Mentally disabled man in police custody dies of asphyxia

[Traitorfish]

From the Washington Post,

Autopsy finds that Md. man with Down syndrome died of asphyxia while in police custody

FREDERICK, Md. — The Frederick County Sheriff’s Office says the death of a mentally disabled man in police custody has been ruled a homicide.

Cpl. Jennifer Bailey said Friday that the state medical examiner determined that 26-year-old Robert Saylor of New Market died of asphyxia Jan. 12.

[...]

Bailey says he died after resisting arrest by three deputies at a Frederick movie theater. An employee had called police because Saylor wouldn’t leave his seat after a movie.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local...752304-77ab-11e2-b102-948929030e64_story.html

Fuller details in a second article here.


So what are the odds that anyone will be held responsible for this? I'm going to go out on a limb and guess "slim to none".

 

[Terxpahseyton]

In a way one could argue they did just their duty. That is their duty was to escort him out.
But that would be a strangely narrow interpretation of their duty. They duty is so serve the people. They do so based on law, but have some leeway interpreting it. In this case it seems to have been too narrowly interpreted. An interpretation which lead the duty to escort him out override the duty to cause the least possible damage themselves by doing so. But I suppose that is one way to interpret what real law and order is about. Enforce the law, no matter who gets how hurt in the process. There is no law for being treated with caution. There is one for trespassing.

 

[Borachio]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-17366756

Metropolitan Police (Met) officers assaulted a 16-year-old boy with severe autism by forcing him into handcuffs and leg restraints during a school trip, the High Court has ruled.

The judge said the boy, now 19, also had his human rights breached.

The boy, who also has epilepsy, was subjected to disability discrimination and false imprisonment, it was ruled.

He was awarded £28,250 in damages following the incident at a swimming pool in Acton, west London, in 2008.

Actually, this sort of thing is all too common. Autistic people and the mentally disabled generally, present a real challenge to law enforcement.

Just google "autistic man dies", and it would seem like they're dropping like flies.
http://www.thisisnottingham.co.uk/Autistic-man-dies-day-trip-King-s-reservoir/story-16902253-detail/story.html#axzz2LS1Rs71p

 

[Core Imposter]

The three deputies — Lt. Scott Jewell, Sgt. Rich Rochford and Deputy 1st Class James Harris — were placed on paid administrative leave as of Monday. Bailey said the deputies have so far exercised their right as law enforcement officers not to give statements to investigators.

Its pointless to focus on training. This is immorality pure and simple. We turn our backs on God and this is what you get.

 

[AlpsStranger]

I agree with what MisterCooper just said apart from the God bothering part. The problem is that police are sometimes extremely hostile and jackbooted in our country and they view you as an enemy rather than a civilian prisoner. Nations much less religious than our own don't have this issue AFAIK.

 

[Borachio]

I think it's just very sad. Why couldn't the cinema people just let him sit there to his heart's content? Downs people cause less harm than anyone else.

 

[Formaldehyde]

It is illegal to view the same flick more than once? Who knew?

What surprised me in this particular instance is that the cops would apparently use a choke hold to physically remove someone from the premises. Whatever happened to electrocuting him into submission?

As officials tell it, Saylor had been watching “Zero Dark Thirty” at a Frederick movie theater last month and, as soon as it ended, wanted to watch it again. When he refused to leave, a theater employee called three off-duty Frederick County sheriff’s deputies who were working a security job at the Westview Promenade shopping center and told them that Saylor either needed to buy another ticket or be removed.

Ah. They were off duty, so they likely had to resort to their own ways or face criminal charges themselves.

 

[Carras Dad]

did they strangle him to death? seriously, how exactly did this happen?

 

[NovaKart]

Reminds me of the scene in Do the Right Thing, I think that's how the guy died at the end , well sorry if I'm spoiling it for anyone. They were holding him down real tight or something.

 

[Formaldehyde]

did they strangle him to death? seriously, how exactly did this happen?

This is what occasionally occurs when choke holds are used.

