104 Minnesota police officers in 18 agencies

104 Minnesota police officers in 18 agencies under investigation as ex-cop sues them for accessing her driver info just to look at her picture. [0] bit.ly/wSuOoN

New York NY cop investigated for alleged

New York NY cop investigated for alleged sexual assault while he & 3 others were allegedly drinking on duty [1] nyti.ms/zzJRsD

Harris Co TX deputy was fired

Harris Co TX deputy was fired and indicted on improper sexual activity with a person in custody charge [0] bit.ly/xAjOpu

Ex-La Habra policeman suspected of stealing $60K from charity

SANTA ANA - A former La Habra police officer was arrested Thursday on charges of stealing more than $60,000 from an Orange County charity that raises money for youth scholarships.

Kirk Robert Lotzgesell, 43, of Winchester, is charged with felony grand theft, according to the Orange County District Attorney's Office. Lotzgesell, who was arrested by Brea police, was being held in lieu of $60,000 bail pending arraignment, scheduled for Monday.

Lotzgesell is accused of stealing from the Orange County Cop Bowl Association, which includes police officers who play football games against other law enforcement personnel and firefighters to raise money for student scholarships.

Lotzgesell was on the La Habra police force until January 2006. He volunteered for the unpaid treasurer post for the association in 2007 after lying to the organization's officials, saying he was an active law enforcement officer but was on medical leave, prosecutors allege.

Lotzgesell is accused of embezzling the money by writing checks to himself and getting cash through ATMs. The alleged scheme was discovered when the Internal Revenue Service contacted the organization about the failure to file tax returns, triggering a financial review, according to prosecutors.

Lotzgesell could face up to three years in prison if convicted.

Pittsburgh police officer charged with demanding sexual favors from women

Judge orders more detailed psych exam for arrested cop

Thursday, February 23, 2012

By Paula Reed Ward, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

A Pittsburgh police officer charged with demanding sexual favors from women he met in the course of his work must have a full psychiatric evaluation before a judge will reconsider his release from jail to home electronic monitoring.

Adam Skweres, 34, of Lincoln Place, has been in custody since his arrest last week on charges of bribery, coercion, official oppression and indecent assault.

Allegheny County Common Pleas Judge Jeffrey A. Manning last week agreed to have Officer Skweres released to home detention pending trial. However, on Tuesday, the judge stayed that order, pending a competency evaluation.

The behavior clinic at the Allegheny County Jail has finished that report, but the judge has now asked for a more detailed workup to ensure both the defendant's and public's safety.

Mr. Skweres' defense attorney, Phillip DiLucente, said he hopes that evaluation will be completed today. If so, his client could appear before the motions judge on Friday, or wait until Monday when Judge Manning returns from a judicial conference in Philadelphia.

"I think Judge Manning is taking every precaution necessary, and I don't argue with that," Mr. DiLucente said.

Mr. Skweres, who is being held in protective custody, is suspended without pay. He joined the Pittsburgh police in 2007.

Mr. DiLucente said he wants his client released to help prepare his defense. A preliminary hearing on the four cases against him is scheduled for March 2.

Police review suspended officer's past cases

Pittsburgh police said Monday that they are reviewing previous arrests made by a suspended officer accused of bribing women for sexual favors to see if there are more cases of possible misconduct.

Officer Adam Skweres, 34, a five-year veteran working out of the Zone 3 station in Allentown, was charged last week with crimes including coercion, official oppression, indecent assault and bribery stemming from three cases in which women told investigators he offered them legal aid in exchange for sex acts and a fourth in which a woman said he tried to rape her.

The allegations date back as far as June 2008, when he had been on the job for only about 18 months.

Sources said police are examining Officer Skweres' cases and arrests but would not say what, if anything, their efforts have yielded so far.

Officer Skweres, who was suspended without pay upon his arrest, remained in the Allegheny County Jail on Monday while awaiting an electronic ankle monitoring bracelet for his house arrest pending trial. His attorney, Phillip DiLucente, expected him to be released today.

