Change.org Petition: "Police Killed Our Roommate"

[dannno]

Sign: http://www.change.org/petitions/madison-police-chief-noble-wray-take-officer-stephen-heimsness-off-the-streets



Madison Police Chief Noble Wray: Take Officer Stephen Heimsness Off The Streets

Petition by
Nathan and Amelia Royko Maurer
Madison, WI


When we asked our good friend Paulie Heenan to move in with us and our little daughter, we never expected that he would be killed by a Madison police officer. Paulie was your go-to guy for lending a helping hand or repairing broken stuff: your car, your computer, your heart. That's why we asked him to stay with us when he moved back to Madison after spending 8 years in New York.

After a night out scouting bands for his new job at a local recording studio, a friend dropped Paulie off near our house. But it was dark, Paulie had been drinking, and he was new to the neighborhood -- so he didn't realize that he'd mistakenly entered our neighbor's nearly identical unlocked home. The homeowner, Kevin O’Malley, recognized Paulie and started to help him get his bearings. Not knowing what was happening, his wife Megan called the police as a precaution while Kevin guided Paulie home. When the police arrived, the simple misunderstanding turned into a tragic killing.

The first officer to respond was Stephen Heimsness, who has a record of using excessive force stretching back to 2001. Paulie may not have known that Heimsness was an officer -- when he arrived on the scene, his police lights were off, he snuck up on the men from half a block away, didn’t verbally identify himself as a police officer, and immediately pointed his gun and began yelling at the men to get on the ground. Kevin O'Malley said he thought it was another neighbor coming to assist or possibly just someone out walking their dog before he heard the officer's shouts and noticed the gun pointed in his direction.

Paulie and Heimsness scuffled for a moment before Paulie, realizing that Heimsness was an officer, stepped back with his hands raised according to O’Malley’s account -- and Heimsness shot him three times in the chest. Kevin repeatedly told Heimsness, "He's a neighbor!" but says that the officer did nothing to defuse the situation.

http://d22r54gnmuhwmk.cloudfront.net/photos/6/ax/ef/bvaXefoWodMNjOH-556x313-noPad.jpg


Sign: http://www.change.org/petitions/madison-police-chief-noble-wray-take-officer-stephen-heimsness-off-the-streets

[Pericles]

The letter writer needs to be educated about what highly trained gun experts police officers are. /SARCASM

[coastie]

his wife Megan called the police as a precaution while Kevin guided Paulie home

While not how I want anyone to learn this lesson, I am comforted by the fact she's unlikely to make that mistake again.

[kathy88]

While not how I want anyone to learn this lesson, I am comforted by the fact she's unlikely to make that mistake again.

I wouldn't be too sure.

[coastie]

I wouldn't be too sure.


Yeah, you probably right.

[pacodever]

In 2001, he was suspended from the force for shooting out a fleeing suspect’s tires against department policy. And in 2010, the city of Madison paid nearly $30,000 to a man who Heimsness allegedly beat and stomped into a bloody pulp. And now, in failing to follow MPD's use of force continuum, Paulie Heenan is dead. In 2001, he was suspended from the force for shooting out a fleeing suspect’s tires against department policy. And in 2010, the city of Madison paid nearly $30,000 to a man who Heimsness allegedly beat and stomped into a bloody pulp. And now, in failing to follow MPD's use of force continuum, Paulie Heenan is dead.

This is one of the most frustrating parts. These law enforcement thugs almost always have a history of using unnecessary force. The American Statesman did an analysis of Austin PD for instance:


Finally, the paper’s review showed a handful of Austin police officers consistently use force at a rate considerably higher than most. Officers who used force between 2009 and 2011 filed an average of three such reports per year.
But 21 Austin police officers each reported using force 40 or more times in the past 3½ years. Six of the officers had single years during which they reported 30 or more force incidents; one filed 71 use of force reports from the beginning of 2009 to mid-2012. Each worked primarily in the entertainment district.

That is LESS than 1% of police officers with MORE than HALF of all force incidents. That is INSANE. It is only a matter of time until one of these guys kills a citizen, intentionally or unintentionally as a result of their proclivity for handling situations with force, rather than diffusing situations or using the minimum amount of force necessary. IF the force WAS necessarry, wouldn't you see a more even distribution of the incidents? Thugs, thieves, and murderers.

http://www.statesman.com/news/news/local/austin-police-departments-use-of-force-climbing/nTsbm/