Police earning the hate

[Shyster]

Police like to say that the "thin blue line" is them standing between good citizens and the criminals that would harm them. That's an utter lie. It's the line between the police and everyone else.

[Shyster]

I'm currently enduring a PA Bar Exam Character and Fitness review.
Also, I have a TS clearance with FedGov.
Both are pretty invasive relative to something like a job interview.
But they both protect the public trust.
And the stuff they can uncover can be discovered pretty easily.

The differences in training are also notable. Both lawyers and police officers are charged with enforcing the law, but police receive vastly less training than lawyers. In fact, in many states, police receive less training than barbers. For example:

North Carolina – Barbers need 1520 hours of training; police officers only need 620.
California – Licensed cosmetologists need 1600 hours of training; police officers need 664.
Florida – Interior designers must have 1760 hours of training; police officers only need 770.
Massachusetts – Licensed HVAC technicians need 1000 hours of training; policemen need 900.
Michigan – Licensed electric sign specialists need 4000 hours of training; policemen need 594.
Louisiana – Manicurists need 500 hours of training; police officers only need 360.

States require more training time to become a barber than a police officer
https://www.cnn.com/2016/09/28/us/jobs- ... index.html

[dodint]

Four-thousand hours.

[Willie Kool]

Why It's So Hard to Stop Bad Cops From Getting New Police Jobs
Efforts to track decertified cops are stymied by police union pressure and local control.

https://reason.com/2016/09/30/why-its-s ... s-from-ge/

Are you advocating for federal control over all levels of law enforcement?

[Shyster]

Hundreds of police officers have been labeled liars. Some still help send people to prison.

https://www.usatoday.com/in-depth/news/ ... 233386001/

[Shyster]

Why It's So Hard to Stop Bad Cops From Getting New Police Jobs
Efforts to track decertified cops are stymied by police union pressure and local control.

https://reason.com/2016/09/30/why-its-s ... s-from-ge/

Are you advocating for federal control over all levels of law enforcement?

No. I'd be quite happy with local governments pulling their tongues out of the police unions' collective buttholes.

[Jim]

Shaulis, a former resource officer for Woodland Hills School District, cost the district $500,000 after five former students filed suit against the district in 2017.

How the **** does that guy get a job in law enforcement?

Why It's So Hard to Stop Bad Cops From Getting New Police Jobs
Efforts to track decertified cops are stymied by police union pressure and local control.

https://reason.com/2016/09/30/why-its-s ... s-from-ge/

Unions have't netted "good" in decades. They do far more harm than good.

[tifosi77]

Not really in line with the thread ethos, but I found this story quite hootful.

Man impersonating officer pulls over van full of cops

According to the Nassau County Police department, a Hicksville Man was arrested for criminal impersonation last week on August 16. Detectives say that 25-year-old Valiery Portlock of Gerald Avenue was traveling on Hicksville Road in a black Nissan Sentra when he activated his airhorn and emergency lights built on his car and attempted to pull over a van.

Turns out the van was occupied by Nassau County Electronics Squad detectives. The detectives, while stopped in traffic, identified themselves and then approached Porlock’s vehicle.

Portlock fled the scene, swerved into oncoming traffic and refused to stop. He continued to drive at a high rate speed and onto Long Island Expressway. Highway patrol officers were notified and spotted Portlock, initiating a traffic stop. Porlock was placed under arrest without incident.

[Shyster]

Multiple cops have their guns drawn and pointing into a subway car full of people, and passengers have to scramble out of the way. Once the doors open, cops swarm the suspect—who has his hands up and is not resisting—throw him on the ground, and climb on top of him to hold him down. What serious crime did this man commit to justify this show of force? Robbery? Assault? Nope. Fare evasion. Cops pointed guns at a train full of people in order to apprehend someone who jumped a turnstile. Not surprising that this occurred in the same city where Eric Garner was choked to death for selling loose cigarettes.

NYPD Officers Pointed Guns Inside a Busy Subway Car in an Arrest Caught on Camera
https://reason.com/2019/10/29/nypd-offi ... -on-camera

[Shyster]

Phoenix police routinely 'purge' officer discipline records, keep misconduct secret
A Republic Investigation Exposes a Guarded Practice at the Phoenix Police Department That Forgives Bad Behavior by Keeping It Hidden.
https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/lo ... 955828001/

The Arizona Republic reports on rampant whitewashing for the misconduct committed by the Phoenix PD. The investigation shows just how much has been swept under the rug to "protect" cops from the people they serve:

Phoenix Police Sgt. Philip Roberts was suspended from the force for 30 days after an internal investigation concluded he failed to properly manage a 2015 incident where officers shot and killed a mentally ill man.

