Cop arrests 5-year-old boy at school

STP

Is your lawyer lernin?

NY Times - What They Don’t Teach Law Students: Lawyering - One 2010 study of hiring at top-tier law schools since 2000 found that the median amount of practical experience was one year [for law school professors], and that nearly half of faculty members had never practiced law for a single day. If medical schools took the same approach, they’d be filled with professors who had never set foot in a hospital.

Lawyers no longer required to attend law school in New York, California - California has a fairly well established apprenticeship-type bar admissions program that requires four years of work in a law office plus passage of the “Baby Bar Exam.” After that, you can sit for the regular bar exam. Hell, you don’t even need a college degree to do that one. But you still need to pass the California Bar Exam, which some pretty smart folks have failed. Repeatedly. In the end, if you land a law job that is also on the road to sitting for a state bar exam, who wouldn’t want to get paid essentially to go to law school? Even if it’s a measly ten bucks an hour, it’s still better than hedging nondischargeable debt against an increasingly unlikely future as a high-paid lawyer. I’d be interested to know if anyone is on this route. It’s totally old school.

NY Times - 75% of judges are morons who never cracked a law book nor attended college

Cop attacks Blount sheriff, Blount sheriff attacks cop, FBI investigates

Cop shows how to handle a traffic stop in Blount County...by ramming cops at Wide Open Throttle! Blounty deputies show how to treat a cop under arrest...by kicking him repeatedly while handcuffed! Which is better than BCSO treats BC cops...by shooting them dead by ambush! Do you feel safer now?

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FBI looks into suspect, former officer beaten during arrest

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) -- The FBI is looking into claims that a Blount County Sheriff deputy beat a man during an arrest.

Click to the right to watch the video that supposedly shows BCSO's Sgt. Doug Moore punching and kicking former Sevierville police officer Timothy Coulter.

"The video speaks for itself," said Coutler's attorney Bryan Delius.

The video shows Coulter first slamming into a darkened deputy crusier. Deputies were attempting to arrest Coulter for domestic violence, outside a family Coulter Road home.

"[Coulter] regrets the events of that evening lead up to this and it certainly, it was wrong," said Delius. "But from the point in time that the accident happened, and the vehicles collided, he did everything that he should have appropriately to respond to that situation."

Immediately Coulter sticks his hands out the window, seeming to surrender. He's brought out, cuffed and that's when the violence begins.

"I think it clearly shows that Tim Coulter complied with the officer, the commands of the officer immediately," said Delius. "What we see is pretty discouraging."

Blount County Attorney Craig Garrett respond to our calls or knock at his door. Garrett says Blount County Sgt. Doug Moore was suspended for three days, but he's now back on duty.

Sgt. Moore was also involved in a 2008 fatal shooting of suspect Leroy Hickman.

Now the FBI has opened a federal investigation. Special Agent in Charge Richard Lambert says the Department of Justice will look at the amount of force used.

"Mr. Coulter with obviously cooperate. He will do whatever is asked of him from the federal authorities," said Delius.

Coulter plead guilty to reckless endangerment and vandalism, and was sentenced to judicial diversion after three years of probation.
What happens next, is up to the FBI.

"One would have to question if they would do this to an officer, from another jurisdiction, what would they do to someone who's not an officer?" said Delius. "That's obviously the concern expressed by those conducting the future investigation."

Delius says Coulter admits responsibility for his mistakes, and he accepts his punishment.

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FBI opens probe of Blount deputy after video shows beating, Ex-Severville detective gets plea deal after arrest

MARYVILLE — A Blount County Sheriff's Office video released Tuesday shows one of its deputies repeatedly kicking and punching a former Sevierville police detective during an arrest this year, prompting the FBI to open an investigation.

The video, provided at the request of the News Sentinel, shows police in-cruiser footage from the March 25 arrest of former Sevierville Police Detective Timothy Coulter, 44. It was released by the Sheriff's Office after Coulter pleaded guilty Tuesday to criminal charges that stemmed from him ramming a sheriff's cruiser and nearly striking two sheriff's deputies.

Richard Lambert, special agent in charge of the FBI's Knoxville office, said Tuesday the agency reviewed the video and as a result opened a civil-rights investigation that could lead to federal charges.

"They (the U.S. Department of Justice) will determine whether the amount of force was more than what was reasonable," Lambert said.

Blount County Attorney Craig Garrett identified the deputy who struck Coulter as Sgt. Doug Moore. Garrett said he was suspended without pay for three days following the incident. Garrett said no further action was taken against Moore, who has been with the department more than a decade.

According to a statement from the Sheriff's Office released Tuesday, deputies were unable to control Coulter during the arrest.

"The deputy delivered strikes to Coulter that were acceptable based on the circumstances, however were not in accordance with BCSO training or policy and procedure," the Sheriff's Office statement reads. "The Blount County Sheriff's Office has taken appropriate action against the deputy, and the investigation was closed with no further actions."

On March 25, deputies learned Coulter had been involved in a domestic situation in Sevier County, was threatening suicide and was traveling to his family's farm in Blount County, according to arrest warrants.

Deputies found his white Ford F-350 pickup in the driveway of a residence off Davis Ford Road. They blocked the road and called him on his cellphone, warrants show. He told a deputy he had a gun with him and he intended to harm any officer who attempted to contact him.

The video, most of which was shot at night, came from a camera in Moore's cruiser.

It shows Coulter drive out of the driveway toward Moore's unoccupied cruiser and ram the front end of it. Although they are not visible at the time of impact, arrest warrants state Moore and Sheriff Jim Berrong were standing nearby and were forced to dive into a ditch to avoid being struck.

