hypocrisy

Will Grigg: Put Not Your Trust In Federalized Sheriffs

"'I will not enforce an unconstitutional law against any citizen of Smith County,' insisted Sheriff Larry Smith. The sheriff wants his constituents to believe that he would refuse to participate in a federally mandated gun grab, or permit one to be carried out by federal officials within his jurisdiction. Yet ten days before Smith offered that assurance, his office had taken part in an early-morning SWAT rampage throughout East Texas in which 73 warrants were served as part of the federal government’s patently unconstitutional war on drugs. There isn’t a single county sheriff’s office in the country that hasn’t compromised itself by accepting federal funds." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingWill Grigg: Put Not Your Trust In Federalized Sheriffs

Officer Safety Uber Alles: Christopher Dorner and the “Rickoverian Paradox”

"A citizen or privately employed security guard wouldn’t be able to ram an unidentified truck and open fire on its driver, or spray gunfire in a residential neighborhood, without facing criminal charges. In the official reaction to Dorner’s rampage, we see an unusually candid manifestation of the 'Officer Safety Uber Alles' mentality that defines police work. From their perspective, the population exists to protect and serve the police, rather than the reverse. This brings to mind the concept of Rickover’s Paradox, which I encountered in a science fiction novel decades ago." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingOfficer Safety Uber Alles: Christopher Dorner and the “Rickoverian Paradox”

Lead investigator in Oscar Pistorius case is himself facing attempted murder charges

"On Thursday further pressure was piled on South African police as they admitted Botha is himself charged with attempted murder. Police Brigadier Neville Malila told the Associated Press that the detective is scheduled to appear in court in May. Malila said Botha faced seven counts of attempted murder over what news reports called a drunken incident in which he and two other police officers were accused of firing shots from a state-owned vehicle while trying to stop a minivan." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingLead investigator in Oscar Pistorius case is himself facing attempted murder charges

Criminalizing Criticism of the Police

"Dominic Ray Aguilar, a 37-year-old cab driver from Roseville, California, has been charged with making 'terroristic threats' against Police Officer John Moody, who shot 35-year-old Ernesto Duenez 11 times in the driveway of his home in June 2011. Duenez, who was suspected of violating his parole, was unarmed and exiting his pickup truck when Moody shot him. He tried to comply with Moody’s order to get down on the ground, but his foot was caught in a seat belt. On the Facebook page memorializing Duenez, Aguilar wrote: '50 rounds to your dome Moody.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingCriminalizing Criticism of the Police

Honesty is Not a Job Requirement for Police Officers

"If you lie to a police officer, you can be charged with a crime. When – not if—a police officer lies to you, he’s carrying out a legitimate function of his job. That’s what former prosecutor Val Van Brocklin explained in an essay. Former Seattle Police Chief Norm Stamper estimates that the typical police officer will lie several times during his daily duty shift. In a 2009 ruling, the Washington State Supreme Court upheld a decision by an arbitrator reversing the termination of Kitsap County Sherriff’s deputy who had been fired for lying and other misconduct. The court agreed that honesty was not an essential function of a law enforcement officer’s job." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingHonesty is Not a Job Requirement for Police Officers

Former Lake County sheriff’s officer seeks lighter sentence for weapons trafficking

"Kabella, 42, and former officers Joseph Kumstar and Ronald Slusser, all of Crown Point, were indicted on charges of conspiring to use Lake County Sheriff's Department letterhead to buy automatic machine guns and laser sights intended strictly for law enforcement departments or the military and selling the parts for a profit online. The laser sights are regulated by the Food and Drug Administration. Kabella, Kumstar and Slusser have all pleaded guilty to conspiracy and tax fraud charges and are awaiting sentencing. The three have since resigned from the Lake County Sheriff's Department." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFormer Lake County sheriff’s officer seeks lighter sentence for weapons trafficking

The Type of Man Who Wants You Disarmed

"A lawmaker brandished an AK-47 on the floor of the House of Delegates in a wild stunt aimed at rallying support for tougher gun laws. Del. Joe Morrissey, D-Highland Springs, pulled the weapon out shortly after the day's session got underway. Morrissey was disbarred and lost his law license in 2003 after attacking a man — beating him with a large ring around his finger. According to legal brief filed on behalf of the victim, Morrissey shouted, 'I’m going to kill you. I’m going to beat your head in,' and then attempted to make good on his promise. When the man attempted to escape his beating, Morrissey 'smashed his head into the corner of a brick wall.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingThe Type of Man Who Wants You Disarmed

Officer Claims Cops Sell LAPD Guns to Civilians and Dealers

"Los Angeles police officers bought and sold guns from the police armory for profit, and told the lieutenant in charge of the armory to 'watch his back' after he reported it, the 25-year LAPD veteran claims in court. Armando Perez sued the City of Los Angeles and the Los Angeles Police Department in Superior Court. Perez, who joined the LAPD in 1987, claims he was retaliated against, suspended and threatened after he discovered, through his job as 'Officer in Charge of the Armory,' that officers in the Metropolitan Division were buying and reselling guns to other officers, civilians and gun dealers." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingOfficer Claims Cops Sell LAPD Guns to Civilians and Dealers

Balkanization of Syrian War

"Today the UK Telegraph is reporting that the United States has facilitated the shipment of some 3,000 tons of weapons left over from the Balkan wars of the 1990s to Syria via Croatia. This radical escalation on the part of the US and UK is in clear violation of the European arms embargo of Syria and similar US administration pledges. And where are these weapons ending up? The US is facilitating the transfer of sophisticated weapons to terrorists who utilize al-Qaeda in Iraq style techniques such as planting roadside bombs. Here are Syria's jihadist fighters showing off their latest gifts courtesy of the United States." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingBalkanization of Syrian War

Bin Laden son-in-law court appearance reignites debate over handling of terrorism cases

"With the surprise appearance in a New York courtroom of Osama bin Laden’s son in law on Friday, the US justice system’s handling of terrorism cases itself went back on trial. Until now, alleged Al-Qaeda figures have been more likely to be blown apart by a missile from a US drone or to disappear into the netherworld of secret CIA or secretive military prisons, before resurfacing in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. But on this occasion, Sulaiman Abu Ghaith, accused of conspiring to kill US nationals, was arraigned in a wood-paneled Manhattan federal courtroom, accompanied by three lawyers and witnessed by the media." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingBin Laden son-in-law court appearance reignites debate over handling of terrorism cases