Featured on TV, homicide suspect turns self in

A man wanted in connection with a beating death in 2006 turned himself in to Racine Police last night.

Dale M. Patterson was wanted in connection with an assault on April 22, 2006, that left Michael P. Griffith, 42, with serious head injuries in the rear lot of The Winners' Circle, 1403 Superior St. Police said witnesses saw Patterson slamming Griffith's head into the pavement,and kicking his head and face. Griffith was kept on life support for over a year, but died on Nov. 17, 2007.

Patterson, who was featured on FOX 6's Wisconsin's Most Wanted show on Saturday, turned himself in at 11 p.m. Tuesday night. He is being held in lieu of $500,000 cash bond, charged with First Degree Intentional Homicide.

Going to a HS football game: A lot like flying?

It's a sign of the times, but going to a football game at Racine Unified will soon be a lot like going through a U.S. airport:

No carry-ons, no liquids, bring photo ID, you're subject to search, that sort of thing. For a high school football game! Maybe they should hire some TSA inspectors?

We know: It's nothing personal and for our own safety, but still...

Here's the list of Unified's new "spectator policies"for Case, Horlick and Park High Schools:

-- Spectators may be subject to a visual search prior to entering the stadium.
-- Spectators should be ready to show a form of picture identification.
-- Large bags or backpacks are not allowed into the stadium.
-- Carry-ins of food and beverage are not allowed into the stadium.
-- Loitering on the grounds and parking lots is prohibited.
-- Once a spectator leaves the grounds, they are not allowed back in.

Ticket Sales will begin at 6 p.m. Adults and Students, $4; Non-School-Age Children and Senior Citizens, $2.

And here's Unified's final policy:

"And, of course, spectators should enjoy the game and show sportsmanship at all times."

Crime-fighting: Federal funds ... or sand?

Crime: What to do about it? Here are two approaches.

1. Sen. Herb Kohl will announce a federal grant for the Kenosha Sheriff's Department at 10:30 a.m. today, funds for improved technology in squad cars "to help officers fight crime and improve road safety." We have no idea how much money is involved, or exactly what the funds are for (in-squad video cameras? seat belts?). Kohl, the sheriff and other officials will hold a press conference at 10:30 a.m. at Fabiano Park, at 818 12th St. to make it all clear. "The resources are being made available this year as Kenosha police have been combating an increase in gang-related and violent incidents in the city," Kohl's press release stated. UPDATE: See below.

Yes, we'll be churlish and wonder whether Kohl has followed crime statistics here in Racine...

2. But, of course, Bloggers notice yet another approach to crime. Along with links to short stories in two MSM outlets about a Kenosha "initiative to combat increasing gang activity and violence," a veritable "crackdown" that already has led to a dozen arrests, blogger OrbsCorbs, writing on the JT Irregulars site, notes:

Meanwhile, authorities in Racine have decided to step up their anti-crime efforts with the announcement that additional sand will be trucked into Monument Square this Friday for local politicians and civic leaders to stick their heads into.

"We're not quitting until we don't see a damn thing!" declared one city official.

Ah, a sense of humor while the bullets fly.

UPDATE: Here's what Kohl brought Kenosha: $178,600 for the Kenosha Sheriff's Department. As I guessed above, the funds "will assist with the installation of digital cameras in police vehicles that will be used in evidence gathering and as a deterrent for street crime."

Kohl said: "This summer has been a tough one for the people of Kenosha, and a reminder that our police officers need every advantage they can get to do their jobs and keep the peace. With these funds, the Sheriff’s Department will be able to upgrade the technology they use to gather evidence to catch criminals and protect ordinary, law-abiding citizens.”

Specifically, the federal funds will enable the department to purchase and install 38 video cameras in all of its police squad units. On May 16, 2007, a Kenosha deputy was shot and killed during a routine traffic stop. "This tragic event highlights an important function of in-car video cameras – to gather evidence. In this case, thanks to tips from residents and great police work, a suspect was taken into custody. However, had the deputy’s vehicle been equipped with an in-car digital camera, it would have served as a safeguard to ensure that the perpetrator could be identified, shed light on what happened at the scene, and serve as irrefutable evidence when the perpetrator is charged with killing the officer," Kohl said.

City Council to vote on $1 million referendum to hire additional officers

There's one item on tomorrow night's City Council agenda: approving a Nov. 4 referendum to raise $1 million to hire 12 more police officers.

The council is scheduled to vote on Alderman Greg Helding's proposal to address crime in the city. If passed, city residents would vote on the same ballot as the presidential election to exceed state revenue caps to hire the additional officers.

Here's the JT's story on the proposal.

