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CNN Wolf Blitzer Reports
Man is Arrested in Runnion Case; Videotapes Raise Questions of Police Misconduct; Two HIV Cases Linked to Florida Blood Bank
Aired July 19, 2002 - 17:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KATE SNOW, GUEST HOST: Now on WOLF BLITZER REPORTS: An arrest in the Samantha Runnion case and the phone call that led authorities to her body.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
911 CALLER: Oh, my God! I found a dead body? Please hurry!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SNOW: We'll speak with the sheriff who dealt with that terrible discovery.
More videotape raises new allegations of police misconduct. Why critics say these pictures are worth a thousand words.
Two HIV cases linked to a Florida blood bank. How did this happen? Is it still safe to get a transfusion?
Another public health scare. A recall covers millions of pounds of hamburger in 21 states. Is the meat in your refrigerator safe?
And a new cold war blockbuster hits the big screen. While the ads say it's inspired by a true story, just how much of it can you believe?
It's Friday, July 19, 2002. I'm Kate Snow in Washington. Wolf Blitzer is off this evening.
It's been a dramatic day on Wall Street, with blue chip stocks spiraling a dizzying 390 points. We will have more on the Dow's dive in just a moment.
But first our top story. The announcement was as terse as it was dramatic. Authorities say they've arrested a man in connection with the kidnapping and killing of 5-year-old Samantha Runnion. They also say the investigation is not over.
CNN's David Mattingly joins us from Stanton, California -- David.
DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Kate.
The announcement, you're right, very dramatic, coming here today with very few details. Orange County Sheriff Mike Carona telling us about the arrest, giving us the basics and then walking away without taking a single question. He's identified -- the man in custody identified as 27-year-old Alejandro Avila. Court records today confirming that Avila was last year accused of molesting a child but acquitted of all charges. His mother today telling CNN that her son is also not guilty in this case.
He was arrested after a search of his home which is in the area, which is in the area where Samantha's body was discovered. Police also searched his business and his cars.
Now, as you might imagine, news of the arrest was greatly welcomed by people here in Stanton. Flowers, gifts and visitors arriving steadily at the memorial outside Samantha's family's home. The arrest, however, is not nearly enough to compensate for all the fear and the sadness that's been brought on by this crime.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RAY CARMONA, STANTON RESIDENT: I have two small kids myself, and I don't let them out front unless my wife or I are with them. And it's sad because I can remember, when I was growing up, I used to be able to play out in the front yard with no problems.
JENNIFER HAFEN, STANTON RESIDENT: You want to protect your children, and yet let them grow up in a somewhat sheltered environment, not have to worry about all this. But you can't. You need to warn them and tell them and you -- (UNINTELLIGIBLE) let them out of your sight.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MATTINGLY: Today's announcement not the all-clear that people here had hoped that they would be hearing today. Instead, authorities asking everyone to remain vigilant and to call in with any tips to that important tip line that's been really cooking for them these past few days. And we expect to learn more details. That coming up in about four hours, as authorities go back behind the microphone to give us more details, hopefully -- Kate.
SNOW: David Mattingly live in Stanton.
The suspect arrested today had a previous run-in with the law. He was acquitted of molesting two girls two years ago. CNN's Charles Feldman is in Los Angeles with that part of the story -- Charles.
CHARLES FELDMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kate, yes, this is a man who does have a history, but he was acquitted. As you've just pointed out, Avila was charged back in 2000 with a case that actually happened the year before involving lewd conduct with two under-aged girls in California. And one of them, according to the deputy district attorney for Riverside County, was actually the daughter of a woman he was dating at the time.
There was a jury trial, we're told, that lasted about four or five days, and he was acquitted. And when I talked today to the deputy district attorney there, he told me that the man who prosecuted this case is now -- and I'm quoting -- devastated, that he feels awful that Mr. Avila, although acquitted in that case, is now being charged in connection with another sexual assault case, but this time, one, of course, that tragically has led to the murder of little Samantha Runnion -- Kate.
SNOW: Charles you've covered a lot of these kind of cases. It is -- is it normal for the police to come out, or typical for the police to come out, make an -- make an announcement of an arrest and then give so few details until later on?
FELDMAN: No, not normal at all. I mean, usually, at the point when law enforcement authorities are ready to announce an arrest, they are also ready to give you details about why they arrested that individual. The fact they made this announcement in a very terse manner, and then said, in effect, "Come back later in the day and we'll tell you more" means and suggests that they have a lot more "I"'s to dot and "T"'s to cross. And I'm told that this is still very much an active investigation -- Kate.
SNOW: And the man, of course, still just charged and not convicted. Charles Feldman, thanks.
Just a short while ago, CNN's Thelma Gutierrez was able to speak with the suspect's mother at her apartment in Lake Elsinore. Thelma joins us now live from Lake Elsinore.
What have you learned, Thelma?
