commentary by Patrick H. Moore
We all know that domestic violence is a huge problem in America. One in four American women experience domestic violence in the course of their lives and anywhere from 600,000 to 6,000,0000 are reportedly abused each year. Oddly enough, one of my children did a senior project on this issue in which she proposed that high school age kids should – as part of “living in the world” curriculum — receive education on this issue in the hope that children living in abusive families would be empowered to report it while non-abused kids would become sufficiently aware of the problem to head it off at the pass should it ever rear its ugly head in their lives.
If you are a woman, or a man, or a child for that matter, and if you are a domestic abuse victim, your best recourse would normally be to contact the authorities. This is precisely what an unidentified 31-year-old abuse victim in Detroit did on October 30th of last year when she was allegedly violently assaulted by her boyfriend. What then transpired is so appalling that the mind recoils.
In response to the alleged victim’s call for help, two Detroit police officers were dispatched to her house. Upon arriving, one of the officers stayed downstairs to question the boyfriend. The other officer, Deon Nunlee, who had been on the force since 2008, went upstairs with the victim to get her side of the story.
That’s when things went sideways in a most egregious manner. Although the officer may have “gotten her side of the story”, he also sexually assaulted her, which was proven by DNA testing.
“It is alleged that when Nunlee was in an upstairs bedroom with the woman he sexually assaulted her,” according to the prosecutor’s office. “When (the) officer left the house the woman reported the crime to two friends and the next day reported it to the police.”
According to the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office, Nunlee, 40, has been charged with three counts of second-degree criminal sexual conduct as well as one count each of assault with intent to penetrate and misconduct in office.
At a news conference on Friday, Detroit Police Chief James Craig commented on the incident. “I’m troubled,” he said. “Certainly, this is the type of criminal misconduct that should never happen by any member of this department or any department for that matter.”
Craig further called the incident an “embarrassment” and said the incident is not a reflection of the department. “The majority of police officers go to work each and every day … and do their jobs with integrity,” he said.
According to the prosecutor’s office, Nunlee was arraigned Friday in a Detroit courtroom.
The manner in which the department has handled the situation certainly suggests that it is at least trying to act with integrity. A representative of the department’s professional standards bureau, Commander Johnny Thomas, stated that Nunlee was placed on administrative leave after the woman reported the assault. This, of course, would generally be standard procedure in a case of this type. What is more significant, however, is the fact that on Feb. 10, after results from the rape kit came back positive, Nunlee was suspended without pay.
Commander Thomas also stated the suspended Officer Nunlee previously had been written up for other less serious infractions.
Although Police Chief Craig made a point of stating that “the majority of police officers go to work each and every day … and do their jobs with integrity,” the facts suggest that the disgraced Officer Nunlee is hardly the only Detroit police officer to recently break the law is a very serious fashion:
– On Wednesday Officer Johnny Ray Bridges, 47, was charged with unlawful imprisonment, assault with intent to do great bodily harm, domestic violence and reckless discharge of a firearm in connection with the assault of a 31-year-old woman Monday. He too has been suspended without pay, according to Police Chief Craig.
– Officer Dana Bond, 41, is facing misdemeanor charges of high blood alcohol content, failure to stop at the scene of a personal injury accident, and failure to stop at the scene of an accident with property damage. She is accused of driving while intoxicated and getting into an accident on Sunday. Bond was already suspended without pay at the time of the accident because she is facing retail fraud charges, based on allegations that she has pilfered wine from stores in Detroit. (Wow, Officer Boyd is truly a winner.)
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The above examples describe incidents in which police officers have clearly broken the law. There is another form of police (mis)conduct which, while not technically illegal, is degrading to both the officers and the women involved. We know about this custom, which is apparently common in Los Angeles (and may be in other cities as well), thanks to a retired LAPD undercover cop who has let us in on the dark secret.
There is a certain type of woman known for “knowing” police officers in the biblical sense of the term. This in itself would not be an issue were it not for certain peculiarities with this particular form of carnal knowledge. It seems women of this type are known as “punch boards” by the cops who have sex with them. And it’s not because the cops “punch them out” or anything of the sort. Rather, it’s because these women – whether or not they’re married – spend their days having sex with a stream of cops who stop by their houses or apartments to partake of their favors, presumably while the cops are on active duty.
It this against the law? No. Is it against department regulations? Probably. How common is it? I don’t know. But if you’re a mother or a father, I’m pretty certain that the last thing you want is for your daughter to become a “punch board” for law enforcement. And if you’re unfortunate enough to be married to one of these unfortunate “punch boards”, I suggest you consult with a divorce lawyer.