Cops misbehaving in the US

A

againstthegrain

Senior Member
Location
Sun Valley, ID
We may as well start at the pinnacle of local law enforcement agencies. NYPD boss resigns amid bribery investigation, of course this also involves Adams, NYPD (ret) now Mayor of NYC.

NYT - "Philip B. Banks III, New York City’s deputy mayor for public safety, has resigned, Mayor Eric Adams said on Monday morning, making him the sixth senior administration official to leave City Hall in the past month.

His departure comes amid an exceptional level of turmoil at the highest levels of city government, as four federal investigations envelop Mr. Adams and his inner circle, and after prosecutors unsealed a five-count corruption indictment against the mayor.

On Sept. 4, federal investigators seized the phones of Mr. Banks, as part of an investigation into a possible bribery scheme.

As part of the same inquiry, investigators also seized the phones of Mr. Banks’s brother David C. Banks, the since-resigned schools chancellor, and Sheena Wright, the schools chancellor’s wife and the first deputy mayor. Ms. Wright is expected to resign imminently."
 

Figuratively speaking, when the powers that be in the United States militarized the police they crossed the Rubicon. I say this, because militarized police and freedom do not go hand in hand. In fact, we are seeing more and more violations of people's Constitutional rights today by the police than ever before.
 

oslooskar said:
Figuratively speaking, when the powers that be in the United States militarized the police they crossed the Rubicon. I say this, because militarized police and freedom do not go hand in hand. In fact, we are seeing more and more violations of people's Constitutional rights today by the police than ever before.
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There are more and more cameras so police misconduct is much more throughly documented these days, so now even the cop bootlickers can't deny the seriousness of the status quo. OTOH, w the proliferation of weapons, mass shootings, body armor, gangs, etc, they needed to step up their game.

It's a culture of corruption, us against them, the thin blue line, officer safety, qualified immunity, poor training, and hiring people that have been terminated for cause by other agencies.
 
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againstthegrain said:
$62,500 settlement, cop was a proven liar


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I'm curious to know if this "settlement" was paid by insurance or the taxpayer. If the taxpayer is on the hook due to a "settlement", I have a major issue with that. If the malfeasance was severe enough to warrant a $62K "settlement", the perp should be fined accordingly. I believe they call that "restitution." Leave the taxpayer the hell alone.

In these types of cases, the only winners are the lawyers.
 
Eupher said:
I'm curious to know if this "settlement" was paid by insurance or the taxpayer. If the taxpayer is on the hook due to a "settlement", I have a major issue with that. If the malfeasance was severe enough to warrant a $62K "settlement", the perp should be fined accordingly. I believe they call that "restitution." Leave the taxpayer the hell alone.

In these types of cases, the only winners are the lawyers.
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Feel free to do the research and get back to us.
 
Eupher said:
I'm curious to know if this "settlement" was paid by insurance or the taxpayer. If the taxpayer is on the hook due to a "settlement", I have a major issue with that. If the malfeasance was severe enough to warrant a $62K "settlement", the perp should be fined accordingly. I believe they call that "restitution." Leave the taxpayer the hell alone.

In these types of cases, the only winners are the lawyers.
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Aren't cops' salaries paid for with taxpayers' money anyway?
 
officerripley said:
Aren't cops' salaries paid for with taxpayers' money anyway?
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Yep, but what does that have to do with personal responsibility in the event of malfeasance? Why should the taxpayers be on the hook for a crime a cop did?

Same thing happens with politicians and other so-called "public servants." One notable exception comes to mind -- Senator Bob Menendez, though his sentencing for bribery and other corruption isn't scheduled until 29 October.
 
againstthegrain said:
The real question, is why did he get hired after he had already been fired for lying in another jurisdiction? And then why did his fellow officers tolerate and cheer on his abhorrent behavior?
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It's a great question, but your question doesn't speak toward my original point of "settlement" of a lawsuit. You can fire the bad cop, you can fire the schmuck who hired him and the cops who watched his crimes, but in the end, the taxpayer pays for the cop's behavior.

That's just plain wrong. The lawyer doesn't give a damn who pays -- he just wants his 30% from the settlement.

