Some More Cops Who Need to Be Fired

[The Sisko]

Maybe they should be required to take annual lie detector exams to determine if they are racist or have racist tendencies.

Im assuming that was said tongue in cheek? Either way, it's impossible to legislate or in most cases know people's personal opinions and bias. However what can be done is to hold them accountable when they brutalize people or engage in any misconduct instead of excusing it because they have a tough/dangerous job. MisterPinstripe's post put it perfectly. Besides, rooting out racists is a good thing but it doesn't entirely solve the problem as many of their victims are white. The real issue is blue vs. non-blue, though minorities are most often the ones victimized.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/televised-police-chase-ends-with-officers-beating-suspect_us_5733a8d8e4b077d4d6f20ee5

Watch the video at the bottom for a better view. Guy gets out, gets on the ground slowly.... and they beat the crap out of him live on the news. I can't even get outraged anymore because no one died. The new normal.

It actually makes me madder the more often it continues to happen and the system and the public do nothing about it. When I saw this I said to my wife, "See why I hate 'em and don't care when they get popped?" She just sighed and shook her head. It used to be she'd say something about not all cops, a few bad apples, etc. So either she's gotten tired of engaging me on this issue or she's starting to realize it's more than just a few bad apples. Maybe it's both.

[Mr. Sinister]

Seems like its less about the bad apples and more about the people in charge of produce that see it, yet still decide to sell them to the public

It's the culture of of protecting their own that really does the real damage. If people the people that you've sworn to protect and serve feel that they can't fully frust you, it just compounds every issue, especially in areas where crime/poverty is high.

I don't expect every cop to be a good person. I do expect that the ones who step out out of line, are dealt with accordingly. I do not think that is an unrealistic expectation.

Edited May 15, 2016 by Mr. Sinister

[Gamebreaker]

Yeah, overwhelmingly the biggest issue is the police who don't engage in that behavior still have a "no snitching" mentality to their co-workers who are literally the scum of the earth. I know quite a few LEOs and I see them on FB sending angry statuses to everyone on heir friends list. Going off about not getting respect, and not all LEOs being bad. Whenever I see them I always respond the same way: Do you report your coworkers who do stuff like this? And they never respond.

Things won't change until they start being accountable and policing themselves.

[The Sisko]

If they're not reporting the bad apples, they are one themselves. It's that whole being an accessory to a crime thing. Then again, if they say nothing and no crime is reported then it didn't happen so...

[TMK9973]

http://kfor.com/2016/05/11/family-of-teenager-suing-police-officer-after-she-was-arrested-tased-for-riding-a-bike-in-parking-lot/

 

I dont get how any cop saw kids on a bike during the day in a mall parking lot and thought "Man -I need to stop these kids" and end up beating her....

[BornaSkinsFan83]

http://kfor.com/2016/05/11/family-of-teenager-suing-police-officer-after-she-was-arrested-tased-for-riding-a-bike-in-parking-lot/

I dont get how any cop saw kids on a bike during the day in a mall parking lot and thought "Man -I need to stop these kids" and end up beating her....

Here's the video...

Watching this literally made me sick to my stomach.

[Chew]

"15 year old girl getting an attitude?  I feel threatened, better use force."

[Popeman38]

If they're not reporting the bad apples, they are one themselves. It's that whole being an accessory to a crime thing. Then again, if they say nothing and no crime is reported then it didn't happen so...

I don't necessarily disagree with you (we need to root out the bad cops), but society as a whole has a "snitches get stitches" mentality so expecting a cop to turn on another cop seems a bit naive. Do you call the cops everytime your boys spark one up? Everytime knuckles are thrown? Isn't that a bit of "do as I say not as I do" expectation? They are human, and come from the same societal pool as everyone else. 

[mistertim]

Here's the video...

Watching this literally made me sick to my stomach.

What a ****ing thug punk **** of a cop. 

