Lunch Links

Friday, March 7th, 2008
  • Introducing…RateMyCop.com. I don’t know how well a site like this could actually work. But I suppose it’s worth a shot.
  • Remarkable story about a janitor and part-time student at IUPUI (that’s a college in Indianapolis) disciplined for racial harassment for reading a book about the KKK. Weirdly, it’s a book about how the KKK was defeated. P.C. run amok. Thanks to my dad for the tip.
  • “To the man doing my wife…” Funny.
  • ACLU files suit against a Nevada prison that let a diabetic man rot to death.
  • Terrific rant against paternalism in the Wall Street Journal by, of all people, George McGovern.
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14 Responses to “Lunch Links”

  1. #1 |  Chris | 

    That story about IUPUI is absolutely incredible. I assume they also suspend or omit the entire history of WWII in class if a Jewish student is present?

  2. #2 |  claude | 

    Regarding the “ratemycop” website… there is a website out there where cops rat on other cops for writing them tickets. Its here:

    http://copswritingcops.com/

    Its interesting to see how many of them think they r above the law. They give out the name and dept of fellow cops who give them a ticket for breaking the law. They even have a “dick of the month” contest. They claim they just want the same break the average joe can get. If that were the case, perhaps they shouldnt flash their badge or FOP card?

  3. #3 |  Michael | 

    Yes, it would have been nice if that last cop that gave me a ticket treated me like a fellow cop. I could hardly afford that ticket, being unemployed! And it was a speed trap, anway. (signs not posted clearly) You know, to increase ticket revenues!?

    And the guy was reading a book on how the KKK was defeated!! Not suuporting the idiots! How absolutely insane to charge him with racial harrassment. He needs publically vindicated and a public apology!

  4. #4 |  UCrawford | 

    claude,

    Yeah, that Cops Writing Cops site has been around for awhile (it disappeared for a bit but now it seems to have reappeared with fresh stories). The whining coming out of some of those guys (“I got caught doing 84 in a 55 and my “brother officer” treated me just like a common speeder…waaahhh!!!”) is absolutely pathetic. Honestly, if I ever meet one of the cops listed as a “Dick of the Month” I think I’ll shake the guy’s hand, compliment him on being a good example for his profession and offer him his beverage of choice…hope others would do the same.

  5. #5 |  NickIstre | 

    UCrawford, I’d be right behind you in shaking their hands and offering to buy them lunch. Hell, many of those stories sound like the same sob stories many officers attributed to us “civilians”…

  6. #6 |  NickIstre | 

    I just had a thought: can we take the names of the officers complained about on copswritingcops.com and rate them up on ratemycop.com?

  7. #7 |  claude | 

    A few months back, when the old site was up, some of us did send off emails and calls to the departments of the officers who did write the tickets to other cops. We thanked them for doing their job and not playing favorites and mentioned they were a credit to their profession. What i see on copswritingcops is really proof positive of the corruption that exists amongst many members of the LEO community, in addition to the tremendous sense of entitlement they arrogantly display there.

  8. #8 |  NickIstre | 

    Gotta love the tagline: “They would even write their mom!”. Heck, I would ticket my mother if I was an officer and saw her grossly violating a traffic law while I was on duty. Then again, that might be why I’m not an peace officer.

    Back when I was playing and refereeing recreational ice hockey, I did not let up on players who also refereed. Nor was I any more stringent on them; I treated them as any other player. And I expected the same from them when I was playing. Hell, I even had discussions with the officials if they missed or let go a penalty that I committed.

    Granted, I also took advantage of my knowledge on how to bend the rules when I played in competitive (as opposed to recreational) games, but I still didn’t expect any measure of “professional courtesy” from the officials on those types of games either.

    Yes, that is at a much lower level than enforcing the law, but I hoped that I helped to establish some respect for integrity of the rules for the many 12-17 year old referees who have worked with me and played in games that I had officiated, especially in those who later went into law-enforcement.

  9. #9 |  UCrawford | 

    claude,

    A few months back, when the old site was up, some of us did send off emails and calls to the departments of the officers who did write the tickets to other cops. We thanked them for doing their job and not playing favorites and mentioned they were a credit to their profession.

    You know, it seems that an inordinate number of the cops who write into that site seem to encounter their problems while traveling to someone else’s state or jurisdiction…not while they’re in their own. I wonder if perhaps it wouldn’t be a good idea, whenever one of the “Dick of the Month” officers gets dimed out on that site, for people to not only call the “Dick” officer’s department to pass along our thanks but also to toss a letter or e-mail to the local newspaper wherever that officer works (or a prominent state paper in the case of state troopers) to highlight that a) those cities/states/jurisdictions have police officers who try to enforce the law fairly and without prejudice and b) that there are other cops from other cities/states/jurisdictions who try to humiliate and intimidate them for it.

    This just seems like something that local papers would be interested in…the fact that some police officers from other cities think it’s okay drive through their towns to break their laws and then use the Internet to threaten their officers who are only trying to protect and serve. Seems like that would both cast the issue in a more personal light (communities needing to stick up for their own against unfair treatment from the outside) and highlight this openly (and incredibly despicable) pro-corruption site run by a bunch of frauds with badges.

    I don’t know if that would work or help the officers in question, but it seems like it couldn’t hurt. I think that citizens in the “Dicks’” towns would appreciate knowing that their police try to do their job and I can’t imagine that their departments would retaliate against officers for bringing good publicity (especially to cover for officers who don’t work for their department). Just seems like the fourth estate shining a light on this issue would help encourage good behavior on the part of the police (cops writing other cops tickets) instead of leaving it to bloggers to focus on the bad (cops whining for special treatment).

  10. #10 |  UCrawford | 

    Nick,

    I just had a thought: can we take the names of the officers complained about on copswritingcops.com and rate them up on ratemycop.com?

    That’s a good thought too. Wouldn’t hurt to give a bad rating to the cops who wrote in to complain either…or the ones who run the site.

  11. #11 |  Fred Mangels | 

    Has anybody figured out how that Rate My Cop web site even works?

    I notice none of the police departments in my county have any officers listed. I don’t see any way to add names or grades. I even registered with the site and it doesn’t seem to be any different.

    Anyone figured it out?

  12. #12 |  Gino Sesto | 

    Fred, in a couple days you will be able to add officers, check back

  13. #13 |  primus | 

    So, George McGovern, who is well past his prime, say, 70+ years old, finally figured out that the nanny state doesn’t work. Little late in the day, isn’t it George? Especially seeing as I have known this since I was in my teens, forty some years ago. What’s the matter, George? Ethics got trumped by power hunger? I don’t respect him, or Bill Clinton, for saying after the fact, “I guess I should have done it different” Too late for that. You blew it. You had a chance to make a difference, and you didn’t do it. History will judge you harshly for that.

  14. #14 |  Frank | 

    FIRE apparently has been all over the KKK book incident.

    http://www.thefire.org/index.php/torch/

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