South Carolina Highway Patrol misdeeds
A State news report says that a five-member Senate Judiciary subcommittee is investigating the SCHP. The article states that SLED, the U.S. attorney, the FBI, and the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division are currently investigating cases of abuse and misconduct by troopers. I recently commented on a few of these cases, where the conduct of the troopers was publicly sanctioned by the Orangeburg and Greenwood County Solicitors' Offices. Below are some of the incidents that I have found in a search of recent news articles:
From this article: After a high speed chase, a trooper held a man against the hood of his car and screamed profanities at him, then erased the video. (2003, suspended for 2 days)
A trooper erased a video that showed him being verbally abusive to a suspect, while three other troopers turned off their microphones. (2003, suspended for 2 days)
A trooper elbowed suspect in the head, throat, and stomach, punched him, and choked him. (2004, reprimand)
A trooper slammed a passenger onto the hood of his cruiser after the passenger refused to identify the driver. (2004, trooper was ordered to take conflict resolution and diversity training)
A trooper accused of intimidating motorists and using racial slurs. (2004)
A trooper repeatedly kicked a handcuffed teenager in the head while he lay on the ground, then punched him in the face after other officers picked the teenager up. (2005, pled to misconduct in office and received 4 years probation)
A trooper stole $6000 - $10,000 in bond money collected from motorists. (2005, arrested of theft charges and fired)
A trooper hit a fleeing motorcyclist head on with his patrol car. (2006, ordered to take a counseling session)
A trooper threw a driver against his truck after arrest and then erased the videotape. (2006, trooper found to have violated department protocols)
A trooper admitted that he took $500 from a Hispanic motorist during a traffic stop. (2006, trooper was fired)
A trooper struck a suspect in the back of the head with his flashlight after a foot chase (2006, ordered to take a counseling session)
A trooper ran up to a truck driver who was laying on the ground after a pursuit and repeatedly kicked him in the head. (2006, Florence Solicitor Ed Clements did not charge the trooper; after resigning from SCHP the trooper was hired by Marion County Sheriff's Department)
A trooper in Orangeburg County struck a driver in the head with a shotgun while the man was lying on the ground. (2006, demoted to Lance Corporal)
A trooper in Richland County, in his patrol car, chased a man who was on foot through an apartment complex yard with children present, jumped curbs and struck the suspect with this vehicle. (2007, letter of reprimand)
A trooper runs down a man fleeing on foot, and then brags that he "nailed the f*** out of him" on the video. (2007)
Woman is handcuffed to the bumper of a patrol car. (2007, reprimand)
A trooper intentionally destroyed a defendant's blood sample in DUI case.
Comments
I recently had a meeting with 2 SC troopers to give them insurance information (my son had an accident involving a rolled truck and the proof of insurance was lost), anyway one of the officers was so verbally abusive that I called my husband on my cell phone to talk to the officer. The trooper talked to me as if I were a criminal - he was rude and obnoxious. The other trooper was quite polite and professional, but offered nothing to prevent the rude one. My son goes to court for the accident in August. I don't know whether we should mention this at the trial or not...
Posted by: A.H.E. | July 15, 2008 3:40 PM
Depends on what the trial is for. Law enforcement's job is much easier when they are patient and polite to people; sometimes an officer's attitude creates issues that were not there to begin with.
Posted by: bfrederick | July 15, 2008 5:55 PM