Gangsters in Blue

Kelly Thomas was murdered by 6 lowlife police officers last July (more here). As one would expect, they have not all been brought to justice. Only 2 officers have been charged. Manny Ramos has been charged with second degree murder, while Jay Cicinelli has been charged with involuntary manslaughter. This was only after the citizens of Fullerton protested outside the police station weekend after weekend. And of course, the fact Mr. Thomas’ father, Ron Thomas was former Sheriff’s Deputy didn’t hurt.

Keep in mind that if any other gang of 6 assholes had beaten a homeless, mentally ill man to death, they would have all been charged with murder, likely along with gang enhancements. If any other man had smashed a homeless man’s face in while saying, “You see these fists? … They are getting ready to fuck you up,” a first degree murder charge would have been a certainty.

I can also almost guarantee you that if my brother, father, or family member were murdered by police, I would not see an ounce of the justice Kelly Thomas’ family has seen, because I have no law enforcement in my family. If my father or brother had been beaten to a bloody pulp and died, I would have no credibility and would arouse no public sympathy. The public’s response would likely be, “well why did he disobey the officers?” as in the case of most victims of police murder.

This brings me to the irony of a former law enforcement officer being made to suffer the grief of having his son die at the hands of police. This is a man who, if he did his job all those years, presumably dedicated his life to, among other things, extorting people with tickets and fines. If he did his job, he spent a great deal of his time ruining peoples’ lives, causing them to lose their jobs, and breaking up their families through enforcement of drug laws. This is a man who spent his life supporting the Thin Blue Line and engaged in and supported abuse of ordinary people with a violent system that has now unfortunately come back to haunt him in the worst manner possible.

It seems that for many who previously worked in law enforcement, when tragedy strikes them (the hallowed class), it is written off as a recent development, a current trend in corruption, and a problem of badly trained young officers, whereas when they used to work in law enforcement, they did everything ethically, constitutionally, and properly. They rarely stop to consider that perhaps the system was just this bad all along, but they didn’t notice it before because they were the ones wielding power, commanding undeserved respect, and receiving the benefits and protections of the law.

Policing has always involved a monopoly on initiation of violence by a group of uniformed people who collected fines and enforced laws, whether just or not, under the guise of “protecting” others. It has been common knowledge for sometime now that forcible monopolies result in poor customer service and lack of accountability. Thus, when one group of people have an unqualified monopoly over guns, authority, and law enforcement, certain predictable results are bound to happen, and always have happened. Unjust detentions has always occurred. Racial profiling has always occurred. Marginalization and targeting of the poor and those with unfortunate skin tones has always occurred. Police have always enforced evil laws and opposed civil rights.

Qualified immunity for police officers is not a new concept that has developed only in recent years. Useless investigations by “Internal Affairs” is nothing new. Thus, the same system in which Ron Thomas proudly worked, and with which he proudly screwed civilians, is the same system he criticizes now. An interview with Ron Thomas reveals he is completely aware of the flaws in the system. Indeed, he explicitly criticizes the idea of “reasonable force” used by officers, and the manner in which this legal standard is manipulated and executed by law enforcement and the justice system.

So why does Ron Thomas have a problem with how the system deals with “reasonable force” now? His son was murdered essentially for “resisting” officers’ commands and violent subjugation. This happens to innocent people all the time. When the victims do not happen to be the son of a police officer, the public tells the victim’s family members that the victim should simply have followed commands, obeyed the law, or been more respectful in order to avoid being murdered.

One has to wonder whether Ron Thomas had a problem with it every other time a civilian’s family member was murdered in similarly senseless circumstances – for failing to hear an officer’s command, for giving an officer the finger, for defending themselves, or for being rowdy - and whether his perspective has changed in any manner since the death of his son. One has to wonder whether he, like most former police officers, still delusionally believes he was actually “protecting” people in the course of his former profession.

