Alleged "failure to signal" leads police to pull over and sexually assault 28-year-old single mother

[Junkdrawer]

ALBANY-- The cops in the marked patrol car had circled through West Hill a couple times keeping an eye on their female target.
They were part of the Street Drug Unit, an aggressive squad assigned to help rid Albany's neighborhoods of drug dealers and addicts blamed for much of the city's problems.

It was early evening and already dark when the patrol car's emergency lights flashed in the rearview mirror of Lisa Shutter's Mitsubishi sedan on Quail Street, just off Central Avenue.

Police records show the officers called out a "Signal 38" to alert a dispatcher they were onto something suspicious and about to pull someone over. They would later write in a report that they had pulled her over for "failure to signal," although no ticket was issued, according to police records shared with the Times Union.

The actions of police in the minutes that followed would end in controversy rather than with an arrest. They would also leave Shutter, a 28-year-old single mother from Ravena, shaken and angry after one of the officers allegedly inserted his finger into Shutter's vagina on a public street during an apparent search for drugs.

When it was over, "I pulled off down the road and I just cried for probably a half hour," Shutter said. "I called my dad. ... I felt like I had been basically raped."

....

http://timesunion.com/AspStories/storyprint.asp?StoryID=668448

[Spangle]

1. The system is allowed to abuse freelly

The victums are not allowed to be considered victums.

[Gold Metal Flake]

2. Defend yourselves.

This woman's cell phone was illegally searched, her personal right violated because she "fit the profile" Well, guess what? In the new Police State of America we all fit the profile.

It is clear to me now that anyone, anywhere can be considered to "fit the profile". Since renting a car is now considered a "suspicious act" and anyone driving a rental car can be considered 'a person of interest", it behooves anyone who rents a car to take a moment before driving off the rental lot to remove all of the little stickers that the rental company puts on the car, including the bumper stickers, bar codes, service records on the windshield and those little colored dots. You can stick them to the inside of the trunk lid if you feel guilty about removing them. If the car has a rental company license plate frame with their name or logo on it, remove it as well. Buy a cheap screwdriver and leave it in the trunk if you must.

I have always done the above to lower the conspicuity of cars I rent, but it used to be as a defensive measure against theft. Now, I will continue to do so to prevent unwanted attention from the enforcement wing of our police state.

USA USA USA USA USA!

[crikkett]

25. Along those lines the only number you should store on your cellphone is an Emergency Contact.

in case the phone is lost or you are injured and someone must help you.

[Junkdrawer]

3. "Police search furor grows"....

ALBANY -- Chief James W. Tuffey said Wednesday that his department is not obligated to report all civilian complaints against police officers to a Citizens' Police Review Board, but several city lawmakers have said that was not the intention of the law they created.
The review board was established eight years ago to oversee complaints against police officers at a time when the department was plagued by allegations of misconduct, civil rights violations and mishandled internal affairs investigations.

"The law is clear that if a complaint was filed with the internal affairs, and if it was a complaint, it would be forwarded to the review board so they would be aware of the complaint," said Councilman Richard Conti, who wrote that portion of the law.

...

"This lady asked us not to report it to the review board, and that's part of the investigation," Tuffey said.

However, Shutter told the Times Union in a recent interview that she was not aware of the review board's existence until the internal affairs commander told her about it. She said the commander told her that the department would like to keep the matter "internal" and that internal affairs would do an adequate job. She said he persuaded her not to bring her complaint to the panel.

....

http://timesunion.com/AspStories/storyprint.asp?StoryID=669569

[midnight]

11. Do citizen police review boards exists for all police departments.

Because to be honest, I didn't know this?

[Junkdrawer]

13. In Pgh.,PA, ours came in when the Feds demanded reform...

I don't know, but I doubt the Feds under Bush still do this...

[midnight]

16. Thanks for your input, but still unclear about who watches over

these abuses. Internal affairs seems to be made up of more of the same abusers according to this women's opinion that they made her uncomfortable. Wanting her to wear the same clothes.

[Junkdrawer]

17. Well, since we didn't have a citizen's review board until the Civil Rights Division of Justice...

came in, I'm guessing they're optional unless:

1.) Local government demands it

or

2.) The Federal Justice Department demands it

And I guess that, if you local government won't do it, you'd need to file a complaint with the Justice Department. And, under Bush, I'm thinking that's a long shot.

[High Plains]

28. Most review boards are a joke.

The cops hate having anyone have oversight over them.

They seek, and effectively have, immunity.

The cops get away with murder on a regular basis. They are out of control.

[salin]

4. What the ****? Then internal affairs reportedly does this (below)

Shutter said she grew increasingly unnerved by her experience with internal affairs -- which is known as the Office of Professional Standards -- because male detectives twice requested she wear clothes from the night of the incident to re-enact the body search.

Intimidation ? Make her so horrified that she drops the complaint? Or sadism - making her relive the abuse?