THELMA GUTIERREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kate, Adelina Avila, who's Alejandro's mother, says that she firmly believes in her son's innocence. She says that there is no way her son could have done such a thing. She has been in seclusion for most of the time, but she came out a short time ago. Reporters gathered out in a very small, crowded area in front of her door. She spoke through the door, and she spoke with us for a few minutes in Spanish.
Now, she said, quote, that "He has also always been the kind of person who makes jokes." She said he has a wonderful personality. He is never aggressive. She says that all the children who see him run to him. He gets along with kids, even kids who don't know him, that he's never alone with kids, and he always tries to have someone with him because he says he doesn't want to be accused of anything.
Of course, as Charles Feldman had reported, in 1999, Alejandro was accused of molesting his ex-girlfriend's two children but was acquitted of that crime.
Now, when I asked the mother how he sounded and when the last time it was that she spoke with him, she said she spoke with him last night and that he did sound fine. He was not nervous, but he did say that authorities are trying to get him to confess, that they were yelling at him to say, quote, "that he did it."
Kate, back to you.
SNOW: Thelma Gutierrez, thanks.
Samantha Runnion would have been 6 years old next week. She was an advanced student and recently finished first grade at a private school. One of three children in her family, she was three-and-a-half feet tall. She had curly blond hair, and she was missing one front tooth. Samantha's family used to live in Garden Grove, California, but they moved to nearby Stanton last year because they thought it would be a safer place.
Samantha Runnion's body was found Tuesday along a rural road in Riverside County. That's about 50 miles from her home. Today, authorities released a tape of a frantic 911 phone call from a man who discovered the body.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
CALLER: Oh! Oh!
911 OPERATOR: Hi. What's going on?
CALLER: Oh, my God! I found a dead body! Please hurry!
911 OPERATOR: (UNINTELLIGIBLE)
CALLER: OK, I'm in the Ortegas (ph), OK? OK? And now, I'm in Riverside County, OK?
911 OPERATOR: OK.
CALLER: Listen to me...
911 OPERATOR: I need to (UNINTELLIGIBLE)
CALLER: I'm scared to sit here! There's another truck up the street, and we want to get out of here! We're scared!
911 OPERATOR: OK. I understand that. I need to know...
(CROSSTALK)
CALLER: Listen, I've got to hear her. What? Tell me?
911 OPERATOR: OK. What street are you on?
CALLER: I'm on Killen Trail. It's a main street. It's not a main street, but it's a big street out here -- K-I-L-L-E-N Trail.
911 OPERATOR: OK. And what is your name?
CALLER: My name is Justin (EXPLETIVE DELETED) Hey, can I go to my house? I'm really nervous right now!
911 OPERATOR: Fine. What is your phone number?
CALLER: My phone number I'm on is a cell phone. (EXPLETIVE DELETED) If you can call me in a couple minutes, I'll be at my house, too. I'll give you that number.
911 OPERATOR: OK.
CALLER: (EXPLETIVE DELETED) And the number (EXPLETIVE DELETED) Hey, we're going to go because I'm scared right now!
911 OPERATOR: Justin, what is...
CALLER: Yes?
911 OPERATOR: What is your address?
CALLER: I don't know my address there! I just moved there, like, a couple weeks ago, with my friends. It's -- (EXPLETIVE DELETED) They let me move into their barn.
911 OPERATOR: OK.
CALLER: And we just got off of work, and we pulled up to this (UNINTELLIGIBLE) Oh! There's this little girl!
911 OPERATOR: OK, Justin? Justin, I need you to calm down a little.
CALLER: Just -- just (UNINTELLIGIBLE)
911 OPERATOR: Justin, I understand. I need you to calm down a little. Where is the body at on Killen?
(END AUDIO CLIP)
SNOW: That tape incredibly powerful.
News of today's arrest, of course, followed that tape, an intense investigation across much of southern California. Bob Doyle is sheriff-elect of Riverside County, where Samantha's body was found. He dealt with that phone call that you just heard. Bob Doyle joins us now from Stanton.
That was so incredibly difficult to listen to, Sheriff. Why did you want that 911 tape out there?
BOB DOYLE, SHERIFF-ELECT, RIVERSIDE CO., CALIFORNIA: Well, Kate, I think it's important that the people understand just how horrific this incident is. And when you listen to that tape, all of us swelled up with emotion. And you can imagine the reporting party, from the way he was sounding, just how he felt.
SNOW: Can you give us any idea how difficult it was when you went out to the scene? It was your department that had to respond to that phone call.
DOYLE: It was very difficult. In these situations -- even though, you know, law enforcement runs into crime day in and day out, these situations with children are the most difficult and impact our officers and all the people that come in contact within the organization.
SNOW: There's been talk from several of your colleagues about how much evidence the perpetrator left at the scene where her body was found. I know you don't want to get specific, but was there quite a bit of evidence there at that site?
DOYLE: There was quite a bit of evidence that was collected at the scene, yes.
SNOW: And can you give us any idea what the scene looked like?
DOYLE: I can't go into that Kate, no.
