The Details: Story #3

The Full Story:

#3

Officers Paul Tassone and Bruce Smith

                                                                        

Police misconduct?  You be the judge.

Officers: Paul Tassone and Bruce Smith

Department: Sacramento Sheriff Department

I pulled up to the gym and parked.  About 5 minutes later, 2 police officers approached my vehicle.  This is what happened next...

00:12

Officer Tassone: Keep your hands where we can see them (both officers have their weapons drawn)
Officer Tassone:  Keep your hands where we can see them
Me: Did I do something wrong?
Officer Tassone: Step out of the vehicle please
Me: Did I do something wrong?
Officer Tassone: Step out of the vehicle please
Officer Smith: Step out
Stepping out of the car
Officer Smith: Walk back to me and face that way
Officer Smith: Face that direction and walk back to me
Me: Face what direction?
Officer Smith: That direction…face forward and walk back to me…
[I close my car door]
Officer Smith: keep walking…keep walking…keep walking…stay right there
Officer Tassone: Do you have any identification?
Me: um…if I did something wrong sure…
Officer Tassone:  In California, if a police officer asks you for identification, you are required to give it.
Me: um, actually, I have read otherwise…I’ve read that…
Officer Tassone:  well, I am not going to debate the law…case law…you either give me some ID or you go to jail
Officer Smith: We will figure it out there
Officer Tassone: we’ll figure it out…
Me: I mean…well…that will have to be the case.
Officer Tassone: okay
Me: This is my second time going through this
Officer Tassone: okay…step behind your car
[Officer Tassoni is going towards my car and the door opens]
Me: Please don’t go in my car
Officer Tassone: You’re refusing to give identification we have a right to know who you are
Me: okay, but also the law says…is…is…the stop and identify law is that…unless I’m… [I am nervous because I have a gun on me]
Officer Tassone: Are you an attorney?
Me: um, actually my father is
Officer Tassone:  Well…are you an attorney
Me: so, I don’t have to identify myself unless you guys…um…unless I have committed a crime…
Officer Smith:  no that is not true
Me: or unless I am a suspect of a crime…That is the Terry Law…
Officer Smith: That is not true…turn around…turn around …put your hands behind your back…
Officer Tassone: You are not under arrest, you are being detained
Me: for what?
Officer Smith: So we can find out who you are…
Me: what do you need to know who I am for?...This is an arrest… I’m being arrested…
Officer Smith: No it is not an arrest…
Me: Actually…actually, I actually have a case against the police department…this is the second time you guys did this to me.  This is the second time…I am on my way to the gym and guys arrested me…I don’t know what I did wrong…
[In the background you can hear another patrol car speaking through his megaphone…he is directing the driver to make a right.  I have a theory on what is going on here in Sacramento, but I will reserve that for later…]
Both Officers: we are not arresting you
Me: this is an arrest…you are putting handcuffs on me…I am under arrest…
Officer Tassone: Turn around
Me: What did I do wrong?
Officer Tassone: Turn around
Me: turn around where? Turn around where?
Officer Tassone: right there…
Me: what is your name?
Officer Tassone: Tassone
Me: Tassoni and Smith…what is this the Sheriff’s department?  You have a badge number? What is your badge number?
Officer Tassone: unintelligible…
Me: so you guys are going to go through my car?
Officer: yeah we are
Me: for what?  I am going to the gym.  Are you doing that to all the cars around here? 
Officer: unintelligible [he was telling me that he approached another car in the parking lot also]
Me: I sat and watched it…no you did not…
2:53
[Patrol car door closes…I am in the patrol car for about 20 minutes] 
6:25
Me: unintelligible [I am still in back of the patrol car, I think this is when they take the handcuffs off of me]
6:39
Officer Tassone: ma’am put your hands down…put your hands down…you’re not getting out of the car…you’re staying in the car…put your foot… [I am asking them why they are detaining me and am trying to get out of the patrol car]
Me: unintelligible
Officer Tassone: because you are violent and …put your foot in the door…no…you are being detained…
10:27
The officers call in my tags…most of conversation is unintelligible…
25:08
Me: You dumb fucks…I can’t wait…you went into the gym to embarrass me… ya’ll asked them do I have a membership here…is that what ya’ll did?
Officer Smith: yeah…and you don’t
Me: Is that what ya’ll did?
Officer Tassone: yup, and you don’t
(FYI: I do have a membership…the officers spelled my name wrong)
Me: yes I do have a membership here…you dumb fucks…yes I do…
Officer Smith:  So you can’t be parked here…
Me: No, I can park here because I do have a membership
[FYI: there is a Subway, IHOP, Round Table (pizza restaurant), Baskin Robbins, and other stores in the strip]
Officer: Go…get in the car (unintelligible)
Me: no I am not going anywhere you dumb fucks…I am not going anywhere…
Officer: unintelligible
Me: well do what you have to do…I do have a membership…now you are going  to tell me I do not have a membership in the gym…yes I do have a membership at the gym…
[The officers drive off…end of recording]

