We Killed Your Daughter; You're Under Arrest

[stockholmer]

http://www.informationliberation.com/?id=37683


Daniel Hiler ran out of gas during an evening motorcycle ride in Oildale, California on December 16. While walking his bike to a gas station, the twenty-year-old father of two ran into a family friend named Chrystal Jolley. The pair was crossing a street at a widely-recognized intersection when they were fatally blindsided by a vehicle traveling at a speed well in excess of the posted speed limit. http://oildale.bakersfieldnow.com/news/news/72851-families-crash-victims-speak-out Despite the fact that darkness had descended, the driver hadn't turned on his headlights. The victims were killed instantly.

Within minutes, police swarmed the scene, and arrests were made -- none of which involved the driver, Deputy John Swearengin http://www.bakersfield.com/news/local/x1836507362/CHP-releases-name-of-deputy-in-Oildale-crash of the Kern County Sheriff's Office. The four people arrested were relatives of the victims, who got into what the Sheriff's Office described as an "altercation" with California Highway Patrol officers when they attempted to identify the victims.

"I was at home on Friday night working on my car when someone came running over and told me that a deputy ran over my daughter in the street," recalls Jimmy Clevenger, http://www.turnto23.com/north_river_county/30034310/detail.html Jolley's father. "I ran down here, I was very upset... The next thing I know, they had me by the neck and threw me to the ground and said I resisted arrest. My daughter was dead in the street and it was their fault."

The outraged relatives were taken to jail, and face criminal charges. Swearengin, the killer, was taken to the hospital and wasn't compelled to undergo drug or alcohol screening. The posted local speed limit (for Mundanes, of course) is 45 miles per hour. According to several on-scene accounts from horrified witnesses, Swearengin blew through the intersection at a speed of 75--90 miles per hour. Despite the fact that he was obviously in a hurry, Swearengin didn't activate his siren or running lights -- or, according to at least one eyewitness, his headlights.


snip

[duhneece]

1. Thanks for sharing.

Obvious instances of Injustice should have bright lights shining on them.

[Lars39]

2. I hope the families sue the everliving shit out of everybody involved.

[atreides1]

3. The cop will get away with it

A similar incident happened where I live...a police officer blew through a stoplight, no lights, no sirens...hit a car and killed the driver.

The officer was determined to have done nothing wrong.

[surfdog]

10. If that happened to me.

The officer would never get away with it no matter what the court said.

[Bonhomme Richard]

14. +1 n/t

[Zalatix]

18. De-fund the police gangs. n/t

.

[Vanje]

31. +1000!

Who do they serve?
Who do they protect?

[GETPLANING]

34. They serve and protect each other first

[VWolf]

15. Something less severe happened to a friend of mine.

Cop ran a stoplight w/o sirens or lights and hit her car. She suffered burns from the airbag chemicals.

She ended up getting ticketed.

[mwooldri]

17. This is why I cannot trust the police.

Respect authority, yes. Trust? No.

If law enforcement can't even obey the laws themselves - even on a simple thing as road speed limits - then how can I trust them?

I know I'm from the country with the most closed-circuit TVs per head of population (the UK) but I kind of like speed cameras in some respects. They catch speeding police officers too. Not on an emergency call? Sorry officer but here's your ticket. The speed limit is for all, and law enforcement is supposed to uphold it, not flout it. If there's an emergency call then yes there is a valid reason for speeding. My dad has had to deal with the odd one or two speeding camera citations that the local St. John Ambulance division got sent their way, and at all these times, the clearly marked ambulance was on duty. Camera captures the number plates, not the whole vehicle, so it was not clear that the blue lights on top of the vehicle were working.

But in the OP, that law enforcement officer should be IMO doing time if what happened in the OP really did happen. A cop speeding down a road at night with lights off is completely reckless. The family should ask for State Police to get involved and request that criminal charges for vehicular manslaughter be placed against that individual. That is - if all in the OP is as seen here.

[quakerboy]

37. No.

No trust at any time when cameras and witnesses are not present in overwhelming numbers. The only respect due is exactly what you would accord any armed individual with a high level of influence in the legal system.

[caseymoz]

24. And similar thing happened a my brother's friends.

A couple. But they were in a car when the cop blew through intersection with no lights. He killed the guy, and disabled the woman. The cop had a woman civilian in the car's front seat with him. He was never brought up on charges, attempts to sue failed because his friends on the force lied and covered for him.

What I've noticed is, whenever anything like this is brought up, I always hear a dozen similar stories. It's not uncommon at all.

It's an outrage what the Blue Gangsters get away with.

[Nuclear Unicorn]

4. Arrest? Really?

Nevermind the underlying negligience, take that off the table for a moment.

These are grieving families dealing with sudden catastrophe. Outbursts are to be expected. Restrain them if you have to but they will ultmately regain themselves and they can be released. Zero need to arrest.

[Zalatix]

19. Indeed, what a waste of taxpayer dollars.

[aikoaiko]

7. The video from the police camcorder will not be pretty.

If there is one and it isn't "lost".

[saras]

9. And if it picked up anything with his headlights off...

[Hassin Bin Sober]

13. I know some systems tell if the officer's lights are on or off.

[TorchTheWitch]

28. It's not his headlights that were off

He didn't have his police lights on.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

30. From the source:

"Despite the fact that darkness had descended, the driver hadn't turned on his headlights. The victims were killed instantly."

[ManiacJoe]

21. Probably the video does not exist if the emergency lights were not on.

[aikoaiko]

22. for the sake of justice, that would be a shame.

[Dawson Leery]

8. The one group that does NOT need a union!

Corrupt pieces of horse manure, overpaid and underworked.