An air choke or tracheal choke specifically refers to a "true" choke that compresses the upper airway (trachea, larynx or laryngopharynx), hence interfering with breathing, and leading to asphyxia. Although less effective at inducing unconsciousness than its vascular counterpart, the air choke causes excruciating pain and air hunger, and in combat sports a fighter will usually submit to such a submission hold. Air chokes have been associated with fractures of the larynx or hyoid bone, and are considered less safe than blood chokes to practice. The common law-enforcement arm bar choke is an air choke done by placing the forearm across the front of the neck from behind. The free hand grabs the wrist and pulls back the forearm, hence driving the forearm (usually the radius bone) into the front of the neck. The air choke tends to be considered less effective due to the way that it is commonly performed; a properly performed air choke is just as fast as a blood choke[according to whom?]. Rather than going directly into the windpipe, they attack the nerve that causes the gag reflex.[citation needed]

The lateral vascular neck restraint (also called sleeper hold)is still a widely taught and utilized blood restriction hold in law enforcement, and can be performed from behind the suspect (or from the front when the officer is "on top" of the suspect) by putting an arm around the neck of the suspect, with the crook of the elbow over the midline of the neck. By pinching the arm together while assisting with the free hand, the carotid arteries and jugular veins were compressed on both sides of the neck. This hold did not put any pressure on the airway, of course, an improperly applied hold could quickly turn into an air choke if the person being strangled resisted the hold by attempting to turn around.[7]

Due to risks of injuries, American law enforcement agencies restrict or in some "rare" instances, forbid its use. The Los Angeles Police Department, for example, prohibited its officers from using air chokes and restricted use of the carotid hold to instances where death or serious bodily injury was threatened, after routinely using chokeholds for many years.[8] The Bay Area Rapid Transit Police are completely prohibited from using carotid holds.[9]

Of course, I'm just assuming it was due to a choke hold. They might have all sat on him for an extended period or covered his face with a plastic bag, etc. instead.

 

[Crezth]

The cops will all get medals for service, valor, etc. and we'll none of us remember this in a week.

 

[AlpsStranger]

That's not true. I've noted dozens and dozens of cases of police brutality in my mental file.

Not too far from where I live they stripped searched a woman in front of male officers. In another case they threw some guy out of his wheelchair. They appear to shoot people's dogs almost for fun in Chicago anymore. Pot busts, speed traps, it's all working its way into the public consciousness.

No, we're watching and we remember. Their reputation is getting worse by the year and there will eventually be some kind of blowback. I (hope it won't be/don't think it will) be violent, but it won't be good when the public, at long last, has absolutely no respect for the police. I suspect people are going to feel the need to avoid calling the police when, in the past, they may have chosen to. I know I hesitate to call the police more than I would have just a few years ago.

It's a crapshoot to call the cops if you have a dog for one thing

I've heard that some of the increased hostility/militancy from the police is a fallout from the War on Drugs, but what do I know?

 

[Crezth]

That's not true. Naive, unsubstantiated, hopeful statements.

 

[AlpsStranger]

We'll see. I know most of the people I know ( even fairly conservative people >50 ) seem to think a little less of the police than they did just five years ago.

 

[Crezth]

There's a difference between grumbling and action. Tweets like "OMG the police r so mean #yolo #police #imhungry" on the other hand don't serve any useful purpose.

Think of the last time there was big demonstrations which were at least partially anti-police (definitely anti-government), like Occupy Wall Street. Now there were some people who wanted to change the system! And yet, they were defeated and are now forgotten.

 

[AlpsStranger]

OWS was self defeated before it started. I'm sorry but they were so far left that they never had a chance. I wish it weren't so.

 

[Formaldehyde]

Police brutality and corruption are far smaller problems than they used to be even a few decades ago, much less at the turn of the 20th Century.

 

[Crezth]

I don't think it's that they were too far-left in that they were too anti-establishment. The Tea Party, on the other hand, was very pleased with the establishment, fitting squarely as it did on the right-hand side of the deal. It's only problems were with the political opponents of conservatism... which is exactly what made them so unremarkable.

 

[AlpsStranger]

The Tea Party is not truly a separate party. It's talk radio Republicanism with feet and a misspelled sign.

 

[Core Imposter]

Time for some jail and prison stories.

When I was arrested the police took me into a single cell and handcuffed me to the bars and beat me with batons. I never got a visitor or got to see my lawyer until the bruises were gone. Not even a phone call. This was thirty years ago.

The next night they brought in a guy that was obviously drunk and put him in a single cell. After a while he started screaming. He screamed "Please help me". This caused an uproar in the jail as eveyone else started screaming to shut him up. The guards never came back to check or anything. His voice became hoarse and increasingly weaker. Finally he went silent.

Next morning one guard came back with the trustee with the breakfast cart. He walked back there and came out quick. Soon several more came in and they carried him out. Dead. He had hung himself up by tying his shirt on the bars and around his neck. Apparently he changed his mind but lacked the strength to undo it.

Being in police custody is not a good thing.