Officers punished: including one who shot Eppard
A 19-year veteran, Hopwood monitors Anchorage Farm January 26, the day Morgan Harrington's body was found.PHOTO BY COURTENEY STUART
One of the Albemarle County Police officers who shot Colby W. Eppard has left his job as part of a shakeup that appears to have resulted in the demotion of two other officers and a multi-week suspension for the Department's top spokesperson, Lt. Todd Hopwood.
The information comes in response to a Freedom of Information request filed by NBC29 and fulfilled by County spokesperson Lee Catlin, who indicates that the officer who left, Caleb Marden, departed March 2. No cause was cited, but NBC29 asserts that at least one of the punished officers engaged in "inappropriate" behavior "while on the clock," but the media outlet did not offer any specifics.
The recently demoted officers are Caroline Morris and Scott Cox, the latter of whom worked the cardboard fake bomb case at two Western Albemarle Schools in 2007. Hopwood, whose automatic email responder indicates he'll return to work April 13, is a 19-year department veteran who has served as chief spokesperson for about two years.
Caleb Marden is one of seven officers from three jurisdictions who opened fire on 18-year-old car theft suspect Colby W. Eppard on New Year's Day after the young man led authorities on what appears to be an approximately 70-mile pursuit through three counties. Dashcam videos of the incident requested by the media have yet to be released.
Police Chief John Miller, who has not immediately returned a phone call, and County spokesperson Catlin referred all questions to the County attorney (not to the chief, as originally reported).
– developing story –
Note: commentors are advised to avoid voicing potentially libelous statements.
214 comments
How much do they make, Blah Blah?
Nobody ever paid me, with taxpayer's money or otherwise, to drive back and forth to work, much less supply me with a car.
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Gasbag I don't care. I only care that you base your experience on being an auxiliary deputy. When the truth is that Auxiliary deputies don't have arrest powers, they aren't paid, they do transports to court and jail, and they go through 2 weeks of training. That kind of background doesn't make you an expert on anything police related cause laws change every year. I also know about the arrests too. You also had quite a few issues when you were an officer. So to get on here and spout off about others the way you do is a little hypocritical.
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Expert, that's hilarious!
Who sits around telling you this foolishness?
Whoever leaks things like this to the media should be careful no one finds out who they are. Disclosers like this are violations of peoples civil rights.
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How is it a violation of people's civil rights if a local news outlet is informed that police officers were disciplined and then obtains their names through a FOIA request?
Good Lord Dog .. You can actually sit there and honestly say that "smell a winning lawsuit (or is it a law suit).. and conclude that there was a "thug cop" involved all on the hearsay so of one seemingly bitter individual? Boy .. I hope there are none of like you sitting on the jury! That is sad!
hey Gasbag, I LOVE your comments. Keepem comin
This story presented this way and the comments attached are why this paper and website typically are viewed as nothing more than a gossip rag - any awards withstanding. Competition is weaker than ever.
Let's cover real stories before slandering good names. WVIR has long ago abandon this idea - please Hook, review your stated mission.
What would Gasbag do? Render unto the public...
I don't think any or all of the tapes need to be released. All the cop shoppes need to do is release 3 or 4 seconds of ONE tape. The 3 or 4 seconds where Colby Eppard stepped out of the stolen cop shoppe car and raised a shotgun or any other firearm towards the cops. That's all the public needs to see to put a rest to this entire issue. PERIOD!
If they don't release this 3 to 4 seconds, they ARE covering up something or hiding the true facts, IMHO.
Whatever happened out there in the Colby Eppard death, there's been much worse tapes released nationwide by law enforcement nationwide than the 3 or 4 seconds they simply need to release here in Albemarle County. And these much worse tapes have now been posted on YouTube and other web sites. The worst I recall is where an old man brutally murders a cop during a traffic stop. If this was released and the public can view it, why can the public not view the 3 or 4 seconds I mention above? You figure it out!
Re Yepper: "Can anyone reading these words prove that Colby Eppard ISN’T the Son of God? No, you can’t."
Gosh, you really got me stumped on that one. I admit I cannot prove what you ask.
But you did prove one thing with your post(s).
Obviously, you are not the Son of God.
Release the tapes!
.. Hey Gas .. You weren't the one that was dragged from the car by any chance, were you? .. Just curious .. :>)
I guess the school board is loving life now, hopefully the BOS will take some money away from the ACPD to make up the budget shortfall. In light of recent events. The ACPD obviously has way to much free time. Guess they won't be able to buy that new robot or any secret squirrel high speed swat gear to play with this year.
Just cause it gets reported/printed doesn't always mean it's true. Even Gasbag could agree with me on that.
Police Officers are always held to a higher standard than the general public and usually end up paying the price. In a 20-30 year career, it is easy to have a few bad days. If someone else has a bad day, it usually results in over cooked eggs at IHop or getting charged twice for your hamburger at Kroger's. If a Police Officer has a bad day while making a split second decision that will be scrutinized for months or years to come, his livilihood, his reputation and sometimes his freedom are in jeopardy. I for one, salute any young man that enters into Law Enforcement and expecially salute any Officers that have been able to make it to retirement. SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL POLICE...YOU NEED THEM...
First of all Colby Eppard wanted to die by cops .I have police scanner and I heard the whole thing go down .But that has nothing to do with what these polise men and polise women did.They just need to come right out and say what they did just to keep people spesulating on what happened.
i'm sorry one lodt his job in time like today but if you take your job what ever it is serious you will do your best and keep you nose clean.We as tax payers who pay threir saleries so its our buisness to know what was going on.I'll bet if a regular citizen done something everyone would know it asap.Sp come Cheif stop your hiding and do your job and let us tax payers know whats going on.
it does seem to be a legitimate line of inquiry whether or not there is a culture of permissiveness at albemarle county and within the ACPD in particular for this kind of behavior.
Comments can be deleted by moderator again and again and again, but it won't change what everybody already knows. Deleting the comments will also not change the underlying question: why would these county employees feel so emboldened to behave in such a fashion?
Isn't the first sentence somewhat misleading, unless one reads the NBC 29 forum posts and realizes that there's no apparent connection between the dismissals and the Eppard case?
wbf, yes it is misleading. But it also fits with the hook's pre-existing narrative that the police in the eppard shooting somehow behaved wrongly by shooting a man who was pointing a loaded shotgun towards them and pulling the trigger.
In the hook's defense, the kid was a great kid! I mean, he told someone that was once featured in a hook's cover story that he swerved to miss a puppy. He MUST be good people.
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bet, sorry
By the way, Hoppwood in one of the good guys there.
quote: "I didn’t say they were hearsay .. What I said is they are thoughts and statements based on, or influenced by, hearsay. You can argue semantics all you want."
No need to argue. You simply do not understand what hearsay is. Nothing I have said above is hearsay. If Dog & Pony had commented on anything I said, it's still not hearsay - because he/she has not actually repeated what I said to anybody else. He/she has simply made comments or suggestions based on what I posted.
Let me give you an example of hearsay: If I tell Dog & Pony that one of the cops had three arms and fifteen fingers, and she repeats it to somebody else tomorrow morning, that is hearsay. If he/she testifies in court as to what I told her, that is also hearsay in a criminal case. In a civil case it could very well be hearsay, but it still might be admissible in certain circumstances.
Mr/Mrs/Miss Whoa Nelly just introduced some facts above about a city cop. If I repeat those facts to anybody next week.... that my friend is hearsay.
Ashworth, what do you expect... when it starts right at the top?
