police powers assignment 2

Unit 15: Police Powers and the Law

Assignment 2 : personnel of the courts and the criminal trial process .

Learning aim B: Investigate the various roles undertaken by the personnel of the courts

Assignment Brief

Scenario: As part of your training to be a Police Cadet leader you need to develop your understanding of the roles of the various legal personnel that are involved within a trial process once a suspect has been charged, as well as what happens in the trial process itself so you can explain this to cadets.

You are to produce a report that will be used in training cadets to help develop their understanding of the pre-trial and criminal processes. Your report will also focus on the roles of the various legal personnel involved in a criminal trial and evaluate the effectiveness of using law people as opposed to legal personnel. In producing your report, you need refer to the following case studies:

Case Study 1

Sam has been charged with assault for attacking his ex-girlfriend. This is his third offence, and he is pleading not guilty.

Case Study 2

Gill is an alcoholic. She has been charged with theft of goods from a chemist. This is her first offence; she is yet to enter her plea.

Case Study 3

William has been charged with the murder of his mother and brother.

B1: The legal Profession 

The role of barristers and solicitors in the court system of England and Wales.

B2: Prosecutors

Role of the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS). 

Code for Crown prosecutors. 

Private prosecutions. 

Plea bargaining .

Legal Profession Explained (Law Society)

Crown Prosecution Website

B3: The Judiciary

Different levels of judges, e.g. district judges, circuit judges, High Court judges, Court of Appeal judges, Supreme Court justices. 

 Role of judges in criminal trials. 

Judicial independence. 

Removal of judges from office.

B4: Lay people

Lay magistrates – role and powers of lay magistrates in criminal cases, e.g. power to grant arrest and search warrants, decide on bail, sentencing powers, sending to the crown court for sentencing. Juries – role and powers of juries in a criminal trial. 

Advantages and disadvantages of the use of lay people in the criminal trial process.

The Judiciary

Additional Documents to Support your Write up for Learning Aim B

A Criminal Justice System in Crisis

Criminal justice system failing people

Learning aim C : Explore the criminal trial process to be followed once an individual has been charged with an offence

C1: The Hierarchy of the Court system

Criminal court structure – role, function and jurisdiction of:  

Magistrates’ courts 

Crown court 

Criminal Division of the Court of Appeal 

Supreme Court.

C2: The Pre-trial process

Learners will explore the ways that bail is used by both the police and the courts, as well as the distinctions between the different pre-trial procedures for different offences. 

A basic overview of bail : 

the presumption in favour of bail 

release from police custody 

bail from the court 

conditional and unconditional bail 

restrictions on granting bail 

appeals against bail decisions. 

Categories of offences and their pre-trial procedures : 

summary – explanation, adjournments, early administrative hearings 

either-way – explanation, plea before venue, mode of trial hearing indictable – explanation, sending for trial at the Crown court.

Court Structure

Bail (Gov website)

C 2 (continued) : Category of offences

C3: criminal trial.

A brief overview of the summary trial process and indictable trial process. 

Advantages and disadvantages of each mode of trial.

Categories of Offences

C4: Sentencing

Aims of sentencing – purpose of sentences imposed by the criminal courts, e.g. reducing the crime rate, protecting the public, punishing the offender, deterrence, rehabilitating the offender. 

Factors affecting the sentence an individual will receive, e.g. mitigating and aggravating factors, sentencing guidelines.

Types of sentencing – types of sentences that the court can impose, e.g. prison, suspended sentences, community orders, fines, discharges.

Website Links to Help with Sentencing:

Aim of Sentencing

Gov: Sentencing

Types of Criminal Sentencing

Sentencing Statistics

Sentencing Council

Magistrate court Sentencing Guidelines

Crown Court Sentencing Guidelines

Reoffending Statistics

Crime and Rehabilitation An Overview

Additional Documents to Support your Write up for Learning Aim C

Essential information for assessment decisions

For pass standard , learners will give some clear details and evidence to support a view of the pre-trial and criminal trial processes, as well as the roles of the legal and lay personnel. They will identify the correct category of offence, whether it is summary, either way or indictable, and be able to explain how the processes operate differently, depending on the category of offence . Learners will relate their explanation to the facts in the given case studies and give some relevant examples of the role lay and legal personnel would have in each situation. They will also be able to consider the aims and types of sentences as well as the factors involved in sentencing, making some reference to appropriate case law examples.

