I was detained again recently (actually handcuffed and placed in the patrol unit) in Hollywood while photographing some people I’ve been following for a couple of weeks. My account of what happened, along with my footage (which is securely online already and stored on multiple hard drives that are not at my residence), will be released in the near future, but the experience has motivated me to finally comment on some letters I received in November 2010 from LAPD’s Chief of Police Charlie Beck and Paul Espinoza—the Northeast Patrol Division officer who unlawfully detained me because I photographed him and his partner performing a traffic stop on Hollywood Boulevard in February 2010.
The first paragraph of Chief Beck’s letter states the following:
An investigation into your complaint that was reported on February 21, 2010, regarding the conduct of an employee of the Los Angeles Police Department has been completed. Â The investigation has gone through several levels of review, including myself and the command staff of Internal Affairs Group. Â Your allegations that an officer was discourteous and unlawfully detained you were classified as Sustained. Â This means the investigation determined that the act alleged occurred and constitutes misconduct. Â An appropriate penalty will be imposed; however, Penal Code Section 832. 5 precludes me from disclosing the specific penalty.
And Paul Espinoza’s apology letter says:
I am the officer with whom you had contact on February 21, 2010. Â You should know there was a complaint lodged against me and I am sure you will be informed by the Department that complaint has been sustained. Â I wanted to write you a personal letter to apologize for my actions on that day. Â The Department has provided me training and I assure you I will handle similar situations in the future much differently. Â I am very proud to be a Los Angeles Police Officer and will do my best to serve you and the community to the best of my abilities in the future.
I hope the next time we meet it is under better circumstances. Â Again, please accept my apologies.
When I first received the letters I was initially pleased and certainly felt vindicated—especially towards my harshest online critics who inaccurately claimed that I was never detained and should have waited for the supervisor to arrive to say whatever it is that they thought I should have said to him.
Well, as all will know now, as some of us already knew then—I was unlawfully detained and treated disrespectfully. It’s that simple, and for full-brained people it really isn’t all that hard of a reality to grasp once you see the video.
As for the people who criticized me for not sticking around to speak to the supervisor, what they may not realize is the fact that speaking to a supervisor might well not resolve anything. More important, I don’t need to complain to Espinoza’s superior at the time; I can complain by filing a complaint with LAPD later. The two do not go hand in hand. Which, are both very good reasons why I left.
This was not my first time being detained, and IÂ understand how the detainment and complaint process works. Plus, I have a lawyer friend who I can contact when I need advice or a legal question answered.
So once all the Monday-morning shutterbugs decide to stop taking family portraits, studio shots of fruit and martini glasses, and macro-shots of flowers and bugs and get their detainment cherry popped for taking legal pictures in public (which are decent enough to share with the rest of the world), then I’ll listen to what they have to say.
Sorry to digress, but all things must be addressed.
Then I read the letters again and thought about the outcome a little more. What did they do to make sure Espinoza wouldn’t do something like this again? And why does California Penal Code Section 832.5 (as well 832.7) prevent me and the public from knowing Espinoza’s “appropriate penalty”? For all I know, Espinoza’s appropriate penalty was to write a forced apology letter because he was caught on video screaming about his First Amendment rights, while at the same exact moment derailing my constitutional rights.
I should have the right to know Espinoza’s penalty, and so should you. We have the right to know the complaint history against all law enforcement officers in this country. This should be easily accessible information, rather than locked up and hidden from public scrutiny.
Penal codes such as 832.5 and 832.7 (which prevent LAPD from releasing information even about complaints that were determined valid), should not exist because all they do is raise credibility issues within the confines of law enforcement and stir contempt throughout the public.
We need to change this.
boywithgrenade.org 
I would like:
1. To lodge this video and a declaration from you in my cases in Joshua Tree California.
2. To obtain copies of the materials used to train Espinoza.
3. To put you an Espinoza on stage together, in Yucca Valley, CA, to discuss this event.
Please tell me of your interest in any of the above.
I understand 3, but not 1 or 2.
Within the compass of this letter, I can do no more than indicate, as concisely as I can, relevant considerations that must be taken into account if we are to discuss Family Court’s unconscionable rulings and decisions in a rational manner.
Why did Espinoza bother “fighting for your rights” in the Marine Corps? He’s trashing the very rights he fought for!
Cops are suppose to follow and uphold the law too…not violate it.
