Diop Kamau
Encyclopedia
Diop Kamau is an American Civil Rights activist, founder and executive director of the Police Complaint Center in Washington D.C. The Center, founded 1994, investigates and works to resolve instances of police misconduct, neglect, or abuse. He is married to the actress Tyra Ferrell
http://diopkamau.name/Diop_Kamau/Diop_Kamau--msk.html. Born in Los Angeles, California
, Kamau is a former decorated Police Sergeant Detective with the Hawthorne, California
Police Department who resolved to go undercover and expose racism and brutality by some police officers after his 65-year-old father—a Sheriff's Deputy—was pulled over and brutalized by police in 1988, with police claiming they had mistaken him for a 25-year-old robbery suspect.
Today, Kamau and his organization work to address instances of misconduct regardless of whether racism
is involved. The organization is not anti-police and makes a point of commending "good cops", and offering online instruction programs for instructors of law enforcement officers. The Police Complaint Center continues to expand operations, including via the PoliceAbuse.com Radio program and the InmateAbuse.tv program for investigating complaints of prisoner abuse. The Police Complaint Center works with various public and private organizations sharing its Civil Rights
Law Enforcement
agenda, such as the United States Department of Justice
. On April 15, 2009, Kamau and the Police Complaint Center cooperated with West Hartford, Connecticut
police to peacefully resolve a standoff between the city's S.W.A.T.
team and an agitated suspect. In its own report of the incident http://www.policeabuse.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=727, The Police Complaint Center commends the Hartford Connecticut police:
Alternately, the Police Complaint Center publishes online a description of The Dirty Dozen, a short list of police officials which the organization claims have especially violated the public trust. The epithet is reference to a 1967 anti-Nazi World War II
film The Dirty Dozen
.
Two of the higher-profile investigations of police misconduct in Kamau's career involve incidents in 1989 and 2006. On January 15, 1989, the eve of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Kamau pretended to be a nondescript driver in the "posh Westwood Village
area of Los Angeles". He was evidently pulled over for "driving while black
" by a white police officer, and after he repeatedly asked the detaining officer why he'd been stopped, the officer rushed Kamau and slammed his head through a plate glass window, not realizing the entire scene was being videotaped. The incident and other details of Kamau's career have been depicted and discussed with him in episodes of NBC's Today Show, CBS
's 60 Minutes
, Dateline NBC
, ABC's 20/20, CNN
and numerous other local and national television news programs. More recently, an undercover operative for the Police Complaint Center appears to have had his head slammed into a plate glass partition at the Independence, Missouri Police Department late on March 24, 2006, after anonymously requesting a police complaint form. The incident was also captured on video camera, and was widely broadcast to the public by KCTV
-5, the CBS
affiliate in Kansas City, Missouri
.
Tyra Ferrell
-Career:She appeared in Jungle Fever , which starred Wesley Snipes and Annabella Sciorra. She also had roles in films such as Boyz n the Hood , White Men Can't Jump , and Poetic Justice...
http://diopkamau.name/Diop_Kamau/Diop_Kamau--msk.html. Born in Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
, Kamau is a former decorated Police Sergeant Detective with the Hawthorne, California
Hawthorne, California
Hawthorne is a city in southwestern Los Angeles County, California. The city at the 2010 census had a population of 84,293, up from 84,112 at the 2000 census.-Geography:...
Police Department who resolved to go undercover and expose racism and brutality by some police officers after his 65-year-old father—a Sheriff's Deputy—was pulled over and brutalized by police in 1988, with police claiming they had mistaken him for a 25-year-old robbery suspect.
Today, Kamau and his organization work to address instances of misconduct regardless of whether racism
Racism
Racism is the belief that inherent different traits in human racial groups justify discrimination. In the modern English language, the term "racism" is used predominantly as a pejorative epithet. It is applied especially to the practice or advocacy of racial discrimination of a pernicious nature...
is involved. The organization is not anti-police and makes a point of commending "good cops", and offering online instruction programs for instructors of law enforcement officers. The Police Complaint Center continues to expand operations, including via the PoliceAbuse.com Radio program and the InmateAbuse.tv program for investigating complaints of prisoner abuse. The Police Complaint Center works with various public and private organizations sharing its Civil Rights
Civil rights
Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from unwarranted infringement by governments and private organizations, and ensure one's ability to participate in the civil and political life of the state without discrimination or repression.Civil rights include...