Edited May 16, 2016 by mistertim

[mcsluggo]

Im assuming that was said tongue in cheek? Either way, it's impossible to legislate or in most cases know people's personal opinions and bias. However what can be done is to hold them accountable when they brutalize people or engage in any misconduct instead of excusing it because they have a tough/dangerous job. MisterPinstripe's post put it perfectly. Besides, rooting out racists is a good thing but it doesn't entirely solve the problem as many of their victims are white. The real issue is blue vs. non-blue, though minorities are most often the ones victimized.

It actually makes me madder the more often it continues to happen and the system and the public do nothing about it. When I saw this I said to my wife, "See why I hate 'em and don't care when they get popped?" She just sighed and shook her head. It used to be she'd say something about not all cops, a few bad apples, etc. So either she's gotten tired of engaging me on this issue or she's starting to realize it's more than just a few bad apples. Maybe it's both.

 

and when you harden up, and rush "there", then people with genuine concern for the life of police harden as well.... and both of you become the yin to each other's yang, and BOTH of you are Ariel Sharon and Yasser Arafat --- ****ing clones of each other, both of whom are absolute assholes that can only exist because of their other half---- and justify their assholeness by sputtering in rage and pointing at the other asshole.

 

that **** pisses me off.    

 

don't use somebody else being an asshole as a lame excuse to be an asshole yourself.

Edited May 16, 2016 by mcsluggo

[Larry]

I don't necessarily disagree with you (we need to root out the bad cops), but society as a whole has a "snitches get stitches" mentality so expecting a cop to turn on another cop seems a bit naive. Do you call the cops everytime your boys spark one up? Everytime knuckles are thrown? Isn't that a bit of "do as I say not as I do" expectation? They are human, and come from the same societal pool as everyone else. 

 

While I will concede that your point does have a little merit, I'd like to throw out some counter-arguments. 

 

1)  Yeah, you're right.  We really shouldn't expect the people whom we invest with license to kill to be of a higher moral cut than average citizens. 

 

2)  I will point out that average citizens do call the cops and report crimes.  And they do intervene, themselves, to render aid or to attempt to stop crimes.  Not every time, certainly.  But they certainly do it some times. Whereas, at least the impression I get is that when a cop turns in another cop?  It makes the news.  And it seems to be a whole lot rarer than a citizen turning somebody in. 

 

3)  For my third point, I will harken back to the long-gone days of my EMT training.  The class starts off with lessons on things like consent, liability, and similar issues.  And the class got to the topic of negligence, and the term "nonfeasance". 

 

And the instructor explained that no doubt all of you in class have heard that a citizen is not under any legal obligation to render any aid whatsoever.  The classic example is that a person can be drowning in a swimming pool, six feet from the edge.  And you can be standing on the side of the pool, next to a flotation ring on a 25 foot rope.  And you can stand there with your hands in your pockets and watch them drown, and you have no legal liability whatsoever. 

 

And, the instructor said, that's true. 

 

BUT, he pointed out, if you have voluntarily chosen to put on a t-shirt that says "Lifeguard", and to climb up into that high chair next to the pool?  Then you have assumed the legal burden to attempt to save any person who needs it.  If you do not do so, then you may (and likely will) be held liable for that person's drowning.  Civilly and criminally. 

 

Doesn't the same reasoning apply to cops?  When they choose to voluntarily put on that uniform and gun and badge, haven't they voluntarily assumed the legal obligation to enforce the law? 

 

Yeah, I certainly assume that they have some discretion.  To pick an example, if a cop's snitch tells him something that he overheard while he was selling some stolen goods, the cop does have the authority to choose not to arrest said snitch, for a minor crime, in exchange for his information. 

 

But I think there's a minor difference between a cop choosing not to enforce a minor law, because someone's is a snitch.  And choosing not to enforce murder, because someone's a cop. 

 

4)  And did you really express the opinion that it's not fair to expect police to have more respect for the law than average citizens? 

[Mr. Sinister]

I don't necessarily disagree with you (we need to root out the bad cops), but society as a whole has a "snitches get stitches" mentality so expecting a cop to turn on another cop seems a bit naive. Do you call the cops everytime your boys spark one up? Everytime knuckles are thrown? Isn't that a bit of "do as I say not as I do" expectation? They are human, and come from the same societal pool as everyone else.

