...Marsha Sanchez said the billboard has nothing to do with her husband, who has yet to be sentenced... “There’s a lot of people out there, and they don’t know who to call... They can’t go to the police because they’re the ones who did things to them”...Previous post:
[OH] Sarah says police ignored her fear of Officer Sanchez - ...During the trial, Long said she had complained about Sanchez harassing her to several officers after she first met him in 2000, including to her neighbor, Capt. William Engle, but nothing was ever done. Instead, she said, Sanchez continued to pull her over, call her on the phone, stop by her house and shine a spotlight from his cruiser on her home...
EX-LORAIN COP’S WIFE PUTS UP WATCHDOG BILLBOARD
Morning Journal
Jeff Green jgreen@MorningJournal.com
Wednesday, March 11, 2009 1:21 AM EDT
[Excerpts] The wife of a former Lorain police officer has posted a billboard on Leavitt Road in Lorain encouraging people to call the U.S. Department of Justice with any concerns about abusive police. Marsha Sanchez paid for the advertisement, which reads, “Annoyed or Hasseled by Cops? U.S. Department of Justice. Call: 1-877-218-5228.”... The Justice Department is conducting a civil investigation into the Lorain Police Department concerning allegations of excessive force. Marsha Sanchez is the wife of former patrolman Jesus Sanchez, who resigned in December 2008 after being convicted of stalking a woman during a 19-month period between 2001 and 2002... Justice Department spokeswoman Laura Sweeney said the phone number on the billboard goes to the civil rights division and is the correct place to call to report any civil rights violations... Lorain police Lt. James Rohner said he did not know about the billboard until he was contacted by The Morning Journal... Jesus Sanchez, 53, resigned from the police department on Dec. 15, but would have been fired had he not resigned. He was found guilty of a felony count of menacing by stalking by Judge Edward Zaleski in Lorain County Common Pleas Court. Sanchez is to be sentenced at a later date and faces as much as 18 months in prison. [Full article here]
LORAIN’S SIGN OF THE TIMES: BILLBOARD HAS JUSTICE DEPT.’S NUMBER ON IT
The Chronicle-Telegram
Brad Dicken bdicken@chroniclet.com
March 10, 2009
[Excerpts] Got a problem with Lorain police?The wife of a fired police officer has a phone number for you. Marsha Sanchez has rented space on a Leavitt Road billboard urging those who think they’ve been wronged by police to call the U.S. Department of Justice... “There’s a lot of people out there, and they don’t know who to call... They can’t go to the police because they’re the ones who did things to them.” Jesus Sanchez was convicted of menacing by stalking, a felony that could send him to prison for 18 months, late last year. He was accused of stalking Sarah Long in 2001 and 2002. Sanchez would pull Long over, call her, stop by her house and in several instances tried to force himself on Long sexually, Long testified during the trial. Sanchez settled a lawsuit with Long in exchange for providing information about other members of the Police Department related to her ongoing lawsuit against the city. Marsha Sanchez said the billboard has nothing to do with her husband, who has yet to be sentenced... [Full article here]
"Resigned" Officer Sanchez aside, this is one of the most IN-YO-FACE criminally populated departments in the United States. I hope people call the phone number on the sign, and I hope the U.S. Department of Justice acts. Chief Cel Rivera has made his department ridiculous - and my sympathies to all the good cops that have to live with the public disgust Rivera has allowed to mount.Kudos to the reporters in this area for the MANY articles they have printed to let the citizens know what's up.
Kudos to the officers and ex-officers who have made sure that have made it possible to know just how dirty some of those wearing badges are, and
CITIZENS OF LORAIN,
ultimately - it's on you. Make noise. Change things.
SEE IF THE BELOW AFFADAVIT OF JESUS SANCHEZ MAKES YOU FEEL ANY BETTER ABOUT LORAIN POLICE DEPARTMENT. REMEMBER IT ALL RESTS ON THE LEADERSHIP - THE CHIEF AND CITY - WHAT OFFICERS GET AWAY WITH. THE NUMBER ONE OFFENDER IN LORAIN POLICE DEPARTMENT HAS TO BE THE CHIEF (CEL RIVERA) IF THESE OFFICERS ARE GETTING AWAY WITH SO MUCH:
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STATE OF OHIO
ss: AFFIDAVIT
COUNTY OF CUYAHOGA
Jesus Sanchez, after being duly sworn and cautioned according to law states as follows:
1. I have personal knowledge of the facts in this Affidavit and am competent to testify to those facts.
2. I have been a member of the Lorain Police Department for 26 years. I have first-hand knowledge and awareness of the policies, practices, and procedures in the Lorain Police Department (the "Department"), which policies are both written and unwritten, and are both formal and informal.