Law Enforcement
Law enforcement agency
In North American English, a law enforcement agency is a government agency responsible for the enforcement of the laws.Outside North America, such organizations are called police services. In North America, some of these services are called police while others have other names In North American...
agenda, such as the United States Department of Justice
United States Department of Justice
The United States Department of Justice , is the United States federal executive department responsible for the enforcement of the law and administration of justice, equivalent to the justice or interior ministries of other countries.The Department is led by the Attorney General, who is nominated...
. On April 15, 2009, Kamau and the Police Complaint Center cooperated with West Hartford, Connecticut
West Hartford, Connecticut
West Hartford is a town located in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. The town was incorporated in 1854. Prior to that date, the town was a parish of Hartford....
police to peacefully resolve a standoff between the city's S.W.A.T.
S.W.A.T.
- S.W.A.T. 1 :Date: October 4, 2006Location: VilniusResults: Valentine Bagdonavicius defeated Richard Damanskas by KO Gediminas Bielskis defeated Mantas Kuslin by KO Saulius Poltanavicius vs Aivaras Juska Draw...
team and an agitated suspect. In its own report of the incident http://www.policeabuse.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=727, The Police Complaint Center commends the Hartford Connecticut police:
Alternately, the Police Complaint Center publishes online a description of The Dirty Dozen, a short list of police officials which the organization claims have especially violated the public trust. The epithet is reference to a 1967 anti-Nazi World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
film The Dirty Dozen
The Dirty Dozen
The Dirty Dozen is a 1967 film directed by Robert Aldrich and released by MGM. It was filmed in England and features an ensemble cast, including Lee Marvin, Ernest Borgnine, Charles Bronson, Jim Brown, John Cassavetes, Telly Savalas, and Robert Webber. The film is based on E. M...
.
Two of the higher-profile investigations of police misconduct in Kamau's career involve incidents in 1989 and 2006. On January 15, 1989, the eve of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Kamau pretended to be a nondescript driver in the "posh Westwood Village
Westwood Village, Los Angeles, California
Westwood Village is the main shopping and commercial center of the Westwood district in the City of Los Angeles, California. It is located north of Wilshire Boulevard, east of Gayley Avenue, south of Le Conte Avenue, and west of Hilgard Avenue.-History:...
area of Los Angeles". He was evidently pulled over for "driving while black
Driving While Black
Driving While Black, abbreviated as DWB, is a phrase in the contemporary American vernacular that refers to the criminalization of black drivers. An alternate phrase, Driving While Brown, is more encompassing, referring to the crime of being a non-Caucasian driver.-Derivation:"Driving While Black"...
" by a white police officer, and after he repeatedly asked the detaining officer why he'd been stopped, the officer rushed Kamau and slammed his head through a plate glass window, not realizing the entire scene was being videotaped. The incident and other details of Kamau's career have been depicted and discussed with him in episodes of NBC's Today Show, CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
's 60 Minutes
60 Minutes
60 Minutes is an American television news magazine, which has run on CBS since 1968. The program was created by producer Don Hewitt who set it apart by using a unique style of reporter-centered investigation....
, Dateline NBC
Dateline NBC
Dateline NBC, or Dateline, is a U.S. weekly television newsmagazine broadcast by NBC. It previously was NBC's flagship news magazine, but now focuses on true crime stories. It airs Friday at 9 p.m. EST and after football season on Sunday at 7 p.m. EST.-History:Dateline is historically notable for...
, ABC's 20/20, CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
and numerous other local and national television news programs. More recently, an undercover operative for the Police Complaint Center appears to have had his head slammed into a plate glass partition at the Independence, Missouri Police Department late on March 24, 2006, after anonymously requesting a police complaint form. The incident was also captured on video camera, and was widely broadcast to the public by KCTV
KCTV
KCTV channel 5 is the CBS-affiliated television station for the Kansas City Metropolitan Area that is licensed to the Missouri side. Owned by the Meredith Corporation, the station is sister to MyNetworkTV affiliate KSMO-TV and the two share facilities on Shawnee Mission Parkway KCTV channel 5 is...
-5, the CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
affiliate in Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City Metropolitan Area
The Kansas City Metropolitan Area is a fifteen-county metropolitan area that is anchored by Kansas City, Missouri and is bisected by the border between the states of Missouri and Kansas. As of the 2010 Census, the metropolitan area has a population of 2,035,334. The metropolitan area is the...
.