The debut Streetfilms Shortie caught an errant scooter blocking a bike lane. This time it's New York's Finest, camped out in the Manhattan Bridge bike path at Canal and Chrystie.

A half-step forward, two steps back.

May's Bike Month Critical Mass reportedly drew more participants than usual, and NYPD responded by handing out a passel of trumped-up summonses. No surprise there, but as this video (from glassbeadian via Gothamist) shows, officers on scooters went so far as to follow riders down the Hudson River Greenway.

Barbara Ross of Time's Up thinks police may have been acting in retaliation to recent movement on the long-standing Five Borough Bike Club lawsuit to overturn the parade permit requirement for bike rides of 50 or more cyclists. Check the Gothamist post for another vid that features scooter cops picking out which cyclists to harass.

Manhattan Avenue minutes after the deadly crash. (Image: Greenpoint Gazette)

The NYPD continues to dispute eyewitness accounts of the events that preceded the vehicle-on-pedestrian collision that took the life of Violetta Kryzak, a 38-year-old mother and Greenpoint resident.

Despite the statements of three separate eyewitnesses stationed several blocks from one another who claim that at least one police vehicle was following the speeding white mini-van that struck and killed Kryzak, the 94th Precinct’s commanding officer maintains that a police pursuit did not occur.

At a precinct community council meeting last week, Deputy Inspector Dennis Fulton said that he can only go on what witnesses say, but that he has "no indication that [a police-pursuit] happened."

Streetsblog contacted the NYPD's Public Information Office for clarification about the contradiction between eyewitness accounts of the day’s events and Deputy Inspector Fulton’s understanding of what occurred. "Everybody’s going to say something," said a spokesperson.

The family of Violetta Kryzak has secured legal representation. A private investigator hired by the family’s lawyers is conducting interviews and searching for surveillance cameras that may have caught the alleged chase on tape.

The NYPD’s Internal Affairs Bureau also has an investigation underway, said Fulton.

"Have placard-bearing drivers begun their own reclaiming of reclaimed public space?"

That is the question posed by Streetsblogger ddartley, who last week snapped these photos of a city government vehicle parked in the new Madison Square pedestrian plaza. He got just close enough to spot the placard behind the windshield when:

This guy wearing some sort of NYPD uniform showed up and got in and drove off. Okay, it's not like he was committing murder or anything, but every time a cop breaks a law for all to see, it's just a little more poison in the world. This suggests that even after these fancy new pedestrian-only plazas have been built, they are under threat from being parked on by placard-bearing NYC employees who remain, at least as far as parking, 100% completely above the law. Well, for now!

It's surprising, really, that it's taken this long for such behavior to come to light. What can, or what should, DOT do to nip it in the bud?

Off-duty police officers have been using the Pelham Bay Park walking/running trails in order to avoid traffic. They barrel through the park at a high rate of speed. Twice I was almost run over while jogging, and once I was cursed at when I put my hands up. My friend asked a Parks Dept. employee about it. She told us that they were off-duty cops and that there was nothing that they could do about it. Couldn't they install bollards or something?

Streetsblog has a message in with NYPD. The Parks Department had no comment.

Anyone else witnessed this?

Photo: E. Kuzina/Flickr

This just in from T.A.: 

I just received a call from a very angry member informing me that there are three groups of cops at the Manhattan exit of the Williamsburg Bridge who are pulling over and summonsing every cyclist exiting the bridge. If anyone happens to be headed that direction a) be careful and b) try and grab an image. According to the member, they’ve got cyclists waiting in lines to receive their summonses. 

The official account of the incident, which was witnessed by dozens of people, would almost certainly have gone unchallenged if not for a video that surfaced on YouTube, drawing over a million views and making news across the country. Said Long's attorney, David B. Rankin:

"We're just very lucky this videotape surfaced, and we're very thankful the DA's office did the right thing in dropping these charges."

"This was a case where the officer's sworn testimony was contradicted by the videotape," Rankin said. "It raises serious questions about other cases that don't have the luxury of a videotape."