For merit standard , l earners will present the outcome of a detailed examination of the criminal trial process and sentencing, showing valid application to the facts of the given scenario. For each individual in the case studies, learners will provide detailed discussion of the process, both pre-trial and during the trial itself. In relation to the comparison of the role and functions of the legal personnel involved in the court system, learners will draw on their explanation of the various roles from the pass criteria and identify key differences and similarities between each of the personnel. Learners could, for example, identify that neither magistrates nor juries are legally trained and that both deliver a verdict, however, magistrates can deliver a sentence whereas juries cannot.

For distinction standard , learners will draw accurately on varied information to thoroughly consider criteria, consistently supported by individual research and academic commentary. Learners’ enquiry should lead to a fully supported judgement on the effectiveness of the criminal trial and sentencing, with reference to reoffending statistics for those who have been given a custodial sentence as opposed to a community order or a fine. Learners will consider the impact of using lay people in the criminal trial process as opposed to legal personnel. They will draw on their comparison of the role and functions of the legal personnel involved in the court system to reach a justified conclusion as to whether lay people serve an important purpose in the criminal trial process. This should be supported by individual and original statements and case law examples to demonstrate and justify arguments and conclusions. The evidence will be in a professional format.

Blue Text Learning Aim C. Green Text Learning Aim B.

police powers

Primary tabs.

Police powers are the fundamental ability of a government to enact laws to coerce its citizenry for the public good, although the term eludes an exact definition. The term does not directly relate to the common connotation of police as officers charged with maintaining public order, but rather to broad governmental regulatory power. Berman v. Parker , a 1954 U.S. Supreme Court case, stated that “[p]ublic safety, public health, morality, peace and quiet, law and order. . . are some of the more conspicuous examples of the traditional application of the police power”; while recognizing that “[a]n attempt to define [police power’s] reach or trace its outer limits is fruitless.”

The division of police power in the United States is delineated in the Tenth Amendment , which states that “[t]he powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people.” That is, in the United States, the federal government does not hold a general police power but may only act where the Constitution enumerates a power. It is the states, then, who hold the general police power. This is a central tenet to the system of federalism , which the U.S. Constitution embodies.

A state’s regulatory power, therefore, is incredibly broad and is limited predominantly by the state constitution, powers which the federal government holds exclusively , the Takings Clause and the incorporation of fundamental federal rights through the Fourteenth Amendment . In a striking example of the exercise of police power, in 1850, in American Print Works v . Lawrence , the New Jersey Supreme Court held that “a particular officer is authorized to destroy buildings where he shall judge it necessary to prevent the spread of a conflagration. . . [and that] it is a sufficient justification for the destruction of goods contained in such building, for which no compensation is provided.” In 1872, in the Slaughterhouse Cases , the U.S. Supreme Court upheld a New Orleans law which required slaughterhouses to move to the outer skirts of the city to maintain the cleanliness and health of the city as a valid exercise of police power. A 1854 Vermont Supreme Court case, Thorpe v. Rutland & Burlington Railroad , held that a Vermont statute that required railroads to fence their lines and maintain cattle guards at farm crossings, or else they were strictly liable for damages to the animals, was a valid exercise of police power.

Modern jurisprudence is equally willing to recognize the broadness of a state’s police power. For example, a 2019 California Supreme Court case, T-Mobile, LLC v. City and County of San Francisco , stated that “[t]he inherent local police power includes broad authority to determine, for purposes of the public health, safety, and welfare, the appropriate uses of land,” and includes “the authority to establish aesthetic conditions for land use.” A 2014 Supreme Court of Massachusetts case, Abdow v. Attorney General , declared that a state’s police power is so fundamental that “the Legislature cannot surrender its broad authority to regulate matters within its core police power,” and that this includes “the regulation of gambling and the prerogative to ban forms of gambling that previously had been legal.”

[Last updated in December of 2020 by the Wex Definitions Team ]

• the Constitution
• wex definitions

• International
• Education Jobs
• Schools directory
• Resources Education Jobs Schools directory News Search

BTEC L3 UPS Unit 15 Police Powers and the Law

Subject: Citizenship

Age range: 16+

Resource type: Unit of work

Last updated

20 August 2023

• Share through email
• Share through twitter
• Share through linkedin
• Share through facebook
• Share through pinterest

BTEC Level 3 Uniformed Protective Services Unit 15: Teacher powerpoints and student worksheets/ assignment templates. Resources for the Topics C3 and C4 are combined in the documents within this set.

Tes paid licence How can I reuse this?

Your rating is required to reflect your happiness.

It's good to leave some feedback.

Something went wrong, please try again later.

