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

[Joe Futrelle]

I support a taser ban, but I can't make it tonight. Thanks for the info.

--
Joe Futrelle
Person


On Feb 5, 2007, at 12:13 PM, Brian Dolinar wrote:

> 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.
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