Quality articles or reviews is the key to be a focus for the users to pay a visit
the site, that’s what this website is providing.
Fine way of telling, and fastidious paragraph to obtain information on the topic of my presentation subject, which i am going to convey in college.
All arrangements should be confirmed on paper, with full details
from the print sizes included inside package, full costs, as well as the duration with the photographer’s presence.
Here, we’ll will provide you with a quick little products you’ll likely
have opt to be considered a free lance shooter. The prime key
to look towards is certainly not cost, so do not
take as a given that someone who charges higher wedding photography prices is basically going
to perform a better job.
Farmers and people everywhere have relied on the behavioral
changes in animals to predict what is coming. Not only are
these clothes protective but they are now as a status symbol as dressing up your dog to the best of opportunity available.
Purchase or make decals or iron-on transfers with your name and phone number.
I quite like, bring about I recently found what exactly I became having a look pertaining to. You have finished my own Five day extensive quest! Lord Bless you male. Have a very great day. L8rs
Very energetic article, I liked that bit. Will there be a part 2?
As you learn from How to Be Sick, I gave up a ten year meditation practice when I initially got sick. I had been meditating twice a day for 45 minutes at a time. Then, not at all. Now I try to meditate while lying down for 15-20 minutes a day, nevertheless I don???t do it everyday. In my opinion, meditation is not imperative to a spiritual practice. I rely on books because much because I do on meditation because it???s so hard for me to meditate.
Hello, I enjoy readsing all off your article
post. I like to write a little comment to support you.
Write more, thats all I have to say. Literally, it seems as though you relied on the video to make your point.
You definitely know what youre talking about, why waste your
intelligence on just posting videos to your blog when you could be giving us something informative to read?
Thank you a lot for sharing this with all of us you actually
understand what you are speaking about! Bookmarked.
Please additionally seek advice from my web site =).
We may have a link trade arrangement between us
I leave a response whenever I appreciate a post on a blog or I hage something to contribute
to the discussion. It’s caused by the passion displayed in the post I browsed.
Andd after this post Complaint Against LAPD’s Paul Espinoza Sustained |.
I was moved enough to create a thought 😉 I actually do have a couple of questionhs
for you if you tend not to mind. Is it simply me or doeds it look like liike some of these responses appeaqr like
they are written by brain dead folks? 😛 And, if you
are wriging at additional sites, I would like to keep up with you.
Would you make a list the complete urls of yor communal
pages like your linkedin profile, Facfebook page or twitter feed?
Thank you for every other informative web site. The place else may I get that type of info written in such an ideal manner?
I’ve a venture that I am simply now operating on, and I’ve been on the look out for such information.
My partner and I stumbled over here different web page and thought I should check things out.
I like what I see so i am just following you.
Look forward to looking at your web page repeatedly.
Woah! I’m really loving the template/theme of this website.
It’s simple, yet effective. A lot of times it’s challenging
to get that “perfect balance” between superb usability and appearance.
I must say you’ve done a very good job with this. Additionally, the blog loads extremely fast for me on Internet explorer.
Exceptional Blog!
Hi there every one, here every oone is sharing these know-how,
thus it’s nice to read this weblog, and I used to pay a quick visit thios web site
every day.
Howdy very cool site!! Guy .. Beautiful .. Wonderful .. I’ll bookmark your blog
and take the feeds also? I am satisfied to find numerous
useful information here within the post, we want develop more techniques on this regard, thank you for sharing.
. . . . .
Very quickly this web page will be famous among all blogging people, due
to it’s nice articles
What’s up every one, here every person is
sharing these knowledge, thus it’s nice to read this web site, and I used
to visit this webpage all the time.
Hello colleagues, its great post concerning cultureand fully defined, keep it up all the time.
I don’t be aware generate an income quit right up the following, on the other hand assumed this article once was superior yiquan,zhan zhuang,post standing,yiquan dvds,yiquan tutorial. I don’t fully grasp individual preference can be however unquestionably you will any well-known blog writer when you find yourself never currently. Kind regards!
If you are looking to black singles for dates in your area, why not take a look at
our guide to dating in USA. Register right now to start off
an exciting new chapter in your daily life. Looks may not be everything but it does play a role when it comes to attracting
the opposite sex.
If you are going for best contents like I do, simply visit this web
site every day for the reason that it presents
quality contents, thanks