[riderinthestorm]

36. I don't agree with this. If workers can create a union, they deserve a union. Period.

From cops to Walmart workers, I have no beef with unions and encourage ALL of them.

The OP is NOT about whether this cop will get away with his crime (or not) because of a union - that cop may get away with it because of the "code of silence" amongst those within the ranks who value protecting each other more than the lives of those "outside" their ranks.

[Ian David]

11. This is a good article, but beware of informationliberation.com

They also cite whackjob articles from Cybercast News Service and such.

[uponit7771]

12. "...Oildale..." Those 08ers are something else!!

Used to live in oildale, I was one of 34 blacks in the whole town.

What is it about oil that draws out the least in humans?

[Politicalboi]

16. I live in Bakersfield

They did cross the street without a crosswalk, or a light, but if he had his lights on, I'm sure the end would have been different. The speed limit on that street is 45mph. And it is a dark road.

[maximusveritas]

20. "I was very upset... The next thing I know"

Whenever someone says that, you know they're leaving out something bad that they did. While you can allow a certain amount of outrage and anger when relatives are grieving, you do have to set a limit. I know I'll get attacked for this, but there is always a rush to condemn the police when things like this happen. Sometimes they do mess up or engage in corruption, but in the vast majority of cases, they're trying to do the right thing. If the cop did not follow the right procedures, he deserves to be punished according to the law, but he does not deserve to be demonized as a "killer" when he was likely just trying to do his job.

[Selatius]

26. Driving 70mph in a 45 zone with sirens and headlights off is "doing his job"? nt

[uncle ray]

27. really? you'll give the killer cop the benefit of the doubt, but not the father of the girl

who just got killed?

BTW, the deputy earned his "killer" label via his negligence.

[quakerboy]

38. "sometimes"

No. The whole system is corrupt. When bad cops do bad things, most cops connected with them do everything possible to protect them, up to and including lying. And every other officer connected with them refuses to take action. The whole group is a gang. With a few notable exceptions, they are all "bad cops"

No officer acted to prevent the many well known acts of violence against Occupy protestors by police officers before those acts happened. No officer acted to stop assaults against occupy protestors by police officers as they happened. And no NY officer has stepped up to arrest Anthony Bologna for his multiple instances of assault of unarmed nonviolent civilians. No California officer has stepped up to arrest the officer who shot Scot Olsen in the head with a tear gas canister. Just for examples sake.

So no. The "there are some mistakes, but really, they are there to do good" argument is not valid. If you ask them, sure, thats what they will say. We all have ego, we all like to think we are good people doing our best to do good things. But when your actions, and your lack of actions prove otherwise, its a lie. We do not have a good police system with a few bad apples. We have a corrupt police system with a few good apples.

[DirkGently]

23. Jesus.

[a2liberal]

25. K&R (n/t)

[The Wizard]

29. Unfortunately

The worship of uniformed authority has become the norm. Police breaking laws and killing innocent bystanders is accepted behavior, much like priests molesting children. We are an easily frightened people who will accept any abhorrent behavior from authority figures in the hope that they'll protect us from threats real or imagined.
The is is the Nixon/Reagan/Bush legacy.
The police see the world through a jaundiced prism, us against them, and ladies and gentlemen, we are the them.
Bradley Manning is on trial for exposing war crimes by American forces, as he is required to do under the provisions of the Geneva Convention, a treaty to which the United States is still bound despite the musings and protestations of the war criminals known as the Bush cartel.
Nearly everyone who questions the actions of the police is charged with obstruction and resisting arrest. The only things missing are the jackboots, arm bands and brown shirts. Then again, check out how the enforcers for the 1% get dressed to confront peaceful protesters.
But they do risk their lives everyday----------eating lard infused pastry.

[Locrian]

32. its no wonder

They don't get paid for actually helping people. They DO get funding $$ for fighting bullshit "war on drugs" or writing tickets. Or for the 1% who "contribute" to them with fancy toys and funds.

The system molds the behavior to an "us" vs "them" mentality. Sad for all concerned including the police who have to work like this (not that I'm excusing them).

The police are supposed to work for *US*. Looks like they've followed the gov/corporate model.

[dotymed]

33. This should be headline news across this country.

The Bastards! That is why we are kicked out of every country we "help." Laws only apply to us serfs. This video should play 24/7 at OWS camps and wherever possible. Our nation may be past redemption. IMO, the new NDA law is for this Spring. When the weather breaks, so will our citizens. We are sick of the abuse.

This sounds like something that would have happened under Sadam Husseins rule. Tragically it happens in America daily.
GO OWS!

[NOLALady]

35. Something similar happened here a while back.

http://files.usgwarchives.net/la/orleans/newspapers/00000498.txt

"Five Slidell-area children were killed Friday while returning home
from a late-night trip to McDonald's when the car they were in was hit
by an unmarked cruiser driven by a St. Tammany Parish sheriff's deputy
en route to another officer's call for help, State Police said.

The children -- cousins, sisters and brothers, ages 4 to 14 -- were
less then a block from their destination when the car they were riding
in turned left from U.S. 190 Business onto Leaning Oak Drive in front
of the cruiser.

"The whole car was just ripped open at the back right door," said
Trooper Kevin Allen, spokesman for State Police Troop L barracks,
which is investigating the crash. "The car was kind of tore away from
them. Two or three of the victims landed in water in a ditch. It was
devastating."


They tried to build a case against the driver, the sister and Aunt of the deceased kids. Before they took her to the hospital, they took her to be drug tested. There were no drugs or alcohol in her system.
The cop car was unmarked, no lights, no siren, speeding. The "answering a call for help" was his story. There is another story that's not pretty.

The entire community was devastated.