His record, dating back a dozen years, includes four convictions for theft and assault. In short, Jones appears to be a career criminal whose area of specialization is theft. It's not playing by the rules to hand out punishment first, sort of a sneak preview, administered on the streets. The cops know that. They have policies forbidding the use of excessive force.
Violation carries penalties ranging from suspension to dismissal.
But policies are useless without enforcement. And for years, police brass condoned the use of force and winked at offenders. Now, because of the video, John Timoney has the opportunity to make sure that that culture has changed by punishing the cops who did wrong.