The Los Angeles Police Department announced last week that they would be eliminating several special investigative sections, including their sexual assault section.
The announcement was made last week through a memo sent to department personnel written by deputy chief of staff to Chief Moore, Dominic Choi.
“A City of Los Angeles fiscal emergency has created an unexpected Department budgetary crisis and shortfall,” reads the memo. “As a result, the Chief of Police is making significant changes to adapt to the current financial and personnel shortages.”
Among the sections being disbanded include the Safer Cities Initiative (dealing specifically with Skid Row homeless encampments), Homeless Outreach and Proactive Engagement, Burglary Special Section and Cargo Auto Theft Detail, and the Animal Cruelty Task Force.
The Sexual Assault Section is the same unit that conducted investigations into Harvey Weinstein and George Tyndall.
Personnel will be reassigned “into patrol and patrol-related duties” so as to cover current shortages.
The LAPD will also see the downsizing of several other details and divisions.
Dominic Choi’s title is deputy chief of staff to Chief Moore, not assistant chief. Got them mixed up.
The Los Angeles City Council voted in June to cut $150 million from the $1.8 billion LAPD budget.
In a vote of 12-2, the City Council redirected $90 million to programs serving marginalized communities, $10 million toward youth employment and workforce development summer programs, and $50 million toward reducing city worker furloughs.
According to LAist, “The cuts are estimated to take the LAPD from 10,009 officers today to about 9,757 by this time next year, the fewest in over a decade.”
The department has also announced a reduction in civilian employees, that office hours will be cut, and Chief Moore has suggested that some jails may need to be closed.
Sheriffs across the state of New York are telling their residents that they will not be enforcing Governor Cuomo’s restrictions on private, Thanksgiving gatherings.
Many governors in recent weeks have been placing tighter restrictions on residents as the holidays approach. They cite rising case numbers of COVID-19 as their reason for limiting via executive orders the number of guests you can invite to a holiday meal.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has told New Yorkers that Thanksgiving gatherings must be limited to 10 people.
But several New York sheriffs have spoken up to reassure citizens that they will not be arrested or fined if more than 10 people show up to their homes this Thanksgiving.
“Frankly, I am not sure it could sustain a Constitutional challenge in Court for several reasons including your house is your castle. And as a Sheriff with a law degree I couldn’t in good faith attempt to defend it Court, so I won’t.
Who and how many people you invite in to your home is your business, unlike outdoor gatherings which may receive a police response if disorderly or other violations of public nuisance laws occur.
We have limited resources and we have to set priorities, so obtaining a Search Warrant to enter your home to see how many Turkey or Tofu eaters are present is not a priority. We won’t be doing that. The only way to enter your residence is if we have a warrant, we are invited in or an exigent or emergency circumstance exist. We have three patrols a shift for 500 square miles, monitoring Family Dinners aren’t our priority.
So don’t feel a need to hide cars, cover with leaves or walk 3 blocks so your house doesn’t become a target of the Governors EO.”
“I have no plans to utilize my office’s resources or Deputies to break up the great tradition of Thanksgiving dinner. This national holiday has created longstanding family traditions that are at the heart of America, and these traditions should not be stopped or interrupted by Governor Cuomo’s mandates.
My office will respect the sanctity of your home and traditions, and I encourage you to follow your heart and act responsibly, as well as to do what’s best for your family.”
Washington County Sheriff Jeff Murphy joined the ranks of sheriffs refusing to govern the goings-on of private home gatherings. He advised citizens who have the virus, have symptoms, or are high risk to avoid family gatherings, but said that he would not be engaging in any type of “Thanksgiving Crackdown.”
“Who and how many people you have at your house for Thanksgiving is your business. I think we’ve all had quite a 2020 and can use our own best judgment without government oversight of a sacred and special holiday.”
Sheriff Giardino told Bill Hemmer of Fox News on Monday that he felt the need to issue a public statement after being approached by an elderly veteran leaving a grocery store. The veteran and his wife wanted to attend their family’s Thanksgiving meal, but were worried that a 14-member gathering would alert authorities and that their son would be fined and lose his job.
“I was stunned they would say that,” said Giardino. “And I said we’re not going to do that.”
“I felt so bad for the man that him and his family would think that local law enforcement who are there to serve and protect them would actually enter their home or ticket them…”
Giardino reported that not only does he not have the manpower to monitor everyone’s living rooms and driveways on Thanksgiving, but he believes that Cuomo’s orders are doing more harm than good. He said that his county has seen double the amount of mental health cases that they had in the same six months in 2019.
