N.O.P.D. Most Crooked of All

Off Topic Politics & World Issues
41

[quote]ZEB wrote:
WMD wrote:
ZEB wrote:

ZEB is purely incapable of questioning authority. Even when that authority is clearly out of control. Poor little fella.

He stated that he didn’t like cops. Didn’t say anything about those specific cops. Is it okay just to hate policemen for the sake of it in your world? Yea…I suppose it is.
[/quote]

Where did I say hate? I just said I didn’t like them. Younger military guys who have lived in military towns may share my distaste for cops as a result of their treatment in those towns. There are good and bad in any profession, but in my few dealings with law enforcement, prejudice based on my age and employment definitely factored in.

42

I don’t agree with your assessment. When it comes to criminal matters, there shouldn’t be a lot of confusion. Accepting bribes, theft, assault, illegal wiretaps and so on, these are all things that don’t have a lot of confusion about them.

I’m not in any way talking about a force that has to deal with the public or otherwise deal with locally defined issues. It would simply be empowered to investigate police forces and presecute where necessary. These powers already exist, but there is no mandate to watch the watchers in a proactive manner in any country that I am aware of.

Instead, we simply trust our authorities, and most of us agree that this is stupid. Politicians can’t be trusted and neither can anybody else who has the opportunity to get away with something. It is the nature of mankind to abuse authority. It has happened over and over and over again throughout history in all forms of society so far. Sure, some people are inherently good, but eventually a bad apple is put in charge.

And people think liberals are deluded in a kumbaya manner.

Anyway, perhaps some national agency to police the police isn’t appealing, but some measure needs to be put in place, outside of the police themselves, to force compliance with the rules and to actively limit abuse of authority.

If it isn’t some agency charged with that duty, then I don’t see anything else having the ability to effect that. Personally, I think abuse of authority is so rampant that something is needed.

I will agree though, that it is not actually going to happen, even if I don’t agree with your reasoning.

43

It sounds like the leaders of the NOPD are following up and doing what is required of them.

Both the victim and his attorney seem satisfied that prompt action is being taken according to the interview I heard.

44

[quote]
Kuz wrote:
I am sure the cops in New Orleans are more than a little on edge due to circumstances over the last few weeks, but it’s inexcusable.

Professor X wrote:

My take on it is, this may be why the circumstances over the last few weeks even took place. Over 90% of Houston evacuated due to hurricane Rita and there was none of the looting and robbery that occured in New Orleans. Yes, some of it is because there are many poor people in NO who have and had nothing. However, some of that footage had cops in the stores doing the same.[/quote]

I agree – and this is what I’ve been saying for a long time. New Orleans and Lousiana in general suffered worst in Rita not just due to its horrible geography, but also because of the fact that they are among the most corrupt state and local governments, respectively, in the U.S. – and it’s been that way at least as long as they were worth studying in terms of U.S. political history.

There have been how many really bad hurricanes that have resulted in evacuations, flooding, etc. and for which the Federal government was extremely slow in its response for which we didn’t see those types of issues (at least to the extent they were widespread problems)? Oh yeah – all of the rest of them…

And don’t forget that you have an immediate comparison with Mississippi and Alabama, both of which took huge hits from Rita – Mississippi actually took a worse hit than did Lousiana in terms of the force of the storm – and didn’t have the same levels of problems as Louisana and NO.

I just hope nothing even remotely like Rita ever happens in DC – talk about a corrupt local government and unclear divisions of power… Not to mention the large concentration of poor people in downtown who are without automobiles…

Oh yeah, and on the main point of the thread – there’s no excuse for what happened with the police beating, especially if the victim was telling the truth when he was interviewed concerning what occurred.

45

[quote]hedo wrote:
It sounds like the leaders of the NOPD are following up and doing what is required of them.

[/quote]

Yep, when you get nailed on video tape that the entire country then watches, there is not much else you can do.

But like any good cop will tell you, if someone commits a crime and gets caught, odds are they have done it many times before.

