A black man is badly beaten by St. Paul,Minnesota pigs and then gets bitten by a K9...

stringer bell

http://www.startribune.com/st-paul-police-to-release-video-of-k-9-biting-officer-kicking-man/400018031/

'Worst that I've seen,' says attorney for man bitten by St. Paul police K-9

Police released video of the incident, which shows the man screaming as he is bitten.

An attorney representing a man bitten by a St. Paul police K-9 and kicked by an officer said it’s the worst dog bite case he’s handled.

One of the officers involved is suspended and a second is under an internal affairs investigation following the June incident caught on a squad car dashcam and prompting a public apology from Chief Todd Axtell.

Attorney Robert Bennett said he will decide what legal action to take after he and his client — identified in police reports as Frank A. Baker, 53, of St. Paul — review video of the incident this afternoon with Axtell.

“He’s terribly injured,” Bennett said. “It’s an absolute abomination, what was allowed to happen to him. He didn’t do anything wrong, and he’s missing a bunch of leg tissue.”

Baker, who is black, spent 14 days in Regions Hospital after the K-9 bit his right leg several times.

Bennett said his client underwent skin grafts, and that most recently, the scar tissue started breaking open. He also suffered broken ribs and partly collapsed lungs from being kicked in the chest by an officer during the incident, Bennett said.

Bennett said he’s represented several people bitten by police dogs, but that this was, “The worst that I’ve seen.”

St. Paul police released a video of the incident Thursday afternoon, and the department’s chief publicly apologized.

“As St. Paul’s police chief, I’m disappointed and upset by what the video shows,” Axtell said in a Facebook post. “As a person who cares deeply about other people, I am profoundly saddened.”

“When I became chief, I promised to do everything possible to ensure that the people we serve have faith in their police department. I want you all to know that the video does not reflect the way we strive to do our jobs — day in, day out. This is not the St. Paul way.”

St. Paul police named the six officers involved in the June 24 incident as Brian Ficcadenti, Anthony Spencer, Joe Dick, Brian Nowicki, John Raether and Brett Palkowitsch. An internal affairs investigation is open regarding Palkowitsch, while Ficcadenti received a 30-day suspension starting Thursday, according to police.

“State law does not allow me to provide details about the complaint or the investigation,” police spokesman Steve Linders said.

Police reports released Friday show that police were called at 10:08 p.m. to the 1800 block of 7th Street E. for people armed with bats, golf clubs and at least one gun. They arrived to find several people standing outside some apartment buildings, but “none of the people appeared to be alarmed, arguing, or fighting,” said a report written by Dick. “None of the people were holding bats, golf clubs, or guns.”

Palkowitsch wrote in his report that he kicked Baker in the midsection two times while Baker was on the ground because Baker was moving around and stopped complying with Ficcadenti’s orders.

“Again I fully believed that Baker was armed with a firearm and I wanted this now progressively evolving use of force encounter on a gun call to end as fast as possible for the safety at the scene,” Palkowitsch wrote.

Baker stayed in a prone position after the second kick, and then reached toward the K-9, Palkowitsch wrote, so Palkowitsch delivered a third and final kick.

Ficcadenti removed his K-9, Falco, and Palkowitsch handcuffed Baker.

Ficcadenti wrote in his report that Baker would put one hand up and then down, and shifted “back and forth” toward his vehicle.

“Because of this I was unable to determine if he had anything in his hands or if he was reaching for anything,” Ficcadenti wrote.

Footage from the squad car released Friday show Baker laying on the ground screaming loudly as officers surrounded him and Falco gripped him.

Axtell said that after he learned of the incident, he met with the injured man and apologized.

“I assured him that a full review was being conducted and I assured him — as I assure you — that we will learn from this — and we already have,” Axtell said.

Police Federation President Dave Titus and attorney Chris Wachtler said the officers had to use force to detain the man because he matched the description of an armed suspect, and did not comply with police orders.

“It is unfortunate that he sustained injury, but there was never an intention to create injury,” Titus said. “There was only reasonable and necessary force used to take custody of the arrestee.”

According to Wachtler and Titus: The officers were responding to a “high-crime” area for a “melee” involving people with baseball bats and weapons. Officers had been told that there was a black male in dreadlocks wearing a white T-shirt who was armed with a gun.

“Ultimately, that’s what one of the officers located — a person who matched that description and failed to comply with [police] instructions,” Wachtler said.

The man refused to raise his hands where officers could see them, and he later moved them toward his back and waistband where guns are often concealed, Wachtler said.

“He would not place his hands where he was told to,” he said. “This combined with him matching the description of the suspect with a gun created a huge officer safety issue.”

No gun was recovered on the man or at the scene, Wachtler said.

Wachtler and Titus said there had been several calls to the area in the past, including shooting incidents involving victims.

Police spokesman Steve Linders said that more information and the video will be released at a news conference Friday afternoon.

“We are making this information available in the interest of trust, transparency and because it’s the right thing to do,” Linders said.

In a statement, St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman said he was “deeply disturbed” by the video.

“I have full faith that the Chief is handling this case appropriately and that appropriate discipline will be taken.” he said.