Here is what Officers Bruce Smith and Paul Tassone of the Sacramento Sheriff's department reported in their event log:

"Officers were driving in a parking lot and observed several vehicles parked in a dimly lit parking lot on the south side of 24 Hour Fitness.  Officers approached a white sedan with one occupant.  As officers approached the vehicle the driver appeared to put something behind her back.  Officers told driver to place her hands in view and the subject, immediately became confrontational and refused to identify herself.  For our safety we asked the occupant to exit the car.  The female subject, later identified as ********* starting yelling that we were violating her civil rights and that she already had a civil case against our department.  Subject increased her loud yelling and she was handcuffed and detained in the backseat of the patrol car.  Once in the back seat handcuffs were removed and subject was detained until we could verify her identity.  Subject stated she was in the parking lot to go to the gym.  Did not have a membership at the 24 Hour Fitness.  Subject refused to cooperate in any fashion with officers.  Subject released."

Even if the officers’ account were true, it is still illegal.  Police are not legally allowed to just stop, handcuff, and point a gun at whoever they want.  There has to be probable cause and some type of legal justification for their behaviors.  They also had no legal reason to handcuff me and detain me in their vehicle.  I was/am not violent.  They had no interest in investigating innocent behaviors, as per the role of a polcie officer, they did not care what I had to say.  This is not the first time I have been illegally detained for simply enjoying my Constitutional rights.  In the video at about 1:55, you can hear another officer with a megaphone directing another driver.  They are looking for people to arrest and make money for the city.  Does Sacramento have quotas??? Why would the officer lie? Their jobs depend on you; they eat and send their kids to school off of you so there is a vested interest: a special concern or stake in maintaining or influencing a condition, arrangement, or action especially for selfish ends.  The police has no intention to eradicate crime; they need crime.  When I was illegally arrested, the public defender, police, jail, judge, towing company, car window replacer (I will explain in later post), district attorney, and various other groups benefited from my illegal arrest. 

On March 26, 2011, I filed a complaint with Internal Affairs.  I was told there was no Internal Affairs issue and they forwared my complaint to the Department (whatever that means).  I was contacted by Sergeant Jeana Zwolinski.  Sergeant Zwolinski, of the Sacramento Sheriff's Department said the officers followed policy and I was detained because they witnessed me reach for something in my back seat so they thought I had a weapon.  She said that my experience was not an Internal Affairs issue and the officers said I was belligerent and violent (you can be the judge of that).  She said it was totally okay for an officer to approach an innocent citizen for whatever reason they wanted.  She then said that I had to give the officers my identification even though I did nothing wrong.  I challenged all of her mistakes of the law and she asked me why do I think I know more than an officer who has several years of training.  I told her that the several years of training makes my experience even more disturbing.  Sergeant Jeana Zwolinski told me that I was forced out of my car at gun point to protect the officer's safety.  So, I asked why it was okay they put my life at risk and their lives are not more important than mine!  If they would follow the law, then I would have never been put in that situation. 

This is my 3rd complaint in the past 7 months.  I think it is interesting that all of the sudden, I am a criminal.  The problem is, I don't know what to stop doing so I can stop having my rights violated by people who are suppose to protect me.  I have never been pulled over nor have I ever even received a ticket.  Yet, I have been illegally detained 3 times and illegally arrested once here in California.  I have a theory on what the police are doing.  They are feigning work.  They look for people who they think look like a criminal; they will run their name, and claim to have witnessed the person committing a similar crime to the one previously accused of.  Just like a bully...they seek out a easy victim.  The person will have a hard time beating those charges. Who is going to believe all of the officers are lying?   My only recourse is to file a complaint with Professional Standards who does nothing and to accidentally leave my recorder on...oops...

I will blog about the other incidents at a later date.  These blogs are already written and are scheduled to post automatically.  I have filed several complaints with several people and no one cares.  I have asked for help from the District Attorney, Grand Jury, Attorney General, 2 Legislators, FBI, a couple of news outlets, and a couple of community agencies...NOTHING!  No one cares.  So I have to help myself.  The District Attorney (whose name I will release on another post) told me they don't go after officers for lying in police reports and assaulting citizens unless it involves a shooting.  The FBI said they do not investigate officers for police misconduct and police brutality.  He refused to give me his name and simply told me he was the person who always answers these types of calls.  All names will be released soon.