East Texas Cops shake down motorists

[The Yosemite Bear]

makes me wonder in terms of sociology, at what point does the "Robin Hood" effect come in, and the currupt government/police/business forces make the criminal the hero to the majority of the populace. Like say post civilwar bank and railway robbers, depression era bankrobbers?, Mexico having a subculture of outlaw ballads for modernday drug kingpins?

[Aratech]

Stories like this are why I have zero sympathy for police anymore. If a cop dies in the line of duty, too fucking bad for him.

Cop killer turns out to be a same day rapist too.

Yeah too fucking bad for these four officers huh? They sure had it coming didn't they?

While I believe that Jade is going way too far in his opinion, I can... well, I'm not sure if empathize is the proper word to say, but I can certainly understand it. I have seen police corruption happen in front of my very eyes, from cops who were usually decent, but when the time came, and one of their comrades had his back to the wall, they turned around and lied, covered up, and generally did the type of shit you'd expect from some cheesy crime drama. The debacle only ended when the guilty cop himself came forward and fessed up, fortunately before any real damage could be done.

This just makes it harder and harder to not judge the police with a jaded and cynical light whenever an 'issue' pops up.

[Kamakazie Sith]

You know how people always like to trot out the line, "It's just a few bad apples," whenever some story about police abuse comes up? They always seem to forget the second half of that phrase.

Are you actually going to produce some numbers or are you just going to continue to find emo articles hoping it will bring some people over to your side.

The OP article and the one you quoted is evidence that police corruption does exist in the United States. It is not evidence that backs your assertion.

Oh, and don't forget that community relations between Oakland and its PD are so bad, that civilians taunted the response force that showed up after three of their officers died in a traffic stop. I wonder why?

Relations are bad between Oakland and its PD because for the most part people are reactionary retards, like you. Look how ridiculous you're being in this thread? A terrible thing happens in a small town and next thing you're doing is saying you don't feel bad for any police officer anywhere regardless of who they are. Grow the fuck up.

Oh, and again the Oakland incident is still not evidence that backs your assertion. In fact it pretty much flies in the face of your assertion since that officer will probably spend some years in prison.

Then while not police, but still part of the justice system, don't forget those two judges in Pennsylvania that were accepting payments from a private jail in return for sentencing youth offenders to it. Hell, I'm not even going to get started on Maricopa county and Arpaio... The US justice system is a broken shambling wreck full of corruption and abuse of power, that does nothing to actually solve the problem of crime and instead merely uses it to perpetuate its own policies. Any corruption in an organization with the power to end or ruin lives is absolutely intolerable.

The US justice system is certainly in need of a serious overhaul but not because of the reasons you think. Though I still welcome you to back your assertion.

Speaking of which, I find the custom title more amusing than anything given I'm probably more liberal than half of you people. I supported Obama ever since Iowa's caucus, volunteered for his campaign (registering voters, calling people, and doing unauthorized destruction of Republican flyers and advertisements on my own free time), along with voting for him of course. I support reparations for slavery and the Indian genocide, amnesty for illegal immigrants and laxer immigration requirements to begin with, support the ending of the war on drugs (and not just on marijuana), support gay marriage, universal health care, nationalization of failing banks and industry, taxing church assets, support a pullout from Iraq, diplomacy with Iran, North Korea, Venezuela, etc, along with closing down most US military bases abroad, downsizing the size and funding of the DoD and military.

You know it's not a matter of how liberal you are. It's about how intelligent your comments are, and frankly you rank near the bottom.

[Stark]

Unless you've got a brain, and realise such anecdotes are nearly useless to judge the entire population. Real adults can separate emotional stuff like that from attitudes they hold; I mean, the only dirty brown people I've seen are drunkards who beat their kids, so RAR I HATE THEM is totally invalid and wrong.

[Darth Wong]

When some cops on a podunk Texas rural town act like rednecks, why the fuck would anyone blame the fact that they're cops, rather than the fact that they're rednecks?

[Kamakazie Sith]

When some cops on a podunk Texas rural town act like rednecks, why the fuck would anyone blame the fact that they're cops, rather than the fact that they're rednecks?

Exactly...

There are cops on my department, who are openly gay, that simply wouldn't be allowed to wear a badge in these small towns because of their bigotry.