The officer could face additional charges after police this weekend discovered crack cocaine, marijuana and narcotic drugs prescribed to someone else in his duty bag inside of his Dodge Durango. People other than Officer Skweres had access to the Durango while he has been in jail, so there's a chance the items are not his, Mr. DiLucente said.

Also inside the duty bag, detectives found Viagra pills, a box of three condoms with one missing, and a piece of paper with one of his accusers' name and cell phone number on it, according to a police report.

The number belongs to a woman who told investigators that Officer Skweres came to her home in full uniform on Feb. 11 and tried to rape her when she refused to give in to his demands for oral sex. Police said he had arrested the woman's boyfriend in November and remained in touch with the couple to use them as informants.

On that day, police said, he forced her to perform a sex act on him, cleaned himself with a paper towel and put it in his pocket.

In applying for a warrant to search Officer Skweres' vehicle, detectives told a judge that they were seeking "a soiled white select-a-size paper towel," as well as his uniform jacket and notebooks.

They searched the officer's house in Lincoln Place on Friday, hoping to find "the paper towel that was used by Skweres after the assault and to collect Skweres' uniform items for possible evidence related to the charges filed," according to that search warrant. They took his uniforms and paper towels, police said.

The woman, whom the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette will not identify because she says she was a victim of sexual assault, referred questions to her attorney, Ken Fryncko. He said "she feels betrayed by the fact that a person in power is taking advantage of one of the most vulnerable segments of society."

Officer Skweres had arrested the woman's boyfriend and was "leveraging that in putting her in a position of vulnerability. That's why he had her cell phone number," Mr. Fryncko said. "The whole system failed in this case. It's not just him. It comes down to, who is training, who is hiring, who is supervising these people?"

His client reported the incident to the FBI, which prosecutors have said led to Officer Skweres' arrest. Through a police spokeswoman, Deputy Chief Paul Donaldson declined to comment on the case or how it was handled, saying only that it remains under investigation.

Pittsburgh police said on Monday they would add charges

Pittsburgh police defend handling of suspected officer

Pittsburgh police said on Monday they would add charges to the growing criminal case against an officer accused of bribery and sexual misconduct, and defended their decision to keep him in uniform after the first accusations surfaced.

Police expect to charge Officer Adam Skweres, 34, of Lincoln Place in connection with marijuana and crack cocaine found in his vehicle, Chief Nate Harper said. Skweres remained jailed, but his attorney, Phillip DiLucente, expected him to be released on house arrest today.

DiLucente said the officers were looking for Skweres' uniforms, duty bag and other evidence when they searched his home and car this weekend.

Police last week arrested Skweres on charges he tried to exchange leniency or influence for sexual favors from two women in 2008, one in 2011 and one this month. Although one of the women complained to city investigators in 2008, Skweres remained on active duty out of the Zone 3 station in Allentown until last week, when the city suspended him without pay following his arrest.

Harper declined to say whether police provided extra supervision or monitoring of Skweres after the initial complaint.

"It's a criminal investigation — you have to do it thoroughly," Harper said. "Would we like to put him in a glass house? Sure. Could we have? No. You have to look at reality."

Police brass can't remove an officer from active duty as a disciplinary measure without cause, said Officer Dan O'Hara, president of the Fraternal Order of Police Fort Pitt Lodge No. 1. Officers can face additional scrutiny, but O'Hara said he couldn't say if that was the case with Skweres.

In the most recent incident, Skweres gave indications he knew he was being watched. He asked the victim if she was wearing a wire and told her to pull up her shirt to show him she wasn't when he went to her house in uniform on Feb, 11, according to a criminal complaint. He began to "act strangely," telling her not to talk, writing messages on paper and telling her to turn her phone off, the complaint said.

There's no national policy on how to treat an officer under investigation for sexual misconduct, said Ocean City police Chief Bernadette DiPino, a member of the executive committee of the International Association of Chiefs of Police who helped write a guide on addressing police sexual misconduct.

"You're going to have to trust and depend on your supervisors," DiPino said. "They should be monitoring police officers' behavior. Police officers are pretty much by themselves the majority of the time, but with advances in technology there are ways of monitoring behaviors."