The irony of Kelly Thomas: his father was a cop is a post from Cop Block - Badges Don't Grant Extra Rights

In 1993, I watched the Waco, “Standoff” live on the NBC Nightly News as a young man while eating meatloaf in front of the TV with my family. What exactly is a, “Standoff?” In my early years, I understood a standoff  as an incident which one party was wrong and the State comes in to correct or murder them.  I had a hard time comprehending why the military blazed in with tanks and burned a bunch of kids alive but understood that if the government takes such action, it must be justified. I also vaguely remember, “Ruby Ridge.”

My old man is a Navy Veteran. He served 4 years during the War In Vietnam.  He worked on the ship’s engines to insure plenty of Vietnamese were killed by artillery from the Destroyer he occupied.  He was just under ten when the last known US Civil War Veteran passed. He grew up in a time when government mandated reefer madness prevailed and The US Public Health Service was busy secretly infecting impoverished Black Americans with syphilis. We kept a flag flying on the front porch to show our unwavering support for our government, almost without question.

I’ve attempted to expose my father to the idea that just because this government is ours doesn’t mean it has our best interests in mind, to little avail. I believe he’s too conditioned to understand the idea of True Liberty.

I guess this is why I wasn’t overly surprised when he told me about a standoff a few blocks from his and my mother’s home in Janesville WI. He had told me that the previous evening they were walking the dog when the neighborhood erupted with screeching tires, sirens, and heavily armed men. He of course wasn’t able to walk up the street he’s lived near for almost 40 years because some twenty-something cop said he couldn’t.

We try not to talk about political issues due to our differences but I couldn’t help but notice that after 4 days with nothing in the paper he seemed concerned with what may have happened.  I suggested he call the PD but after a week he hadn’t so I stepped in.

I contacted JPD about the incident in Oct. 2011 on Forest Park Blvd. Robin picked up the phone and I posed my question. She didn’t object to glancing at the log and dismissed it as a potential gun call where no gun was found.  I persisted with questions and she stated that a twelve year old had been taking out the garbage around dusk and saw a person in a car with a gun. He ran back into his home and told his mom who called it in.

In WI concealed carry is legal. Open carry is also legal and it isn’t uncommon to see people on the side of  the State Highways standing around with their shotguns or rifles heading into the fields to hunt wild game.  People occasionally walk the grocery store isles with a sidearm on their hip and there usually aren’t problems.

I continued to question Robin at the PD despite her increasing reluctance to answer my questions.  What’s the big secret? She reiterated that no gun was found and nobody was arrested so it wasn’t a big deal. I asked if the gun, “Suspect” was pulled out at gunpoint or searched. She stated she didn’t know. I asked if the dispatch actually vetted this child personally, again, no apparent answer. She stated I wouldn’t be able to obtain the police reports because none exist. Just a brief dispatch log.

It turned out that the gun was actually a cell phone.  And the two alleged “gunmen” were 17 year old-ish boyfriend and girlfriend stopping by the house quick.  My Dad said the cops were yelling but he couldn’t hear exactly what was being said. I’m guessing this is an experience these young people will never forget. It may seem like a funny story in hindsight but on the other hand, I’ve never had multiple guns pointed at my torso.  I have been inadvertently swept by a live firearms and it really pisses me off.

Waukesha Standoff Society

On a regular basis the Waukesha Police play soldier in our neighborhoods. They call in the county tank and halt our outdoor activities by the sounds of cops yelling on a PA system.  I’ve done several videos of these standoff when I happen upon them. I don’t use a scanner but every month and a half or so I can usually find one by just cruising.

They bring the shields and AR’s but overwhelmingly just hang out and soak up the overtime. I don’t often see anything in the news other than the fact that one of these occurred.  It seems that if the police call these incidents, “Medicals” they can get away without scrutiny or further information.  I’ve taken video of three in the last year or so.

I don’t need to ask what precipitates a standoff. Pretty much anything in this area. Perhaps a neighbor hears an argument and you choose not to answer the door for the cops? Maybe you’ve had a few drinks and throw on your favorite Metallica CD. As we all know the police have no legal duty to, “Protect us.”  What if an, “Emotionally disturbed person who is potentially armed” is greeted by the mom or brother instead of a heavily fortified militarized sect of the police. Perhaps a well known,  friendly, willing,  neighbor would produce better results than flash bang grenades and sub-machine guns.

