RYANS STORY
On 01/28/01 approximately 5:00 p.m. two Apple Valley Sheriffs were called to my home by my son Ryan Richards. They were called because my mother (Geraldine Richards 65 yrs. old) had found several small bags that looked like they had once had a white powder in them, outside by where my sister had parked her car. My mother took them and put them into the sewing machine drawer. When the police arrived my mother asked my son to go to the drawer and retrieve the bags to give to the Sheriffs ( the officers were present and heard my mother ask him to get them and the officers watched him get them from the drawer. A few moments later the officers arrested my son for sales of narcotics. My son asked them are you arresting me for handing you the bags, they were not even mine. The two officers said " That's a good way to cover up by saying they are not yours". The Apple Valley Sheriffs transported my son to San Bernardino to the West Valley Detention Center. West Valley Detention Center : 9500 Etiwanda. Rancho Cucamonga. Booking No: 0101343507/

For several hours my mother and I tried to find out from the Apple Valley Sheriffs Department where they had been taken and what they were charged with. First, we called Apple Valley, they said they did not know where they were. Then, Apple Valley told us to call the Victorville jail. I called the Victorville jail and they said they did not know where they were. We had to do this several times calling back and forth because neither Apple Valle Sheriffs or the Victorville Sheriffs could tell us anything. Finally I asked "you mean that my sister and my son were taken in a police car and you have no idea what has happened to them". Finally after being insistent the Apple Valley Sheriffs told us that they had been taken to West Valley Detention Center.

I located the phone number and called them. They verified that they were there and what they were being charged with, I could not believe it. About a half an hour later my son Ryan called, he was very upset. My son told me the police at the jail were behaving very badly toward him. Ryan told me there was one officer that was openly bragging about being suspended for 30 days for doing something bad and against policy and he was proud of it. Two other officers were also present and they were ridiculing my son, laughing at him, they even told him he had T.B. to upset him ( he does not). My son asked for the blonde haired officers name (the one who was bragging about being suspended) but he would not give it to him. My son was very afraid because the way they were acting toward him. My son asked me why they were treating him like that and talking to him that way because he had done nothing. When I was done talking to Ryan on the phone , I was also worried about his safety so I called the Detention Center and asked to talk to the Watch Commander. I first talked to a officer Primrose and then he put me on hold for a few moments then the Watch Commander spoke to me( 10:00 p.m. 01/28/01) I told the Watch Commander what was going on and how the 3 officers were talking and treating my son and expressed my concern for his safety. The Watch Commander spoke to me and said ( in a smart aleck tone of voice) "Well gee, I was standing there also the whole time and I did not hear them say that". I told the Watch Commander " Oh, come on now, you mean your saying that you didn't hear the other officers say those things?" The Watch Commander then said ( exact words) no I didnt hear them say anything, did you (meaning me) hear them say that ( of course I didnt because I was not there, he was mocking me). I was so very worried about my sons safety and his health. My son has a heart problem and he was feeling very ill due to the manner in which the officers were treating him and talking to him. My son had told them he was sick and needed to see a doctor but they ignored him. After I called and spoke to the Watch Commander my son told me the officers told him to gather his things and told him to make sure he doesnt forget anything they didnt want him to call his mommy. The following morning, my son called me again extremely upset. He said they were treating him and talking to him so very badly and he was very afraid they may do him harm. My son also told me he was very sick and was having bad pains in his chest and they still had not let him seek medical attention. My son also told me that he had to go to the bathroom very badly but they would not give him any toilet paper. I was very disturbed and worried for my sons safety and could do nothing to help him. I made many phone calls, one of the calls to the internal affairs. I spoke to a Sergeant Kollar. Sergeant Kollar told me that he did not know of any officer there that had been suspended for 30 days but that he would check on the matter. A couple of hours later, my son called me, again very upset and feeling very sick. They had sent my son to see the nurse. The nurse also treated him very badly and had told him that he was not sick and that he was just trying to fool the system. The nurse then told him to let her finish so he could go call his mommy again. My son was very hurt and could not understand why they were all treating him so badly. My son said that he has done nothing to make them behave that way towards him, he has been respectful and talked to them nicely.
A short time after I spoke to my son on the phone, Sergeant Kollar called me. He said that he had went to the Detention Center and spoke to the person above the Watch Commander and he saw to it that mt son saw the nurse. I then told him the way the nurse talked and treated my son. He listened to me but evaded any answers and just said "Well, if they did do that". I told him that my son was telling the truth that he never has lied to me, we are very close. I also told the Sergeant that I was prepared to go to the extreme to see justice. I also told him that I would do whatever it takes to get the media there and to have them broadcast my story because I was not afraid or embarrassed. I even told him if I had to I would go to the Detention Center and chain myself to the fence or gate to get the news there. I then told the Sergeant that I had made many phone call and I was going to make many other calls until I saw to it that my son and my sister were out of that place. I also asked him what kind of officers they had running the Detention Center. He again avoided my questions.
I received a return phone call from a Guy Eisenbrey with the California Police Chiefs Association. I was told he could not help me (even though he was in charge of the ethics and practices of police officers) but I was given a phone number to call. He referred me to the Medical Services for jails ( Miss Kathy Wilde). I called Miss Wilde and told her my son was ill and had not seen a doctor. I also told Miss Wilde the way the nurse had talked to my son and treated him. Miss Wilde told me that she would send a Doctor right over to the Detention Center to see him and she would investigate the actions of the nurse.
Later that day I spoke to my son again and my son told me they are still treating and talking to him badly. I told my son to try to stay calm that I was trying to do everything I could to get him out of there. My son told me they were threading to have my phone blocked so he could not call me. I received a phone call from the jail Probation department. The Probation officer said that my son would be going to court the following morning instead of two days later like I was first told.
It is now 10:00 p.m. on 01/29/01 and my son has not called me. I am very worried about him. My son had told me on the phone that morning that he was scared because they keep threatening to block the phone so he could not call me. This is a horrible thing, I am so worried and afraid for my son and I cannot get anyone to help me.

