The term “police misconduct news” describes the general theme of the articles whether there has been a conviction or not because the subject matter is still police misconduct.
So the term describes the subject matter, not the individuals.
15 John // Apr 14, 2009 at 4:32 PM
Bledsoe should be removed. That decision is outrageous.
Cops should have no special rights or protections from the law, but neither should someone based on their race, religion, or sexual orientation. “Hate crime” laws do just that. Assault and battery is still A&B regardless of what is going through their mind when they commit the crime or the person’s skin color who is being assaulted. That should be enough.
16 Carlos Miller // Apr 14, 2009 at 4:32 PM
Genewitch,
By an apologist, I meant he is a person that is willing to turn a blind eye towards police misconduct solely because they are officers.
If anything, we need to be harsher on these officers because they give a bad name to all officers.
17 kulah // Apr 15, 2009 at 9:21 PM
This is utterly disgusting. He should lose his job at least. Perv.
18 El Ojo // Apr 16, 2009 at 1:44 AM
I find this statement particularly telling, yet troubling: “… his job was to go after ‘criminals and not law enforcement officers demonstrating a temporary lapse of judgment.’”
So, who or what is a “criminal.” This phrasing makes it seem like “criminal” is the essence of a certain group of people. Once you are born or become a “criminal,” you will always be one. They can be easily separated from the “law-abiding citizens.”
On the other hand, there are the “law enforcement officers.” They are different from the “criminals” because they are “law enforcement officers.” This is the essence of who they are. One can never become the other.
If you think about it for two seconds (something I doubt many people will ever do) the argument is nonsense.
Committing a crime is something people do, not something that they are. You are a law-abiding person. For some reason, you commit a crime. Maybe you’re in debt, they’re about to take away your house, and you decide to run a load of cocaine across the Texas border to cover the mortgage. Okay, now you’re a criminal. But then, lets say you get away with it, they don’t find the dope, you make the drop, get the money, pay your mortgage, and go back to your job on Monday, and never commit another crime the rest of your life. Are you a law-abiding citizen again now? Or are you still a criminal?
Same with cops. You “serve and protect” for years. But then you falsify one piece of evidence. Or you break the arm of one suspect and blame it on a fall. Or whatever.
You get the idea. “Cop” is a job. It’s something you do. It is not who you are. Similarly, “criminal” is not who a person is, either. You can’t walk down the street and point out, “law-abiding citizen,” “cop,” “criminal.” It just doesn’t work like that.
The other is within us, and vice versa.
19 holly // Apr 21, 2009 at 12:24 PM
i hope that mother is able to get a restraining order against him what with all the corruption it sounds like that city has.
Leave a Comment