Chameleon12

Cops as Criminals
Steve Chapman

Late one night, during high school, I was driving home when several police cars zoomed by. Curious about what was going on, I followed them down a residential street, where they pulled up to a house.

I drove by and saw some officers walking up the sidewalk, but couldn't tell what they might be after. So I pulled into a driveway, turned around and drove back. My curiosity still unsatisfied, I then looped around the block to make one more pass.

Wrong decision. One of the cops pulled his car up behind me, turned on his lights, jumped out and ordered me to get out of my car. When I did, I was surrounded by men in uniform, one of whom screamed profane threats and invective in my face. I quietly endured the abuse, and when they finally let me go, I considered myself lucky not to have been beaten or arrested.

The police would have had trouble finding a reason to arrest me, since driving on a public street is not illegal. Nor was I interfering with what they were doing. But my unassailable legal position was not foremost in my mind at that moment.

What was foremost is that they had guns, batons and badges and could do pretty much wh**ever they chose without fear of punishment. Had I argued, I have no doubt the encounter would have ended badly.

I was breaking no law. The cop who threatened me, however, was guilty of assault -- which Texas says occurs when someone "intentionally or knowingly threatens another with imminent bodily injury." Since he had a gun on his hip, he may have been guilty of aggravated assault. But it didn't matter. He and his colleagues acted as though they were in the right, and self-preservation dictated that I pretend they were.

The lesson imprinted by the experience was one I already understood, even if I had never thought much about it: Some of the scariest people are the ones who are supposed to keep us safe.

I've had only a few unwanted contacts with police since, and I've been very careful not to antagonize them. Even when I was ticketed for failure to come to a complete stop at a stop sign -- which I was quite sure I had -- I didn't argue.

When I went to traffic school for that citation, the instructor confirmed my instincts. "When you're stopped, I'd strongly advise you not to talk back," he said with a smug grin. "If you do, any cop can find five or 10 things to write you up for."

Sandra Bland probably understood the nature of this reality. She cooperated with the Texas state trooper who pulled her over for her trivial failure to signal a lane change on a mostly empty street.

But when she failed to grovel sufficiently, he demanded an explanation -- and didn't like the one he got. Soon he was angrily yanking her out of the car, taking her to the ground and handcuffing her. Why did the confrontation escalate out of control? Not because Bland violated the laws of Texas, but because the cop felt unconstrained by them.

In many instances, police can trample on citizens' rights with impunity. Stopping and frisking without legal justification was the practice in New York City until 2013, when a federal judge intervened. Some Chicago cops tortured suspects, and for years they got away with it.

The only reason police brutality has come to light via video cameras is that some officers are so used to committing it that they never dream of being held to account.

It's no secret that they can and do get away with lying. A prosecutor I know once marveled at how often motorists leave illegal drugs on the front seat, where they can be easily spotted by police during stops. His implication was that the cops conduct illegal searches and afterward invent stories to make them appear legal.

Video cameras expose some of this behavior, but they're not necessarily enough to change it. The officer who stopped Bland knew a dashboard camera was recording him -- yet he proceeded to flip out.

He acted on a view that too many cops have and that civilians learn at their peril: The police are obligated to enforce the law, not obey the law.

Sicilianthing

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Scumbag loser rat cops !

badbob85037

Oh good! I get to vent my anger on what could be the worst police force in the nation.
I was late for work. I grabbed my tools and was out the door. When I stopped at the sign to turn onto the main street I was surrounded by cops. Some drew their guns as they exited their cars. I showed them my hands, was pulled from my truck and put in a position I could do no harm. After they got my ID showing I lived at the address their attitude didn't change and kept it up for another half hour each little b***h trying to out do the other.

My father was in law enforcement and a lot of his friends were cops. and my family h*****g with those cops showed me some are worse than the criminals they arrest. We were at a beach swimming when one of those cops had his K-9 dog attack some guy he had a disagreement with just because he could. Here in Phoenix there are a few good ones but you would have to look hard to find one.

A few years ago some yahoo without insurance pulled out in front of me. I was doing at least 50. I hit the brakes and went sideways trying to miss him . No way. I slammed into him , he went flying and my truck rolled. The cop that showed up at the wreak was one I had run ins before. He once had threaten my wife saying they would crash into my house one night and have a gun pointed at her head. I'm not perfect but my wife is but an a-hole who also threaten a blind woman must be one hell of a cop. When the tow truck got my truck back to my house, 2 miles from where it rolled the bill was $300. In Arizona the driver at fault pays the tow drivers basic fee for showing up but not this time. It was all on me. The a-hole also gave me over $500 of tickets like my license was unreadable. The judge had no problem reading it.

Wait I haven't even got started on these SOB's My house was robbed and 4 weapons were taken a .357, a ruger 30 caliber ranch rifle, an AK-47, and my dad's .38 backup revolver. The .357 was recovered by Glendale police. The AK was found in a drug raid by Phoenix. The Phoenix cops even though the AK was reported as stolen showed up with a warrant to search my house. As they searched came the threats. All guns are held for 6 months after trial in case of an appeal. When the 6 months were up Glendale PD called me saying they were releasing the .357 to Phoenix who handled the break in.

For the next 6 months I called the drug cop every day only to get an answering machine and never got a call back. Out of desperation I called Glendale PD and told a high ranking cop my story and he gave me a number to call. The next day before 7: 00 AM I got a call from the drug SOB saying I could pick up my weapons. First I was handed the .357, the cylinder in one plastic bag and the pistol in another. It looked as good as it did the day I lost it. I was then given the AK. It was solid rust with the bold held open with a tie. It had 2 tags on it. One said "SKS Assault Rifle with clip". The other gave me the address of where the gun was found. I ask where the clip was and showing his limited mental capability he shrugged his shoulders meaning one of these low life thugs ripped it out of the property room, a $10 clip. When this started I though these cops were playing me but realized yes they are that stupid.

This last time after being read my rights and watching the abuse being carried out on some guy at the other end of the hall I said "You know 99% of you Phoenix cops are ass holes and I don't see the other 1% any where around. That's all I have to say."

E

Yes there are some bad cops. And many more who would risk their lies to save yours. You might only have a split second to decide which one they are. Unfortunately, all to often, they only have a split second to decide who you are. I've been wronged in the past and I have been on both sides.

Sicilianthing

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Agreed great post, I couldn't say it better, phuck em' all, half of em will be dead when the fighting starts anyway.

E

There are good cops and bad cops. And there are good people and bad people. Unfortunately you only have a split second to decide which cop you are encountering and he only has a split second to decide if you are good or bad and a danger.

Your best hope is to do exactly as he says and if he is wrong, you can try the courts. Unfortunately, that seldom works.

Sicilianthing

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noted but I can defend myself, and If I die in a gunfight oh well but I don't need anyone telling me about gun rights or the law.

I don't believe in the corporate federalist governance or their thugs in uniforms, no deal flat out!

Sicilianthing

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the courts are cooked like t*****r judges and their judgeship corps n association slush funds and prison stocks, its over and we're going to keep exposing them for the frauds they are !

proud republican Loc: RED CALIFORNIA

plainlogic

It would be best Sicilli, that if you're assaulted by a street thug or thugs, don't call a cop. If your house is robbed, don't call a cop. If anything illegal happens to you or your family, God forbid, don't call a cop.

The reasoning is: you h**e cops, why call someone you h**e? Sure doesn't make sense.

Sicilianthing

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If something happens like the above, I wont call them but they better find em before I do.