An undercover British police offer this week spent 20 minutes chasing himself around the scene of a burglary when tracking a suspected criminal.

The officer was alerted to a “suspicious character” in the vicinity by a security camera operator and as the plain-clothes officer began to track that individual he would get away “just in time.”

The officer eventually realized the camera operator thought he was a suspect. Here’s the officers retelling of the incident for the Telegraph:

“Every time the man darted in to another side alleyway, the (officer) was turning immediately into the same alleyway, but every time the CCTV operator asked what he could see there was no trace.”

It wasn’t until a police sergeant entered the CCTV operator’s room that he realized what was happening at which point he said “I laughed hysterically.”

Apparently police in the area aren’t all that concerned with the situation, telling the Telegraph:

“We’ve had a couple of funnies lately, but all taken in good spirit.”

The police officer wasn’t charged with the crime, although perhaps CCTV operators should get to know the faces of officers a little better to avoid future “chases.”

No word on whether the real criminal was ever caught by British police.

Police Officer Chases Himself For 20 Minutes, Doesn’t Make Own Arrest is a post from: The Inquisitr

A man in New Haven, Connecticut got the wake-up call to end all wake-up calls when a car landed on him while he slept.

34-year-old Michael Sweat found himself pinned beneath a BMW SUV for almost an hour, as firefighters and paramedics attempted to rescue him. The SUV had slammed into Sweat’s house following a five-mile police pursuit, and ended up deep inside the property’s first-floor bedroom. Sweat suffered burns, but his injuries are not life-threatening.

The suspect behind the wheel of the SUV fled. Police believed he was wanted for motor-vehicle violations, and when they took chase, the driver of the vehicle led them on a pursuit through the Southern Connecticut State University campus and into New Haven.

Discussing the rescue effort, a police spokesman said firefighter teams had “used manual and pneumatic tools and timber to shore up the BMW and the home itself.” In the hour Sweat was beneath the car, he received ongoing medical attention from paramedics. He was taken to hospital with second- and third-degree burns to his buttocks and lower extremities.

Police, meanwhile, are continuing their search for the suspect.

Car Lands on Sleeping Man [Video] is a post from: The Inquisitr

The Supreme Court has been going over a case as of late that involved the police and FBI who attached a GPS device to a drug suspect’s Jeep and without a search warrant. Today, judges ruled that it’s unconstitutional and that law enforcement, as with any situation involving private property, must receive a search warrant prior.

Being that a vehicle is private property, the fourth amendment in the Constitution specifically protects against government searches of private property. It’s quite interesting to note that this was even allowed in the first place, though it seems law enforcement has been getting away with the practice for all this time.

Of course, 99.99% of the population isn’t that much of an interest to track you and your vehicle’s every move, unless you have a crazy significant other that’s in law enforcement.

Via Los Angeles Times:

“We hold that the government’s installation of a GPS device on a target’s vehicle, and its use of that device to monitor the vehicle’s movements, constitutes a ‘search,’” Scalia said. “The government physically occupied private property for the purpose of obtaining information,” he said.”

All of the judges agreed on the decision. The new ruling covers any tracking device whether it is actually attached to the vehicle or not.

“Meanwhile, Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. said he would go further and rule that the “long-term monitoring” of the vehicle with a tracking device violated the 4th Amendment regardless of whether the device was attached to a car. He took the view that the government violated a motorist’s right to privacy by tracking his movements for weeks on end.”

Do you think the Supreme Court is right in their decision or should law enforcement be able to track anyone who is considered a suspect, without a search warrant?

Supreme Court Rules Police Must Have Warrant To Track Vehicles Via GPS is a post from: The Inquisitr

A police officer in Florida are facing some serious charges after he beat and then had a fellow officer taser a 66-year-old elderly man suffering from dementia.

Officer Derek Middendorf was responding to a knife call when he approached the older gentlemen. Almost immediately the officer proceeded to punch and kick Albert Flowers as he apparently struggled to get the older man to comply with his request.

Following the beating another fellow officer appeared and tased the older man.

Making the event worse is the fact that before he approached the man the officer turned off his car’s dashboard camera but didn’t realize that it was still sending footage to a hard drive.