You don't feel uneasy with the concept of applying everyman civilian principles to someone with a gun and a badge? I think everyone in a position of power in our society needs to be held to a higher standard than your average joe.

Edit, just saw Larry's post

Edited May 16, 2016 by Mr. Sinister

[Gamebreaker]

I don't necessarily disagree with you (we need to root out the bad cops), but society as a whole has a "snitches get stitches" mentality so expecting a cop to turn on another cop seems a bit naive. Do you call the cops everytime your boys spark one up? Everytime knuckles are thrown? Isn't that a bit of "do as I say not as I do" expectation? They are human, and come from the same societal pool as everyone else.

Shouldn't we expect our police officers to be better than everyday citizens? Especially since, you know, they carry guns and can legally kill people.

[Popeman38]

You don't feel uneasy with the concept of applying everyman civilian principles to someone with a gun and a badge? I think everyone in a position of power in our society needs to be held to a higher standard than your average joe.

Edit, just saw Larry's post

 

 

Shouldn't we expect our police officers to be better than everyday citizens? Especially since, you know, they carry guns and can legally kill people.

I acknowledge that cops have to be held to a higher standard than the average joe. I am not defending any of the bad cops. I was responding to sisko saying if the cops aren't reporting a bad cop, they are now bad cops. That line of reasoning doesn't  hold up for any other association. Imagine the reaction if someone posted that all the BLM protesters that didn't stop/report the few hooligans in their midst were all guilty of vandalism?

 

But, cops are in a small fraternity. Expecting them to turn on one another is naive. It is an "us against the world" mentality (and I admit that that line of thinking is wrong). But when the union has the power it has (look at the way the unions in NYC react if a public official does anything besides throw there full support behind an officer), the rank and file members are going to turn a blind aye and keep their head down. Everyone talks about a bottom up reform, but in reality it needs to be a top down change. And the unions have to be on board. It is much easier for PDs to simply reassign a "bad" cop than to actually discipline them.

[MrSilverMaC]

I'm sure some/most of you had already heard about this, but I hadn't until I read the article two days ago. After two days I still don't have any words to properly express how I feel about this. Rage doesn't fit, though there is certainly some of that.

https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2016/05/12/aclu-dookhan-was-involved-plus-cases-lost-defendants/BIQ3uWywt3oSy2q2T2GkjN/story.html
 

 

Annie Dookhan, the convicted former drug lab chemist, was responsible for testing evidence in more than 24,000 cases that resulted in convictions during her 10 years working for the state — a quarter of the successful prosecutions by the district attorneys that used her laboratory, according to figures released Thursday by the American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts...

 

 

Five years after the scandal broke, the vast majority of defendants who were convicted based on evidence that Dookhan tested have not been notified she was involved in their cases, or that they can appeal their convictions...

 

 

Dookhan was a chemist at a Department of Public Health-run laboratory in Jamaica Plain from 2003 to 2012, before an audit by the State Police — who had been taking over the laboratory’s drug-testing duties — uncovered problems. An investigation found that Dookhan had certified substances she never tested, mixed substances with drugs so they tested positive, or given the wrong weight for substances. When confronted by investigators, she lied.

 

 

In 2013, Dookhan pleaded guilty to tampering with evidence and filing false reports and was sentenced to three to five years in prison. She was released on parole in April.

 

24,000 cases. She got 3-5 years for 24,000 cases of tampering. Even if you assume an average of 3 cases per person, that's 8k people. How is tampering not considered tantamount to kidnapping?

Edited May 16, 2016 by MrSilverMaC

[Larry]

24,000 cases. She got 3-5 years for 24,000 cases of tampering. Even if you assume an average of 3 cases per person, that's 8k people. How is tampering not considered tantamount to kidnapping?

Note: 24,000 cases she touched. Not 24,000 cases of tampering.

[Gamebreaker]

This country has to toughen up on the minimum sentences for public officials involved in corruption.