Here's the full resolution that will be introduced tomorrow night:

Resolution for Exceeding the State Imposed Levy Limit

Whereas, the State of Wisconsin has imposed limits on town, village, city and county property tax levies for 2007 and 2008 under Wis. Stat. sec. 66.0602; and

Whereas, it is anticipated that a similar levy limit will be imposed by the State of Wisconsin for 2009 and subsequent years; and

Whereas, the Common Council of the City of Racine, Racine County, believes it is in the City’s best interest to exceed the state levy limit as described above by a greater percentage than 2% for the purpose of hiring additional police officers; and

Whereas, the City of Racine’s levy before adjustments was $40,760,800 for the tax levy in 2007 (collected in 2008); and Whereas, the state limit would limit the increase to $815,216, for a total allowable city tax levy before adjustments of $41,576,016 for 2008 (collected in 2009).

Now, therefore, the Common Council of the City of Racine, Racine County, does hereby resolve and order as follows:

The Common Council hereby supports an additional increase of $1,000,000 in the city tax levy for 2008 (to be collected in 2009) and an identical amount in 2009 and 2010 (to be collected in 2010 and 2011, respectively) in excess of the state levy limits, before adjustments.

The Common Council directs that the question of increasing the city tax levy for 2008, 2009 and 2010 (to be collected in 2009, 2010 and 2011 respectively) if the State of Wisconsin imposes levy limits during the referenced time period, by $1,000,000 for each of the referenced years for the purpose of hiring additional police officers, shall be submitted to the electors in a referendum at the November general election to be held on November 4, 2008.

The referendum question shall read as follows:

Under state law, the increase in the levy of the City of Racine for the tax to be imposed for the next fiscal year (collected in 2009) is limited to 2%, which will result in a levy before adjustments of $41,576,016, or an increase of $815,216. For the purpose of hiring additional police officers, shall the City of Racine be allowed to exceed this limit and increase the levy for the next fiscal year and for each fiscal year in which 2% levy limit is imposed by the state from now through 2011, by a total of $1,000,000 additional dollars per annum over the levy limit for the sole purpose of hiring additional police officers?

A yes vote will authorize the city to increase the city tax levy by one million dollars for each year through 2010 in which a levy limit is imposed by the State of Wisconsin under sec. 66.0602 of the Wisconsin Statutes, for the sole purpose of hiring additional police officers.

A no vote will limit the city tax levy to the percentage amount imposed by the State of Wisconsin under sec. 66.0602 of the Wisconsin Statutes.

Filmed arrest now subject of $150,000 lawsuit

A lawsuit seeking $150,000 is the latest twist in a case that began back on Jan. 22, when Racine Police stopped a car "for not having a front license plate as well as obstructed vision of the driver."

That traffic stop led to an arrest for cocaine possession ... and a charge of police brutality by witnesses to the arrest.

Nothing came of the brutality charge; squad car video showed three policemen roughly hauling the driver from his car, but after an internal review and an "objective review" by an outside expert, the officers were cleared, their actions described as "within the standards of training prescribed by the state of Wisconsin."

You can see it all for yourself. The Racine Police Department originally posted the squad car video on the city's website on Feb. 14. It was taken down on Feb. 18 by Police Chief Kurt Wahlen, who felt -- we were told then -- "there had been adequate time for those with a sincere interest in reviewing it, to have seen it."

At that time, RacinePost requested a copy of the video from the Police Department, and it was given to us. We didn't post it online then -- agreeing with the chief, as it were -- but now that the issue has again become viable, we posted it this morning.

The driver arrested in that traffic stop, Bilal Gilleylen, claims officers used excessive force. The Journal Times' today said notice of the claim was filed on May 20 -- three months ago. (Is this really the first we've heard of it? Yup. Court reporting ain't what it used to be.) The city has 120 days to respond.

Police arrest suspect in parking lot homicide

Racine Police today arrested a "primary suspect" in last week's fatal shooting of a Chicago man who argued with others in the parking lot of J. D. Petroleum on 16th Street.

Investigators from the Special Investigations Drug Unit, assisted by members of the Racine Police Department's Swat team, and U.S. Marshals Service, executed a search warrant at 911 Elm St., and arrested Samuel L. Booker, 31, of Zion, IL, who had been identified as a primary suspect in the Aug. 8 Lance M. Youngblood homicide. Two others have also been arrested and are in custody on other charges. The homicide is still under investigation.

Booker is being held on $500,000 cash bond, on charges of 1st degree intentional homicide, use of a dangerous weapon, attempted 1st degree intentional homicide and three counts of bail jumping.

Youngblood was found at 11:59 p.m. on Aug. 8 inside a vehicle suffering from a gunshot wound to the head, and was pronounced dead at the hospital. Officers determined that several persons had exchanged words while in the parking lot of J.D. Petroleum. When the vehicle that Youngblood was in drove from the lot, one of the men from a Ford Explorer fired several shots towards his vehicle; one of the bullets struck Youngblood in the head.

Bloggers give Becker an earful about crime

Mayor Becker and the bloggers, at JavaVino

If Mayor Gary Becker thought nasty, critical, anonymous bloggers would be civil and friendly in person -- well, he's been disabused of that quaint notion.

About 20 bloggers took up the mayor on his invitation to meet face-to-face at JavaVino downtown on Saturday morning. But they were no less insistent in person -- although at times they left the mayor alone to argue among themselves.

