Police abuses

[Husar]

Well, it was obvious what was going to happen once the guy refused to show his driver's license just because the cop yelled at him.
Doesn't mean the cop should have tased him but I surely wouldn't argue with an american cop.
What's weird is that the guy has no driver's license at the back of his car, could have been a getaway car or something so maybe the cop was a bit afraid himself at first. Clearly the cop was not the only one doing something wrong although the tasing weighs a bit more than having no license plate + speeding.

[Adrian II]

Oh dear, Vladimir has an America First fit again.

Loosen up mate, this is not about Yurp versus 'Merca. Like I said, if anything French police can be just as bad as those US coppers that ere mentioned. And you're not going to destroy the well-known reputation of the German police with your little anecdote about a bloody nose. Come up with something better and I might listen.

[Vladimir]

Oh dear, Vladimir has an America First fit again.

Loosen up mate, this is not about Yurp versus 'Merca. Like I said, if anything French police can be just as bad as those US coppers that ere mentioned. And you're not going to destroy the well-known reputation of the German police with your little anecdote about a bloody nose. Come up with something better and I might listen.

Yea, I know that sounded a bit too serious. No offense intended, just pointing out some facts about American law enforcement.

Oh, and don't with the Polzei.

[Husar]

And you're not going to destroy the well-known reputation of the German police with your little anecdote about a bloody nose. Come up with something better and I might listen.

It's funny that I can't think of anyone I know who was ever mistreated by our police but then I don't know anyone who throws rocks at policemen, maybe that makes a difference.
Most of the stories I hear are about policemen either doing their job or even letting people off lightly.
I guess the same applies to the US although you only hear the negative stories.

I wasn't really aware our police had a reputation for beating people up, if they're rock throwing commies or fascists I do actually support that though and will chant "Go police!" from a safe distance.

[Whacker]

Perhaps it's because cops in Deutschland actually behave like honorable professionals and go about their duties in the manner that one entrusted with civil service for the peace should? Perhaps it's because they actually behave like civil servants and generally treat people respectfully, and don't view their authority and power as toys to be wielded for their benefit? Perhaps they have more self control and do not fly into seeing-nothing-but-red rages when they come up against less than compliant people in bad situations, and then beat the living tar out of them and then charge them with everything in the book possible?

I don't know if any of these are 'facts', I'm just saying for arguments' sake.

My impression of law enforcement was positive when I visited Yermany a few years back. We stopped and I asked for directions when we couldn't find a place we were looking for. Guy was very nice, didn't speak much english at all, and was patient enough and friendly with me and my crappy German skills to help point it out on the map and give us the quickest and best way to get there. I don't talk to cops any more in the US, the one or two times in the distant past I've stopped to ask for directions while walking around unfamiliar big cities, dudes acted as if I was a huge idiot and wasting their precious time.

[Xiahou]

And if you refuse to submit a sample for a blood alcohol test they'll take the sample from your broken nose.

You know, I heard almost the same thing from a former Army nurse- something along the lines that if you refuse the German police a blood test, they'll just beat a bucket out of you and use that. Sounds lovely.

[Louis VI the Fat]

Have you guys ever been to Germany? They have the best, most helpful, polite and efficient sort of police you can imagine. Totally professional. I have been there a lot and I have never, ever had a bad experience with German coppers. Let's all copy their model, I say.

But what is their model? Different pills for breakfast?

On a hunch, I'd say that the German model is based on an allergy to authoritariansm in general and abuse of power by the state in particular. This permeates German thought. This was very notable in the seventies, when Germany struggled to find an answer to terrorism while limiting state powers to a level thought acceptable.

As a consequence, German law enforcerment is very professional, often humane and friendly.


When I was stopped for an alcohol test in Germany, I called the officer a fascist and used his hesitation to steal his hat and set fire to his moustache. Then I ran off, shouting: 'You want to shoot fleeing people in the back again, you communist!?'

France where federal cops take fascism pills for breakfast.

I posted a devastating study earlier in the thread here. Disgraceful behaviour.

[Whacker]

When I was stopped for an alcohol test in Germany, I called the officer a fascist and used his hesitation to steal his hat and set fire to his moustache. Then I ran off, shouting: 'You want to shoot fleeing people in the back again, you communist!?'