According to Flowers’ lawyer the officer “should be fired” while adding that “Anyone who’s being pulled over by this officer should be terrified.”

In responding to public outrage over the incident police have opted against an administrative review and all charges against Flowers have been dropped.

Unfortunately the man’s daughter says his dementia since the incident has worsened while adding:

“We just want to move forward,” she says. “There was just no reason to do what they did.”

Here’s the video encounter between Middendorf and Flowers:

The family plans to sue the officer and the police department over the beating. Based on the video do you think they have a good lawsuit on their hands?

Fallout Continues After Police Officer Beats Elderly Man Suffering From Dementia [Video] is a post from: The Inquisitr

Police are currently attempting to hunt down and arrest a man who shot a Los Angeles police officer near the 210 Freeway on Wednesday and then fled the scene of the crime.

The victim, a Parole Agent, was shot near the Foothill Boulevard and the 210 Freeway area. The officer was wounded and emergency crews on the scene were attending to him and say his injuries do not appear to be life threatening.

The shooting reportedly occurred when shooting occurred when a parole task force showed up to search the parolee’s living quarters. What may have been found in those quarters has not yet been revealed by investigating officers.

People in the area are being warned to stay away from the location of the crime where the suspect is believed to have barricaded himself while refusing to surrender to officers.

According to reports the man is heavily armed and possible unstable. He is a white male with blond hair and a bear, he is also wearing a purple shirt and black pants.

The 210 Freeway between Sunland and Foothill Boulevards was shut down in both directions immediately following the shooting.

Police Officer Shooting In Los Angeles Closes Down Highway is a post from: The Inquisitr

The number of law enforcement officers who were killed while in the line of duty increased by 13% in 2011, leaving 173 officers dead through December 28.

The rise in officer deaths comes after 2009 say a 50-year-low in officer related killings according to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund.

The report found that gunfire claimed the lives of 68 officers, marking the first time since 1997 that more law enforcement officers were killed by gunshots rather than traffic accidents.

The 2011 officer related shootings is still less than half of the highest total set in 1973 when 156 officers were shot and killed.

Speaking about the rise in deaths the chairman of the memorial fund blamed budget cuts, revealing that more than 10,000 police officers and sheriff deputies had been laid off in 2011.

“Our officers are facing a more brazen, cold-blooded element, and fighting a war on terror, and we’re giving them less training and less equipment than they need to do their jobs safely.”

Turning to the rise in illegal firearms Attorney General Eric Holder said the ”devastating and unacceptable” rise in police officer murders could be blamed for the increase while promising that the Justice Department is doing everything in its power to keep police officers safe.

What do you blame for the increase in law enforcement deaths by gunfire?

Line Of Duty Police Officer Deaths Increase By 13% In 2011 is a post from: The Inquisitr

The Chicago Tribune is reporting an interesting new twist to a very old excuse.  It wasn’t me, it was the booze!  19 year old Howard Brundage was found passed out on a strange woman’s couch it wasn’t just a freaky one night stand, but similarly he had no recollection of the night before.

Charged with felony residential burglary, criminal trespass to a residence and criminal damage to property, Brundage claims he has no memory of the evening, but he remembers drinking a whole bunch of marshmallow flavored vodka.  Police were able to piece together the rest of the evening.

It seems that after consuming the sweet beverage, Brundage broke into an apartment and stole a bicycle,  After being spotted by residents of the building he took off on foot leading police on a crazy chase throughout the Riverside neighborhood of Chicago.

When he was sure he had shaken the police, he broke into a second woman’s house, walked over to the couch, kicked his shoes off and fell asleep.

“The victim in the second burglary woke up Christmas morning to a strange man sleeping on her couch,” Riverside Police Chief Tom Weitzel said in the release. “The homeowner’s quick call to 911 made this arrest possible.”

Sugary alcoholic drinks have been in the news quite a bit lately, as they are being accused of marketing to those too young to drink alcohol in the first place.  Chicago beverage company Four Loko had to settle a suit with the Federal Trade Commission last year in order to put to rest a lawsuit claiming that they were being deceitful in their labeling.  Four Loko is a fruity vodka drink that mixes liquor with energy drinks.

Have you ever heard of Marshmallow flavored vodka? Check out the ad below and let us know if you think they are marketing to kids?