As it is on the blogs, the subject on everyone's mind appears to be crime. Whenever the mayor does anything these days -- the Uptown mosaic mural comes to mind -- the bloggers are quick to denigrate with comments like Anonymous', "Thank God. Crime in this city will finally stop because of this beautiful art!!" The mayor invited bloggers to meet because of comments posted on the JT's website in reaction to a story about the community meeting he hosted at the Martin Luther King Center earlier this week. "How do you go from a community meeting to 'this is a cover-up on crime,' " he wondered.

In person they were somewhat less sarcastic, but no less frustrated. One after another at the JavaVino meeting they said things like:

"People in this town are very, very upset. You know what the cops tell me: 'Hide.' Well, I'm sick of hiding!"

And: "You have to take the fear out of the neighborhoods."

A number of exchanges between blogger and mayor showed a pent-up anger at the police. These residents say they constantly call the police for help, and are blown off.

One woman told him: "The cops are sick of us" who call to report drug dealers. "They don't to hear it. You can see men smoking crack at 11th and College, that whole area. The police are really sick of hearing from people who keep calling them."
BECKER: "The cops should not be dismissing you."
WOMAN: "They busted someone for having a wrench in his car."
BECKER: "I don't believe this happened. Give me the details. I don't believe this is going on."
WOMAN: "This is what happened. It happens every day."

Another man said, "I'm sorry, but it's a mess. Telling us otherwise will not make a difference when I hear gunshots tonight. Once the sun goes down, I don't come out."
BECKER: "Where do you live."
MAN: "On Main Street. I got ticketed for disorderly conduct when they couldn't find the guy I reported. They ticketed me! You've got to go sit on East Park at 3 in the morning..."
BECKER: "I drive through those neighborhoods."
MAN: "You don't live there, sir. We're sick of it, sir."


Another woman -- after decrying the fact that only whites were at the session with the mayor, said: "I see many kids arrested just for being black."
BECKER: "I would argue that on the whole the police don't hassle blacks."
WOMAN: I know it's true. If four kids are on the corner, it's the three blacks who get hassled."
BECKER: "I disagree.... I would say the cops in Racine have a good relationship with the black community. If you go to Milwaukee, cops and the community are not communicating." He illustrated with two fists coming at each other.

He also pointed out that police have executed 130 search warrants this year. But one man complained: "It's obvious to me: I see drug deals going down. If it's obvious to me, it's got to be obvious to the professionals. The drug dealers are on the corner."
BECKER: "I wish we had the right to just shake them down (search them)."
MAN: "You could have a couple of squad cars drive them off."
BECKER: "They'll just move around."
MAN: "Then move with them."

At one point Becker noted that some of those present wanted much stricter police enforcement, but others were concerned about police hassling minorities. "She's telling me we're too tough on these guys. You're telling me we're not tough enough."
WOMAN: "We have to do something, take ownership of the program, not just talk."
An agitated man argued loudly, with profanity: "I'm not going to take my life in my hands. My God, where do you live?"
BECKER: "Settle down."
ANOTHER MAN, to one in a striped shirt: "You've got the stripes, you gotta referee this."
The first man continued swearing and finally stormed out of the coffee shop.
THIRD MAN: "I hope he's not a gun owner."
FOURTH MAN: "I hear his frustration. I get it."
WOMAN: "We need to solve this, get involved with our neighbors. We don't need to be vigilantes."
BECKER: "We've got to have balance."

Drugs and violence dominated the session. The two aldermen present, Greg Helding and Jim Kaplan, added perspectives of their own. Kaplan told of a constituent who brought him a baggie full of spent shells she picked up around her house. "I told her, 'Take them to the police,' but she said, 'We're afraid if we do, they'll be shooting at us the next time." So Kaplan took the bullet casings to the police and filed the complaint himself. Helding offered an analogy about drug sales: "You know all the coffee shops downtown? Well, if we all stopped drinking coffee, they'd close. Same with the drug dealers."

At one point, the mayor was asked, "Do you spend too much time and money on Downtown?" He responded, "We spend very little." Referring to all the events downtown, like First Fridays and Party on the Pavement, put on by merchants and the Downtown Racine Corporation, he said, "We don't do anything except drop off barricades -- and we charge them for that."

The mayor talked about stepped up city inspections -- "Five inspectors work in the ugly neighborhoods, the bad ... and they're on call in the good neighborhoods." -- about the half-dozen bars that have been closed down due to violence, about efforts to tear down boarded up and abandoned houses ("I hate boarded up houses," he said.), and the city's program for helping people buy their own homes. Of one major landlord, said to be trying to sell a large bloc of rental units, "The fear is that he will sell out to someone from out of town, and we'll have nobody here to go after." Becker would much prefer the units to be sold to individual homeowners. Regarding substandard dwelling units, he said: "We will be as aggressive as the law allows us to be."

A teacher said, "Crime is just a symptom. The problem is economic. We need more jobs in the city. Good, well-paying jobs is the solution." Becker said he had met with Dr. James Shaw, the current finalist to be Racine Unified superintendent. "I really hope Dr. Shaw, if he takes the job, can get things done. He really understands the achievement gap.... the community is dying for someone to come into that position and start making decisions."