I hope she brings a law suit and wins. Absolutely disgusting story.

[Junkdrawer]

6. Yep..it started out bad and has grown worse...

Why, it's almost like Federal rules are dripping down to the local level...

[salin]

7. You mean the use of official governmental groups to serve the

public by "protecting them from the knowledge of abuse and illegal behavior of governmental actors", rather than acutally providing the service that they are paid to do?

Yep - I have to agree with your assessment.

[crikkett]

24. who or what were you quoting in that post?

I'd like to read the context around it.
Thanks.

[Subdivisions]

14. The word is "fuck". n/t

[salin]

15. why put a word in my mouth?

it could also be "hell".

[Elspeth]

5. This was rape; the officers should be charged criminally

"one of the officers allegedly inserted his finger into Shutter's vagina on a public street during an apparent search for drugs."

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

8. this woman's experience tells me to go immediately to the news

and citizen's groups if anything like this happens to me. No way would I trust the cops to monitor themselves.

[ensho]

9. you think these men would vote for Hillary?

may those cops fall down and never get up

[PurityOfEssence]

38. Of what POSSIBLE value is this post?

Are you citing this as an example that Hillary Clinton is less electable than Barack Obama? It certainly smells like that.

[ensho]

51. I was saying, will cops that finger rape a woman vote for a woman?

just pointing out the ways of the patriarchy

[purji]

54. thats so stupid

my IQ dropped just reading that.

[ensho]

57. made me lol

nt

[gollygee]

42. Oh yeah, HRC shouldn't get the nomination because she doesn't appeal to the rapist contingent

good argument.

[ensho]

52. get a grip, gollygee your brain is spinning

men who rape and abuse women will not vote for a woman to be president.

all cop stations in the US deal MOST with domestic violence.

men are the perps in most domestic violence against women.

abusers won't vote for a woman.

[Joanne98]

10. Oh how nice!!!!!!

[leftofthedial]

12. Amerika. We're Number Two!

When will the people fight back?

[Echo In Light]

18. I posted/sourced this earlier and it was apparently removed/deleted

???

[Junkdrawer]

20. I'm betting it was the link you posted...

I changed the link to the Albany paper and reposted to check my theory...

So far, no delete...

[Echo In Light]

35. Apparently learning which cites are on DU's "Enemy List" is by trial and error

Hell if I know.

I was notified by a mod once that the website California research, or something like that, had been charged with being "unfriendly to DU." A cursory glance at the cite certainly didn't reveal anything of the sort. But it's primarily a cite dealing with contributions of west coast 9/11 truthers. Guess that is enough to deem it "unfriendly to DU."

[Junkdrawer]

37. That'll do it...

DU used to be a big 9/11 research site (and a big blackbox voting research site, and...).

USED to be...

[tblue37]

39. "site" n/t

[Echo In Light]

46. Funny that I managed to spell it correctly/incorrectly in the same post!

Good of you to point it out though ... best intentions, I'm sure.

[tblue37]

59. Normally I wouldn't have said anything--it's the sort of error we all make

when typing on the run. But I kept reading "cites unfavorable to DU" as "cities unfavorable to DU," and I had to keep backing up to reread the sentences.

[Snarkturian Clone]

48. Are you sure that's what it was?

People cite prisonplanet.com all the time here and I've never seen those deleted... if there's any site that shouldn't be cited, it's that one.

[Hydra]

19. Makes you wonder what kind of nation we really live in

When this is how our law enforcement spend their time.

[crikkett]

21. basically, she had been raped.

[RedCappedBandit]

22. This is rape.

Police state amerika. Where all citizens are potential criminals.

Still support the war on drugs?

[cseper]

23. This abuse must end....

law enforcement is out of control in this country. Most of our law officers are, judge, jury, and God.

[High Plains]

26. "Fuck tha police"-- Exhibit # 345,908

We get these abusive policing stories just about every goddamned day.

I say we end the war on drugs, and lay-off about half these chumps and make them earn an honest living.

I see one of these guys is a second generation narc. I wonder how many others he has abused.

[Uncle Joe]

30. I agree, she's another victim

of this asinine "War on Drugs" and the resultant erosion of the American People's freedom and privacy. Even the police after decades of demanding our piss as if it's a god given right for them to have it are slowly being numbed to the idea, that in the grand scheme of things we as humans or American citizens are just their cattle.

I don't believe this Orwellian "War against Drugs" makes any sense whatsoever for the American People, it has no possible end and only serves to enslave us, eroding our rights just as water over time erodes a rock to sand, and try building a house on sand. I believe that's what we're doing to our nation by slowly eroding our bedrock notion of freedom and privacy, creating a loss of self, privacy, freedom and literally building our nation on sand, that's why "the land of the free has" more people in prison than any other nation on the planet.

I'm waiting eagerly for the COPS television show to come out with at least one program dedicated to catching police brutality and sexual assault on video, No doubt they must have plenty, but I'm not holding my breath.