.. They are black caps by the way .. I have two ..
I witnessed an arrest by the county police last night that had no business taking place. It was a disorder at the Shell staton on Pantops. Four cops responded, 3 professionals and of course it had to include one bad apple. This bad apple was a disgrace to the police department simply based on his appearance. He had a stocking cap covering 3/4ths of his head. Looked like a thug in uniform.
Anyhow, a small group of people attacked 2 husbands and their wives. It started inside when one of the husbands took too long in line to write the cashier a check. It ended out on the lot with a physical fist fight after the 2 husbands and wives were attacked by this small group. The small group had gotten in their cars and left by the time the first police car arrived. One of the husbands was sitting in his car still rasing cain about having just been jumped by a small group of real thugs. The thug in uniform told him to get out of the car (so he could arrest him for drunk in public obviously). He refused. This little short fat thug in uniform with his stocking cap physically jerked him out of the car and arrested him.
When it gets bad enough in this county that you can't sit in your own car and raise cain about having just been attacked and beaten by total strangers, there's a serious problem. Some of these little thug rookies are totally out of control.
I commend the other 3 officers present. 1 female (first on scene) and 2 males who arrived about 5 to 6 minutes later. They were well dressed and acted professionally. And they tolerated the husbands and wives being upset and acted professionally throughout the event. As I mentioned above though, the one bad apple with no discipline to be a cop, the little fat thug in his stocking cap was a total disgrace to the Albemarle County Police department.
You know if I was one of the officers involved I'd contact an attorney. I'd file a slander/libel lwasuit against the hook or NBC 29 news. Both reported this story at about the same time. Because both claim this came from an unnamed police source, I'd agree to drop the lawsuit for the name of the source and a retraction/apology. If they provide the source i'd drop the suit and refile against the source of information. If they don't provide the source the suit would remain.
Gas, I was giving you the benefit of doubt in all this since you claim to have witnessed such a horrific act at the Shell station. However, since it seems to be a matter of arguing semantics and splitting fine straws, I will end my discussion on all this by reminding you that what you say you saw, as evidenced by your written account, until it is uttered under oath in a court of law, is hearsay in itself. If you doubt this to be true, look up The Theory of the Hearsay Rule which clearly states that assertions made by human beings are often unreliable; such statements are often insincere, subject to flaws in memory and perception, or infected with errors in narration at the time they are given. The law therefore finds it necessary to subject this form of evidence to ââ?¬Å?scrutiny or analysis calculated to discover and expose in detail its possible weaknesses, and thus to enable the tribunal (judge or jury) to estimate it at no more than its actual value”.
Three tests are calculated to expose possible weaknesses in a statement:
1. Assertions must be taken under oath
2. Assertions must be made in front of the tribunal (judge or jury)
3. Assertions must be subject to cross-examination.
This has been a fun debate. Have a good evening!
And Dog .. No .. I did not "comment that maybe Gas was the one dragged from the car" ... I asked him a question in jest in response to his funny about the pretty blue cap, which was pretty funny!
I dont understand the connection to the anchorage farm other than a photo of the officer standing there.
JK, from his toes to his neck he did indeed look like a cop, ill fitting uniform or not.
But the stocking cap pulled down to cover 3/4ths of his head was EXTREMELY unprofessional in appearance. It was pulled down to his eyebrows and covering his ears. Just like a California thug gang banger.
I do not know what the fellow said to set off this thug in uniform, I could not hear it. Perhaps he told the cop to "F*** Off, go find the people who just attacked us, you little arrogant thug looking wannabe!" But even so, whatever was said, the guy was sitting in his own car. He was ordered to get out, he refused. He was dragged from the car and thrown face first down on the hard pavement.
Oh well, this is why I admire the Virginia State Police so much I guess. I am old school. Virginia makes troopers appear neat and professional in appearance when dealing with the public.
Rob, the more you say, the more I believe you have a pretty little blue stocking cap. :)
OK. Black, blue, whatever... :)
As I said, the other two males and female were all professional in appearance, attitude and demeanor. Albemarle County can be proud of 3 of the 4 present.
Mr/Mrs/Miss Voted wrong in 2008, this is standard practice in a lot of cop shoppes nowadays, do everything they possibly can by phone. Or file a report online if they can talk you into it.
Once again, it starts at the top. The cops shoppe chiefs and sheriffs are allowing it to happen.
Things are always rockin on the police force here in CVLLE for many married and those who are not with our tax paying money. Just think how many hot spots there are for them where they can't be bothered as in all of the satellite offices, bus yard, gas pumps and even the schools. It is difficult for those families that will be affected by this for persons whom we trust in our court to testify about the truth but the expectation does not follow through at home. There should be a moral clause in the application process along with the background, psych testing and credit check. They can't have poor credit just poor moral standards.
I didn't say they were hearsay .. What I said is they are thoughts and statements based on, or influenced by, hearsay. You can argue semantics all you want.
quote: "If you have spent as much time in a supervisory capacity as you claim gasbag you would already know this."
WTF? I have never claimed such a thing. My opinions are based on almost 3 decades of service and experience in 3 different agencies.
Pretty curious what people were saying to get so many comments deleted by the forum god.
My somewhat informal take on the local "cop shoppes" is the city police dept. is better supervised and its officers more professional, while the county's operates as a cowboy culture with a code of "omerta". But that's just me. George Bailey may have been many things, but he made sure his deputies understood who they worked for.
You run you have 0 rights. You run and police have all the rights. And that is the way it should be. Sorry for the loss though it was certainly avoidable(don't steal or run).
Little Charlotte, she's as pretty as the angels when they sing
I can't believe I'm out here
on the front porch in this swing...
Just 'a swingin' (swingin')
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comment deleted by moderator (stay on topic, please!)
What bearing does the arrest some drunken dumb-AZZ who refuses to obey a cop's order at a Shell station have to do with the topic at hand? I am glad the cop had enough foresight to drag his aZZ from the car .. Sounds to me like only one cop in the bunch was actually doing his job!
Running from Cops should not be a death sentence. They've learned in L.A. how to get and keep that sort of police trigger instinct under control. Out there it was called "the Runner's Tax" and if they were lucky only involved a severe beating.
Area police are developing a bad reputation for shooting people who lead them on long police chases (granted these people are far from saints)- Elvis Shifflet would've been the example prior to Eppard. He survived.
As for the alleged inter-office romance/shenannigans- I think the way this has been reported has been irresponsible. You start with the punishments without revealing what it is people are being punished for *and* you open the story with "Albemarle Police Release Few Incident Details" - that's just wrong. You should have waited until you could say what the incident was- instead of leaving people to speculate.
And if people are right about the "inter-personal" nature of the offenses then you shouldn't be deleting comments.
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Whoever leaks things like this to the media should be careful no one finds out who they are. Disclosers like this are violations of peoples civil rights. Whether you agree right or wrong. Lawsuits could fly if it is found out who started these kind of leaks.
quote: 'Makes one wonder if the local LE have quotas?"
Of course they do. They're more of a "performance expectation". State troopers are routinely called into headquarters to explain why they have not done as much as they did in a certain time period. After it happens 2 or 3 times, they're skating on thin ice. The same was true in Greene County when I worked there.
quote: "We still have no resolution to the Alicia Showalter Reynolds murder from this region."
The best suspect in that murder is now deceased. If I recall correctly, he committed suicide once surrounded by cops on a traffic stop one day.
Gasbag Self Ordained Expert will appear in this thread in..
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You know what bothers me most is these individuals have the right to pull me oer and I am supossed to see them as some authority fiqure!
