(1), 6-2, 8-6.Williams is 9-3 against her upcoming Russian op

RIO DE JANEIRO -- Human Rights Watch said Thursday that a pattern of covering up police killings has thwarted efforts to curb violence in Rio de Janeiros slums ahead of the Summer Olympic Games in Brazil.Many of the people killed by police in recent years were unarmed, in custody or trying to flee, according to the 109-page report. Authorities have said that in most cases, the police had come under attack, but prosecutors told the rights group that in the majority of the cases there was no confrontation.The city is gearing up for the Olympic Games that begin on Aug. 5, with security as one of the main concerns. Rights groups have condemned the increasing use of excessive force in slums and outlying areas. Human Rights Watch said the lack of investigation and prosecution of officers to some extent unraveled a security overhaul that had shown progress.You cant be an effective police officer in a community if people distrust you, fear you, they even hate you, said Daniel Wilkinson, managing director of the Americas division at the organization. Its compromising any effort to improve public security and fulfill this promise for the Olympics.Rio police have had a long track record of carrying out extrajudicial killings with more than 8,000 deaths by law enforcement since 2006. However, Wilkinson said police killings dropped from 2007 to 2013 after an effort to reduce crime in violent slums through the use of a new community police force.But police killings have been rising in the past three years in Rio de Janeiro state, with 645 people killed in officer-involved shootings in 2015, compared to 416 in 2013.They failed to deal with this basic problem, which is that there are a lot of cases of police executing people, Wilkinson said. Theres almost zero accountability. These cases arent investigated, they are not prosecuted and people can get away with them. It was no surprise that after initial progress, the problem of police killings started to bounce back.The rate of 3.9 police killings per 100,000 people in 2015 is almost five times that of South Africas and nearly 10 times that of the U.S.The New York-based rights group interviewed 34 current and former police officers who detailed a culture of combat that rewards them for killing instead of arresting drug-trafficking suspects. They said they covered up killings by planting guns on victims, or removing them from crime scenes to deliver dead people at hospitals, destroying evidence in the process.The organization said it studied 64 cases and found that forensic evidence in half of them was inconsistent with officials accounts. Autopsies in 20 cases showed the dead had been shot at close range, something not typical of shootouts. The report also showed that Rio police killed five people for each person they injured from 2013 to 2015, a number the group says is the opposite of what one would expect.The investigative police are usually tasked with investigating police killings, but detectives often do not visit the scenes of the deaths or even interview all of the officers involved, the report said, adding that prosecutors filed charges in only 15 of the 3,441 police killings between 2010 and 2015.Wilkinson said some recent changes in the justice system bear some promise, such as turning officer-involved killings over to the states homicide division instead of neighborhood precincts. The group also recommends increasing the number of prosecutors who investigate only police abuse and improving internal investigations within the police.Rio de Janeiro state security officials did not respond to a request for comment.Richie Ashburn Jersey Large . 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Authentic Custom Phillies Jersey . -- Stanfords Kevin Danser knelt on one knee and hardly moved on the sideline as Michigan State celebrated its Rose Bowl victory and his Cardinal teammates made their way to the locker room.WIMBLEDON -- Annika Beck was to Serena Williams on Sunday what a decent cup of morning coffee is to the rest of us.If the six-time Wimbledon champ needed a little jolt to pass Chris Evert for Grand Slam match win No. 300, Becks early service break on Centre Court seemed to do just the trick.Playing on the first middle Sunday here in 12 years, Williams shook off her boredom or whatever made her look like she woke up in a bad mood, and like the aftermath of the infamous racket smash in her previous match, she went to work.Winning 11 of the last 12 games, including the last seven, Williams polished off the 43rd-ranked German 6-3, 6-0 in 51 minutes to reach the fourth round at Wimbledon.I think the [Christina] McHale match really helped me, Williams said, referring to her second-round encounter last week. To be honest, I felt like losing that first set so tight and her playing better than shes ever played in her life really helped me to realize that I can play better.Williams coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, told ESPN.com on Saturday that Serena was too calm at the French Open, where she was defeated in the final by Garbine Muruguza. He was glad to see a little rage in her racket-smashing moment during a changeover against McHale.On Sunday, Williams was aggressive only in her on-court play, finishing with 25 winners to only 14 unforced errors. Williams cracked seven aces and limited Beck to four points in the second set, all on the return of serve.I wasnt sure what the stats were, obviously, but on that last service game, I was thinking, Have I lost on my first serve yet? Williams said. I wasnt sure, but I just tried to stay focused.It gives me a lot of confidence. I know what it takes to win these tournaments. Its just about now just doing it.Clearly that is tougher than it looks, as another No. 1 can attest.Asked what she thought of watching fellow American Sam Querrey derail Novak Djokovics pursuit of a calendar-year Slam on SSaturday, Williams said she was surprised Djokovic didnt come back from his two-set deficit to win.dddddddddddd.But it happens to all of us, said Williams, who lost her bid to sweep all four majors when she was defeated in last years US Open semifinals. Every time I step out on the court, if I dont win, its major national news. But if I do win, its just like a small tag in the corner.If that sounds like a burden, Williams said it isnt any longer.I look at it almost like something thats really awesome to be in that position. There are only two people you can say that about out of all the athletes, Williams said of herself and Djokovic.Williams will next face 13th-seeded Svetlana Kuznetsova, who rallied back from a 5-2 third-set deficit to eliminate American Sloane Stephens 6-7 (1), 6-2, 8-6.Williams is 9-3 against her upcoming Russian opponent, although Kuznetsova won their last meeting, a three-set upset at the Miami Open in March. The two have yet to play on grass.Were both ready for this match, Williams said. Were both going to give it our heart, as we always do when we play each other.While Mouratoglou has worried about Williams level of motivation since the US Open, during which time she finished as the runner-up at both the Australian and French opens, he said it is definitely not OK with her to finish anywhere short of winning the title and maintaining her No. 1 ranking.She hates [losing], Mouratoglou said. Shes not losing in the second round, third round, quarters. She was two times in the final and two sets away from the Grand Slam, so this is definitely not satisfying at all to stop there.Serena wants to be No. 1. She wants to win Grand Slams because when you win Grand Slams, you are a champion. If she feels she is not a champion anymore, then she will not enjoy it and she wont play. ' ' '