Professional Cops Always Win

by Greg Miller - Investigative Reporter

PARKERSBURG, WV – PCC News is conducting an ongoing investigation about an incident with a Parkersburg police officer who refused/failed to identify himself. The police officer allegedly went to Mr. Libert’s home, identified himself as Santa Claus and conducted an illegal search on the home. There is a federal lawsuit pending against the police department.

PCC News conducted surveillance outside the Parkersburg Police Department in attempts to identify the Santa Clause cop and was later stopped by a Parkersburg Police Detective. Unlike the Santa Clause cop, the police detective conducted himself in a professional manner.

Here is the raw footage of the traffic stop.

PPD Domestic Call

Police have no duty to protect

City Settles Injury Lawsuit

By JODY MURPHY - Parkersburg News and Sentinel

PARKERSBURG - A 2009 lawsuit filed by a Parkersburg man against city police has been settled.

Parkersburg police reached a settlement agreement with Craig Nelson, over a 2009 lawsuit in which Nelson claimed injuries and accused officers of shooting his dog without provocation.

Parkersburg police Chief Joe Martin said the suit was settled for $2,500 with the city admitting no wrong-doing.

"We settled it for $2,500 and it costs the insurance company $20,000 to defend it," Martin said.

Nelson, who was arrested for public intoxication, alleged he was physically injured by officers who also shot his dog without provocation and later taunted him about the shooting.

According to the criminal complaints in Wood County Magistrate Court, Nelson was charged with public intoxication, possession of a controlled substance, failure to render information and two charges of assaulting a police officer.

Tuesday afternoon, the Parkersburg City Council's Finance Committee approved a number of intradepartmental budget revisions, including one for $15,000 within the police department to cover insurance deductibles, the result of lawsuits and complaints.

The city still has three lawsuits pending, as well as claims made to the city's insurance company.

While the police admitted no wrong-doing in the Nelson suit, officials have confirmed Patrolman Nathan Deuley has been placed on paid leave, pending an investigation. Deuley has been on paid leave since May 7. Martin and Newell said they could not comment on the matter, citing personnel issues.

Finance Director Doug Life said the city has paid more than $91,000 to insurance companies this year for services related to lawsuits and litigation.

"This is like the perfect storm," he said.

"If we are wrong, we are wrong," Martin said. "If not, we dispute it."

Mayor Bob Newell said it's unusual for the police department or the city to be embroiled in one lawsuit, much less three. Newell also noted all the suits are for actions that occurred prior to Martin becoming chief.

Between his stint as police chief and mayor, Newell worked for a commercial insurance carrier as a fraud and large loss investigator. Newell said the insurer will elect to settle even when there is no evidence of wrong-doing.

"They weigh the cost of settling versus fighting," he said.

Newell also said the threat of suits and complaints has led the department to consider the expanded use of Tasers guns. Martin has requested a $15,000 revision to purchase additional Tasers for officers. The goal is for each officer to possess a Taser, which officials feel will make it easier to subdue combative suspects and hopefully reduce the potential for civil or criminal liability.

Parkersburg Police Incident

by Greg Miller - Investigative Reporter

PARKERSBURG, WV - By observing this video, it appears the passenger of the car was arrested by Parkersburg Police Officer Sgt Matt Board for obstruction after the passenger asked "too many questions" that upset the officer during the traffic stop. The video shows Sgt. Board loosing his professional bearing and arrest of the passenger in this vehicle.

PCC News spoke to Chief Martin about the conduct of the officer who advised there was more to the story but refused to explained what else happened.

Please call (317) 641-7800 for additional information about the incident.

National Standards to file Police Complaints

By Greg Miller – Investigative Reporter

Should Congress adopt a national standard mandating how police departments handle a citizen’s complaint?

Most citizens in America do not have issues involving police conduct; however, there are a few who either were treated rudely during a traffic stop, who were physically abused or have been mistreated in other ways. Often, when a citizen wishes to make a complaint they are faced with intimidation, fear and confusion in the process.

“Police misconduct is nothing new” says Diop Kamau, who is an expert witness for police misconduct. Over the last 50 years, America has had to deal with abuse of police power from the civil rights movements in the 1960 to the LA riots resulting in the acquittal of five LA police officers over the beating of Rodney King.

In a recent survey, five citizens where asked, “Should Congress adopt a national standard mandating how police departments should handle citizen’s complaints”. All five citizens answered YES. Doug Libert of Parkersburg, WV believes police do not do a good job policing their own.

Justice Kennedy, during his Confirmation hearing (as aired by PBS), said that society has the right to protect themselves from crime and there is a need for police to police themselves to include improperly seized evidence. There are Constitutional rights that police and judges need to know and the criminal justice system needs to obey the rules.

Willis Wilson, who was falsely imprisoned for a crime he didn’t commit and was exonerated by the court says, “Police don’t do a good job watching their own ranks”. Wilson is an advocate to truth in justice and is actively pursuing the awareness of unsolved murders in the Chicagoland communities.

Kathy Brown of Maryland Heights, MO has struggled with her own police department after her calls to police were ignored. When she filed a complaint, the police department turned their backs on her. She believes police departments often refuse to take citizens complaints.

Agda Freitag of Arizona watched a elder female friend get jerked out of her vehicle and was handled roughly by a police officer who seemed to have poor verbal skills when talking to other people. As a witness to the incident Agda believes persons who are arrested are treated as if they are guilty before the Court.

Richard Wingert who has filed police reports with Miller County Sheriff’s Office in Missouri advocated a standard that “would put in place a standard in which all agencies must follow, guaranteeing everyone is treated fairly”.

All of these people that were interviewed had something in common: all have personally been involved with an encounter with police in some way or another. Congress should investigate to learn what the common problems are involving a citizens’ ability to make a complaint and have the complaint investigated fairly with the purpose to building trust between the citizen and the police.

Gay Man Sues Parkersburg, WV Police for Assault

by Greg miller - Investigative reporter

PARKERSBURG, WV - A Parkersburg resident sues PPD following an assault incident involving a Parkersburg police officer. According to LetzGetReal.com Timothy Michael Mazza age 37 was involved in a incident that resulted in Mazza being physically injured by the police.

Click the link to read the article: LetzGet Real - Mazza

Holliday is on paid leave as city appeals - NewsandSentinel.com | News, Sports, Jobs, Community Information - Parkersburg News and Sentinel

Holliday is on paid leave as city appeals - NewsandSentinel.com | News, Sports, Jobs, Community Information - Parkersburg News and Sentinel