After the impact, more police cruisers pull behind Coulter's truck and Coulter sticks his hands and head out the driver's side window.

An officer removes him from the truck at gunpoint and places him on the ground.

The deputy who subdued him then shouts, "We got 'im, we got 'im."

Moore then approaches Coulter, still on the ground surrounded by at least three other officers, and kicks him at least 11 times, according to the video. He then punches Coulter about four times, the video shows.

At least two deputies were treated for minor injuries at a local hospital and released, Berrong said Tuesday. He would not comment further on the video.

Coulter's defense attorney Bryan Delius said his client was in handcuffs while kicked and punched and sustained cracked ribs, facial abrasions and a knot on his head. Coulter was not treated for injuries he sustained during the incident.

The video, requested June 15 by the News Sentinel, was made public following Coulter's court hearing in Blount County, during which he pleaded guilty to one count of vandalism and two counts of reckless endangerment.

Coulter was immediately sentenced to three years of supervised probation.

He must pay a $100 fine, court costs and $8,448.81 in restitution to the Sheriff's Office for damage he caused to Moore's patrol car. Those were the terms of a plea agreement reached between Delius and Assistant Blount County District Attorney General Ryan Desmond. It was approved by Blount County Circuit Court Judge David Duggan, who also granted Coulter judicial diversion, a move that spares him jail and a conviction on his record if he complies with the terms of his probation.

The reckless endangerment charges to which Coulter pleaded guilty were reduced from more serious charges of aggravated assault.

Coulter had also been charged with DUI, possession of a handgun while intoxicated and violation of the implied consent law. Desmond said under the plea deal those charges would be dismissed.

Prior to the plea Coulter signed a civil release agreeing not to sue the county, Delius said.

Delius said the video disturbed him.

"Obviously, he did everything he could to comply," the lawyer said. "His arms and head are out of the vehicle's window before they even approach. We expect people who are paid law enforcement to act professional and with restraint. What is observed on the video is very concerning and disheartening."

Garrett called the incident a "very dangerous and very intense situation."

"Blount County's sheriff deputies hate to see a fellow officer make the type of mistakes Mr. Coulter made," Garrett said. "Everybody was kind of on edge. Officer Moore probably had some adrenaline pumping and may have reacted strongly to the incident, but he's been properly disciplined, and we consider the matter concluded."

Comments

Many people cannot fathom how this "judicial perversion" gets handed out to cops and public servants.....any one of us wold have jail time.
I hope folks don't wonder why so little respect exists for these double standard kangaroo courts and the soiled public servants who get coddled. BAAALONNNYYY!!!

"had also been charged with DUI, possession of a handgun while intoxicated and violation of the implied consent law" In Tennessee gun crime means hard time....unless you are a cop

"Prior to the plea Coulter signed a civil release agreeing not to sue the county, Delius said." So he can not sue them, they made sure beofre they agreed to the plea he took!

A few whacks to the ribs is pretty standard for a lot of places. The really disturbing part of this is that the Sheriff was on scene. Who flaunts the law/rules/procedures like that with the boss standing there? I hope it doesn't say something much more about the culture of the BCSO than just one exasperated deputy going overboard on one particular occasion.

Blount co cops are as corrupt as they come. They're also the reason I never go to blount county, and I was a maryville college grad.

The Blount County Sheriff`s Office Writes their own Laws as they go along.

What a joke!

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Editorial: Video of beating proves value of openness in government

The in-cruiser police video that led to an FBI investigation of the beating of a suspect in Blount County demonstrates the value of cameras keeping an eye on law enforcement and underscores the public's need to have access to such records.

Blount County deputy Sgt. Doug Moore, who also is being sued for using excessive force and wrongful death in an unrelated matter [the ambush murder of a former cop in Maryville Police Department], is the subject of the FBI's civil-rights probe.

The video, obtained by the News Sentinel through an open records request, shows footage from the March 25 arrest of former Sevierville Police Detective Timothy Coulter. The Blount County Sheriff's Office released the video after Coulter pleaded guilty Tuesday to criminal charges stemming from his ramming a deputy's cruiser.

Blount County deputies learned Coulter had been involved in a domestic situation in Sevier County, was threatening suicide and on his way to his family farm in Blount County. Deputies found Coulter's pickup truck, blocked him in and called him on his cell phone, according to arrest warrants. He told a deputy he had a gun and warned that he would harm officers who tried to contact him.

The video shows Coulter's Ford F-350 ramming the front of Moore's unoccupied cruiser. Off-camera, Moore and Sheriff Jim Berrong leaped out of the way. Coulter surrendered, then was kicked at least 11 times and punched about four times by a deputy identified as Moore. Couter's defense attorney said his client sustained cracked ribs, cuts and a knot on his head.

Coulter pleaded guilt to reduced charges of reckless endangerment and was sentenced to three years probation. He must also pay restitution to Blount County for damage to Moore's cruiser.

Moore was suspended without pay for three days after the incident. The Sheriff's Office in a statement released last week that the blows Moore inflicted by Coulder were "acceptable," though "not in accordance with BCSO training or policy and procedure."

The Sheriff's Office can't have it both ways. Either Moore's actions were acceptable — meaning they were in line with policy — or they were not. When sheriff's officials speak out of both sides of their mouths, they appear more interested in protecting Moore than seeking justice.

There's enough smoke rising from the incident that Richard Lambert, special agent in charge of the FBI's Knoxville field office, initiated a civil-rights investigation. The U.S. Department of Justice, he said, "will determine whether the amount of force was more than what was reasonable."

