Cops Are The Worst

[Norah]

http://fox13now.com/2014/10/10/officer- ... okes-weed/

ANKENY, Iowa – An Iowa police chief is apologizing after a video surfaced showing an officer trying to search a motorist’s car because, according to the officer, everyone who plays Frisbee golf smokes pot.

The video, which was taken by the motorist, starts with the officer giving that unknown motorist a warning about driving without headlights.

Then the officer begins his interrogation.

Officer: “You play Frisbee golf?”
Motorist: “I do actually. I play out at Heritage (Park).”
Officer: “OK. I need you to answer me a question. Why is it that everybody that plays Frisbee golf smokes weed?”
Motorist: “No, it’s not everybody.”
Officer: “It’s everybody, man. You can’t tell me you never smoked weed.”
Motorist: “I’m not gonna tell you one way or another.”
Officer: “See? There you go. How much weed do you have in the car today?”

The driver tells the officer he doesn’t have any marijuana.

So the officer says, “You understand you’re free to go and everything but you wouldn’t have a problem with me looking through your car?”

The motorist denies the request saying, “I actually would. Just because I have a disc golf bag doesn’t mean that every disc golfer does have weed.”

The officer says, “So you have weed in the car then is what you’re saying?”

The motorist answers, “No. I would say I have a problem with you searching my car because you’re profiling me based on being a disc golfer.”

Eventually, the officer lets the driver go.

Drake Law Professor Robert Rigg said the officer broke the law by trying to search the car during an equipment violation stop.

“What the officer did after that was try to extend that stop into a general search of the defendant’s car or the individual’s car; that’s not permissible anymore,” Rigg said.

He added that if the driver had allowed the officer to search the car, and the officer found something illegal, it’s likely that evidence would be thrown out of court.

“The Iowa Supreme Court has held that under the Iowa constitution you can’t convert an equipment violation stop into a general search and any consent that would have been given would have been invalid in any event,” he said.

The city of Ankeny released a statement saying, in part, “The officer engages the driver in a line of questioning that is foolish and not representative of the Ankeny Police Department’s training or interactions with the public. This verbal exchange did not meet the level of professionalism expected of Ankeny police officers. Ankeny Police Chief Gary Mikulec respectfully apologizes for the officer`s demeaning statement.”

As for the motorist, Rigg said, “I think the young man did exactly what he was supposed to do. He did not admit to smoking marijuana. He didn’t answer that question at all and he has the right not to answer that question. And he has the right to say, ‘Look, if you want to ask me questions, why don’t you call my lawyer.'”

[McParadigm]

1. To be fair, everyone who plays frisbee golf smokes pot.

2. Sadly, Iowa cops are the closest they come to nice and reasonable, out in the plains states. Anywhere else out there, if you see the flashing lights in your mirror, dukes of hazzard it right the shit out of town.

[Norah]

1. To be fair, everyone who plays frisbee golf smokes pot.

Hey man, that's a huge generalization and I won't stand for...ah who am I kidding.

[Strat]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/2 ... mg00000067

[simple schoolboy]

http://gothamist.com/2013/07/26/subway_ ... agains.php

Maybe file this under judicial precedent and local policies are the worst. In 2005 SCOTUS ruled that individulas have no actionable expectation that the police should respond in their defence. In localities such as DC and NY, despite Heller and McDonald you are still largely prohibited from carrying effective tools for self defense. With no provision for any kind of defense, one must rely on the heroics of strangers or finding a cop that thinks their job description actually includes 'protect and serve' rather than 'officer safey is the first and only priority'.

[McParadigm]

You should at least bring the funniest bits in with you.

A man who was brutally stabbed by Brooklyn subway slasher Maksim Gelman two years ago had his negligence case against the city dismissed in court yesterday, despite the fact that two transit officers had locked themselves in a motorman's car only a few feet from him at the time of the attack.

Gelman stabbed Joseph Lozito in the face, neck, hands and head on an uptown 3 train in February 2011, after fatally stabbing four people and injuring three others in a 28-hour period. Lozito, a father of two and an avid martial arts fan, was able to tackle Gelman and hold him down, and Gelman was eventually arrested by the transit officers. Lozito sued the city, arguing that the police officers had locked themselves in the conductor's car and failed to come to his aid in time.

The city, meanwhile, claimed that the NYPD had no "special duty" to intervene at the time, and that they were in the motorman's car because they believed Gelman had a gun. And Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Margaret Chan has sided with the city, noting that there was no evidence the cops were aware Lozito was in danger at the time.