Burglary Suspect: Blame it on the Marshmallow Vodka is a post from: The Inquisitr

If you happen to be in the market to rob someone we would highly suggest avoiding the practice all together, however if you’re mind is already made up our next suggestion would be to avoid the We Buy Gold location in Hendersonville, North Carolina. It was at that location that store clerk Derek Mothershead knocked out a robber who showed him a gun.

The robbery occurred 15 minutes before closing time on Friday and Derek tells WYFF5.com:

“When he came through the door he told me had a gun and he even flashed it,” and “I stood up and threw my hands up and said, ‘Take the money.’”

The man then came behind the counter where Derek said:

“I got the money and he had the bag out and instead of putting it in the bag I stuck it out and said, ‘Just take it.’ So, when he reached out, I took a step in, I cocked back and preloaded and I hit him hard.”

After grabbing the gun from the knocked out would-be-burglar he realized it was just a pellet gun.  Realizing the fake weapon Derek said he laughed at the man as he drug him over to a desk where he called 911.

After waking up Mostafa Hendi begged to be let go at which point Derek told him “You’re going to jail.”

Adding insult to injury the clerk then demanded that the attempted robber clean up his own blood, handing him a roll of paper towels after spraying the floor with cleaner.

Hendi is behind bars with a $100,000 bond set for his release.

We Buy Gold has 30 locations around South Carolina and while they have dealt with robbery and robbery attempts at other locations this is the first known case in which a clerk got the upper hand by knocking a robber out cold.

The ironic part? Derek Mothershead says the store has such a quick money retrieval system in place that robbing the locations is almost pointless.

Do you think the store clerk made the right decision by taking the law into his own hands or was he just lucky this time?

Store Clerk Knocks Out Burglar, Makes Him Clean Up His Own Blood is a post from: The Inquisitr

Europol agents this week infiltrated a massive child pornography ring and arrested 112 people in 22 countries. During their raids agents went after the worst of the child pornography collects, specifically those with “the most extreme forms of video material” which the Associated Press says included pictures and videos of toddlers and babies being raped.

Agents have revealed that internet chat channels they uncovered have led to 269 suspects, agents are currently arresting the criminals based on the severity of their crimes.

Europol director Rob Wainwright said the operation was a complete success but noted that child porn traders are making it more difficult to track them down because of better technology that allows for identity protection when sharing images and videos.

Codenamed Operation Icarus was led under the leadership of Danish internet security experts because of their expertise in dealing with peer-to-peer networks.

The age of the men range from 24 to 55 years old and all of them are being held in Denmark on preliminary charges. The men were arrested in the following countries:

Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Croatia, Norway and Switzerland.

In the meantime investigators do not have their work cut out for them, in one case they will need to sift through 120 terabyte of high definition video from just one arrested party.

[Image via ShutterStock.com]

Europol Sting Busts 112 Child Pornographers, More To Follow is a post from: The Inquisitr

More than one dozen Occupy Portland protesters were arrested on Saturday night after a clash with police that resulted when city officials closed a city park an hour before schedule.

The city closed South Park Blocks park at 8:30 p.m. (11:30 p.m. ET) instead of the regular 9:30pm time because city officials claim that park employees and a park ranger were unable to complete their jobs after being confronted by protesters.

Demonstrators held their ground as the park closed early and chanted:

“This is a peaceful protest! We have the right to assemble!”

Under park rules areas are suppose to be cleared of structures (tents and other sleeping areas) which were set up by the few hundred protesters who took to the park.

City spokesman Mark Ross told CNN:

“Immediately (after) they went to the park, they were surrounded.”

After being pushed out of the park protesters marched to City Hall and into the streets where a police loudspeaker warned protesters that city parks were now closed and trespassers would be arrested.

By early Sunday morning many protesters were returning to the park and one Occupy Portland protester said of their protest and being pushed out on Saturday night:

“The First Amendment has been around longer than park ordinances.”

According to city Mayor Sam Adams the move to clear protesters has been necessary because of:

“A series of increased drug overdoses… an arsonist that used the camp as camouflage and almost a 20% increase in crime surrounding the encampment.”

Do you think police overstepped their authority in closing the park one hour early or should Occupy protesters at various locations around the country better understand city rules before occupying certain areas.