A key piece of evidence in the FBI will be the in-cruiser video. Time and time again, videos have proven invaluable in determining what has happened at crime scenes — many times providing evidence that clears officers of wrongdoing. Videotapes, audiotapes of 911 calls, police incident reports and other records available to the public act as a check against police powers.

Some in the Tennessee Legislature have tried to blind the public by exempting incident reports and 911 calls from the Tennessee Public Records Act.

Such efforts are misguided. Secrecy causes citizens to lose confidence in the officials and agents entrusted with public institutions. When government operates in the sunshine, however, the public can have confidence its interests are being protected.

Openness doesn't make government weaker; openness makes government stronger.

Comments

ever notice that LEOs think that laws are for US to follow,certainly not THEM?? ever notice their black tinted windows??just try and have YOUR windows tinted black!! ever be going along at the speed limit and be passed by one of them going WAY faster?? ever notice that if you take their picture and they see you ,they will break your camera?? i could go on and on (and probably will)to protect and serve....yeah right!! they all act like they are jesus.but the fact is, sadly, they are mostly scum.

See also:

Blount sheriff on trial for murder of cop - A federal judge is ordering a Blount County Sheriff's Office sergeant to stand trial in a wrongful death lawsuit over a deadly arrest ruse, but the lawman will be seated alone at the defense table. U.S. District Judge Tom Varlan has rejected Sgt. Doug Moore's bid for immunity in the February 2008 shooting death of 61-year-old Leeroy Hickman Jr. outside Hickman's Grove Street home, saying there are too many unanswered questions that only a jury can answer. But in the same order, Varlan dismissed the case against Deputy Lesley Craig, who actually shot Hickman in the back, and Deputies Robert Berkley and Matthew Gilmore, who were part of the deadly ruse but did not fire any shots. It was Moore who set up the ruse to lure Hickman, himself a former lawman, out of his house to arrest him on a domestic violence warrant. Craig dressed in civilian clothes and pretended to be a friend of Hickman's daughter whose truck had broken down outside his house. But the plan quickly went awry, court records show. It was dark and rainy, and Craig's raised hood blocked her from the view of Moore and the other two deputies. Initially, the deputies could hear the conversation between Hickman and Craig because Craig had secretly phoned one of the deputies and left the phone open. But when her phone went dead, Moore, Berkley and Gilmore rushed out of the darkness toward Hickman. Craig ran to the back of her truck, but when she heard the deputies yell 'gun,' she opened fire on Hickman, who was facing his house with his back toward Craig. Hickman's widow alleges that Hickman was 'confused' and frightened when three strangers dressed in dark clothing suddenly rushed toward him and was trying to flee inside his house when he was shot in the back.

"I’ll burn your house down, set your dog on fire and there won’t be a member of your family left, do you understand me? I won’t hire it done, I will do it myself! Do you understand me?”
-Blount County sheriff James Berrong talking to his secretary in the Blount County Justice Center, United States Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit, Nuchols v. Berrong, No. 04-5645, July 11, 2005

The Police Officer as Psychopath

Lawmakers demand arrest of Blount County court clerk Tom Hatcher

False Academic Degrees

by Baker & Associates, attorneys at law

In today's tough economic climate, it can often be tempting for an individual to take some course of action designed to give them a little bit of an edge in the job hunt. For instance, an individual may claim to have a degree, such as a bachelor's degree in finance or a doctorate or master's degree of some sort in order to look more appealing to a potential employer. Embellishing a resume in this way is a fairly common occurrence, but many individuals do not know that such behavior is actual illegal.

T.C.A. 39-17-112 provides:

(a) It is an offense for any person to knowingly issue, sell or manufacture a false academic degree. As used in this subsection (a), "person" includes any individual, corporation, firm, company, partnership or association.

(b) It is an offense for an individual to knowingly use or claim to have a false academic degree to obtain:

(1) Employment;

(2) A promotion in employment; or

(3) Admission to a college, university or other institution of higher learning.

Such language obviously begs the question of what constitutes a "false academic degree;" a question that is conveniently answered in the next section of the statute.

(c) As used in this section, "false academic degree" shall mean any degree issued that meets one of the following criteria:
(1) Issued without requiring any student academic work;

(2) Issued based solely on the student's life experience or portfolio without requiring any post secondary work submitted to and evaluated by faculty with appropriate academic degrees from an institution that is:

(A) Accredited by a regional accrediting agency or other accrediting agency recognized by the United States department of education; and

(B) Authorized to operate in Tennessee pursuant to the provisions of title 49, chapter 7, part 20, relative to the authorization of post secondary institutions, or is exempted from authorization by the provisions of § 49-7-2004; or

(3) Issued using more than twenty-five percent (25%) of required credits based on the student's life experience or portfolio.

In essence then, it is illegal to have or claim to have a degree that is not earned by the individual based upon the completion or performance of a satisfactory amount of school work that correlates to the degree possessed. Violation of (a) of this statute is a class A misdemeanor carrying a jail sentence of up to eleven months and twenty-nine days and violation of (b) of the statute is a class C misdemeanor, carrying a sentence of up to thirty days in jail. if you or someone you know has been charged with this offense, contact an experienced East Tennessee criminal defense attorney serving Knox County, Sevier County, Sullivan County, Hamblen County, and surrounding areas for assistance with your case.

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Bogus Degrees, No Apology, No Moral Compass

by Citizens for Better Government

MARYVILLE, TENN. -- The recent article in the The Daily Times about the Circuit Court Clerk, Tom Hatcher [former BCSO deputy sheriff], purchasing a bogus Bachelors degree with $3910 of County money highlights the absence of a clear moral compass in the county administration. It also shows the result of inadequate policies to govern the behavior of our county officials.

