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Good Cop Files Lawsuit Against Corrupt Department That Told Him If you snitch, your career is done
http://countercurrentnews.com/2015/01/good-cop-files-lawsuit-against-corrupt-department-that-told-him-if-you-snitch-your-career-is-done/
Where are all the good cops? Critics of police brutality and abuse of power often wonder this sometimes aloud, often on social media. But there is an answer to that question its not purely rhetorical the good cops are driven out of work by the bad cops.
Far from being a few bad apples, Detective Joseph Crystal of the Baltimore Police Department says that he was targeted by other officers for trying to root out corruption.
If you snitch, your career is done, one officer told him. He eventually became public enemy No. 1 inside the Baltimore Police Department. But before that, he was considered a rising star in law enforcement.
more at link
Gives me some hope that there are a few good cops who will expose the bad cops and fight them.
JonLP24
(29,322 posts)Chicago, IL Two Chicago police officers have launched a federal lawsuit against the Chicago Police Department. The allegations made against the department make the Gestapo look like the boy scouts.
Shannon Spalding and her partner Daniel Echeverria uncovered a massive level of corruption in their department, leading to the arrest of other officers.
After the first two cops had been initially arrested in their investigation, the department pulled the plug before any more officers could suffer the consequences of their actions.
At one point, we were actually told the investigation was too big, Spalding said. There were allegations of other supervisors as well, that we were never allowed to investigate.
Read more at http://thefreethoughtproject.com/chicago-pd-cops-call-department-corruption-threatened-home-casket/#iZy2lizdxeKAo8Yq.99
Response to JonLP24 (Reply #1)
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JonLP24
(29,322 posts)"No snitching" goes all the way up to the White House so I'm not sure how can blame gangs for it & where do you get that I defend gangs?
RKP5637
(67,108 posts)funded, but basically it would allow citizens and other cops to report the really bad cops. If you've got some with an endless string of reports, there's an investigation of some type warranted. The way it is today, it's often not reported, or hidden, or lost in the shuffle.
L0oniX
(31,493 posts)heaven05
(18,124 posts)so the good cops can stay there 'undercover'. American citizens NEED all the good police officers we can find.
Response to heaven05 (Reply #12)
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jwirr
(39,215 posts)call.
My site: http://www.gofundme.com/te2gqk
RKP5637
(67,108 posts)jwirr
(39,215 posts)hifiguy
(33,688 posts)and the power to fire or suspend without pay immediately following the conclusion of an investigation would be a start.
jwirr
(39,215 posts)Almost all police shootings are investigated by another county. That should be the practice everywhere.
jwirr
(39,215 posts)having both a city force and a reservation force. That seems to work pretty good. Of course that does not happen in most cities.
Ichingcarpenter
(36,988 posts)newfie11
(8,159 posts)Stuart G
(38,424 posts)Ain't a pretty movie, yet is one of the most powerful films I have ever seen.
JonLP24
(29,322 posts)Last edited Tue May 5, 2015, 01:23 PM - Edit history (1)
The film basically breaks down in 3 acts which each act a unique story of itself, the second one the lead switches to character played by Bradley Cooper. I won't say too much but Ray Liotta and other cops takes him who is a "hero" (but doesn't feel like one for reasons which would be a major spoiler) to go into someone's house warrant-less take the money the bandit stashed in the crib. He reports it his supervisor who is outraged at him for even bringing it to his attention. Ray Liotta later that day suggests he follows him for a "talk" driving into the woods getting out the car is spooky. Ray Liotta plays a bad cop very well but was true to life it seemed for a fiction film.
awoke_in_2003
(34,582 posts)JonLP24
(29,322 posts)thought it would be an appropriate mention of a film that is powerful on the idea of police corruption & the good cop (who later becomes a politically motivated prosecutor) because of the Serpico film comment.
awoke_in_2003
(34,582 posts)I didn't find "between"'on imdb, but I did find "beyond"
JonLP24
(29,322 posts)This one
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1817273/
awoke_in_2003
(34,582 posts)Liotta is usually worth watching
valerief
(53,235 posts)JonLP24
(29,322 posts)because this is one of the best I ever read.