My son and my sister both called this morning crying because they did not go to court. They know they didnt do anything and they have never been in trouble so they are scared to death. I dont know what to do. About 12:00 p.m. I cannot take it anymore. I make one final attempt to call to try to find someone that can help him or her. I talked to the County Supervisors office. They just try to brush me off by giving me a phone number to call. I finally explode. I told them that I did not want another number to call and that I have called enough people already and nobody can help. I then told them that I was driving down to the Detention Center and that I was going to stand in the middle of the driveway and I wasnt going to move until my son was helped. I also told them that I was going to hold a big sign saying " My son is being tormented and abused by the law enforcement (San Bernardino Sheriffs Department). I would also say "Enter these gates are you have no rights". I made a big sign and drove there. I brought a chair with me because I was going to lie in the driveway but I thought they might run me over. I put my chair up and I also decided not to sit in the middle of the driveway but to the side of it. I sat in the chair and held up my sign. I was very nervous because you should have seen the looks I was getting from Sheriffs that were coming in and out. No news department showed up and it was very cold and windy. It was starting to get dark and I did not want to be there when it was dark. I drove all the way back broken hearted because I still could not do anything to help them. I fell so helpless. It is now 12:00 p.m. on 01/30/01. I dont know if I can go thru another night of this heartache. Tomorrow if my son and my sister do not go to court, I will go there again with my sign but I will dress very warm so I can stay longer than 3 hours.



I found out why my son had not called me. He had been put into isolation because they had tested him for T.B. My son does not have T.B. My son was to be in court on 01/31/01. I went to the courthouse and they said his name was on the list. They did not bring my son to court from the jail. I went home and immediately called to the jail. They would not tell me why he did not go to court. I called Sergeant Kollar from Internal Affairs. He told me that my son did not go to court because I called the doctor because I was concerned that he might be contagious. That was a flat out lie. I never said that. I called the doctor for his chest pains because he has a heart problem. You see how dishonest they are and how they lie. These are supposed to be Police Officers.