They are jokes and all should be removed from the force.
quote: "What does this mean? Feds have been here for decades."
I could tell you who is in town and what they are doing. But it would jeopardize their mission. :)
It has nothing to do with ecounty police sexcapades.
quote: "Pretty curious what people were saying to get so many comments deleted by the forum god."
I could tell you. But it would get deleted again. Wasn't a big deal anyway, everybody in town knows about it. A former state trooper (now deceased) use to chuckle every time I used to ask him if he had been to so and son address anymore lately!
quote: "George Bailey may have been many things, but he made sure his deputies understood who they worked for."
True, they worked for him, the sheriff. This is why the county Board of Supervisors wanted a cop shoppe to replace the sheriff's office.
quote: "I dont understand the connection to the anchorage farm other than a photo of the officer standing there."
The guy in the image above is the Lt. that was just disciplined, Hopwood. It's common knowledge now that he has been suspended and will rturn to work in April.
Another connection that is posted on the NBC 29 News forum is the fact that many of these "things that go bump in the night" adventures took place near the Anchorage Farm. While I do find this somewhat disturbing, I don't personally believe for one second that a cop was involved in Morgan Harrington's disappearance and murder though.
To Serve and Protect might need to be changed to Serve with Protection.
Maybe the county should let the city take over their fleet and they can have their vehicles repainted with the initials CAT. Then each officer can drive a mobile CAT house. This may cause confusion as to what is meant by the red lights, though.
Those posting that feel so strongly about police behavior and transparency should muster in front of the police department and make a ruckus instead of just writing on the dirty rear window.
"First of all Colby Eppard wanted to die by cops. I have police scanner and I heard the whole thing go down."
I guess sitting on a scanner makes you think your opinion is correct, but it is just your opinion and it is quite obvious that only Colby knew what Colby wanted. To go home and start his day over is probably more accurate speculation....
RE: FOIA
The law reads very clear that documents are to be released to the public, but maybe LE is hiding behind a technical argument in an ongoing investigation that might go on for ever. *wink* I can use that, like your radio scanner speculation, to suggest that they (LE) have something to hide.
Give this fellow or anyone else involved in this shooting they did an outstanding job!
Serial killers blend in.
They look like the person next door. They can be responsible pillars of their community. When they get caught (if they get caught) we all say, "my god I never thought they would be the sort of person who could do that". The BTK murderer was a Deacon in his church and an animal control officer. All who knew him were stunned.
Good point, Bob!
The Peterson case is terrible as well. He just kept on getting by with murder because people would never suspect him.
I just hope we never have to deal with something like this in the Central Virginia area.
Note: commentors are advised to avoid voicing potentially libelous statements.
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Why should people start now?
And it's good to see Channel 29 doing some real reporting on pretty much anything.
"After midnight (Patrol), we're gonna let it all hang out
After midnight, we're gonna chug-a-lug and shout
We're gonna cause talk and suspicion
Give an exhibition
Find out what it is all about
After midnight, we're gonna let it all hang out
After midnight, gonna shake your tambourine
After midnight, it's gonna be peaches and cream
We're gonna cause talk and suspicion
Give an exhibition
Find out what it is all about
After midnight, we're gonna let it all hang out
After midnight, we're gonna let it all hang out..."
Blah .. I ran fire and rescue for 12 years , getting called out at all times of the day and night.. called away from my home life and kids, and I didn’t get paid to do it .. I did it simply because I loved the job and could give something to the community .. I did it all on my own dime .. no compensation for my services and nobody provided me with transportation to and from work.
He was in uniform ... and there were other cops present. I say good for the cop doing his job! Doesn't sound like misconduct to me!
This whole thread is based on pure conjecture ..
What bearing does it have? Good cops, bad cops.
I respect your opinion though. The "only cop who was doing his job" might have the pleasure of meeting your child or granchild someday in the future under similar circumstances.
By the way, who mentioned alcohol? Are you a cop? Small world, were you there?
But I agree, drugs, alcohol and sex have a death grip on this nation. Oh my, I said the "sex" word, now we're definitely back on topic, eh? If these people had gone down to a farm on 29 South and parked so as to make things go bump-bump in the night, they wouldn't have been a problem to the cops, eh? Unless they interrupted the cops doing bump-bump at this same farm perhaps. :)
Rob,
Maybe nothing.......but if he didn't look like a cop, and he didn't identify himself as such, would you have been foolish enough to exit the car following having been attacked there ?
The entire thread is about Eppard, and possible police misconduct in the Charlottesville/Albermarle region. It certainly sounds as if misconduct on the part of ONE of the officers last evening was a possibility.
Isn't Scott Cox the husband of Beth Duffy? That would be former NBC 29 news and morning show anchor Beth Duffy who left WVIR, waited out her covenant not to compete by selling ads for the Newsplex, and has been on air at the Newsplex ever since? Any indication of why NBC is all over this story?
Rut roh! Information was just posted on the NBC 29 News forums... and I quote, "One of the boom boom spots while on duty was on 29 South near a farm that has been in the news recently." (Obviously, Anchorage Farm and the death of Morgan Harrington.)
I think this should be a pretty startling revelation to anybody. There's all kinds of thoughts running through my mind right now!
Steve, do I win for the calling the delete timing?
Yes Mr/Mrs/Miss God, you do. First time I ever recall being moderated here. But I'm somewhat sure a few well placed and timely phone calls to The Hook were involved. :)
Dragon Slayer, I never wondered. I knew why.
It's all good. No harm intended and non taken.
this is from the end of the daily progress' report:
"ââ?¬Å?We are prohibited due to confidentiality from discussing personnel issues,” Catlin said.
Albemarle Police Chief John Miller declined to comment on the matter Thursday night. "
at the risk of being 'deleted by moderator', pretty crafty editing over there at the DP!!! This is on topic and quoted verbatim from a published report.....
I ask again, is there a culture of permissiveness at the ACPD and albemarle county government for this kind of behavior?
why were those posts from mid-afternoon deleted? suggesting that the local police might have a problem keeping their uniform pants on hardly seems to be something that would put Hawes at a big risk for a libel judgment
quote: "Well, obviously they don’t get paid a lot or otherwise they could afford to live in Albemarle."
Mr/Mrs/Miss blah blah blah, bullsheet! You're old news and an old boring story. If a cop in the city or county wants to live in the city or county, they can afford it. I could list the names and addresses of 100 cops right off the top of my head who live in $350,000 to $450,000 homes in Charlottesville and Albemarle County. The constant whining about not getting paid much causes me to question their honesty and credibility. Adding together their salary, benefits and overtime any cop in the city or county easily makes $60,000 to $70,000 a year.
The State Police get take home cars too, is that so bad?
The state troopers live in the county to which they are assigned. State troopers also have the respect of the taxpayers for the most part. I haven't seen half a dozen of them involved in any sexcapades.
The higher in rank, the lighter the wrist slap.
Just ask Clinton....
"okay”Šlet me get this straight”Šthe newbie cop was fired for doing the same thing as the other 2 cops? But those cops can keep their jobs with a demotion? And the spokesman who knew what was going and was tightlipped about it gets a suspension and keeps his position in the department? What doesn’t sound right here?"
Duh, gasbag. But they could’ve left HIS quotes out.
Nothing like a month’s paid vacation AND good publicity to set a corrupt cop straight.
"seven officers who shot at Colby W. Eppard, who was killed after a dramatic chase through three counties on New Year’s Day, won’t face charges, Albemarle County Commonwealth’s Attorney Denise Lunsford has decided, though she and other officials refused to say how many shots officers fired.
