Police Abuse

Brickbat: For Your Eyes Only

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In England, former West Mercia Police Constable Mark Cranfield has been sentenced to eights months in jail after being convicted on two counts of misconduct in public office and one count of accessing computer records without authorization. Cranfield reportedly saved intimate videos and nude photos that had been submitted as evidence in a revenge porn case, kept them on his phone, and forwarded the images to at least one person. Prosecutors also said he repeatedly contacted the victim in the case, discussing his sex life.

USPS

Brickbat: As Good as Cash

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Nakedra Shannon, a former United States Postal Service employee in Charlotte, North Carolina, was sentenced to five years in prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit financial institution fraud and to theft of government property. Prosecutors said Shannon and two accomplices stole $24 million in checks from the mail between April and July 2023 and sold the checks to others.

Hospitals

Brickbat: First, Do No Harm

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Two nurses with Australia's New South Wales Ministry of Health have been removed from their jobs pending an investigation of a video, apparently shot in a hospital, in which they said they would refuse to treat and perhaps kill Israeli patients. "I won't treat them, I won't treat them. I'll kill them," said Sarah Abu Lebdeh. Rashad Nadir added, "You have no idea how many [Israelis] came to this hospital and I sent them to jaheem [hell]." Nadir later told local media his remarks were a joke.

USPS

Brickbat: Checks in the Mail

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Joivian Tjuana Hayes, a U.S. Postal Service supervisor in Costa Mesa, California, has pleaded guilty to theft of mail matter by a Postal Service employee and unlawful transfer, possession, and use of means of identification. Hayes reportedly stole between $300,000 and $324,000 in checks, gold, money orders, and collectible coins and currency, including a $10 Confederate States of America bill. She faces up to 20 years in prison.

Police Abuse

Brickbat: Predatory Police

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In England, Greater Manchester Police Detective Sgt. Richard Mills was sentenced to 18 months in prison and placed on the sex offender registry for 10 years after being convicted of sexually assaulting another officer and a civilian employee of the department while on duty. In both cases, Mills grabbed a woman's hand and put it on his crotch. One victim said that as he did so, he told her what kind of sex he liked and that he wasn't "getting it" from his wife.

Politics

Brickbats: March 2025

News of politicians, police, and bureaucrats behaving badly from around the world.

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Thomas Smith, a former U.S. Capitol Police officer, was sentenced to 21 months in prison after pleading guilty to deprivation of rights under color of law. In June 2020, while patrolling the homes of members of Congress, Smith pursued two motorcycles at a high speed without running his lights. Prosecutors said Smith swerved his patrol car into one of the motorcycles, knocking the driver into the air and onto the asphalt. He then left the injured driver unconscious on the ground, did not file an incident report, and falsified police records to cover up his actions.

Former Santa Cruz County, Arizona, Treasurer Elizabeth Gutfahr stole more than $38 million in county funds between 2012 and 2024. She used the money to buy at least 20 cars, renovate ranches she owns, and pay other personal expenses for herself and her family. After pleading guilty to embezzlement and other charges, she faces up to 35 years in prison and must pay over $13 million in restitution and federal taxes.

Illustration: Peter Bagge
(Illustration: Peter Bagge)

Kristian White, a former Australian police officer, faces up to 25 years in prison after a jury found him guilty of manslaughter. Clare Nowland, a 95-year-old woman with dementia, lived in a New South Wales nursing home, where staff called police because she had a knife. Officers tried for about three minutes to get her to drop the knife before White, saying "bugger it," used his Taser on her. Nowland fell and struck her head, dying days later from an inoperable brain bleed.

Illustration: Peter Bagge
(Illustration: Peter Bagge)

Andrew Talbot, a former officer with the Greater Manchester Police, stole 4 kilograms (8.8 pounds) of cocaine from the evidence room, valued at 400,000 pounds ($494,440), then used the police database to find drug dealers who could sell it. He was discovered when he accidentally dropped a bag of cocaine outside his daughter's school. A Liverpool court convicted and sentenced him to 19 years in prison.

Nigel Carter collected 500 bicycles to send to Sudan, for people who need access to cheap transportation. The Scottish Environment Protection Agency blocked the shipment after an inspector deemed the bikes unfit for use because some needed repairs. Carter said the bikes had only minor damage and that the Sudanese charity was aware of their condition.