There were other reports, just not caught on tape…such as this wire report…
“The New Orleans police department is just really out of control,” said Sandy Welander, 27, who came from Wisconsin and works for the aid group Common Ground. Welander told of police stopping him and others in a rooftop parking lot one day and ordering people to kneel at gunpoint.
A large white officer charged at an African-American member of the group, kicked him, pressed a foot to his neck and threatened to “blow his brains out” if he moved, Welander said. “It seemed this cop was looking for the first black person he could find to get his licks out,” Welander said."

The interactions with police I have in my city has always been positive. Which is why its shocking to watch something like that. Kinda makes it feel like its not really the USA or I have lived a sheltered life in my city.

I just will never understand a bunch of cowards holding a helpless 64 yo down and beating the hell out of him.

It will be interesting to see if those cops spend the same amount of time in jail as would any other mob of thugs caught holding down an individual and ruthlessly beating him.

46

Alright…Lets see where to begin…

First of all…Police brutality is wrong…no if ands or butts…So is abuse of authority. But unfortunately people are people no matter what job they are in.

OK I am going to put the shoe on the other foot and group together all of people that I deal with as a cop…50% crackheads, drinks or junkies…20% Domestic violence…20% Vehicle Accidents and the last 10% or so is my favorite the people that have no idea why I am contacting them in the first place. When I go to a domestic violence call and see that the husband picks up his wife by the hair and swings her against the wall like a baseball bat. I pretty much think that he’s a piece of shit, but I don?t automatically assume that everyone is like that if I did I would be one paranoid friendless guy. You have to remember to judge people by their own actions.

Vroom Stated

“Some people who choose to be police officers have an unhealthy affinity for authority and control.”

That Vroom is a retarded and woefully generalized OPINION.

Don?t get me wrong there are bad cops and cops that do abuse their athourity…its human nature. And there are programs that weed those cops out, which do work.

Could the same be said about people in management positions?..

Anyways all I am stating is don?t judge all cops for what few do?Most of the time if a cops roughs someone up or is a dick that person deserved it. And also if you ever listen to the medias about a incident involving the police take it with a grain of salt. You will very rarely hear the police side of what happened because it is usually under investigation and they cannot comment on the details.

Its funny how some people on this site so readily believes the media until it starts talking about stuff they really know something about and then they cry foul because they know for sure how full of shit the media is.

As I have said before…if you have any questions on why cops do things… Ill be happy to answer.

Mag

47

[quote]Magma299 wrote:

Could the same be said about people in management positions?..
[/quote]

Yes, daily I see gangs of management nerds from microsoft grabbing 64 year olds and holding them down and punching and kicking them in a manner that could kill.

I dont. The ones I have met in my city are upstanding, as far as I know.
But the thugs on the video in new orleans belong in jail. I dont need any commentary, what I saw on tape says it all.

You just supported the very stereotyping your were complaining about. Remind me to stay out of Colorado, in addition to avoiding New Orleans.

Well maybe you should beat the hell out of the news producers to, oh wait…

48

And you call my statement retarded and generalized?

The police are not supposed to be the judge and the jury. There is a reason for the separation of powers. This is one of those reasons… the potential for the abuse of their power.

Nice to see that you support that abuse… and yes, sometimes people deserve it, but it is NOT the job of the police to see that they get it, except through lawful means.

49

He had it coming. He said it himself. He called the officer rude.

Let’s play the blame game.

Should he have called the officer rude? - Nope, score one for the NOPD.

Should that officer have started to kick his ass, from an attack from behind no less? - Nope, score one for old guy.

Should the NOPD officer fellow NOPDs stepped in without asking what happened? - Yes, you see your buddy, you back him up. Score one for NOPD

Should they have stopped after they put the old dude down on the ground. And had him cuffed? Yes, yes they should have stopped. Minus X for the thugs, no bonus point to old dude, for trying to protect himself from a beating. They are the police, you have to let them beat you or you are commiting another crime.

Up to a point, the fellow NOPD where in the right, they didn’t know what was going on. But beating on an old handcuffed guy in no way is excusable.

I forget the score. But lets face it. They were wrong.

