Louisiana Cop Accused of Beating Handcuffed Woman Back on the Job
In 2007, Shreveport police officer Wiley Willis arrested 38-year-old Angela Garbarino on suspicion of drunken driving. While in custody, as captured on the video below, Garbarino begins arguing with Willis about what she said is her right to make a phone call. About a minute later, Willis walks over and turns off the video camera. When the camera comes back on, Garbarino is lying on the floor in a pool of her own blood. She was later photographed with severe facial injuries she says were the result of Willis beating her. Willis' attorney stated that she tripped and fell while the camera was off. After the video went viral, Willis was fired, but has never been criminally charged.
Last month, the Shreveport Municipal Fire and Police Civil Service Board voted to reinstate Willis on the police force. He'll get full back pay and benefits for the year-and-a-half he was fired. The reason? During the internal investigation of Willis, a polygraph machine operator failed to record the results of his Q&A with Willis. This apparently is a violation of Louisiana's "Police Officer's Bill of Rights," a set of guidelines every department must follow when investigating officer misconduct.
Garbarino won a $400,000 settlement from the city of Shreveport last year.
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I’m sure this was just an isolated incident, right? Right?
Whew, I was worried that cop might be unemployed because of some uppity drunk. The system works!
At least you waited until 11 AM to ruin my day today, Radley. Usually it comes earlier.
I’m sure that the police department and prosecutors in Shreveport give similar deference to non-police suspects when their rights are violated in the course of police questioning, right? Right?
Gee and the day was going so well…
Who am I kidding. We haven’t had a good day since gas was a $1.00/gal.
Police in Louisiana have their own Bill of Rights? No wonder they refer to everybody else as “civilians”…
An addendum:
I’ve said this before. But I *really* need to learn not to read the comments (on the newspaper’s site) attached to the stories that Radley posts. They make me want to cry.
The cop’s union is behind this reinstatement. So how is this not an indictment of every street cop in Shreveport?
The good cops are 99 percent of the force, right? So where the fuck are they?
On the bright side, it appears that LEOs are starting to bring equal opportunity to the police brutality game. No age, race or sex discrimination here. All of you “civilians” are eligible for a beating from your “public servants”.
This is what Jack Dunphy warned us of. Assert your rights, ended up in a pool of your own blood. And he’s just fine with it.
What’s one woman getting beaten versus all the deterrent value gained from her beating? Think of all the people who won’t get beaten because of learning her lesson of never asserting that the police have any restrictions on their behavior whatsoever.
One woman beaten < a lot of people silent and unbeaten. A clear utilitarian win, in my book.
More laws and special rules for the king’s men. There are some who will seriously argue, albeit without reason and fact, that more laws and special rules for the king’s men help to achieve a greater degree of order. Some will even go so far as to argue, with even less reason and factual support, that more laws and special rules fro the king’s men are necessary for order.
Too many libertarians get spooked by even the hint of “anarchy” emanating from the mouths of either supporters or detractors of the current reality on the ground of more laws and special rules for the king’s men. Libertarianism is NOT anti-anarchy.
I dare that fucking pig Wiley Willis to come here and try to beat the shit out of me.
Order equals an absence of any entity that has the exclusive legal right to initiate force.
turning off the camera should be a firing offense. the beating should be a criminal prosecution.
Friggin amazing.
Is this that new professionalism that stupid cock Scalia was talking about? Way to go there you stupid fuck Scalia. That is the kind of professionalism I am talking about. Your fucking dogs of war get to beat of girls and get paid for it. That Scalia gets to live and vomit all over the Constitution is proof there is no god. If there is, well fuck him too for not intervening.
troy-
Why don’t more of us go and beat the shit out of the uniformed loser?
What a loser. The guy begs to get back into the ranks of those who cannot hack it in the private sector. He begs to get back into the uniformed ranks of Caesar.
We need to attack public employment-particularly the pussies who sign up to wear a uniform and the impramatur of their ruler on their shirts.
What we do not need to do is listen to the discredited notions of those who think that we can’t afford to alienate public sector losers who might otherwise get the religion of liberty. That dog is not going to hunt.
Now the cops have turned troy into an atheist.
Is nothing sacred to these bastards?
Ther is an inverse relationship between the desire to belong to state sponsored military and para-military organizations and valour. The more one wants “to be all that one can be,” the bigger coward one is.
Did you see that woman’s face? Somebody ought to kill that lying son of a bitch cop.
So this Police Bill of Rights is more powerful than the Bill of Rights itself? Is that the official position now?
What reason did he give for turning off the video camera?
Why weren’t criminal charges brought?
