# News & Current Events > Individual Rights Violations: Case Studies >  Welcome to the Police State

## Ron Galt

I'm just at a loss for words...  Every american needs to watch this.  

http://www.wkyc.com/video/player.asp...47&bw=hi&cat=2

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## Mani

That was awful.  I can't believe what I just saw.  BTW it didn't work in firefox, only i.e.

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## asgardshill

It didn't work here.  I happily got rid of IE years ago - buggy bloatware.

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## 1000-points-of-fright

I can't believe you posted a link to a White Supremacist website on this forum.  Not helping dude.

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## Ron Galt

Didn't even look to see what site it was hosted on.  

Changed link.  The TV station has it on their site.

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## Pete

> It didn't work here.  I happily got rid of IE years ago - buggy bloatware.


???

I watched it with Firefox OK.

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## Edu

Try this:
http://wm.wkyc.gannett.edgestreams.n...arch1_wkyc.wmv

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## pinkmandy

As a woman I can't begin to describe how that video made me feel. I could throw up...I'm so disturbed. I've posted the link on a few mom boards I'm on. People need to wake up.

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## sparebulb

Not that it is relevant to how she was treated, but what in the world happened to her in the first place that the police were called?  I only watched it once, but I couldn't figure it out.

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## driller80545

All that over disturbing the peace. What would you call what the police were doing. I hope she hammers these thugs. I know some very good police officers. These are not them!

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## Edu

Outrage!     They could have handled this much better.

But.... I would like to get the whole story, and the whole video. They were taping this for a reason, there must have been things going on before this, that's not some reporter taping this.

I would also like to know where this happened, and names of ALL the officials involved. We need fax numbers, addresses and e-mail, including the governor etc...

I hope the people there are considering recalling any connected officials. Just go door to door, show people the video on a portable player, and get signatures, no problem, instant recall.

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## pinkmandy

> Not that it is relevant to how she was treated, but what in the world happened to her in the first place that the police were called?  I only watched it once, but I couldn't figure it out.



She was the victim of an assault so her cousin called 911. They asked her for id and she gave them the wrong one so they took her in. The id she gave them, and she explained it at the time, was her dead sister's DL that she carried around as a keepsake of sorts.

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## Edu

More outrage    "The sheriff denies this was a strip search."

WTF??????????????????????

More info: http://www.wkyc.com/news/news_articl...?storyid=82447

"Stark County Sheriff Timothy Swanson denies the allegation."

Google says:
Canton, Ohio
http://www.sheriff.co.stark.oh.us/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stark_County,_Ohio

Ted Strickland, Governor  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ted_Strickland
http://www.ohio.gov/

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## zach

That was awful..

I imagined my mother in the same position, and that was enough.

I can't even imagine how the husband felt.

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## iloverambutans

oops.. I too just posted this. This makes me sick.

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## raiha

Does anyone know when this happened?

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## hillertexas

http://www.cantonrep.com/index.php?I...ubCategoryID=0
Sheriff faces TV report
Lawsuit over arrest has tape of deputies stripping woman
Saturday, February 2, 2008
Repository staff report

CANTON Stark County Sheriff Tim Swanson issued a statement Friday related to a woman's 2006 arrest and a videotape showing her being stripped naked at the Stark County Jail by male and female deputies.

The arrest of Hope Steffey of Salem was featured in a Channel 3 news report Thursday night. 

Steffey has a pending federal lawsuit against Swanson's department, saying she was assaulted by deputies, denied medical help and was the victim of excessive force during her arrest on Oct. 20-21, 2006. 

The complaint is pending in U.S. District Court before Judge David D. Dowd Jr. 

Swanson's statement said his office investigated an incident involving Steffey. She was charged and later convicted in Alliance Municipal Court of disorderly conduct and resisting arrest, he said. 

"We have answered all inquiries by the attorneys and we are prepared to proceed in a court of law, NOT IN THE MEDIA," Swanson said in a statement. 

He declined to comment further, citing the pending allegations. 

Steffey's attorneys, David B. Malik of Chesterland and Dennis J. Nierman of Cleveland, could not be reached Friday for comment. 

Channel 3's report prompted numerous calls Friday to the Stark County commissioners' office. Commissioner Todd Bosley declined to comment. 

According to Steffey's lawsuit originally filed in October and since amended: 

Steffey, 47, was assaulted by a cousin on Oct. 20, 2006, on Weimer Drive SE, prompting a 911 call. A sheriff's deputy arrived and Steffey mistakenly gave the deputy her deceased sister's driver's license, not her own. The deputy refused to hand it back when she noticed the mistake and she pleaded for its return, the lawsuit said. 

The deputy did not get medical help for Steffey's assault wounds and instead assaulted Steffey, the lawsuit said. The deputy slammed her into his cruiser, cracking one of her teeth, and later slammed her into the ground, causing cuts and bruises, the lawsuit said. 

Later at the jail, Steffey said she was asked, "Have you thought about harming yourself?" She responded, "Now or ever?" 

She said she was immediately stripped by male and female guards without ever being asked to voluntarily remove her clothing. 

"The force used by these defendants was unreasonable and excessive. The force used was designed to inflict pain and to punish," the lawsuit said. 

She was later left in a cell naked for six hours. "In order to keep warm and regain her dignity, Hope wrapped herself in toilet paper to keep (the unnamed guards) or anyone else from seeing her naked. This situation was designed to humiliate, inflict emotional pain and to punish." 

Steffey was given a suspended jail term for her convictions. 

DENIALS 

In a written response to the lawsuit, Swanson and his deputies deny wrongdoing and maintain the arresting deputy, Richard T. Gurlea Jr., and others at the jail are allowed to use reasonable force to make an arrest and protect prisoners in their custody. 

The department does not deny that Steffey was stripped of her clothes and left naked in a cell for six hours. 

The defense has asked a judge to dismiss the claims. 

Dowd has set a status conference for May.

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## hillertexas

http://www.salemnews.net/news/articl...articleID=9849
Couple sues over Stark County incident

By LARRY SHIELDS, Salem News staff writer



SALEM — A Salem couple cited Stark County commissioners, the sheriff, a deputy and 15 unnamed John and Jane Does in a federal lawsuit claiming violations of their rights under the Fourth, Eighth and 14th Amendments to the Constitution.

Hope and Greg Steffey filed the action last October in the United States District Court in Cleveland.

Greg Steffey is the athletic director at Salem High School.

According to court documents, Hope Steffey claims assault, battery, unreasonable seizure and deliberate indifference by failing to provide adequate medical care, while both claim damage from “unreasonable governmental actions by the defendants.”

Named as defendants are Sheriff Timothy A. Swanson, the three commissioners, Deputy Richard T. Gurlea, along with John and Jane Does numbers one through 15.

The Stark County Sheriff reportedly denied the allegations.

The narrative of court documents said that on Oct. 20, 2006 Hope Steffey was allegedly assaulted by another woman on Weimer Dr. S.E. and Gurlea responded, questioned Steffey and asked for identification and she “mistakenly” produced the driver’s license of her dead sister, which she kept as a personal memento.

She immediately recognized her mistake and asked for it back, but Gurlea allegedly refused.

Documents say she “begged” for the return of her license but it wasn’t returned.

The deputy then ran a computer check of the right license and Steffey’s cousin noticed a bald spot on her head from the assault. 

The cousin “reminded” the deputy that Steffey was the victim while advising Steffey of the hair loss which made her visibly upset.

The documents alleged Gurlea failed to call for medical assistance despite knowledge Steffey was injured.

Gurlea the, documents allege, warned Steffey to calm down and Steffey replied she was upset and could exercise her freedom of speech and her cousin again attempted to remind the deputy that Steffey was the victim and she had been knocked unconscious by the assailant.

The deputy allegedly refused to acknowledge her injuries.

Court documents said that after searching Steffey’s car, he turned to the two and questioned the cousin when Steffey asked for her sister’s license back.

Gurlea allegedly turned angrily and responded “shut up about your dead sister.”

Steffey pointed her finger at her sister’s license in the deputy’s pocket and said, “she was here, she was someone” and Gurlea allegedly, suddenly exploded into a rage and allegedly slammed her face into his cruiser breaking a tooth, and pinning her against the cruiser, allegedly saying, “are you going to stop?”

The documents allege Gurlea then threw her to the ground causing cuts and bruises and with the weight of his body on her she could not breathe.

Steffey was then handcuffed and told to sit in the cruiser.

At the county jail, court documents allege she was knocked to the ground with male deputies/guard/staff present.

She was questioned and allegedly strip searched without authorization, pursuant to law and policy.

Steffey was allegedly held to the ground and stripped completely naked and left inside the jail cell for six hours without a blanket and “in order to try to keep warm, and regain dignity” she “wrapped herself in toilet paper to prevent the Sheriff’s deputies/guards/staff from seeing her naked.”

