Cont: The behaviour of US police officers - part 2

[Checkmite]

Wow

I can't wait to hear the excuses!

 

[mgidm86]

Wow

I can't wait to hear the excuses!

It was the wind.

That cop should be put in jail for that. If not for the video the guy could have his entire life ruined at the whim of this, or any, cop. He still could for all we know. This is a big deal.

 

[Andy_Ross]

Lots of comments along the lines of

"We need more context than this. "

"Could simply be that he just took that off the driver and was placing it on the seat for safe keeping."

 

[Checkmite]

Lots of comments along the lines of

"We need more context than this. "

"Could simply be that he just took that off the driver and was placing it on the seat for safe keeping."

This feels like the right place for the old "laughing dog" emote?

 

[Delphic Oracle]

Lots of comments along the lines of

"We need more context than this. "

"Could simply be that he just took that off the driver and was placing it on the seat for safe keeping."

In my experience (*cough*) such evidence retrieved from a vehicle goes on the hood of the cruiser right in front of the camera.

Also, they don't start the search with the occupant(s) still in the car.

ETA: Also, the gloves go on before any of that.

 

[Belz...]

I was agreeing with you. Does that change your interpretation of what I wrote?

Maybe. I have to sleep on it.

 

[bonzombiekitty]

It was the wind.

That cop should be put in jail for that. If not for the video the guy could have his entire life ruined at the whim of this, or any, cop. He still could for all we know. This is a big deal.

On the other end of things, getting caught planting drugs throws every other previous conviction that came about as the result of him finding drugs in the car are in question. A lot of legitimately guilty people could go free.

 

[Checkmite]

On the other end of things, getting caught planting drugs throws every other previous conviction that came about as the result of him finding drugs in the car are in question. A lot of legitimately guilty people could go free.

You would think that this fact - and it is an important fact - would lead even thin-blue-line types to take a hard stance against these kinds of corrupt cops, but more often than not in my experience they either blame the person who caught them or the system for delegitimizing all of his police work after "just one incident" of deliberately framing an innocent person.

 

[Checkmite]

The Caledonia police have released a statement saying that while the officer shouldn't have thrown anything into the vehicle, the bag he threw ultimately didn't have drugs in it and therefore cannot be a case of planting evidence. According to the police department, body camera video "which will be released soon", shows the police finding the empty bag in the driver's pocket while searching him, but verifying that the bag is empty. It is not explained why, of all the possessions in the driver's pockets, only the empty bag specifically was handed to another police officer who then carried it up to the car and threw it into the back seat.

The police department is also still "investigating" why the driver of the vehicle was handcuffed after being searched (not shown in the video) even after a search of his person didn't reveal any illegal items. The stop was a speeding stop, allegedly.

 

[gnome]

Someone on the comments page of that police department's facebook noted that the "empty" bag might have traces of something that will allow them to bring charges. They speculate that it was exactly an attempt to plant something, but it was changed to their excuses when the officer realized he was being filmed.

 

[Aridas]

Someone on the comments page of that police department's facebook noted that the "empty" bag might have traces of something that will allow them to bring charges. They speculate that it was exactly an attempt to plant something, but it was changed to their excuses when the officer realized he was being filmed.

Indeed. For that matter, though, even if there was nothing technically "illegal" in the bag and no charges were actually made, it could still very easily be used as a pretext for extortion and harassment. That there was nothing technically "illegal" in it just offers them a way out. It was practically a textbook example of something being planted, it's just that the particular plan afterwords is not known.

 

[chrispy]

Indeed. For that matter, though, even if there was nothing technically "illegal" in the bag and no charges were actually made, it could still very easily be used as a pretext for extortion and harassment. That there was nothing technically "illegal" in it just offers them a way out. It was practically a textbook example of something being planted, it's just that the particular plan afterwords is not known.

Or more likely as a pretext for a non-consensual search of the vehicle in the hopes of actually finding contraband. This seems rather likely to me as the officer turned his body in a manner so that the throwing of the bag was not visible on his BWC.

 

[Checkmite]

Or more likely as a pretext for a non-consensual search of the vehicle in the hopes of actually finding contraband. This seems rather likely to me as the officer turned his body in a manner so that the throwing of the bag was not visible on his BWC.

This is my feeling too. Puts on his gloves, takes a look in the car because the door is open, sees an alleged "corner cut" bag on the seat - right next to a lighter, even - which even if empty, creates probable cause.

 

[Aridas]

Or more likely as a pretext for a non-consensual search of the vehicle in the hopes of actually finding contraband. This seems rather likely to me as the officer turned his body in a manner so that the throwing of the bag was not visible on his BWC.

I'd count that as included under harassment, personally.

 

[chrispy]

I'd count that as included under harassment, personally.

Fair enough. Won't argue with that.

 

[PhantomWolf]

And yet so many do... at the merest opportunity.

I suspect that there is somewhat a sample bias in this. The headline "Nice cop gives motorist warning and wishes them a pleasant day." just doesn't sell papers.

It's like suspecting all teachers of being pedophiles because of the many headlines about the ones that are.

 

[mgidm86]

On the other end of things, getting caught planting drugs throws every other previous conviction that came about as the result of him finding drugs in the car are in question. A lot of legitimately guilty people could go free.

Or a lot of innocents

 

[gnome]

I suspect that there is somewhat a sample bias in this. The headline "Nice cop gives motorist warning and wishes them a pleasant day." just doesn't sell papers.

It's like suspecting all teachers of being pedophiles because of the many headlines about the ones that are.

There is. But usually the real story is how the organization reacts. Do they clean house or do they protect the organization at the expense of additional victims down the road?

 

[bonzombiekitty]

Or a lot of innocents

That's a given. That's why I said "on the other end of things".... For those sort of people who think that the end justify the means. I.e. "he didn't have drugs on him, but I KNOW he's a dealer so I planted them to get him off the street"

If your primary concern is that the bad guys go to jail, so you'd look the other way if it meant bad guys going to jail, then this sort of action means a lot of actual bad guys may go free.

 

[TurkeysGhost]

Dashcam video shows Detroit police officers flee from shooting happening in front of them

The victim who be seen here in the blue shirt was struck but survived.

A sedan pulled up in front of him, a man in the back seat hung outside the window and opened fire with a semi-automatic rifle. All of it was captured on police dashcam.

The officers drove off, but at some point turned back around to help the victim.

Seems there's a lot of begging the question when it comes to the idea that flooding the streets with cops will actually prevent violent crime. Driving away from an active shooting is probably not a good PR move for these departments desperately trying to justify their bloated budgets.