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Police brutality is a term that encompasses more than just physical violence done to citizens. “Brutal,” by Merriam-Webster’s definition means “cruel, cold-blooded” or “grossly ruthless.” Those descriptors can easily be attached to several egregious acts police officers commit against the public like lying, escalating confrontations and planting evidence.
Let’s take a moment to focus on the latter.
According to an Our Tallahassee (OT) report, 56-year-old Calvin Riley Sr. was pulled over by a 26-year-old white woman police officer named Kiersten Oliver (for our purposes we shall henceforth refer to her only as “Florida woman“) and falsely accused of being under the influence of marijuana and alcohol. Not only did Florida woman make the false accusation, but she also manufactured evidence in an attempt to make a case on the spot. After handcuffing Riley and putting him in the back of her patrol vehicle, Florida woman tells Riley that she smells marijuana and asks him if he smoked. Offended, Riley replied, “You lie.”
Upon searching his vehicle, no marijuana was found, however, Florida woman did find a sealed bottle of alcohol. “Sealed” is the imperative word. You can’t charge someone with DUI just because they have sealed bottles of alcohol in their car. So, what did Florida woman do? She unsealed the bottle, poured it out onto the ground and tossed it back in Riley’s car.
Not only was this little piggie planting evidence, but she was stupid enough to do it while being recorded on a body camera.
In the video, you clearly see that these officers devised a plan to arrest Riley by any means necessary. OT notes that while Riley’s license was suspended, officers have discretion on whether or not to arrest a first-time offender. Riley had only received a suspended license notification a few weeks before the March 7 traffic stop.
During the pretrial, Florida woman was grilled about why she opened the bottle and poured it out. She cited an alleged TPD policy that prohibits taking liquids as evidence.
That was cap according to OT:
Officer Oliver has been deposed twice in the case. In her second deposition, public defender’s handed her a copy of TPD Policy #42. However, she was unable to locate any section that prohibited impounding liquids. Oliver stated “I don’t remember” at least sixteen times during her second deposition.
Mr. Riley’s jury trial for DUI begins April 5. Hopefully, he’s exonerated of all charges and sues the pants pockets off of the Tallahassee Police Department, the city of Tallahassee and this wretched Florida woman who tried to destroy his life.