“One of the worst things we’re seeing is the isolation of people not being able to engage with other people,” he said.
Giardino told Hemmer that there’s a big difference between setting seating capacity limits at bars and restaurants and creating orders regarding private gatherings in homes and with family.
“Constitutionally,” he said, “there’s some problems with an executive order. There’s no sanctions. I can’t go arrest somebody, they don’t get fined.”
Portland’s City Commissioner, Jo Ann Hardesty, called 911 this month after her Lyft driver canceled her ride when driver and passenger entered a dispute.
On November 1st, Hardesty ordered a Lyft ride from the ilani Casino Resort in Richland, Washington. The ride immediately started on the wrong foot when there was confusion between Hardesty and driver about the pickup location.
“It kind of went south from there,” driver Richmond Frost recalled. Frost has been driving for Lyft for four years, and has handled more than 18,000 rides.
Frost was unable to calm her frustration about the pickup location mixup. As they began their drive, Hardesty requested that Frost roll up his windows.
Lyft’s COVID policy includes recommendations to keep car windows open when carrying passengers. In compliance with that recommendation, Frost had his front driver’s side and front passenger’s side windows cracked.
At Hardesty’s request, he rolled them up slightly, but kept them cracked. He explained that it was for the safety of them both.
At that point, Frost says Hardesty went “ballistic”:
“…that was like pouring gas on her fire. She demanded that I close that window right now. She was kind of ballistic at that point.”
Hardesty continued to demand that the windows be rolled up, so Frost exited I-5, pulled into a Chevron gas station, and requested that she exit the car and order another ride. He explained to The Oregonian that canceling the ride was “in the best interest for both of us.”
According to Frost, the Chevron was “lit up like a football field,” and he pulled up next to its front door.
But Hardesty refused to leave and demanded that Frost take her back to the casino, proceed to her destination, or order her a new Lyft.
Frost explained only she could order a new Lyft, and insisted that the ride was canceled.
Frost called the police at 9:48 PM. The Chevron gas station would close at 10 PM, but gas station clerks confirm that the bright lights remain on throughout the night since the gas pumps are operational around the clock.
Hardesty told the 911 dispatcher, “Well, I’ve got a Lyft driver that decided he would just drop me off at a filling station. Well, I’m not getting out of the car, in the dark, at a filling station, not happening – all because I asked him to put the window up. I’m not leaving.”
The dispatcher explained that he could send an officer, but that there wouldn’t be much the officer could do since nothing she was describing was illegal. Since the car was the driver’s property, he had the right to request her to leave.
Hardesty insisted she would not leave. “I paid for the ride. He says he canceled it. So I’m going to sit here until he sends me another ride.”
Frost ended up calling 911 himself. Two officers responded and took statements from both parties. Hardesty ended up ordering another Lyft ride, which arrived at the same time as the police officers at 9:57 PM. She rode home in the new Lyft.
“She was not a pleasant person,” said Frost. “That has nothing to do with her political position as a Portland council person.” (Frost says that he didn’t realize she was a Portland public official until later that night). “I’m out here doing my job. She was very disrespectful to me, made me uncomfortable. I don’t feel like I have to sit in a car for anyone to have to argue unrelentingly and be rude and abusive, telling me what I have to do in my own vehicle.”
Hardesty filed a formal complaint to Lyft that night:
“I requested a ride, the driver came to the wrong pick up location. He then blamed me. I asked him to roll the window up on my side and he started to yell, ‘I can’t because the regulations require each window to be cracked (which isn’t true). He then pulls over in the dark on the side of a gas station and told me he was cancelling the ride. I had no interest in being left on the side of the road by an angry driver. He threaten (sic) to call the police. I called the police and another car. Both arrived at the same time. It is totally inappropriate to expect a woman to get out of a vehicle in the dead of night because an angry person demands it. This is a safety issue for your customer. Your driver was in no danger.”
The Lyft Safety Team responded:
“As a reminder, drivers are free to end a ride for any reason as long as the drop off is in a safe location. Safety is our top priority. We take these matters very seriously. We encourage everyone using Lyft to be respectful of others. This helps maintain a safe and inclusive community.”
Hardesty told the Portland Tribune that as a black woman in Ridgefield, Washington next to a highway late at night, she didn’t have a choice but to call 911.
A police officer in Houston was shot and killed on Monday afternoon after exchanging fire with a suspect on the freeway.
47-year-old Sgt. Sean Rios was on his way to a shift at the airport when there was a call of shots fired on the freeway. Rios responded to the call and when he arrived, he engaged in a shootout with the suspect.
