Bandit Gang Writ Large

Legal logjam lets troubled cops keep their badges

"Police officers punished for serious misconduct by the state may continue to draw their pay and even carry a badge for years if they appeal the sanctions. Some appeals languish for more than a decade after arriving at the state attorney general’s office. Rank and file officers and even chiefs of police have continued to work — for their original agency or a different one — after being sanctioned for violations as serious as killing a recruit during training, waving a gun at random in a bar, falsifying official records and DUI. Some officers were accused of new offenses while they appealed their first cases." Continue reading →

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Spain’s Anti-Tax “Carrot Rebellion”

"If there was a prize for fighting back against tax authorities, the Italians would probably deserve first place. I’m not aware of any other country where tax offices get firebombed. The Italians also believe in passive forms of resistance, with tens of thousands of boat owners sailing away to protect themselves from the government. But the Spanish are beginning to get into the swing of things, perhaps because they are increasingly upset by the plethora of tax hikes imposed by the supposedly right-of-center government in Madrid." Continue reading →

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Feds Expand Definition of “Cash” To Include Stored Value Cards

"Bitcoin and similar digital currencies make FinCEN’s currency reporting rules, and their expansion to encompass TPADs, obsolete before they’re even finalized. But don’t think for a minute that technological innovation will prevent these rules from coming into effect. Whether the initiative actually accomplishes anything is much less important than whether it appears to be accomplishing something. And it’s simply inconceivable to ask whether the wars are worth fighting at all, and if we should simply allow individuals to move their assets anywhere in the world, as they see fit, without government imposed restrictions." Continue reading →

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Elmore City Police Chief Says He Was Fired Over ‘Ticket Quota’

"An Elmore City police chief says he was fired for not writing enough tickets. The former chief says he was told by the mayor there was a ticket quota and when he refused to meet it, he was let go. News 9 checked with an attorney who says ticket quotas are illegal and a violation of a police officer's oath. But the former chief and others who used to work for the city tell News 9 the mayor made it clear, he expected a certain amount of tickets to be written every day." Continue reading →

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Sarasota officer fired in wake of beating video

"Sarasota Police Officer Scott Patrick is out a job after he was caught three months ago on video beating and choking a man outside a Sarasota nightclub. The video, released by a Sarasota judge Wednesday, shows Officer Patrick throwing punch after punch after punch. Then he appears to choke the man being held down by a number of officers. According to Sarasota Police detectives, Officer Patrick admitted hitting Jason Dragash ten times in the face and choking him unconscious during his arrest for disorderly intoxication. The video was taken August 4th by security cameras outside Club Ivory on Main Street in Sarasota." Continue reading →

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Another California City to Put Traffic Cameras to Public Vote

"Documents show not only did the public in overwhelming numbers urged the council to drop the use of cameras entirely, but state officials also weighed in heavily against their use at specific intersections. The ballot measure was offered as a compromise intended to head off a motion to disband the camera program entirely. The compromise passed by one vote, that of Councilman Steve Adams whose brother is paid to approve red light camera citations. Just prior to the vote, local activists warned his participation would be seen as an ethical violation." Continue reading →

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Amazon.com gets $252 million tax bill from France

"The back taxes, penalties and interest that the French are seeking from Amazon relate to earnings in France for the years 2006-10 and 'the allocation of income between foreign jurisdictions.' Amazon reduces its exposure to corporation tax in France and most of the rest of Europe by reporting European sales through a Luxembourg-based holding company, taking advantage of the tiny Duchy’s relatively generous taxation of non-domestic earnings." Continue reading →

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Fayette man accuses police in Roane County of brutalizing him

"According to the Roane Magistrate Clerk’s Office, Fields on Dec. 29 was charged with false pretenses, conspiracy to commit a felony, obstructing an officer and fleeing on foot. Citing technical defects in the criminal complaint, Magistrate Jason D. Bennett dismissed the charges on March 30. As a result of his encounter with Williams, Bragg and Smith, who are named as co-defendants in the suit, Fields says he suffered a broken right orbital bone, nose, teeth, and injuries to his abdomen and genitals that has caused him, among other things, 'pain and suffering, mental and emotional anguish, humiliation and embarrassment.'" Continue reading →

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Kansas City, Missouri Makes Red Light Running a Parking Violation

"Running a red light in Kansas City, Missouri is now treated as if the owner of the vehicle parked illegally in the middle of an intersection under city code changes unanimously adopted Thursday. That makes it a crime to own a vehicle that is 'located' within an intersection after the light turns red. Officials embraced this legal contortions to avoid having to offer full due process rights to motorists, since Missouri is one of the few states in the nation where red light light cameras are in use without the approval of the state legislature." Continue reading →

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Top 10 Cases of Police Brutality

"Power-hungry people who haven’t been given the chance to beat up other people before can sometimes be attracted to the profession. For every few good cops who save lives and go the extra mile, there’s a bad cop who the department turns a blind eye to. Thanks to better monitoring technology and an active online community of activists and civil rights defenders, police brutality is being exposed on a daily basis. Here are ten of the top incidents that hit the media." Continue reading →

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