Later that night my son called me. He was very upset. He called because they took him out of isolation (because I called them and to cover their actions) and placed him in a cell where their were very bad inmates. The guard in charge of the cell even ask my son why they were putting him in there, that he wasnt a bad kid. Even the guard questioned their decision. Wham my son went into the cell there were two men that were making him paper flowers and said they wanted to rape him. You see how the sheriffs would do things to get back at my phone calls purposely. My son said later that night two inmates raped another inmate in front of him. The guards know what go on in that cell. That is why they put my son in there, purposely!

I was very angry. I went to Los Angeles that night and stood outside the CBS television station in hopes they might help me. I stood there from 8 p.m. until 1 a.m. Nobody came out to talk to me. At 1 a.m. I went to channel 5 and stayed there for 3 hours. Nobody from channel 5 came out either. I was so desperate I could not give up I had to do something because my sons safety was in jeopardy. I drove to the Government Building in San Bernardino. I spoke with the people in the Congressman's office. Then I went to the Senators office, the Assemblyman's office and the County Supervisors office. I was advised to go to the jail and file a formal complaint. I went to the jail and told them I wanted to file a complaint with the watch commander. The watch commander did not even come out an officer named D. Burton came out to talk to me. He told me that I could not make a complaint. These are only some of the illegal activities there. My son and I were denied our Constitutional Rights, Amendments among other things. This is why I demand for the charges to be dropped and I want an investigation done.

