By Carlos Miller
So I’m reading the latest article on another cop abusing another citizen on another surveillance video. This one is in Florida, as if that’s a surprise.
A Sarasota cop has arrested a 21-year-old man for drunkness. He has him handcuffed and placed in the back of a squad car. He has already pulled into the enclosed sally port area of the jail, which pretty much means the suspect is going nowhere.
The handcuffed suspect then squeezes out the back window and falls flat on his face.
The suspect then manages to get up, but the cop then kicks him twice where he falls down again.
The cop then walks up to him and plants his foot on the man for five minutes. As if he is some type of Herculean warrior.
A couple of other cops stroll over to see what the commotion is, then casually move on with their business. They’ve probably seen it before.
After all, Officer Christopher Childers has had five excessive force complaints against him since joining the force in 2000. None of them stuck but what do you expect when cops investigate cops?
The most recent complaint came in 2006 from a man who said Childers slammed him face down on the floor and kicked him. Ernest Wilson told police in an e-mail that “Childers is a loose cannon just waiting to go off.”
So it’s pretty much the same old, same old as I’m reading this article.
Except for the fact the Sarasota Herald-Tribune decided to interview an “expert on policing issues” for this story. As if they couldn’t make up their own mind what they saw in the video.
And this is what that “expert” told them:
The video did not capture sound, so it is difficult to say whether the officer felt threatened by Perez, or whether Perez was attempting to escape, said Maria “Maki” Haberfeld, a professor at John Jay.
You have to be kidding me.
First of all, who the hell calls themselves “Maki”? Second of all, if Officer Childers felt threatened by a handcuffed man who was unable to stand up, much less fight, then that cop has no business being on the force.
And attempting to escape?
Since when do cops leave the back windows of their squad cars open when they are transporting prisoners? And he was already in the enclosed sally port. If he was that much of an escape threat, then why did the other two cops walk away?
The suspect, Juan Perez, was pretty much trashed that night. He had a blood alcohol content three times the legal limit.
But he was not violent.
Perez, a native of Guatemala who does not speak English, was arrested that night on charges of disorderly intoxication and obstructing an officer without violence.
In an affidavit on the incident, Childers wrote that he arrived at Second Street and Links Avenue to find Perez waving both arms over his head and “blurting out in Spanish.”
Paramedics had left the area and a security officer was trying to calm down Perez, who was bleeding from the mouth and ears and appeared to be intoxicated, according to Childers’ report.
Childers said he handcuffed Perez when he refused to stop moving, and Perez moved away, so Childers “redirected the defendant to the grass.”
….
Perez admits his memory of that afternoon is hazy, but he says he did not resist. He says the officer started yelling at him, squirted him with pepper spray and took him to the ground.
Perez said Childers stepped on the back of his head, and then its side, causing his nose and lips to bleed and scraping the side of his face. He said he had bruises on both sides of his torso, as well as on several spots on his thighs. The scrapes on his face can be seen in his jail photo.
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18 responses so far ↓
1 Packratt // Jul 15, 2009 at 4:34 AM
Yeah, just doing a quick search on their “expert” reveals she’s an ex cop, counter-terrorism officer from Isreali IDF, and a former US DEA officer.
Currently she’s teaching NYPD cops counter-terrorism tactics… maybe like how to harass photographers or something… while writing a book about “police integrity and professionalism”.
Yeah, riiiight…
2 Carlos Miller // Jul 15, 2009 at 4:36 AM
What a joke. What’s the purpose of even including her in the article?
She’s not even based in Sarasota so it’s not like it’s a local thing.
3 Carlos Miller // Jul 15, 2009 at 4:42 AM
This article wouldn’t be complete without a photo of Maki. Too bad the Herald Tribune didn’t think of that as they were licking her boots.
4 2wolves1sheepvoting // Jul 15, 2009 at 9:03 AM
We’re all Iraqis now.