DiPino said that in Maryland, if police have a credible allegation against an officer, they can remove him or her before criminal charges are filed. Still, she said, "There are advantages to an officer still being out there in the public," such as the potential to catch the officer in the act.

"You have to be very careful in how you proceed in these cases," DiPino said.

A police accountability expert said he thinks Skweres should have been removed from active duty much sooner.

"Common sense would say if you have suspicions about this person's conduct, you take them off the street, period," said Samuel Walker, a professor emeritus at the University of Nebraska at Omaha who studies police issues. "If there were two back in 2008, that raises the significance of it even further. There should've been something done."

Harper previously said police did not have enough evidence to remove Skweres from duty until his arrest.

Another SPD officer facing misconduct scrutiny

By Thomas ClouseThe Spokesman-Review

 

Another Spokane Police officer is facing potential termination after he used law enforcement resources to find the home address of a woman he’d met at a Spokane Valley bar, then showed up at her door uninvited in the middle of the night.
Interim Police Chief Scott Stephens, contacted Thursday by The Spokesman-Review, confirmed that he met that day with Senior Officer Alan D. Edwards and a union representative about the Dec. 15 encounter, which came to the department’s attention after the concerned woman called 9-1-1 and later lodged a complaint.
Stephens said he has decided how he wants to discipline Edwards but wants the city’s attorneys and human resources officials to review the matter before making his decision public.
“I will take appropriate action,” Stephens said. “My overriding concern is that I follow the employee’s right to due process.”
Edwards is the officer who just returned to the police force after spending nearly a year on paid leave while the Washington State Patrol investigated his ties to an unlicensed bounty hunter.
In that case, Edwards was cleared of any criminal wrongdoing but police officials ruled late last year that he violated department policy by engineering a ruse with two bail bondsmen in Nov. 2009 to chase a fugitive into a home on Nora Avenue so that Edwards could search the home for stolen Cadillac wheels without a search warrant.
During that investigation, Edwards continued to draw his annual pay of $76,886 while not working for 10 months. After ruling he violated department policy, the department disciplined Edwards with a two-week unpaid suspension.
Shortly after returning to the force, the new complaint arose when Edwards went to Sullivan’s Scoreboard tavern in Spokane Valley on Dec. 15 and met a woman there, apparently while off duty. Stephens said Edwards clearly identified himself as a Spokane Police officer at the bar as they talked.
The woman left the bar alone and went home. Sometime after midnight, Edwards arrived unannounced at her door. She then called 911.
“I can confirm that we did receive a complaint from a woman who claims that somebody showed up on her doorstep in the wee hours of the morning … who identified himself as a police officer,” Stephens said. “The 911 call was not about the conversation at the bar. That is troublesome.”
Stephens confirmed that Edwards called someone within the department to obtain the woman’s address that night. But Stephens would not identify the police department employee who provided the address.
“The incident itself was thoroughly investigated,” Stephens said. “The roles of the parties involved were clearly identified. At this point, the only officer facing potential disciplinary action is Officer Edwards.”
Stephens pointed out that the woman made no allegations that Edwards was drunk, disorderly or that he attempted to gain improper entry into her home. He said the probe found no evidence that any crime had occurred.
Mayor David Condon, through a city spokeswoman, declined to comment until Stephens announces his decision about Edwards’ discipline. “The Mayor likely will be willing to make a comment when this process is complete and becomes public,” Marlene Feist said.
Based on how other disciplinary decisions have gone against the city, Stephens said he wants to take a cautious approach. He said he could announce Edwards discipline as early as Monday.
“I don’t want any disciplinary action I take subjected to somebody saying you violated due process,” he said. “I think we are seeing some of the backlash from that. I’m not trying to be evasive. I’m trying to weigh employees’ rights and my duty being responsible to the community.”
In the meantime, Edwards is again on paid leave. But Stephens didn’t place him there.
“He’s out on injury leave right now,” the chief said. “I think he hurt himself skiing.”

Affidavit: Greenwich cop harassed woman for nearly a year

 (Page 1 of 2)

The Greenwich police officer arrested Monday and charged with stalking a town woman allegedly harassed her for nearly a year, according to an affidavit filed in State Superior Court.