ââ?¬Å?Eppard’s actions presented an imminent threat of death or serious bodily harm to law enforcement [officers],” Lunsford wrote in her letter to a Virginia State Police investigator.
ââ?¬Å?When Eppard continued to fire his weapon, law enforcement officers present on the scene had no choice but to return fire in order to protect themselves and others.”
Still don't believe me? Read the article for yourself. http://www2.greene-news.com/gcn/news/local/article/report_clears_officer...
Anyone one of you who wants to view the dashcams from the patrol vehicles in that chase is sick. Why do you want to watch a troubled young man die? You all are the reason why traffic always slows at accidents. You spend too much time rubber-necking trying to view the blood and death.
Bob, based on your Anchorage Farm area reply above, I feel quite confident the Virginia State Police are already exploring this theory or possibility.
I too would hate to think the state police were investigating who killed the hens in the hen house, with the fox standing right next to them in press releases. I pray to God that this could never be true. I personally know of no cop who would be capable of the Harrington abduction and murder (or whatever took place). But, I do not know a lot of these newfangled rookies either.
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re:"What if Colby Eppard didn’t fire at those policemen? What if the last words Colby spoke, at the moment he was putting down the weapon he allegedly used, were ââ?¬Å?I surrender”?"
What if the skies opened up the moment prior to Colby Eppard dying and God Himself descended from heaven to proclaim Colby to be the Second Coming? What then?
Can any of you say with certainty that this didn't happen? No; and THAT'S the point.
I proclaim here and now that Colby Eppard was the resurrection of Jesus Christ and his death was foretold in Revelations! I defy ANYONE to disprove what I'm saying.
Can anyone reading these words prove that Colby Eppard ISN'T the Son of God? No, you can't.
Forgive them, Lord.
"I agree. Her attention was misdirected. Maybe she should have been watching patrol and getting a few pictures and videos of the sexcapades. :)"
Gasbag, believe it or not I actually agree with you on this one!
Rut Roh! The sky is falling! :)
With APD, CPD, UPD, and the ACSO, Gas is correct! I know a bunch myself!
blah blah blah or is it blab blab blab ? wheres the dash-cam showing Colby shooting at cops...never will you see that! not during pusuit or once stopped. As for cops negotiating with Colby,again never happened,cops made decision early on not to respond...re read article, Colbys mom talking of why the cops never contacted him & she tried to on her cell.
"" quote: ââ?¬Å?Perhaps you are just jealous because you are secretly jealous of the police and wish you were the one screwing them”
I am absolutely sure you will find a few who are of the opinion that I have screwed them. ""
Now that is funny!!!! LoL!! Good laugh for the morning! Thanks!
why is banging a subordinate always misconduct? Suppose somebody WANTS to sleep their way to the top?
If I could I would. People get promoted for all kinds of neafarious reasons, at least this one can be fun as well as productive.
quote: "With APD, CPD, UPD, and the ACSO, Gas is correct! I know a bunch myself!"
They will now accuse you of stalking cops! :)
I just can't imagine any person with an IQ over 56 claiming there aren't 100 paid officers in this area. This would be just like saying there aren't 10,000 cars or trucks in this area, or there's not 500 UVA students in Charlottesville, or there's not 35 restaurants in this area.
quote: "Mind you, there are not 100 PAID officers employed in the area."
WTF? Some of yopu need to engage your brain before sitting down at the keyboard. The Charlottesville cop shoppe, Albemarle County cop shoppe, UVA cop shoppe, City sheriff, County sheriff, and the Virginia State Police all combined employ 350+ cops in this area.
quote: "Does being a farm hand contribute to your $60-70k job earnings?"
I don't know of any cops who work on farms. But if you take their $36,000 starting pay, $14,000 in benefits, and another $10,000 to $20,000 a year in overtime, it didn't take long to arrive at the $60,000 to $70,000 a year annual compensation, did it? And the $14,000 in benefits is a very low estimate by the way.
"No one will ever be able to prove you are wrong, right?"
Not in my lifetime.
quote: "Perhaps you are just jealous because you are secretly jealous of the police and wish you were the one screwing them"
I am absolutely sure you will find a few who are of the opinion that I have screwed them.
quote: "The higher in rank, the lighter the wrist slap."
Actually, in this immediate area it goes something like "the more you screw up, the faster you get promoted". Many cops have been taken off the streets and promoted so they can't keep setting new records for getting sued so often. Any honest cop will tell you this is true.
Gasbag sez:
Mr/Mrs/Miss blah blah blah, bullsheet! You’re old news and an old boring story. If a cop in the city or county wants to live in the city or county, they can afford it. I could list the names and addresses of 100 cops right off the top of my head who live in $350,000 to $450,000 homes in Charlottesville and Albemarle County.
,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,................,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
You know 100 cops in the area?? Please do the VA math. ACSD has 20 full time deputies + 40 "sworn" volunteer officers. YCharlottesville, with a population of 40,000, has 117 "sworn positions" an unknown number = paid officers. Even if you include JADE, that is a major stretch of anyone's expectations that you personally know over 100 of the cops in the area THAT ARE PAID. 60-70k.
In your daily travels, do you do math? How does a household making less than $100,000 afford the payments on a $350-400k home? Mind you, there are not 100 PAID officers employed in the area. So how do they afford such expensive homes? Is there some fringe element the public should have known about long ago? Does being a farm hand contribute to your $60-70k job earnings?
Math is the same in every place. Your math doesn't add up for me. Long as they do math that way in your world, you are sitting on G-O. No one will ever be able to prove you are wrong, right?
Gasbag...Is your name Steve? Were you a State Trooper? Owned a thrift shop for a while in Greene?
okay...let me get this straight...the newbie cop was fired for doing the same thing as the other 2 cops? But those cops can keep their jobs with a demotion? And the spokesman who knew what was going and was tightlipped about it gets a suspension and keeps his position in the department? What doesn't sound right here?
ââ?¬Å?Most are on call for specialized duties they are involved in such as SWAT, Hostage Negotiation, ...”
I have a question: Wasn't Colby Eppard in essence holding a Greene County Official Vehicle hostage?
Yet, there has been zero mention of any negotiations with him. Does hostage negotiation strictly mean one person holding another against their will and under duress as a bargaining chip? Or, can it mean a person holding an object, such as a car, hostage?
Gas, so sorry,I forgot to mention you. I also appreciate the service you given to my community. My impression of you is a good and moral person. Very sorry to hear you went thru such a bad ordeal from the people you were giving your service to. I wish you all the good things in life. Thanks again for making this interesting.
Touched a nerve did I? You seem to be taking this extremely personally.
What is Expert an expert in? Let's go over this again: Channel 29 filed a FOIA request and the county responded to it. The Hook then covered these events. Explain how any of this is libelous.
There's plenty of people who don't. :)
As soon as they get back to their employer's computers and free Internet access on Monday morning, I am sure we will hear from a few of them.
I saw an ACPD car today on the bypass and it had what looked like the "playboy" symbol on the back of the trunk beside the state accreditation emblem. I guess it is fitting. LOL. Seriously, I feel sorry for the hard working cops on that department that will have listen to the snickering and jokes for the next couple of weeks. It is a shame they will be judged by the poor choices made by a few of their co-workers.
quote: "I feel sorry for the hard working cops on that department that will have listen to the snickering and jokes for the next couple of weeks."
