NYPD Officers Cleared of Rape Charges

Officers Kenneth Moreno and Franklin Mata of the NYPD were formerly accused of felony charges of rape, burglary and falsifying business records. They were cleared of these charges in court this morning. However, the NYPD says they will fire the police officers anyway. "The guilty verdict warrants immediate termination from department. We will pursue that today," Police Commissioner Ray Kelly says. The officers were convicted of only three misdemeanors of official misconduct. Sentencing is set for June 28, and they could each face a year or less in jail.


This was a hard case for the Jury to decide on. There was a lack of forensic evidence of rape, it was basically a he-said she-said case.  The woman claims she woke up in her bed, in a drunken, semi-conscious state, to see the officer standing over her while she was stripped of her clothes, lying down. Prosecutors claim Moreno, 43, committed the rape while Mata, 29, was the lookout.


There were a few pieces of solid evidence, including a secretly recorded tape where you hear Moreno say that he used a condom, and that it was just him and not his partner. There is also surveillance video showing the officers letting themselves into her house with a key 3 times. The same video also showed the woman walking around by herself, and even making a gesture to one of the officers. After finding her BAC, and the amount of time between her drinking and her accusation, Lawyers argue that the woman would have metabolized enough of the alcohol to not have been physically helpless if a rape had occurred.  She was also able to climb 5 flights of stairs on her own.


Because of this evidence, the misdemeanors the officers were charged of were from knowingly refraining from duty to return to the woman's house 3 times. The officers will lose their jobs because of this.


Do you think this is the correct decision made by the jury? Do you think the officers should lose their jobs over this misdemeanor? Do you think that if the offenders were not police officers, their sentencing would have been different? Do you think the American Justice System is flawed?

The use of tasers by law enforcement.

The use of tasers by Law Enforcement officers is a very controversial topic today. The goal of police officers everywhere is to enforce the law, while also keeping themselves and others safe. The weapons officers have include pepper spray, batons, tasers, and firearms.

Some people believe that tasers are too easy for officers to abuse, claiming that they are using them against people already in handcuffs, or that are already surrendering. Other reasons for eliminating the use of tasers by police officers include causing complications with pregnant women, young children, and people with certain disorders, physical or mental.

Supporters of the use of tasers by police officers claim that they save lives. They are the only thing that can fill the gap between pepper spray and firearms. There are times that the officers baton or pepper spray will not do the job, but the officer is not in enough trouble to have to resort to their firearm. in that case, the taser is perfect, but if they are not carrying one, either the officer or the suspect will be seriously injured or killed.

What is your opinion on this? Some states are already banning the use of tasers and stun guns by officers, do you think this is a good idea? Also, do you have any other opinions on this, or an idea for alternative protection that can fill the gap between an officers non-deadly and deadly force?