There's a very big problem here that isn't being tackled at the right level.

Yes there are bad cops that don't want the light of publicity to shine on their activities. There are also some very bad guys on the streets that the cops are employed to serve and protect us from. The cops themselves have a personal interest in protecting their own lives and livelihoods from litigation, prosecution.

The cop on the street has little protection from being thrown under a bus in the event of a media scandal...so no wonder they resort to shouting "stop resisting" and "move because I feel threatened" to protect themselves. I'd bet the PBA and other police associations coach officers to do so.

I don't know the right solution to this. Perhaps a clearer statement of police/public bill of rights? Tough one imo.

In one way or another, it happens everywhere... Apparently our public servants have something to hide. Look at this videotaping of a routine traffic stop (from someone's private property!). Chicken-hearted (and brained) "officer" is "unsafe" when a lady is videotaping him. If he does his job right, why should he worry about being taped?

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/06 ... e-rochester_n_882122.html

Awful story... I don't know the details, but in the end the theme doesn't change. Police are often brutal and rarely accountable, hence the cycle continues. For those apologists... Think of it in the following way: What if he was the thief? Does he still need to be beaten? The aim of police is to take individuals into custody. They could make a bad mistake and take the wrong person in. But they shouldn't beat him nor should they beat an obvious criminal. One of the few ways in which the US is just not a very civilized country.

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Boards are made to waste money.

What IS needed is doing away with a concept of legal immunity for the police.

What an awful experience. A great example of why Jersey City could use a civilian complaint review board.

The police officers who answered my 911 call were "undercover officers" I did not see badges on them and when I opened my apartment door one of them rushed me. I presume most people don't expect to open their door late at night and be rushed by someone dressed as a thug especially after calling 911 to report intruders on the roof.

As I attempted to close the door behind me so they could not get into the building the one undercover officer punched me in the face and then punched me a half a dozen times or so in the head as i was crunched holding the railing outside my building. At no time did he or the other officer say they were police officers...nor would I expect a police officer to sucker punch me in the face.

When uniformed officers arrived they began to beat me. At the time I am still unaware that the two men beating me are undercover cops...when uniformed officers arrived I thought at first I was getting hit while they were trying to get those guys off of me...it took a while to realize that I was being singled out for a beating.

Even after handcuffed and picked off the concrete I assumed I would look over and see the other guys who attacked me cuffed. Only at that time did the first officer who attacked me pull out his badge. He then began to berate me and curse at me...all caught on my cell phone as it ?butt dialed? 911 during the beating and much of it got recorded (judge said this evidence wasn't useful to him)

The person on the roof and others mostly saw this second part of the confrontation and they didn't have a clear site of what was going on. It is routine for officers to yell "Stop Resisting" while beating people as this gives the perception the person being beaten must be doing something wrong. This tactic has been well documented by the ACLU and Human Rights Watch.

The neighbor saw a badge on only one officer...not the one who rushed me. That neighbor also testified that the police never identified themselves to her or told her why they were there. This neighbor gave statements after the incident about what happened then changed their story after a visit from Internal Affairs. They were understandably scared. Other witnesses refused to come forward because they did not want any problems with the police.

The first undercover officer who sucker punched me was part of the 50+ users of steroids and human growth hormone on the jersey city police force (other officers on the scene were also users)...these steroids were obtained at a pharmacy in Brooklyn with organized crime connections...the JCPD officers getting their roids and growth hormone were outed when NYPD raided this pharmacy and discovered this information. Discovery surrounding my lawsuit brought out the full scope of this abuse and contributed to the award winning story in the Star Ledger last December of NJ Law enforcement abuse of these drugs. I take some comfort in the fact that this story is resulting in changes to state laws and law enforcement regulations which will benefit citizens down the road by protecting them from police officers with roid rage.

In my case the police officers falsely arrested me and charged me with aggravated assault. Despite the fact that not even the second undercover officer would say on the stand that he saw me land a punch on the undercover officer who rushed me (The first officer to approach me claimed that after he identified himself as a cop I punched him).

If this police officer's story was true and if the police and the city really believed that I called the police then waited for them to arrive to attack them they wouldn't have driven me back home to my apartment after bringing me to the ER and processing me nor would they have dropped the criminal charges.

