The LEO thread

[O Really]

I don't know what weapons in particular they're getting, but "demilitarized" probably includes a paint job in addition to the new logo. It's hard to see what "re-purposing" could be done on something like a tank or a 50-cal gun, but things like armored personnel carriers I suppose could be turned more defensive than offensive. Generally, I've found most police like the big toys and their attitudes have changed over the years since their uniforms and gear has changed. Everybody wants to be SWAT.

[Vrede too]

Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts about S. 1856, the Stop Militarizing Law Enforcement Act. I appreciate hearing from you.

As you are aware, on September 25, 2017, Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) introduced S. 1856, which was referred to the Senate Armed Services Committee. Among other things, Senator Paul’s bill would limit the ability of state and local law enforcement to obtain certain surplus vehicles and weapons through the 1033 program administered by the United States Department of Defense.

I believe that we should ensure our law enforcement officers have access to vital and appropriate resources to effectively do their honorable duties. I have concerns that this bill would take away necessary resources that state and local law enforcement officers need to protect our communities in crisis situations. It is my understanding that the program does not in fact provide state and local law enforcement with “militarized” weapons. The weapons are demilitarized and repurposed for appropriate law enforcement use. I have faith that state and local law enforcement provide proper training to appropriately utilize these law enforcement tools safely and effectively. If this issue comes before the Senate, I will carefully consider everything you have said in making a decision that is best for North Carolina and the country.

Again, thank you for taking the time to contact me. Please do not hesitate to get in touch with me again about other important issues.

Sincerely,

Thom Tillis
U.S. Senator (R-NC)

No surprise that he supports the program, but lying about its nature is an interesting twist. Maybe "demilitarized and repurposed" means putting on a new logo.

I don't know what weapons in particular they're getting, but "demilitarized" probably includes a paint job in addition to the new logo....

They often don't repaint them. I think they like the military intimidation factor.

To the Senate Judiciary Committee:

Support the bipartisan Sentencing Reform and Corrections Act to help move this country forward. Our country’s sentencing policies are dangerously extreme, do not deter crime, and hurt our communities.

[Vrede too]

An LAPD officer accidentally filmed himself putting cocaine in a suspect’s wallet
It’s reportedly the first LAPD body camera video that the media and public have seen.




This is the exact opposite of what I thought it would be from the headline:

Philadelphia Just Elected the Most Radical DA in the Country—Now What?
Larry Krasner has pledged to fight mass incarceration, and activists say they’ll be watching.

On Tuesday, Philadelphians elected Larry Krasner to be their district attorney. Krasner, a longtime civil-rights lawyer and critic of mass incarceration, has been a frequent litigant against abusive cops and boasts a list of rabble-rousing clientele including activists from Black Lives Matter and Occupy Philly. He was propelled into office by an energized left coalition led by youth and people of color. Their organizing work boosted turnout by at least 69 percent compared with the city’s last DA’s race....

Larry Krasner got 38.24% of the vote in a high turnout 7-way Democratic primary on May 16, 2017, 74.67% in the 11/7 general.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larry_Kra ... t_Attorney

[Vrede too]

Report Grades Bail Systems Across The U.S., And Only One State Gets An A

A - NJ
D - US, FL, NC
F - AL, SC, TN

[Vrede too]

Cop shoots partner with a stun gun by mistake

Opps.

"Sorry Nick."

[O Really]

It appears the perp is a black guy. Cop's lucky he wasn't shot instead of stunned.

[JTA]

Ex Arizona cop acquitted of murder:

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/201 ... -acquitted

WTF?!

It kind of looked like the dude was reaching back a little bit as the cops told him to crawl towards them, maybe that's why they shot him. In a stressful situation, it's not unusual to do certain things unknowingly.

The video is really disturbing.

[billy.pilgrim]

Ex Arizona cop acquitted of murder:

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/201 ... -acquitted

WTF?!

It kind of looked like the dude was reaching back a little bit as the cops told him to crawl towards them, maybe that's why they shot him. In a stressful situation, it's not unusual to do certain things unknowingly.

The video is really disturbing.

Yes it is. Just a guess, but I bet the pig learned his tactics in iraq, where he could murder without all these silly trials.

[Vrede too]

Police shoot far more people than anyone realized, a VICE News investigation reveals

... VICE News examined both fatal and nonfatal incidents to determine that cops in the 50 largest local departments shot at least 3,631 people from 2010 through 2016. That’s more than 500 people a year. On more than 700 other occasions, police fired at citizens and missed....

In Los Angeles, an officer shot a 13-year-old boy playing with a replica gun, leaving him paralyzed. In Philadelphia, an off-duty cop shot his own son. Officers in Baltimore killed an off-duty colleague and struck three women with errant bullets while responding to a fight outside a nightclub. A cop in Seattle accidentally shot a teenage girl in the leg while drawing his gun; the teen was promptly arrested and jailed on an outstanding warrant.

... Twenty percent of the people police shot were unarmed....

In roughly 8 percent of cases, departments didn’t say whether the subject was armed....