Sidney Lumet is a director who captures something crucial in city based dramas surrounding legal and political affairs; with films like '12 angry men', 'the verdict', 'nightfalls on Manhattan' and 'Q & A' he shows an excellent grasp of the power plays in civic politics. In 'Serpico' he uses an excellent script to tell the story of an unorthodox character in Frank Serpico, a hippie in a time when most cops were square as a doorway but whose honesty when faced with police corruption marks him out as a man of remarkable character. Unflinching in its depiction of Serpico, the film portrays warts and all, over the period in which he refuses to take money and shows his extraordinary political vindication at an official investigation into NYPD corruption. The story of civic corruption is cogent in any time, one only has to look at great empires like Rome to understand how much corruption plays a part in the shaping of so called civilizations; where the very foundation stones have bodies, so to speak, buried under them or even within them. This film is both informative and honest in much the way 'All the Presidents Men' would be in the following year. Winning Al Pacino a deserved Oscar nomination in the years between the Godfather's Part I and II; it demonstrates the range of an actor who would go on to portray a character in Michael Corleone soon afterwards who is the very nemisis of the character in Serpico. In Serpico there is a dramadocumentary that calls to mind Shakespeares history plays in its depiction of a classical situation of a man ostracized and driven by noble sentiments to embody something of the civic value one expects of servants of the public trust. Brilliant film. 10 out of 10.
Curmudgeoness
(18,219 posts)that happened prior to that. Outstanding movie, incredibly brave man......but it is obvious that nothing has changed in the 40+ years since Frank Serpico was a cop.
I would say that the chances of things changing are nil, but I have a feeling that all the videos out there today will make it harder for bad cops to get away with things. I hope.
A HERETIC I AM
(24,368 posts)Curmudgeoness
(18,219 posts)I have a brother in law who retired from the LAPD, and the stories he told back in the 60's and 70's made my hair curl....and that isn't easy. And I am sure, since I was a hippie chick and young, he didn't tell me the half of it. Funny, now that he has been retired for at least 25 years, he won't talk about it. I cannot get a discussion going about the current state of affairs.
Dont call me Shirley
(10,998 posts)aikoaiko
(34,169 posts)valerief
(53,235 posts)nadinbrzezinski
(154,021 posts)IA is integral to the problem.
Ed Suspicious
(8,879 posts)This is not only true in law enforcement, but in big business as well to include some government organizations.
Live and Learn
(12,769 posts)merrily
(45,251 posts)SheilaT
(23,156 posts)and typically lose their jobs. Or wind up in exile in another country.
stillwaiting
(3,795 posts)The system is thoroughly corrupt in many, many police departments throughout our country.
Their internal code of silence makes all who participate a "bad cop".
More "good cops" (however few that are left) need to risk their career by going public with the corruption within their departments. Our nation depends on it.
JonLP24
(29,322 posts)of police corruption. "Noble cause corruption" AKA "Unconstitutional Policing" -- I think this one explains very well how it snowballs
What Is Noble Cause Corruption?
Noble cause corruption in policing is defined as "corruption committed in the name of good ends, corruption that happens when police officers care too much about their work. It is corruption committed in order to get the bad guys off the streets
the corruption of police power, when officers do bad things because they believe that the outcomes will be good."2 Examples of noble cause corruption are, planting or fabricating evidence, lying on reports or in court, and generally abusing police authority to make a charge stick.
The policing profession attracts, among others, a certain type of individual: authoritative and responsible, one with leadership skills, who acts on behalf of others, with a high disregard for his or her own well being. Some academics suggest police applicants have a preconception of the profession-the noble cause-that makes them stand out as promising prospects. This preconceived notion is a profound moral commitment to make the world safer.3
Police corruption, traditionally, has been defined as the following:
"a misuse of authority by a police officer for personal gain,"4
"accepting money or money's worth to provide a service they are duty bound to provide,"5 or
"physical, psychological or legal abuse used by police."6
A recent survey demonstrated that officers felt corruption for personal gain was a much more serious charge than engaging in corrupt behavior that appears "to benefit society at large."7 This sub cultural value system rationalizes constitutional rights violations.