Winning cases against the police is always extremely difficult. Witnesses are reluctant to testify, the police will lie and the system in place will do whatever is necessary to cover up and obscure the facts. Then in many cases Judges and even Juries are reluctant to find police officers guilty partly because some feel our society warrants aggressive police tactics and people like me are collateral damage other times Judges rule in favor of the police simply to protect the system itself despite its faults.

My case seemed like an open and shut case. Why would a citizen call 911 to report a burglary and then attack the police? How does a 5 foot 7 160lb individual become the incredible hulk and fight off 7 police officers, some wielding night sticks and others on steroid and human growth hormone? Photographs and report from the emergency room show that my injuries were the result of trauma and repeated strikes (yet the judge basically states my injuries are a mystery because after all the cops said they never hit me so I must not have been hit...must have happened some other way I guess).

At the end of the day the city of Jersey City spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to defend what these cops did to me. Deputy Police Chief Nablach is "pleased with the decision" he should be they got away with another one. What message does this send to the police in Jersey City? It says you are not just permitted to enforce the law buy you may also continue handing out punishment and street justice to individuals you come in contact with and if that individual happens to be an innocent citizen you mistake for a criminal...that's ok you'll still get away with it.

My advice to others who find themselves a victim of police violence especially in Jersey City:

1. Do not cooperate with Internal Affairs. They will not investigate the incident rather their investigators will turn your life inside out investigating you, trying to find anything they can to muddy your character or disrupt your life. In my case they did not interview or speak to one single officer who was on the scene that night - not one. They did however scour the area for ?witnesses? bringing them downtown to police headquarters to give an interview. During said interviews they will lead with the questions and ask the same ones over and over until they get the answer they want. The police who victimized you can then change their testimony in court to match more closely these ?independent witness? statements. If the officers testimony differs from what was in the police report it doesn't matter. I had witnesses who gave statements about what happened and then after a visit from Internal Affairs changed their statements.

2. Despite the high probability of losing you have to take civil action. While the ultimate judge who heard my case ruled for the officers the discovery leading up to my case exposed previous and continuing use of steroids and human growth hormone by law enforcement. Going through the process itself may be enough to make some of these officers think twice before they use excessive force on an individual.

3. Realize that when you choose to bring an action like this against the police and a city the case is bigger than you are and bigger than the incident at hand. The city is a political animal and your action may embarrass city officials or police brass or affect other matters the city is involved in. The city has unlimited resources and connections to fight back with....in my case alone the city spent at least 400,000 dollars. They hired two independent law firms and used a number of their own lawyers to fight this case. Far exceeding the cost of what it would have taken to settle this case w/o admitting fault.

4. An acquaintance of mine who works for a large law firm in NYC that handles many police brutality cases had this to say....which I think sums up reality in a nutshell:

?I can trade horrible war stories with anyone. It?s very discouraging at times, be we try to do our best. In many situations, it does seem that the bigger the case the more unfair the outcome.
We?ve conclusively proven that cops lie in various cases only to have judges make up their own theories to protect the police. It?s just crazy. It?s hard to explain to anyone that has not been through it.?

Jersey City man's suit over beating by police during burglary call is dismissed

Published: Saturday, June 18, 2011, 3:03 AM
By Michaelangelo Conte/The Jersey Journal

An arbitrator has dismissed the civil suit brought by a Jersey City man who said he was beaten by police officers responding to his call for help during a suspected burglary at his Heights home in 2007.

?We are pleased with the decision and the city attorneys did a good job presenting the case,? said Police Deputy Chief Peter Nalbach.

The civil suit filed by Mathias Bolton, 37, of Palisade Avenue against Jersey City Police Chief Tom Comey, officers Victor Vargas and Kevin Hill, as well as five other officers, was ?dismissed with prejudice? by arbitrator Alvin Weiss late last month.

Weiss noted in his decision that evidence from seven days of testimony and statements from numerous officers, experts and witnesses was largely of equal strength for the plaintiff and defense.

?Although I recognize the difficulties confronting Bolton in the matter of proofs in this case, that cannot serve as an excuse to the requirement that Bolton had the burden of proving his case by a preponderance of the evidence,? Weiss wrote.

