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4 Philadelphia Police Officers in Videotaped Beatings Will Be Fired

-By JON HURDLE-

Published: May 20, 2008

PHILADELPHIA — Four police officers who were caught on video beating three suspects in a drug-related triple shooting will be fired, Police Commissioner Charles H. Ramsey said Monday.

Joseph Kaczmarek/Associated Press
The Philadelphia police commissioner, Charles H. Ramsey, announced disciplinary actions against eight officers on Monday with Mayor Michael Nutter.

Protesters rallied at police headquarters and planned to demonstrate outside the district attorney’s offices.

Three other officers have been suspended, Commissioner Ramsey said at a news conference, and one officer has been demoted.

The disciplinary action follows a two-week investigation of the May 5 beating, filmed by a television news helicopter, in which the three men were dragged from their car and then kicked and punched by as many as 15 officers in the Hunting Park section of North Philadelphia.

The men are in custody on attempted murder, assault and firearms charges.

Commissioner Ramsey said he did not know why the officers acted as they did but he added that emotions were running high because Sgt. Stephen Liczbinski had been killed two days earlier in a robbery in the Port Richmond area of the city.

The 67-second video, which has been broadcast repeatedly on local and national television, is now being examined by District Attorney Lynne Abraham, who will decide whether to file criminal charges against the officers. The F.B.I. is also reviewing the tape, Commissioner Ramsey said.

Some of the officers used “indiscriminate force” that went beyond what is justified to make an arrest, he said. The officers kicked one man in the head and hit another in the head with an object while they lay on the ground.

“There are a group of officers whose actions were outside of department policy,” Commissioner Ramsey said. “We have to be better than some of what we showed on the fifth of May.”

D. Scott Perrine, a lawyer for one of the men, Pete Hopkins, 19, said the disciplinary action “falls far short” of the appropriate response, which he said should be criminal charges of aggravated assault for the officers involved.

“The only reason these people are not in handcuffs is because they are police officers,” Mr. Perrine said. “They behaved like a pack of wild animals.”

Two of the four officers being fired were new recruits on probation; the other two were more experienced officers.

The most senior officer on the scene, Sgt. Joseph Schiavone, was demoted to the rank of police officer and transferred to another district for failing to stop the beating; he had no contact with the suspects. Three other officers were suspended for 15, 10 and 5 days, respectively, and were transferred to other districts.

The four officers being fired are Patrick Gallagher, Patrick Whalen, Robert Donnelly and Vincent Strain. The three who were suspended are Sean Bascom, Demetrios Pittaoulis and Jonathon Czapor.

Eight other officers were found to have had “physical contact” with the men, within the limits allowed by police procedure. They were not disciplined but will undergo additional training in arrest procedures. Two more officers among the 18 on the scene had no contact with the men, Commissioner Ramsey said.

(Cont'd)......

The Philadelphia Police Department has hired the Police Executive Research Forum, an independent group, to determine whether it is following best practices.

Mayor Michael Nutter said at the news conference that he was satisfied by the department’s response to the beating, pointing out that 16 of the 18 officers at the scene had been fired, disciplined or subject to retraining.

“Today’s announcement represents, I believe, what is required in this matter: swift, direct action,” Mr. Nutter said.

Paula Peebles, the Philadelphia chairwoman of the National Action Network, led by the Rev. Al Sharpton, said the disciplinary action was an insufficient reaction to the beating.

“The position of the citizens of Philadelphia is that the response by Ramsey and Nutter was not enough,” Ms. Peebles said. “We want all the officers prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”

She said supporters would demonstrate outside the district attorney’s offices on Wednesday and were planning to file a complaint with the United States Department of Justice.



Is getting fired enough for these officers OR should they be prosecuted???????


My feeling is...they committed a crime and they should be prosecuted just like anyone else would be if they were to do the same thing...Officers should be held to an even higher standard than the regular public because they occupy a position of trust.....This is not just another excessive use of force charge...this is an actual beating caught on tape!!!!!!!!!

No, HK, it's not enough.

I don't think so either and I hope the D.A. decides to press charges....this goes on far too often and police seem to get away unscathed!!!!!!!!!!

You should check out what was happening in Sacramento, California, near my previous residence. THe police were routinely beating the crap out of prisoners in their jail. They had so many lawsuits going on about the time I left for my paradise here in SD, that it half the lawyers in Sacramento were on the case. It's unbelievable that this kind of thing could go on in a supposedly civilized country.

Obviously an abuse of power...and I agree...the ones you should be able to trust the most are the ones beating the crap outta people like it's their right to do so....Brings a new meaning to serve and protect!!!!!!!!!