The National Occupation Force (if police aren’t that, then why are the Feds arming them and prettying them up to look like infantry?) keeps the little peoples (inside and outside our borders) of the world in line, lest they get any ideas in their head about freedom.
If you want a vision of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face – forever. ~George Orwell
5 HLW // Jul 15, 2009 at 11:44 AM
You have to be kidding me.
First of all, who the hell calls themselves “Maki”?
Carlos –
I don’t see any point in the ad hominem comment; not everyone gets to pick their nickname.
If there is an issue with her credentials (and it appears there may be) let those arguments support your position not something silly like a nickname.
6 xdamousex // Jul 15, 2009 at 1:20 PM
From this video, it is obvious the officer was in fear for his life.
/jones
7 Jay // Jul 15, 2009 at 1:22 PM
Groundhog Day. Again.
8 Gustav // Jul 15, 2009 at 4:57 PM
I’m glad I finally found someone who hates cops as much as I do…thanks, carlos!
9 Amazed // Jul 15, 2009 at 5:02 PM
Absolutely incredible. It’s obvious from the video that the officer didn’t feel threatened. I don’t need audio. You can see he clearly has both hands in his pockets and just sort of strolls around, as if it’s just another day at the office.
Something tells me this really is just another day at the office for him. What a putz.
10 xdamousex // Jul 15, 2009 at 5:15 PM
@Gustav: Begone, troll.
11 enhager // Jul 15, 2009 at 8:20 PM
Don’t mock the Maki.
Insight: “They’ve probably seen it before.”
Hey Maki-rena!
12 steveo // Jul 15, 2009 at 8:25 PM
I live in Sarasota and the SPD just had a major public demonstration for the benefit of the media to protest budget cuts. The chief said the standard line of “need to maintain level of service.” Good thing Officer Childers is helping to maintain the level of service. 80% of the arrests they make are for victimless street cleaning crimes. Public urination, solicitation on right of way and your favorite, 843.02.
13 Carlos Miller // Jul 16, 2009 at 12:24 AM
“I don’t see any point in the ad hominem comment; not everyone gets to pick their nickname.”
No, but you do get to pick whether or not you use your nickname in an official capacity.
14 steveo // Jul 16, 2009 at 12:55 PM
new story today. there were two witnesses at the arrest site, one a former police officer. They are testifying that Perez was not bleeding prior to Childers arrival. They witnessed Childers beating Perez even though Perez was so intoxicated that he couldn’t even stand up. No ems was called for Mr. Perez.
15 steveo // Jul 17, 2009 at 8:17 AM
the plot thickens. cops went over to Mr. Perez’s home a couple days later and intimidated him into signing a waiver of liability and gave him a check for 400 dollars. The cops even drove him to the bank so that he would cash the check. Perez’s lawyer was there while the Sgt. was talking to Perez. The abrogado also spoke Spanish to the dismay of the Sgt. The lawyer gave the money back to the cop who threw it out the window of the cop car.
16 steveo // Jul 17, 2009 at 6:06 PM
without the camera, this is a story no one hears or cares about, just another street drunk being beaten or tazed by an overagressive cop. Now, the FBI has entered the investigation. Seems that they don’t “trust” the investigation procedures of the SPD. Seems that maybe the SPD violated the civil rights of Mr. Perez. OMG. I wonder what Maki thinks about this now. Nobody at SPD is crying innocent.
17 d // Jul 18, 2009 at 10:34 PM
Officer Childers is corrupt. He is from personal experience a liar and loose cannon who needs to feed his ego by arresting upstanding people in the Sarasota community. He lies and/or doesn’t care about his “investigations”. The reports are blatantly false and corroborated by people who were never there.
18 Robert Watt // Jul 19, 2009 at 12:23 AM
Thoes punks were laughing at him! Machaivelli was the kind of guy the idf or “land theives” /terrorists would love. Thanx Carlos ,love your website & will send a cheeck if u ever get a po box.
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