On Aug. 20, 2007, at 10:08 p.m., Bolton called police saying he heard noises on his roof and suspected a burglar. He said he ran downstairs to open the door for police because the doorbell did not work, and when he opened it, he was confronted by plainclothes officers Vargas and Hill, who asked him whether he called police.

Bolton said he thought they were angry accomplices of the burglar and tried to close the door. The officers apparently thought Bolton might be a fleeing burglar, and when he did not respond to their question, they grabbed him.

Bolton said the officers did not have badges exposed and did not identify themselves. He suffered severe bruising to various areas of his body during the struggle that ensued, and said he was beaten, kicked, stepped on, and struck across the back with a night stick.

Weiss said that based on testimony, it was not clear exactly how Bolton received the injuries and that they may have happened when he was dragged off the porch to the sidewalk, or while resisting uniformed officers later.

The officers said they identified themselves and had badges exposed. Key testimony in the civil suit came from a resident who was in front of the building as police arrived. She said an officer turned to ask whether she lived in the building and she saw his badge.

Another piece of evidence Weiss said was important came from the man on the roof, who turned out to have been a resident practicing martial arts. Weiss noted that the man said Bolton continued to resist police even after numerous uniformed officers and marked police cars arrived, and did not cease resisting until handcuffed.

?Although I found Bolton to be in the main a credible witness, the testimony of independent witnesses support the version of Vargas and Hill,? Weiss wrote.

After the incident, police charged Bolton with resisting arrest and two counts of aggravated assault on police officers. Bolton filed criminal charges against Hill and Vargas, alleging assault. Police and Bolton withdrew the criminal charges more than a year ago.

In the civil suit, Bolton sought damages based on allegations of excessive force by police, as well as false arrest, and assault and battery.

Bolton works in Manhattan as director of research for an international labor union and is an adjunct professor of labor relations at Rutgers University. Neither Bolton or his attorney could be reached for comment yesterday.

Jersey City Corporation Counsel Bill Matsikoudis said the civil suit went to arbitration at the request of the plaintiff.

wny's 'old boy' system would make this board write hours of compaints everyday..... mathias better hope the cops involved have zero cuban blood or affiliation to someone in wny with some.

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Coming from you that makes me believe Mathias is likely a saint.

the more and more I read this thread the more I think this mathias guy has ill intentions. This case should be dropped.

Jersey City cops, man who accuses them in beating in court

by Michaelangelo Conte
The Jersey Journal
Tuesday November 25, 2008

http://blog.nj.com/hudsoncountynow_im ... /11/large_bolton-cops.jpg

Matthias Bolton, second from left, appears with his lawyer, John Burke, for a hearing in West New York last month. Jersey City police officers Victor Vargas, far right, and Kevin Hill, third from right, stand with their lawyers, John Young, second from right, and Anthony Iacullo, fourth from right.

The wheels of justice turn slowly, it appears.

The Jersey City man and the two police officers he says beat him while responding to a burglary more than a year ago were in West New York Municipal Court this morning for a brief hearing on the case, and another hearing has been set for next month.

Mathias Bolton, 34, of Palisade Avenue, has accused Jersey City police officers Victor Vargas and Kevin Hill of assaulting him during the Aug. 20, 2007, incident that apears to be a case of mistaken identity.

Bolton faces assault and resisting arrest charges filed by Jersey City police.

Lawyers for both parties met with the judge in chambers for about 10 minutes this morning before the status hearing, where lawyers updated the court on what documents each side needed. Another hearing was set for Dec. 23 at 11 a.m., again in West New York.

Bolton -- who has also filed a civil suit against the officers, the Police Department and the City of Jersey City -- alleges the drama began when he spotted burglars on his roof. When police arrived, Bolton and the police mistook each other for the bad guys.

Bolton says in his lawsuit that he was punched, kicked, thrown down the stairs and dragged along the pavement where he was beaten.

Burglary victim who says cops beat him due in court tomorrow

by Michaelangelo Conte
The Jersey Journal
Monday November 24, 2008

The charges and countercharges in the case of a Jersey City man who says he was beaten by police responding to his call for help during a burglary will be back in court tomorrow, officials said.

Mathias Bolton, 34, of Palisade Avenue, accused Jersey City Police Officers Victor Vargas and Kevin Hill of assaulting him during the Aug. 20, 2007, incident. Bolton, meanwhile, faces assault and resisting arrest charges filed by Jersey City police.

