Chief Ramsey (DC) Can Be Held Liable for Mass Arrests

[Romulus]

In non-firearm related news, it seem that ol' Chief Ramsey will actually have to answer for his mass arrest order during 2002's anti-Bush & anti-IMF/World Bank protests in DC. It appears that he lost his bid to be stricken from the suit, which apparently personally names him as a party. If you give the order, you should be held accountable.

http://www.wtop.com/index.php?nid=25&sid=283326

Judge: D.C. Police Chief Can be Held Liable for Mass Arrests
Updated: Tuesday, Sep. 28, 2004 - 6:28 AM

WASHINGTON (AP) - A federal judge has ruled that D.C. Police Chief Charles Ramsey and his assistant could be held personally liable for the mass arrest of 400 protesters at a downtown park two years ago.
The arrests occurred at Pershing Park during the World Bank and International Monetary Fund meetings in Washington.

The judge's ruling concludes that Assistant Chief Peter Newsham made the arrests without giving an order for protesters to disperse. The judge said Ramsey was at the park at the time and had been briefed by Newsham.

The ruling came in two lawsuits filed by protesters against D.C. and the police department.

*snip/more*

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For some background (the ACLU's take on the arrests):

http://www.aclu-nca.org/sLegalAction.asp
ACLU Files Second Lawsuit Over MPD Mass False Arrests
ACLU-NCA has filed a second class action lawsuit on behalf of approximately 200 people who were arrested outside of Pershing Park on September 27, 2002. One group of about 40 demonstrators was trapped and arrested on Connecticut Avenue and another group of about 150 people was trapped and arrested near Vermont Avenue and K Street. While it’s possible that some of these people broke the law -- for example, by parading in the street without a permit -- the lawsuit alleges that the police trapped and arrested the entire group without any ability to distinguish between individuals who might have violated the law and individuals who did not. And like the Pershing Park arrestees, these individuals were detained after their arrests in physically onerous and unnecessary wrist-to-ankle restraints. To see the complaint, http://www.aclu-nca.org/pdf/Second_Demo_Diamond_Complaint.pdf

(from the same ACLU page):
Police Investigation Confirms that Arrests at Pershing Park were Improper
An internal Metropolitan Police Department investigation into the mass arrestof 400 people in Pershing Park in September 2002 found that all of the arrests were unlawful, as the ACLU-NCA had alleged in a lawsuit filed last spring. The police report was released on September 12, 2003, by order of federal judge Emmet G. Sullivan, who is presiding over the ACLU’s lawsuit and three other cases filed on behalf of arrestees.

As the ACLU had alleged, the internal investigation confirmed that the police had confined hundreds of people in the park and then arrested them even though no police officer had seen them commit any crime. To see the MPD internal report, click http://www.dcwatch.com/police/030125.htm.

[MrSandman]

1. Stopping the police state...

:-)

[el_gato]

2. This is very important

[Wickerman]

3. thanks for the post

non-firearm and all!
:7

[gatlingforme]

4. Thanks for the post too. I think this is important not only b/c finally

a chief of police is going to be held accountable for his officers actions, he is also acountable for his own, which is highly unusual given the close relationship a chief has with prosicutors and judges. this is great and I hope the ACLU prevails. suspended sentences are common to give a chief or sheriff who went out of line

It is funny that Ramsey has been put on the line, given the fact that he thinks he is untouchable. I would have liked to have been a fly on the wall when he was informed of this.

I also would like to see mandatory audits of sheriff offices around the country. (independent of course) That would be great.

Since the Sheriffs are elected they can get away with alot of BS on the books. An audit (mandatory) would stop most of the crap they do sometimes at taxpayer expense.

[MrSandman]

5. I think it is civil, not criminal...

...he is also acountable for his own, which is highly unusual given the close relationship a chief has with prosicutors and judges. this is great and I hope the ACLU prevails. suspended sentences are common to give a chief or sheriff who went out of line

[gatlingforme]

6. I assumed that but I was not sure . More than likely that is the case

but it still goes to taxpayers footing the bill. Unless the judge says otherwise, the taxpayers are paying for the jerks misdeeds. criminal or civil. UGH....

[MrSandman]

7. If indeed there is a judgement against ,gov...

There should be a criminal prosecution.