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Many big US cities now answer mental health crisis calls with civilian teams -- not police
Read full article: Many big US cities now answer mental health crisis calls with civilian teams -- not policeThe Associated Press has found that 14 of the 20 most populous U.S. cities are experimenting with removing police from some nonviolent 911 calls and sending behavioral health clinicians.
City to pay $12M to kin of Prude, Black man killed by police
Read full article: City to pay $12M to kin of Prude, Black man killed by policeRochester officials have agreed to pay $12 million to the children of Daniel Prude, a Black man who died after police held him down until he stopped breathing on a snowy street in the upstate New York city.
$14M jury award for protesters could resonate around US
Read full article: $14M jury award for protesters could resonate around USA federal jury’s $14 million award to Denver protesters injured during 2020 demonstrations over the police killing of George Floyd could resonate nationwide as courts weigh more than two dozen similar lawsuits.
Police chiefs hail Chauvin verdict as a key step to healing
Read full article: Police chiefs hail Chauvin verdict as a key step to healingLaw enforcement leaders say the conviction of former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin for George Floyd's death is a step toward restoring trust in the criminal justice system and repairing relations with communities.
EXPLAINER: Why ‘excited delirium’ came up at Derek Chauvin trial?
Read full article: EXPLAINER: Why ‘excited delirium’ came up at Derek Chauvin trial?The attorney for the former Minneapolis police officer accused of murder and manslaughter in George Floyd’s death outlined the disputed concept of excited delirium at trial.
State's own expert told grand jury police didn't kill Prude
Read full article: State's own expert told grand jury police didn't kill PrudeNewly released transcripts show that prosecutors overseeing a grand jury investigation into the death of Daniel Prude last year in Rochester, New York, undercut the case for criminal charges with testimony from a medical expert who said police officers who held Prude to the ground didn’t do anything wrong.
EXPLAINER: Why outside prosecutors review killings by police
Read full article: EXPLAINER: Why outside prosecutors review killings by policeA white former police officer is being charged with second-degree manslaughter in the killing of 20-year-old Daunte Wright, just three days after the Black man was shot during a traffic stop in a Minneapolis suburb.
Amid outcry, states push mental health training for police
Read full article: Amid outcry, states push mental health training for policeLawmakers in several states are proposing legislation that would require more training for police in how to interact with someone in a mental crisis following some high-profile deaths.
Probe faults mayor, officials for keeping Prude death secret
Read full article: Probe faults mayor, officials for keeping Prude death secretThe report said Singletary told the mayor the officers restrained Prude, but the chief “consistently deemphasized” the role of restraints in Prude's death, and his statements to officials didn't “capture the disturbing tenor of the entire encounter." AdA lawyer for Singletary said, under a first review of the report, Singletary “was truthful in his statements" to Warren and other city officials. “He never participated in any cover-up nor did he intentionally downplay the circumstances" around Prude's death, Michael Tallon said in a statement. Warren told the public Singletary initially told her Prude’s death was a “drug overdose,” but Friday’s report said he never told her that. His family has filed a federal lawsuit alleging the police department sought to cover up the true nature of Prude’s death.
Wrongful death suit filed on behalf of Daniel Prude's kids
Read full article: Wrongful death suit filed on behalf of Daniel Prude's kidsCORRECTS TO BROTHER NOT UNCLE OF DANIEL PRUDE - FILE - In this Sept. 3, 2020, file photo, Joe Prude, right, brother of Daniel Prude, and Daniel's nephew Armin, stand with a picture of Daniel Prude in Rochester, N.Y. He always showed me and my brother and sisters how much he loved us," Prude's oldest son, Nathaniel McFarland, said in a statement. The death went mostly unpublicized until nearly six months later, when police body camera video was released following pressure from Prude’s family. Ad“You could hardly find an example of a worse response to a mental health crisis when what happened to Daniel Prude that night,” Piers said during a video news conference with McFarland, who did not speak. He did not immediately respond later in the day after Prude family attorneys outlined their claims in a news conference.
Police investigate pepper spraying of mother near toddler
Read full article: Police investigate pepper spraying of mother near toddlerA Rochester police officer has been placed on administrative duty after using pepper spray on the woman, authorities said Friday. Ad“Both incidents involved Black mothers. Both involved Black children. Both involved Black people obviously in crisis. Both involved officers using pepper spray on or around a Black child,” PAB Chair Shani Wilson said during a video news conference Friday.