During tomorrow's hearing, in West New York municipal court, the attorneys will go over the status of the discovery process as the prosecutions move forward. The lawyers are gathering information that includes Jersey City police reports, investigation reports and internal affairs reports, as well as reports from the Hudson County Prosecutor's Office's investigation of the incident.

The proceedings began in Jersey City, but the court to move the case from the jurisdiction where the officers are employed.

Bolton, who has also filed a civil suit against the officers, the Police Department and the City of Jersey City, alleges the drama began when he spotted burglars on his roof at a skylight. He called police and ran down for flights to open the front door because there was no doorbell.

When Bolton opened the front door "two men in civilian clothes rushed in and grabbed him and demanded to know whether he called the police," the lawsuit states. Bolton thought it was the burglars, the complaint says. Vargas and Hill apparently thought they had caught a burglar, court documents say.

Bolton didn't answer the officers' question and was punched, kicked, thrown down the stairs and dragged along the pavement where he was beaten, the lawsuit states. The suit also alleges the officers then created false police reports and records to charge Bolton with two counts of aggravated assault on a police officer and resisting arrest.

When Bolton made his first court appearance the charges against him were downgraded and remanded to municipal court. Bolton then filed charges against the officers.

Tomorrow's hearing is scheduled for 9 a.m. before Judge Amarilis Diaz.

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In my opinion, the attacks here on Bolton are helping Bolton, not hurting him.

I think that, assuming that everything Bolton has written is true, the officers were guilty mainly of screwing up royally. If I were their boss, I'd reassign them to desk jobs, but, if I were sitting on a jury, I think I'd be inclined to let them off. I don't think people should go to prison because they do dumb things when they're scared.

But the anti-Bolton posts here make it look as if the police department and folks affiliated with the JCPD are out to wage witch hunts against people who file what seem to be reasonable complaints.

In my opinion, if the people attacking Bolton really are JCPD folks, or are surrogates of those folks, then THAT kind of harassment is the result of premeditated awfulness. I don't know exactly what laws apply to that sort of thing, but I'd be a lot more inclined to vote to convict someone of harassing a complainant than of voting to convict someone who, in the heat of the moment, beat up someone who seemed to be a scary robber.

In desperate times one will resort to attacking ones history or character rather then the facts of a situations.

Lets do some profiling on Bolton to discredit him. I heard if you were a chess player in jnr high that you are likely to be a light-rail fare evader.

This sounds more and more that the cops have something to anwser for, that could include steriod use. I've said long ago, that some officers I had met had all the side effects of its use.

Look up side effects of steriod use yourself !

If I feared for my safety I think I might move to Brooklyn for a while -- maybe you can't but you might sleep better.

Not that it would prove anything about your case -- and it really is none of my business (so feel free to ignore this question) -- but are you the same Mathias Bolton referred to in Joy James' 2003 book entitled; Imprisoned Intellectuals: America's Political Prisoners?

Quote from the book:

"The mid 1990s found White anarchists Neil Batelli and Mathias Bolton collaborating with Black POWs Ojore Lutalo, Sekou Odinga, and Sundiata Acoli which resulted in the transformation of their local New Jersey Anarchist Black Cross into an ABC Federation (ABCF) which now serves a role model of the proper way for organizations to provide principled political and financial support to PP/POWs of all nationalities."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anarchist_Black_Cross_Federation

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anarchist_Black_Cross

Now that the Federal Civil Rights suit has been filed I cannot comment on any of the anonymous allegations being made. I am also personally worried about my safety since my situation is tied in with the steroid scandal currently being investigated within the JCPD. This may be why people who do not know me are posting anonymously here with such vile and passion.

The Hudson County prosecutor's office investigated what happened to me for over a year and upon reviewing the facts decided i did not commit aggravated assault against officers Hill and Vargas. The Prosecutors office also refused to dismiss the criminal charges I filed against those officers.

I would have preferred the facts of the case be presented to a grand jury rather than sent down to judges within the Hudson County municipal system. However with a Federal Civil Rights suit I have a right to a jury trial outside of Hudson County where I will be able to present the facts of what happened to me and the JCPD can also present their conspiracy theories.