Rios was struck and injured in the exchange, and ran to a nearby Taj Inn & Suites hotel where he collapsed and died.
Our hearts are broken over the death of @houstonpolice Sergeant Sean Rios who was shot and killed during an exchange of gunfire this afternnon. We will never forget him and will see his 4 children, family and friends through this painful loss. RIP pic.twitter.com/QBHx2bymWY
Sgt. Rios had been an officer in the department for 25 years. He leaves behind 4 children between the ages of 9 and 17.
Police are still looking for the suspect.
Houston Police Officer’s Union President Joe Gamaldi wrote on Twitter, “We will not stop until we find the monster/monsters responsible.”
Please keep our Sgt who was shot and killed this afternoon in your thoughts and prayers, along with their family and all Houston Police Officers. We will not stop until we find the monster/monsters responsible.
Rios is the fourth Houston Police Department officer to die in the line of duty. The most recent loss was only three weeks ago when Sgt. Harold Preston was killed after responding to a domestic violence dispute.
Mayor Sylvester Turner has asked the city to pray:
“I want people in this city to pray for this city. Because this has been a crazy year. People are going through a whole lot, experiencing a whole lot. A lot of things are happening on our streets, a lot of people who are on edge. So I just want people to pray for our city.”
Sgt. Rios received a police escort from the scene to the medical examiner’s office.
The Chinese State Media is run by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and they enjoy suppressing people, and humiliating people in order to keep them under control, as was such in the time of the “Era of humiliation”, and on Saturday the CCP through their media trolled President Donald J. Trump, showing what control and influence they have upon Trump’s opponents.
“NEW: Chinese state media is trolling @realDonaldTrump with a “HaHa” after @JoeBiden and @KamalaHarris declared president- and vice-president-elect of the United States. @CBSNews is here,” Ramy Inocencio, who describes himself as The @CBSNews Asia correspondent. First Asian-American in the role. Via @Bloomberg@WSJ@CNN@PeaceCorps, wrote.
The tweet the CCP was mocking was a tweet from Trump where he said he had “won by a lot” and one which Twitter censored, which the CCP media saw and responded to with “HaHa”
The CCP Media is so invested in electing Joe Biden that the rest of the news for the evening was about world leaders congratulating Biden for a victory that has not yet been legally certified in the America.
It has long been established that Biden was the favored candidate in the 2020 Presidential elections, based upon Biden’s favorable comments about the COmmunist regime and also because of the policies Biden supports to increase economic opportunistes for the CCP.
So it no surprise to see the Communist Party come out with support of Biden’s win, even with a bit of haughtiness and domination.
TheDaily Caller reported a similar story on Saturday, and said:
“A prominent Chinese Communist Party (CCP) propagandist says he is looking forward to former Vice President Joe Biden’s presidency Friday, hours after Biden took leads in several key uncalled states.
The propagandist, Chen Weihua, who works as a columnist at the CCP-controlled outlet China Daily, said President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo “slander” China on a “daily” basis. He added that he expects a Biden presidency will be kinder to China and won’t “be that type of lowlife.”
Can’t believe this is so trending among Trump voters. For the record, only Americans got to vote in the election. So don’t blame anyone else. pic.twitter.com/rHeVwEYj9u
The intelligence community under Trump announced earlier in 2020 that China preferred Biden to win the presidential election, while Russia preferred Trump to remain in office.
“The Chinese government wants President Donald Trump to lose the 2020 election, while Russia wants him to win, the office of the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) .” announced before the election.
The DNI’s office said China has been ramping up its efforts ahead of November, it says Russia has a more robust system in place for attempting to destabilize U.S. elections.
“We assess that China prefers that President Trump – whom Beijing sees as unpredictable – does not win reelection,” William Evanina, Director of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center wrote in a statement. “China has been expanding its influence efforts ahead of November 2020 to shape the policy environment in the United States, pressure political figures it views as favorable.”
I wonder if Hunter Biden has already sent an email out to Ukraine and China with the Subject: “We’re back on”
A man was hospitalized on Wednesday night after being arrested for his participation in property destruction during a march through Seattle’s Capitol Hill.
Kel Murphy-Duford was taken to Harborview Medical Center on Wednesday night in critical condition. As of this morning, his condition has improved to satisfactory.
Duford has yet to regain consciousness, and his lawyer is already battling with the Seattle Police Department about how events unfolded leading up to Duford’s hospitalization.