The documents allege she was not permitted access to a telephone; was not “booked” for six hours; didn’t receive “reasonable” medical attention for six over hours; repeatedly called for help; went without clothing; spent the entire night in jail naked; and was “eventually” advised by a guard she was charged with resisting and disorderly conduct.

The documents allege she was physically and emotionally brutalized while Gurlea and the John and Jane Does “sought charges against” her to cover up their “unreasonable acts and omissions.”

Greg Steffey claims to have lost the love, society, affection and consortium of his wife as a direct result of the actions and inactions of the defendants in one of the six claims for relief.

The 16-page complaint notes in the fifth claim for relief that the sheriff produced thousands of pages of requested records, but “specifically failed to produce the videotape of the strip search.”

It added, “The available public records indicate the videotape camera that would have captured the incident was functioning.”

Since the October filing, Cleveland television Channel 3 WKYC obtained and posted a video clip of the strip search at: http://www.wkyc.com/news/news_articl...?storyid=82447 

The Cleveland station featured the incident on its Thursday night news program and also was to air a second part Friday night.

The couple demands a trial by jury with damages for medical care, incurred bills and future expenses, while demanding judgment in an amount in excess of the courts jurisdictional minimum; punitive damages to be determined at trial; equitable relief; attorney’s fees, costs of action and other associate costs; and any and all other relief the court deem equitable, necessary and just.

Larry Shields can be reached at lshields@salemnews.net

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## Iowa4Paul

I hope the people who did this end up 6-feet under as worm chow.

Disgusting on the highest level.

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## lbadragan

The sherrif said they removed her clothes for her safety. How stupid can we be that he can say something like that and not be fired immediately! How the hell can he say they removed her CLOTHES INCLUDING HER UNDERWEAR for her safety while the left her ALONE in a jail cell with concrete walls? How this can happen in this country in this century is truly beyond my comprehension and I feel rage. Every single one of those rotten cops should go to jail to experience a being stripped against your will.

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## Edu

Where were the good officers? Why didn't one of them save her?

Did not one officer anywhere near there question this? NOT ONE????

Where are the American heroes?

BTW: Paper clothes are sometimes used when they think someone may hurt themselves. They are available. All they had to do is ask her to change into them and explain why nicely. Besides giving her a phone call too.

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## Time for Change

Somebody is fixin' to win a BIG lawsuit.
There will be cops fired!  

Hopefully somebody catches them out one evening, strips them and chains them to a publicly viewable phone pole or a fence for a while.
Fair is Fair, right?

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## sluggo

nvm

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## Lou337

What can we do about this?

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## seeker1

How a human being can inflict this kind of suffering on another human being and hearing primal screams like this and remain sane is beyond me. 

The officers are obviously de-sensitized to inflicting this kind of trauma on a woman.  Makes you wonder.

I live in Stark County, but I doubt it's different anywhere else. 
The Police State is Here Already....Quit Kidding Yourselves/

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## pcosmar

> What can we do about this?


*Mostly nothing*
This kind of thing is common.  SOP

The law is often unjust.
Justice is usually illegal.

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## tommyzDad

Were I that woman's husband......well, my son would have only his mother to care for him. I would be in jail or dead.......

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## Ira Aten

Aw guys, they are just doing what they are taught in "homeland" classes to provided "security" against the boogie man.

Aren't you willing to give up each and every one of your constitutional rights so we can "secure our freedoms?"

Gee.  What could she have to hide, if she wasn't doing SOMETHING wrong?

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## PatriotG

We aren't seeing the whole story with this but,

Lets assume the following for discussions sake

Lets say she was drunk and belligerent.
Lets say the that when she called 911 it was because there was some type of altercation in that parking lot that resulted in injury.

Lets say that because she answered the 'harm yourself' question the way she did, the officers were concerned about her safety. Lets say that because of her vague answer to that question, the officer assume she is suicidal and or  could be potentially violent to herself or others.

You strip her down completely? and then leave her for six hours in that state?
You don't give here jail clothes?

What the hell is she going to do? Hang herself with a pair of pants?

In addition, Deny her medical attention? Especially if your concerned with her well being, Come On!!!

These Police officers, all of them, have alot of explaining and justifying to do
I'm surprised they didn't tase here while she was down and naked.

Absolutely disgusting!

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## Brian4Liberty

> We aren't seeing the whole story with this but,
> 
> Lets assume the following for discussions sake
> 
> Lets say she was drunk and belligerent.
> Lets say the that when she called 911 it was because there was some type of altercation in that parking lot that resulted in injury.
> 
> Lets say that because she answered the 'harm yourself' question the way she did, the officers were concerned about her safety. Lets say that because of her vague answer to that question, the officer assume she is suicidal and or  could be potentially violent to herself or others.
> 
> ...


Disturbing video! Totally uncalled for.

But I think you hit the nail on the head: she was probably belligerent. Right from the start, based on the fact that the altercation with the Police started at the "crime" scene...just like an episode of Cops...

Doesn't justify at all her treatment (really punishment) at the jail, but it's a pretty common case.

For anyone's future reference, yelling and screaming at the Police is not a good idea. Exercise that 5th Amendment! What you say can and will be used against you in a court of law, and probably much sooner than that...

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## Dequeant

Just makes me want to get violent, it really does.  The same way the Tasing at Florida State did.  The government is really getting out of hand......

*sigh*

What's our country coming to....

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## Danny Molina

I hate how police treat people as if they're guilty of something all the time. Even if they pull you over they talk to you as if you killed someone.

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## FreeTraveler

Not to be a warmonger, but I hope this encourages everyone to learn self-defense with a variety of weapons. If that had been my wife, she'd probably be a widow now, but she wouldn't be the only one.

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## Mesogen

It works in Safari.

And yeah. Was that Abu Ghraib?

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## Mesogen

> Somebody is fixin' to win a BIG lawsuit.
> There will be cops fired!  
> 
> Hopefully somebody catches them out one evening, strips them and chains them to a publicly viewable phone pole or a fence for a while.
> Fair is Fair, right?


The cops don't just need to be fired, they need to go to prison for a while. Maybe get a little strip search of their own.

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## Danny Molina

Cops rarely go to jail for committing crimes they just lose their jobs. Police officers have a license to kill their only consequence afterwards is they lose their jobs.

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## pcosmar

> But I think you hit the nail on the head: she was probably belligerent. Right from the start, based on the fact that the altercation with the Police started at the "crime" scene...just like an episode of Cops...


"Crime scene"? The crime is the police treating here as  suspect.
The CRIME is the police forgetting that they are to serve the citizen.
The "crime scene" began when she was put into a police car instead of an ambulance.
It only got worst from there.

And the cops will get a vacation with pay.

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## Elliott

> Somebody is fixin' to win a BIG lawsuit.
> There will be cops fired!  
> 
> Hopefully somebody catches them out one evening, strips them and chains them to a publicly viewable phone pole or a fence for a while.
> Fair is Fair, right?


You know what's gonna happen?  A few $#@!ty cops will be fired and the city will lose a multi-million dollar lawsuit.  The woman deserves to win a massive lawsuit, and I hope she does.  But you know who's gonna pay for it?  The tax-payers of that city.  Instead of going toward new roads or better schools or better service from municipal departments, the tax dollars will go to pay for the misbehavior of an oppressive police force.  ...God bless America.

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## Elliott

> Not to be a warmonger, but I hope this encourages everyone to learn self-defense with a variety of weapons. If that had been my wife, she'd probably be a widow now, but she wouldn't be the only one.


qft

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## ConstitutionGal

Being a 40-something woman myself who has never been in any trouble, I cannot express my emotions while watching this video.  We treat our animals better than this woman was treated!!  This is inexcusable in ANY situation! CONVICTED murderers and child molestors are treated better than this woman was treated!!  I'm NOT going to be striped by ANYONE against my will!  Period!  Some of these cops would have had to have been taken to the hospital or morgue had I been placed in this situation!!  Granted, I probably would have wound up dead but I would have died with some of my dignity intact!!

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## Ron Galt

I'm sure this was all completely innocent... They were probably just getting some practice stripping citizens so that when they are ordered to start throwing us into furnaces, burning pieces of cloth coming out the smoke stacks won't pose a fire hazard!

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## Mach

The key here is, they videoed it, look at the odds, that video being released into the public is just luck, for every crime seen by the people like that there are many, many more that we will never know about.

Not to seem cold toward that woman and her family, yes, I would have "freaked", but, it's already a lot worse than that..............



Katrina
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-taU9d26wT4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DgPR9I4KMNI


It's not just violence, it's also, "niceness" (Police State with a smile from the man you trust the most).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDle-SWsyio

So, everyone already knows that Blackwater was at the Katrina?