Hi i sent you a previous review saying parts of unit was missing and there a few power points that will not open. please can you resend these in anyway

Empty reply does not make any sense for the end user

StefanieSmyth

These resources are fabulous, have saved me loads of time, thank you! Just noticed I downloaded the wrong Unit 15 - the other one you have uploaded has C3 and C4 included in it. Is there any way to purchase just the C3 and C4 on their own?

No problem send me your email to [email protected] and I will send them on

Resources for Topics C3 and C4 are contained within the overall set of documents.

Report this resource to let us know if it violates our terms and conditions. Our customer service team will review your report and will be in touch.

Not quite what you were looking for? Search by keyword to find the right resource:

Pardon Our Interruption

As you were browsing something about your browser made us think you were a bot. There are a few reasons this might happen:

• You've disabled JavaScript in your web browser.
• You're a power user moving through this website with super-human speed.
• You've disabled cookies in your web browser.
• A third-party browser plugin, such as Ghostery or NoScript, is preventing JavaScript from running. Additional information is available in this support article .

To regain access, please make sure that cookies and JavaScript are enabled before reloading the page.

UK riots latest: Masked group smash windows at hotel in Rotherham - as police given extra powers in Bolton

Riots, involving far-right and anti-immigrant groups, are continuing six days on from the Southport stabbings, which led to a wave of online misinformation. More than 100 people were arrested across the UK yesterday.

Sunday 4 August 2024 19:24, UK

• Southport stabbings

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

• Riots, many involving far-right and anti-immigrant groups, are continuing in towns across the UK six days on from Southport stabbings
• Chairs thrown and windows smashed at hotel in Rotherham by masked group
• Police in Bolton given extra powers against rioters
• Starmer: I guarantee you will regret taking part in disorder
• Humza Yousaf calls for army to be called in
• Eyewitness : Running battle in Bristol was 'fairly medieval'
• Explained: How false claims and speculation online spurred violence on streets
• Live reporting by Bhvishya Patel

A third man has been charged with committing violent disorder in Liverpool city centre yesterday, Merseyside Police have said.

The police said a group were seen charging and swearing at officers, and throwing missiles during the disorder yesterday.

The man has been remanded in custody.

Rioters have been involved in clashes with police officers in Rotherham as unrest across the country continues.

The disorder has seen rioters throw pieces of wood and other missiles at officers.

By Rob Powell , political correspondent

This was a clear, muscular and unequivocal statement from the Prime Minister.

Sir Keir Starmer did not broaden his language.

He singled out the perpetrators - the far-right.

The evidence clearly backs this up, but the fact that the prime minister is saying it so strongly is still significant.

It's the polar opposite of the "good and bad people on both sides" approach perhaps most notoriously adopted by president Trump in the wake of a deadly white supremacist rally in Charlottesville in 2017.

The prime minister also refused to enter into a policy debate or acknowledge any of the issues that those propelling these riots say lie behind their actions.

The government is trying to draw a clear line between violent disorder and civil debate and prevent the political discussion being led or influenced by law breaking.

This approach doesn't come without risks though.

Singling out the actors behind this violence in such a combative way could inflame the situation further.

There'll also be a deterrent effect though and ministers will hope that will cut through more clearly.

In such a tense situation, the language coming from government matters deeply.

Sir Keir Starmer hasn't hedged his bets with this approach - an early test for this new prime minister.

There is currently a standoff between the police and rioters in Rotherham.

Rioters have been hurling missiles and planks of wood at officers who are holding up their shields.

There are a number of police vans parked on the road as police try and manage the situation.

Labour and the Conservatives have criticised comments made by the shadow Welsh secretary after he suggested the disorder was "politically justified".

Lord Davies of Gower made the comments in response to political journalist Dan Hodges who said there was "no political justification" for the disorder.

Welsh secretary Jo Stevens said in response the comments were "disgusting, misguided and dangerous".

"Politicians, including unelected ones, have an important responsibility to de-escalate tensions. Those inflaming them should seriously consider their position," she said.

A Conservative spokesperson has said: "These comments are unacceptable. 

"Lord Davies is being spoken to by the Lords opposition chief whip and reminded of the consequences of the misuse of language at such a sensitive time and the standards expected of him as a member of the shadow cabinet."

Former first minister of Scotland Humza Yousaf has commented on the scenes taking place across the country today.

In a statement on X, he said: "How much worse does it have to get before the army is sent in Keir Starmer?

"The police clearly do not have a handle on this situation."

He went on to say the "pogrom" against Muslims and people of colour is "going to cost lives unless these far-right thugs are stopped".

His statement was accompanied by a video of rioters outside the hotel in Rotherham today.

A second man has been charged with committing violent disorder in Liverpool city centre yesterday.

