State and national politics reporter @latimes. Past: @baltimoresun. Member: @NLGJA. DM me.
Los Angeles, CA
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A longtime LAPD SWAT sergeant has filed a whistleblower lawsuit alleging the unit is controlled by a “SWAT Mafia” of veteran cops who encourage the use of deadly force and call members who attempt de-escalation "cowards" (via @LAcrimes): latimes.com/california/story…
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“Gimme a place,” he says.
Then the laughter from the crowd.
As someone who has covered murder in Baltimore for years, sat w/ mourning mothers, fathers, siblings, grandmothers and girlfriends, this video is quite literally nauseating.
I don’t know what to do w/ this feeling.
Trump has now made shitting on Baltimore part of his campaign speeches. Echoing someone in the crowd, he claims the homicide rate is higher in the city than Afghanistan.
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"It was absolutely my pleasure to crush a white nationalist insurrection, and I'm glad I was in a position to be able to help." - @DCPoliceDept Officer Daniel Hodges
D.C. Police Officer Daniel Hodges’ bravery has gone viral with a video of him being crushed against a door during the U.S. Capitol riot.
"If it wasn't my job, I would have done that for free," Hodges said. nbc4dc.com/2bVDw3H
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LAPD's chief wanted to fire a detective who got drunk w/ subordinates, walked off alone thru skid row at 3:30AM & shot a homeless man in a fight.
Instead, he got a 55-day unpaid suspension.
Now, back on the job, he's challenging his suspension in court.
latimes.com/california/story…
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BREAKING: Baltimore @MayorPugh50 says the city is organizing 60 free buses to send students to DC for the march against gun violence later this month. Says “let’s show Washington DC that Baltimore matters.” Wants 3,000 city students there. Will be providing lunches and t-shirts.
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NEW: On a night of huge fundraising calls for @KamalaHarris, there was also a smaller one for gay & queer Black men - where @SecondGentleman Doug Emhoff showed up.
He was w/ gay friends after SoulCycle in WeHo - w/o his phone - when Biden dropped out!
latimes.com/politics/story/2…
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This woman is writing a number on kids' arms that she told them they can call in case they get arrested #FreddieGray
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Some personal news: After 8 years at the @baltimoresun, today is my last day. I've accepted a position at the @latimes, where I'll be working again under @richardmar10 covering @LAPDHQ. These are certainly wild times, but I am excited for the opportunity and eager to get to work.
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Six arrested after changing Hollywood sign to “HOLLYBOOB”
latimes.com/california/story…
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Members of Congress, outside an airport, trying to free legal U.S. residents from federal detention based on national origin. Astounding.
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🚨 If you're a black journalist and would like me to put your resume on important desks here at the @baltimoresun, my email is krector@baltsun.com and my DMs are open. We do important work & have positions. If you know someone who may be interested, share this. And please RT! 🚨
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NEW: People can’t be detained just for trying to avoid police, California Supreme Court says
The decision has immediate implications for officers working across the state, restricting the grounds under which they can stop and hold people for questioning.
latimes.com/california/story…
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NEW: A longtime LAPD SWAT insider turned whistleblower who alleged the elite tactical unit is controlled by a violent inner circle known as the “SWAT Mafia” has further detailed his claims in a startling new deposition.
STORY w/ @LAcrimes @liborjany:
latimes.com/california/story…
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New: 17 L.A. gangs have sent out crews to follow and rob city’s wealthiest, LAPD says
latimes.com/california/story…
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The sergeant alleges he was banished to an LAX detail for telling Internal Affairs about the rotten SWAT culture, and that command staff up to and including @LAPDChiefMoore's one-time chief of staff were aware of the problems but "all turned a blind eye": latimes.com/california/story…
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Breaking: LAPD just advised that this an unlawful assembly in DTLA — with this officer citing multiple fights between pro-Trump protesters and counter protesters.
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“Enough is enough,” says Baltimore Police Commissioner @Darryl_De_Sousa. Says he stands with students “1,000 percent.”
