Jury convicts female LA officer of assault in deadly arrest

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Jurors on Friday convicted a Los Angeles police officer of felony assault for repeatedly kicking a handcuffed woman who later died.

The jury reached its verdict after two days of deliberations in the trial of Officer Mary O'Callaghan, 50. She pleaded not guilty to assault under color of authority in the 2012 arrest of Alesia Thomas, 35.

Officers went to arrest Thomas at her home after she left her two children outside a police station.

A dashboard camera in a police cruiser captured O'Callaghan kicking the handcuffed Thomas in the backseat seven times in the groin, abdomen and upper thigh, prosecutors said. Thomas lost consciousness and was pronounced dead at a hospital.

FULL story at link.


Read more: http://bigstory.ap.org/article/dbc9948d40714fec95510808bd8de7f2/jury-convicts-female-la-officer-assault-deadly-arrest

[Comrade Grumpy]

1. Stop the presses! A thug cop actually got convicted of something.

[TexasProgresive]

2. That's a start

Should've been man slaughter at least. Now for the sentence, I hope it would be the same sentence received by a non-cop for the same conviction.

[frylock]

7. whatever it is, it should be doubled..

if a cop killer can have their sentence doubled, I think the same should apply to those in positions of authority who abuse their power.

[BrotherIvan]

10. Agreed!!!

[Sparhawk60]

31. Three Years Max

The article says she could get up to three years.....for kicking a handcuffed woman to death. I wonder what the sentence would be for kicking a handcuffed cop to death. Assuming you actually live to see the inside of a court room.

[d_legendary1]

3. Hey look! Cameras catching cops doing crime!

No wonder they are opposed to them. Glad this one got locked up.

[awoke_in_2003]

16. The cameras...

will be their downfall. White Americans are finally seeing what the African American community has been telling us for years.

[DashOneBravo]

27. + 1

[d_legendary1]

30. Knowing them (racists white guys) though will probably say

It was the work of a crooked cop. Kinda like how NRA members blame criminals for gun violence since good, law abiding gun owners NEVER use their guns to kill people.

[prayin4rain]

33. Very true. I had NO IDEA what was going on. It's horrifying. n/t

[awoke_in_2003]

34. A lot of us white folk

live a nice, insulated life in the suburbs. My eyes were closed for a long time, too.

[randys1]

4. First time in a long time a cop is actually convicted of something and of course it is a WOMAN cop

[DisgustipatedinCA]

28. It's a start.

[complendio]

5. Good

I'm glad to see there's no immunity sometimes.

[PSPS]

6. Doesn't California have a "drop your kids" law?

There are some areas where one can simply drop their kids without any questions at police stations, fire stations, hospitals, etc. It is an attempt to give a desperate parent an option other than "the dumpster." Oh well. I'm sure these kids will feel better, knowing that their mother was killed for trying to do what she thought was the best thing for them.

[OneCrazyDiamond]

8. Yeah but only within 3 days of birth.

[PSPS]

13. Thanks for that information.

I also found this on the tubes:

http://safehaven.tv/states/california/

[libdem4life]

9. I'll do a bigger cheer when a Male LEO gets convicted, as well. Any news on any of the latest

shootings in the back, with hands up, etc.? Even those we've witnessed on video cam/surveillance?

[truedelphi]

12. I pretty much feel the same way.

I was reading an old, old MS magazine that I found in the garage dating back to the late 1970's. And there was a story in there about some lady cop in Detroit who got indicted for not acting WITH ENOUGH FORCE in arresting someone.

[libdem4life]

20. Although I honor a female LEOs service, I can't for the life of me get why any woman would

want to do that. not criticizing, just wonder about the thought process.

I deleted the rest of my thoughts about the national police force...might have got me a hide...I'm just ticked off.

[malthaussen]

19. I was thinking much the same.

That's two police convictions this year, both female. Two is coincidence, but if there's a third I'm going to be thinking there's a pattern.

-- Mal

[libdem4life]

21. I think I remember the first one now you mention it...isn't she kind of dark blonde woman?

Ugh...two of them. Those women need their Own Union.

[Iggo]

11. One down.

[libdem4life]

14. And that's about it. Eagerly awaiting a male conviction...you know, one of those with videos.

IMHO, a bit early to be cheering.

[olddots]

15. one baby step

we have a steep road ahead of us .

[Judi Lynn]

17. What a shock seeing a cop convicted for shrieking brutality. Killed her in no time at all.

[center]


Officer Mary O'Callaghan[/center]

[libdem4life]

22. That's the other one O'Callaghan i was trying to think of. Thanks.

[CBGLuthier]

18. I can not understand those who are upset that it is a woman cop

A thug is a thug regardless of gender. Yeah more cops need to go to jail but so does this one.

[libdem4life]

23. Wrong...2 women charged with these statistics? The only two "thugs" were women

nor did I say she should not have been convicted...just that as usual in a male profession, the women are the first to take, literally, the heat. Otherwise the odds are staggering.

"A 2001 survey by the National Center for Women and Policing of the nation's largest municipal, county, and state law enforcement agencies (those with more than 100 officers) found that women make up only 12.7 percent of sworn law enforcement positions.8 But this percentage is deceptively high, as only the nation's largest police agencies were surveyed, and these agencies employ the highest percentages of policewomen.

(snip)

As for women's status and rank in the police departments that do employ them, a 2001 survey conducted by the National Center for Women and Policing (NCWP) found that in large police agencies women occupy only 9.6 percent of supervisory positions (sergeants and lieutenants) and just 7.3 percent of top command spots (captains and above). Policewomen are still overwhelmingly employed in the lowest tier of sworn law enforcement positions (police officer, deputy sheriff, or trooper). "

http://www.policechiefmagazine.org/magazine/index.cfm?fuseaction=display_arch&article_id=1000&issue_id=92006

[CBGLuthier]

24. She murdered a human being. I have no idea what the fuck you are going on about that outweighs this.

Murdering pigs are murdering pigs are murdering pigs. What more can you say?

[libdem4life]

25. So have Way More Men...but I can see that logic and statistics aren't relevant here.

Peace out.

[CBGLuthier]

26. Just because A=B does not mean C does not equal D.

Yes, no denying more men murder than women.. No denying that more male cops murder than more female cops. But there is also no denying that this woman cop is a murderer. Horrendous and true murderer. Callous and cruel as any human being can be.

[Comrade Grumpy]

29. Yeah, this isn't a gender thing; it's a cop thing.

Rather than paint some bizarre conspiracy theory, I'm going with luck of the draw.

[Sunlei]

32. only assault? She kicked her prisoner to death.