For what that’s worth… :)

Snideness aside, I must say that I appreciate Radley’s work very much. He is demanding that employees in my field (public safety) remember who they work for. He is attempting to smoke out (Ha! had to use a Bushism for fun) scoundrels and criminals who use the badge to facilitate their crimes. He is demanding radical legal changes such as an end to the “War on Drugs,” that would improve law enforcement and society dramatically. He is asking us to be better than we currently are, and I respect him for that. But, while The Agitator provides readers with necessary criticism of the criminal justice system, I think it also presents a distorted view of policing. The site is also drawing more commenters that, to me, represent the negative side of internet discourse (irrational, vitriolic, violence-craving, anti-intellectual, etc.), which is why I visit less often than I used too. These commenters should be ashamed, as they have done much to damage the integrity of this site.

While the drug war has dealt a terrible blow to policing, people must understand that most officers DO NOT work in the narcotics units that have done so much to undermine law enforcement. Most police officers also DO NOT belong to the SWAT teams that are currently engaging in activities that put citizens (some of whom are innocent) and themselves at risk in the name of a failed, stupid drug policy.

In the average police department, approximately 60% of sworn personnel work in the patrol division. These officers are primarily reactive (as they should be in a democratic society), spending most of their time responding to CITIZEN-INITIATED calls for service. Most of these calls, even those received by 911, are not emergent in nature (visit Peter Moskos’ website and read his critique of 911, “911 is a joke,” for a good study on the negative effects of 911 on policing). Many calls require investigation of crimes that have already occurred. In others, the goal is, frankly, to keep people (domestic partners, families, drug dealers, gangsters, students at schools, drunks in bars, etc.) from killing each other due to their inability to communicate without using violence.

But enough about what the cops do. Many of you probably have some understanding of police activity, so I apologize for stating the obvious. But, part of the problem on The Agitator–and throughout society–is a complete lack of understanding of what the police do or SHOULD be doing. When people focus all their energy on criticizing the practitioners who actually do the work, they are not changing the system. When they criticize AND offer practical solutions, they are contributing. Re-invigorating the constitution, ending the drug war, and making police agencies more transparent and accountable will make life better for all of us in the long run. Hoping beyond hope that NYPD officers are guilty of sodomizing a man just so you can continue to justify your anti-government bias will not change anything. It only increases the us vs. them attitude that afflicts many in policing, and many who contribute to this site. My apologies for the long post, but I probably won’t be back for awhile.

Helmut O’ Hooligan

Hrm…

Well, it doesn’t /completely/ invalidate my original point, I hope.

Do you have any follow up information about the heart attack guy getting ticketed?

Also, the bottom of ANY law enforcement chain is the guards. Prison guards, guards in police stations, etc- all are slime. If they don’t torture people, they’ve sat idly by while others have. Please revise your list accordingly.

This is the Metropolitan Transit Police, only one step up from the bottom of the law enforcement food chain in DC (the bottom is the Federal Protective Service). This is the bunch I watched write an old man 3 $250 tickets in 10 minutes for “eating on the subway.” The man was having an angina attack and was taking his nitroglycerin. Complaining about these scum only gets you arrested.

I have a really hard time grasping how searching me without probable cause helps guard my privacy.

I guess it’s good I don’t live in Alexandria and work in downtown DC anymore. But if I did…well, I have actually walked out of the District across the river before…good exercise…

Not corroborating or doing any fact checking is a symptom of the biased reporting by CNN and Fox. We shouldn’t follow suite.

Imagine how fun answering the “what are you supposed to be?” question would be.

I know I’m going to get a lot of thumbs down for this post, but it isn’t that I think Ted Stevens has been particularly targeted and wronged so much as it is that I don’t think anyone, even lying bastards should have to face charges in a system that is so stacked against them (even Senators), and where the charges are for breaking arbitrary, if well intentioned rules.

Maybe it is “justice,” but it doesn’t reflect well on the justice system to this idiot. Is anyone else a little ambivalent about this trial?

I wish I were more eloquent; I certainly could have picked a better trial to use to express my point.

Well, he wouldn’t have much of a case there as it is undeniably true.