DEC 2022. Blues Vol 38 No. 12

AROUND THE COUNTRY
ACROSS THE US
Latest law enforcement news from across the country.
SAN FRANCISCO WILL ALLOW
POLICE TO DEPLOY LETHAL,
REMOTE-CONTROLLED ROBOTS
SAN FRANCISCO, CA — Supervisors
in San Francisco voted Tuesday
to give city police the ability
to use potentially lethal, remote-controlled
robots in emergency
situations — following an
emotionally charged debate that
reflected divisions on the politically
liberal board over support
for law enforcement.
The vote was 8-3, with the majority
agreeing to grant police the
option despite strong objections
from civil liberties and other police
oversight groups. Opponents
said the authority would lead to
the further militarization of a police
force already too aggressive
with poor and minority communities.
DALLAS OFFICER FIRED,
ANOTHER SUSPENDED AFTER
FAILING TO HELP DRIVER WHO
CRASHED
DALLAS — A Dallas Police Department
officer has been fired
and another was suspended for
30 days after they failed to help a
driver who crashed his car after
a pursuit in May.
Senior Cpl. Leonard Anderson
and Darrien Robertson, who was
being trained by Anderson at the
time, attempted to pull over a
driver whose headlights were off
after leaving a convenience store
on May 13, WFAA.com reported.
The driver didn’t stop, leading
to a short pursuit before it was
called off due to department
policy. Seconds after the officers
cancelled the pursuit, the driver
jumped a curb and crashed on
the side of a road.
“Did you see that?” Robertson
can be heard asking on dash
cam video.
“That’s his fault,” Anderson
replies.
The vehicle soon became
engulfed in flames. DPD Chief
Eddie Garcia said the officers
returned to the crash scene after
the vehicle had caught fire, but
he was “embarrassed” and “outraged,”
saying: “This is not what
we stand for.”
Nearby good Samaritans
helped the driver until Dallas
Fire-Rescue arrived. The driver
did survive.
“Those citizens did an admirable
job – and did a job that
our officers should have done,”
Garcia said.
WIDOW OF SLAIN CA OF-
FICER FILES CLAIM AGAINST
DISTRICT ATTORNEY
The widow of an El Monte
police sergeant announced the
filing Tuesday of a $25 million
claim against Los Angeles District
Attorney George Gascón and
other parties stemming from the
ambush death of her husband
and his partner in June.
Claimant Janine Paredes, the
widow of Sgt. Michael Paredes,
claims the cop killer should
have been incarcerated at the
time because of his prior criminal
record. The claim she filed
also names as respondents the
county, the Los Angeles County
District Attorney’s Office, and the
county probation department,
reports KFI AM. She alleges their
actions resulted in the wrongful
deaths and emotional distress.
Her husband and Officer Joseph
Santana, 31, were ambushed
and killed by Justin
Flores when responding to a call
at a motel on June 14.
CUFFED SUSPECT SHOOTS
DENVER COP WHILE BEING
REMOVED FROM CRUISER
By Sarah Calams, Police1
DENVER — A Denver Police
Department officer was shot in
the neck by a suspect who was
being removed from a police
cruiser at a jail Monday night.
The suspect, who had been arrested
earlier in the evening after
police pursued an alleged stolen
vehicle and found a handgun
and narcotics in the car, had a
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