Officers do not normally define "a bending of the rules for a greater good" as misconduct or as corruption; rather, they rationalize that such behavior is part of the job description, in a utilitarian sense, to get the criminals off the streets, regardless of the means.8
When this passion for a safer society goes unchecked, it often leads to police crime and civil rights violation. This passion-laudable in itself-can cause good officers to overzealously execute their duties, ignore the basic constitutional guidelines their profession legally demands, and expose their agency to legal liability.
Officers rationalize this misconduct because cynicism has built up, the department lacks morale and leadership, and the individual lacks faith in the criminal justice system. In their attempts to make charges stick, officers may resort to "massaging" facts in order to get a felony warrant. For example, a department's sub cultural values may dictate always arresting "the driver" in a possession of stolen motor vehicle case, with anything less considered poor police work.
<snip>
The Rationalization Defense
Shortcuts taken in police procedures and investigations in everyday misdemeanor arrests are a large part of noble cause corruption. Rationalizations, such as the "citizen is so drunk he won't remember what happened," may lead to officers' skipping the field sobriety tests or the breath tests, while reporting that they were performed. Before performing a breath alcohol test, officers must read specific constitutional rights to the citizen informing him or her of his or her right to refuse the test and informing the citizen that this refusal, alone, may result in a suspended driver's license. Testimony affirming that specific police procedures were followed, when they were not, is a police crime, especially when confronted with probable cause issues in pretrial motions.
Additionally, the "contempt of cop" or "it's my word against his" attitude opens the door for further shortcuts and constitutional violations. An officer may perform a valid traffic stop, but if the citizen is belligerent or disrespectful, chances are that person is going to jail. In this same vein, officers may issue "sewer tickets"-that is, write a ticket but instead of giving it to the citizen throw it in the sewer-causing a failure to appear in court, a warrant to be issued, and several future problems for the citizen.
<snip>
Systemic Arrogance Contributes to Corruption
Arrogance has no place in policing, and agencies that have a culture of arrogance will only foster allegations of organizational tolerance for noble cause corruption and betrayal of the public service philosophy. When officers and administrators believe that the ends justify their means, such as illegal searches, "articulation" in report writing, illegal arrests and "testilying," they corrupt their own system.9
Noble cause corruption is rooted in this sense of arrogance, in which officers will rationalize constitutional violations for their own perceived greater good: a safer community. Middle managers, then, engage in a supervisory logic of good faith based on the belief that subordinates always tell the truth and follow the law as their training dictates.10
When internal red flags surface-such as multiple citizen complaints for one officer, or subordinates who ask not to have to work with that officer for no specified reason-supervisors must look deeper into the reasons for this sudden turn of events. It may be personal in nature, but it is the duty of the supervisor to make reasonable inquiries into the cause.
Sometimes, supervisors may even refuse to acknowledge subordinate misconduct when reported.11 Frequently, top police administrators become aware of police misconduct only when the media has reported such patterns and practices. The immediate but reactive promise of transparency, training reforms, and internal investigations by this time is too late- the damage has been done, the lawsuits filed, and the agency's image tarnished. Law enforcement executives must establish early warning systems and ensure proper internal accountability measures are in place to avoid developing illegal patterns and practices.
<snip>
Supervisory Cowardice Contributes to Corruption
Along with arrogance, police supervisory cowardice reinforces organizational tolerance of noble cause corruption. Cowardice in this sense is the inability of supervisors to make the difficult administrative decisions that relate to subordinate misconduct.12 Police administrators must struggle with misconduct cases and weigh the pros and cons of the appropriate disciplinary actions. Chiefs must openly investigate allegations of scandal or politically motivated police actions and disregard their own occupational survival in this role.