[fgalkin]

When some cops on a podunk Texas rural town act like rednecks, why the fuck would anyone blame the fact that they're cops, rather than the fact that they're rednecks?

Because one is an anti-authoritarian snot of the Rebel Without a Clue variety and an attention whore. Why else?

Have a very nice day.
-fgalkin

[ArmorPierce]

Police are generally a reactionary presence in society that undermine racial relations, abuse and frighten the underclass, and increasingly see themselves as enforcers and soldiers rather than public servants.

You could replace "police" with "white people" and the logic would be similar. But you wouldn't like to hear that would you?

It'd be true. White people basically have ruined the world and continue to exploit it. Even those that don't want to oppress other nations are still forced to participate in the process by simply having no alternative choices available.

Yes, it is true. We Jews white people are evil and oppressing the world. Do you realize exactly how racist it is to judge a billion complete strangers just by their skin color?

Judge what? It is true, white people did do that and white people have and still benefit from it and white people are still in charge (although that's slowly changing).

[Darth Wong]

Judge what? It is true, white people did do that and white people have and still benefit from it and white people are still in charge (although that's slowly changing).

White people have done some terrible things in the past, and continue to benefit from them as a group due to historical legacy. That is true. However, one would not say "I feel no sympathy for a white person who dies" as a result of this, unless he's a sociopath.

[ArmorPierce]

Judge what? It is true, white people did do that and white people have and still benefit from it and white people are still in charge (although that's slowly changing).

White people have done some terrible things in the past, and continue to benefit from them as a group due to historical legacy. That is true. However, one would not say "I feel no sympathy for a white person who dies" as a result of this, unless he's a sociopath.

I agree.

As I had rephrased, I don't agree with them and find them pretty ignorant and retarded but, I can understand where they are coming from. Does not excuse individual actions and behaviors however.

What I don't like seeing is people screeching "reverse racism" when it comes to issues such as affirmitive action and them complaining that they had nothing to do with it so shouldn't be penalized and such. That belief often draws itself from the "I didn't do anything" attitude.

[Ryan Thunder]

What I don't like seeing is people screeching "reverse racism" when it comes to issues such as affirmitive action and them complaining that they had nothing to do with it so shouldn't be penalized and such. That belief often draws itself from the "I didn't do anything" attitude.

That's because I didn't do anything, you retard, and I don't hold myself responsible for the atrocities perpretrated by distant ancestors whom I had zero influence over. I may as well try to stop the tide from coming in.

If somebody finds themselves handicapped by their race, then by all means, let's see how we can accommodate them.

But fuck you if you want to penalize me for being white.

[FSTargetDrone]

I supported Obama ever since Iowa's caucus, volunteered for his campaign (registering voters, calling people, and doing unauthorized destruction of Republican flyers and advertisements on my own free time)

Huh. Calling people and working hard to get out the vote for one's side is noble enough. However, frankly, destroying the other side's advertising is reprehensible, as far as this liberal goes. Vandalism is not the right way to go about getting people to see your point of view. Not to mention it being a criminal act in some places.

[ArmorPierce]

What I don't like seeing is people screeching "reverse racism" when it comes to issues such as affirmitive action and them complaining that they had nothing to do with it so shouldn't be penalized and such. That belief often draws itself from the "I didn't do anything" attitude.

That's because I didn't do anything, you retard, and I don't hold myself responsible for the atrocities perpretrated by distant ancestors whom I had zero influence over. I may as well try to stop the tide from coming in.

If somebody finds themselves handicapped by their race, then by all means, let's see how we can accommodate them.

But fuck you if you want to penalize me for being white.

There you go. Obviously you are to retarded to realize that even though you yourself may have not done anything, you have benefitted from it and minorities may not be given a equal footing as you for that reason and current racism in society.

From your second line I am not sure if you are for or against affirmitive action.

Your third line leads me to believe that either way you are thick as fuck. Don't get my words twisted, I said that's their defense, yelling "Why am I being penalized, reverse racism!" I did not say that you should be penalized for being white but that's exactly where you immediately jump to, unless you consider affirmitive action penalizing you for being white.

Either way fuck off. Cry me a river, you're feeling victimized for being white, you're right up their along with Christians sobbing.