Ron Paul 2008
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9dY4WlxO6i0&NR=1

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## nebulous

I thought we are innocent until proven guilty. This woman was guilty (stripped) until proven innocent (sane).

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## Caravello

It's what happens when you lower the standards.  Police forces should have minimum height and strength requirements, bottom line.  Smaller, weaker guys and women will panic, will be quicker to use deadly force, have the chip on their shoulder, etc.  Every cop who has ever given me or anyone I know a hard time has always been a little guy or a woman.  The big cops have always been better able to control the situation, earn respect, etc. and they are just better at dealing with matters that involve strength, an imposing figure, etc.

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## Mesogen

And why was it taped?

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## Mach

> And why was it taped?



Probably so they could laugh at it........  listen carefully to the audio right at the end of the recorded video when one of the male officers slams  the cell door................ did you hear anything echoing in those halls?

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## JohnnyWrath

I live one county over from Stark in Ohio, and just heard about this.




> What can we do about this?


I would like to know as well....these guys are rapists pure and simple in my mind. These cops raped that woman. Anyone with info on protests, or how how I can help would b appreciated.

If that were my wife....trust me, after watching the video, vengeance would be mine....damn the law. Their families and even their dog would pay. The wives of the rapists would pay. I can't believe the husband had to watch that....a video of his wife being gang raped.

Sheriffs general info email..

strkshrf@raex.com

ask them why they are raping people.

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## Captain Shays

This is why I can't run for office or hold any positions of authority. If that was my wife or my daughter or my mother I would lay in wait for each and every one of those cops and as soon as they rounded a corner they would kiss my baseball bat and then make love to it after I strip searched them. No lawsuit. No foreplay. Just a mask and my 32 oz special that I hit my game winning homer with in my glory days. God help me.

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## TruthBeKnown

Don't you know that more people kill themselves with their underwear than anything else?  It's practically an epidemic!  Those officers acted intelligently & humanely by removing her underwear so she couldn't kill herself with it!

In all truth:  every one of those officers should be taken out to the nearest public square, have their faces smashed against the pavement, stripped completely naked & left out there, naked, in public, for 6 hours.  All their assets paid for via taxpayers money (house, car, bank accounts, investments, etc.) should be confiscated & given to the Steffey's.  This includes the county sheriff who supports these actions.  Let's see, since he wasn't there, he didn't really participate, yet he thinks it's OK, so I guess it's OK if we give the same treatment to his wife - in the same public square with all the others, of course.

We could make a day of it - take rotten tomatoes, & all things smelly & disgusting & have a s___-throwing contest.

So we leave them flat broke, with their a___es exposed, wreaking like the s___ that they are.

No wonder they're called "pigs".

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## CurtisLow

The Sheriff's own words.. What a joke!



> Thomas Jefferson, in his work called "The value of Constitutions", wrote the office of Sheriff is the most important of all the executive offices of the country. After two hundred years, experience has proven that the perspective of Jefferson and other founding fathers is just as valid today as it was when they first perceived of how a free society could best be constructed.


http://www.sheriff.co.stark.oh.us/

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## Elephant

The police are just doing what they're trained to do.  If it shocks you then you really need to do some research.  There are thousands of videos out there showing the brutality of our police force.  Unfortunatly what gets captured on video, and not erased, shows us only a very small percentage of what is really going on.  This sort of thing is an everyday occurance all accross the nation.

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## CurtisLow

> The Sheriff's own words.. What a joke!
> Thomas Jefferson, in his work called "The value of Constitutions", wrote the office of Sheriff is the most important of all the executive offices of the country. After two hundred years, experience has proven that the perspective of Jefferson and other founding fathers is just as valid today as it was when they first perceived of how a free society could best be constructed.
> 
> 
> http://www.sheriff.co.stark.oh.us/



Well that's why we need to put a stop to it..

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## Mortikhi

> The police are just doing what they're trained to do.  If it shocks you then you really need to do some research.  There are thousands of videos out there showing the brutality of our police force.  Unfortunatly what gets captured on video, and not erased, shows us only a very small percentage of what is really going on.  This sort of thing is an everyday occurance all accross the nation.


Oh, well it's ok then.

Carry on.

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## attackkatt

> The police are just doing what they're trained to do.  If it shocks you then you really need to do some research.  There are thousands of videos out there showing the brutality of our police force.  Unfortunatly what gets captured on video, and not erased, shows us only a very small percentage of what is really going on.  This sort of thing is an everyday occurance all accross the nation.


   And shows like COPs never show when you screw up.  You are ego-maniacs that want any kind of hero worship you can get.  I am sure you get off beating the $#@! out of  those who question you.  I bet you get a hard-on when you find an underage girl with a beer.
       Yep, your just doing your job "heard this at the Nurenburg Trial" Cop's are brainwashed and you hide  from those who had lives ruined.  People are not fighting back now ,but soon will.  That tazer, pepper spray and gun can easily  be taken away and cops know that"7 to 1" come on! 

  Drunk on authority.....now go kick some puppies and jack-off to an episode of Cop's

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## Elliott

> It's what happens when you lower the standards.  Police forces should have minimum height and strength requirements, bottom line.  *Smaller, weaker guys and women will panic, will be quicker to use deadly force,* have the chip on their shoulder, etc.  Every cop who has ever given me or anyone I know a hard time has always been a little guy or a woman.  The big cops have always been better able to control the situation, earn respect, etc. and they are just better at dealing with matters that involve strength, an imposing figure, etc.


Very true.

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## attackkatt

> Very true.


Ike had no MP's under 6 feet.

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## JohnnyWrath

Sheriffs email

strkshrf@raex dot com

tell the rapists how you feel, I have three times so far, and I might a few more times.

4500 Atlantic BLVD NE

Canton, Ohio 44705-4374

(330)/430-3800

This is a general information number, and not emergency....it is OK to call. Tell them how you feel about them raping the citizens...you can be silent and disgusted, or you can make your voice heard.

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## JohnDelano

Sheriff Timothy A. Swanson and Deputy Richard T. Gurlea


Does anybody know who the others are in this?  Who were the ones doing the molestation in the jail?

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## JohnnyWrath

http://www.petitiononline.com/StkCoJus/petition.html

Timothy A. Swanson, Stark County Sheriff, 4500 Atlantic Blvd. NE, Canton, OH 44705-4374; phone: 330-430-3800.

John D. Ferrero, Stark County Prosecutor, 110 Central Plaza South, suite 510, Canton, OH 44702-1413; phone: 330-451-7897.

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## NHArticleTen

This Treason against Hope Steffey and We The People is just another rallying cry for The Revolution.  Our duty, if at all possible, it to create the conditions for a peaceful transition.  This begins at the local level.  For example, here in New Hampshire we can actually disband our local jackboots with a simple town meeting and vote.  Other places...not so much...

Just remember, the bureaucrats are terrified of losing their jobs when we reorganize our governmental structure to eliminate aggression/force/fraud.  They will fight "tooth and nail" to keep and maintain their "positions" paid for through the theft and robbery of what they call "taxation".

It's our duty to reach as many as possible and alert them to the possibility of capital punishment for their Treason against We The People and our Inherent Human Rights.

It's "us" against "them" folks...that's the simple, plain truth...

It doesn't have to end badly...It's up to us to reach them...

To "re-engage" them and to teach them to be a student and advocate of the Non-Aggression Principle and the Golden Rule and to lead them to the ultimate goal of Philosophical Maturity.

I am also advising the Ron Paul Revolution participants to maintain and increase their momentum and activism to also include the Fully Informed Jury both at the 24 person grand jury level and the 12 person sitting jury level.  Those currently committing Treason in the judicial branch DO NOT want We The People to understand their duty as a juror.  The Fully Informed Jury Association's website is www.fija.org and it's probably one of the most important websites in the world!

I can guarantee you that if Ron Paul had tried to mention FIJA in any forum or debate...he would have been "shut-down" very early in the campaign...

The ONLY reason they have allowed his campaign to go on is to find more dissidents...

Welcome to the Revolution!

Enjoy!

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## John4433

> Sheriff Timothy A. Swanson and Deputy Richard T. Gurlea
> 
> 
> Does anybody know who the others are in this?  Who were the ones doing the molestation in the jail?


Been a while since theres been a post about this, the deputies are actually trying to sue the local station.

Gee, they looked bad on the national news stories too...won't they be suing them too??
Thats what these thugs don't get, it wasn't the STORY that made people hate them, but THEIR OWN ACTIONS!!

*Deputies sue TV station over reports about woman stripped naked
CantonRep.com staff report
Posted Jan 30, 2009 @ 07:12 PM*
CANTON 
Stark County sheriffs deputies who were vilified after a Cleveland television station aired video of them stripping a woman at the Stark County Jail have filed a lawsuit saying they are victims of one-sided reporting.