Officers witnessed a group throwing stones, bricks and missiles at officers in the Paradise Street area.

A row of officers moved to take one of the suspects to the ground and detain him.

He has been remanded into custody.

Cleveland Police have said officers have made nine arrests so far relating to violent disorder offences in Middlesbrough.

The force said the main areas affected are Parliament Road, Waterloo Road, and the area around the university.

Assistant chief constable David Felton said: "We are urging members of the public to stay away from Middlesbrough while officers respond to violent disorder in the town.

"We have a high policing presence responding to the disorder, and the priority remains to protect people and communities.

"We will continue to make arrests and deal robustly with anyone shown to be intent on committing violence and causing harm."

There is "real damage in our communities",  the chief executive of the advocacy group Hope not Hate has told Sky News.

Speaking on the prime minister's latest statement, Nick Lowles said it was "strong" and he "said what needed saying".

"We need to stop this violence and people need to be held accountable," he said.

He went on to say: "There is real damage in our communities - there probably already was.

"Attitudes towards Britain's multicultural society was worsening and communities are so scared.

"We have to rebuild and that has to be a national mission."

He went on to say in Sunderland and Southport "ordinary people came out to clean up and show solidarity".

"That's who the British people are. It isn't these mindless racist thugs."

The "shocking scenes" on the streets of Britain have "nothing to do with the tragedy in Southport", former prime minister Rishi Sunak has said.

In a statement on X, he said the "violent" and "criminal behaviour" has "no place in our society". 

Be the first to get Breaking News

Install the Sky News app for free

• Share full article

Advertisement

Supported by

Street Clashes Turn Deadly as Venezuela’s Power Struggle Deepens

The fatal violence comes as both President Nicolás Maduro and the opposition claimed victory in the presidential election. More protests were taking place on Tuesday.

By Frances Robles and Isayen Herrera

Reporting from Caracas, Venezuela

At least 16 people — including one soldier — have died and about 750 more have been arrested as a result of protests in Venezuela, following the highly contentious presidential election over the weekend, according to rights groups, government officials and relatives of the victims.

Election officials declared the nation’s autocratic leader, President Nicolás Maduro, the winner of another six-year term early Monday, saying he handily beat a former diplomat, Edmundo González. But the government has not released the full results, and many countries, including the United States, have said that the vote was marred by widespread irregularities .

Both sides of the country’s political divide called on followers to take to the streets, which resulted in deadly clashes on Monday. The demonstrations continued on Tuesday, signaling that the crisis was far from over.

Hundreds of people gathered early Tuesday outside the United Nations office in Caracas, the capital, denouncing the official results.

“We are totally united,” said Robert Castellanos, 46, a chef who was an election monitor in his district, where he said Mr. González had received three times as many votes as the president. “This has been the biggest fraud in the history of Latin America.”

The opposition leader, María Corina Machado, released data on Tuesday night that she said showed Mr. González, the candidate she backed, winning the presidency in a landslide. The opposition’s updated results , using paper tallies observers collected from 81 percent of the nation’s voting machines, showed that Mr. Gonzalez had won 7.1 million votes, or 67 percent, versus 3.2 million, or 30 percent, for Mr. Maduro.

We are having trouble retrieving the article content.

Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.

Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and  log into  your Times account, or  subscribe  for all of The Times.

Thank you for your patience while we verify access.

Already a subscriber?  Log in .

Want all of The Times?  Subscribe .

Investigative Journalism in the Public Interest

• Nonprofit Explorer
• Local Initiatives
• Newsletters

New York Lawmakers Call for Police Commissioner to Be Stripped of Power to Bury Brutality Cases

The city council members’ call for reform comes after a propublica investigation revealed that nypd commissioner edward caban had repeatedly short-circuited disciplinary cases against officers accused of abuse..

• Twitter Twitter
• Facebook Facebook
• https://www.propublica.org/article/nypd-police-brutality-edward-caban-city-council-nyc-lawsuit Link Copied! Link Copy

Series: The NYPD Files: Investigating America’s Largest Police Force

ProPublica reporters uncover abuse and impunity inside the NYPD, using confidential documents and insider interviews, giving the public unprecedented access to civilian complaints against officers.

ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. Sign up to receive our biggest stories as soon as they’re published.

New York City lawmakers are calling for the police commissioner to be stripped of his power to short-circuit officer misconduct cases. And the Office of the Inspector General for the New York Police Department has begun an independent investigation into the commissioner’s use of the practice, known as “retention.”

The actions come in response to reporting by ProPublica last month that revealed how Commissioner Edward Caban has exercised this little-known authority to prevent dozens of cases of alleged abuse from getting a public hearing.