A 32-year-old woman filed a complaint against Officer Donnell Fludd on Nov. 6, stating that she had tried unsuccessfully to end her relationship with him since December 2010, and had since suffered repeated incidents of harassment, according to the affidavit.

The department subsequently launched an internal affairs investigation into the complaint, according to the affidavit. Fludd, 43, is charged with second-degree stalking, second-degree harassment and disorderly conduct, all of which are misdemeanors.

In the 19-page document, the woman described various ways in which Fludd allegedly continued to contact, stalk and harass her, despite her phone calls, face-to-face meetings, emails and text messages telling him to stop.

The woman told police there were "several instances where Fludd used his position as a police officer; his large size; and his knowledge of firearms to intimidate her," according to the affidavit.

The woman described receiving bogus parking tickets, gave police photographs of an injury she claimed to have sustained during an incident with Fludd in her apartment building elevator, and told police Fludd pulled out his personal gun on one occasion while they were talking in his personal vehicle.

During the course of the investigation, police interviewed Fludd, who acknowledged that he had a relationship with the woman, but said that he never put a hand on her, tried to intimidate her, or took his gun out in front of her in a threatening manner.

He also denied many of the woman's other allegations.

In her complaint, which stemmed from a Nov. 6 incident, the woman told police Fludd entered the Riverside store where she worked and refused to leave her alone. Later that evening, Fludd was waiting for her in the store parking lot at the end of her shift and tried to prevent her from leaving by holding open the door to her car, she said. The woman, who was able to leave the scene, told police she noticed Fludd following her a short time later on Interstate 95 and "became very scared," according to the affidavit. She drove to the intersection of Greenwich Avenue and Havemeyer Place, a short distance from the police department, and Fludd then pulled onto Havemeyer Place and parked his car so he could watch her, she said.

In the ensuing investigation, the woman told police that, on "numerous occasions," Fludd stopped her in her car while he was driving a police vehicle, but on each occasion he did not issue her a ticket, according to the affidavit.

Fludd sent messages to the woman from an account associated with the Greenwich Flag Football League, according to the affidavit. Fludd, a former All-American tight end with West Virginia Wesleyan College, coached in the youth league, which he co-founded in 2006.

In a response to one of those emails, dated Oct. 18, 2011, the woman stated, "It's October 18, 2011 and the next time you hear from me is when you will sign paperwork with my name on it from your job stating to leave [the woman's name] along [sic] and don't come around her. You are threatening my space. I will not pick up a call from you, reply to a text message from you."

The woman told police she met Fludd through the Greenwich Flag Football League, for which she volunteered. Fludd began to pay her for her work with the league, and he tried to get her to accept more and more money, she said. At one point, he gave her $3,000 of the league's money to open a personal account, but she refused and returned the money, she said.

The woman told police that Fludd often touched her inappropriately despite her protests, and that she had been afraid to come to the police because Fludd had told her that "he was the police and that he would not get in trouble," according to the affidavit.

Police interviewed five of the woman's family members during the investigation, according to the affidavit.

In a December 2011 interview, Fludd told police he and the woman had gone back and forth on their relationship and that, at times, she had expressed a desire to end it, according to the affidavit.

Fludd said he had employed her at the flag football league and she had bargained with him to pay her $3,000, according to the affidavit. Fludd told police he gave her $3,000 in cash for future work and that she gave him back a $3,000 check, according to the affidavit.

When asked if he had ever pulled her over in a police car while he was working, Fludd said, "No. Never. Like in a car stop? Never ever," according to the affidavit.

Fludd denied issuing her any parking tickets. When shown a copy of a town parking ticket, issued to her car at her residence on a day and time that he was working in the area, he said he had no recollection of that, according to the affidavit.

Fludd said he had no recollection of an alleged December 2010 incident, in which the woman said Fludd followed her to work, according to the document. He also denied the alleged elevator episode.

Fludd acknowledged following her in his car Nov. 6 but said it was because he thought she was upset and he was concerned about her well-being.