Daniel Prude case reflects difficulty of prosecuting police
Read full article: Daniel Prude case reflects difficulty of prosecuting policeThe Daniel Prude case marks the third time a grand jury has declined to bring charges in a case handled by the Special Investigations and Prosecutions Unit, created in 2015 amid an outcry over police skirting punishment in the deaths of unarmed Black people. And they note that it is more common than not for prosecutors to run into obstacles when pursuing charges against police. She said the unit should be more aggressive about bringing charges, for the sake of the families seeking justice. It has brought murder charges against two officers, but most of its investigations haven't resulted in prosecutions. The officers, since suspended, held him down for about two minutes until Prude stopped breathing.
Prude’s family says videos show crime; Officers say no
Read full article: Prude’s family says videos show crime; Officers say noFILE - In this Sept. 3, 2020, file photo, Joe Prude, right, brother of Daniel Prude, and Daniel's nephew Armin, stand with a picture of Daniel Prude in Rochester, N.Y. Prude said Wednesday that videos recorded by Rochester Police officers' body cameras after they caught up with Daniel Prude, naked on a frigid night last March, are irrefutable proof of a crime. The officers’ attorneys said Daniel Prude’s use of PCP, which caused irrational behavior, was “the root cause” of his death. AdThe attorney general also called for communities to minimize or eliminate police responses to mental health calls. Nathaniel McFarland, one of Daniel Prude's five children, said he was not surprised that the officers weren't charged.
No charges against officers involved in Daniel Prude's death
Read full article: No charges against officers involved in Daniel Prude's deathFILE - In this Sept. 3, 2020, file photo, Joe Prude, right, uncle of Daniel Prude, and Daniel's nephew Armin, stand with a picture of Daniel Prude in Rochester, N.Y. AdLawyers for the seven police officers suspended over Prude’s death have said the officers were strictly following their training that night, employing a restraining technique known as “segmenting.” They claimed Prude’s use of PCP, which caused irrational behavior, was “the root cause” of his death. “The system failed Daniel Prude again," Prude family lawyer Elliot Shields said of the grand jury's decision. Michael Magri, were suspended after Prude’s death became public. "Our actions going forward will ensure that Daniel Prude’s death was not in vain.”AdSome activists said that they never expected the officers to face charges.
'I am a child!' Pepper spray reflects policing of Black kids
Read full article: 'I am a child!' Pepper spray reflects policing of Black kidsThe case has spurred outrage as the latest example of law enforcement mistreatment of Black people, and one that shows even Black children are not exempt. Research shows Black children are often viewed as being older than they are, and are more likely to be seen as threatening or dangerous. Advocates have long said that leads to police treating them in ways they wouldn’t dream of treating white children. A study published in the journal Pediatrics in late 2020 found Black children and teenagers were six times as likely to die from police gunfire as white children. New York isn't the only place where police treatment of Black children has been a flashpoint.
Rochester officers who pepper-sprayed 9-year-old suspended
Read full article: Rochester officers who pepper-sprayed 9-year-old suspendedRochester, New York police released two body-camera videos of officers restraining the girl. According a local news outlet, Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren expressed her concern for the child. (Rochester Police Department via AP)The city of Rochester has suspended police officers seen in body-camera videos spraying a chemical “irritant” in the face of a distraught and handcuffed 9-year-old girl, officials announced Monday. The city did not specify how many officers were suspended. “There is no conceivable justification for the Rochester police to subject a 9-year-old to pepper spray, period," NYCLU Executive Director Donna Lieberman said Monday.
Rochester mayor pleads not guilty in campaign finance case
Read full article: Rochester mayor pleads not guilty in campaign finance caseRochester Mayor Lovely Warren walks out of city court after her arraignment in Rochester, N.Y., Monday, Oct. 5, 2020. Warren, who has faced calls to resign over her city's handling of the suffocation death of Daniel Prude at the hands of police, pleaded not guilty Monday to campaign finance charges dating to her 2017 reelection campaign. (AP Photo/Adrian Kraus)ROCHESTER, N.Y. – Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren, who has faced calls to resign over her city’s handling of the suffocation death of Daniel Prude at the hands of police, pleaded not guilty Monday to campaign finance charges dating to her 2017 reelection campaign. “She welcomes the opportunity for the public to see whether the district attorney’s charges hold water,” attorney Joseph Damelio said outside court after the proceeding. Supporters who gathered outside court said they still have faith in Warren.