50

This one is not cut and dried. Once the guy is subdued, the fellow officers need to step in to stop someone from letting their emotions getting the best of them.

However, in this case, I don’t think the situation was one where the others thought something was truly going on. The video does not leave a whole lot to the imagination…

51

[quote]slimjim wrote:
Where did I say hate? I just said I didn’t like them. Younger military guys who have lived in military towns may share my distaste for cops as a result of their treatment in those towns. There are good and bad in any profession, but in my few dealings with law enforcement, prejudice based on my age and employment definitely factored in.[/quote]

I hear you loud and clear. I’ve never received any help from a police officer when I could have used it.

Not when my apartment was broken into, with tons of fingerprints on my TV screen that was moved by the thieves who chose not to steal the TV. Police told me that there’s a 1 in 200 chance that they can get a finger print to match, okay, fair enough, but no further investigation was conducted.

Not when my truck was broken into in the middle of the day and the neck of my steering wheel was torn to pieces. The police only gave me a number to use for insurance purposes and never even came by to check the vehicle.

Not when I was assaulted by a bouncer when I wasn’t allowed back into a bar because I tripped on a step (told the bouncer I had to call my wife who was inside, he slapped my face and my phone fell down the stairs, and I wasn’t even drinking or arguing about not being let back in). The police that I called after being literally thrown on the street told me to leave or get arrested. I sent a very well written letter to their department via email and snail mail with at least 3 ways to contact me and received no response.

I’ve met some great guys who happened to be officers, but the majority of the officers I met or talked to over the phone have been of no use to me.

All of the situations I mentioned were in military towns. Norfolk, VA; Newport News, VA; and Virginia Beach, VA.

I just now saw the video for the first time and think some good may actually come out of it.

I’m glad to see that the victim seems to have a competent lawyer, recognizes that this is not necessarily a race issue, and is putting the light on police abuse in general.

Hopefully being in the light of the media will make more officers think twice before knowingly abusing their authority.

I personally would rather take the responsibility of protecting myself and my family, than have to put up with power hungry police and a screwed up court system.

I never feel free when passing a cop in my vehicle, even though I know I’m not breaking any law. I’ve had friends pulled over for leaning too far while driving.

52

I have had contact with lazy rude police in the past,in the mid 80s when work was slow due to bad economy in my area, i attended the sheriffs academy in my county.I had a hard time even getting info. about it ,finally had to contact old friend in sheriffs dept. who had info. sent to me.

Once i was in the class,i found out everybody except me and one other guy had relatives that were police.Then as class went on i learned they were’nt really interested in catching murderers,rapists,child molesters etc. because they couldnt make the big green like they could from writing tickets.and as you started studying the laws ,hell you can get a ticket for almost anything if that cops trying to make his quota.Thats the way it was explained you have an easier time advancing and working your way up.

I had intentions of becoming a detective,but i wouldnt have been willing to screw with the general public,like that so i new that wasnt for me and bowed out after i graduated from the academy.

By the way out of a class of 35 only 2-3 people in class still had a good friendly attitude at the end,the rest were already getting the prick attitude and they werent even graduated yet.a few of the women were real bad with it.

53

To Vroom and Spamme,

I guess my idea of someone that deserves to be roughed up and your idea are two totally different things.

As I have said in my earlier post in case you missed it I dont not support brutality or abuse of power…it makes my job in the long run harder to do and its just not right.

But if some one swings at me or physically resists me arresting them then I will use enough force to subdue them and make them comply “Roughed up”. For me to be a dick to somebody they are going to have to behave pretty bad verbally before I get to that point.

I cant see having a discussion about what happened in N.O. unless your blind or know something that we dont know…the cops were wrong…for whatever reason…or whatever excuse. Once someone is handcuffed it is that officers duty to make sure no harm comes to the suspect.

And Vroom you are correct the police are not the judge or jury…never have I met someone on the force who thought they were.

And as far as cops on military bases I cant say because I am not one there. But when I was in the Army…we were not big fans of the police. Not sure why maybe it was the fact that we didnt respect their authority. But police and the miltary have never had a good relationship from the angle that I remember.