Last year, WKYC Channel 3 began airing reports on a lawsuit filed by a Salem woman who says she was strip-searched at the jail in October 2006.  The reports included video of sheriffs deputies and corrections officers pinning Hope Steffey to the floor of a jail cell and removing her clothes. 

*This week, those deputies  Kristin Fenstemaker, Laura Rodgers, Tony Gayles, Richard T. Gurlea Jr., Andrea Mays and Brian Michaels  sued reporter Tom Meyer, WKYC and its parent company, alleging defamation and invasion of privacy.* 

The lawsuit seeks damages of more than $25,000 and is assigned to Stark County Common Pleas Judge Charles E. Brown Jr.

RATINGS DRIVEN?

The reports were purely for ratings and for advertising and promotion, said Brian Zimmerman, one of the attorneys representing the deputies.

In the lawsuit, the deputies say Meyer and WKYC have failed to report accurately and fairly on the Steffey incident, airing at least five programs on the matter.

As a result of those reports, the deputies and sheriffs office have received death threats and hate mail, and Fenstemaker resigned under the pressure, according to the lawsuit.

In an e-mail, Meyer said he was unaware of the lawsuit and directed questions to his news director. An attorney who represents the station declined to comment, saying he had not seen the complaint.

ARREST SPARKED STORIES

The sheriffs office contends that deputies removed Steffeys clothing as a suicide precaution on the orders of a psychologist after she made a statement to a nurse indicating that she might harm herself.

Meyer disregarded any information that could support that claim, including Steffeys booking photos, jail audio recordings, a 911 tape and a transcript of her criminal trial, which included testimony that Steffey was intoxicated and ended with her conviction for misdemeanor resisting arrest and disorderly conduct, Zimmerman said. 

We provided all the facts to Mr. Meyer and then he ignored all the facts that interfere with his sensationalized story and one-sided story, Zimmerman said.

Steffeys lawsuit is pending in federal court. A trial is scheduled for July.

----------


## John4433

*This is the BCI report that Agent Christy S. Palmer sent to John D. Ferrero, Prosecuting Attorney Stark County Ohio.
Dated April 16, 2008 BCI Case #: SI-76-08-14-0147
*
This is part of page 3

http://s2.photobucket.com/albums/y39...BCI-Report.jpg

Sheriff Swanson has ALWAYS maintained that Steffey was ASKED & REFUSED to remove her cloths. 

*But here’s the BCI’s OWN REPORT that PROVES this is a LIE!
*
And then they try to explain away their first lie with another lie, about why it was done this way without asking Steffey to do it voluntarily.

They are trying to say that Steffey was resisting enough that EIGHT people (5 women, 3 men) couldn't take the chance of ASKING her to remove her cloths, or EVEN TELL HER WHAT WAS GOING ON!!!
What a crock!!

I did NOT see any resisting in the video, I saw eight cops parading her to the cell, with her in cuffs.

In fact EVERY video I have seen she is in cuffs!
And the ONLY times I have seen her react to the cops is after they have assaulted her or in the process of stripping her naked.

But apparently catching the sheriff's dept in a lie isn't a big deal to our "independent" BCI investigator, Christy Palmer, who seems ready to accept ANY excuse the sheriff's dept wants to use.

The report also goes on to say that they lowered Steffey in a slow controlled manner to the floor. Except that Steffey says she was thrown to the floor. 
She also told her husband in a phone call that she thought the cops had broken her nose. 
And she was treated by the nurse for the injury.
And in page 4 of this report Christy Palmer even states that Steffey reported that her nose was making "crunching noises".

*So I guess this is proof of a second LIE! (Or third)
*
And still Christy Palmer, the "independent investigator" doesn’t think twice about accepting the word of the cops over the VICTIMS in spite of proof.
BTW, Christy also references a video that she says “proves that she was lowered in a slow controlled manner to the floor”. As far as I know, THIS would have to be on the 'non-existent' beginning of the strip video.
On May 5th when I asked about the "missing" video, I was told it would soon be released.
Now here again it looks as though it’s referenced...even though they NOW claim it does not exist.
Interesting. (I have filed a request for this video.)

This isn’t so much an investigation report as it is a smear campaign against Hope Steffey.

The cops can polish this turd as much as want, this STILL STINKS!

*BTW I don't know why they bothered to black out the names of Nurse Coren Lennon and the jail psychologist Thomas Anuszkiewicz, aren't they PROUD of the work they do?*

----------


## John4433

An interesting Webpage that seems to explain some of what goes on in Stark County:
http://starkpoliticalreport.blogspot.com/

Officials at Stark County & the State saying they could see nothing wrong with this video. And a few people on other sites have agreed with them!
(Men aren't allowed during a strip search, cavity search, or even supposed to be where they can SEE a woman in the showers, but Swanson wants everyone to believe men can not only be present, but be allowed to remove a woman's cloths in a "suicide prevention".)

BUT just so we’re all on the same page, lets review the video….

First of all, this video STARTS after Steffey is already forced down on the bunk. The camera operator tells BCI investigators she doesn’t know WHY the whole recording isn’t there. And the piece that is “missing” is exactly when Steffey claimed she was never asked to remove her cloths & was assaulted by the staff. No problems with the ‘magic’ camera…that seems to heal itself JUST as they force Steffey to the bunk to strip her...RIGHT? (I contacted the sheriff’s office May 5th and was told the video would “probably” be released in discovery. They never denied its existence THEN.)

Plus what Swanson & the officials are saying is that not only is it ok for 8 people, men & women to be present, the men are also allowed to remove a woman’s cloths. EVEN if there are enough women there to do it. (5 women & 3 men)

And if a woman ‘reacts’ to being stripped by men & women, with spectators also standing there, while being videoed, the men are not ONLY allowed to RESTRAIN her, they are also allowed to pull her arms in submission holds, while yelling for her to “STOP IT”.

And then AFTER she is already stripped naked, its STILL ok for the men to put her in an arm bar submission hold, if she starts screaming while they force her crossed legs against her butt, while waiting to “change a mat”.  The guy at her feet is also telling her to "STOP RESISTING", stop resisting WHAT?...she's already naked!!

And its also ok for the camera, which is supposed to be on the prisoner at ALL times, to deliberately swing away so you can’t tell what they are doing to her. Plus they have no explanation for WHAT they are doing. No problem here too RIGHT?

* Yeah, just having a couple men TWICE her size, and a couple women, JUST restraining her isn’t enough, if she doesn’t cooperate, they can also TORTURE her into SUBMISSION.* 

*And then once they leave, these “professionals” can have a good laugh…I guess they didn’t realize the camera was STILL running.
*
THIS is what ALL the Swanson supporters are good with…RIGHT? 

Because Swanson and the “investigators” are OK with it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gDRsCkc-9k0

----------


## Brooklyn Red Leg

You gotta listen to this one. I don't know if the poster was being ironic or being a complete douchebag.

Is Hope Steffey a Victim? I think not.

For my own part, this assclown certainly didn't prove his point that Hope wasn't a victim. Douchebag authoritarians will always justify their actions with some lame assed 'blame the victim' horse$#@!. Wow, she wiggled out of her cuffs while in the backseat of the cop car....[sarcasm]holy $#@!, shoot the bitch in the face cause only a criminal will try to resist arrest[/sarcasm]. I want to vomit now.

----------


## silverhawks

You know what?

THERE IS NO EXCUSE OR JUSTIFICATION FOR THIS.

These scum utterly violated this woman's rights. 

They should be punished under the FULLEST EXTENT of the law.

----------


## Kraig

Drugs users have been dealing with the police state for a looong time already.

----------


## John4433

> You gotta listen to this one. I don't know if the poster was being ironic or being a complete douchebag.
> 
> Is Hope Steffey a Victim? I think not.
> 
> For my own part, this assclown certainly didn't prove his point that Hope wasn't a victim. Douchebag authoritarians will always justify their actions with some lame assed 'blame the victim' horse$#@!. Wow, she wiggled out of her cuffs while in the backseat of the cop car....[sarcasm]holy $#@!, shoot the bitch in the face cause only a criminal will try to resist arrest[/sarcasm]. I want to vomit now.


Yeah I've seen the video, its also where Steffey tells her husband she thinks the COPS broke her nose, but that seems to always be over looked.

Yes, at her trial it was brought up that she 'slipped a cuff', the arresting officer testified at her trial that she TOLD HIM ABOUT IT, and was NOT trying to escape.
She was suffering from a concussion and she was sick to her stomach with her hands forced behind her.

Same as her dead sisters license, the officer also testified that she was NOT trying to pass herself off as her dead sister with a PHOTO ID.