Hatcher purchased the "degree" from an outfit called Columbus Universityin Picayune, Mississippi. He issued a county purchase order on 12/29/04 to pay his $3910 "tuition." Apparently he was able to zip through his course requirements, while holding his full-time county job, because he claimed on his county website (until yesterday) that he was awarded his "Bachelors Degree" from Columbus in 2005.

All of this may have been feasible, since the Daily Times showed that the mailing address of Columbus University was actually the location of 'The Renewed Attitudes Massage and Body Sculpting Studio'.

This waste of taxpayer money is nothing new for Hatcher, who also seems to like nice cars, furniture, and refrigerators, as long as the citizens of the county are paying the bills.

If you claim a bogus degree and are found out, you can expect to be fired in most organizations. Not in Blount County. According to Mayor Cunningham: "The county has no control over how the elected officials spend the money appropriated to their budgets". The Mayor did not mention that he has a great deal of power as the head of the Budget Committee. He also should have substantial sway over the actions of the office holders through the use of the Mayor's office as a "bully pulpit". In addition, a Tennessee statute gives the county judges the power to remove Hatcher for "misbehavior in office". Yet, no one in the county administration, or judiciary, has done anything to censure Hatcher.

Of course, now that he has been caught red-handed, Hatcher has decided to reimburse the county for the $3910 the citizens paid for his bogus degree. Did he accompany the check with a public apology? No. Instead he further insulted the intelligence of Blount county citizens by claiming he: "did not realize the problems existed with Columbus University". As the kids say: "well duhhh". Maybe he should have gotten a clue from the willingness of the University to grant a degree with little work by him. Or, maybe he should have run a few Google searches before he decided to spend the citizens money. Such a search would have revealed that as far back as 1999 articles identified Columbus as a diploma mill; or that CBS 20/20 identified Columbus University as a source of "fake degrees" in May of 2004 (7 months before Hatcher bought his degree); or that the State of Texas listed Columbus University as a "source of fraudulent or substandard degrees". It seems that truth and remorse come hard to Mr. Hatcher.

The Mayor was given the information about the Circuit Court Clerk's waste of funds on a bogus diploma more than a week before the story broke in the paper. So far, the Mayor has done nothing to publicly chastise Hatcher. Apparently, if you misuse funds in Blount County and get caught, all you have to do is repay the money, and all is well with the Mayor. We continue to believe the Mayor is a better man than that, and hope he will show it.

Hatcher was able to get away with his actions, because Blount County does not have any tuition reimbursement policy. Citizens for Better Government has repeatedly pointed to the need for standards and policies in the county, only to be told by the mayor that we are: "dead wrong". We know one thing - without policies and standards - anything goes! Hatcher's actions prove it.

See also:

Tom Hatcher's son, judicial commissioner Dustin Hatcher, was arrested and convicted of felony pedophile rape committed inside the Blount County Justice Center, with photos of the criem spree posted on the walls of Tom Hatcher's court clerk office. Dustin was a recent graduate of car stereo installation (and fast removal) school.

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Diploma Mill Columbus University Receives Tennessee County Tax Dollars

Beware of Columbus University — it is a diploma mill. And right now, it is stirring up a cyclone of confusion in Blount County, Tennessee, where employees used a county tuition reimbursement program to pay for unaccredited college degrees.

This is not the first time tax dollars ended up in the pockets of a fake degree mill; and the officials of Blount County plan to insure that tax coffers do not unwittingly feed money into the illegal businesses. The tuition reimbursement policy was revised in 2002; but nothing specifically ruled out employees’ use of the funds for unaccredited universities. In fact, nothing regarding accreditation was addressed at all.

We are not referring to the accredited Columbus State University in Georgia with a sprawling campus and fine academic and athletic programs. And this is not about Columbia University, the one with ground-breaking research and a world-renowned medical center. No, we are discussing the ’school’ with a storefront rather than a campus, and a mailbox instead of a sports team.

Columbus University was based in Lousiana until a CBS News story was the catalyst for an investigation, forcing the institution to close its doors in 2004. But it popped up again in Mississippi just a few months later, where it continues to flourish. The investigation followed disclosures that high-ranking government official, Charles Abell, held a master’s degree from the degree mill. At the time, Abell was Principal Deputy Undersecretary of Defense Personnel and Readiness.

Distance learning is a popular and fast-growing alternative that has drawn millions to online colleges and universities. Accredited online degrees are flexible; but the requirements for earning an online bachelor’s, master’s or doctoral degree are simliar in coursework and credits to those of traditional colleges and universities.

Reputable online degree programs are generally eligible for federal financial aid, something that is not true for diploma mills. Also, both the U.S. Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education maintain a database of approved accrediting agencies and colleges for those wishing to double-check their e-learning choices.

Columbus University takes the money of willing victims and sends them a worthless college diploma. But at least Blount County, Tennessee, is working to see that it does not happen to their employees anymore.

online degrees, online schools, accredited online degree, online degree program, e-learning, diploma mill, unaccredited college degree, fake degrees, tuition reimbursement, colleges_and_universities, Columbus University, online bachelors degree, online masters degree, online doctoral degree, distance learning

Honda Gold Wing vs Boeing 737

The entire Republic of Nuaru, airport at bottom

Boeing 737 vs. Honda Goldwing: who wins?

I was there
By John Laming

The runway on Nauru is 5200 feet long, the Pacific Ocean at both ends leaving no room for greaser landings. The airport terminal is barely 100 yards from the runway, and it seems that half the population of Nauru came to watch the arrival of the daily flights. I soon found out why this was such an attraction.