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BREAKING: Schiff calls on Biden to drop out, citing ‘serious concerns’ that he can win
latimes.com/politics/story/2…
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BREAKING: First after-action report on LAPD's handling of the summer protests and unrest finds poor planning, inadequate training, disregard for rules on mass arrests and crowd control established after past failures to manage protests (w/ @AlpertReyes):
latimes.com/california/story…
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NEW: Why did federal police square off with abortion rights protesters in L.A. streets?
“What was the need for federal law enforcement officers to be deployed in that instance, where there appeared to be no threat to the federal courthouse?”
latimes.com/california/story…
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Sometimes I start thinking about all the nonprofit work that could have been funded over the years if all the money that has been poured into U.S. politics had instead been invested philanthropically. Community outcomes instead of propaganda wars. It's an intense mental journey.
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Baltimore students in front of City Hall right now: “HEY HEY, HO HO, GUN VIOLENCE HAS GOT TO GO!”
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A lot more students just arrived at this student protest against gun violence in Baltimore. They’re from public city high schools. One chant: “No justice, no peace! No AR-15s!”
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A Los Angeles protester whose testicle exploded when an LAPD officer shot him with a hard-foam projectile during a street demonstration in 2020 has received a $1.5 million settlement from the city.
latimes.com/california/story…
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Kids from @ExcelAcademyHS are ready, outside Baltimore City Hall, to go to the #MarchForOurLives. They’ve lost 7 classmates to street gun violence since last year, plus more who have been wounded. #EnoughIsEnough
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Young LGBT kids watching @TheEmmys have seen @danjlevy sweep up honors in a kilt skirt, @Realeugenelevy praise the most winning show as a repudiation of homophobia, and @RuPaul tell them not to give up on love as he takes yet another award for a show about drag queens.
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LAPD is currently holding a closed-door meeting...
...that it barred media from even though residents invited us...
...while withholding an ATF report it promised to release...
...as if everyone in L.A. doesn't have a right to know how they managed to blow up a city block.
Moore just pointed out that no media is present. Said that was done at his direction. Only residents and business owners affected, which doesn’t line up with the officers outside checking IDs to make sure people live on 27th street
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On Trump claim Obama "didn't even try" on police reform:
- Obama DOJ aggressively pushed thru a sweeping consent decree mandating @BaltimorePolice reforms;
- Trump DOJ immediately tried to halt it bc they thought it restrained police power too much:
baltimoresun.com/maryland/ba…
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Parents of 14-year-old bystander killed in LAPD shooting make tearful call for justice
“Please give us strength, Valentina, to bring justice to you,” said her mother, whose arms she died in.
W/ @LATvives:
latimes.com/california/story…
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NOW: Baltimore students are laying down in big numbers in front of City Hall to protest guns and gun violence.
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25-year-old #FreddieGray was arrested in Baltimore on this morning two years ago. It seems so much has happened since, but also so little...
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Guys I just learned while digging around on something else that the Maryland state slogan used to be, “Oooh, the state I’m in.”
I am dead-ass serious I even asked a veteran colleague if it was true before posting this 1983 clip:
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According to D.A. records reviewed by The Times, one of the Torrance officers once sent a text message referring to a deposition in a police shooting.
“They believed our lies. Good job sticking to the script,” he wrote. “LMAO, that’s what they call a W.”
NEW: For years, more than a dozen Torrance cops exchanged racist, homophobic and anti-Semitic texts and images. Today, I can identify most of the officers and reveal some of their hateful conversations. My latest: latimes.com/california/story…
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Public employee vaccination requirements aren't new.
LAPD officers are already required, as a condition of employment, to be vaccinated against:
influenza
measles
mumps
rubella
tetanus
diphtheria
pertussis
varicella
hepatitis b
latimes.com/california/story…
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You're making light of serious critiques of your role, as one of the city's top law enforcement officials, in holding police accountable in a city that is desperate for accountability.
Why aren't you posting shooting reports anymore?
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Sybrina Fulton, Trayvon Martin's mother, handing out subs with Juan Grant, #FreddieGray' brother.
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Baltimore @MayorPugh50 & Police Commissioner @Darryl_De_Sousa approach crowd of hundreds of students protesting gun violence as they chant “NO MORE BS!”