The commissioner instead has decided these cases in private, often ordering no discipline for the officers. Some episodes were so serious that New York’s police oversight agency, the Civilian Complaint Review Board, concluded the officers likely committed crimes. Victims were not told their cases had been set aside, and the decisions were only disclosed months later.

“The commissioner shouldn’t have the power of retention,” Councilmember Alexa Avilés said in an interview, citing ProPublica’s investigation, which was published in partnership with The New York Times.

Other lawmakers echoed that call. The commissioner’s ability to summarily end cases “should absolutely be repealed,” said Councilmember Tiffany Cabán, who is not related to the police commissioner.

The commissioner’s power comes from a memorandum of understanding that the City Council brokered in 2012. The agreement gave the CCRB the authority to prosecute misconduct cases in a departmental trial. But in a compromise with the NYPD, the memorandum also allowed the department to “retain” those cases.

“We said at the time that the memorandum of understanding was a bad idea,” said Christopher Dunn, legal director of the New York Civil Liberties Union. “We now know it creates problems. And it should be rescinded.”

Rolling back the commissioner’s power would not be easy. The NYPD would have to agree to revisit the memorandum of understanding, or, more ambitiously, City Council members would need to seek changes to the city law that grants the commissioner sole discretion over discipline.

“The council is limited by what it can do without the NYPD’s cooperation,” Public Advocate Jumaane Williams said. “But we’re at a point now that we need to push the envelope. I don’t think the commissioner should have the power of retention.”

Williams and Avilés co-sponsored NYPD transparency legislation last year that was met with stiff resistance from the mayor and the Police Department. The bill ultimately passed when the council overrode a mayoral veto. The lesson Avilés took from that: “When we try to legislate anything about the NYPD, we get furious pushback. It takes an enormous amount of political capital to push back against the mayor and NYPD.”

For his part, Caban has defended his use of retention, putting out a five-page statement in the wake of ProPublica’s investigation saying that his actions were “in compliance” with the memorandum of understanding. On Tuesday, a spokesperson for Mayor Eric Adams agreed, saying in a statement that “the Police commissioner continues to work within his bounds to ensure New Yorkers are both safe and policed fairly.”

Our reporting, however, found multiple instances where Caban’s actions seemingly violated the rules of the memorandum, which stipulates that retention can only be applied to officers with “no disciplinary history.”

Over the past year, Caban has on four occasions retained cases of officers who the CCRB had previously found engaged in misconduct, according to board records.

Meanwhile, civil rights groups are also taking issue with how the NYPD is handling discipline under Caban. On Monday, LatinoJustice filed a lawsuit against the department for failing to notify officers of the administrative charges against them in some cases. Without that formal step, a departmental trial cannot proceed.

ProPublica’s investigation found seven disciplinary cases that have been stymied since last summer because of such delays. One of them involved the man at the center of the lawsuit, William Harvin Sr. The CCRB found that he was repeatedly shocked with a Taser despite trying to back away from an officer. The board said the officer had engaged in misconduct and moved for a disciplinary trial in which prosecutors from the civilian board could present evidence and question the officer in a public forum.

Nearly a year later, the NYPD has yet to allow the case to move forward.

LatinoJustice’s suit argues that the NYPD’s failure to serve charges in Harvin’s case, as well as others, is “arbitrary and capricious.” It seeks a court order that would force the NYPD to notify officers and thus bring the cases to trial.

“The NYPD is doing everything it can to stymie the country’s largest civilian oversight agency,” said Andrew Case, supervising counsel at LatinoJustice. “It’s just bad government.”

The NYPD did not respond to requests for comment about the lawmakers’ calls, the city investigation or the lawsuit. The Office of the Inspector General for the NYPD declined to comment.

Commenting last week on a police killing in Illinois, Adams wrote : “I’ve spent my entire adult life fighting for public safety and police reform. I understand that public safety and justice must go hand-in-hand, and officers that abuse their badge must be held accountable.”

The mayor has said he supports Caban’s handling of officer discipline. On Tuesday, the Adams spokesperson said, “As mayor, he has committed to further reform of the NYPD’s internal case process — setting stricter timelines so that complaints are handled swiftly, and Commissioner Caban and his team are able to thoroughly review all allegations of misconduct and adjudicate accordingly.”

ProPublica’s investigation found that Caban, a close ally of Adams whom the mayor appointed to the position last year, has retained far more cases than his predecessors. Data from the CCRB showed he had prevented the cases of 54 officers from going to trial in his roughly one year in office. His predecessor, Keechant Sewell, did it eight times in her first year, even as she faced more disciplinary cases.

