Posts by POAM | Police Officers Association of Michigan

Chief of Fullerton Police Fight’s Acquitted Cops Effort to Win Job Back

January 23, 2014

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In 2011, Fullerton police officer Jay Cicinelli and three other officers, were fired after being charged with involuntary manslaughter and excessive force in the death of Kelly Thomas, a mentally ill ...

Demotion, Not Termination, Usually the Appropriate Punishment For Supervisory FailuresPast

December 30, 2013

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Shaun Sundahl worked for the Calexico, California Police Department as a sergeant. The City terminated Sundahl for three incidents: (1) Sundahl’s order that a subordinate officer use a taser to cont...

Membership in Motorcycle Club can be Constitutionally ProtectedPast

December 30, 2013

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A fairly little known aspect of the First Amendment is known as “freedom of association.” This freedom protects an individual’s right to associate with others in pursuit of a wide variety of pol...

Opposition to DNA Testing of Detectives Constitutionally ProtectedPast

November 22, 2013

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Christopher Burns is employed as a detective by the Connecticut Department of Public Safety (DPS). In the summer of 2008, DPS requested DNA samples from some employees. In response, the Connecticut St...

Even in ADA Lawsuit, State Not Entitled to See Trooper’s Psychiatric RecordsPast

August 1, 2013

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Scott Butler, a trooper with the Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections, sued the State under the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA). Butler claimed that the State regarded him as di...

Firings Based on Union Membership Violate First AmendmentPast

July 8, 2013

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The State Employees Bargaining Agent Coalition is a group of thirteen state public employee unions representing approximately 40,000 Connecticut state employees. The Coalition has been designated by C...

Minnesota Deputies’ Case Shows the Evidence Necessary for a ‘Pretext’ ClaimPast

April 1, 2013

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Many “retaliation” cases follow the same general structure. First, the employee must present a prima facie case by showing that (1) he engaged in an activity protected by the First Amendment, (2) ...

Court Upholds Law Criminalizing False Reports of Police MisconductPast

March 27, 2013

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On April 17, 2008, Melissa Jean Crawley went to the Winona County, Minnesota Law Enforcement Center, met with Winona Police Department Sergeant Christopher Nelson, and informed Nelson that a police of...

Post-Incident Breath Test Ruled ConstitutionalPast

January 24, 2013

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The unions representing New York City’s police officers, detectives, and sergeants brought a lawsuit challenging NYPD Interim Order 52, which requires that a breathalyzer test be administered to any...

Complaints About Discrimination Not Necessarily Protected by First AmendmentPast

November 27, 2012

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James Brooks and Donald Hamlette were employees of the Virginia Department of Corrections. Brooks was a senior corrections officer, supervised by Hamlette, a lieutenant. Hamlette is African-American a...

Author: POAM