Occupy Portland Protesters Arrested After Clash With Police is a post from: The Inquisitr

Two Florida police employees were fired this week after they attempted to unsuccessfully cast a magic spell on their boss to get rid of him.

In a bizarre Santeria ritual North Miami Police Department officer Elizabeth Torres and office manager Yvonne Rodriguez  sprinkled enchanted birdseed all over hte city manager’s office in the hopes that it would make them want to leave.

The ritual came about after city officials revealed that budget cuts could send some employees out the door.

The plan, at least the sabotage of the office, might have went off without a hitch had they not tried to get janitor Esther Villaneuva to spread the seeds for them. Worried about getting caught Villaneuva reported the potential magic spell to the city manager.

Rodriquez was immediately fired for her part in the incident while a recommendation has been given to fire the union-protected officer Torres.

In the meantime Torres says she didn’t mean harm to anyone, noting:

“It’s nothing malicious and nothing intended to hurt that person,” and “This is something I was raised with.”

I’m not really sure what part of her “magical plan” if it had actually worked wouldn’t be malicious, then again I don’t understand the magical world of bird seeds.

Do you think firing the two city employees over a Santeria ritual was the right decision?

[Image via ShutterStock.com]

Florida Police Employees Fired After Attempting To Cast Magic Spell On Their Boss is a post from: The Inquisitr

You just do not plant a kiss and get away with it. In fact, if you’re this school administrator in Florida, you would call the sheriff after witnessing a pair of consenting 12-year-olds share a kiss on the playground.

Deputies from the Lee County Sheriff’s office were dispatched to Orange River Elementary School two students were debating on who liked a 12-year-old boy more. It was at this point that one of the girls decided to show how much she wanted the boy by walking over him and kissing him.

The assistant principal called the Florida Department of Children and Families. The administrator was instructed to call the police instead.

Sgt. Stephanie Eller, whow as at the scene, commented:

“They called us and said they caught two children kissing on the playground. The reality is it was probably something innocent between two kids on the playground. If it had been a crime at all it would have been a simple battery. At this point, it doesn’t look like we have anyone who was an unwilling participant in this.”

The deputies made a report and just documented the incident. They concluded that no crime had been committed.
Seriously, sometimes we really have to look at kids with all their innocence and stop being paranoid. Okay, maybe the school administrator was just being cautious.

Wait, let me call the sheriff’s office. I just saw a little girl planting a kiss on a little boy. Oh my, he kisses back! This is horrendous.

Cops Called After 12-Year-Olds Kiss is a post from: The Inquisitr

The two campus police involved in the pepper spraying of seated students at UC Davis have been put on administrative leave today while the school’s chancellor is fighting to keep her job.

Speaking about the incident Chancellor Linda Katehi said she will not listen to faculty calls for her resignation while promising to initiate an immediate task force of staff, faculty and students to investigate the incident. In a statement Katehi said:

“I am deeply saddened that this happened on our campus, and as chancellor, I take full responsibility for the incident.”

“However, I pledge to take the actions needed to ensure that this does not happen again.”

In the meantime Baltimore police lieutenant Charles J. Kelly called the pepper spray procedure “fairly standard police procedure” while noting that he believes two cases of “active resistance” could be witnessed in the incident which was caught on video.

According to the officer those “active resistance” events included a female who was pulling her arm away from an officer and a protester who curled into a ball.

Responding to the events that occurred the school’s police chief says the spraying was an act of self-defense:

“The students had encircled the officers,” she said. “They needed to exit. They were looking to leave but were unable to get out.”

Here’s a video of the incident, you can judge for yourself if the students posed any threat to the officers:

Apparently curling into a ball with a bunch of students on a sidewalk is an act of defiance. Notice that as the officer stepped over a student they stayed curled in their ball and didn’t touch him in any way. In fact all violence that broke out occurred after the officers overstepped their power by pepper spraying a peaceful group of protests.

If the school is smart they will fire the two officers involved in the incident and immediately relieve the school’s police chief for her ridiculous justification of the event.  What actions do you believe should be taken against the officers? I smell lawsuits in the near future.

Pepper Spray Police At UC Davis Placed On Administrative Leave is a post from: The Inquisitr

If your iPhone is not working you go to the Apple store. They have a genius bar there who can help you. You do not dial 911 because that makes you really an idiot.