Tennessee prosecutors charged former McNairy County Sheriff's Deputy Connor Brackin with seven counts of aggravated animal cruelty and eight counts of reckless endangerment. While reportedly responding to an animal welfare call, Brackin went to a couple's home while they were at dinner and shot and killed seven of their eight dogs. According to the affidavit, Brackin fired his service weapon into campers where some of the dogs were being contained.

Illustration: Peter Bagge
(Illustration: Peter Bagge)

In England, Lincolnshire Police Superintendent Fran Harrod said officers won't arrest drivers who don't pay for gasoline because they might not be "having a great day." She advised gas station owners to instead pursue civil action against the thieves, which would get them their money back "within a matter of weeks." Harrod was responding to a gas station owner who said she had 50 drive-off thefts in six months.

When Tennessee students on Brandy Smith's school bus were being too loud, she reportedly slammed the brakes, causing some to hit their heads. At least three students were taken to the hospital and diagnosed with minor concussions. A grand jury indicted her for reckless driving, four counts of child abuse, and nine counts of reckless endangerment.

Prisons

Brickbat: Stay Put

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A Missouri judge sentenced former De Soto Police Officer James Daly to two years of probation for assaulting a handcuffed suspect who was being booked into the local jail. A jury found Daly guilty of three misdemeanor assault charges. Daly reportedly grabbed the suspect by the hair and throat, pushed him onto a bench, and held him there by his neck for "a period of time."

Housing Policy

Brickbat: None of Your Business

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Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro has called on the state legislature to seal certain eviction records. Shapiro didn't provide many details on his proposal. But he did indicate that tenants who win eviction proceedings should have their records sealed, which could potentially affect hundreds of thousands of people.

Encryption

Brickbat: Keys to the Kingdom

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Citing sources close to the discussion, The Washington Post reports that the United Kingdom's Labour government is demanding that Apple give it access to all iCloud data uploaded by anyone, anywhere in the world. It made this demand under a 2016 law requiring technology companies to assist the government in compiling evidence in criminal and other cases. Under that same law, it is illegal for companies to reveal even that the government is trying to compel them to cooperate.

Local Government

Brickbat: Crappy Conditions

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An employee at the City-County Building in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, was recently injured when a toilet tank shattered. Local TV station WGAL reports city buildings are plagued with maintenance issues, such as nonfunctioning boilers and elevators, broken urinals, and moldy water fountains. "I notice every crooked shutter and every dripping faucet," said Councilman Anthony Coghill, who is a contractor. "I'm afraid to do an in-depth look at all of our facilities because I'm afraid of what I will find."

Liquor

Brickbat: License Lag

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An Illinois judge has found Dolton Mayor Tiffany Henyard guilty of indirect criminal contempt of court for not signing a liquor license in a timely manner. Tiffany Kamara bought a commercial building with plans to subdivide it and turn it into a bar and restaurant, meeting space, and liquor store. Henyard supported the idea at first but later began to obstruct the business. Kamara bought the building from Kamal Woods. According to Kamara's lawsuit, Woods "is the significant other of Defendant Henyard and is believed to have substantial influence over her decisions and actions."

TikTok

Brickbat: Father of the Year?

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In Texas, the Port Arthur Police Department and Child Protective Services are both investigating a TikTok video showing a man use a child to clean snow off his car. The man can be seen laughing and smiling as he wipes the child—reportedly three months old and heavily bundled up—across his windshield and hood. After the video was posted, officials conducted a welfare check and found the child was unharmed. But Police Chief Tim Duriso still plans to pursue child endangerment charges and called it "a sad situation."

Health

Brickbat: Start From the Beginning

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Mississippi state Sen. Bradford Blackmon (D–Jackson) has introduced a bill that would make it "unlawful for a person to discharge genetic material without the intent to fertilize an embryo." He calls it the "Contraception Begins at Erection Act." It would impose fines on violators, including $10,000 for a third time offense. "All across the country, especially here in Mississippi, the vast majority of bills relating to contraception and/or abortion focus on the woman's role when men are fifty percent of the equation," Blackmon said in a statement. "This bill highlights that fact and brings the man's role into the conversation. People can get up in arms and call it absurd but I can't say that bothers me."