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He alleges SWAT members had to kowtow to the "SWAT Mafia" and its aggressive ways and nepotism, or get booted. latimes.com/california/story…
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Remember in *2015* when former Baltimore cop & blackface performer Bobby Berger sold 600 tickets at $45 each for a fundraiser for the officers charged in #FreddieGray's death, before backlash caused the venue to pull out? [Archive pic of Berger from 1982] baltimoresun.com/news/maryla…
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Caruso vs. Bass in November is the topline story out of L.A.'s mayoral election, but it's worth noting that @GinaForLA came in 4th in a crowded field with more than 5% of the vote (and without early debate access or $40M of her own $$ to blow) on a message of abolishing LAPD.
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Target shopper waiting for register shutdown to resolve: "I was just roaming around the store buying things."
Every other Target shopper ever, register shutdown or not: "Same."
baltimoresun.com/business/bs…
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The longtime LAPD SWAT member alleges this has been under investigation since around Sept. 2018 -- when Internal Affairs "began investigating a complaint that compared the culture within SWAT to the LAPD Rampart Scandal from the late 1990’s." latimes.com/california/story…
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STORY: 5 arrested in shooting of @ladygaga’s dogwalker Ryan Fischer and theft of her bulldogs in L.A.
One of those charged, according to LAPD: The woman who returned the dogs and inquired about Gaga's promised $500K reward.
latimes.com/california/story…
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BREAKING: Baltimore grand jury has indicted Officer Richard Pinheiro on the charges of tampering w/ or fabricating body-cam footage to impair physical evidence w/ intent to deceive, and with misconduct in office, related to this incident: baltimoresun.com/news/maryla…
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The sergeant alleges that he told Internal Affairs that the "SWAT Mafia" repeatedly told SWAT members during training that "use of deadly force was permissible in situations when Department policy clearly dictated that it was not." latimes.com/california/story…
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You've seen the @propublica story on Justice Thomas?
The @latimes reported about Justice Thomas' gifts 20 years ago. After that he stopped disclosing them (via @DavidGSavage):
latimes.com/politics/story/2…
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This reminds me of the @MayorPugh50 who won praise - and probably voters for her subsequent mayoral run - from some in 2015 when she stood as a state senator with protesters on the streets after #FreddieGray’s death.
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LAPD got approval today to begin recording footage of protests from its helicopters — a new capability that LAPD said will expand its “operational readiness” and protesters and civil liberties advocates denounced as unconstitutional gov't surveillance: latimes.com/california/story…
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The whistleblower, Sgt. Tim Colomey, has a thick Boston accent. He's got a quarter century on the force. He was praised just last year by the department for showing the "drive, spirit and heart" of the LAPD, in this in-house feature:
On this episode of ‘Our LAPD Story’ we take you into our elite S.W.A.T. Unit and introduce you to Sergeant Tim Colomey. His story is one of passion for serving Angelenos, a passion that was almost tragically cut short in 1997. buzzsprout.com/203568/105549…
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The LAPD’s lack of an explicit policy — one that not only punishes armed off-duty officers who get intoxicated and into trouble, but precludes them from carrying their weapons while intoxicated in the first place — puts it at odds w/ other agencies.
latimes.com/california/story…
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You haven't posted a police shooting report in 16 months.
Public defenders say even when IA records exist your office fights to withhold them so officers can testify unchallenged.
A new IA head was hired but had job rescinded amid publicity around her accusing you of perjury.
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Dismissing coronavirus because it "only" affects the most vulnerable among us is like dismissing HIV in the 1980s because it "only" affected gay men.
It's flat wrong on the facts, reprehensible in its reasoning and steeped in cruel privilege.
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More students are expected to arrive soon. There are multiple groups converging at Baltimore City Hall. In addition to the mayor and police commissioner, I’ve seen @prezjackyoung and several City Council members here to voice support.
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Remember 25 corrections officers were indicted 10 days ago? I've been asking for mugshots since. SAO, BPD & DPSCS have all declined to provide them or say they don't know where they are.
Mugs always seem to be available when other arrests are being announcing in state cases.🤔
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Update: @LAPDChiefMoore says he is not planning on releasing body-camera footage from this incident...
