Deputy in slapping video arrested, resigns By Lauren Stanforth Updated 2:06 pm, Monday, November 10, 2014
BALLSTON SPA — Sergeant Shawn R. Glans was arrested and resigned Monday, days after the deputy was suspended after a video posted on the Internet captured him allegedly slapping a young man as the deputy insisted on searching his vehicle.
Glans, a 27-year veteran of the Saratoga County sheriff's department was charged Monday with official misconduct and harassment. The misconduct charge, a misdemeanor, is a the more serious offense and carries a maximum sentence of one year in prison.
Sheriff Michael Zurlo says Glans resigned just hours before the planned start of a disciplinary hearing.
Zurlo and Acting District Attorney Karen Heggen will hold a press conference at 2 p.m. to address the case of a sheriff's deputy who was caught on video allegedly slapping someone and conducting an illegal car search.
A video of the incident in Halfmoon Friday shows Glans saying a series of expletives at two young men, while demanding the keys to their vehicle so it could be searched. The men, who have not been indentified, were wearing dark clothing and a .22 caliber rifle was in the vehicle. But it appeared there was no just cause to do the search.
Zurlo told the Times Union Saturday that Glans is on suspension for the incident, and that he was disturbed by the behavior in the video. Another sheriff's deputy who is off camera has not be identified and the status of that person's employment is unknown.
"I saw the best minds of my generation destroyed by madness, starving hysterical naked, dragging themselves through the negro streets at dawn looking for an angry fix,"
Deputy in slapping video arrested, resigns By Lauren Stanforth Updated 2:06 pm, Monday, November 10, 2014
BALLSTON SPA — Sergeant Shawn R. Glans was arrested and resigned Monday, days after the deputy was suspended after a video posted on the Internet captured him allegedly slapping a young man as the deputy insisted on searching his vehicle.
Glans, a 27-year veteran of the Saratoga County sheriff's department was charged Monday with official misconduct and harassment. The misconduct charge, a misdemeanor, is a the more serious offense and carries a maximum sentence of one year in prison.
Sheriff Michael Zurlo says Glans resigned just hours before the planned start of a disciplinary hearing.
Zurlo and Acting District Attorney Karen Heggen will hold a press conference at 2 p.m. to address the case of a sheriff's deputy who was caught on video allegedly slapping someone and conducting an illegal car search.
A video of the incident in Halfmoon Friday shows Glans saying a series of expletives at two young men, while demanding the keys to their vehicle so it could be searched. The men, who have not been indentified, were wearing dark clothing and a .22 caliber rifle was in the vehicle. But it appeared there was no just cause to do the search.
Zurlo told the Times Union Saturday that Glans is on suspension for the incident, and that he was disturbed by the behavior in the video. Another sheriff's deputy who is off camera has not be identified and the status of that person's employment is unknown.
"resigned"...so does that mean he preserves his pension?
JUST BECAUSE SISSY SAYS SO DOESN'T MAKE IT SO...BUT HE THINKS IT DOES!!!!! JUST BECAUSE MC1 SAYS SO DOESN'T MAKE IT SO!!!!!
And on a cynical note. That line that's been forming outside the kids house are all the lawyers smacking their lips and gleefully rubbing their hands together just waiting to get a crack at the lawsuit.
"I saw the best minds of my generation destroyed by madness, starving hysterical naked, dragging themselves through the negro streets at dawn looking for an angry fix,"
The misconduct charge, a misdemeanor, is a the more serious offense and carries a maximum sentence of one year in prison.
so this thug cop was in possession of a gun and slapped and blatantly harassed a civilian and COULD get UP TO.....ONE YEAR IN PRISON!
so if a civilian, who was in possession of a gun and slapped and blatantly harassed a cop.....what would his sentence be???
folks NATIONWIDE are getting sick of this 'thug cop' crap!!!!
When the INSANE are running the ASYLUM In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule. -- Friedrich Nietzsche
“How fortunate for those in power that people never think.” Adolph Hitler
folks NATIONWIDE are getting sick of this 'thug cop' crap!!!!
so how about this question if not too offensive... how many vets like this guy are now employed as cops nationwide? when given a preference when applying the percentage number is probably huge?
Glans, a 27-year veteran of the Saratoga County sheriff's department was charged Monday with official misconduct and harassment. The misconduct charge, a misdemeanor, is a the more serious offense and carries a maximum sentence of one year in prison.
He will get a plea bargain when they reduce the charges to disorderly conduct.
He will get a plea bargain when they reduce the charges to disorderly conduct.
so basically..........the thug cops are ABOVE THE LAW.....double standard!!!