As is common,  in the video above, no gun, according to local YouTube friends, and no real threat by the female suspect. I’d love to tell you the whole story but it seems to be a secret.

It appears standoffs will be entrenched in Waukesha culture for the time being.

John Freeman – Milwaukee area Copblock

Wisconsin Standoff Society is a post from Cop Block - Badges Don't Grant Extra Rights

By DAVY VARA

Why is it that people always refer to the New York City Police Department as the best police department in the country?

The N.Y.P.D. is actually one of the most corrupt police forces in the U.S. The department has a long history of committing some of the most heinous crimes
against innocent citizens. Take, for instance, the 1999 execution of Amadou Diallo, a 23 year old Guinean immigrant who was shot at 41 times by N.Y.P.D. cops Sean Carroll, Richard Murphy, Edward McMellon, and Kenneth Boss. Diallo, who was unarmed and simply had his wallet in his hand, was hit 19 times. Just over one year later, a jury acquitted all of the cops.

Also, Abner Louima, a 30 year old Haitian immigrant, who suffered severe internal damage when N.Y.P.D. officer Justin Volpe sodomized him with a broomstick in Brooklyn’s 70th precint. Afterwards, Volpe proudly displayed the excrement and blood stained broomstick to his fellow officers as he bragged that he had just “broke a man”. Volpe then threatened to kill Louima and his family members if Louima told anyone. Justin Volpe was later convicted and sentenced to 30 years in prison.

Sean Bell, executed by N.Y.P.D. undercover cops on the morning of his wedding day, in Queens. Bell had just left a club with friends when he was confronted by a plain clothes N.Y.P.D. cop who didn’t identify himself. When Bell sped off, the cop fired 50 rounds at Bell’s vehicle, killing Bell and severely injuring his friends. And, even though neither Bell or any of his friends had a gun, the N.Y.P.D. smeared Bell’s character after the incident, and his friends were under investigation instead of the cops!

During last year’s annual West Indian American Day Parade, N.Y.P.D. officers used facebook to post extremely disturbing comments, violating the department’s policy barring officers from making “discourteous or disrespectful remarks” about race or ethnicity. The facebook group, which totalled 1,200 members, posted comments from N.Y.P.D. officers such as Dan Rodney who stated “I say have the parade one more year, and when they all gather, drop a bomb and wipe them all out.”

Other comments from N.Y.P.D. officers included calling people “animals’ and “savages”. The comments on facebook, included references to West Indian and
African-American neighborhoods, and were so offensive that some N.Y.P.D. officers themselves posted warnings to other officers advising them to be careful that Internal Affairs “rats” don’t take notice of the comments. However, many didn’t seem to care, and went on posting comments such as “Let them kill each other”.

In a recent New York Times editorial piece, a strong point is made of the need for a “strong, independent agency to investigate serious complaints about New York City’s police force.” After several corruption cases involving the N.Y.P.D., including seven narcotics officers convicted of planting drugs on people, three officers convicted of robbing a perfume warehouse, eight current N.Y.P.D. officers charged with smuggling guns into the state, and a federal lawsuit accusing the N.Y.P.D. of engaging in racially biased “stop and frisk” incidents, there is serious doubt that the department can do an effective job addressing misconduct and corruption without outside help.

The N.Y.P.D.’s Internal Affairs Bureau, which is responsible for investigating complaints of police misconduct, failed to uncover any of these problems. In fact, they were brought to light by a local district attorney, the F.B.I. and, in one case, a New Jersey police department.

Recently, N.Y.P.D. officers, gathered outside State Supreme Court in the Bronx, for the unsealing of indictments against 16 of their fellow officers, who were arraigned on charges of corruption, after a three-year investigation into the N.Y.P.D.’s fixing of traffic and parking tickets, which in all cost the City of New York, close to $ 2 Million dollars. Officer Jose Ramos, a member of the N.Y.P.D.’s 40th precint, and whose suspicious behavior led to the ticket fixing investigation in the first place, was accused of two dozen crimes, including attempted robbery, attempted grand larceny, transporting what he thought was heroin for drug dealers and revealing the identity of a confidential informant. Ramos is facing up to 50 years in prison.

