Wednesday, March 09, 2016

If this is how the West Virginia actually train their officers, (updated)

whoever runs their training needs to find a new job.  Something that doesn't threaten peoples lives.
Last week a West Virginia woman who stood between her dog and a state trooper intent on killing him was acquitted of obstructing an officer by a jury in Wood County. It took jurors just half an hour to acquit 23-year-old Tiffanie Hupp after they watched the video of the incident that Hupp's husband, Ryan, shot with his cellphone.
...
Hupp told PINAC her case hinged on her husband's video, which they did not have for weeks after the incident because Cook confiscated the phone, which he was unable to access because it was protected by a password. "Without that video, it's just my word against a state trooper," she said. "Nobody is going to believe my word over law enforcement."
Aside from arresting the woman on a bullshit charge, here's something interesting:
...Cook "testified that he was not afraid of the dog, but was following training that required him to kill all dogs that approach him, even if it was chained and wagging its tail as Buddy was doing in this case."
Really?  THAT'S their training?  Fire the bastards in charge, and make it plain that any officer who kills a dog without damned good reason will be under suspension.  Without pay.

I got curious and checked, WVSP has a Facebook page, so I messaged and asked- yes, politely- if this is actually how they train their officers.  That was yesterday, so far no response.  Apparently they figure better to ignore questions than deal with the commoners who might be troubling them.
Update:
I did get response: basically "They lied, nothing to it, if we actually said/did something like that the local media would be all over us."
Sometimes I hate the level of distrust and cynicism I've developed; I see something like 'Fictitious quote' and the local media thing, and I start thinking of all the ways that could be used to deny something that's actually got fact behind it.  I may be doing them a disservice here, but I doubt it.


And this from the PINAC link:
“After he put me in the patrol car and arrested me, he just walks up the trailer and up to the phones and, whatever devices were on chargers, he took them,” she said.
“He took my husband’s phone, he took my phone, he took my sister-in-law’s and my son’s tablet. And we don’t use those phones or tablets anymore. If my phone leaves my hands and goes into the hands of a cop, I kinda don’t trust that.”
After almost a month of constant calls to the police department, they returned her phones.
After demanding the passwords.  Indicating they'd been browsing around in them, probably illegally(from what I understand).   Now throw in this bullshit:
According to Hupp, Cook also testified that she had a crossbow in her hand, which the video clearly shows isn’t the case. He also testified that she raised her hands at him, which the video also shows didn’t happen.
In the video, Cook grabbed Hupp by the arm and spins her around and she never raised her hands at him.
As of yet, Cook has not yet been charged with perjury.
And he won't be. Because badge, he gets to lie under oath, in a court, and get away with it.

And they'll wonder why people don't trust them, or believe them.

4 comments:

Irish said...

From a comment on the video


Pizza delivery doesn't have to kill dogs or mailman or any other home servicing industry for that matter, the same should apply to cops.

Firehand said...

Yeah, now often to mailmen kill dogs?

I actually got an answer from WVSP: basically "Lies, nothing to it, if there was the local media would be yelling."

Does that not strike you as not the best of denials? Especially when, as I pointed out, between the Reason article and the PINAC piece, their officer is basically being called a liar and abuser of authority, and if it's not true it might be a good idea to yell about it, that's the response?

Irish said...

That video was appalling. If they didn't have it she would have been railroaded. I firmly believe that it should be legal to film ALL interaction with Leo.

John B. said...

I live in Wood County, West Virginia and this is the first I've heard of this. Unfortunately, the staties have more integrity than some of the city cops. And our recently resigned mayor. But hey, at least we're not in Ohio. :)
John B.