The news organization also found that in more than 30 other instances, Caban upended cases in which department lawyers and the officers themselves had already agreed to disciplinary action — the most times a commissioner has done so in at least a decade. For one officer, Caban rejected two plea deals.

In the month since the story was published, Caban has continued to sidetrack discipline cases. He has retained at least 11 cases over the past month. One of the officers whose case Caban has ended had been previously found to have engaged in misconduct.

Caban also recently overturned the plea deal that an officer had already agreed to for wrongly pointing his gun and threatening arrest. Caban changed the penalty from 20 lost vacation days to three.

Do You Have a Tip for ProPublica? Help Us Do Journalism.

Got a story we should hear? Are you down to be a background source on a story about your community, your schools or your workplace? Get in touch.

New Louisiana Law Serves as a Warning to Bystanders Who Film Police: Stay Away or Face Arrest

Louisiana is the fourth state to enact a so-called police buffer law, which allows officers to order people to keep their distance. Journalists say the law will make it harder to document when police use excessive force.

by Richard A. Webster , Verite News , July 31, 4 p.m. EDT

Local Reporting Network

A Judge Ruled a Louisiana Prison’s Health Care System Has Failed Inmates for Decades. A Federal Law Could Block Reforms.

The Prison Litigation Reform Act was passed to curtail the number of lawsuits filed by inmates over conditions behind bars. It has kept courts from forcing Louisiana to overhaul the medical system in its largest prison.

by Richard A. Webster , Verite News , July 25, 5 a.m. EDT

He Was Convicted of Killing His Baby. The DA’s Office Says He’s Innocent, but That Might Not Be Enough.

When new scientific evidence casts doubt on convictions, the justice system has no easy path to freedom — even when it’s the prosecutors doing the asking.

by Pamela Colloff , photography by Stacy Kranitz , July 11, 5 a.m. EDT

The NYPD Commissioner Responded to Our Story That Revealed He’s Burying Police Brutality Cases. We Fact-Check Him.

In his five-page statement, Commissioner Edward Caban identified no inaccuracies in ProPublica's investigation but instead argued the story was unfair and that he’s “in compliance” with the guidelines. Our reporting shows otherwise.

by Eric Umansky , July 3, 4:35 p.m. EDT

Utah OB-GYN David Broadbent Charged With Forcible Sexual Abuse

More than 100 women have publicly accused the doctor of touching them inappropriately, but this is the first time he has faced a criminal charge.

by Jessica Miller , The Salt Lake Tribune , June 29, 5 a.m. EDT

New Yorkers Were Choked, Beaten and Tased by NYPD Officers. The Commissioner Buried Their Cases.

New York City’s Police Commissioner Edward Caban has repeatedly used a little-known authority called “retention” to prevent officers accused of misconduct from facing public disciplinary trials. Victims are never told their cases have been buried.

by Eric Umansky , June 27, 5 a.m. EDT

Trump Media Quietly Enters Deal With a Republican Donor Who Could Benefit From a Second Trump Administration

The deal with energy magnate James E. Davison illustrates how Trump’s stake in the Truth Social company, which makes up a majority of his net worth, presents conflicts of interest.

by Justin Elliott , Robert Faturechi and Alex Mierjeski , July 30, 6 a.m. EDT

The Man Behind Project 2025’s Most Radical Plans

As Donald Trump tried to disavow the politically toxic project, its director, Paul Dans, stepped down. But the plans and massive staffing database that he prepared — to replace thousands of members of the “deep state” with MAGA loyalists — remain.

by Alec MacGillis , Aug. 1, 1:50 p.m. EDT

Inside Ziklag, the Secret Organization of Wealthy Christians Trying to Sway the Election and Change the Country

The little-known charity is backed by famous conservative donors, including the families behind Hobby Lobby and Uline. It’s spending millions to make a big political push for this election — but it may be violating the law.

by Andy Kroll , ProPublica, and Nick Surgey , Documented , July 13, 5 a.m. EDT

Why We Investigated Matthew Trewhella, the Far-Right Wisconsin Pastor Influencing Republican Politics

Some people said militant anti-abortion activist Matthew Trewhella was a ’90s figure who’s no longer relevant, but our reporting shows he’s influencing policies, bills and movements today.

by Phoebe Petrovic , Wisconsin Watch , Aug. 2, 5 a.m. EDT

Republish This Story for Free

Creative Commons License (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0)

Thank you for your interest in republishing this story. You are free to republish it so long as you do the following:

• You have to credit ProPublica and any co-reporting partners . In the byline, we prefer “Author Name, Publication(s).” At the top of the text of your story, include a line that reads: “This story was originally published by ProPublica.” You must link the word “ProPublica” to the original URL of the story.
• If you’re republishing online, you must link to the URL of this story on propublica.org, include all of the links from our story, including our newsletter sign up language and link, and use our PixelPing tag .
• If you use canonical metadata, please use the ProPublica URL. For more information about canonical metadata, refer to this Google SEO link .
• You can’t edit our material, except to reflect relative changes in time, location and editorial style. (For example, “yesterday” can be changed to “last week,” and “Portland, Ore.” to “Portland” or “here.”)
• You cannot republish our photographs or illustrations without specific permission. Please contact [email protected] .
• It’s okay to put our stories on pages with ads, but not ads specifically sold against our stories. You can’t state or imply that donations to your organization support ProPublica’s work.
• You can’t sell our material separately or syndicate it. This includes publishing or syndicating our work on platforms or apps such as Apple News, Google News, etc.
• You can’t republish our material wholesale, or automatically; you need to select stories to be republished individually. (To inquire about syndication or licensing opportunities, contact [email protected] .)
• You can’t use our work to populate a website designed to improve rankings on search engines or solely to gain revenue from network-based advertisements.
• We do not generally permit translation of our stories into another language.
• Any website our stories appear on must include a prominent and effective way to contact you.
• If you share republished stories on social media, we’d appreciate being tagged in your posts. We have official accounts for ProPublica on Twitter , Facebook and Instagram .

DUIs and integrity concerns: What we know about the deputy who killed Sonya Massey

As vigils and rallies crop up in cities across the U.S. in the wake of the Sonya Massey killing , records and accounts detailed in media reports have shed new light on the yearslong history of alleged misconduct of the former deputy charged with murder in the case, from multiple DUI arrests to alleged lying, deception and harassment.

Sean Grayson fatally shot 36-year-old Massey at her home where he and another deputy were responding to a 911 call about a possible intruder on July 6. While Grayson did not turn on his body-worn camera until after he shot Massey, the other deputy's body camera captured the incident on video. The footage sparked national outrage, renewed calls for police reform and has stirred memories of the killings of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd .

Grayson, 30, was fired from his post after he was indicted on multiple charges including murder. He has pleaded not guilty and remains in jail without bond. An attorney representing Grayson did not immediately respond to USA TODAY's requests for comment about Grayson's DUIs and alleged misconduct.

The Illinois Fraternal Order of Police Labor Council, which initially planned to fight Grayson's firing, decided Tuesday not to pursue his reinstatement, noting the organization had filed a grievance merely as standard procedure.

Here is what we know so far about Grayson's time in the Army and at a half dozen law enforcement agencies in central Illinois.

Grayson let go from the Army after 'serious offense'

Grayson was discharged from the Army after "misconduct" described only as a "serious offense," according to his personnel file obtained by The State Journal-Register, part of the USA TODAY Network .

While Grayson was in the Army, he was charged with driving under the influence on Aug. 10, 2015, in Girard, Illinois, about 40 minutes southwest of Springfield. Online records listed Grayson's address as Fort Junction, Kansas. Grayson was stationed at Fort Riley, Kansas, among other places.

Grayson's former first sergeant, in writing a recommendation letter for him for a job at the  Auburn Police Department , noted that "aside from Mr. Grayson's DUI, there were no other issues that he had during his tenure in the U.S. Army."

An Army spokesperson said in an unsigned email to USA TODAY that discharge information cannot be released, saying it would violate federal privacy law. The spokesperson added that Grayson served in the "Regular Army" from May 2014 to February 2016, and only obtained the second most junior rank, private first class.

Grayson pleaded guilty to 2 DUIs before he was hired by law enforcement

Less than a year later, on July 26, 2016, Grayson was charged with a second DUI, according to online records. He pleaded guilty in both cases, records show.

Sangamon County Sheriff Jack Campbell, in a statement emailed last week, said the sheriff's office "understood that the serious misconduct referenced (in Grayson's Army personnel file) was a DUI."

Asked on the employment application for the  Auburn Police Department  if he had ever been "convicted of, charged with or (was) currently waiting trial for any crime greater than that of a minor traffic offense to include driving while intoxicated," Grayson answered, "No, I have only been arrested and charged for DUI."

Lying, abuse of power during previous law enforcement stints

Grayson worked at six different law enforcement agencies in four years, according to his personnel file and the  Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board .

During his first year as an officer, Grayson bounced around three central Illinois police departments in Pawnee, Kincaid and Virden. His time at several of the agencies overlapped as he worked part time before obtaining a first full-time position with the Auburn Police Department.