If the cop had to pony up $62K out of his pocket as restitution for his crimes, I can accept that. But all too often, the cop or public servant suffers no financial penalty for his misdeeds.

The taxpayer might pay the public servant's salary, but there's nothing written in stone AFAIK that says the public has to pay for his crimes.

When I worked in pharmaceutical/medical device QA management, I could be held personally liable for issues under my area of responsibility. For that reason, I carried a $1,000,000 umbrella liability policy, paid for out of my pocket. I see no reason why public servants couldn't do the same -- and a smart cop might have his employer pay that premium as a condition of employment.
 
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Eupher said:
It's a great question, but your question doesn't speak toward my original point of "settlement" of a lawsuit You can fire the bad cop, you can fire the schmuck who hired him and the cops who watched his crimes, but in the end, the taxpayer pays for the cop's behavior.

That's just plain wrong. The lawyer doesn't give a damn who pays -- he just wants his 30% from the settlement.

If the cop had to pony up $62K out of his pocket as restitution for his crimes, I can accept that. But all too often, the cop or public servant suffers no financial penalty for his misdeeds.

The taxpayer might pay the public servant's salary, but there's nothing written in stone AFAIK that says the public has to pay for his crimes.

When I worked in pharmaceutical/medical device QA management, I could be held personally liable for issues under my area of responsibility. For that reason, I carried a $1,000,000 umbrella liability policy, paid for out of my pocket. I see no reason why public servants couldn't do the same -- and a smart cop might have his employer pay that premium as a condition of employment.
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Qualified Immunity and "officer safety" are the 2 main reasons why the taxpayer is on the hook. And of course the cops have their fans willing to rationalize and excuse their misdeeds thereby enabling their actions. Nowadays w all the cameras that veil is going to drop completely; even the bootlickers will be asking "wtf?"

Fix the cops and taaaadaaahhh the burden on tax payers would be reduced immensely.
 
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ElCastor said:
After all the whining about police officers please keep in mind that they have a very dangerous job and are paid to confront the most lethal members of society. Here are some numbers we all should consider - police deaths at the hands of criminals over just a four year period
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So, we should be more understanding of the police when they violate the Constitutional rights of their fellow citizens, right?
 
againstthegrain said:
Qualified Immunity and "officer safety" are the 2 main reasons why the taxpayer is on the hook.

Fix the cops and taaaadaaahhh the burden on tax payers would be reduced immensely.
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Yep, and those are "benefits" that can easily be removed -- well, if you can get that past the cop unions, that is.

Most cops are conscientious and strive to do their jobs properly. If they get the training that's needed (not easy in this "defund the police" insanity that some embrace), they take a tough job and do it well. But there is always the bad egg who makes the entire profession look bad.
 
Eupher said:
Yep, and those are "benefits" that can easily be removed -- well, if you can get that past the cop unions, that is.

Most cops are conscientious and strive to do their jobs properly. If they get the training that's needed (not easy in this "defund the police" insanity that some embrace), they take a tough job and do it well. But there is always the bad egg who makes the entire profession look bad.
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Yes, and when Against doesn't need them she can send them to me when I do.
 
NYT 10/8/24 -

"A former Houston police officer lied to obtain a warrant for a drug raid that led to the shooting deaths of two people was sentenced on Tuesday to 60 years in prison for felony murder in a case that unveiled corruption in the city’s Police Department

and drew scrutiny from federal officials. A team of at least four police officers burst into the couple’s home and shot Ms. Nicholas several times, court documents state. Mr. Tuttle returned fire, and he was also shot several times. The couple were pronounced dead at the scene.

Four officers, including Mr. Goines, were injured in the shootout. Mr. Goines later admitted that he had given false information to obtain the warrant, and that there was no confidential informant, according to court documents.

Mr. Goines retired from the Houston Police Department in 2019 after the fatal shooting. He had worked for the Police Department for about 34 years, the majority of which he had spent investigating narcotics.

The botched drug raid uncovered issues of corruption within the Houston Police Department, prompting the Police Department to investigate cases that Mr. Goines had worked on.

