At 5'4" tall and 115 pounds, Karolina is half the size of Police Officer Anthony Abbate, who is 6'1" tall and 250 pounds. Abbate allegedly went behind the bar, threw Karolina to the ground and then repeated punched and kicked her. A security camera caught the attack on tape.
What is the point of even trying to say that he is the suspect, when they catch it on videotape? I know all of the politically correct justifications, but there is no allegation here, it's caught on tape; the perp was caught red-handed (pun intended). This crap that the media pulls where they give people who are caught in the act the benefit of the doubt is absurd. It's like they're honestly expecting us to believe that despite all evidence to the contrary, it really could have been the evil doppelganger who committed the offense.
Now, that little rant aside, there is an educational matter here for those who choose to see it:
"It was disgusting. It was despicable conduct. Nobody should have that done to them and the fact that he is a police officer is even more damning," said Supt. Phil Cline, Chicago Police Dept.
According to court records, Abbate did not have a clean record. He was arrested for DUI in 1992 and named in a federal lawsuit for beating a man under arrest in 1999. The man later died.
This is the natural consequence of how the system looks out for its own. The man was shown to be a true menace by beating up someone who was already in custody to the point that he died from the injuries. It should have ended there with the officer being arrested, charged with manslaughter or worse, and then convicted. The system could have nipped this in the bud by taking care of the problem when it first arose, and now there is another victim and the reputation of the department has been further smeared by this lowlife trash.
I have heard that many police departments do psychological examinations of their applicants, which if true is a good sign, but it can't end there. The only way for police departments to protect themselves and the public from people like this guy is to treat any police officer who "breaks bad" the way that a responsible homeowner treats a dog who does the same: get rid of it, and ensure that no more harm can be done. The department should always err on the side of caution, and treat any officer who shows the warning signs of criminality with the suspicion and distrust that any sane person would treat an attack dog that has bared its fangs at children without cause.
...do psychological examinations of their applicants...
Just so they can say they did. Most sociopaths know what you want to hear and can play the role. They have been manipulating people since they were kids.
There is no such thing as a valid psychological examination.
Didn't you ever watch "Miracle on 34th Street"? Event he guy who thought he was Santa Clause knew how to fool psychologists.
I just said that it was a good sign, meaning that they at least recognize that they need to screen out dangerous people. The problem is actually getting them to kick those people out, once they have realized that the people in question are now posing a risk to the public and department by remaining in law enforcement.
The system fails, sometimes.
I agree. Law enforcement is not above the law.
Good post.
One could make an argument that policemen who abuse their authority deserve an even steeper punishment than the average citizen.
Let's hope it is corrected in this case. I'd hate to think that the 'alleged' assailant would get to stay a cop after this. Sad thing is, I bet there is still a chance.
As I have posted here before, Wes, I come from a law enforcement family. Both of my parents were of the opinion that a cop that breaks the public trust like that should be on the short list of people who get thrown in prison for a long time, and that there was no crime in letting it be known that the perp was a cop before he or she got busted like a common criminal!
Roland, I don't think you have much to worry about here. This case is so bad that they can't justify the risk, and the guy was caught too red-handed for them to write this behavior off. Notice that even the people in the system are saying that this guy has to go down hard for what he did.
Are the people who say he has to go down hard from his own group, or outside of it?
Apparently, according to the article, the superintendent and the assistant state prosecutor for that district both condemned this guy and his actions after watching what he did on the security tape. Their reactions strike me as pretty positive, if the reporting can be trusted.