A state Superior Court judge in Stamford issued a protective order Tuesday mandating that Fludd avoid all contact with the woman.

Fludd, who was sworn in as a Greenwich police officer in 2004, has been on administrative leave since the alleged victim came forward. Sgt. James Bonney, president of the Silver Shield Association, the police union, confirmed Tuesday that Fludd is on paid leave.

"I would hope everyone reserves judgment on him until the end of the proceedings," Bonney said.

Greenwich police have said they will not comment further on the details of the case. The internal affairs investigation is ongoing, police said.

Fludd, who was released on a promise to appear, was arraigned in state Superior Court in Stamford Tuesday, but did not enter pleas, according to court documents. His case was continued to March 27.

Fludd's attorney could not be reached for comment Wednesday.

david.hennessey@scni.com; 203-625-4428

Citizens accuse demoted Wrightsville Beach cop of misconduct

WRIGHTSVILLE BEACH, NC (WWAY) -- A day after details were released in the investigation of three Wrightsville Beach Police officers, citizens are coming forward with their own allegations of police misconduct.

From a traffic stop that ended in a Tasing, to claims of a botched investigation of an apparent sexual assault, residents say one officer should not be allowed on the streets.

"All three officers had strong performance records... up to this particular time," Wrightsville Beach Town Manager Bob Simpson said Tuesday when announcing the demotion of two officers and the resignation of another after an internal investigation.

Simpson's comments had some people scratching their heads. Among them, Arlo McLawhorn. He is one of four men seen in dash cam video that shows a Wrightsville Beach cop Tasing McLawhorn's friend. He says the officer firing the Taser is Shaun Appler, who the town demoted this week.

"He's basically getting Tased, and you can see he's Tasing him the whole time; just holding him telling him to come, you can see him motioning," McLawhorn said about the video.

McLawhorn says the incident happened in June 2009. He and his buddies had hailed a cab when they were pulled over. McLawhorn says Ofc. Robert Miller, who was also demoted this week, was in the process of giving the cab a citation for an illegal pick-up when his buddies got out to try and let one of their friends go to restroom. McLawhorn says that's when things went downhill.. He claims the officers in the video acted unprofessionally.

"Immediatly the officer comes up with his cuffs drawn and arrest my buddy," McLawhorn said "He never tells us why he's arrested."

About five minutes later the video shows McLawhorn's friend being Tased.

But McLawhorn is not the only person that has had a run in with one of the demoted officers. A man who we'll call "Rick" says his son was caught up in a he-said-she-said story in which he was accused of rape.

Rick says his son was beat unconscious by friends of the alleged victim, but when it was time for police to investigate what happened, Rick says Ofc. Appler made no attempted to be fair and investigate both sides.

"This young man did not need to be carrying a weapon and enforcing the laws, 'cause he doesn't know how to enforce the laws equally," Rick said. "He enforces the laws as he sees it. It's his court. What he said to me, and I quote, 'Your son deserves what he got.' He was almost beat to death, and my son had not even had his day in court yet. How would you feel if a police officer said that to you?"

We reached out to Simpson about his comments regarding Miller's and Appler's performance record. He said he made the comment based on what was in personnel records, including looking at reviews or any reprimands from five years back. As for the incidents in our story, he declined to comment.

We also tried calling Appler at work, but we could not reach him for comment.

3 Forest Grove OR cops sued alleging

3 Forest Grove OR cops sued alleging they illegally stopped and searched 2 women based on crime that didn’t happen [3] bit.ly/xEIksK

Bono AR cop

Bono AR cop suspended while investigated on allegations that he sexually assaulted man at his home [0] bit.ly/wYJEhH

Windham ME police dept subject of sexual

Windham ME police dept subject of sexual harassment & retaliation complaint filed with Maine HRC by ex-cop [3] http://bit.ly/xCa8C9

New York NY police sued by pregnant woman claiming cops illegally strip searched her & falsely arrested her [3] bit.ly/xzgelm

Greenwich CT cop arrested on stalking & harassment charges involving woman he used to date [1] bit.ly/yMqr3q

