Canton OH Police CCW Holder Encounter

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NewsChannel5's investigators also obtained hundreds of pages of records on Harless, including more than one dozen other internal affairs complaints.

We asked Chief Dean McKimm about why nothing has been done until now. He said until he saw the tapes, he never knew Harless had any problems.
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Either the chief never talks to the IA people and they never talk to the chief (unlikely), or those dozen previous complaints were whitewashed sufficiently to keep the guy on the street (much more likely).

This is why cities should have citizens' review boards, either instead or or in addition to Internal Affairs. Unfortunately, too many IA investigators harbor a strong bias in favor of the officer.
 
3 strikes you're out...a 3rd video and he is all done

he still could slip thru the cracks and up w/another dept sometimes in a different or same state.HAPPENS ALL THE TIME
 
None if these new revelations surprise me in the least. We all know the mental / personality problems this officer is exhibiting didn't just develope in the last couple months. We all know his behaviour has been swept under the rug and probably condoned. This is corrruption on a larger scale than just him. I'll bet they've had a riot sitting around the station laughing at the video tapes this guy has made. The chief didn't know? That's so funny it's sad. They state in the article there is at least a dozen internal affairs complaints.

It's time to give the city of Canton what they want. Stop the emails and phone calls to them, and start sending them to the FBI. This has now gone beyond the officer and gone beyond anything that is acceptable in the U.S.A.

The ONLY thing I'm shocked about is that they didn't destroy these tapes.
 
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...sounds like Harless says "I'll kill him next time"...
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I thought the same thing but I don't have ext. speakers hooked up to this computor. Hard to be sure.

Either the chief never talks to the IA people and they never talk to the chief(unlikely) or those dozen previous complaints were whitewashed...
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If there were any convictions in those dozen(I think 16 complaints in his jacket to be exact) at least the prosecuting att'y reviewed the films as evidence. Course depending on when the complaints took place, its possible Harless was able to turn the dashcam off at the time or like in a couple cases I know about, there were electrical shorts in the dashcam recorders(or somewhere under dash) that burnt the whole dash out including dashcam and film.:rolleyes: One cruiser burnt so bad it was totaled.:eek:

That was the old systems.

I don't know what dashcam system Canton currently has but many are now set so the LEO can't turn cam off and the vid. goes directly to the PD communications equip. No tape in cruiser. Also communications can remotely click on any dashcam under their jurisdiction and watch whats going on during a stop from the station.

There has almost had to have been some cover- ups or at the very least, looking the other way, with Harless in the past. I would bet big money that there has been past convictions in which the PA used Harless's dashcam vids. as part of evidence for the conviction and Harless was acting un-professional.

Bet before all this is over there will be more complaints filed against the dept. for past arrest.

Makes ya wonder just what else is happening in this department the Chiefs not aware of.

I wish the Feds would get involved and help him out.
 
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I watched the news story tonite. The station used is as their lead in story, right off the bat. The police chief in Canton was asked different questions, and in my opinion came across as a doofus. It was apparent (well at least to me) that they were covering it up, condoning his actions, or the chief is simply a doofus and needs to lose his job also.
 
I don't think he came across as a doofus.

He just more or less thumbed his nose at the questions on TV.

IMO, this boogus interview was more insulting to the publics intelligence and embarrassing to the City of Canton than anything else.


asking Chief of Harless's past abusive conduct...

News Lady:


Why didn't you know this was going on?
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Chief:

I don't understand the question.
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Never did answer that question.

I hope channel5 news turns that interview footage over to ORfCC so it can go national as well. Stay tuned guys/gals, bet it won't be but a few days.;)



This so-called interview was nothing more than so the Canton PD can come back at a later date claiming " nothing was held back, the Chief of Police even gave an interview on TV".

IMO, just setting the stage for more poltical BS to come....where's the puke icon when ya need it.

I hope this crap continues so either the Ohio Attorney Gen. or the FBI take notice of this case.
 
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I hope more than one person has contacted the FBI.

From the FBI web site. When to contact the FBI...........

"■Corrupt activities in state, local, or federal governments or in law enforcement; "

I hope everyone out there who is as outraged as I am is sending an email to the FBI.
 
I feel fairly comfortable in predicting that Harless gets fired. For one, Harless committed the gravest of sins in a bureaucracy, he made his bosses worry that maybe their jobs might be on the line as well. I mean, did you see the awkward no-answer interview the Chief was forced to give? At that point, you're gone. The only question is how to get rid of you in as neat and tidy a fashion as possible, so that you don't take others with you.

Second, how would he work as a police officer in Canton or any other place? Which police department is going to say "Any time this officer gets a complaint, we are going to see those 3 videos from the plaintiff's lawyer; but let's hire him anway." Every single arrest he makes, the defense lawyer is going to be looking for an excuse to bring in these videos. Where could you put him where he wouldn't be a liability?
 
Bartholomew Roberts,

My thoughts on the whole situation mirrors yours.

But I must also add that the way the Chief responded to the questions asked him by the news lady, casts even more doubt on the Canton PD then it did good. As did Canton City Council Pres. Schulman's response a while back.

In other words, the leaders of Canton have, IMO, exhibited P-Poor damage control in a situation they knew was bad from the onset. Starting clear back to the previously discussed, but can't be forgotten, 'deal' the PA offered the the ccw holder.

It's just gotten worse and snowballed from there. Like someone posted earlier, 'this whole thing is like a train wreck', and I'll add happening in slow motion.