Through the window of the crew bus, I saw the Boeing 737 curve around the back of the island on close base leg and then suddenly there it was on short final with full flap and smoke streaming from both tailpipes. At 130 knots, it smacked down right on the 1000-foot marker with a flash of blue smoke from skidding tyres, while at the same time the top surfaces of the wings came alive with ground and flight spoilers. Simultaneously, the reversers opened wide with a shattering roar of increasing power. Now that was a man’s aeroplane.

A few months later, I had a command on the 737 and by the time I moved on ten years later, I had flown over 7000 hours on type. There were many exciting times flying the 737 – too many to mention here – except perhaps one that often repeated itself.

Nauru was a tiny phosphate-rich island with lots of money. There was no shortage of new cars, powerful motor bikes and beer, and inevitably each weekend would see the death of young men wiping themselves out in vehicle accidents caused by speed and alcohol. A favourite sport would be to race a departing 737, either in a car or on a motor bike. The main road around the island paralleled the runway by 50 yards and this gave a mile of straight but narrow road before it curved away from the surrounding ocean reef.

These obese young bloods (Editor’s note: According to the World Health Organization, Nauru is the world’s fattest country, with an average BMI of 34 to 35) had 1500cc Honda Goldwings and other equally massive motor bikes. They would cruise around the island playing loud rock and roll music from loud-speakers mounted on the bikes or on Land Rovers.

Occasionally, when the police were looking the other way, one would see a Nauruan sitting astride his Goldwing abeam the threshold of runway 12, revving the engine while waiting for the departing 737 to take off. Crash helmets were unheard of, and a T-shirt, shorts and sandals the only protection from a 100mph crash.

Backtracking the departure runway you knew that the race was about to begin. Turning to line up, you would see a Nauruan on his big bike casually waiting by the side of the runway. Passengers would wave from their windows and as the brakes were released, the Nauruan on his Goldwing would open up to full throttle to race us down the runway. At full thrust of 2.18 EPR, the ground trembled and spectators covered their ears to protect themselves from the incredible crackling roar which was the wonderful characteristic of the JT8D engines. A combined 31,000 pounds of thrust makes an awful lot of noise on a small island. With houses a few paces from the runway, noise abatement was for wimps.

It was quite a sight to see the Goldwing at full chat, with its rider head down, and burning rubber a few yards off our wing tip. At the 80 knot call, the Goldwing would be ahead of us by a nose but the game was well and truly over by rotate speed of 130 knots. It was good fun and few got hurt, although I often wondered how many of these riders nearly ended up in the Pacific Ocean as they negotiated the 45 degree bend in the road just a few yards from the end of the runway.

Following my retirement from airline flying at age 60, I have returned to visit Nauru on several occasions. The grunty Boeing 737-200 has been replaced by the quieter and bigger 737-400, but the motor bikes are still the big Goldwings and Yamahas – and now a little rusty from the salt spray of the Pacific rollers.

The headstones of their riders gradually fill the cemetery grounds.

Kia copies The Dragonater in new TV advert

Watching the DVR tonight, spotted a new car ad filmed at Nashville Superspeedway under the lights...same as my TV show and blog post, First Track Day, from July. The Kia Electric Turbo Hybrid ad is new in November. The Kia ad even copied The Dragonater's Adobe After Effects...excellent taste and marketing skilz.


Download the full 2-hour documentary by The Dragonater

Too bad US aautomakers are too busy exporting factories to Communist China to patronize dying racetracks in USA. Govt-owned NSS is now officially closed for business.

Inside Edition TV and History Channel already copy The Dragonater, even featuring The Dragonater's name and websites every month.

Memphis TN news: Kia Optima Hybrid

Kia Web

Kia Blog

Final superbike race at NSS

TN passes new law requiring pigs suck your blood

Sucking dick can get you out of an arrest in TN...ask Barbie Cummings, George W Bush and his lover Victor Ashe

Didn't the TeeVee Noos tell about the current Prohibition on alcohol in Tennessee and USSA? Do YOU know what to say or not during a traffic stop?

"Strictly speaking, a driver can register a BAC of 0.00% and still be convicted of a DUI. The level of BAC does not clear a driver when it is below the 'presumed level of intoxication.'"
—Tennessee Driver Handbook and Driver License Study Guide, 1990 to 2012

"One of the major defects in many methods of blood-alcohol analysis is the failure to identify ethanol to the exclusion of all other chemical compounds. Thus a client with other compounds in his blood or breath may have a high 'blood-alcohol' reading with little or no ethanol in his body. If you look at the warranties - it is sort of interesting - none of the breath machine manufacturers warrant these things to actually test blood alcohol."
—Lawrence Taylor, attorney at law, DUICENTER.COM, Drunk Driving Defense, 5th Edition (2000)

"Nearly 400 people were convicted of driving while intoxicated in the District since fall 2008 based on inaccurate results from breath test machines, and half of them went to jail, city officials said Wednesday. D.C. Attorney General Peter Nickles said the machines were improperly adjusted by city police. The jailed defendants generally served at least five days, he said. Nickles's office has begun notifying the drivers, a move that immediately triggered at least one lawsuit against the District and could lead to requests for expungements, new trials and even deeper skepticism about the integrity of testing. The District's badly calibrated equipment would show a driver's blood-alcohol content to be about 20 percent higher than it actually was, Nickles said. All 10 of the breath test machines used by District police were wrong, he said. The problem occurred when the officer in charge of maintaining the machines improperly set the baseline alcohol concentration levels, Nickles said."
—Mary Pat Flaherty, Washington Post, 400 drunken-driving convictions in D.C. based on flawed test, official says, June 10, 2010

