Ex- Atlanta Drug Pigs Sent To Prison

[barman]

This is perhaps one of the most satisfying stories I've read in quite some time.

These ex-cops merit the epithet of "pigs" for not only perpetuating the useless policy of 21st century Prohibition, but even moreso after they lied to obtain a search warrant which took them into a house (where no drugs were found) where they murdered a 92 year old woman.

Following the killing, they lied and covered up their actions by threatening a civilian CI who fortunately came clean to investigators.

From Monday's Atlanta Journal Constitution:

http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v09/n225/a10.html?1042

US GA: Ex-Atlanta Cops Get Prison For Drug Raid Killing

URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v09/n225/a10.html
Newshawk: Jim
Votes: 0
Pubdate: Mon, 23 Feb 2009
Source: Atlanta Journal-Constitution (GA)
Copyright: 2009 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Contact: http://www.ajc.com/opinion/content/opinion/letters/sendletter.html
Website: http://www.ajc.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/28
Author: Bill Rankin

EX-ATLANTA COPS GET PRISON FOR DRUG RAID KILLLING

A federal judge on Tuesday handed down varying prison terms to three Atlanta police officers for their roles in the notorious 2006 drug raid that left an elderly woman dead and disgraced the department's narcotics unit.

U.S. District Judge Julie Carnes sentenced former officer Gregg Junnier to six years in prison, Jason Smith to 10 years in prison and Arthur Tesler to five years in prison.

Junnier, 42, and Tesler, 42, had faced recommended 10 years in prison under sentencing guidelines, while Smith, 36, faced 12 years and seven months.

Defense attorneys asked Carnes to reduce sentences for Smith and Junnier in light of their eventual cooperation with authorities.

Carnes said she cut Tesler's sentence to half the guideline amount because of his "minor role" in the botched drug raid.

The judge noted that Tesler was the junior member of the narcotics squad and looked up to Junnier and Smith. "The truth of the matter is that he was the rookie and learned from them," Carnes said.

Tesler's lawyer had sought a prison term of only two years but after the sentencing called the judge's decision "insightful."

The officers will not be eligible for parole in the federal system.

On Monday a parade of relatives, friends and pastors spoke on the officers' behalf at a sentencing hearing before Carnes. Friends of Johnston recalled the victim. The officers, wearing jail jumpsuits and leg irons, apologized for their actions.

The trio of officers was involved in a Nov. 21, 2006, drug raid at the Neal Street home of 92-year-old Kathryn Johnston.

She was killed by officers after they used a no-knock warrant * obtained with falsified evidence * to storm into her house in search of drugs an informant had inaccurately told them were inside. Apparently thinking the officers were robbers, Johnston fired a shot through the door. Officers responded with 39 shots, five or six of which struck her.

The officers initially sought to cover up their actions in obtaining the warrant, but their story eventually unraveled. All three pleaded guilty to conspiring to violate Johnston's civil rights.

Carnes said she hopes that if anything good comes from Johnston's death it will be "a renewed effort by the Atlanta Police Department to prevent something like this from ever happening again."

She also said the "pressures brought to bear" by the department's performance quotas, calling for officers to get a certain number of warrants and arrests, "did have an impact on these and other officers on the force."

"It is my fervent hope the APD will take to heart what has happened here," the judge said.

At a press conference following the sentencing, U.S. Attorney David Nahmias called the sentences reasonable.

The Johnston tragedy, he added, has led to two positive results. First, the Atlanta Police Department implemented new and extensive training procedures and completely revamped the narcotics unit, he said.

"Second, the significant prison sentences imposed by the court today should send a strong message to other law enforcement officers who may be tempted to lie under oath or otherwise violate the law," he said.

The Rev. Markel Hutchins, who had led community critics in demanding reforms after the raid, said he was "not in any way displeased" with the sentences.

He said the practice of falsifying affidavits to obtain illegal search warrants, revealed by the investigation into the raid, "a powder keg."

"You just want to make sure that powder keg is not swept under the rug," Hutchins said.

Hutchins said he called Sarah Dozier, the 76-year-old niece of Johsnton, to tell her of the sentences.

"Hopefully it's finally going to be over," he said she replied.

 

[nimue77]

I those motherfuckers die in prison.