The officers yelled “Down with the D.A.” and “N.Y.P.D. Commisioner Ray Kelly, is a hypocrite.” Inside, more than 100 off-duty N.Y.P.D. officers lined the courthouse hallways and stood outside the courtroom. The officers prevented members of the news media from filming their colleagues by blocking cameras, grabbing lenses and shoving television camera crews into walls.

The outpouring of angry officers and their behavior was in violation of N.Y.P.D. policy which states “Conduct which brings discredit to the department or conduct in violation of law is unacceptable and will result in disciplinary measures.” Perhaps the best of example of the N.Y.P.D.’s disgusting, unprofessional conduct, despite always being lauded as the best police department in the country, is how at one point, the crowd of at least 350 officers outside the courthouse began chanting “E.B.T.” at people lined up at a benefits center across the street, referring to electronic benefit transfer, the way welfare recipients receive their food stamps and/or cash benefits. A court official who came outside to attempt to calm down the crowd of officers, was insulted with profanities by the N.Y.P.D. cops. The indicted N.Y.P.D. officers came out of the courthouse pumping their fists, as the crowd of their fellow officers burst into cheers. Once the rowdy crowd of N.Y.P.D. cops had cleared, the street was littered with refuse.

Eugene J. O’Donnell, a professor of police studies at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice makes a very powerful and telling point, in referring to the N.Y.P.D. when he said “The Police Department is a very angry work force, and that is something that should concern people, because it translates into hostile interactions with people.”

I don’t know about you, but I find it disgusting and downright deplorable whenever I hear the N.Y.P.D. being referred to as “The best police force in the country”. Are you kidding me?

Davy V.

———————-

Editors note – check out this video created after the actions of some NYPD employees at the 2011 West Indian Day Parade:

NYPD: Badges of Dishonor, Corruption and Murder! is a post from Cop Block - Badges Don't Grant Extra Rights

Increasingly, the news reports incidents of severe abuse of youth by adults. For instance, a 9-year-old was tasered for refusing to take a bath a few years ago. About 2 and a half years ago, several middle school students were forcibly restrained and  locked in cold, dark rooms for throwing food. Another 14-year-old epileptic girl was tasered in the head for running away and refusing to stop when told to do so. Another 15-year-old girl was grabbed and had her head shoved into the wall for drinking and disobeying teachers. A 19-year-old was beaten for loitering around a library.

My god! Such barbarism! How could parents even think of treating their children in such a manner? They ought to be punished! Beaten! Jailed! Take their kids away! Oh wait, no that was the police. Just doing their jobs. Totally ok. Police are free to “parent” other people’s children however the fuck they want to – with fists, boots, tasers, walls, and dangerous weapons of their choice.

On the other hand, the actual parents face draconian punishments and even total destruction of their families for the most minor of transgressions – some of which can hardly even be considered transgressions at all.

Elizabeth Mort had her child taken away 3 days after she had given birth beacuse she tested positive for drugs after eating a poppy seed bagel. Another woman had her child taken away partially because she refused to preauthorize consent to a c-section during labor. Such refusal was considered “child neglect,” until the courts overturned the assessment by the state child protective services agency.

The Henderson family was torn apart by police invasion, arrests, and seizure of their children because police suspected that Mr. Henderson may have slapped one of his children. William Reddie was actually shot and killed because CPS was going to forcibly seize his child over his marijuana use. Because obviously, smoking pot is so detrimental to a child that it’s better that his dad be shot right in front of his eyes. Witnessing the murder of his father was clearly much more in line with the child’s interests.