Because of the illegal, vindictive, abusive and illegal actions of the San Bernardino Sheriffs Department my son has suffered severe trauma. My heart is broken to see my son several times a day break down and cry his heart out because of the way he was treated and the things that was said to him. My son told me that I dont know how it is to be degraded and talked to that way and to be humiliated in front of other officers when you have done nothing and because they are the police there is nothing you can do. You are forced to take the abuse and say nothing. This torment has really affected my son. Each day I hear more and more about what they said and did to him. My son told me when he was sick and having chest pains and they were not getting him a doctor they sent him to a nurse. My son said that the nurse talked and treated him so badly. My son said that the nurse told him that because he was in jail for a drug charge that if he needed treatment for his heart condition or needed emergency surgery they did not have to help him. My son was afraid that they would just let him die. This is a horrible way for a nurse or anyone in the medical profession to treat someone. When the nurse was talking to him that way a guard stood there and allowed it. Why is this allowed to happen? Because we as society allow it. It is time we stood up for our rights. Why does the law enforcement answer to nobody? Why are they above the law? We as citizens have to follow the laws and if we break them we must be punished for them. Why are the law enforcement allowed to get away with anything just because they belong to a gang that wears a badge and a gun? I have sent so many letters to Government officials. I received a phone call from Congressman Lewis office. I was told that the only thing I could do was to file a complaint with the San Bernardino Sheriffs office and if they did not do anything than there was nothing I could do. I also spoke with a Mr. Smith from the County Supervisors office. I told Mr. Smith what had happened and I also told him about a black woman that was being held at the detention center also. I told Mr. Smith that the woman had cickle cell anemia and was in a great deal of pain. I told him how on 01/29/00 from around midnight untill 12 p.m. on 01/30/01 they let her suffer before letting her see a nurse or doctor. They have an emergency button in the jail cells and they had pushed it all night long but nobody would bother to come. The woman would not stop bleeding and they did not care if she died or not. I told this to Mr. Smith and he told me that was her problem I cannot believe that these are the people that help run our country, I know that if nobody helps me to see justice I know the outcome will be very bad. I cannot accept this from the San Bernardino Sheriffs Department a second time and I cannot believe that thirteen years later they are still getting away with treating people this way and the illegal way they do it. You see, thirteen years ago my son was about 8 years old. I was living in a apartment complex and going to school. The apartment complex I lived in was all Military because we lived close to the Air Force Base. One evening my son had gone to bed and I was at the kitchen table studying. There was a knock at my front door. I went to open the door and when I had the door open partially a San Bernadino Sheriffs Officer named Officer Joe Phillips took his foot and kicked the door open hitting me in the head with the door. Oficer Phillips entered my home screaming obsentities at me yelling that I was goin to jail for grand theft auto. The manager of the apartments was a friend of mine and lived right across the complex from me. About three months prior she was told to have an old beat up car that had been abandoned in the carport towed away. Before she had it towed the car had sat there for one year. My friend Julie had a tow company tow the car to a tow yard and before she even had it towed she had placed a notice on the cars windshield stating she would have it towed and also on all the apartment door in the complex where the car was ( the car was two complexes over from where I lived). The whole time Officer Phillips was screaming and threatening me he was so close to my face his nose almost touched mine and he was spitting in my face. I was so frightened I could not believe this was happening. A neighbor Charlie who was in the Air force was just comming home. He heard all the yelling and came to my door. Even he could not believe the way the officer was acting. Charlie later told me that he did not know weather to go get his gun and shoot him to save my life or what to do. Charlie went to his apartment and called the Sheriffs Department and told them there was an officer there who was behaving way out of line. The watch commander told him to mind his business and let the officer do his job. Officer Phillips handcuffed me and told me I was being arrested for Grand Theft Auto. Officer Phillips then entered my sons room and did not wake him gently he yanked back the covers and grabbed him by the shoulder and pulled him to his feet while he was still half asleep. Officer Phillips told him he was going to a foster home and he would not see me for a long time. Officer Phillips placed my son and I in the back of his police car. At that time the apartment manager and my friend Julie had just came home. She had recently had a baby ( about three weeks old) and she was returning from the Air Force base. Julies mother was with her, she was visiting from Michigan. Officer Phillips got out of his car and forced his way into her apartment. He was screaming at her the same way he had screamed at me. Officer Phillips demanded that she put the F------ baby down right now and tell him where the car was. Julie was so frightened she was trying to find the tow slip in her purse and kept dropping things because she was so scared. Because she could not get it fast enough he arrested her for Grand Theft Auto also and placed her and her newborn baby in the police car. We were taken to the Sheriffs Department and Julie was handcuffed to the chair and Officer Phillips place the infant seat on the chair next to her. Julie was crying and told officer Phillips please not to take the baby because she was breast feeding him. Officer Phillips said, in front of other officers , you are probably f------ lying about that too.The other officers laughed. I was placed in a cell for several hours. Everytime another officer walked by I begged to see the person in charge because I had not done anything. Every officer I pleaded to laughed and kept walking. I was finally taken from the cell and fingerprinted. While Officer Phillips was filling out the paperwork for felony another officer came into the room and asked to talk to Officer Phillips. Officer Phillips made me stand by the door so he could watch me while he spoke to the other officer in the hallway. The other officer was the Watch Commander and was laughing saying that he could not arrest me I had not done anything. He told Officer Phillips that I had nothing to do with the car and even if I did the apartments ahd every right to tow the car away. They both thought the whole thing was funny. I was forced to sign a paper or I would not be released. I then said I wanted to file a complaint. I was told I could but it would be several hours before I could do so. I was tired and did not trust them and asked if I went home could I come back the following day to file a complaint. The Watch Commander said sure. I still did not trust them because of everything that had happened so I asked him to give me a signed statement saying that I was tired and wanted to go home but I could come back the following day to file a complaint. He said o.k. and left the room for a few moments. The Watch Commander came back and handed me a slip of paper and I left. Because I was so tired and upset I had forgotten how decieving they were. I left and the next day when I looked at the paper it said that I was tried and wanted to go home. I did make a formal complaint and contacted the Attorney Generals office. I also contacted the local Newspaper. The reporter did some checking and ran the story. Many people called him to tell him that they knew I was telling the truth because they did similiar things to them. Records also showed that my complaint was filed but there was no investigation.. My son ahd to go to counseling because of Officer Phillips and a licensed Phyciatrist documented that he was traumatized by Officer Phillips. I had tried to warn them about him but they did nothing. Several years later Officer Phillips was cought on video tape beating a Hispanic man for no reason. You see why I cannot let this happen again. As far as I am concearned if I police officer tries to pull me over or have contact with me my life is in danger because I was told by the Congressman that if the police break the law I could do nothing. I wont take that chance again so I will refuse to stop. I just hope it does not cost me my life.
Laureen Richards

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