Lt. Dalin Webb received a written reprimand for his 2013 arrest on domestic violence charges in which he reportedly shoved his wife and choked his teenage son.

Officer Joshua Wayne Beeks was suspended for 15 days when the Department discovered he was involved in three unauthorized high-speed pursuits in a single year that killed two people.

But there's little indication in Phoenix Police Department personnel and internal investigations records that those officers were ever disciplined.

That's because Roberts, Webb and Beeks, like hundreds of other Phoenix police officers in recent years, were allowed to erase records of their misconduct from files kept by the Police Department.

And how were these cops able to hide the records of their misconduct? It's in their union contract:

The practice, which the Department refers to as "purging," has been standard for more than two decades under the police union's contract, but the public has been unaware of it.

The contract also prohibits misconduct detailed in the purged records from being considered in future disciplinary investigations or performance evaluations.

If the goal is to keep bad cops employed indefinitely, it's been super-effective. Over 500 of the city's 3,000 officers have had their pasts memory-holed by the union contract, covering over 600 misconduct incidents ranging from failure to complete reports to deployments of excessive force. And how does the police union explain this? Why, this policy improves officer morale:

Leuschner, the Phoenix Police Sergeants and Lieutenants Associations president, said the ability to exclude records from consideration in promotions, transfers and discipline creates a better work environment for Police Department employees.

“We do try to make sure everyone gets due process, they’re treated fairly, they have a good working condition," Leuschner said. "We strongly believe that that benefits the public, too, because everyone knows that if you have happy employees you have happy customers.”

Boy, I bet all of us would be a lot happier at work if we all knew that we could screw up—and even commit egregious misconduct—and not have that impact our pay or promotions. The problem with that attitude is that the police aren't supposed to serve themselves. They serve the public. Shielding cops from the effect of their own misconduct shows a complete disregard for the public or its morale. This is yet more proof that the "thin blue line" is not the line between the criminals and the good guys; it's the line between the cops and everyone else.

[tifosi77]

What serious crime did this man commit to justify this show of force? Robbery? Assault? Nope. Fare evasion. Cops pointed guns at a train full of people in order to apprehend someone who jumped a turnstile.

Fare jumping.

[Shyster]

Horrifying Video Shows Cop Jump Family’s Fence, Kill Dog in Front of 10yo Girl

https://thefreethoughtproject.com/cop-j ... nt-family/

Last October, nearly a dozen cops swarmed the home of Charles Dempsey to allegedly “disrupt the suspected sale of illegal drugs by people who had congregated there.” However, Dempsey sold no such drugs from his home and was entirely innocent. This did not matter to the officers though.

As the video shows, the officer hops the fence and moments later Tesla rounds the corner barking at the intruder in her yard. Without hesitation and without simply jumping back over the fence, officer Algarin pulled his gun and fired two rounds into Tesla, killing her, but not before she yelped in agony from the pain of the bullets lodged in her body.

Seconds later, heartbroken Charles is seen staggering into the garden, sobbing as he pleads with the armed intruder who just trespassed onto his private property and killed his dog.

“What the f**k is wrong with you? Why did you do this? What the f**k is wrong with you?” Charles yells at the cop through tears.

...

For nearly a year, police fought to keep the video of this puppycide secret and refused to release it. But after a long battle, the family finally won and saw it released.

[shafnutz05]

Horrifying Video Shows Cop Jump Family’s Fence, Kill Dog in Front of 10yo Girl

https://thefreethoughtproject.com/cop-j ... nt-family/

Last October, nearly a dozen cops swarmed the home of Charles Dempsey to allegedly “disrupt the suspected sale of illegal drugs by people who had congregated there.” However, Dempsey sold no such drugs from his home and was entirely innocent. This did not matter to the officers though.

As the video shows, the officer hops the fence and moments later Tesla rounds the corner barking at the intruder in her yard. Without hesitation and without simply jumping back over the fence, officer Algarin pulled his gun and fired two rounds into Tesla, killing her, but not before she yelped in agony from the pain of the bullets lodged in her body.

Seconds later, heartbroken Charles is seen staggering into the garden, sobbing as he pleads with the armed intruder who just trespassed onto his private property and killed his dog.

“What the f**k is wrong with you? Why did you do this? What the f**k is wrong with you?” Charles yells at the cop through tears.

...

For nearly a year, police fought to keep the video of this puppycide secret and refused to release it. But after a long battle, the family finally won and saw it released.

