QUIS CUSTODIET IPSOS CUSTODES
Means "Who Polices the Police?"

From the AP via the Houston Chronicle:

LA officer held in cuffed teen assault

A police officer suspected of assaulting a handcuffed 16-year-old boy in a partially videotaped attack at a police station was arrested Thursday, authorities said.

Sean Joseph Meade, 41, was arrested for investigation of assault under the color of authority, Police Chief William J. Bratton said. The boy was not injured and remained in custody after Tuesday's attack, while police tried to find his guardians, Bratton said.

Meade, a 13-year member of the Los Angeles force, has been suspended, Bratton said at a news conference. The chief said he "felt that there was sufficient justification for an arrest" after he watched enhanced footage from the videotape Wednesday night.

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A thirteen year veteran did this. I can't help but wonder if the guy just cracked up for some reason or if this is business as usual with the only difference from the day-to-day grind being that it was video taped this time. Of course, as you probably know, I'm pretty much of the opinion that, generally speaking, this isn't unusual at all for cops. The only time we ever hear about it is when the abuse is particularly egregious or they get caught red handed, like this one--in such instances, the police establishment is forced to deal with the situation or face intense public scrutiny. But how often does internal affairs spring into action if no one's going to look bad? Yeah, you know what I think: not that often at all.

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