I have filed a CPRA request for body-camera footage from both @FilmThePoliceLA's arrest and the preceding interactions with his alleged accuser, and asked @LAPDChiefMoore to use his discretion to release that footage ASAP in the public interest.
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Historical context: LAPD claims it created the nation’s first SWAT team. In the 50 yrs since, SWAT teams have proliferated nationally and become a controversial symbol of militarized policing that unfairly targets Black communities (via @MatteFleischer): latimes.com/opinion/story/20…
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Mueller indictment of Russians for election interference:
"...addressed divisive U.S. political and social issues, falsely claimed to be controlled by U.S. activists..."
"...strategic goal to sow discord..."
"...posing as U.S. grassroots entities..."
justice.gov/file/1035477/dow…
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“This is a situation that nobody’s had to face before; it’s being figured out minute by minute. And we know — because we see this in all types of crises and emergencies — that food can sometimes be an afterthought," said @WCKitchen CEO @natemook: latimes.com/politics/story/2…
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The @baltimoresun front today has 7 powerful portraits of city high school students who told me about the heavy impacts of gun violence in their lives. Listen to their voices and read my story here: baltimoresun.com/news/maryla… (📸s: @lightforall)
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BREAKING: A federal judge has granted a preliminary injunction restricting LAPD's use of projectile weapons at protests, finding @BLMLA and others successfully showed that they faced “irreparable harm” at future protests if the court didn't intervene:
latimes.com/california/story…
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Also, SWAT is part of Metro, which has been the focus of multiple other scandals lately. Three Metro officers were just charged with falsifying evidence and accusing people of gang affiliations without evidence. latimes.com/california/story…
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Regardless of your politics, that was a moment in history. 1st black president w 1st woman to be major party nominee
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That Emoluments beat tho...
In '17, I’ll be part of a WaPo team covering @realdonaldtrump’s biz, possible conflicts of interest for Trump & aides, and Emoluments Clause
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Five years ago today - April 12, 2015 - #FreddieGray was arrested by @BaltimorePolice and suffered a fatal spinal cord injury in custody. Baltimore was changed forever.
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The detective, also badly injured, said he saw the other man pull a gun, but reviews have questioned that account — finding no evidence the other man was armed & concluding the detective was wrong for wandering into the dangerous area drunk, armed & alone: latimes.com/california/story…
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BREAKING: @DocMellyMel, a leader of @BLMLA, was targeted again this morning with a false emergency call to her home, a day after she filed a lawsuit alleging the LAPD mishandled a “swatting” incident at her home last summer:
latimes.com/california/story…
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My 1-year-old pandemic cat who’s basically never seen rain reacting to the rain starting in earnest in L.A. 😂
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.@LAPDChiefMoore says LAPD bomb squad put improvised explosive devices found w/ fireworks into iron chamber of "total containment vehicle" meant to handle such explosives.
It then detonated the devices, and there was a "total catastrophic failure of that containment vehicle."
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Pelosi, originally of Baltimore, has five kids. I am one of five myself. And she just sent me all the way back with that “zip it” look. Whewww. I’m 34 and I said “oop” 😬🤐😶😅.
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After a day of interviews during a busy week for all, I just want to say happy holidays to all of you out there who share info with journalists, take time to explain things to us or let us into your lives with grace and candor, even when it's hard or painful or inconvenient.
🙏
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BREAKING: Prosecutors have dropped ALL charges against ALL remaining officers in #FreddieGray case.
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If protests occur in L.A.:
Journalists are allowed to enter areas where LAPD has declared an unlawful assembly or curfew, and remain there without citation, according to CA law and LAPD policy.
Individual officers routinely ignore these rules. If they do, ask for a supervisor.
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In that podcast, Colomey talks about re-evaluating his life and career after getting hit by a car on the job in the late 1990s.
"No longer [was] it about me and being a cop, it was about me and what could I do to better the city."
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Happy #Pride Month! This one’s special for me because it’s my first as a married man, so here’s a picture of my husband and me and our gay as hell wedding cake. #LoveisLove
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Pastor Jamal Bryant: "It's an exciting day for us, but it's actually a sad day when black people have to celebrate the system working."