I'm still trying to figure out the true reason for this televised so-called interview between the chief and news lady. And Trust me there is a reason...

....it was not to get the citizens questions answered,
they weren't...
...it was not to put the public at ease to assure them this same thing wouldn't happen to them in Canton,
that didn't happen...
...it was not to explain to the public the reason's the city leaders have taken the steps they have in this case,
that didn't happen....
....it was not to get a direct update from the chief of police on where the case stands,
that didn't happen...
...I can say that I hope it wasn't setup to booster PR for the PD,
THAT SURELY DIDN'T HAPPEN.

The only reason I can think that this interview took place, and remember the chief had to agree to this interview, was no more than to later come back and be able to say to the public how cooperative the Canton PD Dept. has been throughout this whole investigation by even giving TV interviews, of which nothing was found out.:rolleyes:

In short, the response's that have been made to the public by the few city leaders that have made them, makes the public think more towards the way they already do....a cover-up from the top down.

Very, Very Embarrassing for the Canton officials and PD.
 
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I'm still trying to figure out the true reason for this televised so-called interview between the chief and news lady. And Trust me there is a reason...
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Possibly to discourage further exercising of our second ammendment rights?

As in: Don't let this happen to you
 
The city is in a real pickle. If they drop the charges they admit guilt. If they don't drop them it is seen as a vindictive prosecution. It's time to cut bait in my opinion: fire Harless, drop the charges, and eat their peas.
 
^^^Agree maestro^^^

Before the Feds do move in with a full-out investigation.

Which should happen anyway.

But I surmise that if the opinions of the rest of the Canton leadership on the right to cc is the same as their Council Pres. Schulman's, ego's may get in the way as far as how Ohio gun law will be enforced in Canton.

If gov't leaders do not agree with a particular law, they still have the obligation to see that the law as written is enforced according to the way it should be.

Prejudice was clearly shown in this case from the start as to the way the law is and the way the law was handled. The head turning by upper management, when a gov't employee, in this case Harless, is breaking the law while calling himself enforcing the law, is in fact against the law.

Proving that Harless's superiors knew of his ongoing actions and covering up or not re-acting much earlier, via some of these dashcam vids., may not be that hard to do.
Its just getting someone from the Fed. level to deem the whole case worthy of an investigation.
 
The instructors showing these vids. will end their presentation by saying " if you're dumb enough to employ these pee poor tactics during a stop, do NOT be stupid enough to be working with this Department, leave the room now, and save all of us the trouble of firing you and paying off the lawsuits.".
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THAT would be the way a good Academy instructor would put it.
 
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Could it be that if they get a conviction it lessens the odds of a succesfull lawsuit against the city by William Bartlett?

Maybe they're just playing the odds here.
 
THAT would be the way a good Academy instructor would put it.
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Your right armoredman, but as with everything, there's always one that comes along from time to time that makes it through the academy and gets out on the street and for the life of his/her peers, they can't figure out how this person ever made it.

I'm sure in your LE career you've seen a few of the type.

I once witnessed the son of a Cols., Ohio political figure that went through Cols. academy. He was a nice kid but was just not cut out for police work. Physically or mentally. It was not a secret how he made it through.

They started him out in what is referred to as the 'bottoms', an area of the west side of Cols. that is one of the rougher areas of the city most rookies start out at. To make a long story short, THEY ATE HIM ALIVE.

His dad spent more time at headquarters than the son did trying to save son's job but it got to the point where nobody would partner up with him as he was a liability on a call rather than an asset.

It was really kind of a sad situation as you could tell the kids heart wasn't into being an LEO but he was doing it to satify his dads wants/ego.

The kids Sgt. finally had a heart-to-heart with him and the outcome of that talk was the kid got into another line of work.

Anyway, this kids dad, instead of thanking this Sgt. for taking the time to talk to his son, tried his best to degrade the Sgt. either career wise or personally every chance he got.

After several months of the sarcastic comments it all came to a head in a not so polite way at a downtown restaurant/bar that a group of us were at and the dad came over to our table and started on Sarge.
Since I wasn't LEO and dad couldn't hurt me in my position, it felt really good to tell this guy what most of the LEO's were reluctant to do so for fear of this dads political clout. Which included that he ought to be thanking the Sgt. for taking the time to talk to his son cause somebody would had surely killed him by now...and it might not had been a BG.

On the Harless scene, one has to wonder why his Sgt. didn't know of Harless's actions. Hard to believe that Harless threatened to kill this many people on film and nobody seems to know there was a problem. Especially since the Canton PD is not all that big.


By the way, armoredman, THANK YOU for your services.
 
All great posts. To Harless, it's time to get yourself a job at the biggest multi-acre mall you can find and get yourself a new handle.

Sorry, I believe that Gecko45 is already taken.
 
JustThisGuy said:
Sorry, I believe that Gecko45 is already taken.
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Gecko45 may be uber tactical and a bit over the top, but even he always came across as a "consumate professional," not a hit man with a badge. I never saw anything from Gecko45 suggesting he wanted to just kill customers in his mall for littering, for example.
 
To Harless, its time to get yourself a job at the biggest multi-acre mall you can find...
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:eek:

ULTRA BAD ADVICE!

We certainly don't need another mall ninja security person with a bad attitude against our right to cc in the State of Ohio.

You want him, you take him!:p:D...

...but me thinks it may be time for Harless to take a life-long vacation away from any job that combines authority and weapons, Period.
 
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