This absolutely made my blood fcking boil. My own dog is the friendliest dog in the world, and when she sees neighbors coming down the street she runs across the yard barking to go get pets and love. Fcking pig should be put down too.

[count2infinity]

That dude is lucky he wasn't black... cop would have shot him too.

[Freddy Rumsen]

[Shyster]

They missed the part where the other dogs on the Paw Patrol investigate themselves and determine that the shooting was completely justified and no one did anything wrong because the Black Lab did not "stay" at any point in the 0.00000001 second that elapsed between the command being given and the German Shepherd opening fire.

[shafnutz05]

They missed the part where the other dogs on the Paw Patrol investigate themselves and determine that the shooting was completely justified and no one did anything wrong because the Black Lab did not "stay" at any point in the 0.00000001 second that elapsed between the command being given and the German Shepherd opening fire.

And then Mayor Goodway comes out and announces an investigation, while Ryder assures the public that Chase is on paid administrative leave. Mayor Humdinger, the rabble rouser from Foggy Bottom, holds a rally with hundreds shouting "Get Chase off the case!" leading to riots and the destruction of much of downtown Adventure Bay. Eventually, Chase quietly accepts a settlement and leaves Adventure Bay, joining a small town force in the next state over.

[Shyster]

South Carolina police shot a man to pieces over $100 worth of pot, then lied about it
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the ... -about-it/

After forcing Betton’s door down with a battering ram, members of the 15th Circuit Drug Enforcement Unit fired at least 57 bullets at the then-31-year-old Betton, hitting him nine times. A summary of Betton’s injuries:

He ended up losing his gallbladder and parts of his bowel, colon and rectum. The bullets also damaged his liver, small intestine and pancreas. His lung partially collapsed. His left leg was broken. One of his vertebrae was partially destroyed; two others were fractured. He’ll never walk again or be able to have kids of his own. He’ll also need to use a colostomy bag for the rest of his life.

The police claimed that they knocked and announced themselves several times before entering Betton’s home. Only after those knocks and announcements did they force down his door. At that point, they said, Betton fired a handgun at them, giving them no choice but to empty their guns into him.

The police first claimed that Betton shot at them. That was a lie. Tests showed his gun had never been fired. Then the police claimed that Betton pointed a gun at them only after they made repeated knocks and announcements, and that they were wearing uniforms clearly indicating that they were law enforcement. Both of those were lies. They didn't realize that Betton had a security camera. Not only did the police never knock on the door, they were not in uniform. But even despite the multiple lies, none of the police were disciplined.

Julian Betton’s offense was to sell $100 worth of pot to a friend. For that, South Carolina police battered down his door, fired 57 shots at him and hit him nine times, leaving him paralyzed and without the use of several major body organs. The cops then lied about the circumstances of the raid to make it seem as if Betton deserved every bullet. When Betton awoke from a coma, his leg was shackled to the hospital bed. Prosecutors then charged him with several felonies — enough of them to put him in prison for the rest of his life, should he survive his injuries. For those two sales of pot totaling $100, Betton will not only be saddled with paralysis and debilitating injury, he’ll also have a felony record. The cops who broke down his door, filled him with bullets and then lied about what had happened will suffer no punishment at all.

[Shyster]

Dallas Transit Agency Pays $345,000 to Settle Lawsuit by Photographer Arrested for Taking Pictures

https://reason.com/2019/11/11/dallas-tr ... g-pictures

Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) will pay freelance photographer Avi Adelman $345,000 to settle the lawsuit he filed after he was illegally arrested in 2016 for taking pictures at a train station. The settlement follows a federal appeals court's September 20 ruling rejecting a qualified immunity claim by Stephanie Branch, the DART police officer who arrested Adelman for trespassing and then repeatedly lied about the incident.

Adelman had been photographing paramedics as they treated a man who had overdosed on a synthetic marijuana substitute. He spent a day in jail, but the charge against him was dropped a week later. An internal investigation found that Branch had arrested Adelman without probable cause and in violation of DART's photography policy. The report also said Branch had made 23 "false or inaccurate statements" about the circumstances of Adelman's arrest, including her claim that he was standing too close to the paramedics, who supposedly wanted him to step back. She was suspended for three days as a result of the investigation but is still employed by DART.

And here's a really important bit in the article:

I called DART's media relations department to ask about the source of the funds for its $345,000 settlement payment. I will update this post if and when I get a response, but I suspect the money will come either from DART's budget or from a liability insurance policy. Either way, Branch herself is not on the hook, which illustrates a point made by UCLA law professor Joanna Schwartz. Schwartz investigated the practices of 81 law enforcement agencies and found that "police officers are virtually always indemnified" in civil rights cases. During the period she studied, "governments paid approximately 99.98% of the dollars that plaintiffs recovered in lawsuits alleging civil rights violations by law enforcement."