The session ended after an hour, because Becker was taking his daughter and two of her friends to Chicago to see the Lollapalooza festival. But he also said he was meeting an artist in Chicago -- a potential resident for the Uptown arts district.

Anonymous, meet the Mayor

The anonymity of the internet often brings out the worst in people, as the JT has seen often in the comments posted to its news stories. ("Editor's note: Please refrain from swearing AND using racial slurs. Thanks, JT Staff" is a not unusual response to deleted comments.) Nor is RacinePost immune, although -- thankfully! -- not to the same extent.

After a while, the subject of some of this animosity manages to shrug it off, as Racine Mayor Gary Becker must have been doing since the JT's blogs began. But once in a while it gets through even the thickest skin.

Such must have been the case Thursday, when Becker posted the following response on one of the JT's blogs to nasty criticism of his promise to help improve the neighborhood around the Martin Luther King Center (click to enlarge):

Coffee with the mayor, face to face at JavaVino on Saturday! It should be interesting to see how many of those who hide behind silly avatars and "names" like "goodoldraytown," "hottieblue77," "BwzrJr" and all the gang show up and identify themselves.

14 businesses cited for under-age tobacco sales

Are you under-age? Fear not, you can still buy cigarettes in Racine. You just have to know where to look.

Racine Police reported yesterday on three rounds of compliance checks they made between April and June, seeing whether clerks at 67 businesses would sell tobacco products to minors.

Investigators working with Focus in the Community and the City of Racine Health Department found 53 businesses in compliance with local ordinances and state law which prohibit the sale of tobacco to minors.

Fourteen were not in compliance. They could have their licenses revoked by the City of Racine License and Welfare Committee if there is a pattern of failure, but for now they were fined $550 for each violation -- whether for selling a pack of cigarettes or, in the case of one store, a single cigarette.

Here's a list of the 14 businesses that unlawfully sold tobacco products; four of them passed when rechecked during another visit:

Akash Food & Liquor 3945 Erie St (Passed on Re-check)
M + M Douglas Park 2101 Douglas Ave (Passed on Re-check)
MJ Food Mart 1347 Lathrop Ave
Magic Dollar Plus 1007 Washington Ave
Metro Petro 4301 Washington Ave.
Neighborhood Pantry 1511 W. 6th St. (Passed on Re-check)
Nick’s Supermarket 1407 Superior St.
Open Pantry Food Mart 2731 Durand Ave.
Sausage Kitchen 1706 Rapids Dr. (Passed on Re-check)
Super Mercado Jimenez 2210 16th St.
Taqueriz Arandas Restaurant 1501 Prospect St
Three Mile Citgo 600 3 Mile Rd.
Timers Beverage Center 3800 Northwestern Ave
Total 24 930 Washington Ave

Homicides cast shadow on community's shining weekend

Sometimes, Racine just can't get out of its own way. After a weekend of wonderful events and beautiful weather, we're left Monday morning with two homicides to report.

The first was near 11th and Hilker streets at 10:50 p.m. on Friday. Twenty-year-old Jamaal M. Stanciel was killed in the shooting.

Early Monday morning, a 29-year-old Racine man was shot and killed in the 900 block of Hamilton Street. The homicide occurred around 12:53 a.m., according to police.

Both shootings are new tragedies for our community. But as a commenter wrote yesterday, how does Racine want to identify itself? By events like the new mosaic in Uptown and Caron Butler's bike giveaway, or by random violence in the middle of the night?

Too often the latter drowns out the former. Cliche as it is, it's a media problem The JT does sell more papers when they put a murder, fire or some other sort of tragedy on the front page. But to sell those extra 500-1,000 papers, they pretty much ignore their daily subscribers - many who don't want to see the community's newspaper focus on crime and violence.

Think about it just from a numbers perspective. Thousands of people visited Uptown or drove through the area to see the mosaic. Thousands more attended Juneteenth Day and Caron's events on Saturday.

The community is energized by positive events, which are just as newsworthy as any sort of crime. So, it's a matter of choice for all of us. Where do we want to focus our attention? On the bleak and negative? Or the hopeful interactions of our community?

Meet Racine's seven newest police officers

(L-R: Dwight Meinholz, Ryan Smalkowski, Douglas Cecchini,
Richard Prince, Jessica Shapiro, Steve Jaskowiak and Michael Seeger

Shortly before 2:30 this afternoon, the Racine Police Department reached its full complement of 200 officers. The swearing in of seven recruits -- and the handing out of their badges, which officially marked the beginning of their law enforcement careers -- took place in the department's basement auditorium right after rollcall for the evening shift.

The seven are:

Officer Douglas Cecchini: A native of Racine, he is a graduate of Gateway Technical College with an Associate's degree in Police Science. He and his wife Sarah, have two children, Zach and Emerald.

Officer Steve Jaskowiak: He's from Milwaukee and has a Master's degree in Psychology from Marquette University. He and his wife, Kendra, have a son, Thurston.