More recently, a father was charged with 2 counts of child endangerment after he left his two children, a 6-year-old girl and 9-year-old boy at a park for 2 hours. Is it just me, or has this society gone totally fucking nuts? When I was 7 my friends and I were free to roam the neighborhood  on our bikes, in parks, in construction sites, in parking lots. I could stay out as long as wanted if I had finished school work, didn’t do anything stupid, and was home by dinner time – and I had “strict” parents. Even if we want to dispense with the absurdity of charging a father with crimes for letting his kids play unattended at a park (really? So the state is protecting the kids by putting their father in jail? Sure, that makes sense) – maybe we could address the fact that treating children like infants for the rest of their lives most certainly guarantees they will grow up to be useless and dependent.

But perhaps that’s the point.

Children who are taught that someone else must always tell them what to do, where to go, and how to live their lives will likely grow up to be useless and dependent – and these are the types of people who prefer a large system of authorities and police who “fix” their problems and run their lives, over independence and personal responsibility. Indeed, parents who grant too much independence or freedom to their children, or who dare assert that they, rather than the state, know how to raise their kids best, are a danger to the police state.

By asserting vicious authority over parents and hindering parents from raising their kids as they see fit, police are in fact helping to breed the next generation of mindless drones who will gladly fork over their paychecks for greater police state powers. I.e., the police are only taking logical measures to ensure job security for themselves.

Just doin’ their jobs. Can’t blame ‘em.

Police are just doing their jobs…parenting your kids with boots, fists, and tasers is a post from Cop Block - Badges Don't Grant Extra Rights

Guest Post by Katie McCall

So often we hear stories about officers stepping out of line and aggressively asserting themselves without reason. But this story is different. This story is about a cop who tried to stop the violence.

Officer Regina Tasca has worked for the Bogota, New Jersey police departmentfor 11 years. She had an exemplary record. One day in April, 2011, she received a call to assist with the transport of a 22 year old male to the hospital because he was psychologically distraught. The call came in from his mother who was beside herself with worry for her adult son.

Officer Tasca arrived on scene and immediately began to put the man at ease. ”When the call came, I heard that a couple of officers from Ridgefield Park were coming to provide backup, which I thought was OK,” Tasca said. But when they arrived the young man grew nervous. “He noticed them and asked me, ‘Why are there other police offices here from another town?’ Then he said that he was leaving, and he moved maybe two or three steps when one of the Ridgefield officers jumped him.”

Sgt. Chris Thibault pounced on the non-aggressive man and tried to handcuff him. The second officer, Sgt. Joe Rella, “assisted” him by jumping on top and punching the unarmed man in the head. The man’s mother looked on and screamed helplessly for the cops to stop pummeling her son.

In the midst of the chaos, Officer Tasca, intervened. She did not assist her brothers in blue, but chose instead to pry the officers off of him and pull him to his feet.

Was she commended? Were the officers who tackled the passive male investigated? No, on both accounts.

Instead, Officer Tasca was asked to turn in her weapon and was suspended. This week, she faces a hearing where she will possibly be fired.

And the two officers who did the tackling? They were never even investigated.

Unfit for duty? Perhaps they are right. She’s unfit for duty as the only ethical officer amongst the gangsters of her police department. But she IS FIT for service to citizens as a police officer, protecting and serving the public.

Thank you Officer Tasca. You remind us of what public service can be.

Crossing the “Thin Blue Line” is a post from Cop Block - Badges Don't Grant Extra Rights

Guest post by Damon

This is a video of the most reasonable man I know being booked in for “disorderly conduct”. This man has applied for a press pass which was later revoked by the corporate media representatives  in charge of distributing all press passes. He has attempted to use footage from Wisconsin Eye, a government-funded media service. They made him take down the footage because it is the property of said 501c(3) corporation.

He has filmed legislators committing voter fraud through the windows of the gallery. They took that as a sign that they needed to post black plastic over the windows. These are the lengths he has gone to in order to report on the blatant corruption of our State Government during the last session.  In direct contradiction of  State Statute 19.90, which states that we have the right to film our public officials, our legislature has deemed filming a violation of their own rules of conduct and are prosecuting, “Offenders” under disorderly conduct statutes. This day he wasn’t filming.