San Diego CA police are being sued by the victim of a cop recently convicted on sexual battery charges. She claims the department encouraged his actions by protecting him from previous allegations. [3] bit.ly/zkALAr

San Diego CA police are being sued by the victim of a cop recently convicted on sexual battery charges. She claims the department encouraged his actions by protecting him from previous allegations. [3] bit.ly/zkALAr

Pittsburgh PA police allegedly found crack

Pittsburgh PA police allegedly found crack cocaine & marijuana in a car belonging to a cop recently arrested for trying to sexually assault women under color of law. [0] bit.ly/wufL2p

Pittsburgh Bureau Of Police Officer Arrested

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — Pittsburgh police have arrested one of their own.

Adam Skweres, 35, is a Zone 3 police officer and has been with the force for five years. He faces charges including official oppression, criminal coercion, bribery and indecent assault.

He allegedly told at least three women that he could get either them or their boyfriends out of a jam for sexual favors.

“The behavior of this individual is very disturbing and should not be viewed as a reflection of the conduct of the good and the honorable men and women who serve on the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police,” Pittsburgh Police Chief Nate Harper said.

In one incident on the South Side, Skweres was quoted in the criminal complaint saying, “It doesn’t have to be sex. We can do other things.”

The complaint says Skweres told the woman, “If you go to jail, you know what they are going to do to you there. It’s not going to be as bad as what I do to you.”

He worked out of Zone 3 which includes the South Side. On Carson Street, people were both surprised and disappointed.

Bob Frederking, of the North Side, said: “If it’s true, it’s terrible. The cops should not be doing that. I hope it’s not true.”

Janet Curley said: “When it’s one of their own, it’s a really tough situation.”

The investigation is continuing and Chief Harper asked any other potential victims to come forward.

“As I stated, this is very disturbing and at the same time, we’re here to protect and to serve our citizens of this fine city,” Harper said.

Cincinnati OH DARE officer indicted on felony records tampering & forgery charges for fudging time sheets [0] cin.ci/xn7YgQ

 Helena-West Helena AR cop pleads guilty to money laundering & extortion charges, 3rd cop to plead in sting op [0] bit.ly/AxetRi

Todays charges

Toronto ON cop was sentenced to 30 days in jail for punching a motorist and painfully squeezing his testicles during a traffic stop. As part of the sentence on a sexual assault charge he must also register as a sex offender. [0] bit.ly/xd8pND

3 Macon Ga cops have been fired in two different cases. One was fired after arrested on sexual assault charges involving sex with a detainee in exchange for letting her go for shoplifting, another was fired for failing to report that incident. And another was fired after being charged with theft for taking a TV mistakenly delivered to his home. [0] bit.ly/zHDhZf

Las Vegas NV cop who is already facing charges for sexual misconduct for forcing 2 women to expose themselves is now accused of sexual misconduct by 2 more women, but the department insists these allegations aren’t criminal in nature, just policy violations. [2] cbsloc.al/xCxEot

Todays charges

Raleigh NC cop arrested on promoting and participating in the prostitution of a minor charges involving 17yr-old girl [0] bit.ly/wOITuC

Pittsburgh PA cop arrested on multiple charges for coercing sex from women under color of law [0] cbsloc.al/wUFw3L

Todays charges

Hall Co GA deputy arrested on rape, assault, child cruelty and other charges involving unspecified allegations [2] ow.ly/1GxcsK

Los Angeles Co CA deputy involved in cocaine smuggling scandal arrested on suspicion of lewd acts with a child [1] ow.ly/1GwRP4

Ottawa Co OH deputy suspended while under investigation on sexual assault allegations [0] ow.ly/1GwWae

Hamilton OH cop caught pantless peeping in hotel windows & pooping in parking lot gets probation in plea deal [0] ow.ly/1GwSqU

Wayne State Univ MI cop found guilty of criminal sexual conduct for coercing sex from woman during traffic stop [0] ow.ly/1Gx5B9

Hingham MA rehires police lieutenant has been rehired after he was fired in 2009 for what he claimed was just “horseplay” when he smacked a city worker’s testicles so hard that he buckled over. [0] http://bit.ly/ztJxMY