Damn.. I wonder where all the "good cops" were.. They must've have been some kind special discount going on at Dunkin' Donuts or Krispy Kreme...

stringer bell

Smh...

deadeye

stringer bell wrote: »

Smh...

Not clicking that spoiler.

huey

its not that bad, just showing the scar tissue on his leg

ChillaDaKilla

weren't they looking for a nigga with dreads

????????

SneakDZA

yet if he killed that dog in self-defense he would be in jail for at least 2 decades. think about that.

R0mp

But did have a criminal record? Does he have any photos online in which he looks menacing?

the dukester

Devils in full effect!!

America is hell on earth for a blackman.

Will Munny

Damn I'm in that neighborhood often. I tired of the bad shit coming out the twin cities.

stringer bell

http://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2016/11/04/st-paul-police-to-release-video-of-man-bitten-by-k-9-kicked-by-officer/

The St. Paul Police Federation calls the officers men with good reputations and morals.

“This resulted in something that never needed to happen. These officers followed procedures, they did their job and now they’re being attacked because someone else decided that the rules don’t matter,” Federation attorney Chris Wachtler said.

http://www.twincities.com/2016/11/04/st-paul-police-chief-apologizes-to-man-who-officer-kicked-k-9-bit/

POLICE UNION SAYS CONTEXT MATTERS

The situation that officers were called to in the 1800 block of East Seventh Street was a dangerous one, said Wachtler and Dave Titus, president of the Police Federation.

There was a report of “a big melee … involving as many as 13 or 15 people with baseball bats and other weapons,” Wachtler said.

The area they were called to had seen “recent gun play calls, guns recovered, a person shot in the chin,” Titus said. “This is a very hot area and they go to that call knowing the dangers of everything that’s going on here and that there are real victims in this area to all this gun play.”

A K-9 officer who responded found a man who “exactly” matched the description of a man who was reported to have a gun, Wachtler said. He was in a vehicle and got out when the officer asked, but then wouldn’t comply with the officer’s orders, according to Wachtler.

“He’s standing between two vehicles, he won’t put his hands in a place where the officer can see them,” Wachtler said. “This goes on for a number of seconds, a sufficient amount of time for the officer to be very concerned.”

The officer deployed his K-9 to apprehend the man because he believed he had a gun, Titus said.

“It’s never going to look good on video when a K-9 bites someone,” Wachtler continued.

After the incident was over, Wachtler said the officers gave the man water and made sure he received medical assistance.

He said the officers involved in the case are “well respected by their peers. No disciplinary history. These aren’t rogues, these aren’t thugs, these are good cops.”

stringer bell

http://www.fox9.com/news/215518809-story

Employment status of officers

Brian Ficcadenti: Active employee assigned to family and sexual violence unit. Received 30-day suspension, effective Thursday, Nov. 3.

Brett Palkowitsch: Currently on unpaid leave, effective Thursday, Nov. 3, with an internal affairs investigation still open.

Anthony Spencer: On personal leave of absence beginning November. Was assigned to Eastern District.

Joe Dick: Active employee assigned to Eastern District.

Brian Nowicki: Active employee assigned to Eastern District.

John Raether: Active employee assigned to Eastern District.

stringer bell

rebootx1

In before can't we all get along

LcnsdbyROYALTY

stringer bell wrote: »

http://www.fox9.com/news/215518809-story

Employment status of officers

Brian Ficcadenti: Active employee assigned to family and sexual violence unit. Received 30-day suspension, effective Thursday, Nov. 3.

Brett Palkowitsch: Currently on unpaid leave, effective Thursday, Nov. 3, with an internal affairs investigation still open.

Anthony Spencer: On personal leave of absence beginning November. Was assigned to Eastern District.

Joe Dick: Active employee assigned to Eastern District.

Brian Nowicki: Active employee assigned to Eastern District.

John Raether: Active employee assigned to Eastern District.

Bout fuckin time!!

stringer bell

http://www.kare11.com/news/st-paul-arrest-video-evokes-strong-reaction/348586209

St. Paul arrest video evokes strong reaction

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Civil rights leaders Friday called for two St. Paul officers to be fired, after the department released dash cam video of a man being taken down and bitten by a police dog and then kicked three times by an officer after he was down.

"For almost 60 seconds that dog chewed on a human, and you hear the officer saying 'Good boy!' as you’re doing your job as a dog against a human," Tyrone Terrell of the African American Leadership Council told reporters, during a press conference.

"They both should be terminated. They both have no place in St. Paul as police officers!"

An hour earlier St. Paul Police Chief Todd Axtell released the video of the June 25 arrest of Frank Baker on the city's east side. Officers were in the area after a report of a large fight, and were told one of the combatants may have a gun.

Officer Brian Ficcadenti ordered Falco, his K9 officer, to attack Baker just ten seconds after confronting him in the parking lot of his apartment complex. As Baker screamed and struggled to get free from the dog's grip, other officers arrived to assist Ficcadenti.

In the dash cam video officers can be heard screaming and cursing at Baker, telling him to stop moving and put his hands out. Officer Brett Palkowitsch can be seen kicking Baker three times while he's on the ground, still in the grip of the dog and surrounded by other officers.