I will check out the goings on in Sacremento....It's time the same crimial justice system dealt with these rogue cops!!!!!!!!!

Wow! I haven't even heard about this or seen the video & I live about 2 hours away!!

I can't post the link but look up "philadelphia police beating by 18 officers" on You Tube...

why do we not see this on the COPS show?
show us the real cops!

They should be charged with assault just like anyone else would be.
but I would like to hear the rest of the story first.
What led us to this?

This is what led to the men being pursued and pulled from the car:


Police said they had been pursuing the car in connection with a triple shooting. The three men - Brian Hall, 23, Pete Hopkins, 19, and Dwayne Dyches, 24, all of Philadelphia - have been charged with attempted murder and related counts stemming from the shooting. Their attorneys have said they had nothing to do with it.

One of Dyches' attorneys said he suffered a welt on his head the size of a baseball and that one of his legs was seriously injured.

The beating occurred at the same time police were conducting an intense manhunt for a suspect in the slaying of Sgt. Stephen Liczbinski, but Ramsey said Monday that there was indication that any of the officers thought the suspect was among the three men in the car.

What I mean is, did they run from the police?
at any time shoot at police?
refuse to obey police commands?
try fighting the cops at any time and so on.

I think I will stay undecided on this one and let the court system sort it out.

No they were yanked from the car....well that's the question...right now they are just being fired...Do they deserve to be prosecuted?????

Shouldn't the police officers be subject to the same rules of law that we as individuals have to abide by?? Are they above the law? I don't believe so; but perhaps better training is needed.

Then again - perhaps our laws are too lax and people get frustrated with the injustices that do occur repeatedly? These guys/women are on the front-line day after day having to deal with these people - I'd probably feel like kicking someone's butt too.

"The video, shot by WTXF-TV, shows the suspects being pulled from their car on the side of the road and groups of officers kicking, punching and beating the men."

That was the paragraph just above the ones I just posted...I didn't want to post the whole story cause most of it's the same...but they clearly didn't run but were yanked from the vehicle....It was caught on tape news helicopter!!!!!!!!!!

I think they should be held to a higher standard...because they are there to uphold the law not break it and are in positions of trust....


While I agree that yes the laws can be too lax at times and these guys are probably the scum of the earth...getting frustrated and beating the crap outta them...after taking an oath to uphold the law and to serve and protect....is not justifiable....it's called being a professional!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well withoput hearing first hand from the officers, there was obvious cause to be so forceful. Now don't get me wrong, I've been around long enough to see what rogue cops can do and yes they do it and if unjustified, they should be charged accordingly to the laws we have here. Assault with a club is a felony last time I checked. Only a small percentage of law enforcement engage in this and sometimes without any of us knowing they might be justified. I'd wait until the trial and see all the evidence before I convict them, but the tape doesn't lie.

Well all the evience was caught on tape and they were kicking etc...so f they were justified in firing them...and they obviously were after viewing the tape...then should they also be prosecuted????


I watched the tape on You Tube and you could plainly see the kicks etc...although it was hard to see at times...that mch was obvious...they would have taken a good look at the tapes to identify all the officers involved and saw exactly what happened...I'm asking if they are guilty...Just merely should they be prosecuted like any other member of society would be for doing the same thing!!!!!!!!!!

*I'm NOT asking if they are guilty...

I'm not stating an opinion here, just asking a question or three...didn't you ever want to kick the living shit out of a killer or a rapist ?

They lay their life on the line each and every day so that we the innocent people can be protected. I can't begin to imagine what they have seen due to the aftermath of treachery. Every single day. That in my book is a hard call to make. I know for a fact that I would not hesitate to beat the living shit outta some dumb punk that just killed an old lady or a kid or a family. It would be my pleasure. Sure it's archaic, on the other hand, so many rapists and killers get out on technicalities. Is there a happy medium? Probably not.

I guess I'd better not join the police force...


jmo

Sure I have wanted to...that's why I'm not a cop....BUT I did work in a prison with these same guys after they were convicted and it's all about being proffessional and being able to lay your personal opinions aside..regardles if the guy you are deaaling with is an axe murderer....NOT only that but people are innocent until proven guilty...not that it's justifiable after conviction either...BUT certainly as a human I dealt with the same scum...BUT I also was a firm but fair Corrections Officer...who dealt with murders the same way I dealt with drug dealers...armed robbers or the likes.....Why...because I was there to uphold the rules and the laws of the prison I worked in...I was there to provide security for staff and inmates alike...I was there to use my knowledge and training to also protect society...BUT I was not there to dole out my own punishment and frustrations on the inmates!!!!!!!!!