Wednesday, September 03, 2008

JAIL WATCH: At Least Stanley Lived to Tell The Story

Over at Grits for Breakfast, Scott Henson gives a rundown on the recent $900,000 verdict against the Dallas Jail -- where the federal jury found former jail inmate Stanley Shepherd's constitutional rights had indeed been violated.

How? Stanley was found to have been wrongfully denied basic medical care during his 2003 stay in Dallas County's Lew Sterrett Justice Center. (Stanley was being held on some burglary and drug charges.) He wasn't given his high blood pressure medicine, and as a result, he's suffered permanent disabilities.

Henson's also got a nice wrap-up about the state of our local jail -- including listing several analogous tragedies, which bring to mind that Stanley did fare better than some other folk: there are those who have died in that jail from not getting their meds.


Sources:
Grits for Breakfast, August 27, 2008 (http://gritsforbreakfast.blogspot.com/2008/08/jury-awards-fat-verdict-against-dallas.html)

Monday, September 01, 2008

COP WATCH: Dallas Cop Allegedly Robs Sam's Club, Stops Himself

This story is really going to make you feel safe.

About three weeks ago, a Dallas Police Department officer thwarted an armed robber who was trying to hold up a local Sam's Club.

Officer Al Coleman, who was off-duty as a Dallas cop and working his second job as a security officer at the Sam's Club on West Wheatland Road, told NBC-5 that " ' he [the robber] just told me the last part of his plan and I didn't agree with it. Says he was gonna kill me.'"

According to Officer Coleman, this evildoing Masked Man rushed Sam's and took Coleman hostage - yes, hostage! - whereupon Coleman fought back. Guns were drawn. Guns!! Shots were fired. Shots!! Coleman was hit in the chest ... luckily, he had on a bullet-proof vest.

The robbery was prevented and Officer Coleman, what a hero, right?

Well, no.

Dallas Police Department detectives now report that all the evidence, which includes store surveillance tape, shows that Coleman is lying.

Turns out that Coleman was in on the whole thing with the getaway driver parked out front in Coleman's car while their pal, the Masked Man, came into the store. They're all three facing robbery charges today.

Who really stopped the robbery? The Sam's employees -- who barricaded the door, preventing Coleman and the Masked Man from gaining access to the vault.

Sources:
WISTV (www.wistv.com)
WFAA (www.wfaa.com)