Cleveland pig union raffling off a gun similar to one that killed an unarmed black man to help a cop

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http://www.cleveland.com/metro/index.ssf/2015/07/cleveland_police_union_rafflin.html

Cleveland police union raffling gun to benefit officer involved in shooting

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Cleveland's police union is raffling off a pistol and other items to raise money for an officer who is on restricted duty after he shot and killed an unarmed man.

Since Alan Buford shot to death 18-year-old Brandon Jones outside the convenience store Jones had burglarized March 19, the 18-year department veteran has been restricted to desk duty. The restriction also bars him from working overtime or part-time jobs.

Many officers depend on extra income from those jobs, and Buford is having trouble paying his bills, Cleveland Police Patrolmen's Association President Steve Loomis said.

So the union decided to throw Buford a fundraiser. On Aug. 8, they will raise money by raffling off a Glock 26 pistol and a 40-inch smart TV. The event is advertised on a poster that was hanging on the sixth floor of the Cuyahoga County Justice Center on Monday.

The poster includes a photograph of a Glock 26, a model carried by some of the department's detectives, next to the police union's logo. The department issues most patrol officers either a Glock 17 or a Glock 19, Lt. Ali Pillow said.

Paul Cristallo, a civil rights and personal injury attorney representing Jones' family, took issue with the union raffling a gun similar to the one that Buford was carrying when he shot and killed Jones, who had just burglarized a convenience store at Parkway and Primrose roads.

"It's grossly offensive. Simple as that," Cristallo said. "Whether it was a mindless mistake or a sick joke, it's still offensive."

Reached for comment Monday, Loomis brushed off the suggestion that using a handgun to raise money for an officer involved in a police killing could send the wrong message to a public that has grown more skeptical of police officers in recent months.

"We are not trying to send any message to anyone," Loomis said. "We are privately attempting to raise some money for a member and his family in need."

The prize Glock was donated to the union, and raffling donated items are the easiest way to raise money, Loomis said.

"We do fundraisers for members in need all the time. The last one was for a member with terminal cancer," Loomis said. "That is what we do. We take care of each other when nobody else does."

As the union works to raise money for Buford, the police department's use of deadly force investigation team continues to probe Jones' death.

Buford shot Jones, who walked out of the store carrying a bag of loose change and cigarettes about 3 a.m., after a struggle, police said. Jones died of a single gunshot wound to the torso, according to the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner's Office.

The Cuyahoga County Prosecutor's Office has not received the investigative file from Cleveland police, office spokesman Joe Frolik said.