[The Yosemite Bear]

All this reminds me of why I became the designated driver amoung my herd of nerds. The OC Sheriffs would pull over the non-whites when they were driving.

[Havok]

Oh, and don't forget that community relations between Oakland and its PD are so bad, that civilians taunted the response force that showed up after three of their officers died in a traffic stop. I wonder why?

Oh and if you are going to be a little cock sucker, get your facts straight. That was a Bart Police Officer that shot the man in the back and has ZERO to do with OPD, it just happened to take place in Oakland and like Kamakazie said, Oakland is full of knee jerk retards that don't bother with things like facts. And it was two OPD Motors Officers that were killed in the traffic stop, and later two Alameda County Sheriffs that were shot and killed apprehending Mixon.

[Steve]

People predisposed to hating police and other branches of enforcing the law and authority aren't likely to notice such distinctions. They consider all such agencies and departments as part of the same beast, one they see as directly antagonistic to them.

[Ryan Thunder]

Judge what? It is true, white people did do that and white people have and still benefit from it and white people are still in charge (although that's slowly changing).

White people have done some terrible things in the past, and continue to benefit from them as a group due to historical legacy.

Sort of. As long as you recognize that what a bunch of assholes did in the past has nothing to do with them being white assholes, of course.

Create a world where the assholes happened to be Hispanic or Arabic (whatever the hell he is) and I doubt ArmorPierce here would be so eager to jump on them.

[Samuel]

What I don't like seeing is people screeching "reverse racism" when it comes to issues such as affirmitive action and them complaining that they had nothing to do with it so shouldn't be penalized and such. That belief often draws itself from the "I didn't do anything" attitude.

That's because I didn't do anything, you retard, and I don't hold myself responsible for the atrocities perpretrated by distant ancestors whom I had zero influence over. I may as well try to stop the tide from coming in.

If somebody finds themselves handicapped by their race, then by all means, let's see how we can accommodate them.

But fuck you if you want to penalize me for being white.

There you go. Obviously you are to retarded to realize that even though you yourself may have not done anything, you have benefitted from it and minorities may not be given a equal footing as you for that reason and current racism in society.

From your second line I am not sure if you are for or against affirmitive action.

Your third line leads me to believe that either way you are thick as fuck. Don't get my words twisted, I said that's their defense, yelling "Why am I being penalized, reverse racism!" I did not say that you should be penalized for being white but that's exactly where you immediately jump to, unless you consider affirmitive action penalizing you for being white.

Either way fuck off. Cry me a river, you're feeling victimized for being white, you're right up their along with Christians sobbing.

Uh, neither me nor Ryan have been calling affirmative action reverse racism. As for "benefiting from the actions of our ancestors"... Do you think the Bantu magically inherented most of Sub-Saharan Africa? That the Turks are origionally from Turkey? That China started purely Han Chinese? That Japan got to be a major power through love and cookies? Face it- almost every single ethnicity has gotten its position through blood and violence- the reason white people benefited the most and are on top is that our ancestors got to the guns germs and steel first.

Of course painting all white people as benefiting is ridiculous. My family is a good example. On my fathers side you have people from Germany and England who migrated to Alabama and were slaveholders. On my moms side you have Jews that fled from the the fucking pogroms in the Russian Empire. Truly they were exploiting the worlds populance with their evil potatoe farming.

[The Romulan Republic]

Police seem to be generally three types of people: moralistic assholes who don't care whether or not the laws they enforce are right or just, thugs who want the power and toys, and people who actually want to protect and serve. That last type seems to be pretty goddamn rare.

Even if they are rare, it doesn't mean they deserve to be judged with the bad ones, and even the bad ones don't deserve death.

Police are generally a reactionary presence in society that undermine racial relations, abuse and frighten the underclass, and increasingly see themselves as enforcers and soldiers rather than public servants.

That changes nothing.

It'd be true. White people basically have ruined the world and continue to exploit it. Even those that don't want to oppress other nations are still forced to participate in the process by simply having no alternative choices available.

Ah, racial guilt. Because all white people are the same, and they all are guilty for every thing another white person does wrong. You are a racist little fucker.

Also, white people are not the only one's responsible for the state of the world. You know, their are bad dark skinned people too. White people bear some of the blame, its true-but I wouldn't think of it as "which race has done the most to ruin the world," because I try not to divide people into groups (especially when it comes to morality) according to skin color.