3. I also have first-hand knowledge of the occurrences of improper sexual activity committed, or engaged in, by Lorain police officers which are detailed in this Affidavit.
4. During the course of my 26 years of employment as a Lorain police officer, I have observed what Ï believe is a pervasive pattern of sexual misconduct by Lorain police officers committed while they are on duty. In virtually all of these instances, this sexual activity was not consensual.
5. In most instances, the improper sexual activities of police officers committed while the officers were on duty were reported to supervisors in the Department. However, based upon my knowledge, experience, and observations, the Department persistently ignored these reports. Moreover, it failed to discipline the officers involved and thereby tolerated the misconduct as though it were a policy of the City.
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6. The on-duty sexual misconduct by Lorain police officers was so prevalent, and the consequences of such activities were so minimal, that I believe the City has an unofficial policy, custom, and/or practice to tolerate, turn a blind eye toward, and not meaningfully punish or prohibit police officers in the Department for such misconduct
7. While Í am not comfortable disclosing names of particular officers or supervisors who have engaged in the conduct set forth above in this Affidavit, Ï am aware of a large number of instances where Lorain police officers involved in on-duty sexual misconduct, which conduct was reported to their superiors, and, despite such reports, resulted in no meaningful consequence(s) for the offenders involved. A number of representative examples of this misconduct, and the Department turning a blind eye to it, are detailed below:
(a) A lieutenant was accused of kissing a woman without her consent. The only adverse action taken against the lieutenant was to transfer him from the Detective Bureau.
(b) A Sergeant was accused by a married woman of stalking her. No disciplinary action of any kind was taken against him.
(c) Another sergeant exposed his penis to a woman and asked for oral sex. No disciplinary action was taken against him.
(d) A patrolman attempted to kiss a woman without her consent. He was merely reassigned, without any other disciplinary action.
(e) A patrolman tried to forcibly kiss an employee of the Lorain Municipal Court. This officer was also merely reassigned, without suffering any other discipline.
(f) A patrolman was accused of stalking a married woman. He was not disciplined for this conduct.
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(g) Various other police officers in the City were caught engaging in sexual acts while on duty. However, no formal disciplinary action was taken against them.
There may be other incidents of sexual misconduct by Lorain Police officers committed while they were on duty which I can not recall at this time.
8. Based upon my personal knowledge and observations, supervisors of the offending police officers have ignored, tolerated, and/or tacitly accepted and allowed this sexual misconduct to occur.
9. At the time of the events described in this affidavit and my deposition testimony, and the allegations made by Sarah Long that I admit, I believed that nothing would happen to me as a result of my sexual advances toward the Plaintiff, Sarah Long, given the long history of the Department tolerating, acquiescing, ignoring, and failing to mete out discipline for such conduct. In other words, I believed, based upon my knowledge of prior incidents by Lorain police officers as described above which was tolerated, accepted or at least ignored, and the unofficial long-standing policy of the Department that tolerated such conduct without any significant adverse effects upon the participating officer's employment, that I would likewise not be discharged or otherwise disciplined were I to engage in sexual contact with women, including the Plaintiff, Sarah Long, while I was on-duty and being paid to be a police officer. The primary reason I made sexual advances toward Plaintiff while on duty was my knowledge of the City's policy of tolerating such conduct and deliberate indifference toward such conduct by on-duty police officers.
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10. Based upon my personal knowledge, the City's tacit approval of, or at least acquiescence of its police officers engaging in sexual activities while on duty, I believe the city tolerated and allowed the victimization of women who were subjected to these behaviors by Lorain police officers.
11. But for the City of Lorain's policy of overlooking the types of behavior described herein, I would not have engaged in such conduct or attempted to engage in such conduct with the Plaintiff while on duty.
JESUS SANCHEZ
Hunh?
ReplyDelete...[Marsha] Sanchez did not want to discuss her husband's case, stating that he had nothing to do with the billboard. She said he is retired.
From:
Wife of Lorain ex-policeman has billboard urging calls about police abuse
Plain Dealer
Michael Sangiacomo
March 12, 2009
http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/lorain/1236846615144490.xml&coll=2
The Plain Dealer and Journal won't print a lot of articles about the lorain cops
ReplyDeleteI THINK THE DEP HAS BEEN INVESTIGATED A TIME OR 2
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