SNOW: OK. This man, Alejandro Avila -- I want to show our viewers a map to show them where you're located, versus where Samantha was from. It's about 50 miles apart. Riverside County is both where the body was discovered and also where Alejandro Avila lives, the person who's been taken into custody. Can you tell me, is the investigation over now, now that you've got a suspect in custody?
DOYLE: Kate, no, it's not. And I think Sheriff Carona had mentioned earlier at the press conference this morning that we still desire that people call in with leads and information. It's very important.
SNOW: We know you can't cover the specifics, Sheriff. I know there's an ongoing investigation going on. But generally speaking, where do you go from here? In a case like this, what happens next?
DOYLE: Well, because it is an ongoing investigation, there'll be two things that happen. We will continue to follow leads. Orange county Sheriff's Department will, and we will be assisting them. And also because of the arrest of Mr. Avila, he will be arraigned, at some point. A preliminary hearing, and then certainly a trial would be the normal procedure that would occur.
SNOW: It's so tough with a case like this that is so high- profile, Sheriff. We've seen a lot of cases that get this much media attention. If there's one little slip-up, it can really destroy your case. So what are you being most careful of, as you investigators proceed? What's the one thing that you don't want to slip up on?
DOYLE: Well, I don't know that there's just one thing. You know, we want to do the job that we're trained to do and make sure that predators like this are put away for a long time.
SNOW: And just to reemphasize, this man is still considered a suspect, Mr. Avila, correct? He is innocent until proven guilty?
DOYLE: Well, he -- that's right. He has not been proven guilty. He has been arrested. He's a suspect at this point in time.
SNOW: Sheriff Bob Doyle -- Sheriff-Elect Bob Doyle of Riverside County, California. We appreciate you being with us tonight.
DOYLE: Thank you, Kate. SNOW: Thank you.
The Samantha Runnion case and other high-profile child abductions have many parents thinking, of course, about new ways to protect their children. Timothy Neher is the president of a California-based company called Wherify Wireless, which uses global positioning system technology, GPS technology, to keep track of kids. He joins us now from San Francisco.
Talk to us a little bit about the technology you've got. I know you've got an example there, if you can show us. We're talking about something that looks much like a wristwatch.
TIMOTHY NEHER, PRESIDENT AND CEO, WHERIFY WIRELESS: I sure can. Well, Wherify Wireless is a nationwide location service provider. We use all-patented, tested and proven-out technology that's going to enable parents to locate their children within minutes, directly through the Internet or through our 911-certified operators.
SNOW: How does it work, specifically? You put this on a kid and then what?
NEHER: That's correct. If it's a younger child, you could put it on. It has a locking mechanism in the clasp. If you have a 7 or 8-year-old that's walking to school, if they felt in danger, they could push one button on the watch and it'll actually lock the clasp. It's made of a cut-resistant material and also has a tamper sensor all the way around the device. If the situation then escalates, they push two of the buttons for three to five seconds. That comes back to our data center as a 911 or a request for help. And then the authorities will be dispatched to their exact location.
SNOW: Is it only at that point that a GPS signal goes out from that device, or is it just simply while the child is wearing it you can track the child's every movement?
NEHER: Well, what you could do is set up what we call "bread crumbing," so you could do timed increment locates throughout the day. So if you had a baby-sitter supposed to pick the kids up from day care, you could program on the Internet to do timed increment locates and get that report back to the -- to the parent.
SNOW: Let me ask you some critical questions because there are some that have been raised to me by some law enforcement officials, former police and such. One is you can cut this bracelet off, can't you? I mean, is it -- wouldn't it be possible for someone who means ill harm to cut it right off of a child?
NEHER: Well, it is made of a cut-resistant material, and there is a tamper sensor all the way around the device. So if it is tampered with, our data center and 911 operators are going to know immediately that that device is tampered with.
SNOW: What about this. If an abductor knows what it is, and that -- for example, if the child says, "I've got this bracelet on. You can't touch me" -- one former police officer said to me that could invite violence, that could invite a perpetrator to try and yank it off or break their wrist or do something terrible.
NEHER: Well, Kate, the way we look at it is if there's 25 kids in the park and, you know, 10 of them have the watch on, or if there's a group of kids walking home from school that have the watches on, hopefully, that predator will go right on by those kids. So we see it as a big deterrent to these predators out there.
SNOW: Do you worry that you give parents any kind of false sense of security if they use technology like this, that then they feel like they're invincible?
NEHER: I don't think so. I think we -- Wherify's positioned this product as a back-up tool for parents to use. It's going to be a parental tool, and we don't want to give that false sense of security. I think it's a back-up system. When I basically founded the company, it was because I almost lost my brother's two children. And there is no back-up system on the market today, and if your kids aren't found in the first 24 hours, that's the critical time. We need every kind of tool available to us to help find these kids in that critical 24- hour period.
SNOW: Timothy Neher with Wherify Wireless. Certainly, a product that a lot of people are going to be looking at that, and other products like it. Thanks for joining us tonight.
NEHER: Thank you.
