Cop Who Beat Handcuffed Woman Back on the Job

[Nullifidian]

From Reason.com

In 2007, Shreveport police officer Wiley Willis arrested 38-year-old Angela Garbarino on suspicion of drunken driving. While in custody, as captured on the video below, Garbarino begins arguing with Willis about what she said is her right to make a phone call. About a minute later, Willis walks over and turns off the video camera. When the camera comes back on, Garbarino is lying on the floor in a pool of her own blood. She was later photographed with severe facial injuries she says were the result of Willis beating her. Willis' attorney stated that she tripped and fell while the camera was off. After the video went viral, Willis was fired, but has never been criminally charged.

Last month, the Shreveport Municipal Fire and Police Civil Service Board voted to reinstate Willis on the police force. He'll get full back pay and benefits for the year-and-a-half he was fired. The reason? During the internal investigation of Willis, a polygraph machine operator failed to record the results of his Q&A with Willis. This apparently is a violation of Louisiana's "Police Officer's Bill of Rights," a set of guidelines every department must follow when investigating officer misconduct.

Garbarino won a $400,000 settlement from the city of Shreveport last year.

The video is very disturbing.

YouTube - Policeman Assaults Woman - November 2007

[ChuckF]

Gosh, how embarrassing that the police failed to investigate themselves properly which completely inadvertently led to a full reinstatement.

[slimshady2357]

Are those injuries even possible from falling down?

[ChuckF]

To the PD's credit:

Shreveport Police Chief Henry Whitehorn called the panel's finding a technicality and said he is "disappointed with the board's ruling." The police chief said he is moving forward with the city's legal department to pursue an appeal.

That's from the Shreveport Times article linked to in the reason article.

[Jug Pilot]

Since when is a polygraph considered valid for anything?

[Crumb]

Unfortunately, law enforcement and security types still use polygraphs.

[Ari]

and people wonder why many don't trust the cops.

[lisarea]

It is scary as fuck some of the crappy unreliable shit police base their 'investigations' on.

There was apparently some dog trainer asshole who made up all kinds of ridiculous shit about detecting suspects at some crime scene months afterward, and nobody even questioned it for years, until one random judge decided to test one of his superdogs, and it failed even basic detection miserably.

FTP. Seriously.