Times Up! noted the disparity between police treatment of mass rides in Manhattan and Brooklyn, and called for an end to the city's schizoid behavior toward cycling in general:

"Time's Up! is thrilled by this victory in court and we remain positive that this decision will convince the Mayor and the NYPD to treat the Manhattan Critical Mass ride in non-violent and sensible matter similar to how they currently treat the monthly Critical Mass Ride in Brooklyn," said Judy Ross, Time's Up! spokesperson. "Time's Up! also demands that Mayor Bloomberg immediately instruct the NYPD that bicyclists are part of every day traffic and that the increase of bicycling is a positive trend that the city recognizes and is accommodating."

Rankin said Long has not decided whether he will sue the city. Meanwhile, the Daily News says the PD is "still investigating" the incident. Pogan was placed on desk duty.

Words fail when watching this clip of an NYPD officer forcibly knocking a Critical Mass rider to the pavement last Friday. The assault was caught on video by a bystander in Times Square. Compounding the injustice, reports Gothamist, is what happened next:

A representative for TIMES UP! tells us that the cyclist in this video was arrested, held for 26 hours, and charged with attempted assault and resisting arrest.

Mark Taylor, an attorney with the firm representing the cyclist, says he is hopeful the charges will be dropped in light of the video evidence. Asked whether the NYPD plans to go ahead with the charges, a department spokesman said the matter is being investigated. Since the video surfaced, the officer has been put on desk duty.

The Reverend Al Sharpton, the family of Sean Bell, and an all-star cast of civil liberties advocates joined cyclists in Union Square last Friday for one of the more anticipated Critical Mass rides in recent memory. The gathering, which filled up the south end of the park, came three weeks after the Reverend led hundreds of supporters in an attempt to shut down major bridges and tunnels, protesting the acquittal of the officers who shot and killed Bell.

After a roster of speakers addressed topics ranging from parade rules to police violence to gay marriage, Sharpton tied up the disparate strands with a call for mutual support in the face of NYPD misconduct:

When we can come together as Critical Mass, if we can ride together, if we can protest together, we can make this city livable for everybody together. This is the picture they don't want to see -- people of all ages and all backgrounds and all races that will stand together. Because as long as they can play one community against each other, they get through the middle. It's when we gather as historically has happened at Union Square that the powers that be have to turn and buckle... When you demand the right to ride, that is all Sean Bell was doing that night, is trying to ride. And we are going to work together to have a critical mass in this city, where we can ride in justice.

The question is: What is wrong with the morals of a city that thinks there's something wrong with men going home from their bachelor's party? They're suspect. But it's the same mentality that tells us we can't gather in a square or a park, and read and talk and discuss.

After Sharpton's remarks, Sean Bell's father, William Bell, said what must have been on many people's minds: "I really came to see Reverend Al ride that bike." Sharpton didn't disappoint, eschewing a pedicab that had been reserved for him in favor of his own ride. With the way clogged by photographers, Sharpton got off to a halting start before hitting his stride and riding a circuit from 14th Street, down Fifth Avenue to 12th Street, and back up University Place to the square.

Before the event got underway, I had a minute to speak with civil rights attorney Norman Siegel, who has been involved in the Sean Bell case and in the defense of cyclists' rights. I asked Siegel what he saw as the link between the two.

"There's a huge difference between Critical Mass and Sean Bell," he said, "but there is a need for oversight of the NYPD. When the police abuse the civil rights of Sean Bell, and when they abuse the rights of cyclists, there's common ground." He outlined three steps that could serve as unifying goals: having a permanent special prosecutor for police conduct (currently, NYPD lawyers prosecute cops); putting some more teeth in the Civilian Complaint Review Board; and improving the training of police officers.

On this last point, he said: "This job is so stressful, after 10 or 12 years, you could have someone ready to explode... the cop loses it in some situations. In the Sean Bell situation, they could have handled it differently. And it's the same here. With bicyclists, they're hostile, they grab 'em. There has to be better training."

As for the ride itself, the police showed no inclination to start changing their standard approach to Critical Mass. "There were a lot of tickets given for not having lights and not being in bike lanes," said Mark Taylor, an attorney with FreeWheels, the group that organized the rally. "Those aren't real tickets."

Nicole Bell, Sean Bell's widow, addresses the crowd.

The crowd filled up most of the south end of Union Square.

Reverend Al gets ready to ride.

Video: Jen Chung / Gothamist

Photos: Ben Fried

The Daily News today has the sickening story of an off-duty NYPD officer beating an NYPD traffic agent for ticketing his girlfriend's illegally parked car in the Bronx. The capper: the agent was reportedly cuffed and taken to the precinct, while the cop he says assaulted him has not been charged with a felony, though the state just adopted a law stiffening penalties for attacks on traffic agents.