Rochester mayor indicted in campaign finance probe
Read full article: Rochester mayor indicted in campaign finance probeRochester Mayor Lovely Warren was indicted Friday on charges she broke campaign finance rules and committed fraud during her reelection campaign three years ago, adding another layer of crisis in a city that has been reeling over its handling of a police killing. Monroe County District Attorney Sandra Doorley also announced charges against Warren’s campaign treasurer, Albert Jones Jr., and the treasurer of her political action committee, Rosalind Brooks-Harris. The Democrat is midway through her second term as the first female and second Black mayor of Rochester, a city of more than 200,000 by Lake Ontario. Elections officials began fielding complaints about Warren's campaign finances in 2017, when Warren defeated two challengers in a Democratic primary leading to her reelection. “Lovely Warren is still the mayor of the city of Rochester,” she said.
The Latest: Vehicle runs into California protesters, 1 hurt
Read full article: The Latest: Vehicle runs into California protesters, 1 hurtA few dozen demonstrators marched through Hollywood for hours on Thursday, one of many protests across the country demanding justice for Breonna Taylor. ___11:15 p.m.A protest has ended outside a Louisville church where demonstrators had rallied against a grand jury decision in the Breonna Taylor case. Instead, the only charges brought by the grand jury were three counts of wanton endangerment against fired Officer Brett Hankison for shooting into Taylor’s neighbors’ homes. ___10:50 p.m.Several arrests have been made near a downtown Louisville church where people protesting a grand jury decision in the Breonna Taylor case had gathered. Protests turned violent in some U.S. cities Wednesday night, hours after the grand jury decision in the Breonna Taylor case in Kentucky.
Police leaders pressed Rochester to keep Prude video secret
Read full article: Police leaders pressed Rochester to keep Prude video secretFILE- In this March 23, 2020 image made from police body camera video provided by Roth and Roth LLP, a Rochester police officer puts a hood over the head of Daniel Prude in Rochester, N.Y. After seeing the video, Warren emailed Singletary that she was “outraged” at the conduct of the officer who pressed Prude's head against the ground, Mark Vaughn, and that he should face an immediate disciplinary investigation. In an unsent draft of that email, Warren excoriated Singletary for having “grossly underplayed” Prude's death by first describing it to her a drug overdose. “Quite frankly, I would have expected the Chief of Police to have shown me this video in March,” Warren wrote in the draft. His family has filed a federal lawsuit alleging the police department sought to cover up the true nature of Prude’s death.
Rochester police chief out in fallout over Prude death
Read full article: Rochester police chief out in fallout over Prude deathROCHESTER, N.Y. – Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren fired the police chief and suspended her top lawyer and communications director Monday in the continuing upheaval over the suffocation death of Daniel Prude. “This initial look has shown what so many have suspected, that we have a pervasive problem in the Rochester Police Department,” Warren said. “I have apologized to the Prude family and this community for the failures that happened along the way, including my own,” Warren said. “As mayor, I own these failures.”Roj said he accepted the suspension, but claimed he was not aware of what happened to Prude until Aug. 4. He said Singletary told him in an email of an ongoing criminal investigation and that the mayor was already informed.
UN rights chief decries racism in US, keeps eye on Hong Kong
Read full article: UN rights chief decries racism in US, keeps eye on Hong KongThe comments from Michelle Bachelet came in a catch-all speech to open the latest session of the U.N.-backed Human Rights Council on Monday. She also raised concerns about the human rights situation in Myanmar, Nicaragua and Venezuela, among other places on her agenda. Many see the law as Beijing’s boldest move yet to remove a legal firewall between the semi-autonomous territory of Hong Kong and the mainland’s Communist Party system. “The Hong Kong authorities have consistently stated that the law is not intended to impact negatively on the peaceful exercise of human rights by Hong Kong residents,” said Bachelet. She said her office had documented 47 killings of human rights defenders in Colombia this year.
Rochester police leaders retire in wake of calls for change
Read full article: Rochester police leaders retire in wake of calls for changeROCHESTER, N.Y. Top police leaders in Rochester are retiring en masse amid criticism of the city's handling of the the suffocation death of Daniel Prude, Mayor Lovely Warren said Tuesday. LaRon Singletary, the citys police chief, is among those retiring, as is Deputy Chief Joseph M. Morabito and possibly other senior commanders, Warren said. Warren made the surprise announcement of the retirements at a City Council briefing being held online. Council members had expected the chief to appear in person to discuss ongoing protests over Prude's death. His death sparked outrage after his relatives last week released police body camera video and written reports they obtained through a public records request.
