Cop who assaulted cyclist won't do time

Many of you will remember this 2008 clip of New York City police officer Patrick Pogan body-slamming and injuring a bicyclist for no reason:



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oUkiyBVytRQ

Pretty much an open-and-shut case against the cop, right?

Not in conservaworld! Outrageously, Pogan was acquitted of assault in April - despite the fact that he was caught on video. And he was acquitted of falsifying an arrest report against the cyclist.

Honestly, how did this happen? Were the jurors not allowed to view the damning video? Or were they just plumb loopy?

The only thing Pogan was convicted of was filing a criminal complaint containing false statements. And he's not even facing any real punishment for that! Although he was facing 4 months in prison, he has now managed to avoid jail time or even probation.

Probably the only penalty for Pogan is that he's not allowed to become a cop again, because that charge was a felony.

If a police officer lies on an arrest report, it's worse than just your average civilian fib. Honesty is central to justice and the rule of law. Cops who lie on arrest reports and assault people are a disgrace to the uniform - and should face nothing less than prison time.

(Source: http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/07/14/ex-officer-avoids-jail-time-in-arrest-of-times-square-bicyclist/?hp)