Topics covered include the Keene police getting away with murder and activist response to Joe Biden’s visit to Keene. Here’s the archive:

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Michael Deutsch, an attorney for the protesters with the National Lawyers Guild, accused Chicago police of entrapment.

MICHAEL DEUTSCH: Obviously, we don’t have access to all the information that the state has. But what we do know is, is that there were police—undercover police officers that ingratiated themselves with people who come from out of town. And from our information, these so-called incendiary devices and the plans to attack police stations, attack the mayor’s office, is all coming from the mind of the police informants and are not coming from our clients, who are nonviolent protesters. They are not anarchists. They don’t belong to a Black Bloc organization. They’re involved with nonviolent protest. And what we believe is, is that this is a way to stir up prejudice against the people who are exercising their First Amendment rights.

This post originally published at freeconcord.org.

Not too long ago a friend mentioned to me that man in Keene had gotten away with murder. From the conversation it was eluded to that the man had not been held accountable because he wore on his costume a “Keene Police Department” badge and a nameplate that said “chief.”

I sought to determine the accuracy of the claim because 1) if someone had in fact gotten away with murder I’d want to do what I could to help set the record straight and 2) if true, it’d only underscore the perverse incentives inherent in the way “law enforcement” is supplied (and thus encourage those faced with the information to consider alternatives, especially considering that the person who presently has Qualters old gig requested an armored vehicle from the Department of Homeland Security).

My investigation didn’t turn-up anything that substantiated or refuted the claim. If you have information that could help put this question to rest please let me know.

Still, I thought it wise to share an overview of the steps I took and the information gathered to make the process transparent and to perhaps acquire additional related information from someone with more knowledge.

I started where most would start – by doing some keyword searches on Google. The learned the departure of Thomas J. Qualters on February 12th, 1952 was both quick and without reason given.

On April 21st I went to the Keene library and reviewed the microfilm from Keene’s local rag, The Sentinel for that date and surrounding dates. The lone article that touched-on Qualters departure was sparse in details (pages 1-2 on Scribd document below).

A helpful woman working as a librarian assisted me in locating a couple books on Keene’s history, including In Pursuit of Justice written by a former KPD employee (pages 3-6, & 14 on Scribd document below. It made mention of Qualters previous work doing security for Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

I detailed the rationale for my search the librarian. Initially I had balked at doing so since I thought she may not be too eager to assist with research that might oust a former KPD employee. Instead, she noted that if Qualters had been involved in a murder, I probably wouldn’t find anything about it in the paper. That makes sense – most local papers, especially back in the day when competing sources of information weren’t as plentiful, tend to unquestioningly parrot the line given to them by government employees.

The librarian did give me a print-out of a related Google search she’d done (page 7 on Scribd document below), but it only provided other data points on information already known such as Qualters previous employment.

I left the library, rode to the police department (page 8 on Scribd document below) and spoke with a woman behind the thick glass of the Communications window who identified herself to me as “Balcom, dispatcher.” She wasn’t too friendly.

Balcom told me she’d been there for 22-years and wasn’t familiar with a “Qualters.” She spoke on the phone with someone she identified only as a “supervisor” who apparently said the same. Balcom also told me that no related documents were kept in-house but suggested that I may be able to request records on his employment from Human Resources at city hall or that I should come back during the week to talk with others.

On April 25th I returned to the police department and had a similar conversation at the Communications window with one of Balcom’s colleagues who told me he’d been there for 30-years but wasn’t familiar with Qualters nor anything related. I went next to the Records window about 15′ away and submitted to Jennette Casna New Hampshire’s version of a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) called a 91-A Request (page 9 on Scribd document below). Casna indicated that it’d be sent to William “Bill” S. Dow in the Clerk’s Office.

I went home and did a bit more searching – I found a couple of people on a genealogy site who specifically mentioned that they were next-of-kin for Qualters and were looking to connect with people who had more information on his background (pages 10-11 on Scribd document below). I sent them an email but have not-yet heard anything back:

Brooke and Ryan,

I hope you’re both doing well. I came-across your email addresses from http://boards.ancestry.co.uk/

This admittedly may be the first time you’ve gotten such a query, but do you have any information that might provide evidence that former Keene PD chief Thomas J. Qualters was involved in a homicide?

I relocated to Keene somewhat recently and after a friend from the area eluded to such an incident, I went to the library and stopped by the police department and all I could find was that “his resignation came with unexpected swiftness” from the Keene Sentinal on 1952.02.13.

I’m a big advocate of transparency and don’t believe badges grant extra rights so if there is in fact any credibility I’d like to follow-up.