Naked with 'spit hoods' on, protesters decry Prude's death
Read full article: Naked with 'spit hoods' on, protesters decry Prude's deathROCHESTER, N.Y. Naked except for spit hoods in a reference to the killing of Daniel Prude, several protesters sat outside Rochester's police headquarters Monday morning to push for police accountability, local news outlets reported. Seven police officers were suspended Thursday, and state Attorney General Letitia James said Saturday she would form a grand jury and conduct an "exhaustive investigation into Prude's death. Warren and Police Chief LaRon Singletary have faced calls for their resignations over the delay in releasing details of Prudes death. Protesters gathered in a Rochester park Monday evening before moving to the city's Public Safety Building by nightfall, for a sixth consecutive night of demonstrations. On Sunday, police said more than 1,000 protesters marched to the Public Safety Building on a night more peaceful than the rest, with community elders acting as a buffer between officers and protesters.
Mayor promises police reforms following Daniel Prude's death
Read full article: Mayor promises police reforms following Daniel Prude's deathWarren suspended the seven officers involved in Prude's death last week after his family released police video from the March night when he was restrained on a city street. "The mayor and RPD must stop these warfare tactics now.The marches took place as New York's attorney general announced Saturday that a grand jury would investigate Prude's death. Protesters have called on Warren and Singletary to step down over the delay in releasing details of Prude's death. They've also demanded police accountability and legislation to change how authorities respond to mental health emergencies. But she said the city will double the availability of mental health professionals and work with Rochesters Commission on Racial and Structural Equity, or RASE, to re-envision the police department and how it responds to mental health crises.
Activists insist on changes to policing after Prude's death
Read full article: Activists insist on changes to policing after Prude's deathDemonstrators march through the streets in Rochester, N.Y., Friday, Sept. 4, 2020, protesting the death of Daniel Prude. Having police respond can be a recipe for disaster, The National Alliance on Mental Illness said in a statement Friday. Prudes death is yet another harrowing tragedy, but a story not unfamiliar to us, the advocacy group said. Activists have marched nightly in the city of 210,000 on Lake Ontario since police body camera videos of the encounter with Prude were released this week by his family. As they had the night before, officers doused activists at police headquarters with a chemical spray to drive them from barricades around the building.
Police use of spit hoods scrutinized after Black man's death
Read full article: Police use of spit hoods scrutinized after Black man's deathBut Prude's death is the second one involving spit hoods to surface since the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police sparked a national reckoning on racism and policing. Floyd's death did not involve a spit hood. Police handcuffed and placed a spit hood on the head of a naked man also in distress. In another similar episode, a 45-year-old man died in 2015 after police in Bernalillo, New Mexico, placed him in a spit hood, possibly incorrectly. Prison guards have also used spit hoods, sometimes to deadly effect.
Officers suspended in suffocation death; protesters unswayed
Read full article: Officers suspended in suffocation death; protesters unswayedRochester Mayor Lovely Warren announced the suspensions at a news conference Thursday amid outrage that city officials had previously kept quiet about Prude's death. Journalists were among those hit by pellets during the confrontation, which came on the second day of peaceful demonstrations over Prude's death. The mayor said she only became aware that Prude's death involved the use of force on Aug. 4. Warren said the seven officers would still be paid because of contract rules and that she was taking the action against the advice of attorneys. Prude's death happened just as the coronavirus was raging out of control in New York and received no public attention at the time.
Black man killed by Rochester police is remembered as loving
Read full article: Black man killed by Rochester police is remembered as lovingPrude died March 30 after he was taken off life support, seven days after the encounter with police in Rochester. Prude had been taken into custody for a mental health evaluation about eight hours before the encounter that led to his death. Calls to the union representing Rochester police officers, and to the organizations attorney, rang unanswered Wednesday. But his brother Joe Prude said he was only at the hospital for a few hours, according to the reports. How did you see him and not directly say, The man is defenseless, buck naked on the ground.
Police use of spit hoods scrutinized after Black man's death
Read full article: Police use of spit hoods scrutinized after Black man's deathBut Prude's death is the second one involving spit hoods to surface since the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police sparked a national reckoning on racism and policing. Floyd's death did not involve a spit hood. Police handcuffed and placed a spit hood on the head of a naked man also in distress. In another similar episode, a 45-year-old man died in 2015 after police in Bernalillo, New Mexico, placed him in a spit hood, possibly incorrectly. Prison guards have also used spit hoods, sometimes to deadly effect.
Video in Black man's suffocation shows cops put hood on him
Read full article: Video in Black man's suffocation shows cops put hood on himPrude died March 30 after he was taken off life support, seven days after the encounter with police in Rochester. Not for my brother to get lynched, Prudes brother, Joe Prude, said at a news conference. Then, they put a white spit hood over his head, a device intended to protect officers from a detainee's saliva. Then the officers slam Prude's head into the street. Another remarks, He feels pretty cold.His head had been held down by an officer for just over two minutes, the video shows.