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News Roundup

A New York City police officer was ambushed and killed in the Bronx on the Fourth of July by a man who reportedly had made threats towards police on Facebook.  Officer Miosotis Familia, a mother of three, was on duty in a mobile command post Tuesday night when she was shot at close range by Alexander Bonds.  Bonds, whose girlfriend had alerted police to his erratic behavior earlier in the evening, subsequently was shot and killed by officers responding to the incident.  A report from the New York Times says that Officer Familia was the first female NYPD officer to be killed in the line of duty since the September 11 terrorist attacks.  Keep reading for more news.

Viral Traffic Stop.  An uplifting story about a traffic stop involving Durham Police Officer Dan Strandh and local resident Courtney Bailey has gone viral because of Strandh’s act of kindness during the stop.  As the Durham Herald Sun reports, Officer Strandh stopped Bailey for traffic violations, including having an expired registration.  Bailey, who has a young son, told Strandh that her car wouldn’t pass inspection because it had a worn tire she couldn’t afford to replace.  At Strandh’s insistence, they went to a repair shop where he paid for a replacement tire and an inspection.  Bailey’s Facebook video about the experience has been viewed by hundreds of thousands of people.

Western Regional Crime Lab.  The Asheville Citizen-Times reports that the new Western Regional Crime Lab in Henderson County is nearly complete and set to open later this summer.  The state of the art lab will allow scientists to process a variety of forensic evidence more quickly and also has DNA testing capability.  The lab will serve 33 counties west of Interstate 77, and will be staffed by approximately twice as many employees as the current lab in Asheville.

Citizens Review Board.  The Charlotte Observer published an editorial last week that discusses the role of the Charlotte Citizens Review Board in investigating the officer-involved shooting of Keith Lamont Scott last year.  The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department determined that the shooting was justified, and District Attorney Andrew Murray determined that no criminal charges against Officer Brentley Vinson were warranted.  Nevertheless, the Observer editorial says that the Citizens Review Board’s ongoing independent analysis of CMPD internal findings is a worthwhile endeavor considering the impact of the shooting on the community.

Turn Up Your Radio.  Following his instant classic Criminal Law Music post last month, John Rubin took his show on the road last Friday to be a guest on the legal-themed radio show True Bill hosted by James Rainsford on Hillsborough’s WHUP 104.7.  Between criminal law tracks, John recounts tales of labor law practice in the 80’s, discusses recent criminal law legislation in North Carolina, and plugs his local big band The Ambassadors.  If you missed the live broadcast, a recording of the show is available to stream on the station’s website.

Slip Slidin’ Away.  Officers from the Asheville Police Department responded to a serious citizen complaint on the Fourth of July holiday earlier this week – some kids had partially blocked a neighborhood road with a homemade waterslide.  What do officers sworn to protect and serve do when confronted with such a situation on a day dedicated to commemorating American ideals of freedom and independence?  Ensure that the slide is safe and in good working order by taking a few laps, of course.

4 thoughts on “News Roundup”

  1. Well, since the liberals can’t nullify the laws of this state and they can’t control the application of those laws because as we can see, if they try, the highest court in the nation will embarrass them, (think President Trump’s illegal immigration ban) all that remains is for them to artificially create a non-binding entity (Citizens Review Board) and falsely attempt to promote it as relevant and authoritative.

    Nothing that they come up with will change the MOST IMPORTANT irrefutable factor in this issue…”no criminal charges against Officer Brentley Vinson were warranted.”

    Now that we all know for a fact that the officer was completely correct in his actions let’s see if this board can come up with what Scott DID WRONG.

    Reply
    • Jerry Schrecker –
      In that Charlotte case in which a policeman shot Mr. Scott the police and the DA’s office said the officer did nothing wrong. The police and DA are biased in favor of their own. That conclusion by law enforcement that law enforcement did nothing wrong should always be taken with a grain of salt. In this particular case, hundreds of thousands of people have watched the video which indicates that the officer did do something wrong: he shot Scott while Scott was backing away, arms at his side. According to the video evidence, Scott was not threatening anyone. According to NC law, the police are not allowed to shoot someone who is not threatening anyone under the circumstances shown on the video. We do not “all know for a fact that the officer was completely correct in his actions;” we know that law enforcement says they did nothing wrong in spite of a video indicating that law enforcement actually did do something wrong. If your brother shot someone you would be the wrong person responsible for investigating the shooting. You would have a conflict of interests, just as the Charlotte Police Department and the Mecklenburg DA’s office have a conflict of interests in investigating the shooting of Scott. Maybe law enforcement did nothing wrong in shooting Scott in spite of the video evidence weighing heavily against that conclusion, but law enforcement (police and DA) saying they did nothing wrong doesn’t make it so any more than a criminal defendant’s mama saying her son did nothing wrong makes it so.

      Reply
  2. nice to see the positive stories about police especially officer who spends his money to buy a tire and get the car inspected. police are way underpaid and that is an incredible act of generosity

    Reply

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