"Why don’t you engage in a conversation? But, no, you send an animal to attack because you don’t value that person," Jeff Martin, the president of the St. Paul Chapter of the NAACP, remarked.

"So it’s when you’re looking at a certain segment of your population as people without value, that things like this happen."

Martin said he was also disturbed by the sight of other officers who stood and watched as the dog delivered devastating injuries to Baker's leg, wounds that would require a long hospital stay and several surgeries to salvage some of the muscles in his right calf.

"An animal is biting his leg off, and you tell him to put his hands behind his back or don’t move, which makes about as much sense as telling him to jump up and fly away."

After the officers cuffed Baker, they discovered her was not armed. He was arrested for obstructing the legal process -- a charge later dropped -- and taken by ambulance to Regions Hospital.

Chief Axtell announced Friday that Officer Ficcadenti received a 30-day suspension, and has been transferred to another unit. Officer Palkowitsch went on unpaid leave Thursday, and is the subject of an open internal affairs investigation.

Axtell also said he had visited Baker while he was in the hospital, and again on Friday to apologize to him. When asked why he would apologize, Axtell replied, "Because he's a human being, and I'm a human being."

The ministers and community activists who gathered Friday to address the media said they're glad that Axtell released the video, but they urged him to work on changing the culture in the rank and file.

"What about the good officers that patrol our communities, the ones that actually serve and make sure we are protected?" Rev. Charles Gill of the St Paul Black Ministerial Alliance said, "They get tainted by this."

The leaders also pointed out the City of St. Paul will most likely reach a cash settlement with Baker, and the local taxpayers will be stuck with the bill.

Union defends officers

The St. Paul Police Federation, the officers union, stood behind Officers Ficcadenti and Palkowitsch Friday.

"The two principle officers involved in the video have extremely good reputations, morals, and work history," Officer Dave Titus, the president of the union, told reporters. "They work in good faith every day, they are family men."

The union's attorney said that Baker's injuries were regrettable, but said Baker could've prevented the dog attack if he had complied with Officer Ficcadenti's orders to show both of his hands.

"Those injuries would not have occurred if he had not made the decision that so many seem to be making lately, specifically that following police directions is for some reason optional," Christopher Wachtler, the Police Federation attorney, asserted.

Titus said it's impossible to form a fair judgment of the officers without knowing the broader context, that Baker's neighborhood has been plagued by violence and a large volume of calls for service.

"The amount of gun play on the East Side is very high, very dangerous and very real for cops," Titus said.

"This is a call where the gentleman matched the description of a man with gun, a white tee shirt and dreadlocks."

Baker's attorney, Bob Bennett, said that the arrest of Baker violated his constitutional rights because the officers had no legitimate reason to question him in the first place, let alone resort to a canine attack.

stringer bell

St. Paul Pig Union head and the union's top pig lawyer speak at apropaganda press conference...

stringer bell

http://www.startribune.com/st-paul-cop-caught-on-video-kicking-man-no-longer-with-department/400282391/

Cop seen kicking man on video no longer with St. Paul department

Video released Friday shows officer kicking suspect during a K-9 takedown.

St. Paul police clarified Monday that an officer shown on video kicking a man is no longer employed by the department. The June incident prompted an apology from the city's police chief.

Police spokesman Steve Linders said state law prohibits him from saying whether Brett Palkowitsch was fired or left on his own accord.

However, Linders confirmed that Palkowitsch remains the subject of an open complaint and internal affairs investigation.

Police did not confirm or deny whether that investigation is linked to the June 24 arrest of Frank A. Baker, 53, of St. Paul, whom Palkowitsch kicked three times in the midsection while a police dog attacked him. Baker was cleared of any wrongdoing.

Linders said information the department released last week was meant to indicate that Palkowitsch's employment ended last Thursday, but resulted in confusion instead. Police had said last week that he was on "unpaid leave."

Palkowitsch's departure follows the arrest that left Baker hospitalized for two weeks. Chief Todd Axtell released the graphic dashcam video on Friday — more than four months after the arrest — following a use-of-force review and internal affairs investigation. It shows Baker writhing and screaming on the ground as a police dog named Falco bites his right leg.

The video shows six officers standing around Baker, whom they believed matched the description of an armed suspect. Palkowitsch is shown kicking Baker while Baker is being given orders and cursed at.

"Get him, buddy," an officer says to Falco at one point. "Get him, buddy. Good."

Palkowitsch wrote in his report that he kicked Baker in the midsection two times because he was moving and stopped complying with orders from K-9 handler Brian Ficcadenti.

"Again I fully believed that Baker was armed with a firearm, and I wanted this now progressively evolving use-of-force encounter on a gun call to end as fast as possible for safety at the scene," Palkowitsch wrote.

Baker stayed prone after the second kick, then reached toward the dog, Palkowitsch wrote, so he delivered a third and final kick.

Ficcadenti was placed on a 30-day suspension last week. Other officers at the scene were Joe Dick, Brian Nowicki, John Raether and Anthony Spencer. Spencer is on personal leave, and the others are actively assigned to the Eastern District.