By , (Reuters) - Long before the death of George Floyd last week, efforts to overhaul the way policing is done in Minneapolis repeatedly fizzled in the face of a powerful 800-member union that championed military-style police tactics.The union’s labor contract with the city is a formidable roadblock to citizens seeking disciplinary action after aggressive encounters with police. Led by Lieutenant Bob Kroll, the union’s vocal and hard-charging president for five years, officers rarely face sanctions, Reuters has found.A Reuters analysis of complaints against Minneapolis police officers from...…By , (Reuters) - Long before the death of George Floyd last week, efforts to overhaul the way policing is done in Minneapolis repeatedly fizzled in the face of a powerful 800-member union that championed military-style police tactics.The union’s labor contract with the city is a formidable roadblock to citizens seeking disciplinary action after aggressive encounters with police. Led by Lieutenant Bob Kroll, the union’s vocal and hard-charging president for five years, officers rarely face sanctions, Reuters has found.A Reuters analysis of complaints against Minneapolis police officers from...WW…

United States EUREKA SPRINGS, Arkansas (Reuters) - She was 30 years old, jobless and facing a custody fight for two young children. To keep her kids, she needed a lawyer – someone cheap and willing to see her quickly. Tim Parker seemed ideal. He was available, and his fee was about half what another lawyer quoted. According to confidential testimony reviewed by Reuters, the woman told state authorities that Parker agreed to represent her in late 2013, then offered her some unexpected advice. “‘You need yourself a Sugar Daddy,’ is exactly what he said,” the woman said in the confidential...…United States EUREKA SPRINGS, Arkansas (Reuters) - She was 30 years old, jobless and facing a custody fight for two young children. To keep her kids, she needed a lawyer – someone cheap and willing to see her quickly. Tim Parker seemed ideal. He was available, and his fee was about half what another lawyer quoted. According to confidential testimony reviewed by Reuters, the woman told state authorities that Parker agreed to represent her in late 2013, then offered her some unexpected advice. “‘You need yourself a Sugar Daddy,’ is exactly what he said,” the woman said in the confidential...WW…

By , , , , (Reuters) - As the mob swarmed into the U.S. Capitol, Pennsylvania congresswoman Susan Wild took cover, squeezing into a tight aisle in an upper-floor gallery and inching across the floor as supporters of President Donald Trump banged on the doors.“That was when it really started to get scary,” said Wild, 63, describing Wednesday’s dramatic siege of the complex that houses the U.S. Congress. After she fumbled to work a gas mask and briefly lost a shoe while dragging herself toward a door to evacuate, gunfire rang out. Police shouted, “Get down. Get down. Get down!” as people...…By , , , , (Reuters) - As the mob swarmed into the U.S. Capitol, Pennsylvania congresswoman Susan Wild took cover, squeezing into a tight aisle in an upper-floor gallery and inching across the floor as supporters of President Donald Trump banged on the doors.“That was when it really started to get scary,” said Wild, 63, describing Wednesday’s dramatic siege of the complex that houses the U.S. Congress. After she fumbled to work a gas mask and briefly lost a shoe while dragging herself toward a door to evacuate, gunfire rang out. Police shouted, “Get down. Get down. Get down!” as people...WW…

By , , , , (Repeats for additional clients with no changes to text)Jan 8 (Reuters) - As the mob swarmed into the U.S. Capitol, Pennsylvania congresswoman Susan Wild took cover, squeezing into a tight aisle in an upper-floor gallery and inching across the floor as supporters of President Donald Trump banged on the doors.“That was when it really started to get scary,” said Wild, 63, describing Wednesday’s dramatic siege of the complex that houses the U.S. Congress. After she fumbled to work a gas mask and briefly lost a shoe while dragging herself toward a door to evacuate, gunfire rang out....…By , , , , (Repeats for additional clients with no changes to text)Jan 8 (Reuters) - As the mob swarmed into the U.S. Capitol, Pennsylvania congresswoman Susan Wild took cover, squeezing into a tight aisle in an upper-floor gallery and inching across the floor as supporters of President Donald Trump banged on the doors.“That was when it really started to get scary,” said Wild, 63, describing Wednesday’s dramatic siege of the complex that houses the U.S. Congress. After she fumbled to work a gas mask and briefly lost a shoe while dragging herself toward a door to evacuate, gunfire rang out....WW…

By , MONTGOMERY, Alabama (Reuters) - Judge Les Hayes once sentenced a single mother to 496 days behind bars for failing to pay traffic tickets. The sentence was so stiff it exceeded the jail time Alabama allows for negligent homicide.Marquita Johnson, who was locked up in April 2012, says the impact of her time in jail endures today. Johnson’s three children were cast into foster care while she was incarcerated. One daughter was molested, state records show. Another was physically abused.“Judge Hayes took away my life and didn’t care how my children suffered,” said Johnson, now 36. “My...…By , MONTGOMERY, Alabama (Reuters) - Judge Les Hayes once sentenced a single mother to 496 days behind bars for failing to pay traffic tickets. The sentence was so stiff it exceeded the jail time Alabama allows for negligent homicide.Marquita Johnson, who was locked up in April 2012, says the impact of her time in jail endures today. Johnson’s three children were cast into foster care while she was incarcerated. One daughter was molested, state records show. Another was physically abused.“Judge Hayes took away my life and didn’t care how my children suffered,” said Johnson, now 36. “My...WW…

By , MONTGOMERY, Alabama (Reuters) - Judge Les Hayes once sentenced a single mother to 496 days behind bars for failing to pay traffic tickets. The sentence was so stiff it exceeded the jail time Alabama allows for negligent homicide.Marquita Johnson, who was locked up in April 2012, says the impact of her time in jail endures today. Johnson’s three children were cast into foster care while she was incarcerated. One daughter was molested, state records show. Another was physically abused.“Judge Hayes took away my life and didn’t care how my children suffered,” said Johnson, now 36. “My...…By , MONTGOMERY, Alabama (Reuters) - Judge Les Hayes once sentenced a single mother to 496 days behind bars for failing to pay traffic tickets. The sentence was so stiff it exceeded the jail time Alabama allows for negligent homicide.Marquita Johnson, who was locked up in April 2012, says the impact of her time in jail endures today. Johnson’s three children were cast into foster care while she was incarcerated. One daughter was molested, state records show. Another was physically abused.“Judge Hayes took away my life and didn’t care how my children suffered,” said Johnson, now 36. “My...WW…