Rapist Cop Gets 263 Years in Prison

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Former police officer, Daniel Holtzclaw, has been sentenced to 263 years in prison by recommendation of the jury, and district Judge Timothy Henderson agreed. Holtzclaw is to serve his terms consecutively, and has been denied his request for an appeal bond.

After waiving his right to remain in custody in the county jail for ten days and opting instead to go straight to prison, Holtzclaw’s defense attorney, Scott Adams, says his client will appeal. In his statement:

“It is what it is. It wasn’t a surprise.”

Holtzclaw was convicted on 18 counts that include four first-degree rape charges, forcible oral sodomy, sexual battery, procuring lewd exhibition, and second-degree rape. He was acquitted on 18 other counts. Oklahoma County District Attorney, David Prater, had this to say:

“I think people need to realize that this is not a law-enforcement officer that committed these crimes. This is a rapist who masqueraded as a law-enforcement officer. If he was a true law enforcement officer he would have upheld his duty to protect those citizens rather than victimize them.”

Those are lovely sentiments, however by that rationale, it would seem America has an epidemic of people masquerading as police officers, considering how much crime these individuals get away with on a daily basis. Citizens are not being protected, they are being robbed, assaulted, raped, and murdered by organized criminals with badges.

According to the Associated Press, sexual misconduct is among the most prevalent complaints against law enforcement, and those figures are most likely understated as not every state has a process to ban problem officers. And then of course there is the blanket of protection police receive from within their departments, coupled with the fact that many victims are too afraid to step forward in the first place.

In related news: Broken system lets problem officers jump from job to job

The victims Holtzclaw chose were all African-American and from the same low-income neighborhood. One was a teenager, and many had arrest records or histories of drug abuse, making them easy targets. However, to add insult to injury, Holtzclaw’s attorney tried to use these very facts against the women, claiming his client was a former college football star and a model officer whose “attempts to help the drug addicts and prostitutes he came in contact with were distorted,” according to ABC News.

Several victims have filed civil lawsuits against Holtzclaw, as well as the city and federal court.

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