Favoritism, nepotism, political concerns, or image preservation must not prevent the chief from thoroughly investigating and disciplining officers for policy violations. Impossible conflicts of interest arise in policing every day, and professional police administrators must adhere to a predetermined set of guidelines and decision-making processes to best serve their community and their agencies. Allegations of departmental cover-ups are immediately followed with calls for external investigations, removal of the chief, and massive reform.
http://www.policechiefmagazine.org/magazine/index.cfm?fuseaction=display&article_id=1025&issue_id=102006
I went overboard but the article is long and wanted to highlight key parts. It begins with how it starts & how it spreads & become symptomatic. Especially the cognitive dissonance & rationalization parts
Locrian
(4,522 posts)Fairgo
(1,571 posts)Most informative. When telling the truth and ethics become "don't snitch", this isn't diagnostic, it's a menu of options.
allan01
(1,950 posts)bravo for him.
d_legendary1
(2,586 posts)to all departments. For far too long they have gotten away with murder and abuses with their internal affairs departments ignoring evidence that could put someone in jail. Its almost as if the frat boys graduated college and continued their brotherhood in law enforcement.
samsingh
(17,598 posts)colorado_ufo
(5,734 posts)pasto76
(1,589 posts)The Creed of the Non Commissioned Officer.
Going out on a limb, exposing yourself to personal and professional attacks, making oneself a target - when you stand to gain nothing, but others will.
The real definition of courage
JustABozoOnThisBus
(23,340 posts)I will NOT compromise my integrity...
(Yes, I know, it's just a typo)
Rex
(65,616 posts)nt
Spitfire of ATJ
(32,723 posts)AZ Progressive
(3,411 posts)Corruption spreads and the bad people either corrupt or kick out the good people. The bad people take over and whoever's not bad will be scared to snitch or revolt.
This is why corruption has to be rooted out ASAP before it takes over an organization.
therehegoes
(37 posts)She had knee surgery, her crutches were found in livingroom, they claim she shot herself in bedroom by backing herself into closet. Texas Rangers refuse to reopen her case when motive was revealed in following case. It was a police assisted theft of the victim. Then the cops tampered with evidence and Debra Stansell would have been an impediment to that remaining a cover-up.
Much other impropriety, too much to list here, well worth the read.
http://www.friscopaul.blogspot.com/2014/12/frisco-texas-mans-case-illustrates-how.html
L0oniX
(31,493 posts)underthematrix
(5,811 posts)hifiguy
(33,688 posts)have exactly the same cultures and practices, right down to the code of silence.
KKKops are nothing but publicly-funded gangsters.
sulphurdunn
(6,891 posts)body cameras are the answer. Maybe, a better class of cop is.
SamKnause
(13,103 posts)where you silence enables abusers and murderers ?
It says a lot about the lack of integrity that police have.
No career is worth losing your morals or ethics.
JonLP24
(29,322 posts)Especially those that politics overlaps with as often in the case of policing. Particularly when it comes to police or the military or anything similar the chain of command structure can be very compromising. The Wire which the main character is the Baltimore Police Department but with a focus on drug organizations, the local politics, the docks, the schools, and newspaper journalism with the institutions ultimately compromising to real reforms. I remember the homicide Sergeant who was an expert at maintaining his career with a quote "I happen to like my career". Officers or supervisors who angered the boss were punished by sending high quality policeman to "the boat", "evidence control", and Lester Freamon to "Pawn shop unit" for "13 years and 4 months" for "policework".
I think the sociopath-apath-empath triangle, though the examples involve personal relationships, I think it applies to a variety of situations on a variety of scales -- Edward Snowden being a major example. So many, reminded of the Thomas Drake situation were too afraid to do anything when he brought his concerns to the attention to a variety of others who were sympathetic but didn't want the the risks.
http://www.sott.net/article/268449-Empathic-people-are-natural-targets-for-sociopaths-protect-yourself
Unknown Beatle
(2,672 posts)when I clicked on the link, and what he says doesn't make sense. He says the the majority of cops are good, 98-99% in the department. If that was the case, the good cops vastly outnumber the bad cops and they could easily weed out corruption. But, he was forced to quit by a small percentage (1-2%) of corrupt cops?
At first he talked like the department is overrun by corrupt cops and then he says that the vast majority are good cops. I tend to believe his first statement, it's overrun by bad cops.