Incredible and grossly criminal behavior by senior police
Post immediately below copied from Radley Balko
In February of last year, I told you about Lester Eugene Siler, a Tennessee man who was literally tortured by five sheriff's deputies in Campbell County, Tennessee who suspected him of selling drugs. The only reason we know Siler was tortured is because his wife had the good sense to start a recording device about halfway through the ordeal.
The audio is now available online (read the transcript here). Drug war outrages lend themselves to overuse of superlatives. But I gotta say, this may be the most horrifying 40 minutes of audio I've ever heard.
The police are attempting to get the illiterate man to sign
This guy at worst was a small-time drug dealer. He had no history of violence. Right now, we're having a national debate about torturing terror suspects with designs on killing everyone in this country (longtime readers might remember I'm a bit conflicted on this issue). But an incident like this (and you're delusional if you think it was isolated), in which a U.S. citizen who had inflicted no direct harm on anyone was nearly beaten to death, has been barely mentioned outside of Tennessee.
We've inculcated in cops the idea that the government preventing people from putting items from a banned list of substances into their bodies is so necessary and urgent, enforcing those laws with tactics like these is in many cases viewed as entirely appropriate.
This was the rare incident where someone in the home was able to record and save evidence of the abuse on the sly. Think there aren't hundres more cases where circumstances didn't pan out so neatly?
It's worth keeping in mind when you read about a case in which a suspect claims his confession was beaten out of him, and police, to a man, keep to a remarkably tight story stating otherwise (as they did in Siler's case, before the audio came out).
More details in a report below from July, 2005. In the circumstances, the police got incredibly lenient sentences
Two more former Campbell County sheriff's officers were sentenced to prison Wednesday for the beating and torture of a suspected drug dealer. David Webber, 40, was sentenced to 57 months and Samuel Franklin, 42, received 54 months for the assault last July on Lester Eugene Siler. U.S. District Judge Tom Varlan sentenced former deputy Joshua Monday, 25, to 72 months on Tuesday. Two other former officers awaited sentencing later Wednesday. "It's a tragedy for all concerned," the judge said.
The officers claimed they went to Siler's home to serve him with a warrant for a probation violation. They told the FBI they were trying to get him to sign a form allowing a search of his home. But a secret tape recording made by Siler's wife of a portion of the two-hour interrogation revealed demands by Webber for cash and drugs. Webber was the sheriff's chief narcotics investigator. Franklin was a 17-year veteran detective and head of the sheriff's D.A.R.E. anti-drug program. Awaiting sentencing were former reserve deputy Shayne Green and part-time process server William Carroll. All five pleaded guilty to attacking Siler.
"Things did go wrong, and I have taken responsibility for what I've done," Monday told Varlan before he was sentenced. Monday, who faced a seven-year term for pointing a gun at Siler and threatening to shoot him, is cooperating with authorities. Varlan was briefed behind closed doors on what information Monday has provided. Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles Atchley said the former officer still should be punished. "It's disgraceful. It's absolutely horrible behavior that is not tolerated in the United States of America," he said.
Siler, who attended the sentencings, has filed a $19.5 million lawsuit against Sheriff Ron McClellan and Chief Deputy Charles Scott for the attack.
(And don't forget your ration of Wicked Thoughts for today)
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