Police shot at least 1,664 black people from 2010 through 2016, 55 percent of the total and more than double the share of the black population in these communities....

Trump is walking away from effective reforms. Under Attorney General Jeff Sessions, President Donald Trump’s DOJ has stopped pursuing efforts that led to dramatic drops in police shootings. Cities that adopted these reforms, including improved training and new policies around use of force and accountability, saw their number of police shootings decline by about 29 percent on average....



...

[Vrede too]

Graphic: Innocent Black Woman Viciously Attacked By Police Dog And Told ‘You’re Fine’
Desiree Collins was severlely injured by a violent K-9.

We’ve all heard of driving while Black. Now, taking out the trash while Black can make you a victim of police tactics....

[Vrede too]

The FBI’s Hunt for Two Missing Piglets Reveals the Federal Cover-Up of Barbaric Factory Farms



Whatever you think of factory farms and animal rights activists, the FBI's devotion of massive resources to find two piglets that were sick and on the brink of death before being rescued is ridiculous.

[Vrede too]

“Cooking Them to Death”:
The Lethal Toll of Hot Prisons
As the climate changes, inmates without air-conditioning have no escape from extreme heat.

[Vrede too]

Ex Arizona cop acquitted of murder:

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/201 ... -acquitted

WTF?!

It kind of looked like the dude was reaching back a little bit as the cops told him to crawl towards them, maybe that's why they shot him. In a stressful situation, it's not unusual to do certain things unknowingly.

The video is really disturbing.

Yes it is. Just a guess, but I bet the pig learned his tactics in iraq, where he could murder without all these silly trials.

The Disturbing Parallels Between US Policing at Home and Military Tactics Abroad
This army strategist says today’s policing is looking more and more like a military operation.

[billy.pilgrim]

Ex Arizona cop acquitted of murder:

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/201 ... -acquitted

WTF?!

It kind of looked like the dude was reaching back a little bit as the cops told him to crawl towards them, maybe that's why they shot him. In a stressful situation, it's not unusual to do certain things unknowingly.

The video is really disturbing.

Yes it is. Just a guess, but I bet the pig learned his tactics in iraq, where he could murder without all these silly trials.

The Disturbing Parallels Between US Policing at Home and Military Tactics Abroad
This army strategist says today’s policing is looking more and more like a military operation.

Extra points for vets at almost all employment situations, especially law enforcement. Makes the slide into the police state easier.

[Vrede too]

Republican (NM) Governor Wants To Give Police Officers Legal Immunity from Killing, Using Excessive Force Against Suspects

Comments:

What could possibly go wrong?

I live in New Mexico and can tell you that this is NOT the dumbest thing she has said, believe it or not.

If this thing passes, which i HIGHLY doubt it will, it would serve this beyotch right if the first person the cops used their newfound immunity on is her. That would literally light up my life.

They have no consequences already. The judicial system, jurors, judges mostly rule in favor of the police even when murder is on camera.

Wow, this nasty old hack governor reminds me of something from an old horror movie where the premise is so bad you just keep watching. In the movie you know it is all fiction. But this dingbat governor is serious, That is the crazy scary part. Pure Insanity.

[Vrede too]

Abused: How An Alabama County’s Over-The-Top Approach To Law Enforcement Nearly Ruined One (older, white, con, business owner) Man’s Life

[O Really]

Abused: How An Alabama County’s Over-The-Top Approach To Law Enforcement Nearly Ruined One (older, white, con, business owner) Man’s Life

Sounds like a personal grudge of some sort to me. That, and a prosecutor who ought to be fired/recalled and lose his bar license, assuming Alabama requires one to practice law. With having Roy Moore formerly on the Supreme Court, though, maybe the bar to the bar is very low.

[Vrede too]

Sounds like a personal grudge of some sort to me....

Could be, idk, but lousy drug war and civil forfeiture law gives that possible personal grudge more oomph.

SPLC has been focused on AL as being particularly egregious, and I don't think it's just because SPLC is based there.

How Alabama's Profit-Driven Civil Asset Forfeiture Scheme Undercuts Due Process and Property Rights

[Vrede too]

Forensic Science Put Jimmy Genrich in Prison for 24 Years. What if It Wasn’t Science?
A special investigation reveals a disastrous flaw affecting thousands of criminal convictions.

But, but the fiction and nonfiction forensics TV shows tell me that it's a slam dunk.

[O Really]

Forensic Science Put Jimmy Genrich in Prison for 24 Years. What if It Wasn’t Science?
A special investigation reveals a disastrous flaw affecting thousands of criminal convictions.

But, but the fiction and nonfiction forensics TV shows tell me that it's a slam dunk.

And yet... "“The bombings stopped as soon as we focused on Genrich.” — District Attorney Steve ErkenBrack" Coincidence?

So one could make the argument that even if they got the right guy, the prosecution didn't really prove their case because of questionable evidence. But defense gave it their best shot at discrediting the tool matching and the jury rejected it. The standard is "beyond reasonable doubt", not "beyond any possible shadow of a doubt."

I've seen people convicted on "Dateline" (admittedly heavily edited), on way less evidence.