Police

Brickbat: Take a Picture, but Don't Keep It

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Police in Montreal are asking residents not to post photos of porch pirates captured by their doorbell cameras to social media. They say even thieves caught in the act deserve the presumption of innocence. They ask that the public, instead, turn the photos over to police. One local resident said she tried that before posting the images of the person who stole a ceramic dog from her porch to the Internet. "They have his license plate. They have him on camera taking the dog, putting it in his car," Ania Szpakowski told CTV. "I still don't have it back."

Police Abuse

Brickbat: Ask Questions Later

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Former Shreveport Police Officer Christopher McConnell has been given a three-year suspended prison sentence followed by two years of probation after being convicted of malfeasance in office. When McConnell pulled a woman over for a license plate light not working, he got out of his vehicle with his weapon drawn and shouted, "License, registration, shut your mouth." He pulled the woman from her vehicle and tried to handcuff her. Two other officers arrived to help him, and when the woman allegedly pulled away from them, another officer used a Taser on her. McConnell later struck her in the face even as she was compliant.

Post Office

Brickbat: Coding Error

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The British government may soon change a law that led to the wrongful convictions of hundreds of postmasters for financial crimes. Over more than 15 years, Britain's state-owned Post Office prosecuted and convicted more than 700 postmasters, with 230 serving time in prison, when internal software reported missing money. British law says evidence generated by a computer is automatically assumed to be correct, and it is the defendant's burden to prove it wrong. Postmasters complained all along that the software generated false information, but postal authorities dismissed the complaints. When the government did finally look into the issue, it found the system was prone to errors, reporting shortfalls in accounts when there actually were none.

City Spending

Brickbat: Have Credit Card, Will Travel

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Residents and city council members in South Fulton, Georgia, are questioning thousands of dollars in unapproved purchases made with city funds by Mayor Khalid Kamau. Between October and December, Kamau made $26,000 in unauthorized purchases with his city-issued credit card, including more than $5,000 on plane tickets and $1,300 for a drone. He has not submitted receipts for 112 purchases. Kamau says the criticism is all political.

Guns

Brickbat: Keep Your Hands to Yourself

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In Florida, the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office has begun the process to fire an officer who accidentally shot a man with his own gun. Officers had stopped Jason Arrington for running a red light. Video shows Arrington was very cooperative, but when he told them he was carrying a firearm, they asked him to step out of the car. That's when Officer Mindy Cardwell tried to remove the gun, which was holstered in his waistband. The video shows she jerked at the gun with her fingers inside the trigger guard. At that point, the gun went off, with the bullet striking Arrington in the thigh and exiting through his knee. Cardwell has not been criminally charged, but an internal investigation found her to have shown "gross incompetence."

Sexual Assault

Brickbat: Fox in the Henhouse

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Gregory Rodriguez, a former guard at the Central California Women's Facility in Chowchilla, has been convicted of 64 counts of rape, sodomy, and sexual battery on nine female prisoners at that prison. The jury also found him not guilty of 21 counts, including all charges involving four other inmates, and it hung on 12 other charges. A 27-year veteran of the state corrections department, Rodriguez retired after investigators began looking into the accusations against him.

Local Government

Brickbat: Sticky Fingers

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In New York, former Deputy Erie County Clerk Alexander McDougall received a prison sentence of between one year and four months, and four years. McDougall previously pleaded guilty to grand larceny and offering a false instrument, both felonies. Prosecutors said McDougall stole more than $320,000 by depositing county funds into his personal bank account.

Police Abuse

Brickbat: Sobering Allegations

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In North Dakota, former Cass County Sheriff's Deputy Darin Viken has been charged with six counts of misdemeanor disorderly conduct related to his role as coordinator of the county's 24-7 sobriety program. The program, which can be mandated as a condition of bond or probation for crimes in which drugs or alcohol played a part, requires daily drug and alcohol testing. Viken is accused of harassing women in the program. He was fired in July after the North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigation began its investigation.

