Police captain fired after stealing from department fund for another fired police officer. Injustice in Seattle asks, will there be a fund for him, too?
Great piece on Law Enforcement Against Prohibition at the Washington Post. The comments are encouraging, too. At least those I read.
ACLU says former U.S. attorney, now candidate for New Jersey governor, was routinely tracking American citizens on the cell phones without a warrant.
The director of Omaha’s crime scene investigation unit has been charged with felony evidence tampering. I first wrote about this case last December. It includes a false confession from a mentally handicapped man after a police interrogator said that unless he admitted to the murder, he’d do “do my level best to hang your ass from the highest tree.”
I missed this when it came out: The Mercatus Center ranks the 50 states by freedom. New Hampshire, Colorado, and South Dakota finish at the top. Alaska is tops in personal freedom. New York, New Jersey, Rhode Island, and California bring up the rear.
Illinois man officially declared innocent after serving 26 years for a murder he didn’t commit.
Miami-Dade cop steals money and drugs from arrestees. Internal affairs tries in vain for three years to get him off the force. Doesn’t happen until he actually shoots and nearly kills a man.
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on Saturday, April 25th, 2009 at 1:40 pm by Radley Balko
and is filed under Forensics, General Criminal Justice, General Drug War, Innocence, Police Professionalism.
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“Illinois man officially declared innocent after serving 26 years for a murder he didn’t commit.”
I’d really like to know how they decided that this guy was guilty. Or rather… how they decided it was him they would pin it on.
And don’t say “Three eye witnesses”. That’s how they convicted him… by finding 3 people they could manipulate into mistaking him for the actual killer.
Political cowardice in the halls of congress? Most members would rather keep their phoney baloney jobs than do the right (and sane) thing?
Say it ain’t so, Joe.
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I hate to bitch but theagitator.com could sure use a preview function.
There’s just plain dumb.
There’s dumber than a fence post dumb.
And then, there’s Drug Warrior Dumb™
This is precisely why I call drug warriors dopes.
Taze him Bro!
Re Miama-Dade corrupt cop.
I can understand human nature when a 40+year old career cop steps over the line once, and his colleagues try to cover his back. Its not right, but I can understand.
However, the cop in this story is 24, and they have been trying to get rid of him for 3 years, i.e., since he was 21, for a pattern of stealing from suspects. In other words, pretty soon after he joined the force, they had enough credible evidence to have him arrested, but he was still allowed to stay on the job and carry a gun. He shoots a shop owner in the back when the shop owner is investigating a break in at his store.
If this doesn’t scream new professionalism, I don’t know what does.
An expert on forensics comments on the Omaha CSI:
“He should have known better, and (his) agency was counting on him,” Rini said. “The suspect and the victims were counting on him, and justice was counting on him. If the allegations are true, then it appears he failed everybody.”
Umm, but isn’t that part of the problem? While everyone is “counting on them” who really has any impact? The only agency CSI works closesly with are the police and prosecutors. Its so obvious that this could lead to undue influence, even if unconscious.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-police-teen-autismapr25,0,3799143.story?obref=outbrain
Here’s a cruddy story about Chicago police beating an autistic teenager – who allegedly was repeating to the cops as they chased him that “I’m a special boy” – when he diverted his eyes, was unresponsive, and walked away (all characteristic autistic responses) to the cops’ questioning.
Not surprisingly, Chief Weis says not to judge the officers until the internal review is complete.
Mercatus Center study: one of the authors of that paper, Jason Sorens, is also the founder of the Free State Project.
“Not surprisingly, Chief Weis says not to judge the officers until the internal review is complete.”
What’s to judge? It’s not like they’re driving around to ensure the safety of the civilians on their beat. They’re driving around looking for people they can try to arrest.
Besides, we already know what the ‘internal review’ will find.
‘US Attorney used GPS to track cell phones’
you can’t use solely GPS to track a cell phone. GPS is a broadcast only. there is no way to ‘track’ a cell phone using GPS. they are using the cell networks, which make extensive use of GPS for calculations etc. but that is not using GPS to track a cell phone. dumb asses.
sorry, the nerd in me broke free for a second.
Least free states also among nation’s wealthiest.
Speaking of LEAP, here’s a young officer who is an active duty member of LEAP:
http://www.unionleader.com/article.aspx?articleId=e0e66de0-1c72-4226-b28f-205534c81925
From the ACLU article’s comment thread:
“There isn’t one damned thing American about the ACLU. If there was ever a group that needs to be disbanded and prosecuted this is it. God is definitely their enemy and is my hero! This country was founded with God’s help and I’m glad I’m not one of them, for bad things happen to you when you mock God.”
I remember studying the American Revolution, about how God came down from the heavens to smite the evil British. My teacher told me all about the conversations George Washington would have with God and about how God grafted military strategies onto golden plates and gave them to the American army.