Let me make it clear that I'm NOT saying that Mathias is, or ever was, involved with the Anarchist Black Cross -- but reading up on the organization is pretty interesting...

From Wiki:

The Anarchist Black Cross (ABC) commonly contrasts itself with Amnesty International, concerned mainly with prisoners of conscience and refusing to defend those accused of encouraging violence. The ABC openly supports those who have committed illegal activity in furtherance of revolutionary aims that anarchists accept as legitimate.

"We believe, as most Anarchists do, that prisons serve no useful function and should be abolished along with the State. We believe in the abolition of both the prison system and the society which creates it. We believe in direct resistance to achieve a stateless and classless society. We share a commitment to revolutionary Anarchism. We see a real need for Anarchists to be militantly organized."

========
more from Wiki:
========

Thanks in part to the Anarchist Black Cross's Tactical Defense Caucus (which advocates armed self-defense), the ABC has received significant government attention. In his testimony before the Senate Committee on Intelligence in February 2005, Robert Mueller, Director of the FBI, identified the Anarchist Black Cross as a potential threat to national security:

"The potential for violence by anarchists and other emerging revolutionary groups, such as the Anarchist Black Cross Federation (ABCF), will continue to be an issue for law enforcement. The stated goals of the ABCF are "the abolishment of prisons, the system of laws, and the Capitalist state." The ABCF believes in armed resistance to achieve a stateless and classless society. ABCF has continued to organize, recruit, and train anarchists in the tactical use of firearms."

Mathias are you now, or have you ever been a member of the Anarchist Black Cross?

http://www.anarchistblackcross.org

MISSION STATEMENT
of the Anarchist Black Cross

The Anarchist Black Cross Network of the United States is committed to prison abolition and prisoner support. The autonomous collectives that comprise the Network operate through horizontal, consensus-based decision making. We define all prisoners as political prisoners and stand in solidarity with those oppressed by the state. We actively seek to abolish the institutionalized slavery of the Prison Industrial Complex.

As anarchists, we are opposed to all systems of oppression and repression and have concluded that prisons serve no function other than protecting the ruling classes who profit off of them. While incarceration rates continue to rise, our will to resist is strengthened. As we support our locked up sisters and brothers, we offer alternatives to prisons in our own communities. This work is driven by solidarity, not charity.

==================

The Anarchist Black Cross movement respects, encourages and acknowledges a diversity of tactics and autonomy among affiliates. We welcome a variety of perspectives in our tasks in the cause of unity and revolution. Whether your work is primarily around police accountability, political prisoners, youth rights, 'nonpolitical' prisoners fighting for their religious freedoms, earth liberation prisoners, gentrification or community empowerment, recognize that we have a common struggle and get involved.

Loopy? Really though! I think your a sock puppet for Mathias.

Guys found an article and it seems that our poor friend Mathias belongs to or at least had belonged to an anarchist group in the 90\'s. Pasted link below, page 156

http://books.google.com/books?id=EVpI ... resnum=7&ct=result#PPA156,M1

Correct me if I\'m wrong but don\'t anarchists hate the government and its agencies? wouldn\'t the police department be an agency?

I ran a google search on Mr. Bolton and it seems he gave a rave review on Amazon for a book: Lance Armstrong\'s War: One Man\'s... on September 6, 2005. It also seems, un-vetted, that he went on a cycling tour this past August.

Again, I don\'t know who is right or wrong nor do I know who is lying or not, possibly somewhere in between but when I saw his injuries I thought he was in some type of accident with a bicycle or a skateboard. and with minimum research I discovered he may be an anarchist and a cyclist. Now I am not saying that this proves who is right or wrong but it does raise the eyebrows a little. So decide if you want to be a puppet and let around by your nose or do your own research. You guys are passing judgement and have done little to no research and the pathology of his injuries are not consistent with being dragged but more likely a bicycle or skateboard accident.

This will probably be my last post on the topic since it seems that anyone with an un-biased, un-bashing, non anti cop view will be attacked. You really should open the floor to an un-biased discussion without name calling. If you have a degree, it most likely is in the realm of liberal arts i.e. a worthless degree. Myself: RU Finance working on the CFA, oh yeah and a Veteran, USAF. You guys must be left wing liberals and follow the moto of the ACLU: \"Speech is free as long as we agree\"

2sides2story and JCOldschool are obvious sockpuppet douchebag trolls for the 'roid cops. GTFO.