SNOW: Here's your chance to weigh in on this story. Our Web question of the day: If the technology were available, would you go as far as implanting a tracking device in your child? We understand it's not that far off in the future. You can vote at CNN.com/wolf.
And while you're there, let us know what you're thinking. You can send us your comments, and we'll read some of them each day on the air. Also, you can read our daily on-line column at CNN.com/wolf.
How safe is the nation's blood supply? Two people in Florida have contracted HIV from transfusions. When we return, the blood center's director answers tough questions about how this could have happened.
Is this a police chase gone bad? More examples of questionable conduct are coming forward. We'll talk about that.
Plus, Noelle Bush out of jail, back in court, her brother by her side. We'll tell you what the judge had to say.
And "K-19," fact, or fiction? A look at the real-life story behind the Hollywood blockbuster.
First, our news quiz. Which of the following military movie blockbusters made the most money at the box office, "Pearl Harbor," "Platoon," "Rambo: First Blood" or "Saving Private Ryan"? The answer coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) SNOW: Now to the Dow. Blue chip stocks fell a nauseating 390 points today to round out the week on Wall Street, sending the Dow Jones average to an almost four-year low.
CNN's Allan Chernoff is live in the -- at the New York Stock Exchange. Allan, what made stocks fall so far so fast today?
ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kate, well, it isn't a one- day event, even though today was perhaps most the dramatic day that we've seen in quite some time. This has been building up for a while. It's really a matter of how much pain can people take. The Dow is down 9 of the past 10 sessions, as I said, building up. And today, finally, a lot of people said, "You know, I've had enough." Even those people who were bullish on the market, they realized they've got to start reducing their exposure to the stock market. They did that today, and they sold the blue chips down very hard -- Kate.
SNOW: At some point, aren't we going to reach a point where people say this is time to take advantage and start getting back in and start boosting things up again?
CHERNOFF: Yeah, no question about that, Kate. And a lot of people on the Street feel right now that we are pretty close to that level, but that doesn't mean that we go up, up and away. In fact, over the past year and a half, we've had some real good rallies, but then the market falls back down. And that really is a major indication that we remain in a significant bear market. The bull market is history, Kate.
SNOW: Alan Chernoff. Not very good news tonight, but thanks for sharing.
For an in-depth look at the ups, downs, ins and outs that play into the market downturn, you won't want to miss "LOU DOBBS MONEYLINE" tonight. That comes up right after us at 6:00 p.m. Eastern, 3:00 p.m. Pacific.
More than a dozen people sick and evidence of E. coli bacteria at a packing plant have led to the second largest beef recall in U.S. history. The warning went out today on 18.5 million pounds of beef professed in Colorado.
CNN medical correspondent Rea Blakey has details.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
REA BLAKEY, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The Class One recall, the most serious, means there's a reasonable probability of serious adverse health consequences or death.
ANN VENEMAN, AGRICULTURE SECRETARY: This action is being taken as a cautionary measure, to insure the protection of public health.
BLAKEY: The U.S. Agriculture Department, in conjunction with the Centers for Disease Control, confirms 16 cases of E. coli bacteria infection in Colorado. Six other cases are suspected in five other states. USDA tells CNN a routine random sample taken May 9 turned up positive for E. coli. According to protocol, USDA takes a daily sample for 15 days. The sample taken the 12th day also tested positive. Once it was determined that sample was from Conagra's Greeley, Colorado, plant, inspectors took yet another sample from an unopened package June 24. Five days later, the sample was confirmed positive for E. coli. June 30, Conagra voluntarily recalled some 354,000 pounds of possibly tainted beef.
VENEMAN: We've been testing everything since July 11 with no positive results.
BLAKEY: This latest voluntary recall of more than 18 million pounds is an extension of June 30 recall. At that time, Conagra said there hadn't been any positive tests for E. coli since new inspection systems were put in place five years ago. The ground beef can be found in many forms and may have been repackaged by your local grocery store or served in restaurants. Check the government Web site at usda.gov.
Not sure if you're already been infected? Symptoms of E. coli contamination include stomach cramps or tenderness, diarrhea, often bloody, nausea and vomiting. Fever is unlikely. If it does occur, it would likely be mild. Children under age 5, the elderly and those with weakened immune systems are at greatest risk from E. coli.
USDA officials tell CNN a 2-year-old and a 4-year-old are among the confirmed cases. Cooking beef to an internal temperature of 160 degrees kills E. coli. Government officials recommend you always use an accurate digital thermometer. Never judge doneness by color alone.
Rea Blakey, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SNOW: In Florida, two people have contracted HIV through blood transfusions. It's only the second time this has happened since better testing was implemented in 1999. The donor gave the blood in March. It was processed by Florida Blood Services. The agency says the donor's HIV infection was so recent that its tests failed to detect the virus. It only showed up when the same blood donor gave blood again in May.
For more on this, we're joined by Dr. German Leparc. He's chief medical officer of Florida Blood Services, the agency involved here. Dr. Leparc, thanks for being with us.
DR. GERMAN LEPARC, CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER, FLORIDA BLOOD SERVICES: My pleasure.
