Officer Orlando Smith is a dangerous cop with a history of aggression and risk-taking: Officer Orlando Smith was pursuing a vehicle through the West End when he ran a red light and hit another car. He was cited on three procedural violations: Conduct unbecoming; the emergency operation of police vehicle policy; and failure to operate a vehicle in a safe manner. His record showed no previous accidents, but he had been disciplined for excessive absences and missing a court date. Officer Smith was suspended for 40 hours. (Police discipline unequal. Anglen, Robert. Cincinnati Enquirer [Cincinnati, Ohio] 05 Aug 2002: A.1.) Also noteworthy in the Dontez ONeal homicide was the missing cruiser cam recordings, duly reported by WCPO: Also, the lawsuit alleges that Smith and other officers tampered with video footage of the incident that was taken by a dashboard camera in the police cruiser. The officers destroyed dash cam video of the events in order to avoid criminal or civil consequences, which they knew would probably be brought, as a result of their deliberate conduct in battering one Plaintiff and murdering another, the lawsuit states. The video that was destroyed by the Defendants relate directly to the Defendants conduct at critical times and such destruction was in bad faith, it adds. Video exists which relates to what happened immediately before and after the events. wcpo/news/local-news/lawsuit-filed-against-police-officers-in-avondale-shooting-death If cruiser cam audio is the only record of the siren being on, against the testimony of multiple non-police eyewitnesses, what are the odds the cameras audio was malfunctioning once again? When David Hebert was killed by Sgt. Andrew Mitchell in 2011 there were three cruiser videos. Five were deliberately turned off as soon as possible to avoid recording the crime scene. The three that were in microphone range of Mitchell and his superiors had missing audio. friendsofbones.org/documents/cruisercams/ Also the sanitized account of the killing of Dontez ONeal runs afoul of the facts and on the side of the police. Officer Smith was the first to open fire, aiming at a third suspect, Gerry Branner, who he claimed pointed a gun at him as he fled: Smith ordered the suspects to remain where they were, but Whalen said one subject fled the car on foot while pointing a gun at the officer. Whalen said Smith, an 18-year police veteran, fired at least one shot at the fleeing subject, but police arent sure if he was struck. That subject, described as a black man in his 20s, remains at large. Whalen said the driver, later identified as ONeal, attempted to reverse at high speed but crashed into a parked car, setting off the airbags inside the suspects vehicle. wlwt/news/local-news/cincinnati/Police-Suspect-pointed-gun-at-officer-before-fatal-shooting/-/13549970/17527842/-/12jbsdiz/-/index.html Prosecutor Joe Deters pressed charges for ONeals death not against Orlando Smith, but Gerry Branner. It should also be noted that Devon Price, whether in possession of a gun or not, was not the suspect Smith was looking for, rather an innocent bystander in Smiths Investigation. He was idling in an AutoZone and not posing a threat when confronted. Orlando Smith shot two other citizens not mentioned above: In 1997, In plain clothes, Smith shot motorist Darnell Brown, even though he was not in danger. Theyd approached Brown because his car was sticking out of the driveway. With the 1999 Michael Carpenter killing in Northside, the incident would prompt Chief Streicher to revise policy to prohibit shooting at vehicles unless being shot at. This is why Orland Smith needs the pretext of a gun pointed at him to justify lighting up ONeals car. Avondale. Officer Orlando Smith, dressed in plain clothes, said Mr. Brown tried to ram him with his car before he shot the man in the jaw. Mr. Brown is suing the city and police. Officer Smith received a written reprimand for shooting after he was out of danger. enquirer/editions/1999/12/19/loc_shots_fired_the.html But what about the reliability of Smiths assertion that Branner had pointed a gun at him? In a 2001 incident that nearly made him the next Steven Roach, Smith fired three shots at a teen he swore had pointed a gun at him: I know I saw it. The teen was found hiding in the alley. The supposed gun never was. Cecil Thomas remarked If the guy is in an alley and its dark and you cant see and all youre chasing him for is a shot-out window, thats not enough for you to go in and start blazing with your gun. Amid chase, officer worried over reaction: Jennifer Edwards Post staff reporter. Cincinnati Post [Cincinnati, Ohio] 13 Oct 2001: 1A. Shooting almost another Roach Near-miss prompts query, comment: Jennifer Edwards Post staff reporter. Cincinnati Post [Cincinnati, Ohio] 12 Oct 2001: 18A. Activist Nathaniel Livingston ascribes body-builder Orlando Smiths aggression and risk-taking to steroid use. (What are the chances the hospital did blood work on him last night?) Charges were pressed against the diminutive Livingston, improbably, for assault against Smith in 2003. See for yourself. Does this look like steroids: https://youtube/watch?v=fB7AgbvuCWk
Posted on: Mon, 11 Nov 2013 01:21:31 +0000