My original intention was to allow people to come to me to tell their own stories, write them down and give them to me to edit and publish. Then it started to become apparent (interestingly enough) that many of the biggest victims were unable to communicate well in this manner. Computer illiterate, unable to read and write well, poor communication skills, or on home confinement so that they cannot easily go anywhere. My revised intention was to go to THEM and do interviews and publish the results. But time, vehicles, and gas money were not on my side. And again, the biggest victims seem to be unable to plan and take the bull by the horns. The popular opinion seems to be that they are scared of retaliation by the police. Yet, these people are the ones who need their stories to be told more than anyone. And they all expressed to me in one way or another that they WANT their stories told, and they are counting on me to do it. Some of these individuals may have done some things which I personally do not agree with. Some of them may have done virtually NOTHING so serious as to warrant the outcome. We are not here to judge these people. They have already faced the judge/jury/executioner. We are simply here to make the reader aware of the common practices within the State Police department.
And so, I will NOT publish the names of the victims. But I WILL publish the names of any police officer which is alleged to have victimized any of these individuals.
After having spoken at length to some of the State Police victims, and gained knowledge of other’s stories, it is apparent the the State Police NEED to be overseen on a daily basis. Their militaristic/warrior type practices when dealing with the public are at best, unacceptable.
First of all, it would appear that nearly ALL State Police in the area are accomplished liars. So much so, that general opinion is that you cannot believe ANYTHING that comes out of a State Policeman’s mouth. This is how they run their investigations. They apparently will say whatever is necessary in order to gain “information” in order to charge various individuals with a crime. The “good cop/bad cop” scenario is played out time and time again. One cop intimidates and threatens while the other pretends to be your “friend”. They regularly will make offers and promises after their intimidation tactics have sufficiently scared the victims, promises they have no intention of keeping. They will separate “offenders” and tell one that the other has given them information in hopes that someone will actually give them some information… These are common, everyday practices.
The individuals I have spoken with have their own personal horror stories to tell. One individual spoke of having had his home searched. He claims that, “the police smashed every light bulb in the house. They poured liquids down inside my TV set and radio. They dumped out all our prescription meds and smashed them under their feet. My pain meds are MISSING, not listed as part of the property they confiscated. They broke my glasses which were lying on the table. They turned off all the pilot lights on the heaters and stove, and then before they left, they turned the gas back on and left the dogs locked inside the house. It is a miracle that the dogs did not die. The house was full of gas when I returned home…”
Another individual was awakened early one morning to the sound of his dog being shot and killed. He says that before he could even grasp what was going on, he was grabbed and pulled out of bed and beaten so severely that he nearly lost an ear. He spent several days in the hospital. “They shot thru the back window, and there was someone asleep right near where the bullet went thru”, one man claims. “They (the State Police) trashed every inch of the house, smashing things and dumping things. My dog was lying on the floor in a big pool of blood”. Many photos were taken of the damages, which I inspected, so the condition of the house and the dog can be verified.
Yet another individual was walking down the street one afternoon in Spencer with a young friend. “The State Police were sitting at the church and when they saw us they stopped us and Trooper Fisher started getting physical with my (minor) friend, rapping him in the head over and over with a maglight, while we were being questioned. I commented that was probably bordering on being illegal, which pissed off the officers. So, I was arrested, the police claimed I was contributing to the delinquency of a minor. I was taken to the police station. Trooper Hammack took me into a room by myself, shut the door, put on rubber gloves, and beat the crap out of me…”
Other stories include much smashing, dumping, and general vandalization of people’s homes. Some individuals claim the police had no probable cause for their warrants to begin with. One individual was told either to sign the list of objects confiscated or they would allow her husband to freeze to death without a shirt in 28 degree weather where they had kept him standing for over a half hour already. Yet the police refused to allow that individual to see the actual items listed and was forced under threat to simply take their word for it.
A word to those who think this is just alright. In all the dumping and smashing and beating, these peoples rights have been severely violated, no matter what they allegedly did. Many of the items dumped and smashed contain toxic chemicals which BY LAW must be disposed of properly. For example, florescent lights contain mercury. When smashed, the mercury in a florescent light will fly everywhere, contaminate the air and any water which comes into contact with it. The ballasts in these fixtures also contain toxic chemicals. Perhaps the State Police should be aware that when they smash objects containing toxic waste, they too are being exposed to a health risk. To say nothing of quantities of broken glass shards being strewn everywhere.
These are just a few examples of police negligence, poor training, brutality, and bad but apparently acceptable practices. I personally have witnessed State Police lies which were intended to create possibly violent actions between “suspects”. The typical tactic of attempting to pit people against each other by telling lies and instigating bad feelings creates situations which can be severely dangerous for otherwise innocent people. In one instance, an innocent individual was told that if they did not “tell the truth” that another individual who was a known drug dealer would be coming to cause a lot of trouble, and that “there is nothing we can do to help you…” Unfortunately, this threat was unwarranted. The officer making this threat, a Roane County State Police officer, had, moments before, lied about having seen a certain individual at a certain time and place when it was not possible. When told it was not possible by the individual, the officer then made the threat.
These are the types of situations which could turn very ugly when different lies are told to numerous people. SOME people have not yet figured out that they cannot believe a word that comes out of a State Policeman’s mouth, and these people can be manipulated into creating all sorts of trouble for others. THESE unacceptable practices MUST be stopped.
Calhoun Underground strongly encourages ANYONE with ANY complaints regarding the State Police to contact the Governors office in Charleston. Contact the State Police Professional Standards Division in Charleston. Contact one or all of the alternative blog/newsletters in this area. Write letters to the editor. Help those who do not have the skills to do the same.
Calhoun Underground 