Thanks for your time,

-Pete

On April 27th I received response signed by Dow (page 12 on Scribd document below) that began:

The nature of this right-to-know request is comprehensive and will require assistance from other Departments. It is our intent to take the time reasonably necessary to determine whether your request shall be granted or denied.

A few days later (apologies, I wasn’t thorough with this specific piece of mail) I received another letter from Dow that indicated that no homicides has occurred in Keene during the time-frame that I had outlined on the 91A Request (1951-1952) but that he’d located one related document about Qualters employment (page 13 on Scribd document below). I called Dow on May 7th and stopped by that afternoon.

I recorded the exchange and overall Dow was friendly and answered my questions. The lone document he had found was a form filled-out when Qualters was hired – signed by three individuals known as the “Board of Police Commissioners of Keene” that included a handwritten note on the top-left corner “Resigned Feb 14, 1952.”

Dow also had found a related newspaper mention from a Kingston, NY outlet (page 15 on Scribd document below) that only mentioned Qualters “resigned as police chief of Keene to enter private industry” and that he was being succeed by William T. Brigdham.

I found no conclusive evidence that confirmed or denied the claim communicated to me by a friend about the actions of a former “chief” of Keene police. Did Qualters get away with murder then simply quit – his secret hidden by the thin blue line? Or was Qualters resignation – a mere seven months after stepping-into that position, completely unrelated?

Thomas J Qualters Documents

UPDATE: May 17th, 2012 – a friend informed of this post on Qualters started to look into the situation a little. I felt it worth sharing here the response that I sent as it shares a bit more information that I thought relevant to share here as I strive for transparency.

You asked which of my friends communicated to me the information that led me to look into Qualters – I can’t honestly recall. I interact with a lot of good folks. It was something told to me a couple of months ago that I only now made the time to follow-up.

Also, one thing Bill Dow, the records clerk at the Keene outfit (they are a gang) said, was that in his search to fulfill my 91A someone mentioned that they thought Qualters may have stepped-down quickly out of protest for some legislation. That he had been so unhappy or just wanted to make a statement that he left his position.

Perhaps the lead that’s the lowest hanging fruit is to see if communication with Herb Frank if possible. He supposedly worked with Qulters back in the day and is in Keene. http://youtu.be/2gTtHxBDdKk?t=2m4s I just did a whitepages.com search and some related keyword searches but didn’t find anything.

UPDATE: Mon. May 14th 5:20PM

Kate was found guilty of “resisting” by a Manchester Superior Court jury today. Her previous “sentence” from district court was 90-days suspended for two-years. Her new “sentence” is 30-days suspended for 30-days.

It’s good that the threat hanging over her head is now lessened and that outreach was done and ideas shared but bad that Kate had to even allocate any of her time to such a situation.

On June 4th, 2011 eight ‘shire-based activists were arrested while at a pro-police accountable rally outside the Manchester, NH PD (603-668-8711). The incident became known as the Chalking 8. One of the eight arrested was Kate Ager.

Kate had been heading to Manchester to visit a friend. On the way, she learned that her friend had been arrested outside the Manchester Police Department so that’s where she headed. She parked and as she approached, saw a number friends holding signs as well as a number of Manchester PD employees nearby.

Eighty-seconds after stepping onto the sidewalk she was asked by Manchester police employee John Patti to “get off the chalk.” Ten seconds after that, when attempting to ask a question about the order, she was given her “last chance.” Ten seconds after that Patti told Kate that she was “under arrest” as he and colleagues swarmed Kate, handcuffed her, and put her in a cell.

A few hours friends posted a $540 ransom at Kate was free(r). Still, four threats were levied against her.

This past fall, Kate defended herself in Manchester District Court (with assigned standby council). Of the four threats levied, one was dismissed and another she was deemed to be “not guilty” of, but she was found “guilty” of resisting and of a violation-level disorderly.

Kate appealed both. This morning she has jury selection at 9am to revisit the resisting charge (her appeal for the disorderly will go through supreme court). Her trial is slated to begin immediately afterwards.

Manchester Superior Court
300 Chestnut Street
Manchester, NH 03101
(603) 669-7410

From Kate herself, on the related Facebook event:

The “State of NH” alleges that I resisted arrest on June 4, 2011 at the Manchester Police Station. I verbally expressed my displeasure at the time of the arrest, but did not physically resist. On Monday, I will be sharing what happened, as well as videos of the interaction, with a jury and they will have the chance to decide whose interpretation of what happened they believe.

