Officer Involved in Fatal Shooting Not Aware of Conduct Code

http://www1.pressdemocrat.com/article/20070630/NEWS/706300357/1033/NEWS01

Officer Menke ordered Copwatch to turn off cameras, then to back away, saying that an officer never knows when someone will come out shooting and he would hate for anyone to get hurt. At present, Officer Menke is named in the above article stating, "The family of an unarmed, bipolar man shot and killed by Santa Rosa police has filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against the city and the officers, alleging they used excessive force and were poorly trained."

Santa Rosa Police Department Code Of Conduct, #500.26 Conduct Toward The Public, states: Employees shall be courteous and orderly in their dealings with the public. Upon request, they are required to supply their name and badge number, if applicable, in a courteous manner. They shall attend to requests from the public quickly and accurately, avoiding unnecessary referral to other parts of the Department or other agencies. Apparently many officers are unaware of this requirement. At our first stop this officer refused to give us his information and referred us to the watch commander for further information. We informed him that his Department required officers to supply the public with officer name and badge number. When we saw him again five minutes later at our next stop, he had checked in with his watch commander, he approached us and said he would gladly give us his information.

Additionally, Code of Conduct Section 500.68 Use of Force; Personnel shall not use unreasonable force in the performance of their duties.

Category:

Howto & Style

Tags:

• Copwatch
• cops
• santa
• rosa
• 707
• police
• sonoma
• county
• press
• democrat
• officer
• involved
• fatality

[muzzlemaster]

I sued the Denver police for 88,000.00 for illegally arresting me I hate the fucking pigs, however Props to this cop he was polite, cordial, and did his job well I do not see the problem....

[707copwatch]

"The family of an unarmed, bipolar man shot and killed by Santa Rosa police has filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against the city and the officers, alleging they used excessive force and were poorly trained. The wife and children of Richard DeSantis, 30, are seeking unspecified general and punitive damages against the city of Santa Rosa, police Officers Travis Menke, etc..."

[707copwatch]

Poor training being the key point from this Press Democrat article. When we encountered this officer, he was not aware of what is essentially the most basic codes of conduct requiring Santa Rosa Police to identify themselves by both name and badge number upon request.

[707copwatch]

"this officer" being the same officer named in the aforementioned suit, as well as in the footage. Just to clarify. In many of our videos the officers seem polite. We still feel that it is very important that public, whom they are meant to serve, have reasonable access to their identity since Copley 2006 shielded that info.

[jj128]

I'm all for policing the police, but what we have here is a bunch of children running around looking to "get back" at the man. I'd be embarrassed to be associated with your crew. Do us a favor; if you film cops doing their jobs and doing nothing wrong...don't post it! You're just wasting our time and crowding web space.

[707copwatch]

This film depicts a cop not doing knowing a very basic code, which the Department is now being Federally sued for (it was called "poor training of officers") by the family of the person he killed. It substantiates the grounds that this officer was, indeed, poorly trained as legally charged. (cont. below...)

[hockey8813]

Hopefully your not a cop because you misspelled WAL*MART not wallmart. You dumb ass!!!! I'm a police officer for Milwaukee County and also served in the National Guard as a MP. I love COP watchers. They keep me on top of my game. You have to understand that in law enforcement your out there alone and if you slip up and nobody catches the mishap it isn't caught. With COP watchers out you have to be on your A game. Screw this guy.

[JosephW1981]

I have been throughout the country. Sonoma County cops = the most angry, entitled, grandiose and discpicible police that I have ever seen.

[mom95472]

WOW!! I am stunned & astounded at the number of citizens in our community that buy into the whole "To Serve and Protect" rhetoric. That may have been the case when I was a young girl, but to be a cop today is nothing more than joining a "Good Ole Boys/Girls Club". A few benefits it's members are fortunate to enjoy include abusing arms & title w/o accountability, a license to kill, and being exempt from the law. Those of you commenting in their support must either be cops or uninformed lemmings.

[MountainMonkSage]

@muzzlemaster How can anyone in 2011 be so BIGOTED as to hate an entire group of people whom she has never met and doesn't know? WHAT A BIGOT!

[MountainMonkSage]

@jj128 It's just a low IQ thing where people think that by filming the police officers they are accomplishing somthing stalwart. You hit it, they just wasting time and space when they should be in school getting some kinda training so they can get them shovel ready jobs Obama is handing out. LOL!

[30stephane]

I dont think I would pass the psychological part of the exam to work as a "" lol

[Aaron3636]

well said, sir.

[ChancellorSutler]

WHAT A JOKE!!!!

FUCK OFF COP WATCH

[mikemakohon]

you... split second decisions meaning your life or death.. you have kids and a family at home.... so if i walk up to you and you have a gun in ur pocket and i point a gun at your head... will you hope i dont pull the trigger or you pull ur gun out and shoot me?? GROW THE FUCK UP ASS FUCK!!!!!

[mikemakohon]

get a motherfucking life u low down pieces of shit..... i have had my share of run ins with cops... at the the time of the run ins i was imature and young and i thought i was right... now im MATURE and have realized i was the little shit and they were doin there job.... work at wallmart as long as you want and deal with the stress of ordering the wrong paper plates or wrong pants..... imagine with dealing with scum every day and always be ready 4 someone ready to kill

[reportingpoliceabuse]

WHINE, WHINE, WHINE,