I think it will be much longer than just a few weeks. There's hundreds of "ACPD 4" jokes circulating already.
quote: "It is a shame they will be judged by the poor choices made by a few of their co-workers."
Agreed. Albemarle County has some fine officers. But if they get so brave as to blow the whistle, they too will end up just like Karl Mansoor did. We all know the hell the police department put Karl through when he suggested a few folks needed to clean their act up within the department.
quote: "I guess the school board is loving life now, hopefully the BOS will take some money away from the ACPD to make up the budget shortfall.... ACPD obviously has way to much free time. "
Interesting concept.
But ACPD could save a small fortune in fuel alone if they didn't have so many cop shoppe cars traveling to and from work from counties outside of Albemarle now. You did know about this change in the take-home car policy, didn't you? Why do the county taxpayers need to provide fuel and transportation for folks who live outside of Albemarle County?
Rob, no need to try to invalidate some one else's opinion because you are not winning the debate. YOU made the comment that maybe Gas was the one dragged from the car. I responded with : maybe YOU are the thug cop. You openned that can of worms. One more thing. Did you say, "none of like you sitting on the jury" or " none like you sitting on the jury"?
Gas, I was referring to your previous posts, which I tho't were funny. Not the incident you witnessed. I didn't think that was funny in the least. Sorry if I gave the wrong impression.
WhoaNelly, unlike some police chiefs, I do not believe Chief Longo would condone such behavior or associations. The suspected abuses to professionalism and criminal element associations need to be reported to him.
Gasbag, if you want to talk about a "thug officer," you should be referring to a Charlottesville Police Officer who routinely hangs out on Hardy Drive while off duty and has been seen with a local gangbanger in the front seat of her police car. Citizens have also seen her on the downtown mall with her feet propped up and boots off, all while in uniform. Talk about unprofessional.
No, Rob. If it was me I would be contesting the legality of the arrest and bringing witnesses to court with me. I would also subpoena the 3 professional cops that were present in hopes that they could truthfully testify to the fact of why they didn't see cause for an arrest to be made, and to testify as to exactly what WAS said that set off the stocking cap thug in uniform. Some rookies have a very short fuse, too short to be in law enforcement.
If the judge dismissed the charges, I would then be filing wrongful arrest lawsuits. Any veteran county cop that knows me will tell you, "oh yes, he dayum sure would!"
Let me add one more FACT to this little short story. If the fellow had voluntarily exited his car one more time running his mouth, YES, I would have arrested him too. But I never did and never would, after the fact, drag a man from his car so as to once again place him in the position of being drunk or disorderly in public.
Dog & Pony, there's nothing to love in my comments. It's really a shame I have to comment as truthfully as I do so often. The first cop on the scene, the female, had things under control. The stocking capped thug egged things into a physical confrontation.
No matter what, cops ALWAYS get the S!*t end of the stick! It wouldn't surprise me one bit if the Pentagon cops don't get reprimanded for turning that poor soul into a colander. Being a cop is a thankless profession!
If you Google - new york police admits to quotas - and click on the link for eclippTv there is an interview with an officer that admits quotas in Serpico fashion. Makes one wonder if the local LE have quotas?
Some people claim that there's a woman to blame
But I know it's my own damn fault
Yes, and some people claim that there's a woman to blame
And I know it's my own damn fault
It could be assumed by the Title of the article, that there could be some serious questions raised as to that particular individuals testimony concerning his shooting of Colby Eppard.
I think questioning that officers integrity in light of his alleged involvement in this possible sex scandal is appropriate. His statements need to be brought under closer scrutiny, he no longer deserves the benefit of the doubt.
quote: "I have utmost respect for (Gasbag). He calls it like he sees it .. but he does it honorably.
Ahh, shucks! You have my blushing now! :)
quote: ".... I shall take my leave."
Trust me on this, extremely good idea! With all due respect, you remind me of somebody that might be failing their first year of law school.
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So what you're saying is i'm right?.............. So we all agree I'm a least right about one thing. hahahahhahha!
what's interesting about the DP report is that the byline is "from staff reports".
No one wants to take credit for writing the piece! Too funny.
Hypothetically speaking, isn't there a difference between actions occurring on the job and actions occurring in one's personal life?
My experience is that the Charlottesville and Albemarle police are a pretty nasty group of officers. I am certainly not proud of them and whenever I have asked for help they have done nothing. When we were robbed they told me they didn't even have the time to come to the house, they just took info about the stolen items over the phone and said that it was unlikely anything would ever be recovered, end of story.
"You run you have 0 rights. You run and police have all the rights. And that is the way it should be. Sorry for the loss though it was certainly avoidable(don’t steal or run)."
This must be a law enforcement perspective. Somehow you give up your rights if you run? You unfortunately missed learning a few things in your education process. I would like to hear you explain your statements to a judge one day. That will be an education you will not soon forget.
S Jones said: Maybe the good police officers [ I am sure it as around 90 to 95%] asked for action. Maybe they feel that now with the Federal Gov’t in the area it was a good time
What does this mean? Feds have been here for decades. FSTC, before they became part of NGIC, was here in 1970 and HEW was here well before that. What is the connection?
Gasbag, should we be a little bit frightened that you not only took the time to look up the assessment records of 100 city and county cops, but have also memorized this data to the point where you can reel off their names? Yikes! That's more than a bit stalkery, dontcha think?
Ohh, good grief. I said "off the top of my head". You should be able to look at a home and tell how much it's worth. For example, I have a police chief and detective living not far from me. I can tell you with a reasonable degree of certainty that they are living in $375,000 to $400,000 homes even though I have never looked at the tax records.
In my daily travels it's not hard to see cop shoppe cars sitting in driveways all over this city, Albemarle County and other counties and realize "ohh wow, he has a nice home, probably about $300,000!, good for him!"
I will admit I looked up the property of a police chief one day after I was told an interesting tale about his home a few years back. I would suggest you contact JADE and have them lock me up just like they did Alisha Strom. :)
probabliy not a 'qouta' but worded more like 'you need to meet or exceed the previous months tally' Just a guess
I will quote a local homeless man I had the pleasure of meeting while incarcerated for a misdameanor marijuana charge, "the biggest and most dangerous gang in the area is any one of the local police departments" END QUOTE
quote blah blah blahAnyone one of you who wants to view the dashcams from the patrol vehicles in that chase is sick. Why do you want to watch a troubled young man die?
Oh, please. It’s not about watching anyone die. It’s about knowing the truth.
What if Colby Eppard didn’t fire at those policemen? What if the last words Colby spoke, at the moment he was putting down the weapon he allegedly used, were ââ?¬Å?I surrender”? Would people still applaud what officers did to him?
Can anyone outside the legal loop say with certainty what happened? No; and that’s the point.
Law Enforcement in this area are notorious for their shady dealings and cover-ups. The article above evidences their latest failed attempt at concealment. Frequent Hook commenter GSOE can link to likely a dozen other incidents.
The real reason local lawmen don’t want someone surreptitiously photographing or filming them and their activities? Lemme clue you in: it’s definitely not because they believe it puts their lives in danger.
As for Denise Lunsford -- good gawd, y’all. They just don’t come any Badge Bunny-er than her.
Quote yepper Can anyone reading these words prove that Colby Eppard ISN’T the Son of God? No, you can’t.
Not
Without
The
DASHCAMS,
We
Can't.
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I'm sorry. But yepper's question and I HeArTE JADE's answer is the funniest thing I have ever seen posted anywhere on the Internet!
I laughed so hard I had tears rolling down my face! :)
And the pigs are flying. Okay, maybe bad choice of words considering the circumstances. LOL
Seems like she is down on law enforcement who don't follow rules so good.