SNOW: This donor had given blood a number of times since September 11, trying to do good, apparently. Are you confident that it wasn't until May that this problem occurred that the person had HIV?
LEPARC: Well, we know that this person obviously was in the extremely early stages of HIV infection back in March. That's why the blood was tested -- was not detected as infected, since in the very early stages, the first 7 to 10 days after a person becomes infected, the virus is undetectable in the bloodstream because of its very low concentration.
SNOW: So in March, you think this person is infected. In May this person gives blood, if I've got the timeline right. But it takes you a month or so before you're able to tell the hospitals that they need to go back and look at their blood supply. What took so long?
LEPARC: Well, there is a lot of time that needs to identify, first of all, what were the prior donations. Out of each prior donation, what kind of components were prepared? After that, you need to find out, well, where did each component go? Which hospital did receive each component. After that, within the hospital, who was the patient that received each one of the components? After that, you have to go over locating the patient. After that, you have to notify the patient. After that, you get the testing performed. And then after that, you notify them of the results. So it's a several-layer process that takes time to accomplish.
SNOW: Are you confident now that you've gotten all of that person's blood out of the system, that people that are going -- I know you're still operating, obviously -- that people that are going to give blood are safe?
LEPARC: Oh, it's very important to understand that the donation that was found to be reactive, was positive, was destroyed. And the one that was immediately prior, the one that had undetectable levels of virus was also -- was -- the two components were transfused, and there are no remnants. There's no risk of any infectious unit being in the system, at this point.
SNOW: I suppose the silver lining, Doctor, is that we know now that these tests are working, if you're catching things like this. The tests have gotten a lot better, haven't they, since 1999?
LEPARC: Well, the testing has gotten better ever since we started testing in 1985. Right now, we are testing blood at a molecular level, where we detect as early as 7 to 10 days after an infection happens. That makes the risk of getting AIDS or getting HIV infection due to transfusion at an odds of 1 in 2 million.
SNOW: One last quick question. There are some countries, I've read, in Europe that are thinking about getting rid of some of the most advanced testing because it's too expensive. It's a cost issue. Is that going to happen in the United States, or do you suspect we'll keep the same kind of testing that we've been doing?
LEPARC: I don't believe so. I think we will keep the testing here, and we will move next to the next stage, which is actually to treat the blood with substances that are capable of destroying any viruses, any infectious agents in blood, while preserving at the same time the life-giving properties of blood, so that we can make -- at that point, then we will make the blood supply 100 percent safe.
SNOW: Dr. German Leparc with Florida Blood Service. Appreciate your time.
More police beatings caught on tape, this time by their own cameras. But do these videos bring us any closer to the truth about what happened?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SNOW: Welcome back. I'm Kate Snow in Washington. Wolf Blitzer is off tonight.
Pakistani government sources say DNA tests have positively identified the body of Daniel Pearl. Three suspects led police to the remains, which were buried near the site where the "Wall Street Journal" reporter was believed to have been held hostage. Monday, Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh was sentenced to death for Pearl's murder. His lawyers are appealing.
And federal investigators are looking into the crash of an air tanker that went down while fighting a 1,200-acre wildfire in Colorado. A witness says the plane broke apart as it was going down yesterday. Both crewmembers were killed. The crash has prompted authorities to ground firefighting planes nationwide for 48 hours.
The mayor of Inglewood, California reportedly wants cameras to be mounted in all city police cars. His call follows yesterday's arraignment of two city police officers stemming from a violent arrest that was taped by a bystander.
CNN's Brian Cabell reports, it's just the latest in a series of similar incidents.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRIAN CABELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): November 7 of last year in Ruidoso, New Mexico: A 15-year-old runaway is taken into custody. She is handcuffed to a bench. Officer Alfred Stinnett enters her cell:
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ALFRED STINNNETT, POLICE OFFICER: Are you listening to me?
DIPAOLO: No I'm not. I hate you and I didn't take this (EXPLETIVE DELETED) any more. And you're a (EXPLETIVE DELETED) crooked cop.
STINNETT: If you open your mouth again -- are you understanding me?
DIPAOLO: I'm not listening to you! I don't like you!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CABELL: The girl suffered a concussion and bruises, and the officer was indicted for battery against a juvenile, a misdemeanor.
Her attorney has filed a federal lawsuit.
GARY MITCHELL, ATTORNEY: What I wanted to do when I first saw the tape was take that officer out behind the barn and teach him some respect and dignity.
CABELL: Fulton County, Georgia Sheriff Jackie Barrett, who viewed the tape, agrees: The officer's conduct appears inappropriate.
SHERIFF JACKIE BARRETT, FULTON COUNTY, GEORGIA: Common sense for me would have said, let her mouth off, close the door, go do whatever it was that you were doing.
CABELL: But, she adds, we don't know what the suspect might have said or done just five minutes before.
Another videotape, March 20 of this year: Milwaukee police arrest a man on disorderly conduct charges. An argument apparently ensues. An officer shoves the suspect into the wall, then onto the desk.
