Lawsuit Against Police

I just want to know how it is that a police officer gets a "paid vacation" for planting drugs on a person? Police officers need more supervision, there are too many corrupt ones out there now!!

This actually happens a lot more than it is reported. It is just the "thin blue line" that prevents the truth from coming to light much of the time.
Until police are held accountable for their actions, there will be no justice. Most of the time these issues get swept under the rug.

Kim Nored wrote:

I just want to know how it is that a police officer gets a "paid vacation" for planting drugs on a person? Police officers need more supervision, there are too many corrupt ones out there now!!

Would YOU like to do their job?

OMG! Did you see the video??? The cop who planted the weed looks DIRECTLY into the police dashcam...AND DOES IT ANYWAY!!! He had absolutely no fear of being diciplined for planting the weed. That lets us all know this is a tolerated practice for Cookeville police. That is scary...very scary.

nakedlobo wrote:

This actually happens a lot more than it is reported. It is just the "thin blue line" that prevents the truth from coming to light much of the time.
Until police are held accountable for their actions, there will be no justice. Most of the time these issues get swept under the rug.

I think that it's a good thing.. saves us taxpayers money

compextreme, so you are willing to give up liberties for money?
It is okay for someone to be wrongly convicted by a corrupt system all for the sake of saving the taxpayers money? Have you given thought to all the money that will be paid when a wrongful conviction is overturned and the city, state, and feds get sued?
It is a scary situation when there is a group of individuals who feel they are above the law... just look at history for references.

compextreme, here is an example of what happens when the police go unchecked... http://www.courant.com/news/custom/topnews/hc...

chris lynn in gainesboro was like that till he crossed the line and got caught

More will be caught soon, I am going to see to that!

Hopefully he will win. this crap happens all the time and the cops always get out of trouble. i am so grateful for good cops. but the bad ones i wish would pay

apparently you guys only want to convict our officers maybe you should check the news out he was cleared.

The Cookeville police officer suspended with pay after a $10 million dollar lawsuit was filed against the city of Cookeville and its police department can now return to work.

Carlos Ferrell filed the lawsuit after he was pulled over in June 2007.

He alleged officers planted marijuana on him during the traffic stop.

Officer Melton, who was among officers shown in dash cam video of the traffic stop, was suspended with pay, pending the outcome of an investigation.

Thursday night, he is allowed to return to work after the investigation found he did not plant marijuana on Ferrell, as initially claimed in the lawsuit.

Tony...

... Craighead, District Attorney, said,“Their findings, after my review, is there is no wrongdoing or misconduct on the part of Officer Melton.”

In the video, Officer Melton is shown reaching into his pocket while glancing back towards his patrol car.

The investigation concluded Melton was reaching in his pocket to activate a small receiver to make sure the dash camera on his patrol car was recording the stop.

“That is why he looked back at the camera,” said Craighead.“That makes so much more sense than an officer looking back at his own video camera to make sure it is on before he plants drugs.”

In an interview with the TBI, authorities said Ferrell admitted in a statement to having marijuana in his car during the stop.

“During the search, Officer Melton claimed to have found a baggie containing marijuana in my shorts pocket. I was aware that I had a small amount of marijuana in a small baggie but I thought it was in my vehicle. It is possible I had that marijuana in my pocket,” the statement said.

Based on those findings, the district attorney’s office in Putnam County said they will continue with their charges against Ferrell.

Ferrell’s attorney said they will continue on with their lawsuit against the police department saying officers used excessive force during the arrest.

Previous Stories:

- Feb. 27, 2008: Man Changes Story In Lawsuit Involving Cookeville Police
- Feb. 21, 2008: Community Faces $10 Mil. Lawsuit For Alleged Police Brutality
- Feb. 21, 2008: Man Says Cookeville Cop Planted Drugs On Him

Copyright 2008 by WKRN Nashville Tennessee. All Rights Reserved.

FTP=yeah u already know~!

You folks are either a bunch of losers yourself or just plain ignorant. Everyone focus's on the officers, when if those crumbs were obeying the laws in the first place, they wouldn't even be stopped or caught. Let's see how finger-pointing you are when one of these unlawful scanks kills or does something unthinkable to your kid, grandkid or parent. Think seriously about it, I had to....may you never be put in that situation, I wouldn't wish that on anyone. We slap these druggies, sex offenders, robbers, and killers on the wrist and give them another shot and worry about their rights....WHAT HAPPENENED TO THE RIGHTS OF THAT PERSON LAYING IN THE CEMETARY OR THAT CHILD THAT HAS BEEN MOLESTED...if you want to whine and complain about something do it for the true innocent and if not you're turn to see the light will come soon!!!!

Johnson, I am amazed by your post. You put "druggies" in the same category as sex offenders, robbers and killers. Let's look at the main difference. Sex offenders, robbers and killers are all affecting another individual. What one does in their own home (smoking pot, drinking alcohol, smoking cigarettes) is their own business. As long as the acts do not affect another individual the government should have no say so.
A person who possesses drugs are not inherently harming another individual. So there is no need to worry about a person in a cemetary or a child that was molested when speaking of one who is a "druggie."
The point is that when one violates the rights of another (by stealing, killing or molesting), then there is reason for the law to become involved. When one is sitting at home enjoying an intoxicant, the police should not be involved.

