A Boston Police Officer has been suspended without pay for four months after following a woman in his cruiser out of his jurisdiction and for no legal reason. Sgt. Joel McCarthy received the four month suspension, after which he will remain on probation.
The Blackstonian would like to draw a parallel between this case and the many cases of officer misconduct, police brutality and the killing of civilians. In these cases officers are rarely if ever suspended. In this case which has been labeled “Stalking” the female victim was never touched or physically harmed. In the cases of police brutality and death of civilians, injuries range from bruises and black eyes, to internal organ damage and the most severe result, death. Both instances are abuses of power but how do we define the terms to effect a fair scale for punishment?
There have been quick and swift results, including suspension and termination for what I would consider “lesser” offenses. A racially offensive email calling Black people “banana eating jungle monkeys” is certainly less harmful than being shot in the back of the head at point blank range. Being followed by an officer to your home is “creepy” to say the least, but somehow it seems that an officer rupturing your orbital socket with a flashlight or damaging your kidney with repeated blows is far more severe.
As the City of Boston goes through this stage of growing pains, for both the COB Administration and BPD new brass, the most important work will be dealing with the past injustices and breaking through the disparities in order to balance the scales and reset to zero.
FROM BOSTON.COM
Details of an internal investigation by the department were released on Wednesday. They found Sgt. Joel McCarthy left his patrol district back in February to follow the victim for miles after pulling her over. Investigators also found McCarthy looked up her address and went to her home.
McCarthy was found to be in violation for conduct unbecoming, traffic enforcement, and neglect of duty.
FULL STORY HERE:
http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/2014/05/22/boston-police-officer-suspended-for-allegedly-stalking-woman/H4wt1ucb9KBHeH9pRfZvNJ/story.html
Why are you making light of what happened to this very young woman?
How would you like that if that was your mother or your daughter?
You didn’t even write about the allegations of oral sex demands or nothing about that as the reason she alleges she drove away and then the following of this young woman by the Sergeant right after that.
You ever hear this officer talk about African-American women?
I bet you everything you got that he said stuff in the past that was so racist about African-American women, everything you got, you can bet on it, he has and I bet you he’s done worse than this to minority women too! You should be smarter than that, Mr. Crawford!
“FULL STORY HERE:” NO. FULL STORY NOT HERE.
MORE STORY HERE:
http://boston.cbslocal.com/2014/02/26/woman-claims-she-was-stalked-propositioned-by-boston-police-officer/
BOSTON (CBS) – A Boston Police officer is under investigation because a woman claims he propositioned her for sex and then followed her home after a traffic stop.
The victim’s name is Jessica. The 22-year-old Boston resident spoke to WBZ-TV about her allegations.
“I’m angry. I’m still scared. I shouldn’t have to be scared of a police officer,” she said.
Jessica says it happened around two in the morning on February 8th. She was driving with a friend and had taken a wrong turn, finding herself lost in the Roxbury neighborhood.
A Boston Police officer pulled her over for speeding. She says he never got out of the car. He pulled next to her and rolled down the window.
“He started the conversation off with, ‘what are you pretty girls doing out here tonight?’, something along the lines of that.”
Then, Jessica claims, the policeman told her that if she gave him oral sex he would let her go.
“I was so scared that I froze. I had absolutely nothing to say,” she recalls. Disgusted, she drove away. The officer allegedly told her he would follow her home.
The two young women were afraid, so they drove to a Dunkin Donuts in Roslindale and went inside. When they returned to their car, the officer was still waiting for them in his cruiser.
“We were kind of like, what are we going to do here? Do we call 911 when he is 911?” Jessica said.
A Boston Police Department spokesman confirms that the Internal Affairs division is investigation an allegation of misconduct against the officer. “This is an allegation the Boston Police Department takes very seriously. Should the allegation be sustained, disciplinary action will be sure to follow,” the spokesman said.
In the meantime, the officer is still on patrol.
Jessica says based on the officer’s easy going manner as he allegedly propositioned her, she doesn’t believe she’s the first woman he’s targeted. She fears he will strike again if he’s not taken off the streets.
“I don’t want a warning. I don’t want an apology. I want his badge taken away,” she says.
Mayor Marty Walsh was disturbed to hear what he did in the WBZ-TV report.
“Certainly I was not happy when I heard that. I can’t really comment too much on it yet till our investigation is complete, but I’m not happy with an allegation like that against any police officer,” Walsh said
No. It is not Fair Punishment. The man should have been fired and had his pension taken away.
Nothing from Blackstonian? No responsibility taken for this irresponsible journalism? Don’t you think you owe Jessica an apology? You’re not going to be a man, Mr. Crawford and take responsibility with an apology to this young lady?