Officer Dwight Meinholz: He's a Kansasville native and has an Associate's degree in Fire Science from Gateway Technical College. He and his wife, Renee, have three children: Austin, Taylor and Noah.

Officer Richard Prince: A Racine native, he was previously employed by the Racine County Sheriffs’ Department as a Corrections Clerk. He and his wife,Talia, have a son, Baron.

Officer Michael Seeger: A native of Mt Pleasant, he has a Bachelors’ Degree in Criminal Justice from UW-Platteville, and was employed recently with the Racine County Sheriffs’ Dept Water Patrol. His father, Wayne, is a retired Racine County Deputy Sergeant, and his brother, Nick, is a Racine Police officer.

Officer Jessica Shapiro: She is from Racine and has a Bachelors’ degree in Law Enforcement from Minnesota State - Mankato. She got the youngest start of all in law enforcement, having worked as a Police Department intern while still a student at Horlick High School.

Officer Ryan Smalkowski: He is a Caledonia native and has Bachelors’ degree in Criminal Justice and Biological Sciences from UW-Milwaukee. He and his wife, Tiffany, have a son, RJ.

They were sworn onto the police force by City Clerk Janice Johnson-Martin, after congratulatory remarks by Mayor Gary Becker and Police Chief Kurt Wahlen.

Becker noted that they are entering "a risky business," and thanked them for their service. "I'm looking forward to seeing you out in the neighborhood," he said.

Chief Wahlen emphasized the traits he wants the new recruits to bring to the force as problem solvers. "You must have compassion and integrity. You must deal professionally with everyone. You must play by the rules; shortcuts can lose cases.

"Don't lose heart," he said. "You will see things that will haunt you at night."

Police work, he said, "is all about relationships."

Lt. Jerry Baldukas, the department's training officer, explained to me some of what it took for these seven new officers to get this far. Besides a requirement that all applicants have 60 college credits, they had to pass an agility course test, a 54-page Police Officer Selection Test, drug tests, extensive background checks. (It didn't happen with this year's crop of 164 initial applicants, but Baldukas recalled one applicant who had an outstanding arrest warrant and was taken into custody during the agility test.)

In year's past, many police officers came from the military; not this time. But Baldukas isn't worried about their ability to deal with criminals: "Their gun, taser, nightstick and training -- those are the equalizer," he said.

"What we need are people who are good with other people; we can teach them the police skills," he said.

It will, however, be a long time before these new officers take to the streets. First, they have 13 weeks of training at Northeast Technical College in Green Bay, followed by two more weeks of localized training here. Then they begin five months of Field Training with other officers. They won't count for patrol strength, or handle cases on their own, in fact, until early in 2009.

"My daddy's a policeman!"
Officer Douglas Cecchini and his proud family.

Racine Police getting seven new officers Monday

The Racine Police Department will swear in seven new officers Monday, bringing the force's complement to 200. Briefly.

The seven -- six men and one woman -- range in age from 23 to 39. All have passed their psychological and physical tests, and been interviewed by Chief Kurt Wahlen. They will be sworn in by the City Clerk at 2 p.m. Monday in the Police Department auditorium.

Just don't expect to see them patrolling Racine's mean streets any time soon. After a week here tending to administrative and human resource issues, being issued firearms, and getting fitted for uniforms, all seven will head to Northeast Technical College in Green Bay for 520 hours -- 13 weeks -- of recruit school training, followed by two more weeks of localized training here.

To become a police officer in Wisconsin, applicants must have completed at least 60 college credits. Although districts sometimes waive this requirement, Racine does not, according to departmental spokesman Sgt. Bernie Kupper. "They may have an associate's or bachelor's degree in anything under the sun," he said. As to their weapons experience, "they may never have hunted, handled a firearm or ridden in a squad car."

Officers earn $60,000 after two years. New recruits are paid 80% of that.

Today, the department has 193 officers, compared to its budgeted complement of 199. But this brief moment of being full-staffed won't last long: the department has one retirement scheduled for May 30, and two or three more during the latter part of June and July, according to Sgt. Kupper.

City clears officers, posts arrest video online

UPDATE: 02/18/08: The City took the video down from its website today... We're attempting to find out why.

02/19/08: Here's the response we received from Sgt. Bernie Kupper, public information officer of the Racine Police Department:

The Chief (Kurt Wahlen) advised me yesterday morning that he had called the city webmaster to have it removed. The Chief is the one who requested that I have it placed on the website in the first place, and felt that he had the right to make the call as to how long it played out. I believe he felt that there had been adequate time for those with a sincere interest in reviewing it, to have seen it. I would also speculate that the Chief felt it wasn’t in the best interest of the community to continue to present that imagery, when at the same time, he is working hard to convince the NAACP and the community that it is time to move on.

--

The city has cleared the officers involved in the Jan. 22 arrest of Bilal Gilleylen, rejecting charges of excessive use of force brought by members of the community. The city also has released video of the arrest, and posted it on the City of Racine's website, HERE.

