Cop Who Beat Up Handcuffed Suspect Convicted, Fined Two Dollars as Punishment

[SeanTX]

According to the the article it was the jury who determined this "punishment"? At first I assumed it was a judge -- great, even when the mundanes have a chance to do something about thug cops they let them off. Maybe we should stop complaining about it being a "JustUs" system , when we the citizens allow it and enable it.

http://www.wlwt.com/news/local-news/Ky-police-officer-fined-2-for-striking-man/-/9837878/19251946/-/e2lif0/-/index.html

Ky. police officer fined $2 for striking man
Man could have faced more than year in jail
Published 5:37 PM EST Mar 09, 2013

LOUISVILLE —A Louisville police officer has been fined $2 after being convicted of official misconduct and harassment for striking a handcuffed suspect multiple times.

A Jefferson District Jury on Friday fined officer David Graham $1 for each of the charges stemming from the March 31, 2012 arrest of 19-year-old John R. Sanders. A videotape of Sanders' arrest shows Graham poking Sanders multiple times in the throat and slapping him.

Graham could have faced up to 12 months in jail on the misconduct charge and up to 90 days in jail for the harassment charge.

First Assistant Jefferson County Attorney Julie Hardesty called the guilty verdict "significant," even though the sentence was small.

Defense attorney Steve Schroering told The Courier-Journal his client was disappointed at being convicted, but thankful the jury gave him the "absolute minimum penalty."

Schoering said he would assume that the jury's message in imposing the $2 fine was "that while he was technically wrong in his conduct, they forgave him under the circumstances."

SNIP

Sanders and another man were accused of punching, kicking and using pepper spray on someone in Old Louisville while taking an e-reader and other items. That case is still pending.

[phill4paul]

I hope every member of the jury receives as equal a treatment by a law enforcement officer.

[SeanTX]

I hope every member of the jury receives as equal a treatment by a law enforcement officer.

Oh, well, that's part of the problem, most people think "well, I'm not a criminal, so that will never happen to me!" .

[tod evans]

The ability of a prosecutor to challenge jurors must be rescinded.

A "jury of your peers" doesn't mean whomever the prosecutor finds appealing.

[AFPVet]

So they just slap him on the wrist (not even a slap) and he remains free to accost others—knowing that the next time he beats the shit out of someone, he may still get out of it with a slap on the wrist as opposed to being locked up like he should be.

If these thugs aren't adequately punished, they will never learn.

[MoneyWhereMyMouthIs2]

Sanders and another man were accused of punching, kicking and using pepper spray on someone in Old Louisville while taking an e-reader and other items. That case is still pending.


I'm in no way excusing the officer's behavior. But I have an idea why the jury may have done this.

If you are "kicking and using pepper spray on someone in Old Louisville while taking an e-reader and other items," then you are probably assaulting and robbing a University of Louisville student. ("Old Louisville" is near campus and many college students live there off campus.) It may have even been a young lady for all we know. So the cop's misbehavior turned into a case about the accused crime of the cop's victim.