One idiot of such magnitude is Michael Alan Skopec from Kendall County, Illinois. He called 911 five times to report that his iPhone was not working.

In the first call, Skopec asked the dispatcher why his phone was not working. He was referred to call the phone manufacturer instead.

In his second call, Skopec showed his frustration with his phone problem and was even cursing.

He called 911 three more times, after which the police were called to arrest him. He was charged with obstructing or resisting a police officer which is considered a misdemeanor.

So, if you have an iPhone probelm, who do you call?

Man calls 911 for iPhone Repair is a post from: The Inquisitr

Brody Jenner has filed a police report after getting involved in a bar brawl with girlfriend Avril Lavigne.

According to Los Angeles police Sgt. Keith Green, reality TV star Jenner’s report alleges assault with a deadly weapon – the 28-year-old says he was hit by a bottle outside the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel. Singer Lavigne has also revealed (via her Twitter account) that she was assaulted, saying five people attacked her “out of nowhere.”

However, one witness who spoke to Us Weekly says he didn’t see a beer bottle, and that Brody Jenner was actually the initiator of the fight:

“Brody came over aggressively and got involved. They were scuffling on the floor… Brody was the aggressor and had five guys with him. When they finally got up Brody was bleeding. There was no bottle with blood and no bottle broken or anything like that [visible].”

A second witness explains to Us how the fight was triggered:

“At first, the girl called Brody something and that set Avril off so she talked s**t back to them.”

Frankly, it sounds like an almighty mess. Sgt. Green thankfully has some hard facts, confirming that nobody has yet been arrested, and that Jenner, star of MTV’s The Hills, was not given medical help on the scene, though he did later attend a hospital for stitches to his cuts.

A police investigation over the scuffle is ongoing. Watch this space.

Brody Jenner, Avril Lavigne Report Bar Brawl to Police is a post from: The Inquisitr

The New York Police Department is in shambles, first a former detective claims that officers have been framing people for years to “make quotas” then several officers were arrested this week for smuggling automatic weapons, stolen cigarettes and slot machines and one officer was arrested for extortion and racism. Now 15 officers have turned themselves in for fixing-tickets for friends and family.

Fifteen officers turned themselves over to internal affairs at around Midnight as a crowd of nearly 100 fellow officers shouted out support for their fellow policemen while shouting abuses at the Internal Affairs detectives who brought them down. A 16th officer who did not turn themselves in was arrested just before officers agreed to come in peacefully.

The officers are accused of making traffic tickets, DWIs and domestic disputes disappear for their friends and family members and in at least one case for a New York Yankees executive. In at least one case an officer allegedly accepted electronics and took profits from drug sales in exchange for removing tickets.

News of the arrests likely didn’t surprise the officers who were indicted last month. Once they learned of their upcoming arrests the officers quickly turned themselves in.

In more bad news for the NYPD 10 of the men who turned themselves in belong to the police union.

Also arrested as part of the investigation was an Internal Affairs lieutenant who has bee accused of leaking officer investigation details about the ticket fixing scheme tto her fellow officers.

I’m not sure what’s worse police officers fixing tickets for friends and family members or their fellow officers attacking the department that caught them in an illegal act, less we forget police are suppose to support all aspects of the law, even if it’s not convenient for them.

If that isn’t enough bad decision making for you check out the story about the NYPD officer who’s young daughter was accidentally given a gun to bring to school with them.

Do you think it was wrong of nearly 100 officers to show their support for corrupt officers?

15 NYPD Officers Turn Themselves In Over Ticket-Fixing And Other Charges is a post from: The Inquisitr

Google has refused to remove videos from their search results and YouTube service which show acts of police brutality however the search giant has agreed in the last six months to many government requests regarding the collection and removal of content.

According to recent company data U.S. Government agencies made 5,950 requests for data from January 2011 to June 2011, requests that included more than 11,000 accounts, a significant increase over 2010 requests.

In their annual transparency Google wrote:

“The increase isn’t surprising, since each year we offer more products and services, and we have a larger number of users.”

According to Google they complied with 63 percent of requests for content-removal made by the government while 92 requests involved more than 757 individual items.

