Massachusetts
Police reform panel suspends 15 officers
BOSTON (AP) — A Massachusetts panel created in 2020 partially in response to nationwide calls for police reform following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis has suspended 15 police officers from around the state who face allegations of misconduct.
The law allows the Massachusetts Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission to suspend the certification of any officer who faces felony allegations.
The officers whose suspensions were announced Tuesday include one accused of repeatedly using a stun gun on a pregnant woman during an arrest, one charged with using a baton to strike a man in custody, and another charged with getting paid for details he did not work.
A law enforcement officer whose certification is suspended can request a hearing before a commissioner within 15 days. A suspension order is in effect until a final decision or revocation is made by the commission.
“We continue to make progress to meet the directives of the statute and add information to the database that is of great public interest,” commission Executive Director Enrique Zuniga said in a statement. “POST will suspend the certification of an officer who is arrested, charged or indicted of a felony and will revoke the certification of an officer who is convicted of a felony.”
Two of the suspended officers are from Fall River, and the others are from Holyoke, Springfield, Needham, Lowell, Woburn, Somerville, West Springfield, Stoneham, Natick, Watertown, Worcester, the State Police and Fitchburg State University.
The nine-member commission was established as part of a 2020 criminal justice reform law to create a mandatory certification process for police officers, and to focus on efforts to improve public safety and increase trust between members of law enforcement and the public.
California
‘Romeo & Juliet’ stars sue over 1968 film’s teen nude scene
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The two stars of 1968’s “Romeo and Juliet” sued Paramount Pictures for more than $500 million on Tuesday over a nude scene in the film shot when they were teens.
Olivia Hussey, then 15 and now 71, and Leonard Whiting, then 16 now 72, filed the suit in Los Angeles County Superior Court alleging sexual abuse, sexual harassment and fraud.
Director Franco Zeffirelli, who died in 2019, initially told the two that they would wear flesh-colored undergarments in the bedroom scene that comes late in the movie and was shot on the final days of filming, the suit alleges.
But on the morning of the shoot, Zeffirelli told Whiting, who played Romeo, and Hussey, who played Juliet, that they would wear only body makeup, while still assuring them the camera would be positioned in a way that would not show nudity, according to the suit.
Yet they were filmed in the nude without their knowledge, in violation of California and federal laws against indecency and the exploitation of children, the suit says.
Zeffirelli told them they must act in the nude “or the Picture would fail” and their careers would be hurt, the suit said. The actors “believed they had no choice but to act in the nude in body makeup as demanded.”
Whiting’s bare buttocks and Hussey’s bare breasts are briefly shown during the scene.
The film, and its theme song, were major hits at the time, and has been shown to generations of high school students studying the Shakespeare play since.
The court filing says that Hussey and Whiting have suffered emotional damage and mental anguish for decades, and that each had careers that did not reflect the success of the movie.
It says given that suffering and the revenue brought in by the film since its release, the actors are entitled to damages of more than $500 million.
An email seeking comment from representatives of Paramount was not immediately returned.
The lawsuit was filed under a California law temporarily suspending the statute of limitations for child sex abuse, which has led to a host of new lawsuits and the revival of many others that were previously dismissed.
Hussey defended the scene in a 2018 interview with Variety, which first reported the lawsuit, for the film’s 50th anniversary.
“Nobody my age had done that before,” she said, adding that Zeffirelli shot it tastefully. “It was needed for the film.”
California
Policeman won’t be charged for killing bystander
GUADALUPE, Calif. (AP) — A California police officer won’t face criminal charges for accidentally killing a bystander while shooting at a suspect last year, the state Department of Justice announced Tuesday.
Juan Olvera-Preciado, 59, of Guadalupe, died at the scene on the night of Aug. 21, 2021 in the small coastal city in Santa Barbara County.
A bullet ricocheted off the ground and traveled about 174 feet (53 meters) before hitting Olvera-Preciado in the head as he sat in a parked car, said a report by the DOJ, which is required by state law to investigate law enforcement shootings that kill unarmed civilians.
Police had stopped a man suspected of setting a small fire who had two active warrants for his arrest, authorities said.
During a brief chase, police said the man refused orders to stop and then took his hand out of the pocket of his hooded sweatshirt and appeared to be holding a gun, although only a small black butane torch was found at the scene, authorities said.
Officer Miguel Jaimes fired three shots, which missed the suspect, who fell to the ground and was arrested.
One bullet ricocheted off the ground and went through the slightly ajar car door before striking Olvera-Preciado as he sat in his vehicle in a driveway, the report said.
The DOJ report said the nighttime scene was “pitch black” at the intersection where the shots were fired, and officers couldn’t see the driveway from their positions.
The report said Jaimes acted in “lawful self-defense” and wasn’t criminally liable for the bystander’s death.
“Therefore, there is insufficient evidence to support a criminal prosecution,” the report concluded.
“My heart goes out to Mr. Olvera-Preciado’s family, friends, and all those who knew him,” Attorney General Rob Bonta said in a statement. “His death was tragic and there is nothing that can make up for the loss of a loved one.”
Bonta said his office has recommended changes in the Guadalupe Police Department “to help increase public trust and keep our communities safe.”
Those recommendations include requiring officers — when possible — to use de-escalation and crisis intervention techniques as alternatives to using force, and developing guidance on policies regarding “situational awareness” to reduce the risk of harming innocent bystanders.