"If the NYPD doesn't show respect to us, what will happen with regular civilians?" said Traffic Agent Eric Celemi.

Celemi, 29, says Officer Eladro Mata beat him bloody last month after he ticketed the double-parked car in the Bronx.

Mata has been stripped of his badge and gun, but not charged with a felony, despite a law signed last month by Gov. Paterson that makes assaulting a traffic cop a crime punishable by up to seven years in prison.

Celemi contends he was not only beaten, but then hauled off to the 48th Precinct stationhouse in handcuffs for following his traffic supervisor's order to remain at the scene and wait for an ambulance.

Shocked and bleeding from the ear, Celemi was jeered by the crowd as an NYPD lieutenant ordered him cuffed.

"I had been writing tickets and people standing on the street were applauding when I got arrested," Celemi said.

"I always try to treat people in a nice way but I understand people don't like traffic agents. I knew that before I got the job and I learned it even more now."

Not that this is news to Streetsbloggers, but the emotional intensity that seems to be part and parcel of car ownership is as frightening as it is mind-boggling. (Full disclosure: recovering auto addict here.) Officer Celemi's story -- particularly the part about onlookers cheering as he was led away -- brought to mind the "Parking Wars" reality show, a chronicle of the incessant abuse parking agents take at the hands of self-righteous motorists. But it also reminded me of the reaction to the suspension of alternate side parking in Park Slope: not only the near-orgasmic response from drivers, but the portrayal by the media (the Times in particular) of the city's free parking culture as a charming New York quirk, rather than a toxic, destructive, borderline diagnosable obsession.

Of course, in the case of Officer Mata, what can we expect at the precinct level when the air of entitlement wafts down from above. In 2004, NYPD Transportation Department Chief Michael Scagnelli had an agent suspended for ticketing his unmarked SUV. At least she wasn't beaten and arrested, too.

Photo: Too Many Notes/Flickr

As the City Council takes up legislation to lift NYPD rules against public assembly, cyclists and advocates will hold a rally and press conference before tonight's Critical Mass ride.

From BikeBlog:

Critical Mass participants will be joined by a diverse group of videographers, artists, activists and politicians outraged over NYPD regulatory constraints on the civil liberties of New Yorkers. Prominent speakers from the community will participate in the "Still We Speak" rally to denounce the NYPD's First Amendment abuses, including the parade permit rules which limit the number of people who can legally assemble in a public place.

In addition to the council bill, the police department also faces a suit brought by the Five Borough Bike Club. For you legal types, here is a plaintiff's motion citing arbitrary and discriminatory enforcement by the NYPD, as illustrated in the video, along with notes and summonses from the July 2007 Critical Mass. In footage to be shown at tonight's event, officers are seen roughing up and detaining citizens for taking pictures and video of police action in Times Square during the March 2007 ride.

Tonight's events start at Union Square North at 7:00 p.m.

Video: rusticumjudicium/YouTube

City Council Member Rosie Mendez has introduced a bill to overturn the NYPD's parade permit rules, which require groups of over 50 to obtain a permit before assembling. Enacted a year ago, the rules were seen as a way for the city to subvert Critical Mass rides and have been the subject of civil rights action and at least one lawsuit.

Mendez, along with Alan Gerson and Gale Brewer, were to introduce the "First Amendment Assembly Act" yesterday. According to a media release, the bill [PDF] "decriminalizes parading without a permit and allows groups that need exceptions to various laws, such as traffic laws, to obtain such for their events."

Streetsblog has posted consistently on how the NYPD seems more intent on harassing cyclists than protecting them. And just last week Commissioner Ray Kelly got an earful from citizens who are fed up with unsafe conditions for cyclists and pedestrians.

The full press release from Mendez follows the jump.

COUNCIL MEMBER MENDEZ INTRODUCES BILL TO PROTECT THE FIRST AMENDMENT RIGHT TO ASSEMBLE

Wednesday March 26th 2008

At today's Stated City Council meeting, Council Member Rosie Mendez (District 2, Manhattan), along with Council Members Alan Gerson and Gale Brewer, will introduce a bill to balance the NYPD's duty to ensure public safety with citizens' right to free assembly. If enacted into law, the bill will override the parade permit rules adopted by the NYPD a year ago which were created without City Council oversight and require any group of 50 or more to obtain a permit. Currently, anyone in such a group without a permit is subject to arrest.