[HamsterViking]

Oh man, it's hard spending time on the internet when you're a Texan. The fuckwads who pull this kind of shit really give us a bad name. I almost can't believe this story. People who abuse their power like that and do such hateful things really bother me.

[PeZook]

Oh man, it's hard spending time on the internet when you're a Texan. The fuckwads who pull this kind of shit really give us a bad name. I almost can't believe this story. People who abuse their power like that and do such hateful things really bother me.

Why can't you? The US has dozens of police agencies employing hundreds of thousands of officers ; The nature of the job, its requirements and authority it gives probably attract a somewhat higher amount of agressive people and sociopaths than other jobs - and while most would be filtered out by the recruitment process, in an organization that large, abuses will occur with frightening inevitability.

It's completely believable. Reprehensible, yes, frightening too, but believable nonetheless.

[MKSheppard]

I think you guys are missing the point here

Texas law allows police to confiscate drug money and other personal property they believe are used in the commission of a crime.

This is also the law in plenty of other states; in fact, it was a minor plot point in Unintended Consequences; where the main character has a smallish safe in his car because of that.

But anyway; the largest denomination in USD the public can get is $100 USD; the $500 and $1,000 notes having been phased out from 1934 onwards.

This is roughly the size of a money stack:



$6k, $8.5 and $50k of money in cash (the amounts given in the article) are pretty bitching amounts of money; and nobody would be stupid enough to leave them out in the open where they could easily be seen/stolen.

So something had to twig the officer's radar to cause these searches; and lets be honest, simple laziness wins out in East Texas in the summer; why spend 20 minutes to an hour tearing apart someone's car by the road in the blazing sun in a search for contraband just because you feel like it, when you could be in your cruiser sipping coffee/soda and the a/c going full blast?

I get the feeling that a lot is being left unsaid in this story.

[AMT]

So something had to twig the officer's radar to cause these searches; and lets be honest, simple laziness wins out in East Texas in the summer; why spend 20 minutes to an hour tearing apart someone's car by the road in the blazing sun in a search for contraband just because you feel like it, when you could be in your cruiser sipping coffee/soda and the a/c going full blast?

Because it's probably a major source of income in this podunk city that couldn't attract production or economy if it become a region wide brothel?

[MKSheppard]

Because it's probably a major source of income in this podunk city that couldn't attract production or economy if it become a region wide brothel?

Um, Tenehea is a major speed trap town. You get pulled over if you're out of state plates doing 36 in a 35 zone. And apparently U.S. 59, which passes right through the town is a major drug artery, with drugs going north, cash coming down south.

EDIT:

Oh, it gets even better. Tenehea is a two cop town. They only mentioned Barry Washington (the white officer); but not Randy Whately (The black officer); and surprise surprise! Guess what? Whately is the one who does the majority of the traffic stops on US 59, and Washington comes and backs up Whately if the stop is serious.

And one of the offenses you WILL be stopped for in Tenehera is driving in the passing (left) lane, while not attempting to pass someone.

[CmdrWilkens]

While I believe that Jade is going way too far in his opinion, I can... well, I'm not sure if empathize is the proper word to say, but I can certainly understand it. I have seen police corruption happen in front of my very eyes, from cops who were usually decent, but when the time came, and one of their comrades had his back to the wall, they turned around and lied, covered up, and generally did the type of shit you'd expect from some cheesy crime drama. The debacle only ended when the guilty cop himself came forward and fessed up, fortunately before any real damage could be done.

This just makes it harder and harder to not judge the police with a jaded and cynical light whenever an 'issue' pops up.

I think we can all understand cynicism and certainly there are more than enough stories out there of negative actions taken by cops (and a host of other authority figures) that the basis for it is pretty clear. What I think we are all objecting to is the illogical desire to paint everyone with the same brush. I could understand not giving the benefit of the doubt, as it woudl not be unfounded to hold to such a belief but Jaedite is takign it a step further and not just coming out saying he doens't give cops the benefit of the doubt but that he actively believes they are all guilty enough to deserve death.

That sort of broad based illogical desire to paint a group into a corner is what is most striking about his responses, there is no allowance for reason and that is just retarded.