Being known for excising one’s rights is now enough to warrant detainment in Wisconsin.

This is not my video and I cannot claim credit for it.  I got it off my buddy’s youtube channel(arthurkr222).

Illegal Possession Of A Camera, Disorderly Conduct In The WI Assembly is a post from Cop Block - Badges Don't Grant Extra Rights

By Guest Writer Jacob Crawfird

Miami’s Homeland Security is keeping tabs on Carlos Miller, why? Not because he is any terrorist threat or some subversive radical. Rather because he runs the website, “Photography Is Not A Crime!” which documents police attacks on copwatchers, journalists, and ordinary citizens who catch heat for filming police interactions. He’s been supportive of my police accountability work with copwatch and I’ve appreciated his coverage of police issues over the last few years.

—Jacob Crawford
ladderfilms@gmail.com

Carlos Miller Under Surveillance for His Website, “Photography is Not a Crime” is a post from Cop Block - Badges Don't Grant Extra Rights

I was recording police from across the street on a public sidewalk. Keep in mind I do nothing that is against the law. I have every right to film them in their duties. I in no way addressed the officer OR the guy the officer was talking too. The passenger, who is not engaged by the cop starts the conversation with me. It turns out that I knew the passenger. After the traffic stop was over I get stopped, detained, then threatened. The cops realize they have nothing to hold me on and let me go but not before threatening me that he will arrest me if I do this behavior again.

Afterwards I went looking to record them again but came up empty handed.

Muscatine, Iowa USA aka Nazi Germany. “Show me your papers please” is a post from Cop Block - Badges Don't Grant Extra Rights

Back in July of 2011 I was having problems with an ex-boyfriend. The man had been living with me and believed that he had all rights to the property.  He’d been told to stay away though he had lived there before and had destroyed thousands of dollars of my property. He had also been reported to the authorities who informed me property damage and rumors of threats were not enough for me to file a restraining order.

One night I got word from a friend that this man was headed towards my house on a drug-induced rampage and was bringing a friend from The Navy along. I’m a small woman with no self-defense training of any kind and these two men were a terrifying prospect. I immediately dialed 911.

My new roommate had police training with the explorers and was taking Administration of Justice classes at the time. He had a handgun and the licenses to go with it. He was the one to go outside and politely ask the ex-boyfriend to leave. When the trespasser picked up a stick and went into a rage, his friend reached into his car for something. My roommate saw this motion and pulled the gun down to his waist and demanded they leave the private property. I was still on hold with emergency dispatch.

The two finally backed the car out onto the street and yelled obscenities waking all the neighbors. After 45 minutes on the phone, our sheriffs finally arrived. My roommate put his weapon on the ground in pieces as soon as they showed up and gladly showed them anything they needed and answered all their questions.

15 minutes later I watched the officers drive off with my roommate in the back of their squad car. He was placed under arrest for brandishing a weapon while the other two were let loose despite me begging officers to drug test them and bring them to justice.

Now, 9 months later, we finally got the letter saying the charges had been dropped and my roommate’s handgun could be retrieved. He’s been nine months without full-time work because he lost out on security contracts requiring his weapon. He now has to pay twenty dollars to get his weapon back. Where is the justice in this justice department?

Small Town Cops Lost on Constitutional Rights is a post from Cop Block - Badges Don't Grant Extra Rights

Police are so loved and respected in this country, that even when they are rapists and murderers, they are treated better than the average human being, and certainly better than the average criminal. Recently examples are illustrative.

Jose Guerena, a former Marine who was the victim of a mistaken drug raid, was the target of 120+ rounds shot by Pima County Sherriff’s SWAT team. He was left to bleed to death, while his wife begged for medical attention, and eventually died because police refused to let paramedics through. Such is how police treated a suspected drug violator. (More here).