I know the photo is a fake. It's as real as you are.

LOL, I never addressed shill, I literally had no idea what the meaning was and I consider myself well read. However, I did surmise but thought your were being implicit now I know you were very explicit.

I have no horse in this race and just want the truth, you should too. Whatever happened to innocent until proven guilty? The truth will set us all free.

By the way, loved Sarah Palins speech, however, you do know that photo is a fake? just look at her left arm because it is suspiciously darker then her right, for that matter darker then her body as a whole. That picture of Sarah Palin is as curious to me as Mathias Bolton's story.

Sarah Palin for President!

LOL, neither a lawyer nor a cop, wall street. However, I grew up in JC and just want a better JC, especially considering what the homes in decent areas cost and the taxes we pay. When my children reach school age I have to send them to private school so I don't even get the benefit of the taxes I pay then you get some dipsh** trying to conjure up some lawsuit and who gets stuck paying, the good decent people of JC.

To answer your question, I don't know what happened and really didn't know anything about it until I read the article, then I read the posts. So I pulled the past articles and things didn't seem to make sense before I knew who was involved then I saw the pictures and I showed my wife Officer Kevin Hill and told her NO WAY. I decided to do a little research and discuss with a friend of mine and he is in agreement that the story and the injury make no sense. He called a friend, who is a cyclist, to show the picture and get his thought and we were astounded by information received.

Suffice to say, if there is any documentation or pictures of Mathias being a cyclist I will find it and give it to the proper authorities and any newpaper who will publish in relation to this story.

Again, I don't know if the story is true, false, or somewhere in between but something doesn't seem right and I think the good people of JC deserve to know the truth, whether we have to get rid of a few cops or stop a possible bogus lawsuit, effectively robbing the people of JC.

I implore anyone to help find the truth whatever it may be. You may have a relationship with the cops and they may have said something that could be important and aside from what they reported or you may have a relationship with Mathias and he very well could be lying. In either case please come forward because somebody is lying and the only people who will suffer is the good people of JC whether it be through tax dollars paying a frivilous lawsuit (not to mention good cops and their FAMILIES being brought through the ringer and ruining their lives) or having bad cops on the street.

So basically he should've/could've fought back because he could probably take these cops in a fight? They are small guys these two cops? Not real men? But he lost his integrity along the way? And you have determined that he really had a bike accident and just wants easy money by suing the cops? And you figure he would risk serious jail time and the wrath of other cops with a phony lawsuit? Are you a lawyer on the case or a fellow cop? Probably the most obvious SHILL ever to log on JC List.

Casino's and Corporations have cameras and unlimited resources, he wouldn't get away with it. Gotta think like these low lives, God knows I seen enough of them while bartending. The worst people were actually those with money and an education. Percentage wise, I found those with meager upbringing generally had the most intgrity.

I was just speaking with a friend and I was just informed, not sure how true but if he told me this he believes its true, that Mathias is in fact a cyclist, from some friend of a friend, and he in fact did get into a bicycle accident and the kicker is there are newspaper clipping with his picture. I am awaiting confirmation and pictures, if true I will post the pictures, as well as, deliver to the prosecutors office, the police department, internal affairs and of course any and all media outlets who would be willing to publish.

It sounds like you are suggesting that Bolton set-up this situation of phantom burglars just to fight with any cops that arrived, fake the injuries just to scam the cops.

Give me a break, if he was out to scam people he would have fallen over in a Casino or store and sued a corporation with more money to hand out.

The word 'thug' is not tatooed on peoples forehead and isn't stereo-typed to unemployed people - people in uniform can be thugs too. Sorry but the cops story doesn't hold water - They were unprofessional and I believe never identified themselves, otherwise Bolton would have greeted them with open arms.

LOL, please believe me, you would have to see Officer Hill for yourself. I don\'t think Officer Hill would be able to drag him if he weren\'t resisting never mind if he was. If he\'s taking steroids he should get his money back.

A piece of advice my father used to give to me \"Believe half of what you see and none of what you hear\", obviously he wasn\'t the first to say and won\'t be the last.