The cop also had a body mic & remote for his cruiser video, when asked WHY he didn't turn it on BEFORE assaulting Steffey, he testified in court that he "didn't feel the need" to do so.
I asked the sheriff's dept if thats the way taxpayer supplied cameras are supposed to be used. They said it "All depends". I said you don't have a written policy for when the cameras should be turned on? They said Yes, do you want a copy?
I said yes, send it to me. (Thats been like July of 2008, na da so far.)

Then we have the papers reports that there was "confusion" about who the victim was....OMG this is SO lame!

First was have Steffey's cousin ON TAPE telling them they have to know she's the victim.

Second we have all the witnesses telling the cop Steffey was the victim.

Third we had the testimony of the cop HIMSELF saying that he went to his car to document Steffey's injuries.

Forth the guy that actually called 911 was Steffey's nephew, the brother of the 6 month pregnant niece that attacked her. (This niece also testified that she had been drinking also.)
*HE CALLED THE COPS ON HIS OWN SISTER!!!!*

Seem "confused" to any of you? 

Also Steffey's cousin told the niece that SHE had called the cops, so she wouldn't get mad at her brother. She testified that the niece then threatened her.

BTW this nephew was NOT at Steffey's trial, he took off back to another state where he lived. (I guess maybe he didn't want to have to testify against his sister.)

WOW, puts a little bit of a different slant on what you have heard maybe huh??

----------


## John4433

> Drugs users have been dealing with the police state for a looong time already.


Which is why the War On Drugs needs to be stopped, or changed.

It took 13 years of prohibition, to find out it was never going to work. They didn't repeal prohibition because booze was determined to now be healthy for people. They repealed it to get rid of all the crime & corruption associated with it.

 And all the cost in policing, prosecuting, and imprisoning people.

Would you send a buddy that offered you a beer from his six pack to prison for as many years as some get for drugs?
Basically that’s what you are doing with drug laws. And might have done during prohibition when it was illegal. The morality of the situation never changed, ONLY THE LAWS.
And since when is having the punishment worse than the offense done any good?

You can NOT regulate something that is illegal. The only way to regulate something is to legalize it. 

Somehow, we haven't learned that lesson on the "War on Drugs" yet. 

Around 80% of people in prisons are there for drug related crimes. States are going broke trying to imprison them all. 
We have the highest rate of people imprisoned in the world. One out of every 100 people are in prison.

Police trying to battle drugs have abused citizens rights to the point of battering ram front doors down to enforce unenforceable laws. And this leads to mistakes & corruption in our police forces. And no knock warrants leads to deaths of sometimes innocent people.

And do I even need to mention strip searching thousands of people, including women & children, sometimes in public? (Whether they needed it or not.) 

Police even had to go to multiple agency busts, to keep from having cops rip off dealers for their money, when they had just a couple cops investigating drug cases.

Addicts will commit whatever crimes they have to, in order to get money for drugs.

Disease is spread with dirty needles.

The negatives just go on and on.

All drugs should be legalized. 

The knee jerk reaction from people is that everyone would then become an addict. And they think you mean legalized, with no controls.

Everyone didn't become drunks after the repeal of prohibition. And I'm sure that the same is probably true about drugs. 
Even as employers don't like you coming to work drunk, they wouldn't be tolerating drug use at work either. 

The government has ALL drugs lumped together, like they are all the same, but we all know there is a big difference between some of them.

If they were legalized we could at least get people off the worst of them. 
After all if you can get pot, heroin, or coke, why bother with meth, PCP or crack.


LEGALIZING DRUGS WON’T GET RID OF THE DRUG USERS. 
That’s not the point of legalizing them.

But it would get the drug money out of the hands of gangs, foreign mobsters, and the rest. 

And with taxes it would bring in revenue to pay for programs to control it. And with a new industry we would get much needed jobs created.

And this would get rid of all the other problems associated with them, and it would give us a chance to try to 'control' the problem more, like we have done with alcohol and cigarettes.

We have fought this “War on Drugs” for decades, to continue to do the same thing and expect a different result would be insanity.

----------


## madmon

All police actions should be suspect by nature of what they do.  I'm not saying that police are inherently bad.  I'm just saying we've gone way too far in this country towards "bureauphilia," the worship of government officials.  We should inherently distrust all police, and try to create a just society with as few of them as possible.

----------


## NMCB3

This type of thing happens all the time, just another day on the job for our heros in law enforcement......and people wonder why I hate the state.

----------


## Kraig

> Which is why the War On Drugs needs to be stopped, or changed.
> 
> It took 13 years of prohibition, to find out it was never going to work. They didn't repeal prohibition because booze was determined to now be healthy for people. They repealed it to get rid of all the crime & corruption associated with it.
> 
>  And all the cost in policing, prosecuting, and imprisoning people.
> 
> Would you send a buddy that offered you a beer from his six pack to prison for as many years as some get for drugs?
> Basically thats what you are doing with drug laws. And might have done during prohibition when it was illegal. The morality of the situation never changed, ONLY THE LAWS.
> And since when is having the punishment worse than the offense done any good?
> ...


I know people think I ask for too much, but alcohol restriction needs to be toned down too.  Here in Texas you cannot buy it after midnight, and even worse you cannot buy it on Sunday morning.  Yet if you go to a bar and pay for an overpriced drink, you can get it until 2:00.  It makes absolutely no sense, and it does increase crime.  Some people think of a "beer run" as a quick run to the store to buy beer, here it is a quick run to the store to steal beer because it is after midnight and they want to keep drinking.  In most cases they have the money and would much rather pay for the beer, but the law prevents them from buying it.  It is actually quite common for these people to leave money for the beer on the counter, as they "steal" it.  Ask anyone who works at a Valero, and they will be quite familiar with the beer run.  

When you take an unfair law and use it to force people to choose between doing what they want and breaking the law, there are always going to be people who choose to break the unfair law.  It is completely ridiculous, if someone has alcohol and is willing to sell it, what business does the government have saying what time of day you can purchase it?  No one wins in the end, the people doing it get saddled with charges and convictions when if they were treated fairly, never would have done anything wrong, and the store owners have to deal with constant beer theft.  Personally I don't think regulation has played any part in keeping alcoholism at a minimum. 

I'm all for states rights as that deals with the bigger side of the problem, but if they federal government was gone I think we would quickly realize that the states themselves are also quite tyrannical, I know mine is.

----------


## madmon

> I'm all for states rights as that deals with the bigger side of the problem, but if they federal government was gone I think we would quickly realize that the states themselves are also quite tyrannical, I know mine is.


We have multiple levels of government tyranny starting with the federal government and moving down to the city level.  It's amazing that we put up with so many levels of government thuggery in America.  

If the fed gov were gone, though, states would have to compete with each other for the most qualified citizens, offering them incentives and freedoms to live and do business in their state.  With the fed gov in place, however, it's impossible for states to differentiate because the biggest oppression is uniform across the land.

----------


## Reason

links not working

----------


## John4433

> When you take an unfair law and use it to force people to choose between doing what they want and breaking the law, there are always going to be people who choose to break the unfair law.  
> 
>  I think we would quickly realize that the states themselves are also quite tyrannical, I know mine is.


I just don't like any law that tries to dictate morality. Like the prohibition law I used as an example.

First drinking is legal, then its not, and people's lives are ruined by sending them to prison, then 13 years later, its legal again. 
Whats wrong with that picture?! And now its the same thing with drugs, except they haven't become legal again...yet.

Plus I don't like laws that make me live, to what I call the "lowest common denominator". 

An example of this is a guy thats drunk, and he gets a cherry bomb and then lights it and then holds it in his hand until it blows up and takes some fingers with it.

So then to protect this idiot, they pass laws to ban fireworks, just because this guy is a few bricks short of a full load. 

Why the hell should =I= have to suffer because of stupid people??? 
And then we have the question of where to cut it off. 
Which leads to helmet laws, car seats, seat belts, cigarette bans, etc...all the way to banning trans fats to cook food. So where does it stop?

This why I joined the Libertarian Party. We need to get the feds out of 'everyday' regulation. I probably don't agree with everything in the platform, but then I doubt many people agree with everything in their party platform. But for me they are the closest to what I agree with.

