Terrorists With A Badge

Terrorists with a badge
Written by Thomas Cain
City Room Press Staff Writer
thecainreport@gmail.com

What in the hell is going on with law enforcement officers these days? Talk about police abuse. A Hillsborough County Sheriff Officer, dumps a quadriplegic man out of his wheelchair while he was being booked into jail, as three supervisors stood by and watched the abuse. Other deputies are caught on video tape laughing as the quadriplegic man lay helplessly on the floor, while Deputy Charlotte Marshall Jones searched the man’s pockets.

Brian Sterner, who is a wheelchair bound quadriplegic, was being booked into Florida’s Hillsborough County Jail by Deputy Charlottte Marshal Jones, when she arbitrarily decided that Sterner was faking his paralysis. Deputy Jones dumps Sterner out of the wheelchair, causing him to crash to the floor with such force that it appeared he had injured two ribs.

Sterner reportedly suffered a spine injury during a wrestling accident when he was 18, and that left him bound to his wheelchair. Records show his arrest was due to charges of fleeing and attempting to elude a law enforcement officer from an incident on October 25, 2007. Those same records show Sterner was cited at that time for blocking an intersection.

Chief Deputy Jose Docobo said after looking at the jail video of the incident , he was astonished. "I was appalled," said Docobo. "Obviously the actions are indefensible at every level."

Other Deputies involved in the incident include Corporal Decondra Williams, Corporal Steven Dickie, and Sergeant Gary Hinson. Docobo says none of the supervisors filed a report or told anyone about the incident, even though they were nearby and witnessed the incident.

Unfortunately this is not an isolated incident. All across America, desensitized law enforcement personnel are flagrantly physically abusing suspects for misdemeanor infractions. Those most vulnerable to police abuse are juveniles, the elderly, and the physically handicapped.

In California, Florida, New York, Texas, and New Jersey, teenage girls as young as 13 were raped, forced to commit oral copulation, and other sexual acts upon police officers, jailers, and probation officers. The very people sworn to protect these young people are nothing more than terrorists with a badge. Unfortunately, very little is has been done by way of criminal charges filed against corrupt police officers. Across the board the punishment is either suspension without pay, or job termination.

In the case of Brian Sterner, Deputy Docobo said the department would proffer an apology. Wow!!! A financial compensation, accompanied with the firing of all the officers involved would be more appropriate. Police abuse cannot, and must not be tolerated, even in its simplest form. In the past corrupt cops were given a slap on the wrist then sent on their merry way to work at another police department.

Deputy Charlotte Jones and her supervisors are no less guilty of domestic terrorism on a citizen than you or I, if we’d committed this sadistic attack on a wheelchair bound cripple. Broward County Sheriff says he wants to do right in this situation. Filing criminal charges on those officers involved would be a start in the right direction. Chances are this sorry of an excuse sheriff will offer Deputy Jones an easy way out with a measly 30 day suspension without pay.