"Uh, hello”Šthe police are not judge, jury, and executioner."
They were for Colby!
I don't know why some of the police were demoted. IF in fact, there is proof that they committed adultery while on the clock, and being paid by the public, then they need to be removed from their position as a police officer, not simply demoted. They need to be removed IF THE ADULTERY WHILE ON THE CLOCK IS PROVEN, because this behavior is an indication of incredibly bad judgement and self destructive behavior, and we need better than that from our police. Believe me, if your pharmacist, your doctor, your college professor, or your nurse were caught having sex during the work day, they would be terminated.
Uh, hello...the police are not judge, jury, and executioner. Why give them a pass for bad behavior? Doesn't sound like this group was too worried about protecting me and my property. They should be held to the same standard as everyone else...go to work, do your job, don't break the law and don't break the rules. It's real simple.
It is obvious. Morgan was lured away by someone who she felt she could trust and be safe with..in my opinion. Time will tell and I hope Feds are all over this and JUSTICE will BE DONE for the VICTIMS and their Families. Lets no forget the daughter of the State Police officer and her boyfriend who were murdered. Let the Justice begin and fearful folks will open up with what they may have seen or heard.
Oh and... If the Anchorage Farm area is a romance spot for law officers- then maybe we should be looking at the PoPo for Harrington's killer.
The killer would've had to:
1. Know the area (PoPo gets a checkmark)
2. Be able to make a lone female comfortable getting into a vehicle with them (PoPo gets another checkmark).
And of course I am not libelously suggesting any individuals. Just tossing another theory into the ring.
Mr/Mrs/Miss ???, Hopwood's quotes were probably solictied before March 5, 2010 when the sexcapades story came to light.
If the dp is anything to go by, it looks like the acpd spokesman HASN'T been suspended.
http://www2.dailyprogress.com/cdp/news/local/crime/article/scooter_theft...
We still have no resolution to the Alicia Showalter Reynolds murder from this region.
Gasbag, under what circumstances did you sue the internet posters for libel? I'm curious in that many things (which are now deleted from past posts) on this board seem libelous. Can you give me a reader's digest version of the lawsuits or are you prohibited?
I'm not prohibited, it's actually public record.
Two women, one in Louisa and an ex-cop in Pennsylvania, pretty much followed me around the Internet, nothing short of stalking more or less.
Cliff's notes -- they posted replies in several forums claiming I am a criminal and that I had committed various criminal acts. Like most people on the Internet, I guess they thought they were posting anonymously even though they clearly wanted me to know who they were. They had no idea they could be tracked down and identified. In one request for records, I not only received their IP addresses, I received access to the entire forum's administrative tools and software. Therefore, I had access to their e-mail in which they conspired and joked with other people about what they were doing. But it was no longer a joke after they received their lawsuits.
(The service of the lawsuit on the female ex-cop in Pennsylvania was hilarious! She called 911 and reported the process server was attempting to break into her home. When the cops got to her house the only thing she had accomplished was advertising that she had been sued out of Virginia.)
The female ex-cop didn't even attempt to defend herself. A default judgement, plus interest until paid, was issued against her. The other originally set out to defend herself, but gave up after she knew her goose was cooked. Judgement plus interest until paid was also issued against her.
Their words were clearly libelous because I have never been convicted of a crime in my entire life. I haven't so much as had a parking ticket or speeding ticket in my entire life.
Had anything they said had been true, I wouldn't have had a case obviously.
Is this the ONLY new there is? Good Lord .. This is getting tiresome .. Come on Hook .. move on!
How would you make a reasonable assessment of that question? Are local police mostly bad? Or a few bad apples? You'd have to go back in time and compare good and bad.
Remember the Albemarle police brutality interrogation case in late summer 2001, video aired on 29 News. "Are you ready to talk now?" Case was dismissed, federal charges filed, police officer fired.
County police handling of school bombing plots? County Commonwealth Attorney Jim Camblos losing reelection to Denise Lunsford, claiming he lost because Republicans were unpopular instead of taking responsibility for his poor performance in office.
The city police busted for sex-for-favors scandal at Trax-Max former nightclub. That was front page Daily Progress and the feds had been investigating for a year or two.
Remember the shooting at Garrett Square/Friendship Court which prompted the court to call for some kind of commission or dialogue to deal with pervasive suspicion of the police.
Meter maids in mini-jeeps double-parked blocking traffic to give a parking ticket. And you thought double-parking was illegal? How ubiquitous is law-breaking by the police?
Of course police are not all bad. The late and former Sheriff William Morris who in 2001 stood up to the Greene Co Supervisors and refused to enforce the car tax decal ordinance. The judge sided with the sheriff.
So not all police are bad apples. But are there so many, you're better off tossing out the whole bushel and starting over? What ever happened to the Albemarle Co 3-member Police Oversight Board created '01-'02? Do they have anything to say?
It's a long way from moving on.Dont blame the Hook, blame the LE (all departments) for not putting a end to it..but, when trying to figure out what you are avioding, it's takes time
Maybe Rob IS the thug cop. I smell a winning law suit. Too bad you didn't have a video camera,Gas. Maybe you should think about testifying on the husband's behalf in court. No offense intended here.
quote: "Good Lord Dog .. You can actually sit there and honestly say that ââ?¬Å?smell a winning lawsuit (or is it a law suit).. and conclude that there was a ââ?¬Å?thug cop” involved all on the hearsay so of one seemingly bitter individual? Boy .. I hope there are none of like you sitting on the jury! That is sad!
Hearsay? Do you even know what hearsay is? Obviously not. It's very easy to state beyond a reasonable doubt that you're certainly not a judge.
I WITNESSED it and have repeated everything as truthfully as I can. That is NOT hearsay. I even stated the fact that I do not honestly know what was said to the stocking caop thug that caused him to pull the fellow out of his car and arrest him.
If the stocking capped thug wanted to arrest the fellow, he should have done it while the guy was out of his car running his mouth and acting disorderly. You don't decide later that you want to arrest this guy and pull him out of his car after the fact.
And if I was a bitter individual I certainly wouldn't be praising the other 3 cops that were present. They were all professional in both attitude and demeanor.
You Sir .. Mr. Gas .. base your statements and thoughts on what you WITNESSED .. I commend you for that. Mr. Dog, however, based his statements and thoughts on what you said .. That, sir is hearsay.
Incorrect. All Dog & Pony said is:
1- Maybe Rob IS the thug cop.
2- I smell a winning law suit.
3- Too bad you didn’t have a video camera, Gas.
4- Maybe you should think about testifying on the husband’s behalf in court.
5- No offense intended here.
None of the 5 statements are hearsay in any shape, fashion or form. They are statements, suggestions, opinions and one disclaimer. #1 is a simple statement or opinion, based on the way the discussion here has gone thus far. #2 is an opinion based on a firsthand account of what took place. #3 is a simple statement. #4 is a suggestion. And #5 is a disclaimer.
quote: "...since you claim to have witnessed such a horrific act at the Shell station."
I never classified it as a horrific act. That's your words, not mine. I simply stated what took place. After several opportunities presented themselves to make a proper and legal arrest, they waited until after the fact to jerk somebody out of the car and make what I would call an illegal or unwarranted arrest.
And to be quite honest, it's going to be interesting to see how the judge rules in this case when it gets to court. Let's see if I am right or not.