CAN YA EVEN STAND IT!!!!! > > >
When the INSANE are running the ASYLUM In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule. -- Friedrich Nietzsche
“How fortunate for those in power that people never think.” Adolph Hitler
The two men who videotaped their encounter with a Saratoga County Sheriff's sergeant that resulted in the officer's resignation and arrest have filed a notice of claim that they intend to sue the county for violating their constitutional rights.
Colin A. Fitch and Adam M. Roberts met Monday with attorney Terence Kindlon, who said he sent the notice to Saratoga County Attorney Stephen Dorsey and County Sheriff Michael Zurlo. The notice alerts the county that the plaintiffs intend to sue the municipality for damages in the case. Kindlon said he also plans to sue Glans.
Kindlon shed light on the two young men, who have been largely silent after posting the video Friday night that captures then-Sgt. Shawn R. Glans berating them with expletives in order to gain access to Fitch's car. Heard off-camera is a slap, which, according to court documents, Glans delivered to the back of Fitch's head.
The sheriff's office received a call at 1:50 a.m. Friday of a suspicious vehicle on Route 236 in Halfmoon. Glans and two other officers didn't find the vehicle at that location, but eventually did in the Route 9 Walmart parking. Fitch and Roberts were wearing dark clothes, and there was a rifle openly visible in the back seat.
Glans previously told the Times Union that he reacted the way he did because he felt it was an unsafe situation.
Kindlon said Fitch and Roberts, who are in their early 20s, are best friends who have no criminal background and are both employed. The lawyer said his clients parked far away from a house party they wanted to attend to avoid any potential damage to the car, and when they couldn't find the party, they went to Walmart. Kindlon said that officers went into the store and found Fitch and Roberts — who were patted down for weapons inside the building. Previously, police were vague about how Glans and the officers came upon the two men in the parking lot.
Zurlo said he couldn't comment on the notice of claim or the new details about the patdown.
Kindlon did not explain why Fitch was driving around with a rifle in the back seat but said he will sue for damages because his clients' Fourth and Second Amendment rights were violated.
The Fourth Amendment protects against unreasonable search and seizure and the Second Amendment is the right to bear arms. Kindlon said Fitch produced a receipt for his weapon for the officers. A permit is not required to own a rifle.
"If somebody takes the Fourth Amendment to the Constitution to wipe the mud off his feet, then that's a problem," Kindlon said.
Glans resigned Monday at the same time he was charged with official misconduct, a misdemeanor, and harassment for allegedly striking Fitch. Roberts videotaped the encounter, which has been viewed thousands of times on the Internet.
Two other officers were present during the incident, and Zurlo said they are facing an internal investigation. Their names were not released.
Kindlon is handling six other cases alleging police misconduct, including that of a former Hudson Valley Community College football player who filed a federal civil rights lawsuit last month saying Troy police beat him and used a Taser on him after he was found jaywalking.
^5!!!!! Lets just hope the media follows this to the end!!!
When the INSANE are running the ASYLUM In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule. -- Friedrich Nietzsche
“How fortunate for those in power that people never think.” Adolph Hitler
Glans worked for Saratoga Sheriff's Dept and had a second job as a South Glens Falls cop.
For now.
The South Glens Falls Mayor will decide on Thursday. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2 hours ago
The two men who were confronted by an irate then-sergeant with the Saratoga County Sheriff’s Office have put the county on notice that they plan to sue over the incident.
The county has received a notice of claim filed by lawyer Terence Kindlon for Colin Fitch and Adam Roberts, Saratoga Springs-area residents who were forced to allow a search of Fitch’s vehicle.
Roberts videotaped Fitch asserting his right to refuse the search, which prompted Glans to curse Fitch, then allegedly to smack him on the head and take his car keys to enter his locked car.
Glans has been charged with official misconduct and harassment, and he resigned on Monday. His lawyer, Matthew Chauvin, said Wednesday that all of the facts about the confrontation are not yet known, and that Glans’ “intentions were in the right place” that night.
The two men were “baiting” the officer when they knew they were videorecording the incident, Chauvin added.
“The facts need to be vetted and we are still determining what happened,” he said.
The confrontation occurred early Friday morning in the parking lot of Wal-Mart in Halfmoon. Police were investigating a suspicious vehicle complaint, spotted the men leaving the store and questioned them.
An 86-second video that was posted on the Internet documents at least part of what happened next.
“The video is pretty vile. It’s shocking, really,” Kindlon said.
Filing a notice with the municipality preserves a claimant’s right to sue.
It also give the municipality an opportunity to settle the claim without litigation. A closed-door hearing will be held in the coming weeks, at which witnesses will give statements to assist in the investigation of the claim,
If there is no settlement, Kindlon said, he will likely file a federal civil rights lawsuit against the county, the Sheriff’s Office and Glans.