Footage of the events was captured by both SPD body cams and a Capitol Hill resident by the name of Marcus Kulik, who stationed an around-the-clock livestream video from his window this past summer to capture protest activity.
Here is what is currently undisputed: On Wednesday night, around 60 ENDD (Every Night Direct Demonstration) protesters marched through Capitol Hill. Just before 11 PM, a team of bike cops descended on the protesters and arrested several, among them Kel Murphy-Duford.
At some point during the arrest, Duford went unconscious and was transported to Harborview Medical Center for treatment.
SPD made a total of seven arrests for obstruction, pedestrian interference, property damage, resisting arrest, and assaulting a police officer.
Outside of these facts, stories differ widely.
“This appears to be a clear case of excessive force,” said Duford’s attorney Karen Koehler. Duford is already a party to a lawsuit against SPD for injuries he sustained during protests on July 25th.
According to Koehler, based on witness testimony:
“When they got around to the East Precinct last night, the protest buddy says that both of them were basically jumped and as he was going down, Kel was going down separately. A different protester witness who saw the whole thing happen, saw the officer knocking Kel to the ground with extreme force and heard the crack as (his head) hit the pavement. At that time, Kel went limp and face down and stopped moving, never moved again.”
Kulik, the Capitol Hill resident who caught the events on camera from his window, says that police “essentially body slammed (Duford), it looked like they came down with the full force of their body.”
Kulik also says that in the video, an officer raised his arm and struck Duford. “When they finally cleared away,” he said, “this person was not moving at all, to be honest we thought they were dead.”
Koehler compared her client’s situation to that of George Floyd:
“As Kel was not moving, Kel was jumped on by five more officers who are believed to be bicycle officers. At that point, the protesters around started yelling, and just as we saw with George Floyd, the police kept the protesters at bay, did not allow protesters to assist, including medic protesters. They shined their lights to keep the protesters from being able to get good footage and kept them away.”
Both Koehler and Kulik contend that police did not engage in any type of aid for 15 minutes.
The SPD released body cam footage of the event on Thursday. They descended on protesters and began making arrests after the crowd of 60 engaged in property damage during their march.
In an official statement, police say that Duford suffered no physical injuries from the arrest and that the medical emergency may have occurred due to an unknown substance ingested by Duford prior to contact with police:
“SPD Force Investigators have learned the subject’s medical episode was potentially related to a substance the subject had ingested prior to police contact. The subject was treated at the scene by a Seattle Police EMT, and was then treated by Seattle Fire Department medics prior to being transported to the hospital.”
The SPD Force Investigation Team is investigating the incident.
In the body cam footage, an officer takes Duford to the ground in an attempt to arrest him. The video has sound, but there is no “crack” as described by Duford’s lawyer. Additionally, Duford struggles on the ground while police tell him to relax and inform him that he is under arrest.
As soon as the police recognize Duford has gone unconscious, they place him in a “recovery position” and check his pulse and his breathing. Medics are called, and officers can be heard on video comforting Duford, telling him, “Just breathe easy, alright? We’ve got somebody coming to take a look at you, okay? Just relax.”
The Office of Police Accountability was alerted to the event by midnight and immediately began analyzing the evidence.
Director Andrew Myerberg has said that there is not enough evidence at this time to open an official investigation:
“What we can tell from that video is that when the protester is taken down to the ground, first the protester has a helmet on – there’s no indication that the protester’s head makes contact with the pavement, let alone a crack. We don’t hear that on the video…and for about almost 30 seconds after the takedown, the individual is moving around and resisting officers when they’re trying to handcuff him.
I want to be super clear for people. I’m not saying that it was inside or outside policy right now – what I’m saying is that I’m not seeing any evidence of clear misconduct that would warrant an OPA opening an investigation. It is very possible that people could offer more evidence, that witnesses who come forward with different perspectives; we want to see and hear all that information. So there is no decision made at this point. The only decision that I’ve made is to not initiate (an investigation) on my own but to wait for a complaint to come in.”
Koehler is continuing to fight SPD’s story, calling their claims “libelous” and “an attempt to turn public attention away from police misconduct.”
Washington State’s Republican candidate for governor, Loren Culp, announced on a Facebook live video on Wednesday that he lost his job as police chief a few days before the election.
The city council for the city of Republic, Washington held a special meeting on October 30th. In that meeting, they voted 3-1 to defund the city’s one-man police department and to instead contract with the Ferry County Sheriff’s Office for their law enforcement needs.
This vote eliminated Culp’s job from the city.