Don't even bother wasting your time trying to discuss this issue with nakedlobo. He was busted driving around with 1/2 pound of dope in Texas and did some time for the offense. He is now anti-establishment under the guise that he thinks his Constitutional Rights are being violated becuase he still smokes marijuana and most likely still drives around with/on it. The guy is a MORON!!!

OH COME ON wrote:

apparently you guys only want to convict our officers maybe you should check the news out he was cleared.
The Cookeville police officer suspended with pay after a $10 million dollar lawsuit was filed against the city of Cookeville and its police department can now return to work.
Carlos Ferrell filed the lawsuit after he was pulled over in June 2007.
He alleged officers planted marijuana on him during the traffic stop.
Officer Melton, who was among officers shown in dash cam video of the traffic stop, was suspended with pay, pending the outcome of an investigation.
Thursday night, he is allowed to return to work after the investigation found he did not plant marijuana on Ferrell, as initially claimed in the lawsuit.
Tony...
... Craighead, District Attorney, said,“Their findings, after my review, is there is no wrongdoing or misconduct on the part of Officer Melton.”
In the video, Officer Melton is shown reaching into his pocket while glancing back towards his patrol car.
The investigation concluded Melton was reaching in his pocket to activate a small receiver to make sure the dash camera on his patrol car was recording the stop.
“That is why he looked back at the camera,” said Craighead.“That makes so much more sense than an officer looking back at his own video camera to make sure it is on before he plants drugs.”
In an interview with the TBI, authorities said Ferrell admitted in a statement to having marijuana in his car during the stop.
“During the search, Officer Melton claimed to have found a baggie containing marijuana in my shorts pocket. I was aware that I had a small amount of marijuana in a small baggie but I thought it was in my vehicle. It is possible I had that marijuana in my pocket,” the statement said.
Based on those findings, the district attorney’s office in Putnam County said they will continue with their charges against Ferrell.
Ferrell’s attorney said they will continue on with their lawsuit against the police department saying officers used excessive force during the arrest.
Previous Stories:
- Feb. 27, 2008: Man Changes Story In Lawsuit Involving Cookeville Police
- Feb. 21, 2008: Community Faces $10 Mil. Lawsuit For Alleged Police Brutality
- Feb. 21, 2008: Man Says Cookeville Cop Planted Drugs On Him
Copyright 2008 by WKRN Nashville Tennessee. All Rights Reserved.

i saw the update you posted...people just want to have it in for the police..and its usually those who have been arrested and felt like they were wronged...the city should counter-sue this twit for court costs and lawyers fees to defend this frivolous suit...

KKKnee grows!

nakedlobo wrote:

Johnson, I am amazed by your post. You put "druggies" in the same category as sex offenders, robbers and killers. Let's look at the main difference. Sex offenders, robbers and killers are all affecting another individual. What one does in their own home (smoking pot, drinking alcohol, smoking cigarettes) is their own business. As long as the acts do not affect another individual the government should have no say so.
A person who possesses drugs are not inherently harming another individual. So there is no need to worry about a person in a cemetary or a child that was molested when speaking of one who is a "druggie."
The point is that when one violates the rights of another (by stealing, killing or molesting), then there is reason for the law to become involved. When one is sitting at home enjoying an intoxicant, the police should not be involved.

What you do at home is your business, but if you take it on the public highways, it becomes my business. If you drive around my neighborhood stoned or drunk, you better pray the police become involved, because otherwise you may not make it back home in one piece. Like the drunk guy who ran up in my neighbors yard, got his car stuck and tried to run away. LOL. He got introduced to lots of my neighbors and quite a few dogs that night before the police arrived. I've never seen a drunk guy so happy to be arrested!

Ernie, I agree completely. The issue here is when a person infringes on the rights of others (through physical, emotional or some other method) that a law needs to be enacted. There are already laws that say you cannot operate a vehicle while intoxicated. That really has nothing to do with the prohibition of marijuana. The law regarding DWI does not make it illegal to consume alcohol, yet if the only harm we are preventing through marijuana prohibition is DWI, then there is no need for prohibition.
Just as there are idiots around that drive while intoxicated, there are also idiots who cannot responsbily use marijuana. That does not justify a prohibition against a substance that grows naturally in just about every non-frozen area of the world.
Ernie, it sounds to me that you feel much the same as I do. The community should be handling much of the stuff that is currently left up to the Government.

Johnson wrote:

You folks are either a bunch of losers yourself or just plain ignorant. Everyone focus's on the officers, when if those crumbs were obeying the laws in the first place, they wouldn't even be stopped or caught. Let's see how finger-pointing you are when one of these unlawful scanks kills or does something unthinkable to your kid, grandkid or parent. Think seriously about it, I had to....may you never be put in that situation, I wouldn't wish that on anyone. We slap these druggies, sex offenders, robbers, and killers on the wrist and give them another shot and worry about their rights....WHAT HAPPENENED TO THE RIGHTS OF THAT PERSON LAYING IN THE CEMETARY OR THAT CHILD THAT HAS BEEN MOLESTED...if you want to whine and complain about something do it for the true innocent and if not you're turn to see the light will come soon!!!!

Look at the other side of the coin. Wait until you're pulled over and cops lie on you and plant something on you and you get punished. You're remarkably naive if you think for a second that it doesnt go on.