Public Health

Brickbat: Back of the Queue

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The National Health Service would delay some surgeries for smokers and for obese patients under reforms announced by the United Kingdom's Labour Party government. Obese patients will be required to undergo a 12-week weight loss plan before being scheduled for hip and knee replacements. Smokers will be asked to stop smoking and be "confirmed…as fit to proceed" before receiving any non-cancer surgeries. Those who do not comply will be put on wait lists, with fitter patients getting priority slots for surgery.

Police

Brickbat: Keep Both Hands on the Wheel

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Former Lake County, Florida, Sheriff's Office Deputy Tristan Macomber resigned after rear-ending another car while on duty. An Internal Affairs investigation found Macomber was looking at something "not safe for work" on his phone before the crash happened. Macomber at first said he was scrolling through a group chat with other deputies on his phone before admitting he was looking at pornographic material.

Police Abuse

Brickbat: Strong Arm of the Law

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Former New Castle, Indiana, Police Lieutenant Aaron Strong has been sentenced to 151 months in prison after being convicted of three counts of deprivation of rights under color of law and one count of witness tampering. Strong injured suspects during three different excessive force incidents. "Aaron Strong viciously beat, stomped, and shot three defenseless men with no lawful justification—causing serious injuries including a fractured spine," said U.S. Attorney Zachary A. Myers.

Police

Brickbat: Lawn Enforcement

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Documents obtained by local media indicate police in London, Kentucky were at the wrong address when they fatally shot Doug Harless. Officers were trying to serve a search warrant at 11:54 p.m. on December 23 in connection with a weed eater stolen from a local elected official. Police say Harless pointed a gun at them before he was shot. TV station WKYT reports that dispatch audio and records show the warrant was for 489 Vanzant Road. Officers were at 511 Vanzant Road, the Harless home, when the shooting took place. WKYT says it has filed an open records request for the warrant to confirm what location it was for, but the local courts say they never received that request and the London police say they have turned over all their files to the Kentucky State Police, which is investigating the shooting.

 

DHS

Brickbat: Inside Man

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Federal prosecutors have charged Nicholas Kindle and David Cole, two U.S. Department of Homeland Security agents in Utah, with felony drug distribution conspiracy. Kindle has also been charged with conspiracy to convert property of the federal government for profit. Prosecutors said the two stole drugs known as "bath salts" from evidence and gave them to a department "source of information" to sell. They also allegedly stole thousands of dollars in cash and other valuables. The FBI says the scheme netted the pair between $195,000 and $300,000.

Police Abuse

Brickbat: Quittin' Time

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Body camera video shows two former St. Louis police officers refusing to aid a man who had been shot in the head but was still alive because their shift was almost over. Then-Officers Austin Fraser and Ty Warren found Urayoan Rodriguez-Rivera in a park. Rodriguez-Rivera had called 911 stating he was going to kill himself. One officer notes he is still alive, and Warren suggests they bring the victim somewhere for help. "We ain't taking shit," Fraser responded. "I get off in 30 minutes." Fraser then said, "Let's cruise around and come back," and let other officers find him: "They're gonna find this [expletive], and we're gonna be like, 'Oh, [expletive], you found him.'" They returned 10 minutes later, found other officers on the scene, and pretended to have just arrived. The other officers called emergency medical services. Rodriguez-Rivera was taken to a hospital where he died, 40 minutes after he first called 911.

Property

Brickbat: A Nightmare Before Christmas (and After Halloween)

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Decorating for Halloween, Alexis Luttrell put a skeleton and a skeleton dog in her yard in Georgetown, Tennessee. She then left them up after the holiday, adding a Santa Claus and a Christmas tree, plus Christmas decorations on the skeletons. For her efforts, the city cited her for violating an ordinance requiring decorations to be placed no more than 45 days before a holiday and to be removed no later than 30 days after. Luttrell has a court date in February and says she plans to fight the citation.

Drunk driving

Brickbat: Driven To Drink

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Kayla Pier, a former school bus driver in Indiana's La Porte County, has been charged with operating while intoxicated and neglect of a dependent. Students called to report Pier for apparently driving her bus under the influence. The school transportation director caught up to the bus and removed her from driving, and she resigned the same day. But a criminal investigation did not start until a month later, when the school turned over the results of a toxicology test to the sheriff's office. Investigators also got security video from the bus and video shot by students onboard.