As for the states being tyrannical, I doubt many have the edge on Illinois. We have Chicago you know, with the poster boy for political corruption, Mayor Daley.
Heres a good example:

Chicago Aldermen Request Police Complaint List 

By SUSAN SAULNY
Published: October 26, 2007

CHICAGO, Oct. 25  With the Chicago Police Department mired in accusations of misconduct, a majority of aldermen took the unusual step on Thursday of asking a federal judge for access to the names of officers who were the subjects of the most complaints.
Mayor Richard M. Daley, who opposes releasing the information, accused the elected officials of grandstanding and disloyalty to the police force.
Kick em when theyre down, kick em, keep kicking em, Mr. Daley told the aldermen this week. Go home. See your name in the press.
At issue is a list of hundreds of names of officers who have been subjects of multiple complaints by the public on abuses, including brutality and false arrests. 
The city has taken steps to make sure that the list and other information related to possible police misconduct remain confidential. 
But the aldermen, who have oversight of the department, insist that they have a right to it. 
If people are going to begin to trust the Police Department again, we need to eliminate rogue officers from the force, Alderman Ricardo Muñoz said. The way to do that begins with transparency.
The federal district judge who received the aldermens petition, Joan Humphrey Lefkow, turned it down on Thursday, saying she did not have jurisdiction to release the names. 
At an earlier point in the case, Judge Lefkow had ordered the documents made public. 
The city sought an emergency stay that was granted and is appealing the ruling. Now the City Council is considering suing the city for the information.
The disagreement arises after accusations of abuse and corruption began in the spring. 
Much to the embarrassment of a city that is polishing its image in hope of being the host for the Olympic Games in 2016, the pummeling of a small woman on the Northwest Side of Chicago was broadcast globally on YouTube and other Web sites.

*Two civil juries have recently awarded multimillion-dollar settlements to men who said the police had abused them. The department will pay $4 million to one, Coprez Coffie, who testified that he was sodomized with a screwdriver. A jury awarded the other man, Timothy Finwall, $2 million for being framed and falsely arrested.*

*Jon Loevy, whose law firm represented the men, said the Police Department had shown no interest in dealing with the problem, noting that internal reviews had found no wrongdoing or need for disciplinary action in either case.
*
Thats been the problem here, the police officers who are inclined toward abuses are permitted to act with impunity, said Mr. Loevy, who is also involved with the effort to release the list of officers names. In Chicago, unlike in other towns, its gotten out of control.
Interim Police Superintendent Dana V. Starks and other prominent Chicagoans acknowledged this week that the accusations were eroding confidence in the department.
Suspicion is running very high as to who you can trust, as far as officers, said James W. Wagner, a former official of the Federal Bureau of Investigation who is president of the Chicago Crime Commission, an 88-year-old organization of business leaders.
For years, relations between the police and many low-income and minority neighborhoods have been tense. 
The truth is that black and brown people have, on an ongoing basis, been the victims of bad conduct by police officers, said Alderwoman Toni Preckwinkle, who is among those seeking the list of officers names. Whats helpful or troubling now is that a number of recent incidents have involved white people. And now its news.
A spokeswoman for the Police Department, Monique Bond, said it would be unfair to assume that every complaint represented violations of public trust. 
Ms. Bond said the department would be willing to meet with the Council to explain the list. 
The safety concerns, as well as retaliations, baseless lawsuits and destroying the reputation and career of decent, hard-working officers cannot be ignored, Ms. Bond said.
The department has taken steps toward reform. It announced this month that it would disband an elite unit that has come under state and federal investigations. 
Officers in the unit, known as S.O.S., or the Special Operations Section, had heightened responsibilities and freedom to pursue drug- and gang-related crimes. Investigators now say the squad was home to a rogue crew of officers, one of whom has been charged with plotting to murder a fellow officer.
In July, the City Council voted to overhaul the departments office responsible for investigating abuses. 
The department has been looking for a new superintendent since Philip J. Cline, a longtime officer, resigned in April amid an outcry over the lack of swift discipline against officers accused of involvement in two beatings captured on videotape. 
Experts and politicians said that a vast majority of the force was honorable, but that the unpunished wrongdoings of a small percentage of officers had created incalculable harm.
Craig Futterman, a clinical law professor at the University of Chicago, said a study of abuse complaints over the last five years showed that the odds were 2 in 1,000 that an officer charged with abuse would be disciplined. 



http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/26/us/26chicago.html

----------


## MyLibertyStuff

Absolutely ridiculous

----------


## satchelmcqueen

this  makes me so angry as a husband to see this. i cannot imagine the anger her husband has in him over this. keep pushing government....keep pushing.

----------


## LATruth

You can post these all over your town...


Here is the link to the printable image at 300 dpi:

http://img23.imageshack.us/img23/5804/wantedu.jpg

You can view it here in smaller format:



Or download the PDF: (temporary link)

http://www.latruth.com/images/wanted.pdf

----------


## silverhawks

> The department will pay $4 million to one, Coprez Coffie, who testified that he was sodomized with a screwdriver. 
> 
> Jon Loevy, whose law firm represented the men, said the Police Department had shown no interest in dealing with the problem, noting that internal reviews had found no wrongdoing or need for disciplinary action in either case.
> 
> Thats been the problem here, the police officers who are inclined toward abuses are permitted to act with impunity, said Mr. Loevy, who is also involved with the effort to release the list of officers names. In Chicago, unlike in other towns, its gotten out of control.


No, a person who feels "inclined" towards _sodomising someone with a screwdriver_ is a *psychopath*.

And they "show no interest" in this???

----------


## mellamojuana

If law enforcement departments of whatever kind acknowledged interest in the wrongdoing among them, they would be forced to look at themselves.  That would be an act of growth, responsibility, and willingness to change.  

That's asking a bit much of people we pay, isn't it?

The officer who arrested--or picked up--Ms Steffey seems to have needed some anger management or stress management skills.  He wanted her just to shut up and not bother him, according to the reporter.  Whatever her behavior, his job was to be a "professional," even if she was the most loquacious person in the United States.

----------


## John4433

> The officer who arrested--or picked up--Ms Steffey seems to have needed some anger management or stress management skills.



*Don't know if you ever heard, Deputy Richard T. Gurlea Jr. FAILED the physiological part of the employment test, but Swanson hired him anyway. Saying that he would be "OK" with supervision.

So much for that theory.....*

I'm thinking this was reported in the second installment of the WKYC reports, but I'm not positive.

----------


## John4433

> No, a person who feels "inclined" towards _sodomising someone with a screwdriver_ is a *psychopath*.
> 
> And they "show no interest" in this???


Actually the last I heard they lost the injunction and a judge ordered the chief of police to give them the records.

THE CHIEF STILL REFUSED TO HAND THEM OVER.

He was then recently held in contempt for a couple days by the judge, and then decided to comply.

Interesting yes?! Heh

And remember these are ELECTED officials who are asking for this information, not just Joe Blow off the street (Who should be able to get access to these records too.).

I have to ask myself how this dictator gets elected time after time. 
Especially after some of the stunts he has pulled, like bulldozing a ACTIVE airport at midnight, with NO warning to the FAA! (Meigs Field)

Can you even imagine what would happen to anyone else doing a "terrorist" act like that?!!??!?!

The excuse he used was great...he didn't want to fight closing the airport down in court.

.

----------


## euphemia

Did I understand correctly that this woman was the victim of an assault?  Did they arrest the perpetrator?

----------


## John4433

> Did I understand correctly that this woman was the victim of an assault?  Did they arrest the perpetrator?


No.

Deputy Richard T. Gurlea Jr testified first that Steffey was not cooperating enough to finish the investigation. 
Then later he testified in court that he actually turned over the investigation to other officers, and no other arrests had been made.

And as I posted before we have the papers reporting that the police were "confused" about who the victim was.

And then as I posted before:

First was have Steffey's cousin ON TAPE telling them they have to know she's the victim.

Second we have all the witnesses telling the cop Steffey was the victim.

Third we had the testimony of the cop HIMSELF saying that he went to his car to document Steffey's injuries.

Forth the guy that actually called 911 was Steffey's nephew, the brother of the 6 month pregnant niece that attacked her. (This niece also testified that she had been drinking also.)
HE CALLED THE COPS ON HIS OWN SISTER!!!

So WHY was no one else arrested? Because the cops HAD to charge Steffey, to cover their abuses, just as alleged in the lawsuit. And they needed a conviction to back it up.

If they had arrested the niece later, how would they explain arresting/charging the VICTIM? Especially with witnesses there backing Steffey's version up.

And that lawsuit the deputies started against the local TV station, that will NEVER see a trial. 
There is NO WAY they can ever answer/explain their actions, let alone all the "missing" evidence, conflicting testimony, and excuses for the way things were handled.

This I think was just a smokescreen to try to put them in a better light, and make people think that all their accusations were true.

Steffey's lawsuit will never see the inside of a court trial either for the same reasons. 

I already posted a $20 bet that this will NEVER see a trial, for anyone that wants to take it, so far there haven't been any takers.

----------


## Paulitical Correctness

People always tell me "yeah, wait until you need help - you'll be running to the cops you hate so much like a p****."

They don't believe me when I say I'd rather die than "call the cops."

NO way NO how. 

