PITTSBURG — A new federal lawsuit accuses a former Pittsburg cop of shooting a man whose hands were raised during a call over a “mental health crisis,” and although the same officer has already been part of a suit that settled for $7.3 million, this case may be the least of his legal concerns. The … Read more
PATERSON, N.J. — Jameek Lowery entered the dimly lit lobby of the city’s police headquarters in a panic. He was having a mental breakdown — and needed help. Barefoot and wearing only pajama pants and a sweatshirt in the pre-dawn hours of Jan. 5, 2019, Lowery pulled out his cellphone and began a social media … Read more
Every day, police in the U.S. rely on common use-of-force tactics that, unlike guns, are meant to stop people without killing them. But when misused, these tactics can still end in death. Over a decade, more than 1,000 people died after police subdued them through physical holds, stun guns, body blows and other means not … Read more
OAKLAND — A former Pittsburg officer has admitted he lied, stole from his employers, sold steroids to other law enforcement officials and advertised his then-girlfriend’s college cheating service to other cops, ironically all while pretending to pursue a degree in criminal justice. But instead of taking a college course in crime and punishment, Patrick James … Read more
A federal judge in Mississippi handed down lengthy prison sentences to six white former law enforcement officers last week, after they tortured two Black men in January of last year. The judge sentenced the sixth and final officer, Joshua Hartfield, on Thursday to 10 years in prison. The officers referred to themselves as the “Goon … Read more
Tyre Nichols was about two minutes from his home on the night of Jan. 7, 2023, when Memphis police stopped him. Police vehicles surrounded him, and officers shouted threats and demanded he get out of his car. In the next moments, all caught on body-worn cameras, officers pulled the 29-year-old from his vehicle, then took … Read more
The family of William Green, a 43-year-old Black man who was fatally shot by police in January 2020, is calling for the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division to investigate the death after the officer who shot Green was acquitted of second-degree murder, misconduct in office and assault charges last week. Michael Owen, who was … Read more