New York City

Brickbat: Multiple Failures

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A New York City Board of Corrections report found that Rikers Island detention officers repeatedly blocked medical staff from seeing a sick inmate who later died of multiple organ failure. While serving a sentence for assault, 23-year-old Charizma Jones appeared unable to stand. An officer called for medical help, but when none came, other inmates applied ice and held her when she passed out. When medical staff still did not show up, the inmates "became disruptive and refused to comply with staff orders," the report found, triggering an emergency alarm that finally resulted in Jones being transferred to the infirmary, where she was treated for possible scarlet fever. But even as she vomited, detention officers blocked medical staff from checking her vital signs at least six times, citing unspecified security reasons. After two days in the jail infirmary, Jones was taken to a hospital with a high fever, a rash, and signs of possible liver failure. Weeks later, she died at the hospital of "multiorgan failure."

Public schools

Brickbat: Spiked

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Prosecutors in Florida have charged John Trevor Steele, a physical education teacher at Jennings Middle School, with felony child abuse. A 12-year-old student playing with a volleyball accidentally struck Steele in the chin with it. "In response, Steele began yelling at the victim, moved toward her, placed his foot behind her, and used his left arm to shove her onto her back as he leaned over the victim and continued to yell," according to a press release from the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office.

Taliban

Brickbat: Window Pain

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The Taliban has banned windows in residential buildings if they allow people to see women in their homes.* The ban specifically covers windows that allow people to see into the "courtyard, kitchen, neighbour's well and other places usually used by women," and it includes not only new construction but existing buildings as well. "Seeing women working in kitchens, in courtyards or collecting water from wells can lead to obscene acts," the decree claims.

*CORRECTION: This has been revised to specify which windows are affected.

Homeowners

Brickbat: Wrong To Repair

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St. Louis officials are investigating after residents say the city billed them for home repairs they did not agree to and that, in many cases, don't appear to have been performed. One owner said he was billed for repairs to the second floor of a commercial property he bought, plus a new roof. But he said that neither he nor the previous owner signed off on the work, and besides, the building only has one story, and the roof wasn't completely nailed down. The repairs are part of a federally funded effort to stabilize and rehabilitate privately owned buildings. But a local TV station found that the company hired to do the work doesn't have a website, and for its business address, it lists an unmarked house, where no one answered the door when reporters visited. The company's previous business address is an apartment where the ex-wife of one of the two city officials overseeing the program lives.

Prisons

Brickbat: Overcorrection

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New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has ordered the state corrections department to fire 14 workers after the fatal beating of an inmate at the Marcy Correctional Facility. State Attorney General Letitia James said her office is also investigating the death of Robert Brooks, who had been serving a 12-year prison sentence for first-degree assault since 2017. Officials did not release the names of the employees or describe the circumstances of the attack.

Politics

Brickbats: February 2025

News of politicians, police, and bureaucrats behaving badly from around the world.

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A former middle school teacher in Washington state was charged with unlawful imprisonment for locking a 14-year-old student in her classroom and forcing him to pray with her for more than an hour. According to court documents, the student stayed after class to apologize for being disrespectful, but the teacher locked the door and said he could not leave until they prayed. When the student said he was not religious, she called him "Satanás," which means Satan in Spanish.

Illustration: Peter Bagge
(Illustration: Peter Bagge)

A cheerleading coach at a public middle school in Lubbock, Texas, was placed on administrative leave after making cheerleaders crawl on hot asphalt when the temperature was over 100 degrees. Thirteen cheerleaders were treated for first- and second-degree burns on their hands; they claim the coach was punishing them for performing a cheer she found "disrespectful."

Former Memphis, Tennessee, police officer Arica Hutchison was sentenced to six months in prison plus two years supervised release after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit theft from a program receiving federal funds. Hutchison fraudulently claimed reward money meant for civilians who provide information leading to arrests in open investigations. Hutchison admitted she entered false information into police databases listing an accomplice as a tipster and claimed $18,500.

Russian lawmakers introduced a bill that would ban "propaganda of conscious refusal to bear children." The law would impose fines of up to $4,300 for individuals and more than $53,000 for organizations convicted of advocating voluntary childlessness. The bill overwhelmingly passed the Duma, the lower house of Russia's parliament, in October 2024.