“A hundred and twenty year tradition of Republic having its own police force,” Culp said. “Think about that. A hundred and twenty year’s tradition, just voted on by four people on the city council to defund it and do away with it. It’s absolutely incredible. It’s unthinkable to me.”
https://fb.watch/1Bama7e9tY/
Culp has been a police officer for Republic for ten years, serving as its chief of police for the past four years.
With the approval of the mayor, Culp took a leave of absence in September in order to focus on the remaining weeks of his campaign against incumbent Democratic Governor Jay Inslee. The Ferry County sheriff’s office has been filling in for Culp’s absence.
In his video, Culp alleged that the Ferry County sheriff must be “in on it”, “making some kind of deal” with the city council in order for this vote to have occurred.
The city of Republic is the seat of Ferry County, a county lying to the east of the Cascade mountain range and bordering Canada. It has a population of around 1,000.
“I love the city of Republic,” Culp told his audience. “I love the tradition of having our own police department.”
“Seems kind of back-handed,” he added. “Feels like a knife in the back.”
The gubernatorial race was called on Tuesday for incumbent Governor Inslee with 60% of the vote. Inslee is the first incumbent to be elected to a third term in over 40 years.
Culp has not yet conceded the race, saying that there are things not adding up with the votes:
“My team is looking into that. We’re diving deep into the numbers. Some things are not adding up so we’re looking into that. We’re not conceding anything.”
Eight arrests were made in Seattle on the night of the presidential election as hundreds marched through the streets, dissatisfied with both candidates and the entire political process.
The Seattle Police Department reported that arrests were made for pedestrian interference, obstruction, assault of a police officer, reckless driving, and criminal mischief.
According to Q-13, some protesters were throwing nails onto the road, and one took a hammer to a parking meter.
Komo News journalist Jonathan Choe followed protest activity through the night:
— Jonathan Choe Journalist KOMO News (@choeshow) November 4, 2020
But these events are of no surprise to Seattle residents, who have been subjected to regular Antifa gatherings and criminal activity since the killing of George Floyd in May.
While many across the nation were concerned about post-election violence, Q13’s Brandi Kruse noted that the unrest in Seattle is “not necessarily unique to” the presidential election due to the fact that these goings-on have been “a regular occurrence” since May.
Seattle PD reports eight arrests in unrest. Note that unrest has been a regular occurrence here since the end of May, so not necessarily unique to #ElectionNight#Q13FOXhttps://t.co/9MjTmodgGV
The Post Millennial’s Ari Hoffman agreed, calling Seattle’s unrest “the new normal.”
Brandi is right. It's unfortunately so common at this point it doesn't even merit a headline from most networks. This is the new normal https://t.co/cw7jt65G7c
Washington State Democrat incumbent Jay Inslee was announced the winner of Tuesday’s gubernatorial election, making him the first governor in over forty years to take a third term.
Police intercepted the attempts of Antifa rioters in Portland from burning down an entire living complex on Portland State University’s campus on Monday night, the evening before Election Day.
The Post Millennial journalist Andy Ngo released the story on Tuesday morning. He has been an active reporter on Antifa activity in the Northwest.
On Monday evening, somewhere around 100 Black Lives Matter and Antifa activists gathered in downtown Portland for a “direct action” event. Protests have been nearly unceasing in Seattle and Portland since the killing of George Floyd in May, but organized events circulating through social media this week have been in direct response to the election.
The crowd on Monday evening targeted buildings on Portland State University’s campus, smashing the windows of an on-campus Starbucks and the PSU Public Safety Office.
“F*** corporations. F*** your windows, you pieces of sh**!” one rioter yelled after the Starbucks windows were shattered.
Rioters then poured flammable liquid onto the floors of the cafe, which is located on the ground floor of a building housing students and families.
…Individuals smashed windows and poured flammable liquid inside the business. Officers interrupted a potential arson. This gathering is still declared an unlawful assembly due to criminal activity occurring. Disperse to the south and west. pic.twitter.com/NSsjOETtbZ
Police responding to the riots intercepted the activities in the cafe before anything could progress into a far more dangerous situation.
The police made two arrests: 22-year-old Kai-Ave James Douvia and 25-year-old Connor Austin. Douvia has been charged with felony first-degree criminal mischief, felony second-degree burglary, and second-degree disorderly conduct. He was previously arrested at a protest in June.
Douvia was released without bail.
Austin has been charged with interfering with a peace officer.
He has also been released without bail.
From these two alone, the police recovered a tire iron, dumbbell, body armor, gas masks, and an umbrella.