The suspect claims he was assaulted.
BILLY MILES, SUSPECT: So I threw my hands up because I wasn't sure if he was going to hit me. And I was trying to let him know to, you know, cool out.
CABELL: The officer claims he was protecting himself from being spat upon. The case is now being investigated by police internal affairs.
Again, Sheriff Barrett is concerned by what she sees, but with this caution: It's little more than a snapshot.
BARRETT: It's damaging evidence. But in and of itself, all by itself, I would not use it as the convicting piece.
CABELL: The big problem with this tape: there's no sound.
Another police tape, this from May 31, Catoosa County, Georgia. Authorities chasing a suspected carjacker who's fleeing on foot. Their car rams him -- the deputies say accidentally -- and breaks both his legs. He's down. And then seconds later an officer tackles him and hits him repeatedly.
The suspect, who is still hospitalized, suffered compound fractures. The deputy has been suspended.
CHARLES ROGER, SUSPECT'S FATHER: It disturbs me that a man can run over you with a vehicle, then jump out and go to beating on you.
CABELL: Again, this is a case where the camera gives only a partial picture: no sound and no background.
But, Sheriff Barrett points out, cameras have their place. They can serve both the police and the suspect.
BARRETT: We like to use them for good. We like to be able to capture what's happening with that drunk driver so that it's not my word against the drunk's word. It's these kind of incidents that show us it's really a double-edged sword.
CABELL: A double-edged sword, she says, that may also help weed out some bad officers.
Brian Cabell, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SNOW: Joining us to talk more about cops and cameras is Gary Hankins. He is the former president of the D.C. Fraternal Order of Police, also a Metropolitan D.C. Police Officer, yourself.
GARY HANKINS, FRM. PRES., D.C. FRATERNAL ORDER OF POLICE: Yes, I was.
SNOW: Startling images on all of those tapes. Today we learned that the Inglewood mayor is saying, get me cameras in every cop car. That's what he these he needs.
Does the camera always tell the whole story?
HANKINS: Well, it can only tell that part of the story that it sees. And it's a tool that provides another piece of the puzzle.
I think, though, we ought to begin considering what's going on with these police officers. For decades we've had -- since Rodney King, especially -- intense interest in, what are police officers doing? And are they brutalizing people? And, of course, we always hear about the bully cops.
Police departments, locally, in municipality, states and federal sector, spend millions of dollars trying to identify, recruit and to sort these people out; and yet we see what appears to be inappropriate, illegal behavior. And sometimes it is inappropriate and illegal.
SNOW: Let's take a look at a couple these. Number one, the Milwaukee tape where you saw a suspect -- apparently there's no sound -- but apparently being questioned in a room, and then suddenly you see a police officer lunge at that person.
The report is, from the police officer, that he was spat upon, or someone was spat upon, and that's what prompted this. But do we get enough of the story here from this videotape? It looks -- it's one of their internal surveillance cameras. You would think they know that they're on camera.
HANKINS: And they do know that they're on camera. That's a processing room where a subject is being processed subsequent to being incarcerated on a more permanent basis -- overnight, or released if the authorities believe he can be released on bail or bond. So they know that they're under surveillance.
When someone spits at you, they're taking an action. Mere words should never, by themselves, warrant physical action against a suspect. But once a suspect takes an action -- a physical one, be it spitting or a gesture moving toward you, you need to get control of that immediately.
And if you look at what officers go through, there are more than 50,000 serious assaults of officers in this country annually. We have over 12,000 officers dead in this country in the line of duty. And this builds inside an officer a very, very heightened sense of alertness, and a fear, frankly, that sometimes appears to the uneducated eye to be an aggressive movement when, in fact, they're afraid that if this gets out of control, I could be dead very easily.
SNOW: Let me look at one more, the Georgia tape from north Georgia. A suspect is running, the car hits him -- the police say accidentally, his family says on purpose.
This looks, on its face, to be such a galling -- I mean, the man runs in there and starts hitting a person who looks defenseless.
Could there be a different explanation?
HANKINS: Well, first of all, I doubt that it was an intentional strike with the vehicle. That vehicle was on grass. And when you're trying to stop, you cannot stop on a dime.
He knows that there is a camera mounted in his car, so the last thing that officer is going to want to do is use the vehicle as a weapon when he knows it's on tape, aimed right at the suspect.
Now, when someone is down and you've been involved in a chase where you may have come near death, and this person has put you in that position, you are pumped full of adrenaline. Now, this doesn't excuse what appears to be excessive use of force; but we have to begin considering what we're doing to police officers, what we expose them to, and we don't treat them for it.
Officers get assaulted on a regular basis. You can be in a struggle with someone, for instance, close-up, wrestling, and they tell you, don't do that. And this person can be reaching for your gun trying to take it from your holster to kill you, and maybe winning until help arrives and you then prevail.
SNOW: Gary Hankins, former president of the District of Columbia Fraternal Order of Police, appreciate your being here to shed a bit of -- more light on that.
HANKINS: Thank you.