Google wrote:

“We received a request from a local law enforcement agency to remove YouTube videos of police brutality, which we did not remove.”

According to Google government requests said the videos were “allegedly defaming law enforcement individuals.”

When explaining why they released request data Google noted:

“We hope this tool will shine some light on the appropriate scope and authority of government requests to obtain user data around the globe.”

While some requests such as illegal activity take-downs and copyright issues make sense it’s interesting to learn that the U.S. Government attempted to sensor police brutality videos.

Do you believe Google should comply with the brutality video take down requests or did they make the right decision by protecting a users freedom of speech?

[via]

Google Refuses To Remove Police Brutality Videos, Complies With Other Government Requests is a post from: The Inquisitr

It is being billed as one of the biggest fraud and identity theft rings ever busted in New York, with over 100 people arrested, 85 currently in custody, and with others still being sought.

In total five separate criminal enterprises that were operating out of Queens were busted up resulting in hundreds of charges including identity theft, enterprise corruption, theft and grand larceny.

The ring had been in operation from at least 2010 and included employees at restaurants, at least one bank, a retail stores. These employees would steal the credit card numbers of customers and pass them along up the chain. Additionally members of the ring would steal card information online.

The collected numbers were then given to teams of card and information manufacturers who would then forge various credit cards as well as other realistic identifications. These cards and ids would then be handed out to teams of “shoppers” would go on spending sprees at higher-end stores like Apple, Macy’s, and Bloomingdales.

From what authorities have been able to piece together these shopping gangs bought over $13 million on goods like iPads, iPhones, computers, high-end clothing and accessories which where then sent overseas to places like China and Europe to be sold.

As one of the detectives involved in the investigation said – these thieves have an incredible knowledge when it comes to the technology used these days and that the schemes and imagination being developed these days to pull off operations like this is “mind-boggling”.

via Forbes.

More than 100 arrested in NYC identity theft ring is a post from: The Inquisitr

Sad story to report out of Florida where an 18-year veteran of the Orlando Police Department shot and killed his 21-year-old son after the two men became embroiled in an argument.

According to the Orlando Police Tim Davis, Sr., 47, was fighting with his son Tim David, Jr. over custody arrangements made for Davis Jr.’s child, at which point Sr., says he shot his son but didn’t mean to kill him in the exchange.

Davis Sr., said in an arrest affidavit:

“I was in a funk. I went and got my gun and I shot him,” while he went on to add, I did not mean to kill him. I have nothing to hide. I was not trying to kill him. I just lost it.”

After his statement he said his son hit him in the mouth and pushed him at which point he went out to his car, grabbed his gun and shot his son two times.

The retired police officer is now on the other side of the law where he’s currently facing first-degree murder charges where he will likely be found guilty based off his admission of guilt that doesn’t seem leave room for an argument of self defense. 

Retired Police Officer Shoots Own Son To Death After Argument is a post from: The Inquisitr

Lawyer’s hear all kinds of stories but when the client of defense attorneys Daniel Cahill and J Julio Vela came looking for representation they finally heard one that they just had to look into.

It turns out that their client Nicholas Hill was relaxing in his apartment with a friend when the police came knocking because someone had complained about smelling drugs. While searching the apartment the police came upon a plate of pot brownies and instead of confiscating them for evidence they ate them.

Now one would think that after doing this the officers involved would be kind of hush hush about the whole thing, well, think again. It seems that they couldn’t help themselves and started typing messages to each other via their in-car computers.

The city saves all those and we have them:

At 2:44 in the morning one officer — we aren’t naming them — writes the other, “So HIGH…Good munchies”

The other writes back, “Everything should be open when we get done.”

First officer: “Two hours, max.”

“Probably, but this will take the whole shift.”

“If they actually are true, then we’re talking about is destruction of evidence. That’s a felony. We’re talking about official misconduct. We’re potentially talking about police offices driving around the city of Houston high on drugs, conducting official police business while high on drugs. It’s a pretty big deal,” Cahill said.

The head of the internal affairs division knew about this before we called and told us it’s considered a big deal inside the department. The officers involved are still on the job but will be drug tested and investigated.

via ABC

Silly policemen, pot brownies are for kids [Video] is a post from: The Inquisitr