Policing Archives - Page 16 of 22

Citizen review of Chico police urged by group

Phillips, Rushing shootings prompted six-point reform plan

by Dave Waddell | Posted June 15, 2018

A group of citizens that has produced an ambitious “vision” for Chico police reform first came together last year after the officer-involved-shooting deaths of Desmond Phillips and Tyler Rushing.

“We were like magnets,” said Margaret Swick, a member of a group calling itself Concerned Citizens for Justice. “We were just pulled together. We were just concerned about the police shootings.”

On Monday (June 18) from 6 to 8:30 p.m., Concerned Citizens for Justice will give a community airing to its six-point program for “improving the climate of respect between law enforcement and the community.” One reform the group describes as “essential” is establishing “an independent, impartial citizen board with authority to review all police files.” The public meeting will be held at the Chico branch of the Butte County Library, 1108 Sherman Ave. read more

Scores of stolen guns found in Chico annually

Most are pistols, but AR-15-style rifles are also recovered

by Gabriel Sandoval and Dave Waddell | Posted April 20, 2018

**ChicoSol and Tehama Group Communications infographic**

Against a backdrop of rising gun thefts nationally, a stolen gun is recovered by authorities in Chico an average of once every eight days. And while nearly three-fourths of all stolen guns in the city are pistols, multiple stolen assault rifles are recovered each year.

That’s based on data from an 18-month investigation by The Trace, a nonprofit news organization, and more than a dozen NBC-owned television stations, which collected information on stolen guns from hundreds of law enforcement agencies and collaborated on a series of reports last year.

“American gun owners, preoccupied with self-defense, are inadvertently arming the very criminals they fear,” says The Trace’s Nov. 20, 2017, story. read more

Two fathers take food to City Plaza

Phillips memorial becomes an act of sharing

by ChicoSol staff | Posted March 18, 2018

The “One Year Without Justice for Desmond Phillips” gathering at the Chico Women’s Club on March 17 had dozens of hamburgers and hot dogs left over that were given out with fellowship and kindness at Chico’s downtown plaza by Scott Rushing and David Phillips, whose sons were both killed in shootings that involved Chico police officers.

Tyler Rushing was killed in July, 2017, after being shot by a security guard and police, and Desmond Phillips was killed by Chico police one year ago. — video feature by Guillermo Mash

Rushing shooting under review by state AG

Two Chico police killings in 2017 focus of inquiries

by Dave Waddell | Posted March 8, 2018

photo courtesy of Rushing family

Tyler Rushing

Over Mike Ramsey’s 30-plus-year tenure as Butte County district attorney, outside reviews of his rulings in officer-involved shootings have been, to use his word, “rare.” That dramatically changed in recent months as the office of state Attorney General Xavier Becerra is examining the facts and findings from two deadly Chico Police Department shootings in 2017.

A letter announcing a review of the July 23 shooting of Tyler Rushing has been made available to ChicoSol by his father, Scott Rushing of Ventura.

Earlier, David Phillips, father of Desmond Phillips, who was killed by Chico police last March 17, said he was told by Becerra personally that the AG’s office was investigating his son’s shooting. read more

Sergeant in assault case logged massive overtime

District attorney: Chokehold incident caught on body camera

by Dave Waddell | Posted February 24, 2018

ChicoSol/Tehama Group Communications graphic

Scott Ruppel, a former police sergeant involved in two fatal shootings and facing an assault charge for an alleged on-duty choking incident, worked many thousands of hours of overtime during his nearly 20 years at Chico PD.

One year, Ruppel logged more than 700 overtime hours, becoming not only the highest-compensated employee in the city’s largest department but among the top five employees in total compensation in all of Chico municipal government.

Ruppel retired Sept. 15 prior to a scheduled internal affairs interview about police body camera footage allegedly showing the sergeant putting a handcuffed, seat-belted suspect into a stranglehold for eight seconds, said Butte County District Attorney Mike Ramsey. Ruppel, whose annual CalPERS pension is in the six figures, has pleaded not guilty to the misdemeanor charge of assault under “color of authority.” His next Superior Court date is set for Feb. 28. read more

Rushing’s parents file claim in cop shooting

Desmond Phillips’ family sues city in federal court

by Dave Waddell | Posted February 16, 2018

The parents of Tyler Rushing, who died after being shot by a private security guard and a Chico police sergeant last summer, have filed a claim against the city for damages in excess of $25,000.

The claim, received by the city Jan. 17, was obtained by ChicoSol through a state Public Records Act request. As of last week, the city had not responded to the claim, said Dani Rogers, deputy city clerk.

Six days after the Rushing filing, on Jan. 23, relatives of Desmond Phillips brought suit against the city in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California in Sacramento for unspecified damages. The lawsuit was filed by the office of prominent civil rights attorney John L. Burris of Oakland. Phillips, a 25-year-old black man in mental crisis, was shot 11 times by two officers on March 17, 2017, in his own living room after his father called for medical aid. read more