ETA - This should make you feel better.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WndLtR0weSc

I'd post the lyrics, but I don't want an infraction. :P

----------


## ghengis86

so it turns out a co-worker used to be a stark county deputy when swanson was an instructor.  (i sent some links to some of my companies sales force i ohio).  he was a deputy about 20 years ago.  i'm trying to get his take on swanson and any other info on how that department works, at least when he was there.  i'll keep you posted

----------


## andrewh817

> You know what's gonna happen?  A few $#@!ty cops will be fired and the city will lose a multi-million dollar lawsuit.  The woman deserves to win a massive lawsuit, and I hope she does.  But you know who's gonna pay for it?  The tax-payers of that city.  Instead of going toward new roads or better schools or better service from municipal departments, the tax dollars will go to pay for the misbehavior of an oppressive police force.  ...God bless America.


I've never understood how a federal agency can be sued if they have no money to begin with besides what we pay in taxes.....

----------


## andrewh817

> People always tell me "yeah, wait until you need help - you'll be running to the cops you hate so much like a p****."
> 
> They don't believe me when I say I'd rather die than "call the cops."


Cops only show up after they would have been useful and then they just waste everyone's time with pointless questions.

----------


## cheapseats

Though we are daily under threat of terrorist attack and civil unrest, both L.A.P.D. and C.H.P. still hide in the bushes to issue speeding tickets.  Imagine my civic pride.

----------


## cheapseats

l

*A PEOPLE WILL HAVE HEAPED UPON IT
AS MUCH ABUSE AS IT WILL TOLERATE *

----------


## cheapseats

l

*BULLIES ARE NOT NICED OUT OF BEING BULLIES
WARMONGERS ARE NOT PEACED OUT OF BEING WARMONGERS*

----------


## John4433

> Though we are daily under threat of terrorist attack and civil unrest, both L.A.P.D. and C.H.P. still hide in the bushes to issue speeding tickets.  Imagine my civic pride.



From what I have seen the BART Police have been causing 'civil unrest'!! 

I see that BART officer had a $3 MILLION dollar bail for killing that kid. 
It looks pretty bad for him. I have no doubt that he THOUGHT he was pulling his taser, but how he managed to pull it, 'cup it' in his hands, and pull the trigger without realizing it, I have no idea.

The only thing about that was, there was no reason to even be pulling a taser. 
Like Stark County they are trying to say that the kid was 'resisting'. 

Like my Ma used to say, a poor excuse is better than none. (But DANG, it should at least be believable!)

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## mellamojuana

I am making a pest of myself, howling about lousy gubmunt agencies and their blatant disregard for the Constitution, and disrespect for my family and me as taxpayers.  Like you, John, I'll manage to be the bad one, like Ms Steffey, too.

Thanks, Cheap.  I lol'd @ your "civic pride."  It has been so long since I've had any that I'd almost forgotten it still exists.

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## jrich4rpaul

The worst thing about this is what was said at the end... the excuse was given that they stripped her, "for her own safety".

That was disturbing.

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## John4433

> The worst thing about this is what was said at the end... the excuse was given that they stripped her, "for her own safety".
> 
> That was disturbing.


The impression I got from watching the video is that its staged. 

We now know for a fact, from their own evidence, that Steffey was never given a chance to remove her cloths, or even told what was happening.

They never respond to her at the beginning of the video, except to say relax and take a deep breath. And only after she's half naked tell here that she's on "precautions", like anyone is going to know what that means.
It looks as though they wanted to terrorize her as much as possible, not help to calm her down, or explain things.

And the worse part for me was the end of the video, when they THOUGHT the camera was off, and they started laughing about what they had done.

We can truly see what concern they had for Steffey's 'safety', and what this was REALLY about.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bXh1fBiL0k

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## cheapseats

l

*BETTER THAT PEACE OFFICERS CHILDREN SHOULD BE ORPHANS
THAN THAT ANOTHER CASE OF POLICE BRUTALITY IS UNREQUITED
*

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## cheapseats

l

*PEOPLE ARE AFRAID OF AMERICAN LAW ENFORCEMENT
PEOPLE DON'T TRUST THE AMERICAN JUDICIAL SYSTEM
WE ARE SCARED $#@!LESS OF AMERICAN GOVERNMENT*
*$#@!ing brilliant.*

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## John4433

UPDATE 

Got a CD from the state atty's office, but all it had was the written report of Christy Palmer. 

Or should I say the official smear campaign against Hope Steffey. I haven't read it all yet, but it seems to be the same old BS.

http://rapidshare.com/files/22096128...on_7-13-08.pdf

I have asked for all the evidence she refers to when she is claiming Steffey is the problem.

Cause from everything I've seen so far, the only ones that are the problems are the cops. Can hardly wait to see evidence that supports Christy's smear campaign.

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## John4433

UPDATE April 27, 2009

I had a long chat with the FBI. 

Apparently if you were not there, then they dont want to hear anything you have to say. Even if its about the Sheriffs dept keeping information from the BCI investigation.
I also told him about the missing video that the claimed would be released, but then was suddenly non existent.

Didnt matter, only information from people that was there at the time of the incident is the only thing they were interested in.

I had the thought that the fix is in again, but then he also said that they interviewed everyone that they were told about that was there. They didnt just rubberstamp the sheriffs reports. (Well see.)

I doubt that anything will come of this, but he also said that after the local office reviews the case that it will go to a state office and then their Washington office.

Still it seems the sheriffs dept has enough paper work to cover themselves in a criminal case, I wouldn't get my hopes up.
***

I am also wondering how the billboard is doing? If any more women have come forward.

Although I doubt many women would want to go through what Steffey has been through.

Steffey in her call to her husband said she thought the cops broke her nose.

And in the video it does look as though she has a bloody nose, which is perhaps why they did the "mat change".

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y39/Zemo999/Cops2.jpg

And I have already run across a woman who claims she was also abused by Stark County, but she just wanted to 'forget the whole thing'. I imagine after seeing what Steffey went through there are a lot of them that won't want to come forward.

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## John4433

YouTube - OutSide of Hope Steffey's Cell while being assaulted

Ok heres a video you won't see on the news either. This is some of what I got from the BCI "investigation" that the state had.

Heres the cops taking Steffey to the cell to strip her naked.

The quality of the video is pretty bad. It will seem to 'skip' frames for quite a while in some places, but then take a bunch in a row at other times. Why it does this, I don't know.
All the cameras at the sheriff's dept seem to be in bad shape and "malfunction" right at critical moments.

I had to cut this video in half, it was 20 minutes long, from the time they took her in to the time they left the hall in front of her cell. So I cut off the front of it when they took her in.
Heres a link to the whole thing that should be good for a while:
http://rapidshare.com/files/23240009...ction_Done.wmv

WHY does it take 20 minutes outside the hall to show a "suicide prevention" that only took 4 min?

The building camera, seems to skip a lot of frames, so you'd think it would be a shorter video.

But as you can see after they have closed up the cell after assaulting her, they all stand around and have a good laugh, so this will add some more time to the video.

As you can see from the video the big dufass in the white shirt, he stays at the door to the cell looking in all the time Steffey was being assaulted, and then he stays back around her cell afterwards, looking in....GEE, I wonder WHY?
Then afterwards he's joined by another officer who didn't get a chance to help strip Steffey and he starts walking down to have a look too.

WHY DON'T THEY JUST SELL TICKETS?!?!?!?

BUT THEN the camera seems to malfunction, and the next thing you see is a empty hall.
WOW, .....MORE "missing" video from Stark County Sheriff's Dept.

Office of the Ohio Attorney General
(614) 466-4320

Stark County Sheriff's Office
(330)/430-3800

Correctional Healthcare Group
Jonathan Stump
330-454-6766
====
Pictures of all the cops smiling after they have assaulted Hope Steffey outside her cell.
They seem really amused at her screams and begging them to stop.

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y39...BigLaugh-1.jpg
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y39...BigLaugh22.jpg
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y39...BigLaugh33.jpg

And heres a picture of a cop on the way to strip Steffey, he's doing a "tagoff" to one of the other officers, while it looks as though he is following behind the nurse Coren Lennon.

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y39...9/Steffey4.jpg

====
Heres a news article that mentions Stark County Jail:

http://toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll...WS16/905110319

In 2007, the last year data was available, the Lucas County Corrections Center housed 26,597 adult inmates and experienced five serious suicide attempts, one inmate escape, 12 inmate-on-inmate assaults, and six inmate-on-staff assaults.

That same year, the numbers were much lower in the Montgomery County jail in Dayton, where 38,750 inmates were housed and there were no suicide attempts or assaults.

Much higher numbers were reported from the Stark County jail in Canton, where 11,761 inmates were housed and where there were 14 serious suicide attempts and 89 inmate-on-inmate assaults.
====
Looks like Stark County personnel could use some more training, and a new Sheriff.

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## John4433

*Ukrainian woman should get day in court over botched translation at jail
*
By Shane Hoover
CantonRep.com staff writer
Posted Jun 04, 2009 @ 05:51 PM

CANTON  
A jury should hear a Ukrainian immigrants claim that a botched translation led to her wrongly being placed on suicide precautions at the Stark County Jail, a federal judge ruled this week.

