100K settlement for police abuse - during home search cops found intimate photo & taped it 2 wiindow

[Liberal_in_LA]

The settlement is for a large amount of money, $100,000. This settlement is three years in the making, and it comes shortly before this federal civil rights lawsuit would have gone to court.

It a scene that's hard to believe actually happened. In May of 2008, Middletown Police and the Dauphin County Drug Task Force searched a home looking for drugs. During the search, police found intimate, naked pictures of Deanna Perry, who lived in the home and taped one to a window for everyone to see. This picture was accompanied by a sign that said, “Busted, say no to drugs.”

Police also made crude comments and laughed at the woman while her children watched. And according to the woman's attorney, Josh Autry, police admit to doing this.

The victim of this case is very pleased with the settlement and hopes no one else has to go through what she did.

According to Autry the officer in this case that admitted to taping that picture to the window was not punished or reprimanded, despite costing taxpayers $100,000 in that settlement money. He did apologize to the woman, however. We did reach out to police, but were unable to get a comment.

http://www.whptv.com/news/local/story/Middletown-woman-given-settlement-in-police-abuse/kJdATdFj_0i-x1tNlUF1tw.cspx

Perry also charged that officers forced her to sit on a barstool in her living room in only a T-shirt and panties in front of her four children and three others she was babysitting after she was rousted out of sleep by the early-morning search.

"She feels just like we do – that the settlement is a step in the right direction and that it sends a signal to not just the Middletown Police Department but police departments everywhere that this kind of behavior is unacceptable," said Joshua Autry, Perry's attorney and a lawyer with the Camp Hill firm of Boyle, Autry and Murphy.

Named in Perry's lawsuit were Crone and fellow Middletown officers Benjamin Lucas, James Bennett and Dennis Morris, a member of the drug task force; task force officers Elhajj, Patrolman Keith Ocker of Derry Twp., Det. Jason Reber of Susquehanna Twp., Patrolman Ron Soutner of Swatara Twp. and Patrolman Regis Vogle of Penbrook; and task force supervisors Goshert and Todd Johnson, the force's coordinator.

http://www.pressandjournal.com/articleDetail.aspx?id=4090

[CreekDog]

1. Wow: "the officer in this case that admitted to taping that picture to the window was not punished"

:wtf:

not even punished.

This picture was accompanied by a sign that said, “Busted, say no to drugs.” :wtf:

[saras]

2. Clean the damn sewer out

No one who would tolerate this behavior and not dedicate all their at-work spare time to getting rid of the officers involved - permanently - doesn't deserve to be a police officer, or have the right to carry a gun.

The whole department needs a THOROUGH cleaning. All these fuckers need to spend the rest of their lives handing burgers over the counter or pushing a mop.

[KittyWampus]

3. yes, behavior like this starts at the top. And the money the woman settled for

somehow doesn't seem to be nearly enough to change that behavior.