"Nancy Benoit also had a blood alcohol reading of .184, although Sperry said the blood alcohol and drug levels could be affected by the decomposition of her body. 'These (blood alcohol) results are not reliable for interpretation because the amount of alcohol in her system could have all come from the decomposition.'"
—Cindy Morley, Fayette Daily News, GBI: Chris Benoit's son was full of Xanax, July 18, 2007

New DUI Law for 2012 in Tennessee

The Tennessee DUI current law provides that a police officer who has probable cause to believe an individual is driving under the influence, they may request the person submit to a blood alcohol concentration test. If the person elects not to submit to the blood alcohol test they will be charged with a violation of the Tennessee implied consent law and will lose their driver's license for one year.

On May 20, 2011, the Tennessee legislature changed the DUI law starting in 2012. The new DUI law in Tennessee will require that anyone who has a prior DUI conviction, vehicular homicide due to intoxication conviction or aggravated vehicular homicide conviction or any person with a child under the age of 16 in the vehicle at the time, MUST submit to either a blood or breath test if they are believed to be driving under the influence. The new DUI law (HB 715 and SB 1270) states, in part:

“The test shall be performed in accordance with the procedure set forth in this section and shall be performed regardless of whether the driver does or does not consent to the test.”

The new DUI law in Tennessee raises constitutionality questions with regards to whether the forced blood alcohol tests would be admissible at trial. The 2012 DUI law has been submitted to the Governor and will go into effect on January 1, 2012.

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HOUSE BILL 715
By Shipley
SENATE BILL 1270
By Beavers

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 39; Title 40 and Title 55, relative to driving under the influence.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:

SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 55-10-406(f), is amended by adding
the word "or" after subdivision (f)(1), by designating existing subdivision (f)(2) as (f)(4), and by adding the following new subdivisions (f)(2) and (f)(3):

(2) If a law enforcement officer has probable cause to believe that the driver of a
motor vehicle has committed a violation of § 55-10-401, § 39-13-213(a)(2) or § 39-13-218, and has been previously convicted of § 55-10-401, § 39-13-213(a)(2) or § 39-13-218, the officer shall cause the driver to be tested for the purpose of determining the alcohol or drug content of the driver's blood. The test shall be performed in accordance with the procedure set forth in this section and shall be performed regardless of whether the driver does or does not consent to the test.

(3) If a law enforcement officer has probable cause to believe that the driver of a motor vehicle has committed a violation of § 55-10-401, § 39-13-213(a)(2) or § 39-13-218 and a passenger in the motor vehicle is a child under the age of sixteen (16), the officer shall cause the driver to be tested for the purpose of determining the alcohol or drug content of the driver's blood. The test shall be performed in accordance with the procedure set forth in this section and shall be performed regardless of whether the driver does or does not consent to the test.

SECTION 2. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 55-10-406(f)(2), is amended by
deleting from subdivision (f)(4) the language “(f)(1)” and substituting instead the language “(f)(1), (f)(2) and (f)(3).”

SECTION 3. This act shall take effect January 1, 2012, the public welfare requiring it.

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"Let me start with law enforcement contacts with respect to traffic stops, for suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. The Fifth amendment of the Bill of Rights states that we are not to be forced to incrimnate ourselves. The actual wording is, you cannot be compelled to be a witness against yourself. If you are stopped for suspicion of DUI, these are your rights regardless of the laws of your state. First of all, you are to deny having consumed any alcoholic beverages whatsoever. You are never to admit to having one or two drinks. If you admit to consuming even one drop of alcohol, you open the door to 'probable cause', allowing the police officer to search your car for open containers. Next, you are never to submit to a Field Sobriety Test. You are to refuse to do so. They cannot make you walk the line, they cannot make you balance or anything else. Now when you are arrested, you are to refuse to allow a blood-alcohol test, regardless of what state law 'requires', such as revocation of driving priveleges for a period of time. That's an attempt to compel you to be a witness against yourself. Supreme Court decisions in this area are very specific with regards to your rights as folows: Lefkowitz vs Turley, and the Fifth Amendment, provides that no person shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, and permits him to refuse to any any other qustions put to him in any other proceeding, civil or criminal, formal or informal, where the answers might incriminate him in future criminal proceedings."
—George Gordon Law Hour, The Policeman is not your friend - He is your adversary, October 30, 2007

"I saw two officers as before, who rode up to me, with their pistols in their hands, said God damn you stop, if go an Inch further, you are a dead Man, and swore if we did not turn in to that pasture, they would blow our brains out. Major Mitchel of the 5th Regt clapd his Pistol to my head, and said he was going to ask me some questions, if I did not tell the truth, he would blow my brains out. I told him I esteemed myself a man of truth, that he had stopped me on the highway, & made me a prisoner, I knew not by what right; I would tell him the truth; I was not afraid."
—Paul Revere, owner of RevereWare¨, sworn affidavit: "Memorandum on Events of April 18, 1775" (declassified Top Secret), while under arrest (and subsequent escape) from Redcoat martial-law traffic police at Minute Man National Historic Park, Paul Revere Capture Site, on the eve of the American Revolutionary War and kicking off the Battle of Lexington and Concord, against the army, navy and courts of King George III, heriditary dictator of England who attempted "gun control" by an Assault Weapons Ban of defensive 50-caliber muskets and cannon, Paul Revere's Ride, by David Hackett Fischer