But an appeal of that decision by the county and Sheriff Timothy Swanson means Valentina Dyshkos case wont go to trial next week as scheduled.

Dyshko, of Lake Township, filed her lawsuit last year.

In court papers, her attorneys say the jail employees violated Dyshkos constitutional rights by communicating with her through an unqualified interpreter, and that the sheriffs office has no policy on how to handle detainees or inmates who dont speak English, which is contrary to national standards.

Further, Dyshkos lawsuit says she missed three doses of medication for a serious blood disorder while in the jail, and that the ordeal caused her severe emotional distress and led to her being hospitalized.

The county argues that Dyshkos rights werent violated and that the jail staff acted reasonably.

Neither David Malik, an attorney for Dyshko, nor James Climer, an attorney for the county and Swanson, would comment on the ruling.

The appeal to the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals will take months to complete.

JAILED FOR A MISDEMEANOR

On March 10, 2006, Dyshko turned herself in on a misdemeanor warrant issued by Stark County Family Court. The charge, related to the home-schooling of her children, later was dismissed.

She speaks little to no English and sheriffs deputies were unable to communicate with her. Unable to get a translator from a local Ukrainian church, the jail staff enlisted the help of a woman who is the mother-in-law of a corrections officer, according to court papers.

The interpreter spoke to Dyshko over the phone and asked her about her health and whether she was suicidal, and reported that Dyshko wanted to kill herself. 

Dyshko was placed on suicide precautions. She voluntarily removed her clothing and was given a quilted gown to wear, which she maintains didnt stay fastened.  

She spent the weekend in jail, but was allowed to make phone calls to relatives and the Ukrainian Embassy, according to court papers.

COUNTY SEEKS DISMISSAL

The county asked U.S. District Court Judge John R. Adams to dismiss the case, saying Dyshkos constitutional rights were not violated.

Procedures exist for communicating with Spanish-speaking inmates, but Dyshko was the first Ukrainian-speaking inmate encountered by the jail, and there was no reason to believe the interpretation was incorrect, the county argued.

In his ruling, Adams said a jury could reasonably conclude that Dyshkos rights were violated and should hear the case.

He noted that, according to a translation of Dyshkos comments at the jail by a different interpreter hired by the county for this case, Dyshko actually said, Why would I want to die? I want to go to my kids.

A reasonable jury could conclude that this entire circumstance could have been avoided if a policy existed within the jail for attempting to obtain foreign language interpreters when the need arose, Adams wrote. 

Referring to the sheriffs deposition, *the judge took aim at what he called Swansons declaration that the occasional foreign-language speaker resembles a space alien whose existence in Stark County does not require his attention or the promulgation of a policy.*

Dyshkos attorneys also represent Hope Steffey, a Salem woman who is suing the jail over its use of suicide precautions. That case is pending before another judge in federal court.

http://www.cantonrep.com/crime/x7268...lation-at-jail

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## John4433

> And as I posted before we have the papers reporting that the police were "confused" about who the victim was.


UPDATE:

I was always puzzled by the news saying that there was "confusion" when the cops arrived.

I'm thinking what "confusion"?? They have everyone there saying that Steffey was the victim, even the female cousin is saying it on video.

Heck even the cop testifies that he went to his car to document Steffey's injuries...and the cops are on tape talking about Steffey's cousin getting arrested the month before for another domestic battery charge, and even her brother mentions her other assault charge when he calls 911 & the cops on his OWN SISTER! (I finally got the 911 tape)

Plus Gurlea has everyone looking for Steffeys missing hair, and Gurlea is on tape talking to Steffey as if he knows she is the victim, telling her that he will still investigate her assault even though he is arresting her. Plus he also names her as the victim in his radio traffic! 
So WHY are the papers saying there was "confusion", there is none in the evidence!?!?
It didnt make any sense.

Then Richard T. Gurlea Jr testified under oath that the investigation was never finished, because Steffey was unable to contribute to the investigation. 
HUH?? You mean ANY victim that is knocked unconscious or killed will never have their case solved!?!?! 
Because Steffey had gone back to the sheriffs dept 4 days later to file abuse complaints & the assault. So are they trying to say she was STILL unable to contribute to the investigation??
This makes no sense at all! 

Then the cops got only TWO written witness statements, despite the fact that there were several people there.
Again it doesnt make any sense.

*Then I found the last piece of the puzzle that would make sense of all this...the cops tried to FRAME Steffey for the assault that she had reported!!*

Heres PROOF the cops were actually trying to charge the VICTIM for the crime she was reporting!!

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y39...rt-Assault.jpg


NONE of the papers have EVER reported that Steffey was actually arrested for assault too. But this incident report clearly shows the cops were trying their best to get her charged with the assault too.

Its all an attempt to cover the cops abuse of Steffey, when witnesses said he exploded in a rage at her. 
They even went so far as to take ONLY TWO written witness statements, and they were from Steffey's attacker & her brother...(who she no doubt threatened into it, since she didn't know at that time he was the one to call the cops)...and she DID threaten the aunt that she thought had called them.

The arresting cop, Richard T. Gurlea Jr., testified at Steffey's trial that the 'investigation' into the assault was never finished.

*REALLY?!!? Then how do you explain the assault charges against Steffey in the incident report they filled out???*

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## Captain Shays

If that was my wife, daughter or mother I would lay in wait for the rest of my life until I found the opportunity to KILL every one of those pigs!

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## John4433

> If that was my wife, daughter or mother I would lay in wait for the rest of my life until I found the opportunity to KILL every one of those pigs!


The problem is that its business as usual STILL. A call to the sheriff, jail, or county prosecutor shows that they are STILL doing this in Stark County!!

Plus this isn't the only place, this is happening all over the country. Usually around larger cities, but as in this case, its kept quiet, and then quickly settled out of court with a large hunk of taxpayer cash.

I suppose I could list some, but a Google search will show them up with the right search terms.

But here's another example, this woman was maced & then stripped!!

Sheila Lozada was arrested on a non-existent warrant and then forcibly disrobed in front of male officers.

The story begins back on May 2, 2008. Lozada says she went to the Bossier Parish Courthouse to pick up a record from the Bossier Sheriffs Office, and that's when she says was arrested on an outstanding warrant for failure to appear in court. But there was just one problem. Lozada's warrant had been recalled.

"Then I was transported to Bossier Max, where I was forcibly de-robed in front of several male officers and pretty much degraded," says Lozada.


YouTube - Louisiana woman Stripped Naked by Male Police

This crap needs to be stopped...NOW.

*And I would LOVE to know what source the cops use for having a policy that they can strip someone naked anyway. 

Because I haven't found ANY correction training center or mental health official that condones this practice.*


*I have been contacting all my Reps about this, so far just the usual form letters & stone walls, but I'm not giving up on it.*

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## BuddyRey

This is a travesty...

_PLEASE_, someone tell me this lady has gotten her day in court and been compensated for the ordeal she was made to endure (well...as closed to compensated you can be after living through something like that).

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## John4433

> This is a travesty...
> 
> _PLEASE_, someone tell me this lady has gotten her day in court and been compensated for the ordeal she was made to endure (well...as closed to compensated you can be after living through something like that).



All of these cases have one thing in common, the authorities say they can not comment because of the lawsuit, and that they will fight their case in court.

But the thing is that they KNOW that it will NEVER go to trial, because there is NO WAY to defend their actions. And the insurance companies that cover them know that too, which is why they ALWAYS settle out of court.

In the Hope Steffey case the sheriff claimed everything would come out after the Grand Jury investigation. 
But NOTHING given to the grand jury can be revealed, and the sheriff had to have KNOWN that.

Then Sheriff Swanson says that everything will come out in the lawsuit, even though he KNOWS its going to be settled out of court.

Then once the taxpayers bail them out, they wait for it to quietly die, and hope everyone forgets about it.

*So Hope Steffey has settled, but the last case I posted I don't think has settled yet.
But rest assured it will NEVER get to the inside of a court room either!!
*

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## osan

> I'm just at a loss for words...  Every american needs to watch this.  
> 
> http://www.wkyc.com/video/player.asp...47&bw=hi&cat=2


Sorry for the lame request, but I'm on dialup here in Nowhere, WV.  Could you nutshell this in words?

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## Captain Shays

Every time I watch this I just want to beat those pigs with a baseball bat and strip search them. Especially that big bald headed PIG. It just makes me crazy with rage of the injustice, the humiliation, the tyranny, the animalistic PIGS who rape our women and degrade them while saying it's for their own protection. YES I think it's rape without the penetration. We need to make damn certain that the laws are changed to forbid these practices in EVERY county across America.

----------