In May 2022, Grayson went to the Logan County Sheriff's Office before he was hired by the Sangamon County Sheriff's Office a year later.

While at the Logan County Sheriff's Office, a supervising officer rebuked Grayson for allegedly lying in reports and showing a general lack of integrity, according to a recording obtained by CBS News . "The sheriff and I will not tolerate lying or deception," the officer can be heard telling Grayson, later adding: "Officers (like you) have been charged and they end up in jail."

Grayson was also accused of "abusing his power" and "harassing" a couple he pulled over and arrested during a traffic stop, CBS reported , citing a disciplinary file from the Logan County Sheriff's Office. The file noted that the allegations by the couple against Grayson were deemed unfounded.

Girard Police Chief Wayman Meredith told CBS that last year Grayson pressured him to call child services on a woman outside the home of Grayson's mother. Meredith described Grayson as "steaming mad" and said that he flagged the incident to the Logan County Sheriff's Office.

"He was acting like a bully," Meredith told the outlet, speaking about Grayson. "He was wanting me to do stuff that was not kosher."

Sheriff's office says it had no knowledge of work misconduct

The Sangamon County Sheriff's Office said in a statement that it was not provided with any information regarding Grayson's alleged dishonesty or misconduct during his time at the Logan County Sheriff's Office.

"We were not provided any such information from any of Grayson’s former employers, nor from any crediting agency," the statement said. "We cannot comment on whether the information is accurate, nor why it was not shared by another agency."

The Sangamon County Sheriff's Office did, however, know about Grayson's two DUI arrests when they hired him. In a statement, the agency said Grayson was certified for hire by a commission as well as the Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board, both of which knew about the drunk driving convictions. Before serving as a Sangamon County deputy, Grayson also passed a drug test, criminal background check, a psychological evaluation and graduated from a 16-week training academy, the agency said.

The Logan County Sheriff's Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Sangamon County Sheriff Jack Campbell has faced intense scrutiny, including from Massey's family , for his decision to hire Grayson. Campbell on Monday said he would not step down despite fervent calls for him to do so. At a packed hall of about 300 people, Campbell told the audience he and his agency failed Massey and her family and asked for forgiveness.

"Sonya Massey. I will say her name and I'll never forget her," Campbell told the crowd Monday. "I cannot imagine the pain that her family and friends feel right now. I'm sorry . . . We did not do our jobs."

Contributing: Minnah Arshad, USA TODAY

We've detected unusual activity from your computer network

To continue, please click the box below to let us know you're not a robot.

Why did this happen?

Please make sure your browser supports JavaScript and cookies and that you are not blocking them from loading. For more information you can review our Terms of Service and Cookie Policy .

For inquiries related to this message please contact our support team and provide the reference ID below.

latest in US News

NYC Dem looking to topple Mayor Eric Adams faces problem with...

Texas woman charged with threats against Trump, carrying firearm:...

NYC Ferry ticket prices to increase in latest price crunch on...

Ex-NYC undersheriff sidelined for whistleblowing about illegal...

Pics show carnage after pickup slams into horse-drawn buggy,...

Justice Neil Gorsuch warns Biden about Supreme Court reform: 'Be...

Republican can win NYC mayor's race if Dems move further left,...

John Fetterman's team warns Harris campaign about Josh Shapiro...

Police hunting ‘power rangers’ actor hector david jr. for allegedly assaulting elderly man using walker.

• View Author Archive
• Get author RSS feed

Thanks for contacting us. We've received your submission.

A Power Rangers actor is being sought by police after a shocking video emerged of him allegedly shoving an elderly man using a walker to the ground after an argument in an Idaho parking lot.

Hector David Rivera, best known for playing the green Power Ranger in the popular live-action kids’ television show, has been charged with misdemeanor battery following the caught-on-camera incident in Nampa, Idaho, on Friday, KTVB reported.

The shocking video footage shows the suspect approaching an elderly man who is using a walker while navigating through a parking lot before shoving him to the ground.

After pushing the man, the suspect drove away. The victim was not injured in the incident, police said.

Police asked the community for help identifying the suspect before they deemed it to be Rivera, who goes by the stage name Hector David Jr.

Authorities have not been able to locate Rivera, who was scheduled to appear at the Magic Valley Comic-Con this weekend.

“We are just finding out about this ourselves,” comic-con marketing director Larissa Long told KTVB. “We are looking into it and will take appropriate action.”

Police were working Tuesday to issue a warrant for his arrest, the outlet reported.

Rivera appears to have deleted his social media accounts since the battery. 

A police investigation is ongoing.

Advertisement