I’ll be just one of many present to support Kate and to communicate to the real aggressors that their actions aren’t going unnoticed. Some of us (not Kate) will be doing jury outreach in the morning to inform those tasked with deciding Kate’s “guilt” or “innocence” of their ability to nullify bad laws. These charges, just a few from the volumes and volumes of arbitrary man-made dictates, are definitely bad.

Patti and his associates outside the Manchester PD last June 4th were out of control. They demonstrated their willingness to implement, follow, or stand by without intervening, as they violated Kate’s rights in their attempt to silence the dissent being voiced nearby about the actions of some Manchester PD employees. That’s the thin blue line. And that’s what you get when you grant another group of people extra rights.

Don’t.

Here’s an interview with Kate published just before her trial last fall:

For more on this situation:
June 5th, 2011 – Eight Arrested at Manchester, NH Pro-Police Accountability Rally

For more on jury nullification:
November 3rd, 2010 – Careful! Examples of Statism Abound During Ft. Lauderdale FIJA Outreach!
January 16, 2012 – Cop Block & Fully Informed Jury Association Billboards Going Up in Richmond! [post]
NHJury.com
Fully Informed Jury Association

For more from Kate:
June 29th, 2011 – Kate Ager to “judge” Ed Burke: Release Ademo & Beau
April 13th, 2012 – The War On Drugs Claims Another Life [post]
Ladies in Keene posts

Eli Rivera

Surprise, surprise – the New Hampshire Attorney Genital’s final report on the officer involved homicide of Julio Angel DeJesus concludes that

KPD members James Lamoureux and Eli Rivera were justified in their use of deadly force on the night of April 17th.

The incident began at Diversified Computers on West Street in Keene, where police responded to an attempted burglary involving DeJesus and two other individuals.  When police arrived, DeJesus took off in his vehicle, and Lamoureux took off in pursuit.  According to the report:

The pursuit continued through the city. During the pursuit Mr. DeJesus’s stolen Mercedes ran through stop signs and red lights, failed to turn on its headlights, exceeded speeds of 80 mph in 30 mph zones, and nearly collided with a number of on-coming vehicles.

The pursuit ended on Marlboro Street, when DeJesus exited the vehicle and began to flee on foot.  Lamoureux followed suit and chased the suspect around the residence at 345 Marlboro.  DeJesus then got back into his vehicle, turned on the engine, supposedly backed up the car so that it was pointed towards Lamoureux, and began to pull forward.  It was at this point that Lamoureux claims he believed that his life was in danger and he fired his gun, referred to in the AG’s report as his “duty weapon”, at the vehicle as it drove towards him.

As Officer Lamoureux fired, he moved to his right to get out of the path of the Mercedes. The Mercedes brushed his clothing as it continued onto the sidewalk, running down the street sign for Prescott Street. The Mercedes preceded towards Marlboro Street, east-bound, which intersects with Main Street.

That night there were a large number of pedestrians and cars in the downtown area. Officer Lamoureux believed that if the vehicle continued, the public was in danger of serious bodily injury or death based upon how Mr. DeJesus had operated the vehicle during the earlier pursuit.

What the report doesn’t explain is how the public was in any more danger at that point than when Lamoureux began the pursuit to begin with.  If Lamoureux and the KPD were so concerned about the public, perhaps they shouldn’t have engaged a fleeing suspect in a high speed chase in the first place.  If someone is desperate enough to run from the cops, do you really think he’s going to be worried about the fashion in which he is driving the vehicle?  I am quite certain that there were a large number of pedestrians and cars in the area when the entire disaster started, just as there were when it ended.  Where was Lamoureux’ concern for the public then?

Rivera, who joined the chase in the area of Main Street and Route 101, witnessed DeJesus swerve into the wrong side of the road and almost hit an oncoming vehicle.  One wonders if DeJesus had hit that oncoming vehicle and killed an innocent person, would the KPD’s engagement in the high speed chase still have been “justified”?

Out of nine shots fired between Lamoureux and Rivera, only one bullet from Lamoureux’ gun actually struck and killed DeJesus.  If a stray bullet would have hit and killed an innocent person, would that have been “justified”?

Of course, Lamoureux, Rivera, and the other KPD members involved all had the same story: DeJesus was using his car as a weapon and had tried to run them over.  However, DeJesus had already passed Lamoureux and Rivera and was fleeing the scene when they actually turned around and kept shooting at the vehicle as it continued down the road.

This doesn’t sound like self defense to me; what it sounds like is that Lamoureux and Rivera shot a fleeing man in the back and are now trying to justify their behavior with fake concern for the public, when really they were the ones putting the public in danger in the first place with their reckless, irresponsible, and careless actions.