Illustration: Peter Bagge
(Illustration: Peter Bagge)

When Burger King got his order wrong, Cobb County, Georgia, Sheriff Craig Owens Sr. called for backup, and three on-duty deputies arrived. He asked the deputies to get him the name of the owner or manager so he could file a complaint. The deputies found that the employees had locked themselves inside because they had previously had issues with angry customers. Owens told the media that he never identified himself as the sheriff and the deputies didn't do anything for him they wouldn't do for any other person involved in a business dispute.

Former principal Natasha Halfkenny and former assistant principal Coreen Miranda, of Boston Public Schools, each paid a $4,000 fine for violating conflict of interest law. A nonprofit donated tickets to the musical Hamilton for the school to give to students who could not otherwise afford to go. Instead, Halfkenny and Miranda took tickets for themselves and their sons, who were not students of Boston Public Schools.

Caroline Ashley put up Halloween decorations around her Liverpool home, including body bags hanging from a tree. The next day, a city council member came by and ordered her to remove the decorations after a neighbor allegedly complained they were too realistic and upsetting. "It's the quickest the council has come out for anything," Ashley told Metro.

Illustration: Peter Bagge
(Illustration: Peter Bagge)

The U.K. government now requires chicken owners, even those who keep one or two as pets, to register their birds. But it had to close an online animal registration portal it set up because so many people were trying to sign up. Officials said the registration is aimed at stopping the spread of bird flu and also includes parrots, finches, and other birds if they are ever taken outside the home. With the website down, owners were told to register their birds by email.

Police Abuse

Brickbat: Getting Hands-On

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Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond has intervened to dismiss a felony assault charge against an Oklahoma City police officer who slammed a 71-year-old man to the ground, breaking his neck and causing a brain bleed, during an argument over a traffic ticket. Video shows Sgt. Joseph Gibson  telling Lich Vu that he was being issued a ticket for an improper U-turn. Vu, who appears not to understand English very well, refuses to sign the ticket. Gibson says he'll take Vu to jail if he doesn't sign the ticket. Vu gets out of the car and the two continue to argue. At one point, Vu appears to tell Gibson to "shut up" and taps the officer's chest with the back of his fingers, which prompts Gibson to slam him to the ground. "As attorney general, I will not permit Oklahoma police officers to face criminal prosecution for conduct adhering to their training," Drummond said in a statement. But Oklahoma County District Attorney Vicki Behenna said she was "surprised and disappointed that Attorney General Gentner Drummond took this case away from my office and the citizens of Oklahoma County."

Plastic Bags

Brickbat: Single-Use Stipulation

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The Napa County, California, Board of Supervisors has banned single-use plastic bags and utensils. Restaurants will have to provide dine-in customers with reusable utensils and carry-out customers with utensils and bags made from natural fibers that are certified compostable. Grocery stores, farmers markets, and others venues that serve carry-out food must also provide compostable bags. The law also requires businesses to charge customers 25 cents per bag, but customers paying with low-income welfare programs like EBT and WIC are exempt from those fees.

Police

Brickbat: Double Down

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Former Titusville, Florida, Police Officer Josh Payne has been sentenced to five years probation after pleading guilty to manslaughter in the death of a man he mistook for a domestic violence suspect. James Lowery ran away when Payne tried to arrest him. Payne chased him with his Taser in one hand and his gun in the other, in violation of department policy. He then fired both weapons, and a bullet struck Lowery in the back of the head. Lowery's family pleaded for a felony conviction, but the judge only sentenced Payne to probation. Payne must also permanently give up his law enforcement certification and pay $18,000 for Lowery's funeral expenses.

Property Rights

Brickbat: Giving Spirit

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Loletha Hale ended up in a Georgia jail after trying to remove a squatter from her house. It took almost four months, but in November, Hale finally got a court to rule that Sakemeyia Johnson was squatting in her house. Hale said she thought that meant Johnson would be evicted, so she was surprised to find her still living in the house. It turns out Hale still needs a writ of possession, which the judge has yet to sign, to evict her. But seeing Johnson in the house, Hale tried to remove the squatter herself. Johnson called 911, and Clayton County deputies arrested Hale for attempting an illegal eviction. One deputy who responded to the call can be heard on bodycam video telling Hale, "Just think of it from this perspective, though. Everybody isn't as fortunate as you to have a bed. All the little things, a bed in their house, food in the kitchen."