Who wants to bet that the failure to record the polygraph wasn’t an accident at all?
Do you suppose federal agents post here in disguise trolling for wingnuts? Is that too paranoid to imagine?
(Not that we don’t have enough of our own, indigenous wingnuts, god love ’em.)
Did you see that woman’s face? Somebody ought to kill that lying son of a bitch cop.
If that was my wife, I would be considering my options.
These incidents are good reminders that tyranny doesn’t require a giant, centralized, national government.
i’ve got a thousand dollars for the man who kills that piece of shit
public employee unions should be abolished.
This pig should get a sentence from the public. Blogs should continue to write about him and the city of Shreveport until they fire him and recharge him with another charge. They should get a picture of his face and post it everywhere so people can see the true color of tyranny. THEN they should go after the person who was suppose to record and log his polygraph Q and A.
Apparently the police bill of rights also includes being able to ignore the law (turning off the video camera) whenever they feel like it. The p.o.s. should have been fired just for that.
Willis’ attorney stated that she tripped and fell while the camera was off.
Seems likely. She tripped, fell into his boot, his fist, his knee, the floor, the wall, his baton, let’s see, what else is there for her to “trip” onto?
I’m starting to think that viral video should rank right up there with modern transportation and indoor plumbing as one of the greatest feats of man.
Who wants to bet that the failure to record the polygraph wasn’t an accident at all?
I don’t think anyone has any doubts about that. While investigating yourself, make an error that requires dropping all charges. Who can blame them? After the “revolution” that re-instates the Constitution, we are going to do the same thing.
i’ve got a thousand dollars for the man who kills that piece of shit
You could get in legal trouble for that statement. Discrimination by gender is against the law. Also, doing the Lords work does not require payment.
At first I thought “Who knows? Maybe she did a drunken hand-cuffed face plant?”
then I looked at the facial injuries and thought “Why would she do it multiple times?”
This will continue until the public stands up for themselves.If that was my wife he would be done!
And, again, the question presents itself:
Where the hell is the Department of Justice and the FBI?
How is this not a criminal violation of civil rights that is under their jurisdiction? Hell, about the only thing we really need a national law enforcement agencies for is to police the local law enforcement agencies, but it seems like they never do.
We have a spacial time planned for Mr. willis. we will fly him to Salinas CA. pick him up and have nothing but fun, oh, but, we like to keep the camera rolling, better memories.
You know, I wonder: there must be at least a few women cops or other personel on the Shreveport police force – it’s difficult to believe they would be willing to close ranks with the rest of “Shreveport’s Finest” in a matter such as this, the senseless beating of another woman. But then I have to remind myself that viciousness is not a trait exclusive to the male gender.
R C Dean,
I was thinking the same thing. I’ve always thought that one of the redeeming points of Incorporation was that it led inevitably to the federal government acting as a check on state tyranny. In practice, that hasn’t worked so well, but for stuff like this, the feds should be swooping in.
Might be a ?1983 action here, too.
If I see this fucker in Shreveport, I am likely to shoot first. Hell, I might just shoot first at any cop I see approaching me in Shreveport.
Perhaps Obama will invite Willis and Ms. Garbarino to the White House for a beer.
“Shreveport Police Chief Henry Whitehorn called the panel’s finding a technicality and said he is “disappointed with the board’s ruling.” The police chief said he is moving forward with the city’s legal department to pursue an appeal.”
That’s surprising. Probably the only time I’ve ever seen a Police Chief not defend one of his thug underlings.
Public-sector unions are such an untrammeled good, aren’t they?
Like RC Dean, I want to know why criminal charges weren’t brought.
If there was videotape of me turning off a camera, and when the camera comes back on there was a picture of a woman beaten to a pulp, if I said, “Ummmm…she slipped,” I’d get laughed out of court.
Why isn’t this officer in prison?
Fluffy,
You know the score, pal. You’re not cop, you’re little people!
Who wants to bet that the failure to record the polygraph wasn’t an accident at all?
Even I’m not that foolish.
Back on the job… after a paid vacation.
When does the DA indict him for assault, though?
Should you have to have a certain IQ level to become a police officer or is the status quo acceptable.
-Barely finish High School
-Fail at construction or Mall jobs
-Decide weather to go into the Military or Law enforcement.
REALLY, This is who protects me?
the standard for interrogating police officers should be the same as the standard for interrogating anyone, not some special Police-Only Bill of Rights.
No. Because of the position of lethal power and legal authority they should be held to a much higher standard than the rest of us.
Slight correction, RapeMe:
Should you have to have a certain IQ level to become a police officer or is the status quo acceptable.