A copy of the legislation being introduced can be downloaded from the Assemble For Rights NYC website:
http://www.assembleforrightsnyc.org/files/a4r/legal/parade_bill_final_draft.doc

"Groups wishing to assemble and stay within the limits of the law should not be required to obtain a permit; the First Amendment is our permit" stated Council Member Mendez. "Larger assemblies that want the police to
assist in managing traffic along their route and ensure security should be able to apply for a permit through a fair and transparent process. This bill sets forth clear guidelines for each instance."

The First Amendment Assembly Act, based on legislation drafted by the civil rights advocacy group Assemble For Rights NYC, decriminalizes parading without a permit and allows groups that need exceptions to various laws, such as traffic laws, to obtain such for their events.

A parade permit will not be required when:
* A group believes their proposed assembly will not prevent other lawful uses of the same city public space and the expected attendance of the assembly will be less than 100, or
* The assembly is an immediate and spontaneous response to an event.

The Act also sets forth guidelines for the NYPD to facilitate peaceful assemblies even when a group should have obtained a permit but did not. Furthermore, the Act also encourages calmer resolutions to assemblies which become too difficult for the NYPD to facilitate: these guidelines include providing clearly communicated dispersal orders and reasonable opportunities to disperse before making any arrests.

The Act is similar to rules which were created to govern assemblies in Washington D.C. in the wake of mass arrests that eventually cost D.C. millions in civil penalties. D.C.'s laws have successfully reduced tensions between police and citizens there, and significantly reduced that city's legal liability to wrongful arrest civil suits, while ensuring public safety.

Assemble For Rights NYC (http://assembleforrightsnyc.org), is a coalition of over two dozen organizations dedicated to keeping free speech alive and well in New York City.

Photo: Doug Letterman/Flickr

This evening around 8pm I was biking home down 2nd Avenue in the bike lane. I had a front light, back light, a bell, and was wearing a helmet. At St. Marks Place I came to a red light and stopped. When the light went green, I went straight, only to be struck by a minivan making a left hand turn, throwing me and my bicycle to the ground, and the minivan continuing to roll over my front wheel, then stop directly upon it -- successfully crushing my fork and mutilating my front wheel.

They stopped, and after checking myself out to realize I was physically fine, I asked about being compensated for the damage. In their eyes there was no damage. Knowing its important to report such an accident so that its on official record and could possibly be used to better the infrastructure to prevent such accidents, I called the police. At that moment the minivan driver became completely uncooperative and felt as though i was wasting her time.

The cops came, said they could issue no tickets because they did not see it with their own eyes, and informed me they could only take a report. They then said, to receive a copy of the report, I have to go to the precinct and pay $10. The cops make it seem like I was wasting their time as well, and almost implying to the driver that she had nothing to worry about.

Jessica

The first NYPD harassment story comes from the Bronx where the police officers summonsed at least two cyclists for using the well-lit Mosholu-Pelham Greenway after dark. The Greenway runs through Van Cortlandt Park which, technically, is closed after dusk. The Riverdale Press has the story and one of the ticketed cyclists, he only wants to be identified as Rich, adds the following:

There are no signs on the Greenway that say the park closes at dusk. The Parks Department says that the Greenway is exempt from the curfew, but the NYPD is making up its own rules. Now I don’t use the Greenway after dark, because I don’t want to get hassled by NYPD simply for biking home. Even though the lights along the path are lit all night, the NYPD has made the Greenway unusable for evening commutes.

The second report was actually found in the used bike section of Craigslist on Tuesday morning. Listed for sale at $1 on the Lower East Side was the following:

Cops are ticketing bikers at Delancey
Reply to: sale-595068813@craigslist.org
Date: 2008-03-04, 9:50AM EST

Cops were flagging down people coming off of the Williamsburg bridge and ticketing them for running red lights this morning. I just thought I'd put the word out.