Gilleylen has been charged with possession of cocaine with intent to deliver, attempting to disarm a peace officer and resisting an officer.

The press release from the Racine Police Department, issued by Sgt. Bernard Kupper, public information officer, said the department conducted a thorough internal review, interviewing all bystanders who came forward, and also gave the squad car's video tape an "objective review" by Robert Willis of Northeast Wisconsin Technical College.

The statement's key paragraph says:

("The) investigation indicates that Officers Stillman, Thillemann, and Principe acted within the standards of training prescribed by the State of Wisconsin, as well as within Department policy concerning the use of force."

The video shows Gilleylen's car being pulled over on a dark night, at 8:15 p.m. It pulls to the right side of the snowy road, where it sits, engine running, for about two minutes. The squad car is behind it, with its lights flashing. A few people can be seen, barely, in the dark walking across the street to the left. Finally, at the 2:36 minute mark of the 4:33 minute video, two officers approach from the rear, one on each side of the car.

The officer at the driver's side talks to the driver (although no sound can be heard on the video). Movement can be seen inside the car. Then the second officer joins the first at the driver's side. Up to this point, the door has not been opened. Finally, at 3:08 of the video, the driver's door opens.

The struggle begins at 3:17, and both officers attempt to pull the driver out of the car. He is pulled out and falls to his knees, and briefly against his car, at 3:42. A third officer appears and the struggle continues on camera for about 15 seconds; at least one officer is seen striking the struggling driver. At 3:55 of the tape, the struggle goes out of view of the squad car camera, about 10 feet into the roadway but lit by the headlights of a squad car on the other side of the street. In about 30 seconds it's over; one officer comes back into the frame, and uses his portable radio.

The complete statement is as follows:

On January 22, 2008, officers initiated a traffic stop in the area of Hamilton and Summit at approximately 8:15PM. Shortly after the stop, officers were in a confrontation with the operator of the vehicle. That operator was later identified as Bilal Gilleylen. During the investigative portion of the stop, Mr. Gilleylen refused to comply with officers’ requests to show his hands.

Mr. Gilleylen did eventually present his drivers license and a plastic baggie from his pocket. Since the stop was made in a high crime area, and the plastic baggie was indicative of drugs, a request was made to Mr. Gilleylen to exit the vehicle. Mr. Gilleylen initially appeared to comply but prior to completely exiting the vehicle, he dove back into the vehicle towards the center console.

As a result of those actions, officers fearing for their safety, attempted to gain hands-on control of Mr. Gilleylen and forcibly remove him from the vehicle. At that point, Mr. Gilleylen aggressively resisted and it took all three officers to remove him from the vehicle. Mr. Gilleylen continued his aggressiveness towards the officers and refused to submit to their commands to go to the ground. At one point, Mr. Gilleylen began reaching for the gunbelt of one of the officers in an attempt to disarm him.

Officers reacted by applying stunning techniques that include both hand strikes and kicks, in an attempt to gain compliance. Eventually officers were able to get Mr. Gilleylen to the ground. He was handcuffed and transported to Wheaton Franciscan St Marys for treatment of a laceration to the head.

This whole incident took a period of time of less than 2 ½ minutes from the approach by officers to the vehicle, to the handcuffing being complete with Mr. Gilleylen under control. Within minutes after the incident was resolved, persons complained to the media about the actions of officers and concerns were made about the potential excessive use of force.

During interviews by the media with alleged witnesses and bystanders, claims were made that Mr. Gilleylen was doused with a bowl of blue liquid, as well as having been tazed while in the vehicle. It was also alleged that he was then handcuffed and beaten while being dragged from the car and across the roadway.

The Racine Police Department has completed a preliminary evaluation into the Use of Force as applied to Bilal Gilleylen on January 22, 2008.

The Department conducted interviews with all of the individuals that came forward as potential witnesses. During this department review, audio tapes of radio transmissions, video footage from all of the responding squads, as well as recorded media footage, were all examined.

Throughout the course of the internal review, there were disparities between alleged witness statements and the video footage from Officer Stillman’s vehicle. Video footage does not support any of the allegations to include the use of an unknown bowl of liquid, the beating that allegedly took anywhere from 10 minutes up to 1 hour, nor the tazing and handcuffing in the vehicle and subsequent beating while cuffed.

In addition to the internal review, the department contracted with Mr. Robert Willis of Northeast Wisconsin Technical College to perform an objective review of the use of force.

Mr. Willis’ investigation indicates that Officers Stillman, Thillemann, and Principe acted within the standards of training prescribed by the State of Wisconsin, as well as within Department policy concerning the use of force.

At this time, video footage from the incident has been released to the public via the City of Racine Public website.

NOTE: The video still above has been slightly enhanced for clarity by RacinePost.com. The video itself, however, is exactly as released by the Racine Police Department.

898-BEEF is new anti-gang number to call

Feb. 11 (2/11) is known across the country as 2-1-1 Day. Like 9-1-1, the emergency telephone number for life threatening crises, 2-1-1 is the number to call for help with human services such as food, clothing, shelter and more.