Murder

Brickbat: Left Las Vegas

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A federal jury has awarded more than $34 million to Kirstin Blaise Lobato, who served nearly 16 years in a Nevada state prison for a 2001 killing in Las Vegas she did not commit. No physical evidence tied her to the crime. Police officers testified in her original trial that she twice confessed to the crime, but attorneys in her lawsuit said those confessions were faked. After the Nevada Supreme Court threw out her conviction in 2002, Lobato was tried and convicted again in 2006. But in 2017, the Innocence Project presented expert testimony questioning the estimated time of the victim's death presented by the prosecution. The experts argued that based on the state of the body when it was discovered, the death happened during a period when Lobato was no longer in the city. Based on that evidence, a court vacated her sentence. The Clark County District Attorney's Office later dropped all charges against her.

Police Abuse

Brickbat: Empire State of Mind

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A U.S. Department of Justice report found that the police department in Mount Vernon, New York, had a policy of routinely strip searching everyone it arrested. The report also found that officers would often strip search people it didn't arrest, frequently detained and interrogated people it did not arrest, and detained people without probable cause. Officers also arrested people for criticizing them. Mount Vernon Mayor Shawyn Patterson-Howard said in a statement that the city is working with the Justice Department to correct those issues.

Police Abuse

Brickbat: For the Birds

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Los Angeles County Sheriff's Deputy Joseph Benza III faces up to 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to one count of deprivation of rights under color of law for beating a man who gave him the finger. According to court documents, Benza abandoned a domestic disturbance call when he saw Emmett Brock flip him off. He followed Brock's car for 1.8 miles, reaching speeds over 50 mph, without ever attempting to stop him. During that time, Benza called another officer saying the driver had flipped him off and that he planned to use force against him. When Brock pulled into a 7-Eleven parking lot, Benza approached and said he'd just stopped him. When Brock said he hadn't been stopped, Benza threw him to the ground and repeatedly punched him. Brock was charged with three felonies and, as a result, he lost his job as a teacher; the charges were later dropped when the Los Angeles Times posted video of the encounter. Several sergeants directed Benza not to include the real reason he stopped Brock in his incident report. A sheriff's office investigation previously cleared Benza of violating policy in the incident, but a spokesman now says there will be a new administrative investigation. It isn't clear if any of the other deputies mentioned in court filings face charges. The sheriff's office spokesman said other employees could potentially face discipline after it concludes a new investigation.

Zoning

Brickbat: Blowin' in the Wind

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Volunteers in western North Carolina trying to help people left homeless by Hurricane Helene say local building officials are standing in their way by requiring permits for temporary shelters. "The red tape is an issue, now I can tell you, our organization, and I'm 100% okay telling you this, we have been operating on the premise of forgiveness not permission," said one volunteer. Another volunteer said that to get around the permitting process, they are building insulated buildings with no plumbing or electricity that legally qualify as sheds instead of houses. "They are something they are going to be able to keep when they're back in their homes if they opt to live in it—that's between them and the county, but we're giving them a shed," he said.

Privacy

Brickbat: Dislike and Unsubscribe

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When Courtney Teague called Atlanta 311, a number for non-emergency city services, she did not know that the person answering the call was working from home or that the person was livestreaming the call. But a few minutes later, she got a call from a woman in Chicago who'd been watching the livestream telling her she'd heard all of the personal information Teague provided to the city employee. An Atlanta city spokesman told a local TV reporter that after officials were alerted to the problem, the employee was removed from answering calls and no longer works for the city.

Taxes

Brickbat: Going Up…and Up

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In Pennsylvania, the Delaware County Council voted 4–1 to raise property taxes by 23 percent. The council hiked taxes 5 percent last year. Council members cited rising costs and flat revenues as the reason for the tax increase, saying it was needed to fund essential projects. The county government has a budget of about $397 million.

Teachers

Brickbat: Yo Momma

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BeTreylin Elder, a teacher at Georgia's DeRenne Middle School, has resigned after being caught on video tossing an 11-year-old student across the classroom. The boy reportedly confronted Elder after the teacher made sexual remarks about his mother. No charges have been filed against Elder.

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