SNOW: A new beginning for Jeb Bush's daughter: One day at a time, after doing time in jail.
What the family is saying about fighting addiction.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SNOW: Florida Governor Jeb Bush's only daughter is out of jail and back in drug rehab. Noelle Bush spent a couple of days behind bars for violating terms of her drug treatment program. She got out today, with her brother by her side and the judge on her case. Here is CNN's John Zarrella.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): After a hearing that lasted no more than five minutes, Noelle Bush, the 24-year-old daughter of Florida's Governor Jeb Bush walked out of an Orlando courtroom and went back to a drug treatment facility. Bush had just completed a three-day sentence in the county jail for contempt of court, because she violated the terms of her drug treatment contract. She was caught with unauthorized prescription drugs at her treatment center, but had not consumed any.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I hope that you've learned something from the three-day stay that you had in the Orange County jail. It was meant for a purpose: To give you some time to think and reflect on some of the decisions that you've been making.
ZARRELLA: In January, Bush was caught falsifying a prescription for Xanax, used to calm nerves and stem anxiety. Her plea arrangement called for the possibility that charges would be dropped if she completed the drug program. Noelle's older brother, George P., stood to her left during the hearing. As it ended, Noelle and her brother embraced. Noelle's family have stood by her, but as brother George put it, the love has been tough.
GEORGE P. BUSH, BROTHER: As a family member, I'm here to support here. But as my father mentioned a few days ago, she's an adult, and she definitely is learning her lesson. And so, as a brother more than anything else, right now I'm here to support her and encourage her to make the right decisions.
ZARRELLA: George P. echoed what his father has said recently, that Noelle is making progress, but there are always bumps in the road, and this has been one of them.
(on camera): This is the second time Noelle Bush has slipped up in recovery. The first time she left the treatment center without permission and was sentenced to community service. This time, it was jail time. If there are any more bumps, Judge Whitehead could impose his own version of tough love, including throwing her out of the program to face the charge of drug prescription fraud.
John Zarrella, CNN, Miami.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SNOW: Other news now from the pages of our "Justice Files": The California Supreme Court says patients using medical marijuana can't be criminally prosecuted, at least not in state courts. The court says doctor-approved marijuana is no more criminal than a prescription drug. Users could still be subject to prosecution under federal law.
And a British physician dubbed "Dr. Death" may be responsible for the deaths of as many as 260 people over 23 years. That conclusion from a judge in Manchester, England, who announced her findings today. They are the result of a year-long inquiry regarding serial killer Harold Shipman. Shipman has already been convicted of murdering 15 people with large doses of heroin. He is serving life in prison.
A dramatic title, a popular action hero, a compelling story: The movie "K-19: The Widowmaker" has all the ingredients for a summer hit. So, why is it making some people skeptical and others downright angry? We will tell you, just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SNOW: Earlier, we asked: "Which of the following military movies made the most money at the box office?" The answer: "Saving Private Ryan." Steven Spielberg's hit grossed more than $400 million worldwide.
Hollywood's latest attempt to bring military history to the silver screen opens across the country. "K-19: The Widowmaker" is based on a deadly nuclear accident on a new Soviet submarine four decades ago. Outrage over the script by survivors induced some changes, but it's not the first time Hollywood's been slammed for twisting military facts with fiction. Our senior Pentagon correspondent Jamie McIntyre reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SR. PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): K- 19 was the Soviets' first ballistic missile submarine rushed into service in 1961 to match America's Polaris subs.
"K-19: The Widowmaker" starring Harrison Ford and Liam Neeson is Hollywood's version of how the 139 crew members battle deadly radiation to save themselves and their sub after it's suffered a catastrophic coolant leak on its maiden voyage.
But some of the surviving members of the actual crew complain the movie makes them seem drunken and unprofessional.
YURI FILIN, FORMER K-19 REACTOR OPERATOR (through translator): It was a very professional, very emotional scene. You couldn't feel the radiation, but it was there: in the air, in the water, everywhere.
MCINTYRE: Harrison Ford, who plays the sub's commander, met with some of the retired Russian sailors before the filming, and says the movie's producers tried hard to get it right.
HARRISON FORD, ACTOR: One of the interesting things is that no two stories were alike because a submarine is compartmentalized. They were separated after the event and dispersed to different commands. So it was interesting, trying to figure out what really happened.
MCINTYRE: Historians say, while the movie does get the basic facts straight, the implication that a meltdown on the sub might have sparked World War III is implausible. Experts say any thermal explosion would have been easily recognized by the U.S. as an accident at sea, not a nuclear attack.
Most movie versions of history get some things wrong. Historians point out many inaccuracies in "Pearl Harbor" -- everything from U.S. ships being too far apart, to dramatic speeches that were never made, to major historical characters being misplaced for dramatic effect.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "Windtalkers")
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: Your mission is to keep your code talker alive.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MCINTYRE: The script for the movie "Windtalkers" was reworked after the Pentagon complained there were never any orders to kill the Navajo codetalkers to prevent their capture.