Neli Latson was wrongfully suspected of being a suspicious character with a gun. When he refused to submit to wrongful arrest, he was beaten by police. While being beaten, he yelled that he had done nothing wrong, to which the police replied,  “You don’t have to – Welcome to Stafford County.” Neli reported a gun was held to his head, and the officer stated, “I will blow your head off, nigger.” (More here and here). Such is how police treated a person suspected of exercising their 2nd Amendment (alleged) rights.

Fred Skinner, aged  76 was eating when police mistakenly burst through his door with guns drawn, put him in handcuffs, and ransacked his house in search of drugs. Police did not even stop to apologize when they realized they had entered and extensively damaged the wrong house, although when the matter attracted substantial media attention, they finally agreed to pay to repair Mr. Skinner’s porch. (More here). Such is how police treat an innocent old man minding his own business.

John Williams was walking down the street in the opposite direction with a small, folded whittling knife when Officer Ian Birk of Seattle Police Department called out for him to stop. Being deaf in one ear, Mr. Williams did not hear, and did not stop. He was executed on the spot.  (More here). Such is how police treat a person who dares disobey orders, even unreasonable ones.

18-year-old Ramarley Graham, was shot to death in front of his grandmother and younger brother after he attempted to flush a bag of marijuana down the toilet. Police did not have a warrant to enter the home, and Mr. Graham was unarmed. (More here and here). Such is how police treat drug offenders – and in a city where pot is allegedly “decriminalized.”

Alan Kephart disobeyed officers’ orders in connection with a traffic matter, and instead gave officers the middle finger. He was tasered to death. (More here). Such is how police treat traffic violators who are rude to them.

Kelly Thomas, a schizophrenic homeless man, attracted the attention of Fullerton police, who were allegedly looking for a suspected car thief matching his description. One glance at his face after police were done with him tells pretty much the whole story. He eventually died from his injuries. Such is how police treat people potentially suspected of car theft.

On the other hand, police themselves seem to rarely face such harsh consequences for minor transgressions. Indeed, they often face no consequences at all, and when they are charged and imprisoned, they are treated with a great deal of dignity and respect.

Officer Art Perea faced no consequences in relation to his employment when the accusations of rape surfaced. He was permitted to resign on his own accord, and ultimately faced no charges after investigations, which took several months, cleared him of wrongdoing. (More here). Such is how police treat a potential rapist among their ranks – they have such faith in him, that they don’t even bother to take him off duty, or quarantine him from the public.

Officer Anthony Arevalos similarly was accused of sexual assault. Although he was finally duly punished, he was not fired and faced no repercussions after he was accused of sexual assault for the first time. (More here). Again, such is how police treat rapists among their ranks.

In another particularly heinous tale, Officer Stephanie Lazarus of the LAPD was found to have been a major suspect in the brutal murder of Sherri Rasmussen, which occurred in 1986. Saliva and broken fingernails collected at the scene of the crime had been preserved. A detective secretly followed Lazarus and was able to retrieve a sample of her saliva from a straw she threw away. When the time came to arrest Lazarus in 2009, she was at her desk at the LAPD headquarters. She was told to go attend to an issue about an inmate in the jail downstairs. When she removed her gun and passed through the security gate, she was uneventfully intercepted by detectives and taken into interrogation. (More here).

When innocent people are suspected of crimes, they are regularly beaten, tasered, have their doors kicked in, their homes ransacked, or have their pets shot. When ordinary people have committed minor crimes, they are often tasered or shot and killed. However, when police rape and murder, they are treated with surprisingly reasonable measures (or maybe not so surprising – after all, the police essentially police themselves).

Perea was not beaten or tasered when accused of rape; he wasn’t even fired. Arevalos didn’t have his door kicked in and his house ransacked. Lazarus who was a violent, psychopathic murderer was disarmed non-violently, and faced neither a hail of 120+ rounds of bullets, tasers, fists, nor boots. This is not to say that murder suspects should be beaten, or that potential rapists should be tasered – but perhaps the rest of us are human beings as well, and should be treated in a similarly reasonable manner.

Join the forum discussion on this post

Police who rape and murder are treated better than ordinary peons is a post from Cop Block - Badges Don't Grant Extra Rights