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Cop Gets Money for Nothing, Awards for Free

Loaded on Dec. 15, 2021 by Edward Lyon published in Criminal Legal News January, 2022, page 45
Filed under: Cost of Prison Systems, Guard Unions. Location: United States of America.

by Ed Lyon

In the early 20th century, unions were beneficial in that they pushed for safe working conditions and decent wages for the working class. The way our society has evolved, not all unions are what they seem. This seems to be especially true of police unions.

A prime example of a California police union far outliving its usefulness is an account unearthed by the San Gabriel Valley Tribune and Free Thought Project about how suspended El Monte City Police Detective Carlos Molina was honored as the city’s top cop for 2020.

Molina spent over a year focused on a single child abuse case in 2018-2019, working an additional $4,400 in overtime. His efforts yielded little work product. So little that he was suspended and placed on paid administrative leave pending disciplinary proceedings while another detective cleared the case in 44 days, sending two suspects to trial.

Even though Molina did not work a day in 2020, the city’s Police Officer Association (“POA”) named him “Officer of the Year for 2020” while he spent 19 months earning money for nothing (almost $205,000) and an award for free[loading] off the taxpayer’s dole.

He expressed appreciation at the award ceremony after he was given a glowing introduction by Detective Eric Walterscheid.

To many city officials—and even some cops—the award was an embarrassment. Mayor Jessica Ancona, supported by POA, refused to block the award. Sergeant Jaime Pitts characterized the display as an overt no-confidence statement against the city’s police chief, David Reynoso. 

 