"Mr. Speaker, my subject today is whether America is a police state. If we are, what are we going to do about it? Most police states, surprisingly, come about through the democratic process with majority support. The masses are easily led to believe that security and liberty are mutually exclusive, and demand for security far exceeds that for liberty. Our government already keeps close tabs on just about everything we do and requires official permission for nearly all of our activities. One might take a look at our Capitol for any evidence of a police state. We see: barricades, metal detectors, police, military soldiers at times, dogs, ID badges required for every move, vehicles checked at airports and throughout the Capitol. The people are totally disarmed, except for the police and the criminals. But worse yet, surveillance cameras in Washington are everywhere to ensure our safety. Like gun control, people control hurts law-abiding citizens much more than the law-breakers. Centralized control and regulations are required in a police state. Not only do we need a license to drive, but we also need special belts, bags, buzzers, seats and environmentally dictated speed limits. Or a policeman will be pulling us over to levy a fine, and he will be toting a gun for sure. Let's reject the police state."
—Congressman Dr. Ron Paul, MD (R-TX, 1988 Libertarian Party candidate for President, Landslide GOP candidate for president in 2008 and 2012), speech in House of Representatives, United States Congress, "Are We Doomed To Be a Police State?" June 27, 2002

Pooper Troopers and the Thick Brown Line

Pigs love poo... The fallout from an incident involving a trooper pursuing, pulling over and detaining a speeding Miami police officer at gunpoint has escalated in a war of words on Internet sites, and has continued to bubble over with the defacing of a trooper’s car with gallons of human feces.

Maybe this is the proper police procedure to handle cops on the Dragon?

Miami police chief disciplines officer in FHP caper


By David Ovalle and Diana Moskovitz
The Miami Herald
November 10, 2011

Miami Police officer Thomas Vokaty may have picked the wrong state trooper to pull over in an apparent retaliatory move in tensions between the two departments.

The trooper, identified as Cpl. Victor Luquis, has a brother Ronald Luquis, a sergeant in Miami Police's internal affairs division.

Luquis made a quick phone call. And pretty quickly, supervisors from both departments were involved. Sources close to the investigation said Luquis notified dispatch and called his brother.

The traffic stop — the trooper was not ticketed or arrested — was one of the latest actions in a back-and-forth feud between the Florida Highway Patrol and Miami police that started last month when Florida Highway Patrol trooper Donna Jane Watts drew her gun, handcuffed, then charged Miami Officer Fausto Lopez with reckless driving on Florida's Turnpike in Broward.



In her report, Watts wrote that Lopez was traveling at speeds in excess of 120 mph.

The incident, captured on video, has sparked furor among citizens, many upset at Lopez's alleged speed. It also brought anger from law enforcement officers who say Watts acted recklessly in drawing her weapon, yelling and handcuffing a fellow police officer.

In online law enforcement blog posts, Watts has been ridiculed and threatened. In recent days, somebody dumped feces on the patrol car of trooper Joe Sanchez, a former Miami commissioner. The car was parked in front of Sanchez's Miami home.


FHP adopts new motto
On Thursday, Miami interim Police Chief Manuel Orosa broke his silence on the events that have been roiling the department in recent weeks, and took a firm stand. He issued a formal warning to Vokaty, and tightened the department's policy for pulling over fellow law enforcement officers, mandating no traffic stops without approval from a supervisor and only if the targeted officer was involved in a felony.

Orosa's measures came two days after Vokaty, a 27-year-veteran, pulled over Luquis, in uniform and driving an FHP squad car, on Florida's Turnpike at Okeechobee Road despite "not having jurisdictional authority," according to a discipline report released Thursday.

Appearing at a routine morning roll call at Miami police headquarters, he tried to quell talk of tension between the agencies, stressing unity and a continued partnership.

In a later news release, Orosa said: "The recent traffic stop of an FHP trooper by one of our officers was an isolated incident, and his actions should not reflect negatively on the Miami Police Department or the professional men and women who work for us."

He added: "Additionally, I have attended roll calls and am pleased to say that all officers I've met with feel that the MPD and FHP are, and will always be, part of the greater law enforcement family in spite of the recent incidents."

FHP spokesman Sgt. Mark Wysocky agreed with Orosa, saying the recent incidents were isolated.

The initial traffic stop by Watts is being reviewed by FHP administration, Wysocky said, although Watts herself has not been suspended and is not under investigation. Watts was told several times by superiors the morning of Oct. 11 to back off after it was determined that she was following a speeding marked Miami police unit on Florida's Turnpike in Hollywood.

Watts did take some personal off, Wysocky said.

As for dumping human waste on Sanchez's squad car, Wysocky said "we're not accusing them."

The agency would not be investigating the incident further, he said earlier.

It was not clear whether Sanchez's home had security cameras mounted outside. "We were told there was no evidence,'' he said.

Vokaty will not be suspended, but he received a "record of formal counseling" for violating department policy.

Orosa said he has been in contact with FHP leaders since the initial incident "to keep the lines of communication open and ensure my commitment'' to the two agencies continuing to work together.

Miami Police and FHP conduct training, road blocks and other joint initiatives, he said.

"I look forward to our continued partnership for years to come," Orosa said in his statement.

Miami Herald staff writer Charles Rabin contributed to this report.

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/florida/fl-feces-on-fhp-car-20111109,0,117290.story

http://www.everydaynodaysoff.com/2011/11/11/stay-classy-miami-police-department-the-thick-brown-line/

See also:

Miami cop crashes patrol car into pole, poops his pants


Comments

Cops take a shit dump on other cops' cars in a TURD WAR.

