District Attorney Throws Out 57 Cases After Henry Hotel Scandal, Cops Pissed
This is the scandal where videotape evidence showed that police officers entered rooms without a warrant or consent, and then lied about it on the stand.
The whole scandal has pissed off some cops, says one a veteran cop who attended the police academy with two of the accused officers. He talked to SF Weekly candidly in exchange for anonymity.
“As far as dudes being sloppy in attempting to arrest someone, I don’t see how that meets the standard of such accused corruption…Those guys, they work really hard and care about their jobs, it’s a big blow to morale to see them so immediately vilified,” he said.
“If these guys are cutting corners and not going about things the right legal way, that sucks and maybe they should be reprimanded. But police work and plainclothes work is not black and white — you have to be creative to be effective,” he tells us.
Yeah, that Fourth Amendment limits our creativity. Now the KGB – those were some really creative guys.
The officer also put into perspective why we shouldn’t be so concerned about the violation of citizens’ rights and lying on the stand…
“It’s a bummer to see all those cases dismissed. It was kind of depressing. I guarantee there’s other police departments in America where far worse things happen and nobody bats an eye.”
Is that the standard we’re aiming for? Hey, at least we’re not as corrupt as some of the other cops.
The sad thing is that this is pretty common. Cops who truly believe that violating the law and citizens’ rights when it comes to the drug war is no worse, really, than overstaying a parking meter.
Update: Just a reminder that we’re talking about some cops. If you’ve met any of the fine folks in LEAP, you would be very careful about making generalizations about all cops.
I wouldn`t believe a pig if he told me the sun was rising tommorrow. This stands forever.
Really, it always struck me odd (with former police officers in my immediate family) that Police by and large see following the law as a hindrance to their jobs.
Really, I mean really, who is surprised? It is the result of painting a portion of American citizens as the enemy who deserves no quarter, no compassion and no civil rights. It is truly “us vs. them” for those in their insulated safe job bubble on the citizens’ nickle. They are not public servants, actually it is quite the opposite, we live to serve them.
The thin blue line also closes around rapists, child molestors and steriod abusers as long as they sport a government issued piece of jewelry which gives them license to do so. Right here in Colorado we have 2 child molestor DARE cops and a rapist cop who pulled over women and gave them a choice, jail or sex. Oh and one who was caught on camera beating the liveing sh*t out of a citizen, he denied it of course, but it was all caught on camera. And I forgot the state trooper who was driving drunk in his patrol car and was caught with a BAC of around .17 or so, he said it was because he suffered from PTSD from covering accidents. Too bad so sad.
Then they are caught and whine like little snivvling children rather than manning up and taking their medicine like they always tell us.
Pig Traumatic Stress Disorder over there should smoke some weed.
Reminds me of this Jersey Statie/Alkie:
Could this be any more infuriating? F*cking cops defending LYING UNDER OATH? Being so sure that they know who belongs in jail and who doesn’t that they’ll break any law necessary just to destroy someone’s life?
Many people fought and died so that Americans could be secure in their property and personal effects, among other things. For some rogue cops to thumb their noses at the very constitutional guarantees people expect for having paid such a price demonstrates a lack of patriotism bordering on treason. Yet the cops in question would probably consider themselves true patriots.
We know what true patriots did back in the day when King George III was messing with their stuff. It therefore seems odd that a government could repeat the same mistakes that led to its own revolution against a big screwed-up empire 235 years ago. Short attention span, maybe?
No matter. The damage is done. A cultural schism exists in America due the malevolent effects of prohibition. The schismatics have their whole lives to protect, while the opposition forces have little more than their crummy jobs to cling to. It doesn’t take a mathematician to know which group has the greater motivation to succeed.
“Update: Just a reminder that we’re talking about some cops. If you’ve met any of the fine folks in LEAP, you would be very careful about making generalizations about all cops.”
Totally agree here. The drug war and the gotcha mentality it inspires is not what our country is supposed to be all about. If we can end the drug war, maybe we can start to bring cops back into the fold.
We want young people to see the cops and think, “Oh, good, it’s a cop” rather than, “Oh, shit, it’s a cop.”
Gonna be a while before that happens. I’m pretty young and I can’t think of one of my friends that likes, or even doesn’t dislike, police. Except, of course, those related to cops.