There were alot of things I didnt like cops doing when I wasnt one…now I understand why they do some of those things. (As I am sure someone will twist this into abusing someone).

And Spamme yes please stay out of Colorado…

Mag

54

What a sickening video. A 64 year old man? He didn’t even do anything. As for him resisting- who wouldn’t fight back if they were blindsided? The cops left half his face on the pavement. I hope they lose their jobs and serve time.

55

I think “resisting” is a loose term. I mean, if someone grabbed me from behind and tried to put my arms behind my back, I’d surely do something to avoid that.

Would that be “resisting arrest”? Wouldn’t I have to realize I was being arrested or imagine that I had done something wrong to know I should be able to safely do the noodle thing and slack out?

Hell, if you’ve never been arrested you don’t know what’s going on and how to not react to the physical manhandling that will take place.

Finally, for this old guy, he’d rightfully feel he was in a life and death situation, how the hell is he expected to not “resist” when he’s being beaten. He has no idea how far it will be taken…

Anyway, not directing this at our cop friend, but generally, the public is at the mercy of the authorities, and the need for control of that authority was made obvious to us once again.

Be wary of giving up rights and transferring power to any government agency, for any reason, or it will just be easier for them to get away with stuff like this.

Without the cameras present, this guy was just a violent drunk who deserved what he got for attacking the police officer trying to arrest him. With the cameras he’s the victim of police abuse that extends from beating this person and causing serious injury to intimidating innocent witnesses.

Think about what your rights mean to you… and why they should be protected at all costs.

56

[quote]vroom wrote:
Be wary of giving up rights and transferring power to any government agency, for any reason, or it will just be easier for them to get away with stuff like this.

Without the cameras present, this guy was just a violent drunk who deserved what he got for attacking the police officer trying to arrest him. With the cameras he’s the victim of police abuse that extends from beating this person and causing serious injury to intimidating innocent witnesses.

Think about what your rights mean to you… and why they should be protected at all costs.[/quote]

The only people this has to be explained to…are the ones who who are so priviledged either due to status, skin color, or blind luck to have never been in situations like this or be aware of their regular occurance. I got pulled over many times by cops growing up in Houston for no other reason than being a black kid in a car. When this gets explained, I have often gotten responses bordering on me making an issue out of nothing. That isn’t to say it doesn’t happen to all races or to all age groups. It simply means that there do need to be tighter controls and we do need to guard the rights we have instead of giving them away due to fear of terror or anything else.

I saw the movie Crash last weekend for the first time. All it did was bring up memories.

57

[quote]Magma299 wrote:
To Vroom and Spamme,

I guess my idea of someone that deserves to be roughed up and your idea are two totally different things.
[/quote]

That goes without question. My guess is your idea of who needs to be roughed up would vary from most of the free world.

Actually most likely what happened in New Orleans. Guy probably said something rude and police decided to “rough him up” for it. Sounds to me like you would fit right in, and I hear they are looking for some more cops there.

The fact you would need to get to “that point” for a verbal disparage, suggests a variance in the definition of judge and jury as well.

No. Its self explanatory.

58

Why can’t the people of N.O. elect judges who will actually side with them instead of the police force and the criminals in office. I mean if it’s that big of a problem if people are scared to walk the streets at night because of the cops and the criminals, why don’t they make a candidate for a judge position who is “with” them and then try the cases. Also aren’t there memebers of the police force that are elected? Like the head sheriffs or something? I know iv’e seen signs for people to vote for one sheriff or another so Maybe they could get a guy with morals in the position and not act like they are helpless victims.

V

59

I wish it was so simple Veg…

60

[quote]vroom wrote:

I don’t know… I think perhaps there should be a second police force, not simply an internal affairs department, at the national level, with the mandate to ensure that the police do not abuse their authority.
[/quote]

Yes there is an agency that handles problems with police agencies. Its your friendly neigborhood FBI. Most people don’t realize that if you are in a situation involving civil rights violations, such as unlawful arrest, brutality, etc. you can take your case to the FBI. They are required to investigate and if necessary take action.