North Carolina
Related: About this forumOfficer suspended over teen’s suicide in back of squad car
by Paul Choate,
Posted 3:16 pm, June 23, 2014
Updated at 03:24pm, June 23, 2014
DURHAM, N.C. The officer who searched Jesus Huerta before investigators say the teen committed suicide in the back of a squad car last year has been suspended ...
In a statement released Monday, Durham Police Chief Jose Lopez said Officer Samuel Duncan received a suspension of 40 hours without pay for failing to find the gun in Huertas possession.
Huerta was arrested by Durham police Nov. 19. His family had called to report he had run away. When officers found him, they discovered an outstanding arrest warrant for a second-degree trespassing charge and decided to take him into custody.
Huerta was placed in the back of a squad car and taken to police headquarters. As the car pulled into the parking lot around 2:30 a.m., the officer driving reported hearing a loud bang and he jumped out of the moving car, which then rolled into parked vehicles ...
http://myfox8.com/2014/06/23/officer-suspended-over-jesus-huerta-suicide-in-back-of-squad-car/
struggle4progress
(117,949 posts)Posted by John H. Tucker
Mon, Jun 23, 2014 at 4:28 PM
... Lopez's letter to Bonfield also gave summaries to two additional officer-involved shootings that occurred last year. The State Bureau of Investigation and DPD's Professional Standards Division investigated each case. The Durham D.A.'s office did not find cause to seek prosecutions ...
According to the letter, DPD has implemented two new procedures:
The in-car cameras will automatically restart when an office restarts his cruiser.
DPD will begin providing reports within five working days to the city manager about any officer-involved shootings or in-custody deaths ...
http://www.indyweek.com/triangulator/archives/2014/06/23/durham-police-officer-disciplined-in-aftermath-of-huerta-shooting
struggle4progress
(117,949 posts)Jun. 23, 2014 @ 01:21 PM
Ray Gronberg
DURHAM Months before confronting police with what turned out to be a pellet gun, Derek Walker discussed with a co-worker a plan to force officers to shoot him in a confrontation at CCB Plaza ...
Walkers death was one of three officer-involved shootings in 2013 that sparked criticism of the Police Department. The others claimed the life of Jose Ocampo and Jesus Huerta.
Lopez, Peter and other department commanders discussed all three Monday after releasing a summary report on the incidents to City Manager Tom Bonfield.
Ocampos death occurred July 27, after he confronted officers while holding a knife ...
http://www.heraldsun.com/news/localnews/x1625941616/Police-issue-new-report-on-shootings
struggle4progress
(117,949 posts)By Jim Wise
June 23, 2014
Updated 29 minutes ago
... Officer Samuel Duncan was suspended without pay for 40 hours and required to take remedial training in the handling and transporting of prisoners, according to a final summary of investigations into Huertas death and those of two men fatally shot by Durham police officers in 2013 ...
According to Lopezs report, police tests found gunshot residue on gloves that Huerta was wearing at the time, but found none on Duncans hands ...
Ocampo, a Honduran man suspected in a stabbing, was found to be holding a knife by the handle in a threatening manner when he was shot and killed by police July 27, according to the report ...
None of the officers on the scene speak Spanish, Lopez told reporters Monday, but a bystander translated their orders for Ocampo to drop the knife ...
http://www.newsobserver.com/2014/06/23/3958214/officer-in-durhams-jesus-huerta.html
struggle4progress
(117,949 posts)Monday, June 23, 2014
... In a statement Monday, attorney Alexander Charns, who represents the Huerta family, said it continues its own investigation of the case.
Charns said in addition to thoroughly searching the teen, Huerta should have been taken to an emergency room before being arrested for high levels of drugs in his system.
"... levels so high Jesus may have been hallucinating and were potentially lethal," said Charns ...
http://abc11.com/news/officer-suspended-over-teen-suicide/134589/
struggle4progress
(117,949 posts)Posted: Monday, June 23, 2014 3:38 PM EDT
Updated: Monday, June 23, 2014 10:04 PM EDT
by WNCN Staff
... Specifically in response to the November death of 17-year-old Jesus Huerta in the back of a police cruiser, Lopez also said he has implemented changes to the department's in-car camera system.
Lopez said the cameras were designed to turn off after 50 minutes of inactivity and required the officer on duty to log back into the system to start the recording process. The new system requires the officer to log in within 30 seconds or the camera will automatically start recording.
All officers are also now required to take a 2-hour course on conducting searches, and proper search techniques are now emphasized to new recruits.
"[The officer] failed to find a firearm, so whatever process he used didn't quite work in this instance," Lopez told WNCN Monday. "So we want to make sure that he has the best practice as far as searching and transferring prisoners" ...
http://www.wnct.com/story/25848048/report-officer-who-searched-jesus-huerta-suspended-without-pay