I read a lot of stories about abuse of power from law enforcement officials in the news these days but this one ranks near the top. A fellow named Douglas Dendinger served a summons concerning a police brutality case involving his nephew.
The police officer, two prosecutor, the police chief, and three other witnesses described the handing over of the summons as a physical assault. Written testimony from multiple witnesses stated clearly that Dendinger assaulted the officer in the course of serving the summons. Dendinger has a prior drug conviction.
I want you to imagine the comments you might have made with just that information. What you might have thought about the story right at that moment. The police chief and six other witnesses accused a convicted drug user of assaulting an officer. It’s impossible they’re all lying. The guy is a convicted felon. The case involved his nephew.
I wonder how many times this exact same scenario has occurred all across this great nation of ours? There’s something new today. People have phones and can easily take video. I think you know where this is going.
The case finally got tossed out of court when the prosecutor’s office was forced to recuse themselves and the state took over. With the case dismissed Dendinger is now free to discuss the events in public. There is video. The police chief lied. The officer lied. The lawyers from the prosecutor’s office lied. Dendinger handed over the summons and walked away.
I want you to think about this case the next time you blindly support police officers against suspects. I’m not saying all police officers are bad. But when the bad officers are supported by the good officers we are all in trouble. The entire system may not be broken but it’s not working properly anymore. It is my opinion that good police officers are being driven from the force because they won’t go along with this sort of thing.
This antagonistic relationship between law enforcement and citizens is driven by the War on Drugs. The fact that municipalities increasingly rely on Seizure Laws to finance not only the police department but the entire city government. For all those great police officer out there; be aware that I’m not trying to attack you, I’m trying to save you!
This must stop. Police must return to Protecting and Serving, not intimidating, stealing, and using their position of power to attack anyone who dares question their authority.
When the citizens of this nation no longer trust the police force the entire country is in danger. We’re not there yet but it’s not good out there.
End the War on Drugs. Write the seizure laws off the books. City Hall finance your police department with what they need not the other way around. This is serious business.
Tom Liberman
Sword and Sorcery fantasy with a Libertarian Ideology
Current Release: The Black Sphere
Next Release: The Girl in Glass I: Apparition
It is fair to say that the public does not want to believe that a group of senior police, prosecutors and lawyers would work together to deliberately fabricate evidence and deceive the court, with the intent of putting an innocent person in jail.
The public accepts that two or three corrupt police officers might collude to present false evidence to the court, or that a lone rogue attorney might mislead the court by omission, but the idea that a mixed group of six or eight police officers and lawyers would work together to deliberately lie to the court is almost beyond belief. It shakes the very foundations of justice, so people are reluctant to accept that this could happen.
Yet, in both the Dendinger case and my case, there are secretly-made digital recordings and other evidence proving that groups of lawyers and police deliberately deceived the court, and worked together to do so.
Video and voice recording technologies are everywhere in today’s society. No matter what is happening, there is always a cell phone in someone’s hand, a dash camera driving by, or security camera pointing in the right direction.
Due to the public nature of police work, most of the ‘hidden camera’ incidents in the news involve police misconduct. Lawyers, however, perform most of their work in private offices and conference rooms away from the public eye, so incidents of serious misconduct by groups of lawyers are far more difficult to document and prove.
If there is one thing that can be gleaned from the Douglas Dendinger and Donald Best civil lawsuits, it is that police officers have no monopoly over lawyers when it comes to lying to the courts.
http://donaldbest.ca/lawsuits-allege-police-and-attorneys-jointly-fabricated-evidence-lied-to-court/
Hello Donald,
Thank you for the comment. I’m just up this morning but I’ll peruse your link and situation after work today. I agree that what happened to Dendinger is difficult to fathom and if the same thing happened to you I’m terribly sorry.
I don’t say “if” because I think you are lying or to be insulting. I simply say it because I have yet to look into the circumstances of your situation. I try to reserve judgment until I have a good understanding of events. I hope you aren’t insulted and I’m very glad you stopped by and brought attention to your own situation.
Thank you again and perhaps I’ll be blogging about you soon!
Tom
This has truly been the most horrible thing that has ever happened to us.
The thing that is SO SAD, is that this is no where near all of the story,
I would like to thank so many people for the nice things beening said. And to please keep us in your prayers !
Sincerely, Mrs. Douglas Dendinger
Hello Teresa,
Thank you for your kind words. I’m blown away that you took the time from your certainly busy day to make a comment. Best of luck to you and your husband (and nephew)!
Tom
I will let you know what happens Tom.
My son is in prison for public intimadation of a police officer that never happened and we can’t find a lawyer who will argue this. His background made this unbelievable charge get him multiple billed in Metairie LA. He got 20 years. Look up Paul Poupart from Sept 3, 2009 in the Archives of Nola.com or Time Picayune. Pictures appeared on the internet and the intimadation charge was added after that happened. He did not post them and it wasn’t proven yet these pictures were used at trial to convict him. Police reports were fabricated etc. Also, they came to my house and searched it, took 75 pictures, broke my safe open, pulled wires out the wall connected to security cameras just for 2 pictures they already knew he had. I’m trying to find out the name of the lawyer who handled your case because no on here will take this case and defend him properly.