Below is the link to the paper that found that police officers virtually never pay for their own wrongdoing.

https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm ... id=2297534

[Shyster]

And this is why nothing will change unless and until cops are held personally financially liable for their wrongdoing.

[AuthorTony]

https://www.mercurynews.com/2019/11/10/ ... n-the-job/

More than 80 law enforcement officers working today in California are convicted criminals, with rap sheets that include everything from animal cruelty to manslaughter.

They drove drunk, cheated on time cards, brutalized family members, even killed others with their recklessness on the road. But thanks to some of the weakest laws in the country for punishing police misconduct, the Golden State does nothing to stop these officers from enforcing the law.

Those are among the findings of an unprecedented collaboration of newsrooms, including the Bay Area News Group, which spent six months examining how California deals with cops who break the law.

Today, we’re unveiling that review, along with a unique searchable database of hundreds of current and former officers convicted of a crime in the past decade — the largest record of criminal activity among police in California ever compiled.

The review found 630 officers convicted of a crime in the last decade — an average of more than one a week. After DUI and other serious driving offenses, domestic violence was the most common charge. More than a quarter of the cases appear never to have been reported in the media until now. And nearly one out of five officers in the review are still working or kept their jobs for more than a year after sentencing.

[AuthorTony]

https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Vid ... 837578.php
Video showing teen with no arms or legs being tackled and pinned by deputy prompts Arizona investigation

[Lemon Berry Lobster]

In the cops defense he probably asked the teen to show him his hands...

[Shyster]

Innocent Woman: Chicago Police Handcuffed Me While I Was Naked During Wrong Raid
https://chicago.cbslocal.com/2019/11/12 ... rong-raid/

“I’ll never forget it. February 21st,” Young said. “I had undressed in my bedroom, getting ready to get comfortable. And then I hears these loud slams.”

Undressed and afraid, Anjanette said she grabbed the nearest jacket to cover herself while she ran to the door. But the door just burst open, she said, and she saw guns.

They were guns pointed by Chicago Police officers.

“Before I knew it, there was a swarm of police officers,” she said. “They had these big guns, long guns with scopes and lights… I thought they were going to shoot me.”

Officers were there to execute a search warrant, police documents show. But they were in the wrong home.

Young said officers yelled at her to put her hands up, so she complied, causing her only article of clothing to fall out of her hands. She also said police handcuffed her while she was still naked.

“I can just remember crying and yelling, ‘Please let me put my clothes on…you have the wrong place,” she said. “I can see it all over again…I can see them walking around my house and feeling like, feeling humiliated.”

A day before the officers executed the search warrant on Young’s home, a confidential informant gave them a vague tip about a 23-year-old man with ammunition and a handgun, according to the complaint for search warrant. An assistant state’s and a judge signed off on it.

But CBS 2 found police didn’t do sufficient research to independently verify what the informant told them, including where the suspect actually lived. Through a quick search of publicly available information, CBS 2 found the suspect had listed address across the street.

...

Young isn’t the first person to come forward and say the Chicago Police Department humiliated her during a wrong raid. She’s among dozens of victims CBS 2 found during our year-long investigation about how bad raids traumatize innocent people – and the police department’s failure to make reforms. This was the subject of a half-hour, CBS 2 documentary, [un]warranted. Referenced in the documentary were the 10 families who have filed wrong raids lawsuits since CBS 2 first began reporting on the problem.

[Shyster]

'Horrible abuse of power' | Arcola police officer accused of sexual assault during traffic stop
https://www.khou.com/article/news/crime ... B2Wlr1vN1Y

FORT BEND COUNTY, Texas — An Arcola officer was arrested Wednesday after he was charged with sexual assault stemming from an alleged incident during a traffic stop.

Hector Aaron Ruiz, 24, is charged with sexual assault and official suppression.

The Fort Bend County District Attorney’s Office confirmed that Ruiz was accused of sexually assaulting a woman he pulled over on Nov. 16. The 23-year-old victim alleges that Ruiz pulled her over for traffic violations and then requested that she follow him in her car.

Ruiz allegedly led her to an area where no one was around and coerced her into engaging in a sexual act, the DA's Office said.

...

In a press conference Thursday morning, the DA's Office said they believe this may not be Ruiz's first offense and they are urging victims to please come forward.