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This story should be required reading.
If you want to know how we got here with the coronavirus in the U.S.:
Thread on what we found: The White House got its first formal notification about coronavirus on Jan 3. Within days, US spy agencies were signaling the seriousness of the threat by including the first of many warnings in the President’s Daily Brief washingtonpost.com/national-…
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I just talked to @MayorPugh50. She said she estimates the buses, lunches and T-shirts she promised for Baltimore kids going to the March 24 #March4OurLives event in DC will cost Baltimore $100,000.
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NEW: I sat down with 7 students at Baltimore's Excel Academy, which has lost 7 students to gun violence in the last two years, to listen to their thoughts on the impact of guns in their lives and the changes they want to see locally and nationally: baltimoresun.com/news/maryla…
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BREAKING: @NAACP_LDF has filed a motion to intervene in the Baltimore/DOJ consent decree case on behalf of community group & local activist.
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I have filed a CPRA request for body-camera footage from both @FilmThePoliceLA's arrest and the preceding interactions with his alleged accuser, and asked @LAPDChiefMoore to use his discretion to release that footage ASAP in the public interest.
Here's our story on the arrest. Well-known LAPD critic arrested in Hollywood on criminal threats charge latimes.com/california/story…
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The case comes amid a growing debate in American policing about officers who violate use-of-force policies being allowed to remain on the job after secretive disciplinary hearings that obscure findings of wrongdoing.
latimes.com/california/story…
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I just made it nearly all the way down Ellicott City’s Main Street. It’s destroyed. Caplan’s is gutted just like in 2016. Many other storefronts, too.
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Officer's Plea: Amid record violence, elite @BaltimorePolice gun unit was:
✔️robbing people in ski masks
✔️reselling gun/drugs on street
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I’m at 11th and Hope in downtown L.A. in an area LAPD have cordoned off.
People are letting off fireworks.
Police on bullhorns declared an unlawful assembly on a loudspeaker from a truck and told people they had 10 minutes to leave.
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BREAKING: Former Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh has been sentenced to 3 years in prison, followed by 3 years probation as a result of her pleading guilty to conspiracy and tax evasion in her “Healthy Holly” fraud scheme. baltimoresun.com/politics/bs…
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“We want justice. We don’t want things like that to happen. We want him to be held accountable, and not no paid suspension,” one man said. baltimoresun.com/news/maryla…
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More promises of support from @MayorPugh50 & @Darryl_De_Sousa as they address students protesting gun violence outside Baltimore City Hall.
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Almost 3 months after the LAPD caused an explosion on a South L.A. block, only 26 of about 200 claims submitted to the city have been paid and nearly 90 people remain displaced, living in 29 hotel rooms paid for by the city.
Story w/ @brittny_mejia:
latimes.com/california/story…
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Breaking: Three more LAPD officers charged with falsifying information in growing gang labeling scandal: latimes.com/california/story…
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These are the five victims killed at @capgaznews today.
Rob Hiaasen baltimoresun.com/news/maryla…
Wendi Winters baltimoresun.com/news/maryla…
Gerald Fischman baltimoresun.com/news/maryla…
Rebecca Smith baltimoresun.com/news/maryla…
John McNamara baltimoresun.com/news/maryla…
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“You guys detaining press members bc you don’t want anybody seeing what’s happening,” said @FilmThePoliceLA after police detained him at UCLA. “You don’t want the world to see what’s happening, so you know what, shut off their cameras so nobody can see.”
latimes.com/california/story…
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The Kobe Bryant jersey that his brother used to stanch the bleeding was immediately soaked.
One man's eye 'exploded,' another lost eight teeth from LAPD projectiles fired at Lakers revelers: latimes.com/california/story…
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LAPD officials say they weren't aware of this second stabbing of a counter-protester from Saturday's protest but are having investigators pursue it now after I forwarded them a link to this tweet and asked about it.
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“I’m a police reporter. I write about this stuff ... all the time. But as much as I’m going to try to articulate how traumatizing it is to be hiding under your desk, you don’t know until you’re there and you feel helpless.” baltimoresun.com/news/maryla…
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