Expert, I don't see a case. Certainly not a libel case. I don't think any of the "ACPD 4" would want the exact details of the sexcapaes coming out in a court of law during a libel lawsuit. And the "ACPD 4" certinly don't want the further embarrassment and humiliation as well.
As a side note, it certainly appeared as if the county police dayum sure didn't want the truth exposed in a court of law when I sued them.
"Three tests are calculated to expose possible weaknesses in a statement:
1. Assertions must be taken under oath
2. Assertions must be made in front of the tribunal (judge or jury)
3. Assertions must be subject to cross-examination."
So, until the statements made to the public about the Eppard shooting and subjected to the scrutiny you outline above, they can be considered hearsay?
Maybe or maybe not. Just remember the case from about 10 years ago when a local news outlet ran a story of Mr. Sheckler from Greene County. They stated that his house was raided and drugs were recovered on the premises. The story wasn't factual. Mr. Sheckler sued and won. The personnel leak on it's own is a violation of civil rights clearly outlined by state and federal law. Heck all state and federal buildings post posters of these on the walls to make sure you know not to mess these up. If you have spent as much time in a supervisory capacity as you claim gasbag you would already know this.
nope .. don't remember third grade at all .. that was way more than a half a century ago.
Win or loose, I have always have enjoyed a good debate.
And, just for record, your stated opinion, "Seems you are predisposed to inflict damage to his character" is far from being accurate. I have utmost respect for him. He calls it like he sees it .. but he does it honorably.
Might as well do everyones homework for them. The original story put out by the NBC 29 News mentioned nothing about about a FOIA request. It did mention a source of information and a police source. Now if you read the current story it states they have filed a FOIA request. Through their request they could find out a current officers employment standing such as name and rank.
Example: You file a complaint against an officer. You come back later and demand to know what happened. They will tell you they look into it or it's still under investigation, but by law they can't tell you outcome good or bad. The only exception is if they were charged criminally, because court documents are public records.
Now that I have educated the masses, I shall take my leave.
quote: "Gas has stated that he won lawsuits on similar cases. This is hearsay on my part if I leave out ââ?¬Å?Gas has stated”.
Correct.
But, as a further example, let's talk about the 2 libel lawsuits I won against 2 women who went up and down the Internet posting libelous remarks about me. If you review the court documents and confirm the judge's signature on the final dispositions of said lawsuits, it's no longer hearsay if you repeat it. :)
quote: "Gasbag I don’t care. I only care that you base your experience on being an auxiliary deputy. When the truth is that Auxiliary deputies don’t have arrest powers, they aren’t paid, they do transports to court and jail, and they go through 2 weeks of training."
Once again, you prove you are an expert at nothing. State certified deputies and state certified auxiliary deputies DO indeed have full arrest powers. And I had the same training and in-service training that every other cop in Virginia hss had. And I do wish all I had to do during my entire career of almost 3 decades was transport people to and from jail and court. That would have been feeding at the public trough in it's finest form. :)
hahahahaaha! If you say so.
quote: "Just cause it gets reported/printed doesn’t always mean it’s true. Even Gasbag could agree with me on that."
Absolutely! Some pretty vicious lies were passed out in press releases about me, and published in both 1997 and 2005. But it was all about CYOA after they realized their mistakes, and about trying to make Gasbag look like a bad person and getting some type of conviction BECASUE they knew lawsuits were coming down the pike IF they didn't. They didn't get any convictions and they did get the lawsuits. All of those involved paid the price. One was even later terminated after 22 years on the job (fact). And another was asked to take early retirement recently (hearsay).
Expert,
The single foolproof defense against libel is the truth. Did the Hook say anything above that is untrue? are you saying two officers were not demoted, or the wrong names were printed?
If it is all true, as GBSOE says, there isn't a case.
Maybe what you are searching for is saying it is defamatory, but that is different and much harder to prove on any level. Taxpayers have a right to know about the professional standing of public servants.
what goes on in the blog is different, and it would be very hard to hold the Hook liable for falsehoods printed here.
To Rob and Gas, This was a good debate. one worth following. Rob, I apologize if I rattled you abit. You gave a good argument, good points. Gas has my vote in this debate. Thanks you two for keeping it civil.
Expert, you were good in your comments, that is until you brought up Gas's personal business. That was unfair. This was a good debate all in all.
I'm kind of amazed how angry people got for the suggestion that the Hook COULD POSSIBLY be sued as a part of a libel suit. Jones for someone who had nothing to do with the article I've never seen someone take a more personal stand to defend it.
I hold no ill will towards Gasbag i'm just saying when he was wrongly accused as an officer he had to go the legal route to defend himself. So with that being said why would it be a problem for these officers who rights were possibly violated to do the same.
Some debates here turn into pixel mud slinging, but this one today was worth following. Many points well stated by all. Well done!
I sure am glad everybody kissed and made up. :)
quote: "I hold no ill will towards Gasbag i’m just saying when he was wrongly accused as an officer he had to go the legal route to defend himself. So with that being said why would it be a problem for these officers who rights were possibly violated to do the same."
Well, the difference here is the fact I went before a criminal court of law and proved that nothing stated about me was even remotely accurate. Sheriff Morris backed me up 100% and was appalled at what a few loose cannons attempted to do to me. Think about it, why would Sheriff Morris put his career and outstanding reputation on the line if there was even a remote chance that I was a bad person or had done anything I was falsely accused of? Answer.... he simply wouldn't have!
The "ACPD 4" have no chance of proving 1 was not suspended, 2 were not demoted and 1 was not fired. It's now public record because the County of Albemarle released this information. Trust me, the county would not have released this information about their own red headed stepchildren unless it was true. There's no libel cookie or civil rights cookie to be won by the "ACPD 4" filing anything in any court of law.
Now if you read the current story it states they have filed a FOIA request. Through their request they could find out a current officers employment standing such as name and rank.
Example: You file a complaint against an officer. You come back later and demand to know what happened. They will tell you they look into it or it’s still under investigation, but by law they can’t tell you outcome good or bad. The only exception is if they were charged criminally, because court documents are public records.
Now that I have educated the masses, I shall take my leave.
***
The article states that the FOIA request was fulfilled and that the county spokesperson confirmed that an officer had left his position. That's not libelous.
But ACPD could save a small fortune in fuel alone if they didn’t have so many cop shoppe cars traveling to and from work from counties outside of Albemarle now. You did know about this change in the take-home car policy, didn’t you? Why do the county taxpayers need to provide fuel and transportation for folks who live outside of Albemarle County?
Has the thought occured to you that because police officers do not get paid very much that maybe they can't afford to live in Albemarle County?
Well, obviously they don't get paid a lot or otherwise they could afford to live in Albemarle. Most are on call for specialized duties they are involved in such as SWAT, Hostage Negotiation, Detectives, and Crime Scene Investigations. These are things that they often are called away from their home lives and kids from, don't get paid to be a part of and they do it simply because they love the job. I think that the least we can do for their services is give them transportation to and from work. The State Police get take home cars too, is that so bad?
Regarding Colby Eppard. He was shooting at the cops! He fired numerous times while he was being pursued. So I suppose you are going to say that it was best for the cops to just pull over, take being fired at and try to reason with him? It was an unfortunate incident where a young man lost his life. Fortunately for everyone involved no one else was hurt including innocent citizens. He taunted the police officers over their police radio. They DID try to negotiate with him. PS. Firing upon police officers is called attempted capital murder.
Thank you Rob for the services you provided seflessly to your community but it was an informed choice you chose to make. I suppose next you will say that IF you had been provided a take home car you would have refused it because it's unfair to the taxpayers.