"Black Hawk Down" is given high marks for accuracy by military experts, but even that movie combines some characters and shorthanded some events to make the story easier to follow.
(on camera): It should go without saying that movies are entertainment, not documentaries. And when a movie says "based on a true story," it doesn't mean true in every detail.
But when it comes to fanciful accounts of history, many military historians would nominate the 1965 movie "The Battle of the Bulge" for a special award: a movie so riddled with inaccuracies that retired President Eisenhower denounced it at a press conference.
Jamie McIntyre, CNN, the Pentagon.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SNOW: There are countless unsung heroes of the attacks of September 11 and the days and months that followed.
We have the story now of one hero of Ground Zero who was denied medical benefits after being injured during search efforts. The twist to this tale: the hero in the question is a dog.
Here is CNN's Brian Palmer.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRIAN PALMER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): At nearly 13 years old, this golden retriever named Bear is a veteran rescue dog. He's been places most of us would never venture.
SCOTT SHIELDS, BEAR'S PARTNER: I'm working with one of the better search-and-rescue dogs.
Bear served at Ground Zero after the attacks on the World Trade Center, and according to his human partner Scott Shields, Bear found more survivor in the first few days than any other dog, when hope was still strong. SHIELDS: I turned to bear and I started walking in, and I said out loud: Am I killing the only thing I've really got left that I love in the world?
PALMER: Shields says Ground Zero wrecked Bear's health, but he says the pet insurance company that offered free coverage to other rescue dogs refused to pay Bear's medical bills.
SHIELDS: Bear, five months ago, could jump into a truck. Bear is collapsing now. That's not old age; it's neurological. It's something new. He doesn't have problems that just crept up over the last 12 years.
PALMER: Veterinarian Jennifer Chaitman started treating Bear after September 11.
DR. JENNIFER CHAITMAN, VETERINARIAN: My understanding is that this company will not pay for a treatment of preexisting conditions, meaning conditions that the dog had before the dog was signed up on the policy. Bear has developed many conditions since the insurance was applied for.
And so my understanding would be that those things should be covered.
PALMER: Bear has had worsening arthritis and a cancerous infection typical in aging dogs. But Chaitman says they seem to have been exacerbated by Bear's rescue work at Ground Zero.
However, Chaitman says Bear probably does not have the neurological condition that Shields claims.
CHAITMAN: I had a veterinary neurologist take a look at Bear just a few weeks ago. She did not find any signs of neurologic disease. Both the prostatitis and the arthritis can cause hind-limb weakness, and can cause that occasional stumbling that he's had.
PALMER: The insurance company, Veterinary Pet Insurance, offered free policies to all the rescue dogs that worked at the Trade Center site. Five dogs were rejected, including Bear.
The CEO of the company now says he made a mistake.
Meantime, a Long Island animal shelter has agreed to pay for Bear's bills and lifetime medical care.
Brian Palmer, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SNOW: Let's go back to New York now and get a preview of "LOU DOBBS MONEYLINE," which begins at the top of the hour. Hi Lou.
LOU DOBBS, HOST, "MONEYLINE": Kate, hi.
Another brutal session today on Wall Street. The Dow Jones Industrials suffering the biggest point decline this year. We'll have complete, comprehensive market coverage from the New York exchange, the Nasdaq, the Chicago Mercantile.
I'll be talking with some of the country's top business editors, Steve Forbes, Mark Morrison.
We'll also have and a special report on where some investors are putting what's left of their money, and we'll be talking with a panel of CEOs who run some of this country's biggest corporations. We'll be talking about what Wall Street is trying to do to repair its tarnished reputation, what corporate America can do to restore confidence.
All of that and a great deal more at the top of the hour. Please join us.
Now back to Kate Snow -- Kate.
SNOW: Lou, thanks. Only two minutes left to weigh in on our "Question of the Day": If the technology were available, would you implant a tracking device in your child? Logon to cnn.com/wolf. The results in two minutes.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SNOW: Now here's how you're weighing in on our Web "Question of the Day."
Earlier we asked: If the technology were available, would you implant a tracking device in your child? 71 percent of you said yes, while 29 percent of you said no.
Remember, it's not a scientific poll.
Time now to hear from you. Many of you had something to say about Zacarias Moussaoui's attempt to enter a guilty plea in court.
Rob writes: "Now that Moussaoui has confessed to being an al Qaeda operative, he should be treated as a combatant in this war, and sent to a military tribunal, sparing a federal court his antics and permitting prompt punishment."
Peg asks: "Why does the judge in the Moussaoui case continually allow him to control what goes on in her courtroom? He seems to have a pretty good knowledge of the U.S. legal system, and is getting to be an expert at manipulating it."
That's all the time we have today. Thanks very much for watching. I'm Kate Snow in Washington.
Join Wolf Blitzer for CNN's "LATE EDITION" on Sunday. His guest: Homeland Security Director Tom Ridge. That's at noon Eastern on Sunday. Have a great weekend.
"LOU DOBBS MONEYLINE" begins right now.
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