Police State

What Happens to Good Cops

"Justin Hopson was involved in a traffic stop in which his training officer carried out an unlawful arrest and ordered him to submit a false police report. He confronted his trainer and informed him that he would not testify when the case went to trial. His refusal to perjure himself in court, combined with a dashcam video that contradicted the falsified arrest report, led the prosecutor to dismiss the charges. It also led to severe retaliation against Hopson by a cult-like gang within the New Jersey State Patrol that called itself the 'Lords of Discipline.' Hopson was targeted for physical abuse, vandalism, petty theft, and harassment –and eventually driven from the force." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingWhat Happens to Good Cops

Another California scheme to fleece motorists and eviscerate their rights

"AB666 would require that these tickets be prosecuted through an administrative hearing conducted by the jurisdiction running the camera program rather than through an independent traffic court. ...AB666 makes the vehicle owner responsible for violations committed by someone else unless you can prove who was driving the vehicle...And if you don't, they will put a hold on your registration until you pay up. Not bad enough? The hold on your registration gets applied as soon as they mail you the ticket, not after you are found guilty. It gets worse. The tickets are considered Prima Facie evidence against you. No other evidence has to be submitted against you." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingAnother California scheme to fleece motorists and eviscerate their rights

Maryland Senate Votes To Cover Up Speed Camera Errors

"Earlier this year, a number of lawmakers in Maryland vowed to reform the way speed cameras were operated in the state. Officials were rocked by the revelation that more than 5 percent of photo ticket recipients in Baltimore were likely innocent with lax oversight and faulty photo radar equipment to blame for the bogus citations. On Monday, the state Senate voted 46-1 to cover up future errors." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingMaryland Senate Votes To Cover Up Speed Camera Errors

After Homicide Ruling, No Charges Against Cops Who Killed Disabled Man In A Movie Theater

"Less than five miles from the theater where a man with Down syndrome died at the hands of the law enforcement officials he idolized, a grand jury on Friday heard the details of the case and decided that no crime had been committed. Grand jury proceedings are secretive in Maryland, but Smith said that his office presented the jury with 17 witness statements and that three deputies involved in the death — Lt. Scott Jewell, Sgt. Rich Rochford and Deputy First Class James Harris — all testified." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingAfter Homicide Ruling, No Charges Against Cops Who Killed Disabled Man In A Movie Theater

NJ Police Lieutenant: Meeting Ticket Quotas A Daily Exercise In “Creative Writing”

"'Creative writing,' is how one East Orange police lieutenant described a typical day on the job. In order to tally a high number of tickets he might break up a fight just over the Newark border and report it occurred in East Orange, issue jaywalking tickets or cite a parent who has double-parked outside an elementary school to run in to pick up her child. Seven members of the East Orange Police Department said during in-person interviews that in the past two years, and most aggressively in recent months, the chief has instituted a quota system, demanding more summonses, arrests, pedestrian and motorist stops with little justification." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingNJ Police Lieutenant: Meeting Ticket Quotas A Daily Exercise In “Creative Writing”

Europe Deploys Next Generation Speed Cameras

"Struggling European economies are investing big money in stealth speed camera technology designed to mail tickets to motorists who have no way of knowing they are being watched. Eurozone economies have been shrinking, with both France and Spain under heightened scrutiny for failure to meet deficit reduction targets set by the European Union. Ratings agency Standard and Poor's called the situation in Spain and France 'socially explosive' in a statement to Neue Osnabrucker Zeitung. Both countries are now deploying the next generation of speed cameras." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingEurope Deploys Next Generation Speed Cameras

Albany police: SWAT used poor black neighborhood for training because it’s ‘realistic’

"The chief of police in Albany, New York says that his department just wanted a 'realistic' setting when it frightened residents in a poor, predominately African-American neighborhood with SWAT training exercises that included firing blank ammunition and exploding flash grenades. On Thursday, Albany’s SWAT team shocked nearby residents when it stormed a public housing complex that was scheduled to be demolished, according to the Times Union. Photos circulated on Facebook over the weekend showed police in tactical gear, spent shell casings and fake blood." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingAlbany police: SWAT used poor black neighborhood for training because it’s ‘realistic’

Calling All Of Freedom’s Friends to NY State

"You'll recall that Mr. Wassell is the first victim the People's Democratic Republic of New York has persecuted under its anti-Constitutional SAFE Act. Let's be sure that Mr. Wassell doesn't confront the totalitarians all alone: make plans to attend this upcoming stage of his trial if at all possible -- more for your sake than his. The heroic Kurt Hofmann offers an excellent summary of this kangaroo-case in today's column. I appreciate his tactic of embarrassing New York's rulers by emphasizing Mr. Wassell's status as a wounded Marine -- something those of you spreading the word about Mr. Wassell may want to stress as well." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingCalling All Of Freedom’s Friends to NY State

New Hampshire House Votes To Prohibit Private Prisons

"The move is an abrupt shift in New Hampshire, where just last year the legislature had considered a bill to send its entire male prison population to private prisons. The problems with private prisons are too numerous to spell out in full, but here are a few highlights. At its core, the entire private prison industry profits when people are imprisoned, meaning stricter drug and immigration laws produce larger profits. Private prison operators know this, and have spent more than $45 million on lobbying federal and state lawmakers over the past decade, including top Republicans influencing the immigration debate." Continue reading →

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Resistance is Dangerous; Submission is Frequently Fatal

"In other words: If a cop seeks to abduct you without legal justification, you should submit in the serene confidence that your deprivation of liberty will be temporary and trivial. I have referred to this as the 'Rapist Doctrine,' since rapists and police officers are the only assailants whose victims are encouraged to submit. One hundred years after the New Mexico State Supreme Court published that ruling, the case of New Mexico resident Stephen Slevin demonstrates that this assurance is a cynical lie." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingResistance is Dangerous; Submission is Frequently Fatal