I truly believe this Mathias is liar and I think he was setting up the cops for a lawsuit. My personal opinion and I make no apologies, my opinion is based on all available evidence provided by the Jersey Journal. Could you imagine if we had all the evidence? The Jersey Journal is a fairly good newspaper but I find it to be extremely biased at times which is why I\'ll be cancelling my subscription.

I think it\'s time, we as a community, stand up against bad cops but also stand up against people who have lost their integrity. Mathias, in my opinion, has lost his integrity, he was probably a latch key kid, divorced parents whatever but it is quite clear, for reasons stated previously, that he is a liar who lost his integrity along the way. The ends do not justify the means, so if he became a liar and lost his integrity to make point, most likely to get money from a lawsuit, he is the one who should be jailed and sued. I have literally seen people get arrested and claim police brutality and witnesses actually backed them up (I use to bar tend while in school). We will never weed out the bad cops, nor will anyone truly believe when you have a little man (meaning his integrity and I question him as a man in general) claim police brutality when he is obviously lying. Anyone who looks at what the Jersey Journal reported and take into account the pictures, know he\'s lying no matter how biased the articles were written.

Regardless of what is said or written his injuries are not consistent with the rhetoric. If he were attacked by 4 to 6 cops with at least one being on steroids he wouldn\'t have injuries consistent with a bicycle or skate board accident he would have broken bones such as a rib, cheek, nose not scrapes. In addition, did this \"man\" keep his arms at his side when he was being dragged, lol, was he a soldier at attenton while being dragged? Come on, please!

Lets go after the bad cops and leave the good cops alone, I think Jersey City would be worse off without OFFICER KEVIN HILL, my experience and Interactions with Officer Hill have been a wonderful experience and I said it before and I\'ll say it again - Jersey City needs more cops like Officer Hill

Quote:

Those cops look fit enough and they would be going into any situation "hopped-up" a bit and ready for trouble. Perhaps they were using steroids in an attempt to look more intimidating. Either way you come across as a bit of a shill for the cops. Sorry.

I have had my run ins with bad cops, traffic offenses, and even seen cops lie while testifying against me, again traffic violations but this story makes no sense to me.

I have seen Officer Hill several times in Uniform and he actually helped me out a couple of times and responded to a call I made to the police, so when I read the article I chuckled at the descriptions Mathias used. He is hands down a great guy and I have never met a nicer cop. I never saw Officer Hill with the other cop but it looks like he is smaller than Officer Hill and believe me Officer Hill is not physically imposing, maybe between 5\'6 and 5\'8 and between 120lbs and 150lbs. Regardless of size, it was my pleasure to deal with Officer Hill and I even told my wife that there should be more cops like him, JC would be a better place. That being said I have my doubts and looking at the injuries to Mathias, from the Jersey Journal, I can\'t help but to wonder:

1) Why are the injuries on his side, if they were dragging him wouldn\'t they be on his back or chest? Wouldn\'t the injuries be more consistant of the scrapes were under his armsor hands, I mean really his injuries are not consistant with being dragged the way Mathias said

2) I like to hit the trails on my mountain bike and the only time I have witnessed injuries like his is when someone wiped out on their bike. If I knew Mathias and didn\'t know his story I would have asked him how did he wipe out.

If I were the police I would try to date his injuries. Unfortunately, having met Officer Hill, my knowledge of riding trails, and the pathology of the injuries sustained my personal opinion is this:

Mathias is a liar, his injuries either came from going down on a bike, skate board, snow board, or ski\'s and if he thinks officer Hill is intimidating he really should move out of Jersey City

Quote:

But Bolton has posted in this thread (or somewhere else in this thread), and it seems as if friends of his have also posted here and described him as being an ordinary, sane guy.

He seems to have a good union organizing job, and my understanding is that he's the son or nephew (sorry, my memory is cloudy and I don't remember which) of a police officer.

I can believe that he and the police officers simply ended up in a horrible situation because of a bad misunderstanding, not because anyone had bad intentions, but I don't think he's lying or trying to milk money out of the police department.

On the other hand: I don't necessarily think the police officers are necessarily lying, either. Maybe they were just really scared and remember what happened differently than Bolton does. Even if they did screw up, maybe they screwed up because they were scared to death.