"Did these officers choose to abandon helpless civilians to an attacker with a knife?"
"Goodness, no. They thought he had a gun!"

[broken iris]

http://gothamist.com/2013/07/26/subway_ ... agains.php

Maybe file this under judicial precedent and local policies are the worst. In 2005 SCOTUS ruled that individuals have no actionable expectation that the police should respond in their defense. In localities such as DC and NY, despite Heller and McDonald you are still largely prohibited from carrying effective tools for self defense. With no provision for any kind of defense, one must rely on the heroics of strangers or finding a cop that thinks their job description actually includes 'protect and serve' rather than 'officer safety is the first and only priority'.

Wait... what? So if an on-duty officer witnesses a crime in progress, they are not obligated to intervene? That cannot be true.

[broken iris]

http://dailycaller.com/2014/10/25/cop-g ... unk-women/

Stay classy guys.

[simple schoolboy]

http://gothamist.com/2013/07/26/subway_ ... agains.php

Maybe file this under judicial precedent and local policies are the worst. In 2005 SCOTUS ruled that individuals have no actionable expectation that the police should respond in their defense. In localities such as DC and NY, despite Heller and McDonald you are still largely prohibited from carrying effective tools for self defense. With no provision for any kind of defense, one must rely on the heroics of strangers or finding a cop that thinks their job description actually includes 'protect and serve' rather than 'officer safety is the first and only priority'.

Wait... what? So if an on-duty officer witnesses a crime in progress, they are not obligated to intervene? That cannot be true.

The precedent http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warren_v._ ... f_Columbia involved police not really attempting to respond to a home invasion/ rape, but presumably the same holds true if they witness something. They might be violating department policy, but they aren't liable for their failure to intervene. The best part about it is that in many states, you can be criminally charged for failing to aid the police. There may be an obligation at the state level for the police to come to your aid, but if so I still doubt you could sue for damages.

[broken iris]

As horrific as that story is, I can see a difference in that in Warren the cops didn't witness a crime in progress, they failed to adequately investigate the report of a crime in progress. The subway slasher case makes it appear like if a police officer saw a rape in progress in a dark alley, they could stand there and watch if they thought the rapist might hurt them... which is terrifying.

[simple schoolboy]

As horrific as that story is, I can see a difference in that in Warren the cops didn't witness a crime in progress, they failed to adequately investigate the report of a crime in progress. The subway slasher case makes it appear like if a police officer saw a rape in progress in a dark alley, they could stand there and watch if they thought the rapist might hurt them... which is terrifying.

The only real difference is proximity. Unless I'm mistaken, Warren involved multiple phone calls, presumably verifying the address, etc. The dereliction of duty demonstrated in Warren would get someone fired in almost any other workplace.

The social contract seems to be a one way street. We must support law enforcement and comply with unlawful orders, but we have no expectation of assistance should we need it.

Unfortunately we get the government we deserve, and the public is supportive of the police despite terrible policies. *sigh*

[Peeps]

im probably one of the more supportive posters of cops. i realize they have a damn near impossible job of trying to build trust when others arent doing their share to earn that trust.


this is very local to me (my city) and there were always rumors someone in the department ordered this to protect how corrupt the city police department is/was

Jim was an fellow classmate and while i never slept over his house nor knew his family we still said hello in school and made some small talk. when i would run into him later and he was in his uniform you could tell he was extremely happy doing what he was doing and i really dont think you could find anyone in the city who had a bad word to say about him as a police office

Assistant Police Chief alleges cover up 14 years later

Mind you the assistant chief is only been in position for a few months and wasnt a police officer back then

more background

[Alex]

a man equally in love with comic books as with cops. what a treat for us all.

[nyquillyn]

Burn it to the fucking ground.

[Orpheus]

My local news station cut away after they gave the Brown verdict but while 90% of the evidence was still yet to be presented. Shitty journalism. I'll have to find a transcript.

[E.H. Ruddock]

They had to announce this Ferguson thing during primetime? Now my dvr shows are all fucked up because of the news cut ins.

[Norah]

Stop watching network tv shows.

[McParadigm]

The entire time this was building up, and there was all this information coming out about law enforcement massing, I kept thinking "yeah, but that can't be the entire plan. They'll have something in place to avoid escalating the situation."

I am, on occasion, very naive.

[McParadigm]

I suppose "we'll announce this after dusk when everybody's home from work and ready to roll" should have been my first clue.

[malice]

i suppose most people here are a bit young to remember much about the rodney king trial... although this is looking like a hundred times worse