[Poll_Blind]

27. It IS rape and I am so sorry for this woman. I hope she sues and wins! n/t

PB

[KaptBunnyPants]

29. Were is the official DU police support squad?

I'm sure that somehow this will be justified as heroic action by the usual crew of supposedly "left-wing" authoritarians among us.

[uppityperson]

32. Be patient, they'll show up. It is Sunday you know, probably sleeping in or something.

[HCE SuiGeneris]

31. This poor woman. How many of these attacks never see the light of day?

Corruption, and the protectionism that is attached to it, is rampant in this country. Where does it end...

[nashville_brook]

33. if he had pulled drugs out of her vagina, he wouldn't have been able to arrest her for it.

sorry to put it so crudely, but that's the bottom line here. what he did was rape, pure and simple.

[ThatsMyBarack]

34. They plug butts, too, don't they?

What a touchy-feely police-state we live in! :hurts: :mad:

[struggle4progress]

36. (1) Just say no. (2) Ask nicely "Have you ever heard of the Fourth Amendment?"

(3) Offer to recite the Fourth Amendment for them (4) Say, slowly and distinctly, "The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized" (5) Explain that if properly arrested for and charged with a recognizable crime, one will cooperate with the legal process without abandoning insistence upon one's ancient or constitutional rights -- but that one will nevertheless be very distressed and insulted by false arrest

The Amendment has a lovely cadence and is easily memorized

As a general rule, one should not willingly abandon rights: they only exist insofar as one actually insists upon using them

[femmedem]

40. Sounds good in theory.

But in practice I think it's likely to result in a serious beating.

[struggle4progress]

41. I've done what I recommend more than once and was never beaten.

Some people are certainly afflicted by an Authoritarian Personality Disorder, that causes them to fly into rages when their commands are not instantly obeyed -- but much violence is produced by frightened cowardice, and if one carefully avoids playing the assigned and expected role of an unpredictable dangerous threat, one can actually get away with quite a lot: in particular, in my experience, one can firmly stand up for one's rights while being courteous and calm and non-threatening and non-argumentative

[femmedem]

43. Interesting! Gives me a bit of faith.

My post was based on a friend's experience. He's very thin, has Tourrette's syndrome, looks sort of weird and walks around by himself late at night. The cops wanted to see his ID. He recited pretty much what you suggested, and he got beat pretty badly.

Also, I have some friends who the cops thought were selling drugs based on a bad tip. Cops stormed their house in the middle of the night, wrecked everything, wouldn't let the young husband back into the house and wouldn't let the young wife get dressed. And she worked for the state, knew her rights and spoke up--didn't help.

On the other hand, doing some freeway blogging two cops tried to tell us to move on, but when we calmly recited the law they let us stay. We were lucky one of the cops was older, calmer and more experienced. The younger cop was clearly for the war and pissed.

[struggle4progress]

45. I don't at all doubt your anecdotes, and they may represent common occurrences

I simply assume that fear and anger and irrationality are contagious and that one is more likely to succeed if unafraid and calm and rational and non-threatening. Of course, nothing like that works when one faces the real nazis -- but fortunately they are not the majority

[femmedem]

47. Yes.

And I don't know how calm and unafraid everyone in my examples appeared, even if their words were rational and justice was on their side.

[PVnRT]

53. So...it's her fault she got finger-fucked?

Lovely :eyes:

[struggle4progress]

58. That's neither what I said nor my point of view. What I said was: Don't consent to an illegal search

Use your rights or lose em

[PVnRT]

60. Ummm.....OK

"Use your rights or lose em."

So, by not consenting, it's her own fault she got raped? Your comments still aren't making any sense.

[struggle4progress]

61. Or just maybe y'might could wanna take one a them refresher courses in readin

[flvegan]

44. Lawyer up and sue the shit out of them.

Take their jobs, put them in prison and collect a check. Nothing will change nor erase what happened, but make sure they feel the pain and it doesn't happen again.

[Indenturedebtor]

49. Yeah let their cellmates search these sacks of crap

The penalties for Cops who break the law should be five times what they are for normal citizens imo. It undermines everything. And they should never ever ever have been given this much power.

But now that they have been given such, they should be under constant video surveillance.

Poor girl. The thought of this happening to my wife makes me want to murder someone with my bare hands.

These scumbags should rot in a living hell.

[Tesha]

50. Everyone should know the telephone number for their local ACLU affiliate.

And everyone should also learn some magic words:

"I do not consent to your search". Don't resist, but
make sure the police know this.

"I have nothing to say to you. I want a lawyer."

"Am I under arrest? If not, I'm leaving."

Tesha

[RB TexLa]

55. I don't understand what the victim's marital status or being a mother has to do with this?

[KansDem]

56. Arrest them...try them...put them in prison and put them on the sexual offenders list...

If found guilty.

[Skittles]

62. ????

so when I'm on a business trip in a rented car I am automatically a drug suspect???