 

[nhoj]

They will most likley be out in a year.

 

[Preussen]

Just curious, what crimes were the officers found guilty of?

 

[barman]

All three pleaded guilty to conspiring to violate Johnston's civil rights.

In the Deep South of the USA, white cops murdering an old black woman is still only viewed as a deprivation of civil rights - as opposed to the early 20th century attitude that would allow them to use a noose over a tree branch in the public square.

We're making progress....One century at a time.

----

The above offered from perspective of someone who himself lives in the DeepSouth

 

[ElTaino]

In the Deep South of the USA, white cops murdering an old black woman is still only viewed as a deprivation of civil rights - as opposed to the early 20th century attitude that would allow them to use a noose over a tree branch in the public square.

We're making progress....One century at a time.

another example here http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=6858062

a long, but ultimately sad story

 

[Coldweather]

I detect some racism on this here matter. This not be good!


:sadbb::sadbb::sadbb:

 

[Preussen]

All three pleaded guilty to conspiring to violate Johnston's civil rights.

I read this but I thought there must be more. 10 years prison for this seems quite heavy, but I admit I'm not familiar with this law.

 

[TotalRecall]

Police are allowed to use lethal force. Therefore they can't be charged with murder. What you call a heavy sentence was judged by the end results of the violation of a 92-year-old lady's civil rights. Ended by the weight of five or six pieces of lead removed from her body. Is this sentence heavy? @)

 

[SayHeyKid]

Don't be foolish, it had nothing to do with her being black and them being white.

That said, they did committ murder. That women did the moral and right thing by trying to kill the intruders, it's really a shame she didn't succeed.

 

[mamatried]

It's hard to feel much sympathy for drug cops, I'll grant you. But these guys were only pawns in the corrupt drug war. They were under enormous pressure from the ATL police department, which had (and probably still has) an arrest quota.

 

[Preussen]

Police are allowed to use lethal force. Therefore they can't be charged with murder. What you call a heavy sentence was judged by the end results of the violation of a 92-year-old lady's civil rights. Ended by the weight of five or six pieces of lead removed from her body. Is this sentence heavy? @)

As I said, I don't know anything about the law in question, but yes, I think 10 years for a civil right violation is heavy. That's why I thought there were additional charges, like manslaughter or so.
But of course the situation is difficult. If a police officer is shot at through a door it will be hard to say he must not shoot back, even if the legitimacy of the original operation is questionable.

 

[mamatried]

All three pleaded guilty to conspiring to violate Johnston's civil rights.

In the Deep South of the USA, white cops murdering an old black woman is still only viewed as a deprivation of civil rights - as opposed to the early 20th century attitude that would allow them to use a noose over a tree branch in the public square.

We're making progress....One century at a time.

----

The above offered from perspective of someone who himself lives in the DeepSouth

And as one who lives in the ATL, the LAST thing you have to worry about down here is unfair bias against African Americans from the governing establishment.

 

[barman]

As I said, I don't know anything about the law in question, but yes, I think 10 years for a civil right violation is heavy. That's why I thought there were additional charges, like manslaughter or so.
But of course the situation is difficult. If a police officer is shot at through a door it will be hard to say he must not shoot back, even if the legitimacy of the original operation is questionable.

As MTried noted above, it's a harsh thumbnail indictment of general "drug war" philosophy.

In the name of the Drug War, police expanded their historical tactics of invading a private residence (or other building) in paramilitary style from the arrest of people confirmed to be violent and/or with a history of violence against the community.

Now, they can (within the USA) kick in doors and invade in true paramilitary style - including but not limited to masks over the face and full scale combat gear - all in the name of capturing someone who might be in possession of a legally prohibited substance(s).

Such tactics would never be used against a legal, regulated drug dealer (alcohol, tobacco or pharmaceuticals) who was suspected of illicit or inappropriate trafficking. Rather, the cops would then drive up in broad daylight and enter the premises to make the targeted arrests with little fanfare.

 

[mamatried]

And on a related note...

Did anyone see that piece on 60 Minutes last night about the ongoing drug-related violence in Mexico that's about to spill over across the border?

Anderson Stuper didn't even bother to bring up the obvious - that it's our policy of prohibition (and our coercion of Latin American governments to enforce same) that's the underlying root cause of this catastrophe.