One enterprising Craiglister responded to the ad and here's what he was told by the "seller:"

The cop informed me that this summer they may be looking to 'crack down' on bikers more. Just to make a point, I'm going to court to protest the ticket I received. The whole thing is just really silly; they want people to bike more, they do not provide "safe" bike lanes, and they punish people who bike. In order to bike safely in the city, you must break regular traffic laws. How they expect any biker to get across Delancey in morning rush hour from the far left lane (where there is no bike lane or shoulder) to the right without running a red light when the rest of traffic has stopped is beyond me. None of this is helping in the "us vs. them" divide between those driving cars and cyclists. About 3 other bikers and I were standing with the cop, and I have to say, it was refreshing that no one had a terrible attitude. Biking puts people in a better mood.

Related:

• 11/27/07: NYPD Emerges as New Focus for NYC's Livable Streets Movement. 
• 10/10/07: Is Transportation Reform Possible When the Cops Don't Care?
  
• 6/5/07: NYPD Bike Raid Nets Bikes and Bystanders.
  

A commenter on Uncivilservants.org noticed that Mayor Bloomberg's attempt to reign in parking permit abuse is already being met with some good old-fashioned NYPD blowback:

Posted on Fri, Jan 25 2008 at 10:49 PM

Found on the Rant: "The new placards are slowly circulating to individual mos and all that has changed is the addition of small lettering stating "IF YOU SEE THIS CAR PARKED ILLEGALLY CALL 311". If this is the best the feeble mayor can do to piss the PBA off then he is ill prepared. This is nothing that 2 generic PBA Cards (the ones that say PBA where the shield number should be) can't solve. Just place one over each area on the placard that advertises your command and BADDA BING, 311 is nullified. If on the off chance that a summons is issued just visit the delegate of the issuing command and have him pull the summons. CASE CLOSED!

Interesting side note: Dad got his newly minted placard before I did and he has been retired over 2 yrs. So much for the mayor's new rules. Cops taking care of cops; now thats the way it should be."

Mere mortals, meanwhile, are reminded that DOT continues its series of public workshops (tonight in Queens and tomorrow in Brooklyn) to address parking in neighborhoods that may be affected by congestion pricing. One non-car owner can make a big difference at these workshops. Please check the calendar for more information.

Photo of NYPD "Sidewalk Nibbler" via Uncivil Servants 

Police in Bangkok, however, recognize that allowing officers to commit minor transgressions potentially leads to breakdowns in force discipline and more significant corruption. As such, they've developed a new form of punishment for officers who can't seem to follow the rules. Can you imagine what NYPD Rant would have to say about this? The BBC reports:

Police chiefs in the Thai capital, Bangkok, have come up with a new way of punishing officers who break the rules -- an eye-catching Hello Kitty armband.

The armband is large, bright pink and has a Hello Kitty motif with two hearts embroidered on it.

From today, officers who are late, park in the wrong place or commit other minor transgressions will have to wear it for several days.

The armband is designed to shame the wearer, police officials said.

"This is to help build discipline. We should not let small offences go unnoticed," Police Colonel Pongpat Chayapan told Reuters news agency.

"Guilty officers will be made to wear the armbands in the office for a few days, with instructions not to disclose their offences. Let people guess what they have done," he said.

Further offences would be dealt with using a more traditional disciplinary panel, he said.

"He made a claim that he passed out, that he suffered a stroke," Thompson says. Smiley missed his initial court appearance because, according to his attorney, he was in the hospital.

As Smiley provides medical records to the authorities, Miller's parents, Ivan and Patricia, continue to wait it out from their home in Appleton, Wisconsin.

"To me it's a little, 'disconcerting' I think would be the term, that it takes so long," says Mr. Miller, speaking with Streetsblog before Thanksgiving. Some six weeks after Hope was killed, the Millers had yet to receive a report from the NYPD, for which they had to mail in $10. Miller says it took almost a month before they learned the results of Smiley's blood test -- negative for drugs and alcohol, according to police. Himself a science teacher, Miller doesn't understand how a relatively simple procedure could take so much time.

But Mr. Miller isn't angry. To the contrary, he goes out of his way to compliment the city agencies working Hope's case. The medical examiner, he says, was quick to inform them of Hope's autopsy results. And Miller clearly doesn't envy the job of New York police detectives, who he says have been very attentive.

"They're busy folks, I know," Miller says. "It wasn't that they weren't trying to help. It's just that whatever the channels are, they're just slow."

As of now, little else is known -- at least publicly -- about where the case is headed.

"What's happening," says Thompson, "is there is an investigation into what was actually happening when this woman was killed."

