"Singled Out" - No Doubt

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Chief of Eureka Police, Murl Harpham solidifies his legacy.

On Thursday, September 26, 2013, the Times-Standard newspaper awarded their readers with the picture of a beaming Police Chief Murl Harpham as he finished hiring a whole raft of new employees. Harpham is slated to retire when  the new Police Chief Andrew Mills is installed in November. Normally this action should not cause a second look, but when you read this morning's front-page headline, (Saturday, October 5, 2013) "Singled out: Defense attorney claims police sergeant was targeted for political views," Harpham's tenure in the EPD begins to make since. For years now, he's been running the EPD whether he was the police chief or not. After the last fiasco the City Fathers had with Garr Nielsen, it all begins to make sense - Harpham's stacking the deck and clearing out the refuse, all to solidify his legacy. You can be your bottom dollar everyone of these new hiree's fits the bill perfectly, including Andrew Mills.

Let there be no doubt, this kind of policing belongs in Egypt and Syria:

Laird, who has been with EPD since 2005, has pleaded not guilty to charges that he committed assault under the color of authority during a Dec. 6, 2012, arrest of a juvenile suspect and knowingly filed a report that included a false statement, or false statements, about the incident. His trial is slated to begin Dec. 16.  

Prosecutors allege that Laird used excessive force when he allegedly kicked a teenage suspect in the back while he was lying on the ground being handcuffed by another officer after a foot chase. The incident -- which was reported by another EPD officer and investigated by both the DA's office and EPD -- was caught on video through another officer's dash-mounted recording system.  

Former Humboldt County Chief Investigator Mike Hislop, who recently retired, and EPD Sgt. Rodrigo Reyna-Sanchez both said the video appears to show Laird used excessive force. According to Griego, a defense expert who reviewed the video found Laird acted appropriately when faced with a high-risk, noncompliant suspect. 

But, then this kind of obscenity is Murl Harpham's "tough" kind of "cop," isn't it?

Laird's lawyer says: "According to Griego, a defense expert who reviewed the video found Laird acted appropriately when faced with a high-risk, noncompliant suspect." "A high-risk noncompliant suspect"? Notice! This kid is not guilty of anything, he's a "suspect" only. "High-risk"? He's on the ground with his hands behind his back subdued and controlled by another officer putting him in handcuffs. The District Attorney, local judges and police agencies should understand, that while this kind of brutality as been standard fair during Murl Harpam's tenure, the world is changing. All of these people that swear an oath to uphold and enforce the had better understand that conduct OUTSIDE the law is reserved for criminals whether they wear a badge or not.

Don't forget, this guy was a trainer in the police department. Someone agreed with his policies or philosophies justifying such abhorrent conduct.

-Joe