Phoenix police raid anti-police blogger

[The Sushi Bandit]

In what should send a frightening chill down the spine of every blogger, writer, journalist and First Amendment advocate in the United States, Phoenix police raided the home of a blogger who has been highly critical of the department.

Story here: http://current.com/items/89943723/phoenix_police_raid_anti_police_blogger.htm

[MineralMan]

1. Interesting. I'll have to look into this one further.

We have an investigative reporter here in the Twin Cities who is going after a case where the police may have planted a pistol on someone they shot. I was just thinking this morning, that I'd be concerned about the reaction of the local police if I were him.

Calling the cops on the cops is a scary thing to do.

[melm00se]

2. not enough info

to decide whether to be outraged or not.

search and seizure require a signed search warrant which requires a judge's signature and just cause.

without knowing the reasoning behind the court order makes any sort of judgment impossible.

[havocmom]

3. AGAIN? Or is this same incident we've kicked around here for days?

Am wondering if Sheriff Joe had any influence in this debacle.

[rocktivity]

4. The conflict between Pataky and the Phoenix Police Department...

began two years ago during “a nasty divorce”...his wife...began filing false allegations against him accusing him of stalking and harassing her. Many of the reports she filed accused him of doing things when he was out of town, he said. So he began filing complaints with everybody from Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon down to Phoenix Police Chief Jack Harris to no avail. He was eventually indicted for harassing his ex-wife.

A month before the trial, he and a few friends launched the website as a rant against the police department. When he went to trial in May 2008, his charges were immediately dismissed because of lack of evidence, he said. “We were going to shut down the website after that but then all of a sudden all these good cops started hitting the site and sending us tips,” he said. (link)

Well, unless the blog was threatening or advocating violence against the cops,

:wtf:
rocktivity

[jberryhill]

8. "all these good cops started hitting the site and sending us tips"

That line is something of a tip-off that the seizure might not have anything to do with this guy's advocacy, but with who was sending him what.

If they haven't arrested this guy, it's likely he's not the one they are investigating.

[guy]

5. I called the Phoenix police departments..

information number a few days ago and they didn't know anything about this.

[The Sushi Bandit]

9. denial

[norepubsin08]

6. Typical COPS

they all think they're God!

[ColbertWatcher]

7. I wonder if something similar happened to BadCopNews.com !? n/t

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

10. I'd like to read the police report.