Police Misconduct Florida

Thirteen current and former Miami police officers were accused by U.S. authorities Friday of shooting unarmed people and then conspiring to cover it up by planting evidence. The indictment is just the latest scandal for this city's trouble-plagued police force. On four separate occasions, federal prosecutors said, Miami officers performed "throw downs"--in which they placed guns at crime scenes to justify shootings.

Thirteen current and former Miami police officers were accused by U.S. authorities Friday of shooting unarmed people and then conspiring to cover it up by planting evidence. The indictment is just the latest scandal for this city's trouble-plagued police force. On four separate occasions, federal prosecutors said, Miami officers performed "throw downs"--in which they placed guns at crime scenes to justify shootings.

A black policeman convicted of resisting arrest during an illegal traffic stop by white officers got one year of probation and was ordered to perform community service teaching young men to respect the police. Miami-Dade police Maj. Aaron Campbell, who claimed he was stopped because of his race and Miami license tag, said he thought the sentence was just. Earlier this month, Campbell, 55, was acquitted of battery charges but was found guilty of resisting arrest, a misdemeanor.

President Clinton on Tuesday strongly condemned the recent actions of the U.S. Coast Guard in trying to stop six Cuban refugees from reaching the coast of Florida. Speaking at a Democratic fund-raiser in Coral Gables, Clinton called the actions "outrageous" and said he has ordered a full investigation into the incident. "I want you to know, it was not an authorized policy. None of us knew anything about it," Clinton said. "We have taken vigorous steps to make sure it does not happen again.

City commissioners agreed Thursday to pay $1 million to the families of two black men whose killings by a Miami police officer sparked a three-day riot in 1989. The agreement settles a civil lawsuit filed against the city by the families of Clement Anthony Lloyd, 23, and Allan Blanchard, 24. "I think the city did the right thing.

President Clinton on Tuesday strongly condemned the recent actions of the U.S. Coast Guard in trying to stop six Cuban refugees from reaching the coast of Florida. Speaking at a Democratic fund-raiser in Coral Gables, Clinton called the actions "outrageous" and said he has ordered a full investigation into the incident. "I want you to know, it was not an authorized policy. None of us knew anything about it," Clinton said. "We have taken vigorous steps to make sure it does not happen again.

Three city policemen were arrested Wednesday on charges that one of the officers beat a suspect last November and the others lied about it, a police spokesman said. The three officers turned in their badges and were suspended with pay pending their trial, the spokesman said. The incident occurred after officer Eugene Kowalski and his partner, Daniel Richards, arrested a man at a bar last November, the spokesman said. Kowalski, a 10-year veteran of the force, beat the man, the spokesman said.

A sheriff who said he made crack to guarantee a supply for undercover operations has been told to stop by a state appeals court. "The sheriff of Broward County acted illegally in manufacturing crack," Judge Mark Polen wrote in Friday's decision. "The police agencies themselves cannot do an illegal act, albeit their intended goal is legal and desirable."

A black man who swallowed cocaine when he was arrested died after jailers ignored his pleas for help and taunted him in a three-hour ordeal captured by a jail surveillance camera. Two sheriff's deputies were fired and five others were disciplined. Anderson Tate moaned, thrashed and chanted prayers for more than three hours while bound to a chair Dec. 3 at the St. Lucie County Jail. Jail employees and deputies walked past him, one of them making fun of him. "I don't want to die.

LOS ANGELES Police Chief William J. Bratton has taken decisive steps following the MacArthur Park May Day melee in which the LAPD seems to have used force indiscriminately and disregarded constitutional rights of speech and assembly. He has already demoted a deputy chief and transferred a commander responsible for the police response at the park. In contrast to former Police Chief Daryl F. Gates, Bratton has been forthcoming, honest and informative as this latest LAPD scandal unfolds.

A black policeman convicted of resisting arrest during an illegal traffic stop by white officers got one year of probation and was ordered to perform community service teaching young men to respect the police. Miami-Dade police Maj. Aaron Campbell, who claimed he was stopped because of his race and Miami license tag, said he thought the sentence was just. Earlier this month, Campbell, 55, was acquitted of battery charges but was found guilty of resisting arrest, a misdemeanor.

A black man who swallowed cocaine when he was arrested died after jailers ignored his pleas for help and taunted him in a three-hour ordeal captured by a jail surveillance camera. Two sheriff's deputies were fired and five others were disciplined. Anderson Tate moaned, thrashed and chanted prayers for more than three hours while bound to a chair Dec. 3 at the St. Lucie County Jail. Jail employees and deputies walked past him, one of them making fun of him. "I don't want to die.

A sheriff who said he made crack to guarantee a supply for undercover operations has been told to stop by a state appeals court. "The sheriff of Broward County acted illegally in manufacturing crack," Judge Mark Polen wrote in Friday's decision. "The police agencies themselves cannot do an illegal act, albeit their intended goal is legal and desirable."

City commissioners agreed Thursday to pay $1 million to the families of two black men whose killings by a Miami police officer sparked a three-day riot in 1989. The agreement settles a civil lawsuit filed against the city by the families of Clement Anthony Lloyd, 23, and Allan Blanchard, 24. "I think the city did the right thing.

Three city policemen were arrested Wednesday on charges that one of the officers beat a suspect last November and the others lied about it, a police spokesman said. The three officers turned in their badges and were suspended with pay pending their trial, the spokesman said. The incident occurred after officer Eugene Kowalski and his partner, Daniel Richards, arrested a man at a bar last November, the spokesman said. Kowalski, a 10-year veteran of the force, beat the man, the spokesman said.