Edited May 18, 2016 by Gamebreaker

[grego]

and when you harden up, and rush "there", then people with genuine concern for the life of police harden as well.... and both of you become the yin to each other's yang, and BOTH of you are Ariel Sharon and Yasser Arafat --- ****ing clones of each other, both of whom are absolute assholes that can only exist because of their other half---- and justify their assholeness by sputtering in rage and pointing at the other asshole.

that **** pisses me off.

don't use somebody else being an asshole as a lame excuse to be an asshole yourself.

Mcsluggos right, Sisko. At the point you regard everyone in a group as deserving blame for the actions of some members of the group, you've become exactly what you hate.

[visionary]

http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/former-st-louis-cop-arrested-charged-with-first-degree-murder/article_8da86238-0a56-5853-968a-1324b457d95c.html?utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter&utm_campaign=user-share

Former St. Louis cop arrested, charged with first-degree murder for 2011 police shooting

 

A former St. Louis police officer has been arrested and charged with first-degree murder for the on-duty shooting death of Anthony Lamar Smith — an incident that led to one of the largest wrongful death settlements stemming from a police shooting in the city's history, the Post-Dispatch has learned.

 

Circuit Attorney Jennifer Joyce's Office on Monday charged Jason Stockley, 35, of Houston, Texas. St. Louis police and U.S. Marshals arrested Stockley Monday at his home in the 6300 block of Chevy Chase Drive.

 

St. Louis Circuit Judge Michael Mullen ordered Stockley held without bail. He is in custody in Harris County Texas.

 

Stockley shot Smith, 24, in December 2011 after a suspected drug transaction and high-speed chase. State and federal prosecutors had filed no charges.

 

After shooting at Smith's car Stockley and his partner Brian Bianchi chased the victim at speeds over 80 miles per hour. While in pursuit, the police SUV crashed, backed up and continued following Smith's vehicle. During the pursuit, Stockley can be heard saying “going to kill this (expletive deleted), don’t you know it.” As Smith's car was slowing to a stop, Stockley can be heard telling Bianchi to “Hit him right now” at which point the driver slams the police SUV into Smith's car, according to court documents filed Monday.

 

Stockley then approached Smith's car on the driver’s side and shot five times into the car, striking Smith with each shot. A gun was recovered from the victim’s car, but lab analysis revealed the presence of only Stockley's DNA, according to the documents.

 

In 2013, the Board of Police Commissioners settled a federal wrongful-death lawsuit for $900,000 in connection with the shooting, according to information obtained by the Post-Dispatch.

 

The suit was filed on behalf of Smith’s daughter, Autumn B. Smith, then 1 year old. A confidentiality agreement prevented attorney Albert Watkins from confirming the amount, but he added, “I’d be hard-pressed to find any other verdict or settlement that gave rise to a higher payout.”

Edited May 16, 2016 by visionary

[BornaSkinsFan83]

Biggest gangsters in the country.

[stevenaa]

What a ****ing thug punk **** of a cop. 

All easily avoided if she'd not tried to ride away and then resisted.   She forcibly resisted and he didn't do anything to cause serious harm.  He jerked her around trying to get her down after she got out of his grip when he was going to cuff her.  He didn't body slam her or pound on her.  Tazing here prevented further struggle that might have resulted in injury.  The boy did as he was told and nothing happened to him.  Had that been my daughter acting like that,  I'd have no problem with what he did. 

[tshile]

The Freddie gray trial looks like a joke.

It'll be interesting to see how it goes. Bench trial is an interesting move.

[Major Harris]

Biggest gangsters in the country.

Well dam, here i thought that was you.

[BornaSkinsFan83]

Well dam, here i thought that was you.

I'm just a goofy white kid from the suburbs. I'm lucky to be alive.

[mistertim]

All easily avoided if she'd not tried to ride away and then resisted.   She forcibly resisted and he didn't do anything to cause serious harm.  He jerked her around trying to get her down after she got out of his grip when he was going to cuff her.  He didn't body slam her or pound on her.  Tazing here prevented further struggle that might have resulted in injury.  The boy did as he was told and nothing happened to him.  Had that been my daughter acting like that,  I'd have no problem with what he did. 

All I can really do with this post is laugh.