-Barely finish High School
-Fail at construction or Mall jobs
-Decide weather to go into the Military or Law enforcement.
–Fail to meet the standards for the Military.
And the police wonder why people run when they see them coming.
If I was pulled over by this criminal I would be tempted to proactively protect myself…just like the police do when pulling over a felon or someone who “looks” like a criminal.
If he’s pointing a gun at me he’s threatening but if he adds a badge he’s terrifying because I know he knows he can kill me for no reason and get away with it.
What are the steps for me to getting on this police force. Is this the middle east guide to taking care of detained civilians?
What is he going to do with all that money?
Sounds like a great payoff. Do dastardly deed,
take a very long vacation, get huge reward of dollars, return to duty.
Sign me up. There are more drunks out there just wanting to be “processed”.
Put him back on the force.
She’s an abusive idiot. No officer should be forced to endure that.
Hopefully the entitled selfish drunk learned her lesson. I doubt it. Where do I vote to get her exiled to some third-world country where such behavior is acceptable?
I’m re-evaluating the death penalty. Cops should be held to a higher standard if they want to wear the uniform.
I cannot believe the husbnad or obyfirend of that girl has not resolved this! If that were my wife, or my girlfriend there would not be anywhere on this planet that PUNK cop and his family could hide from me!
RT
http://www.privacy-web.pl.tc
Someone, somewhere, is creating a file on this ‘new professionalism’, right? If not Radley himself, someone is collating his work on these isolated incidents, right? Because at some point, I would really like to see a case brought before The Two Fisted Mister Justice Scalia in which his whole precious rationale is revealed for what it is.
Sadly, I would probably give up my ability to father children with my bride-to-be to see that day.
More probably, however, some Honest Law Enforcement Professional will end up costing me that ability some day, with the camera turned off on his car.
Bastards.
Fucked up.
Not a big fan of police brutality but if the woman had cooperated I doubt she would have even been handcuffed. She would not obey, made matters worse, began screaming for no apparent reason and after getting handcuffed, fell in a struggle and busted her face. Doubtful the policeman “beat” her. As a juror, I would have given her nothing and reinstated the cop with pay. Next time, cooperate first and see if you have a better outcome… it might not be as difficult as you make it.
Hey mossgard, troll much?
She fell right after the retarded cop covered the camera…
If only Obama knew.
This prick cop is exactly why I don’t shed a tear when one of these turds are shot.
Mossgard, your statement would be plausible if the camera was on showing it. The fact that he turned off the camera is evidence that he was going to do something illegal that he did not want the camera to record.
In a court case, if there’s a video showing someone stealing, and the person committing the theft destroys that tape, the penalty is that the jury is usually instructed to assume that the tape did in fact show him stealing.
He destroyed evidence by turning off the camera. It’s no different than if he had recorded it and then erased it after the fact. The reasoning for such an act is the same in both cases. You are doing something that you know is wrong and would get you in trouble if others saw it.
If she yelled, screamed, struggled or not isn’t relevant.
This is ABSOLUTELY uncalled for . . .
call them and tell them how you feel about them hiring him back on
chief of police in shreveport, LA
Office: (318) 673-6900
you are all forgetting:
THIS IS LOUISIANA
ohhhhhhhh, now I understand
This prick cop is exactly why I don’t shed a tear when one of these turds are shot.
And that doesn’t happen nearly as often as it should.
mossgard is right!
if all people just loose self respect, determination, and sense of right and wrong we would live in a much better place.
who wants the trouble of standing up to those in power and actually questioning them, much better to just fall in line and follow along. those men in blue know what they’re doing, with they years of experience and a ged. those guys put their life on the line every day giving out parking tickets and chasing off skateboarders.
i’m sure every cop is a regular andy griffith and would never hurt a fly!!!
Louisiana is a third world country.
The police department has already announced that they will appeal this ruling. In this case, the department is actually attempting to do the right thing, at least to some degree.
Based on what I’ve seen from Louisiana courts in civil-service cases, I wouldn’t be surprised if his reinstatement is overturned.
Unbelievable! And the Union defends…disgusting
Just reinforces my decision to stay the hell out of Mississippi and Louisiana.
My wife and I have not been back to Tunica since I started reading Radley and realized it just IS NOT SAFE to travel there.
Mexico is less corrupt.
Good thing she was a white citizen or the national media would have been notified, because we all know that only minorities are abuse by police.
Remember that the Shreveport mayor has said repeatedly that when you are stopped by the police, “your rights have been suspended.”
Doesnt matter if she was drunk or not no person deserves to be beaten to the point of being half dead. Doesn’t matter if your a man a woman black white purple no one deserves it.