[Peace-discuss] Re: [CPRB] County Board meets @ Tasers Monday

[Brian Dolinar]

Here's a list of questions I delivered to the board on January 8, 2007.
Might help give speaking points to those willing to make a public comment.

BD

Questions for the Justice Committee of the Champaign County Board:

1) When a correctional officer checks out a Taser at Master Control in
the County Jail, is there a policy requiring they justify the need?
Can Master Control deny a request?

Document A: This is a supplementary report written by Sgt. Brian
Mennenga who was at Master Control on November 14 when Sgt. Myers
checked out a Taser to use on inmate Ray Hsieh.  Mennenga makes note
that Myers was boasting that he was the only one with "enough balls"
to use the Taser repeatedly.  Mennenga says he did not ask Myers the
circumstance for why a Taser was used.

2) What is the process in the Sheriff's Department for hearing
complaints filed by inmates?  Why were the complaints about Sgt. Myers
filed by three other inmates – Michael Rich, Trina Fairley, and
Michael Alexander – ignored?  Should the County Board pursue a Police
Review Board for the Sheriff's Department?

3) Is it policy to use a Taser on an inmate who is not physically
abusive toward a correctional officer?  Can a Taser be used when an
inmate is only verbally resistant?  Should inmates be questioned about
heart conditions before they are shot with a Taser?  (Note: according
to Amnesty international there are over 150 deaths that have resulted
from Tasers, many of them due to heart conditions.)

Document B: This is a written complaint to Captain Wolfe, in charge of
the Champaign County Correctional Department.  Inmate Michael
Alexander feels he was wrongly tased by Sgt. Myers after a verbal
dispute with inmate Johnnie Gillion.  He was tased without warning and
without concern for a possible heart condition.

4) Can a Taser be used on an inmate one-on-one in an empty jail cell?
 Is there policy to prevent officers from taking out retribution
against an inmate for minor infractions?

Document C: This is a grievance/appeal form filed by inmate Trina
Fairley, who was abused by Sgt. Myers on September 19, 2005.

5) Is there a reason State's Attorney Julia Rietz has not contacted
Trina Fairley about the Myers case?

6) Why have charges not been filed against Sgt. Myers for his abuse of
inmate Michael Rich?  How many other police reports were falsified by
Sgt. Myers to cover up his abuse of inmates?

Document D: In a report written by arresting officer Daniel Bailey of
the Urbana police department, it states clearly that Michael Rich was
"just verbally abusive and not physically."

Document E: In a report written by Sgt. Myers it says that Rich "made
the threat to spit on staff."  This scenario is strikingly similar to
the report on Ray Hsieh which Sgt. Myers is currently being prosecuted
for falsifying.  Myers continues, "Mr. Rich was bleeding from his
mouth area from the altercation he had prior to coming to the jail."
This is in direct conflict with the Urbana police report.

7) Are there other officers currently on staff who falsified police
reports along with Sgt. Myers?  Are there other officers who
participated in beatings?  Did Myers put hoods on inmates so that they
would be unable to identify their assailants?

Document F: This typed statement is a complaint filed by Michael Rich
in Spring 2005.  In it he describes a horrific scene of being beaten,
hog-tied, hooded, and sodomized by Sgt. Myers with a Taser.  He says a
hood was placed over his head and Sgt. Myers and "another man" took
turns hitting him in the head.

8) Did Officer Jeremy Heath falsify his report on Michael Rich?  Did
Heath participate in Rich's beating?  Should Officer Heath be fired
from the Sheriff's Department?

Document G: In his police report on Michael Rich, Officer Heath
writes, "Inmate Rich also made threats that he was going to spit on us
when he could."  Heath also says that Rich's "lip was bleeding a
little when UPD brought him in."  This is again in conflict with the
Urbana police report.

9) Why did Captain Young and Sheriff Walsh not follow up on Rich's
complaint?  If Walsh would have investigated Myers, could he have
prevented at least three other inmates from abuse?

Document H: This is the response to Michael Rich's complaint written
on August 3, 2005 by Captain Young.  Despite Young claiming the force
used against Rich was "justified,"  later in August Sheriff Walsh met
with Rich personally.  Rich says Walsh told him he would investigate
his accusations.

10) Why did the State's Attorney not contact Michael Rich until the
statue of limitations in his case had expired?

Document I: According to a public statement by Rich published in the
Public i newspaper, the State's Attorney's office did not contact him
until November 6, 2006 two years to the day of his incident with Sgt.
Myers.
11) Will former Sergeant William Alan Myers receive a pension if
convicted of a felony?

C-U Citizens for Peace and Justice would like to thank you for
investigating what we believe is a very serious case of police
brutality in the Champaign County jail.