An audit released by the Houston Police Department in 2019 found extensive issues with cases that Mr. Goines had worked on, including instances in which he had failed to properly tag drugs and had discrepancies with expenses."
 
NYT 12/6/2023

"And Dennis Benigno, the founder of Street Cop Training, which led the seminar and describes itself as the fastest-growing private police training company in the United States, told the attendees that he looked forward to vacations in Colombia surrounded by cocaine, “hookers” and poor girls who “need to do things to make money.”

Nearly 1,000 police officers from across the country listened to Mr. Benigno and the other instructors during the six-day, $499 seminar in October 2021, according to an investigation and video footage released Wednesday by Kevin D. Walsh, New Jersey’s acting comptroller.

Tax dollars paid much of the bill.

“We found so many examples of so many instructors promoting views and tactics that were wildly inappropriate, offensive, discriminatory, harassing and, in some cases, likely illegal,” Mr. Walsh said in a statement."

​

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"Hundreds of New Jersey law enforcement officers attended a police training conference held by a private company, Street Cop Training, in October 2021 in Atlantic City.​

An investigation by the Office of the State Comptroller (OSC) found the training taught unconstitutional policing tactics, glorified violence, denigrated women and minorities, and likely violated a myriad of state laws and policies."​


NJ's report​

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oslooskar said:
So, we should be more understanding of the police when they violate the Constitutional rights of their fellow citizens, right?
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Yes. BTW I had two police officers in the family, both deceased, although not on the job. My brother-inlaw had a curious frustration. He patrolled Market Street, a main drag in San Francisco. Many homeless frequented the sidewalks and alleys which he patrolled. He was equipped with vouchers for free rooms in housing for the homeless, but he could not give them away.

San Francisco is infested with criminals. God help the tourist who parks a car in certain areas with a package visible on a seat. It got so bad that residents in those areas parked their cars with the trunk open to show there was nothing worth stealing. Recently a San Francisco 49er football player was walking in Union Square. A thief tried to rob him, he resisted, and was shot in the chest. That is the kind of scum the police have to deal with.
 
ElCastor said:
Yes. BTW I had two police officers in the family, both deceased, although not on the job. My brother-inlaw had a curious frustration. He patrolled Market Street, a main drag in San Francisco. Many homeless frequented the sidewalks and alleys which he patrolled. He was equipped with vouchers for free rooms in housing for the homeless, but he could not give them away.

San Francisco is infested with criminals. God help the tourist who parks a car in certain areas with a package visible on a seat. It got so bad that residents in those areas parked their cars with the trunk open to show there was nothing worth stealing. Recently a San Francisco 49er football player was walking in Union Square. A thief tried to rob him, he resisted, and was shot in the chest. That is the kind of scum the police have to deal with.
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That's no excuse for violating the rights of fellow citizens. I drove a taxicab in San Francisco for many years, and I was robbed twice at gunpoint (I shot the last guy who robbed me) and had to deal with all kinds of lunatics on the street, but I still had to follow the rules. To be quite honest, the S.F.P.D. is partially responsible for San Francisco's high crime rate because it continues to enforce unconstitutional laws that prevent law-abiding private citizens from exercising their right to bear arms and protect themselves. In fact, in 1975, when the police went on strike in San Francisco, the crime rate actually went down because criminals knew there were many private citizens, including me, walking around with concealed firearms.
 
oslooskar said:
That's no excuse for violating the rights of fellow citizens. I drove a taxicab in San Francisco for many years, and I was robbed twice at gunpoint (I shot the last guy who robbed me) and had to deal with all kinds of lunatics on the street, but I still had to follow the rules. To be quite honest, the S.F.P.D. is partially responsible for San Francisco's high crime rate because it continues to enforce unconstitutional laws that prevent law-abiding private citizens from exercising their right to bear arms and protect themselves. In fact, in 1975, when the police went on strike in San Francisco, the crime rate actually went down because criminals knew there were many private citizens, including me, walking around with concealed firearms.
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Huh? It is the job and duty of the police to enforce the law. The courts decide on constitutionality, NOT you or the police!
 

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