During an arrest on March 31, the three Vineland, New Jersey officers – Louis Platania, Rich Janasiak and Jeffrey Travalin – kicked, punched and stomped on Philip White, 32, until he was unconscious.
A video, recorded by a bystander, shows an officer as he allows a police dog to bite White in the face, head, and body, ultimately causing his death.
Travaline could also be heard telling the bystander filming the incident that he would have to take his information and his cellphone, an action believed by law enforcement experts to be "inappropriate," as "police have no right to take anyone’s cell phone because they are recording uniformed police officers making an arrest."
When White’s family asked for the names of these cops, the police department denied their request.
But on Sunday, Anonymous posted the video on YouTube and demanded that Vineland police and the Cumberland County Prosecutor’s Office "release the names of the two officers that arrested Philip and put them on unpaid administrative leave, release the name of the canine officer that released the canine and relieve him from duty pending charges, and release all dashcam footage pertaining to this investigation."
The group threatened to release the officers’ names and all personal information, as well as perform cyberattacks on the department’s and prosecutor’s websites and databases, should their demands not be met within 24 hours.
On Tuesday, Vineland police released audio of a 911 call, police communications and the names of only two officers involved in the killings of White, prompting Anonymous to reveal all three names on Wednesday.
While all three names have now been released, cyberattacks on the websites and databases of the police department and prosecutor’s office have not yet been reported.