Source: techdirt.com

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  1. How Cops Use Copyright Laws to Prevent the Public from Recording Their Bad Acts, by Dale Chappell
  2. “If Everybody’s White, There Can’t Be Any Racial Bias”: The Disappearance of Hispanic Drivers From Traffic Records, by Richard Webster
  3. Brooklyn DA Releases List of Untrustworthy Cops, by Anthony Accurso
  4. You’d Better Watch Out: The Surveillance State Has a Naughty List, and You’re On It, by Nisha Whitehead, John W. Whitehead
  5. Sixth Circuit: Only One Conviction May Result Under § 922(g) for Single Incident of Firearm Possession, by Douglas Ankney
  6. Montana Supreme Court: Ineffective Assistance of Counsel for Failing to Object to Incorrect Jury Instruction That Lowered State’s Burden of Proof, by Douglas Ankney
  7. The AEDPA: A Forgotten Catalyst in Mass Incarceration, by Dale Chappell
  8. New Jersey Supreme Court Announces Arrestees in Police Custody Have Reasonable Expectation of Privacy in Calls Made on Police Station Phone Absent Notice That Call Is Being Monitored or Recorded, by Douglas Ankney
  9. Crime Rates Rise and Fall. The Police Mostly Have Nothing to Do With It., by Aya Gruber
  10. Pennsylvania Supreme Court Announces Framework for Determining Whether State of Mind Exception to Hearsay Rule Applies to Out-of-Court Statements, Dual-Purpose Statements Generally Inadmissible, by Matthew Clarke
  11. Fourth Circuit: Long-Term Aerial Surveillance That Reveals ‘Whole of Individuals’ Movements’ Constitutes Search Without a Warrant, Violates Fourth Amendment, by Douglas Ankney
  12. Rethinking the ‘Sex Offender’ Label, by Derek Logue
  13. North Carolina Supreme Court Announces Pretrial Notice of Duress Defense Does Not Forfeit Fifth Amendment Right to Silence, Reaffirms Rule Against Preemptive Impeachment, by Anthony Accurso
  14. California Court of Appeal: Police Created Atmosphere of Custodial Interrogation Requiring Miranda Warnings Even Though Prearrest Interview Occurred in Teen Suspect’s Home, by Douglas Ankney
  15. California Court of Appeal: Superior Courts Must Consider Only Elements of Prior Adjudicated Felony, Not Juvenile’s Conduct for § 1170(d)(2)(B) Purposes, by Douglas Ankney
  16. Third Circuit Announces Mere Physical Proximity of Guns and Drugs Insufficient for Automatic Application of U.S.S.G. § 2K2.1(b)(6)(B) Enhancement Under Commentary Note 14(B), Creates Rebuttable Presumption, by Douglas Ankney
  17. California Supreme Court Announces Mandatory Supervision Conditions Un-der Realignment Act Evaluated for Reasonableness on Case-by-Case Basis Under Lent Test, by Anthony Accurso
  18. Montana Supreme Court: Defendant’s Due Process Rights Violated by Delayed Initial Appearance for Two Years While Jailed in New York on Out-of-State Warrant, by David Reutter
  19. U.S. Sentencing Commission Creates New Sentencing Tool for Judges, by Dale Chappell
  20. California Supreme Court Announces Not All Subsequent Habeas Petitions Under Death Penalty Reform and Savings Act Are ‘Successive’, by Dale Chappell
  21. Who Defends the Public Defenders?, by Jayson Hawkins
  22. Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Announces Impacted Third Party Has Right to Appeal Motion Granting Postconviction DNA Testing, by Matthew Clarke
  23. The Long-Term Effects of 9/11: Naturally, More Surveillance, by Jayson Hawkins
  24. Ninth Circuit: California Law Prohibiting Recovery of Loss of Life Damages Inconsistent With § 1983, by Douglas Ankney
  25. Second Circuit Declares Police Firearms Examiners Subject to Brady, Examiner Who Failed to Disclose Exculpatory Ballistics Report Not Entitled to Qualified Immunity, by Douglas Ankney
  26. Ninth Circuit: Washington’s Sentencing Guidelines, Not Statutory Maximum, Set Upper Limit for Sentence When Determining Grade of Violation of Supervised Release Under U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, by Douglas Ankney
  27. Nevada Supreme Court Reverses Denial of Motion to Withdraw Guilty Plea Because Defendant Had Strong Argument for Speedy Trial Violation and Colorable Claim of IAC, by Douglas Ankney
  28. Iowa Supreme Court Calls SCOTUS’ Fourth Amendment Jurisprudence ‘a Mess,’ Announces Departure from Lockstep Adherence, and Rules Warrantless Seizure and Search of Defendant’s Curbside Trash Unlawful, by Anthony Accurso
  29. Missouri Supreme Court: Evidence Found in Cell Phone Seized at Sheriff’s Office Instead of Defendant’s Home, Identified as Location to Be Searched in Warrant, Must Be Suppressed, by Anthony Accurso
  30. First Circuit: ‘Controlled Substances Offense’ Under § 2K2.1(a)(2) of USSG Refers to Time of Sentencing, Not Time of Prior Conviction, by Anthony Accurso
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  33. Study: Petty Court Fines and Fees Creates ‘Vicious Cycle’ of Debt for Years, by Dale Chappell
  34. Hawai’i Supreme Court: Prosecutor’s Cumulative Misconduct Deprived Defendant of a Fair Trial, Vacates Denial of Motion for New Trial, by Douglas Ankney
  35. Cop Gets Money for Nothing, Awards for Free, by Edward Lyon
  36. Veterans Restorative Justice Act Offers More Than Alternatives to Jail in Minnesota, by Douglas Ankney
  37. Microbiome: The Latest in Cutting Edge Forensics, by Michael Fortino, Ph.D
  38. Secret CBP Teams New DHS Weapon of Mass Surveillance, by Jayson Hawkins
  39. Biden’s DOJ Targets Police Misconduct, by Dale Chappell
  40. Fifth Circuit: Texas Police Get Qualified Immunity for Knowingly Using Taser to Ignite Gasoline-Soaked, Suicidal Man, Killing Him and Destroying Family’s House, by Matthew Clarke
  41. Big Brother’s Eyes and Ears: Understanding and mitigating the impact of high-tech surveillance, by Anthony Accurso
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  43. News in Brief

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