In addition to apparently using excessive force and trying to bully Fitch into consenting to a search, Glans took the keys from Fitch and the officers with him performed an illegal search when the camera was no longer on them, Kindlon said. The officers also illegally searched the two men, Kindlon said.
While the Saratoga County Sheriff’s Office has not answered questions about the search, Kindlon said the officers went through the car and found nothing to justify charges. The rifle was unloaded and legally in Fitch’s possession, Kindlon said.
It was perplexing that the officers asked Fitch if he had a receipt for the gun, Kindlon said. He said Fitch’s Second Amendment right to bear arms was violated.
“If he had a loaf of bread in the back seat, would they have asked him for a receipt for that?” Kindlon asked.
County Attorney Stephen Dorsey did not return a phone call for comment Wednesday.
Glans, a Moreau resident, has worked part-time for the South Glens Falls Police Department for at least 12 years. He has been suspended from that position.
South Glens Falls Mayor Joseph Orlow said the village is reviewing Glans’ employment status and will likely comment on it Thursday.
Zurlo said two officers were with Glans at the time of the incident, and their actions were under investigation Monday. They are not accused of having physical contact with the accuser, Colin Fitch of Saratoga Springs, but they did not notify the Sheriff’s Office of what they witnessed, officials said.
“That is going to be part of the internal investigation,” Zurlo said.
The official misconduct charge, punishable by up to a year in Saratoga County Jail, alleges Glans committed an “unauthorized act” in an effort to obtain a benefit, in this case the car keys that Fitch had, said Acting Saratoga County District Attorney Karen Heggen. The harassment charge alleges he had unwanted physical contact with Fitch by slapping him in the head.
In addition to his job with the Sheriff’s Office, Glans has worked part-time with the South Glens Falls Police Department for more than 12 years, averaging about one shift per week over the past three months.
South Glens Falls Police Chief Kevin Judd said Glans had been suspended from his department until further notice.
Police released more details Monday as to how Glans and the two other deputies — whose names were not released — came into contact with Fitch and another man at about 3:30 a.m. Friday in the Wal-Mart parking lot.
Officers had been sent to the area at about 2 a.m. when an unspecified business owner reported a vehicle with two men who were acting suspiciously and had walked into woods in the area.
The sheriff said officers could not locate the vehicle, but when checking the parking lot of the nearby Wal-Mart, found Fitch and another man walking to their car from the store.
Zurlo would not say if the vehicle was searched despite Fitch’s protestations. He also would not say if the gun was seized or found to be legally or illegally possessed.
Fitch was not injured.
Zurlo said Fitch posted the video on the Sheriff’s Office’s site on Facebook at 8:31 p.m. Friday, and sheriff’s officers contacted him at 9:09 p.m. to discuss the video after it was noticed.
Zurlo said he will continue to have a “zero tolerance” policy for police officers who don’t follow the law. A sheriff’s officer was convicted of a federal felony earlier this year for assisting in what he thought were cocaine deliveries.
Zurlo said he believes the problems were an aberration and not representative of the department he was elected to head last year.
“If you do your job right, you have nothing to worry about,” he said.
Glans had been the subject of disciplinary action in 1995 when he was issued traffic tickets for an on-duty car crash in 1995 in which he seriously injured a person whose vehicle he hit head-on in Wilton.
Glans was accompanied to court by a lawyer, former Saratoga County Assistant District Attorney Matthew Chauvin. He did not return a phone call for comment later Monday.
When the INSANE are running the ASYLUM In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule. -- Friedrich Nietzsche
“How fortunate for those in power that people never think.” Adolph Hitler
Glans resigns South Glens Falls PD position 10 hours ago
SOUTH GLENS FALLS -- The former Saratoga County sheriff’s officer who is was videotaped apparently smacking a young man has resigned his part-time position with the South Glens Falls Police Department.
Shawn Glans submitted his resignation on Thursday, South Glens Falls Police Chief Kevin Judd said.
Glans had worked for the village Police Department for more than 12 years.
He resigned his job as a Sheriff’s Office sergeant on Monday, two days after a video of his conduct toward two young men was made public.
Glans was charged with official misconduct, a misdemeanor, and second-degree harassment, a non-criminal violation, after he took car keys from a young man to illegally search his car. The keys were taken after he apparently slapped the man on the head.
Police had spotted a rifle in the vehicle in a Halfmoon store parking lot.
Glans, who lives in Moreau, had been suspended from the South Glens Falls position as of Monday. He worked one or two shifts a week for the department between Sheriff’s Office shifts.
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