That’s probably going to stick for a long time too, just look at how older generations bow down to police despite all of the horrendous abuses taking place today. Similarly, the younger generations will likely dislike law enforcement regardless of what changes are made in the near future. Yes, this is a generalization of generations, but just read about how basically each generation is less and less susceptible to bowing blindly to authority.
For good reason too. When authorities, such as the government, lie to you non-stop and then, even when caught, refuse to apologize or take responsibility, it’s not surprising that people feel anger.
I feel that part of the problem is many police officers are good at taking orders, but not very good at critical thinking and are trained to treat their suspects like garbage. Well, when this happens, it’s not surprising that people start to dislike you.
For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.
LEAP needs to apologize for their past sins.
I mean, that’s the very least they could do. Own up to being wrong, just once and personally apologize for all of the damage (physical, emotional and psychological) done to all of the people they victimized in the name of the drug war, self-righteousness and a paycheck. Of course, when it comes to government-types, despite preaching self-responsibility all the time, they almost never take any responsibility for anything.
Yeah, it’s great they’re against the drug war now, but I’d like to see a statement from LEAP apologizing for their role in the drug war. Not asking for reparations or anything, just words.
It’s, again, the very least they could do. They owe it to the citizens of the United States and the world.
I don’t understand, Buc. They’ve been doing that! I have heard Jack Cole apologize many times for what he did when he was a narc. They’ve done the critical thing- they’ve apologized individually for what each of them did when they were fighting the drug war. That’s partly why the LEAP stories are so moving. Of course, each of their stories is different.
Alright, well, I stand corrected.
I e-mailed them before asking for one and never got a response. I thought that was unprofessional. They could’ve at least responded or given me a link to an apology. That’s why I was quick to jump the gun.
Hard to forgive whenever so many of them will never apologize, don’t lose any sleep at night over any of it and even enjoy their twisted line of work to an extent. Kinda reminds of Star Wars when Darth Vader supposedly redeems himself at the end of Return of the Jedi after years and years of destruction.
I still stand by the concept that they will have their own time someday as there are plenty of people out there that make the decision before destroying people’s lives to not participate in campaigns of destruction, regardless of whether it’s the drug war or fighting going on the other side of the world. There’s nothing they can do to give the years back from the people they’ve taken from. No amount of money or apologies can make up for that.
There have been a few besides and even before L.E.A.P.
I saw another old timer, Howard Wooldridge at the obombo facebook site.
Ex-lawman rides to legalize it
Journal Advocate Sterling, CO June 16, 2005
Retired detective Howard Wooldridge wants to legalize drugs. With the help of his horse Misty, he is spreading that message across America. Wooldridge, who is traveling from Los Angeles to New York City in a seven-month trip, rode into town Wednesday on a mission.
Joseph McNamara’s conference – 10/08/00
Joseph McNamara – 10/26/10
The Joseph McNamara Collection druglibrary 02/04/01
Joseph McNamara is a former police chief in Kansas City, Mo. and San Jose, Ca.. He holds a doctorate in public administration and is presently a research fellow at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution.
Gil Pruder R.I.P.
A Great Loss For The Anti-Prohibitionist Movement,
An Even Greater Loss For Canadian Law Enforcement. November 15, 1999
In cobra country a mongoose was born one day who didn’t want to fight cobras or anything else. The word spread from mongoose to mongoose that there was a mongoose who didn’t want to fight cobras. If he didn’t want to fight anything else, it was his own business, but it was the duty of every mongoose to kill cobras or be killed by cobras.
“Why?” asked the peacelike mongoose, and the word went around that the strange new mongoose was not only pro-cobra and anti-mongoose but intellectually curious and against the ideals and traditions of mongooism.
“He is crazy,” cried the young mongoose’s father.
“He is sick,” said his mother.
“He is a coward,” shouted his brothers.
“He is a mongoosexual,” whispered his sisters.
Strangers who had never laid eyes on the peacelike mongoose remembered that they had seen him crawling on his stomach, or trying on cobra hoods, or plotting the violent overthrow of Mongoosia.
“I am trying to use reason and intelligence,”
said the strange new mongoose.
“Reason is six-sevenths of treason,” said one of his neighbors.
“Intelligence is what the enemy uses,” said another.
Finally, the rumor spread that the mongoose had venom in his sting, like a cobra, and he was tried, convicted by a show of paws, and condemned to banishment.
Moral: Ashes to ashes, and clay to clay,
if the enemy doesn’t get you your own folks may.
The Peacelike Mongoose by James Thurber
as read by Keith Olbermann…