I read this story on Reason Magazine – a typically appalling police forfeiture story in which cops raided a strip club for drugs and, finding no drugs, confiscated (without receipt) cash, computers, computer pads, and the manager’s wallet. But what made me crack up is the ad that accompanied the story.
(Description: The headline of the story reads “40 Texas Cops Rob a Strip Club.” The ad at the bottom of the page shows a boyish, smiling police officer, with the headline “Become a Police Officer.”)
Let’s call this an open thread.
There’s two aspects of the asset forfeiture picture including how the money’s spent. They’re required to file funding certification reports with the DOJ’s and Department of Treasury AF units annually. You should request a copy sometime as it’s a public document.
Trying to ask for some expenditures to get forensically audited is difficult as well. The feds are so much more used to getting complaints on the seizure end that they were totally flummoxed on the expenditure end. You’d think they’d want to know if that highly restricted funding were being spent on expenses generated by elected officials and their employees but apparently not.
I was reading an article about prostitution (sorry, can’t remember where) and it said that about 1 in 30 street prostitution encounters is a cop who coerces the prostitute for sex in exchange for not arresting her. (I would just say “rape by cop” but it’s specifically an extortion by abuse of power, not “just” a cop deciding to rape a vulnerable person.)
I’ve had some experience with law enforcement this last year and it really strikes me that there are clean, decent people trying to do a good job for their community…and then there is a whole ‘nother group of people who seem to think that the badge is a letter of marque entitling them to prey on the rest of the species. Thank God for the honest public servants, God save us from the other sort.
Speaking of cops, if you haven’t seen the video of a police office throwing a flash bang grenade directly at the group of people helping Scott Olsen, you should.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZLyUK0t0vQ&sns=tw
Of course, now it looks like that same officer may be the one responsible for shooting the tear gas can right at Olsen’s head from about 10 feet away, an act prohibited to our servicepeople in war zones.
Omar Sharif slaps a woman in Qatar:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GBl2lWkSa6Y
Robert @2, while I don’t disagree with you, the problem is that the good cops work in an environment that fosters, and at times encourages, thugs. Without strong leadership and a culture that cops are expected to be good, there’s no real ability to push out the thugs. There’s also, unfortunately, an us-vs-them mentality which while somewhat understandable also leads to the most insane justification and excuse-making for thuggery.
WRT the cop in Oakland, I suspect the official story will be that he was not an Oakland officer but from one of the other 18 or so agencies that sent in personnel Tuesday.
Mythago;
Without strong leadership and a culture that cops are expected to be good, there’s no real ability to push out the thugs.
True. So what inhibits the development of such leadership and culture?
True. So what inhibits the development of such leadership and culture?
That’s a good question, unfortunately actually so many things.
Didn’t know where to put this link but Cal Baptist University in my city kicked out a transgender student.
Putting this ad on this news page is what happens when we let computers do our thinking for us.
RonF: The sentence immediately following the one you quoted.
Well, fine then – what creates and maintains the environment of which you speak?
True. So what inhibits the development of such leadership and culture?
I’ve blogged on that Ron F. I’m still trying to finish the latest installment, hopefully by later today or tomorrow.
actually I published that post though I’m still tweaking it a bit.
This brings back some horrible memories. I think it’ll tell you more about why I oppose all corporal punishment than anything I could write.
Be very, very certain you’re up to watching that video before you click the link in the article.
To add a little bit of weight to the “appreciating cops who respect their job and act appropriately” side of things, this video shows some members of Occupy Oakland asking an office why he has black tape covering his name on his uniform. When he refuses to talk to them, they direct their question to his superior officer who is nearby, and the superior resolves the situation appropriately.
And in a completely non-police-related matter, I would like to point out that zombies have families too.
In local news, Bob Jones University 1) is responsible for creating Fred Phelps! Who knew?!
1) has put a known rape apologist/misogynist preacher (also named Phelps) on their board, even after a 20/20 expose.
http://daisysdeadair.blogspot.com/2011/11/fred-phelps-attended-bob-jones.html
Riverside Police raided the Occupy Riverside location to remove the tents and arrested 11 people. So am now reviewing video of it.
Here’s a photo
Here’s police at Occupy Oakland shooting a person in the neck with a rubber bullet during a peaceful face-off, because the person is filming them.
Here’s some photos from the arrests in Riverside:
man arrested
Arrests of demonstrators
woman and officer Interestingly enough I actually know both of these individuals in the photo. They were actually having a conversation in the middle of the demonstration