2-1-1 Racine is using the date to announce the launch of a new service: 898-BEEF (262-898-2333). The new telephone line will coordinate gang prevention and intervention efforts within the Racine Unified School District. The use of the term “BEEF” is to capitalize on the current vogue in hip-hop culture where parties in a dispute are referred to as having a “beef.”


The initiative is underwritten by a grant from the U.S. Department of Justice. The new line is staffed by an operator on duty primarily during school hours. However, the line will be answered by 2-1-1 Racine operators when the 898-BEEF operator is not on duty.

Operators will have the ability to dispatch Gang/Crime Diversion Task Force and SAFE Streets personnel to address potentially unsafe situations. These personnel have training and experience specific to street issues and are already employed by SAFE Haven, which operates 2-1-1 Racine.

The line is expected to be used by students who feel threatened by gang-related or other potential criminal activity. Youth who fear physical aggression at or near school can call to request an escort. Gang/Crime and SAFE Streets personnel carry mobile phones.

Crisis situations that require intervention by law enforcement will be coordinated by a three-way call among the caller, 2-1-1 and 9-1-1.

SAFE Haven plans to ramp up promotion of the service through the spring with an intensive effort during April, which is Child Abuse Prevention Month.

The Department of Justice funding is also supporting other efforts, such as arranging for the release of runaway reports to SAFE Haven personnel who could assist in locating missing youth, and for sharing gang intelligence data.

The 898-BEEF line is using the same telephone hardware and software that supports the 2-1-1 Racine program. However, callers will be automatically routed to the specialized operator.

In January, 2-1-1 Racine operators responded to 1,999 calls. On Jan. 7, SAFE Haven staff responded to over 180 calls. In January, most calls were related to mental health issues, followed by financial issues. Abuse, health, disabilities and aging issues come next.

SAFE Haven is holding a special promotion on Monday, Feb. 11: the 211th caller will win a prize package including a SAFE Haven coffee mug, umbrella, flashlight and other items.

2-1-1 Racine is a collaborative effort of the Racine County Human Services Department, SAFE Haven and the United Way of Racine County. 2-1-1 Racine is just one of five programs operated by SAFE Haven of Racine, which also operates the Gang/Crime Diversion Task Force, the SAFE Passage transitional living facility for homeless young adults, the SAFE Streets street outreach program and the Youth Shelter for homeless and abused children.

Subtle

The question mark in the headline really softens things...

JT alleges police brutality

Police Statement: Here is the official police statement on the arrest:

On January 22, 2008 at approximately 8:20 p.m., a Racine Police Officer in a marked patrol car initiated a traffic stop of a vehicle near the 1200 block of Summit for no front license plate and well as obstructed vision of the driver. The suspect vehicle pulled over momentarily, and then continued on down the road for another 100 feet before stopping. The officer made contact with the operator of the vehicle and requested a driver's license. The operator (Bilal M. Gilleylen) pulled out his wallet and a clear plastic baggie from his rear pants pocket. Gilleylen behavior became increasing suspicious and the Officer asked Gilleylen to exit the vehicle.

Gilleylen started to exit the vehicle and then he made a quick movement to get back into the vehicle. The officer believed from his training and experience that Gilleylen may be reaching for a weapon. The Officer then drew his service weapon and ordered Gilleylen to place his hands on the steering wheel. Gilleylen did place his hands back on the steering wheel and the Officer holstered his weapon. Gilleylen was again directed to exit the vehicle.

Gilleylen again began to exit the vehicle but made another strong movement towards the center of the bench seat with his right hand. The officer and another back up officer then grabbed Gilleylen and attempted to pull him from the vehicle. Gilleylen continually struggled to remain in the vehicle and reach into the center of the bucket seat area.

The officers were successful in pulling Gilleylen out of the vehicle. Gilleylen continued to fight with the officers. During the fight, Gilleylen made an attempt to grab at the officer's gun. During this ongoing fight, officers used several physical arrest techniques and a taser to subdue the uncontrollable Gilleylen.

Officers located 21 individually packaged "rocks" of cocaine at the scene. Gilleylen was taken to the hospital to receive treatment for injuries to his face. Gilleylen was then taken to the Racine County Jail on charges of Possession of Cocaine with intent to Deliver, Attempting to Disarm a Police Officer, Obstructing an Officer, a Probation Hold, and several traffic citations.

An internal investigation is being conducted on this incident to ensure that proper police tactics were applied.

Question: All city police cars have a built-in video camera that are activated when the emergency lights go on. Is there video tape of the arrest? Will the department release the tape?

Update: The JT is all over this story. At least three reporters and a photographer are working on the alleged assault, and we're certain to have multiple pictures from a 1:30 p.m. court hearing today.

Still no word from the police department on the incident. We talked to Todd Hoover, the head of the police union, but he wasn't working yesterday and couldn't comment on the incident. We have yet to hear from higher-ups at RPD, who are likely working to control fallout from the JT's reporting.

