Matt Agorist | The Libertarian Institute

Unprecedented: Maryland Repeals Blue Privilege

by Matt Agorist | Apr 13, 2021 | Criminal Justice, Featured Articles

For decades, Maryland and dozens of other states across the union have upheld a special set of rights for cops which citizens do not get to enjoy. It was called the police bill of rights and it shielded cops from accountability by blocking civilian inquiries into misconduct on the force and erasing records of complaints filed against officers after a period of time. But this special privilege and above the law status is no longer. According to the Maryland Coalition for Justice and Police Accountability, the special rights enjoyed by police in the state are vast. They include: Generous...

Cop Kills Innocent Woman, Taxpayers Liable

by Matt Agorist | Apr 9, 2021 | Criminal Justice, Featured Articles

A tragedy unfolded in 2019 in Houston, Texas when a Baytown police officer approached a woman, 44-year-old Pamela Turner, and killed her. Turner’s last words before she was shot five times by the officer were “I’m pregnant.” Now, nearly two years later, the family has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the city and the officer in federal court. Today, April 8, would have been Turner’s 46th birthday. Turner’s mother, Tamika Palmer has asked everyone to share the video of her daughter’s death so that justice may be served. Turner’s death was so egregious, Baytown officer Juan Delacruz was...

Police Chief In Missouri Charged With Bashing Wife’s Head In With Hammer

by Matt Agorist | Apr 6, 2021 | Criminal Justice, Featured Articles

As TFTP has consistently reported, police officers in the United States have an exceedingly higher rate of domestic violence than any other occupation. The average rate of domestic violence among most families in America is around 10%. As the National Center for Women and Policing points out, two studies have found that at least 40% of police officer families experience domestic violence. That is a four-fold increase. This number is likely far higher due to the fact that much of this abuse goes unreported and is covered up. One case out of Holden, Missouri won’t be covered up, however,...

Police Mistakenly Raid Home of Great-Grandfather, Permanently Injure Him

by Matt Agorist | Mar 30, 2021 | Criminal Justice, Featured Articles

Despite police and their apologists constantly reminding us that “if we do nothing wrong, we have nothing to worry about,” innocent people continue to be arrested, beaten, and even killed by police carrying out deadly mistakes. Willard J. King, a Great-Grandfather from Sequatchie County, Tennessee found this out the hard way when he was beaten bloody by police in his own home during a wrongful raid, according to a lawsuit. King filed a lawsuit this month for the incident which unfolded in October of 2019 when police raided his home and attacked him in front of his granddaughter and her baby...

Cop Attempts to Shoot Cow, Shoots Fellow Pig Instead

by Matt Agorist | Mar 25, 2021 | Criminal Justice, Featured Articles

Despite much of their training consisting of shooting their weapons, police officers often shoot and even kill innocent bystanders while trying to kill something else. This happens so often that even their fellow officers aren’t safe from the crossfire. Illustrating this point is the fact that a Harrisonburg officer is currently hospitalized after his fellow officer shot him—while trying to kill a cow. The incident unfolded on Saturday night when officers responded to reports of a cow that had escaped a livestock auction site. According to police, the cow actually struck an officer and then...

Officers Mistake Fellow Cop for Protestor, ‘Beat Him Like Rodney King’

by Matt Agorist | Mar 18, 2021 | Criminal Justice, Featured Articles

The trial for three St. Louis cops who beat one of their own officers during an undercover operation begins this week, hoping to bring justice to several badge-toting thugs. The three officers in question—Dustin Boone, Steven Korte, and Christopher Myers—were part of what was called a “civil disobedience team” to crack down on violence at protests. Their tactics, however, involved beating up innocent protesters for filming them and this was found out after they beat a fellow cop, Luther Hall, who was undercover as a protester. In December 2011, St. Louis Police Officer Jason Stockley...

Cop Convicted of Child Sex Ring Participation Will Serve No Jail Time

by Matt Agorist | Mar 15, 2021 | Criminal Justice, Featured Articles

As TFTP has reported, since 2017, information over a years-long child abuse saga involving Louisville Metropolitan Police Department (LMPD) officers has slowly trickled out, leading to multiple officers being arrested and sentenced to prison. Hardly an isolated incident, in total, a series of seven lawsuits names more than eight current or former LMPD officers. One of those officers—who was subsequently arrested for child sex abuse—was officer Brad Schuhmann, 32. Despite horrifying details coming out in the case against Schuhmann, he was granted a sweetheart plea deal in which he will avoid...

Police Assault and Arrest 11 Year Old Autistic Boy For Poking Classmate With Pencil

by Matt Agorist | Mar 11, 2021 | Criminal Justice, Featured Articles

Utterly heart-breaking video was released this week as part of a federal lawsuit, accusing Douglas County school and sheriff’s officials of “aggressively” handcuffing a child with autism and locking him up after he poked a classmate with a pencil. The pencil poke was in response to that student writing on him with a marker and the teacher failing to stop it. The incident unfolded on Aug. 29, 2020 after deputies decided to arrest the child known as A.V. in the lawsuit. According to A.V.’s mother, Michell Hanson, the student who wrote on her son has a history of giving A.V. a hard time. He...