Thank you Jones for your kind words. A very heart felt thank you to Rob Knolls for the service he has given our community. Bla, Jones is right, go ask the older people who didn't get even that one check of $250.00.
I have been working on a data base today,(will be absent from work tomorrow)quite boring actually. Today, however I was enjoying my time on the computer following a very interesting debate. I certainly hope to run across another one like this in the future. Applause to all involved.
S Jones,
I was really only referring to Expert's comment abut the Hook being held liable for what it printed in the article. i happened to agree with Gas that there is not a case for it, but beyind that, my statement had nothing to do with him.
Expert,
I don't think it implausible the Hook could be held accountable for libel, but they wouldn't be for what they put into the article.
"They DID try to negotiate with him." [Colby]
Really? Do tell! I have not read this in the news reports.
Your comments suggest an origination in the alleged arena and one of your colleagues seemed to have argued that unsubstantiated comments are hearsay.
All requests for access to or for copies of public records are FOIA requests here in VA. People seem to not be aware of that, so it's worth pointing out I think.
http://www.opengovva.org/virginias-foia-the-law
2009-2010 Virginia Freedom of Information Act
§ 2.2-3704. Public records to be open to inspection; procedure for requesting records and responding to request; charges.
A. Except as otherwise specifically provided by law, all public records shall be open to inspection and copying by any citizens of the Commonwealth during the regular office hours of the custodian of such records. Access to such records shall not be denied to citizens of the Commonwealth, representatives of newspapers and magazines with circulation in the Commonwealth, and representatives of radio and television stations broadcasting in or into the Commonwealth. The custodian may require the requester to provide his name and legal address. The custodian of such records shall take all necessary precautions for their preservation and safekeeping.
B. A request for public records shall identify the requested records with reasonable specificity. The request need not make reference to this chapter in order to invoke the provisions of this chapter or to impose the time limits for response by a public body. Any public body that is subject to this chapter and that is the custodian of the requested records shall promptly, but in all cases within five working days of receiving a request, provide the requested records to the requester or make one of the following responses in writing:
And those two pertain to the original article, the discussion that followed, or my comment how exactly?
What is that all about?
S Jones when you are typing a statement on your keyboard for the public might I suggest decaffeinated coffee. :)
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somebody neeeds to get laid....
I think this thread pretty much proves that "getting laid" is not an excellent career advancement tactic. :)
You know there is sexual misconduct everywhere. I won't even get into a certain volunteer organization who had one "lead" individual that preyed on the young college girls for years. But nothing was ever done because there by-laws having nothing prohibiting fraternizing with insubordinates. This individual's "good ol' boys" always protected the individual.
quote: "You are the crazy person that has a website and spends all their time following Jade Officers around all day watching them pick their noses and scratch their crotches."
I agree. Her attention was misdirected. Maybe she should have been watching patrol and getting a few pictures and videos of the sexcapades. :)
(I crack me up sometimes! Gasbag, you is an instigator. boy!!!)
what would Jesus do? Render unto Caesar.
Withhold the tapes!!
GSOE - what is the link to this "hanus" video you speak of?
Well, there's dozens of links to it...
Here's one....
http://policelink.monster.com/videos/videos/14724-deputy-kyle-dinkheller
Quote GSOE (who was quoting someone else) quote: ââ?¬Å?You are the crazy person that has a website and spends all their time following Jade Officers around all day watching them pick their noses and scratch their crotches.”
Aww... maybe that was me before. Now I’m the ââ?¬Å?crazy person” that spends all their [sic] time photographing and publishing pictures of the residences of Officers.
Rah! Rah! Rob Bell!
Quote GSOE Maybe she should have been watching patrol and getting a few pictures and videos of the sexcapades.
You have no idea the things I don’t make public on my site.
I'm too lazy to look. Did Robbie's bill pass this year?
I Heart Jade, seriously nothing better to do with your time than to follow officers around and post pictures of their private homes online? They really do have medication for people like you. And what's with the fascination of cops? Why not proffesional fire fighters or elected officials? Are you that bored?
blah blah blah, her issue is that her lover is a white-supremacist that was busted for child porn. For that reason, she's down on law enforcement.
Well now, (great user name, by the way) that certainly explains a lot.
I can see most of you still don't understand what takes place in the cop shoppe profession. And some of you want to distract attention away from what actually took place. I will try to make this real simple so there is no "reading the lines" involved. Cops meet new and interesting women every day of the week in the course of performing their duties. They meet these women as both victims and witnesses. Even though many of these cops call themselves "happily married", some of them cross the line and use meeting these women in the course of their duties as an excuse to strike up a new and interesting "affair". Do you see where I am going with this? After the thrill of this new and exciting affair wears off, the women are tossed aside like a used kleenex. This is where the hatred and hard feelings comes into play in many cases. Ya see folks, cops not only rock the back of their cop shoppe cars with each other, which as we all know this thread was originally about, they rock the back of their cars with women they meet in the line of duty, the victims and the witnesses. Now, do I have to connect the dots for any of you?
Any honest cop will tell you, "Yeah, Gasbag is right again!"
Well said Gasbag! As the former wife of a cop...I can only agree!!!
...and the taxpayer always gets the bill.
"cops not only rock the back of their cop shoppe cars with each other" lets hope that they only "rock" with willing women. We will see.
WHO GUARDS THE GUARDIANS????
The question is put to Socrates, "Who will guard the guardians?" or, "Who will protect us against the protectors?" Plato's answer to this is that they will guard themselves against themselves. We must tell the guardians a "noble lie".[1] The noble lie will assure them that they are better than those they serve and it is therefore their responsibility to guard and protect those lesser than themselves. We will instill in them a distaste for power or privilege; they will rule because they believe it right, not because they desire it.
WITH A BOOM BOOM HANGOUT PLACE??
Who watches the watchmen?!?!?!?
Quote GSOE After the thrill of this new and exciting affair wears off, the women are tossed aside like a used kleenex.
Oh for goodness sake. Are these poor taken-advantage-of women you speak of the same ones who batted their eyelashes and bounced their boobs at policemen to get out of speeding tickets?
Quote GSOE This is where the hatred and hard feelings comes into play in many cases.
Well at least you wrote ââ?¬Å?many” and not ââ?¬Å?all.” You do realize there are some chicks who are as perfectly content with a fling as the officers they get involved with? No strings, no expectations, and no, I do not want you to leave your wife, make for a much funner and, I dare say, healthier, affair. ââ?¬Å?Mistress” beats ââ?¬Å?marriage” any-dang-day.
quote: "You do realize there are some chicks who are as perfectly content with a fling as the officers they get involved with? No strings, no expectations, and no, I do not want you to leave your wife, make for a much funner and, I dare say, healthier, affair. ââ?¬Å?Mistress” beats ââ?¬Å?marriage” any-dang-day."
It is the ideal situation I suppose.
It's been my experience though that most badge bunnies are out to score a husband.
I just never met the right ones I guess. :)
So I guess that makes an older, maybe professional type woman, hell, let's add state employee for kicks and giggles, a gray hare badge bunny?
IVE KNOWN TODD HOPWOOD FOR A LONG, LONG, LONG TIME AND HE IS ONE OF THE GOOD GUYS. . I DO NOT KNOW THE DETAILS OF WHY, WHO, WHA,T WHERE, AND AM NOT SPECULATING A SINGLE SOLITARY THING.. GOOD LUCK TO YOU MY FRIEND..
If Hopwood is such a good guy, how did he get caught up in the recent sexcapades?