It's a tough call on the story. The JT obviously ran with the witness reports early, and it's border-line irresponsible to print such a sensational story without police comment. But if the department is unwilling to make a statement - as they often are - then there's little media can do but run the story and flush out the truth.

What's interesting is how little attention the newspaper gives to claims against the police department - except when they fall into their laps.

Original post:

The Racine Police Department has yet to respond to today's front-page JT story alleging police brutality.

The newspaper alleges in a shocking 1A story that police officers stopped a car in the 1200 block of Summit Avenue, pulled the suspect out of the car and tased, punched and kicked him. The paper also says the officers used pepper spray and batons to subdue the suspect.

The story is based on witnesses who called the newspaper after 9 p.m. Police supervisors did not comment on the incident Tuesday night.

RacinePost called police this morning, but we've yet to hear a response. A shift commander referred comment to the public information officer, who is in a management meeting this morning.

Developing...

Peace sign projects sprouting all over

Racine formed its peace sign with volunteers holding 200 lighted candles this week. Now a Madison artist plans to construct "a giant" peace sign with 53 Weber grills manned by brat-loving peaceniks on Feb. 2. Huh?

The event, called Grill'n for Peace, is a fundraiser for a local group that feeds the needy in Madison once a week. Details HERE.


MEANWHILE, our Racine peace sign photos have joined thousands of others on the blog and website of two Wyoming folks (by way of Madison) who are attempting to collect one million peace sign photos. Zoey Lily and Lolo wrote about their inspiration:

Snowed in on Jan. 1, 2008, in the Middle-of-Nowhere Wyoming, we decided that collecting One Million Signs of Peace for a website would be a fine New Year's Resolution. Crazy? Probably. Possible? We think so! Since then, people from all over the world have sent us their Peace Sign Photos, Peace observations, and "go for it" encouragement. We've also added Clark, our resident guru and Real Life Superman to the mix. 'Tis awesome, and we thank you all!

The screenshot above is from their photo site. Go there and look at more than 2,500 pictures they've already collected.

And when you're done there, check out this site: P.E.A.C.E. Scooter. It chronicles the journey of a young woman, Alix Bryan, who spent the summer criss-crossing the U.S. on a small motorscooter, a Buddy 125cc with an engine smaller than your lawn mower's. (It's a clone of my beloved Vespa, if you must know.)

Alix's goal was to travel 9,000-plus miles, drawing a huge Peace sign on the U.S. map tracing her route. She started in June at the White House, and finally reached Crawford, Texas, in October. Her mission was, and is, to collect one billion definitions of the word peace, by talking about peace everywhere she went. She, too, has blogged about Racine's peace sign and posted a few of our pictures. But don't go there for that; rather read and enjoy the inspiring tale of her single-minded journey around the U.S.

Racine Police Dept. gets funding for two more officers

Racine's Police Department is about to grow by two beat patrol positions.

The department now has 199 badge-carrying officers -- everyone from the chief to the four newest patrolmen.

Thanks to a grant from the Office of Justice Assistance, the department will grow to 201 officers. Racine is one of ten Wisconsin cities given a share of nearly $2 million to put more uniformed police officers on the street.

The Racine Police Department grant is for $191,000, although only $143,750 of that is outside money; the rest is the city's 25 percent matching share.

This state-funded program was established in 1995 and recipients are determined by a formula that includes population and violent crime figures. Besides Racine, grants are going to Beloit, Green Bay, Janesville, Kenosha, Madison, Milwaukee, Stevens Point, Wausau and West Allis.

The city has qualified for funding for three years; however, the funds are guaranteed only for one year. Future years' funding will depend upon the availability of state and federal money.

Hundreds come together to stand against violence

The aim was to form a peace sign with hundreds of Racinians holding candles against the cold and the mindless violence that has gripped Racine. And although it would have taken a helicopter to truly appreciate the visual that resulted, they succeeded -- old and young, white and black, men and women, even a couple of County Board members -- coming together in a defunct fast-food restaurant's parking lot.

For an hour or so, they made the point that all can work toward a common objective, peacefully. A simple message perhaps, but important to the high school students who organized the event, and to the kids and adults who helped realize it.

Just a block away, as if to re-emphasize the need, four police cars, lights flashing, had a young woman in handcuffs for 15 minutes as they searched her car -- fruitlessly, it appeared -- and then released her without incident.



More pictures after the break.

Organizers Brienna Elam and Jamel Garrett

Journal Sentinel covers the event HERE.
Our earlier story is HERE.

Human peace sign to be a stand against violence

Jamel Garrett wants to take a symbolic stand against violence in Racine. And he'd like you to join him.

The 17-year-old Park High School senior is organizing the creation of the city's first "human peace sign" -- not as a political statement but rather a stand against the kind of gang violence that killed a friend last year.

Jamel, who is president of Youth Against Violence, hopes to gather at least 200 people on Jan. 15 at the old J&W drive-in parking lot (1701 12th St.) to line up and form the peace sign. Jamel plans to climb a ladder, or stand on the drive-in's roof, to take an aerial picture of the event, which will run from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.

A stand against violence