Proof that all cops are morons.

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The Perils of Cop on Cop Law Enforcement

November 15, 2011

UPDATE: I highly recommend you take a look at the attitude of Florida cops with respect to this trooper and her enforcement of traffic laws on other LEO’s. This is an extremely instructive forum thread, and you should see it before they hide it from the public:

LEOaffairs.com: Trooper Watts HOW DARE YOU?????

Back on October 30th, a Florida State Trooper actually pulled over a Miami Police Department officer in a marked squad car for traveling in excess of 120 miles per hour on the freeway, weaving in and out of traffic, and doing so without lights and sirens, ultimately executing a felony stop, which includes a drawn weapon and loud voice commands requiring the driver to exit the vehicle to and submit to handcuffing at gunpoint. It turns out, the MPD officer was on his way not to an urgent call, but an off-duty event at a school, with some “very important people” present. He was cited for misdemeanor reckless driving, and released, after a lengthy bitching out by the FHP trooper. You can bet your ass that if an average citizen were going 120 on the freeway and weaving in and out of traffic and failing to stop for 7 solid minutes of hot pursuit, he’d get a lot worse than a stint in cuffs and a stern talking to. He’d have his head caved in while the Fox news chopper circled overhead.

It appears that this incident is the culmination of a long-standing situation wherein MPD officers drive at crazy speeds on highways patrolled by the FHP, expecting what is known as “professional courtesy” from the troopers, meaning essentially that speeding laws simply don’t apply to Miami police officers like they do the rest of us. Apparently, Miami PD have worn out their welcome on the freeways of southern Florida and exhausted any “professional courtesy” the FHP was willing to extend.

The fallout from the event has become an even more interesting story than the unusual traffic stop itself. Police officers across the country, and especially the Miami Police Union, have severely criticized the Florida Highway Patrol officer’s actions, but beyond their stern official press release, and internet comments filled with righteous indignation and liberally seasoned with misogyny, they have resorted to some very juvenile retaliation in an effort to express their disgust for this violation of the “code.” In one instance, a load of human feces was spread all over an FHP trooper’s patrol car, and in another, a Miami PD officer pulled over and harassed (but did not cite) an FHP trooper as he was driving in Miami, although, that didn’t work out too well, when it turned out the trooper’s brother is a detective in the Internal Affairs division of the Miami PD. The feud is getting out of hand, and as incidents like this escalate, accompanied by heated rhetoric all over the police-focused blogosphere and social media sites, the Chief of Miami’s PD, Manuel Orosa told reporters at a recent press conference, “whatever issues may be out there have to stop, and stop now,” according to the Miami Herald.

For readers of CopBlock.org, this kind of reaction shouldn’t be surprising. After all, we have whole categories full of stories for this kind of double-standard, where the cops assume they are above the law, and get royally pissed whenever they are held to any sort of account, much less the same standards of behavior and compliance with the law they enforce on the rest of us. But this story is unique in the near universal consensus on the part of police officers across the country that the Florida trooper was in the wrong. Sometimes, when the police have to enforce the law against one of their own, there is substantial division in the LEO community, or at least an acknowledgment that the arrestee did something wrong, whether or not they agree with the collar. There seems to be almost no willingness to admit that the Miami cop was endangering the lives of everyone on that road, just because he was late for an *OFF DUTY* event. I’ve been pulled over for speeding before when I was late for work. I got a ticket and no sympathy whatsoever from the cop, and I sure as hell wasn’t going 120 mph.

The brazenness with which the LEO’s on PoliceOne, YouTube, and Big City Cops, for instance, assert that they ought to be entirely immune from any kind of restraint on their driving, regardless of where they are going or why is almost shocking, until you remember, these are the police. They typically recognize no authority but their own. However, that attitude is particularly ironic in light of recent events in Tucson, Arizona. Just a couple of days ago, a suspect managed to steal a police car and lead the cops and sheriff’s deputies on an 80+ mile high speed chase, on the freeway, at speeds in excess of 120 mph. Hmm. And last year, I wrote about this guy, who stole a cop car and drove recklessly around the city until he crashed into a bus and died as a result. Since that Miami PD officer did not at any point communicate with the FHP trooper via radio, she really had no reason not to assume a crime was in progress (and she was right).

Ultimately, what galls me most is the sense of entitlement to this double standard that pervades the law enforcement community, and the culture of back-scratching, covering up and outright dishonesty that goes along with it. Police can literally get away with murder, and their coworkers are loathe to do anything about it. Honest cops who do stand up and enforce the law against misbehaving fellow officers have their careers destroyed, or at the very least can expect to get no assistance or back-up if their lives are ever actually in danger. They’ll make no bones about it either, they’re happy to declare, out in the open for all to see, that their “brotherhood,” and loyalty to each other is far more important than actually obeying the laws they themselves are charged with enforcing on the rest of us. It absolutely creates corruption, fosters abuse of authority, and guarantees that the worst of the worst ascend to ever-higher positions within the force, while the good guys get run out of their jobs altogether.

Just look at the fiasco in New York City, where several officers are up on charges of corruption, including rampant ticket fixing and even covering up an aggravated assault by an officer. Far from being embarrassed by these cops “tarnishing the badge,” their fellow officers have been out in large numbers at the courthouse nearly every day to support these accused criminals, intimidating the press, and the prosecutor, and telling anyone who will listen that what they supposedly did was “no big deal,” a “courtesy,” and bizarrely, employing the Nuremberg defense, saying they were “just following orders.” Under the circumstances, how can anyone have any respect for the badge, or the men and women who wear it? I know I don’t.