Once the Police Department concludes its work, the DA's office will decide what charges, if any, to pursue against Smiley.

"Initially it was aggravating," says Mr. Miller. "You wish it was faster, but I'm not in control of that. So that's the way it is.

"For me, it's hard," he adds, his voice breaking, "because I'd like to know."

With their rampant illegal parking, refusal to enforce basic traffic laws and unwillingness to treat pedestrian injuries and fatalities with any level of seriousness, the Police Department is establishing itself as the New York City government agency most in need of Livable Streets reform (is that cheering I hear coming out of DOT headquarters?) Close to the top of the list of things that need to change: The way that the NYPD treats cyclists.

A few weeks ago we caught blogger Robert Jones' story of being harassed and detained by police in Brooklyn for momentarily riding his bicycle on a sidewalk to avoid being hit by a city bus. While the police action was obviously excessive, riding a bike on the sidewalk is, technically, illegal so what are you going to do? If the cops are looking for an excuse to stop you, riding on the sidewalk will do the trick.

Now another story of NYPD cyclist harassment comes along and this one appears to be completely unjustified. Abby King is Transportation Alternatives' generally law-abiding 23-year-old bookkeeper and membership coordinator. This is what she says happened to her on Wednesday, November 14:

Today I was harassed by four plainclothes cops and summonsed for disorderly conduct while riding down the Second Avenue bicycle lane in the East Village obeying all traffic laws. I was riding the T.A. Xtracycle and was forced into traffic by a black sedan parked in the bike lane. As I passed by I said, “Bike lane!”

The car, driving in the bike lane, followed me and forced me to stop by sandwiching me against the lane of parked cars. A plainclothes police officer jumped out of the sedan and began writing me a ticket. He claimed that I kicked his car as I passed him. But the Xtracycle is giant and difficult to maneuver. It would have been near impossible for me to kick their car and still keep my balance. The officer did not put his name on the ticket and wrote “Refused” in the line where I was supposed to put my signature.

After handing me the ticket the officer ran back to the car and sped off. I caught up to them at the next light and again asked for their badge numbers and told them that they had mistakenly written “refused” on the signature line (they never asked me for my signature). Both the driver and the ticketing officer again refused to give me their names or badge numbers and drove off.

Pathetic. If you believe that you were harassed by police or ticketed unfairly while riding, tell TA about it. 

My head started to pound. I was terrified. Were they going to arrest us for riding our bikes on the sidewalk for less than ten seconds? I'm not a Christian but my Jesus! Was I dressed "inappropriately?" Did I look like a thug? Did we look like criminals? Did we resemble some other black people they were looking for? Maybe we should've worn bike gear: helmets; knee pads; elbow pads; tight, non-threatening biker pants. Were we smiling? Maybe we should've smiled? Or maybe not.

Jones and his partner have court dates at the end of January. We'll follow up then.

Photo: Robert Jones, Jr.'s Blogger profile

A police captain who admitted having a forbidden affair with an officer under his command was convicted yesterday of brutally beating her on a Greenwich Village street.

The jury in State Supreme Court in Manhattan found the captain, Alberto Sanchez, guilty of third-degree assault, a misdemeanor, after about three hours of deliberation. It acquitted him of a second misdemeanor charge, that of unlawful imprisonment.

He faces up to a year in jail at his sentencing on Oct. 18. For now, he is on modified duty and could face departmental disciplinary charges and possible dismissal, according to a police spokesman.

Prosecutors said that Captain Sanchez, 42, a 15-year veteran of the police force, and his accuser, Officer Sharon Gandarilla, 33, a nine-year veteran, had a sexual affair that was at first consensual but turned abusive.

In the confrontation that led to the trial, Captain Sanchez dragged Officer Gandarilla out of a retirement party at a restaurant on Broadway last Sept. 1, forced her into her car and punched and kicked her, because he thought she had been flirting with another officer, the prosecution said.

Witnesses said that Officer Gandarilla was beaten by the driver of her car, he noted. Captain Sanchez testified that during the party, he took the keys to Officer Gandarilla’s car to get an official parking plaque from her glove compartment for a fellow officer to use, even though they were not on official business.

“At no point did we ever see the keys being returned, so he must have been the driver of the car,” Mr. Schlough said.

Also, he said, Officer Gandarilla must have known her assailant, or she would have cried for help instead of accepting the beating, as witnesses described.