According to FOX-32, Mr. Jones was criminally charged with “resisting ***************” and “refusal to aid an officer.” Ms. Mahone immediately filed a complaint and the couple has since filed a federal lawsuit.
Needless to say, the Hammond Police Department is standing by the actions of its officers, and described it as “reasonable.”
Part of the urgency for punishing the seemingly mundane offense may have been related to Hammond’s participation in the federal “Click-it or Ticket” campaign, a program in which the department rakes in federal grant money in exchange for promising to harass motorists about wearing seatbelts. The grants are doled out annually to departments across the country from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
The Hammond Police Department has been mired in controversy recently after several uses of excessive *****. Additionally, there is a federal lawsuit pending after an HPD officer crashed a ****** cookout and shot a ****** pet in the face while inside its own yard, secured by an electric fence. In yet another recent incident, an officer was filmed whipping an HPD K-9 and lifting off the ground it by its leash. Both officers were supported by department officials and faced no consequences.
FOX-32 reported that one of the officers that assaulted Mr. Jones had been involved in two excessive ***** complaints that resulted in cash settlements.
Only citizen activism can create the pressure necessary to stop the unaccountable, abusive behavior displayed by the Hammond Police Department, as well as the federal grants that subsidize their bad behavior.