And people still seriously wonder why the French and Yermans don't get along very well....

[Husar]

@Louis

And I think I got adrian a bit wrong up there, I got the impression he was talking about a bad reputation, missed his previous post.

But yeah, I'm generally very happy with our police.

[Adrian II]

And I think I got adrian a bit wrong up there, I got the impression he was talking about a bad reputation, missed his previous post.

Sigh... Did you stick with that diet Banquo's Ghost and I recommended?

You didn't, huh?

[InsaneApache]

Is he sarcasm intolerant?

[Husar]

Sigh... Did you stick with that diet Banquo's Ghost and I recommended?

You didn't, huh?

I always jump to the first unread post but sometimes between reading a thread and marking all topics read, there are new posts, so next time I jump to the first unread, I might miss a few.

[Crazed Rabbit]

Well here's one that really takes the cake:

Policeman hits New Mexican girl in head with Taser

NEW MEXICO (NEWSCHANNEL 3) - A girl from New Mexico is recovering after being hit in the head with a Taser by police.

It all started when the 14 year old got in a fight with her mother. Her mom drove her to the police station looking for help.

When they got there the girl took off running and the police chief later found her in a nearby park.

When he approached the girl the chief says she took off running again. He says he told her to stop, but when she didn't, he hit her with the Taser.

The girl says that's not what happened.

"He didn't try to do anything, he just decided to use the Taser," said the girl.

The Taser hit the girl in the head and back. She fell and a stick got lodged in her face. She had to have surgery and now has staples in her head where the Taser hit her.

The girl's mother says she's outraged and filed a lawsuit against the police department.

The police chief says he defends his actions.

The chief doesn't regret his actions:

The controversy continues in Tucumcari over the police chief's decision to tase a 14 year old girl.

Chief Roger Hatcher says he had no choice but to tase 14 year old Kailee Martinez after she refused to obey his order to stop running away from him, following a physical fight with her mother.

Hatcher reportedly tased Kailee once in the back and once in the head. She needed 18 staples and six stitches to close the wound.

Kailee claims he tased her for no reason. She says she did not try to run away. Her family hired a lawyer to sue the city and police chief.

Chief Hatcher would not talk to us on camera because this is an on going investigation. He did tell NewsChannel10 he does not regret his actions. He adds he warned her several times and had no other choice when she did not listen to him.

So causing grievous harm to someone who is absolutely no threat, committed no crime whatsoever, is justified? Instead cops seem to think tasers are their personal torture compliance tools.

EDIT: Oh yeah, in Atlanta the police union fights the citizen review board set up after cops killed a grandmother then planted drugs on her corpse.
CR

[Whacker]

This is something that I've struggled with a bit.

On one hand, cops do need the ability to do their jobs within reasonable bounds. Reasonable is obviously up for discussion, and I think that today's cops often go far, far beyond that. CR's last post is a poster child.

On the other hand, people are only human, and a good chunk of modern law completely disregards this fact. Specifically, I am referring to the fight or flight instinctive mechanism that is within us all. Modern law states that running from the cops is a felony (misdemeanor?). This completely disregards the fact that quite often, cops ARE indeed scary, power crazed fools who will use their wall of blue silence and unwavering administrative support to achieve their ends no matter what happens to whom. Without knowing more than what CR just posted, I guarantee you that little girl was scared out of her wits and trying to get away. Those were her fight or flight instincts kicking in hard, she was confronted with something huge and scary, knew she couldn't fight it, and decided to run away, I guarantee it. The fight or flight instinct is very often powerful enough that "reason" cannot countermand it. Because of this, I think that when cops use force to "subdue" someone who is utterly terrified of them, poses no danger (as in they are little girls, normal people, not violent felons, etc) to the public or themselves, it is utterly wrong and the cops should be held fully liable here and the laws should support that. There is a huge, astronomical difference between someone who just robbed a store and shot the clerk, and doesn't want to face justice, vs. your average joe who may be faced with someone supported by the law who had a bad day and could very well hurt or kill them with near impunity.

[Husar]

Absolutely agree with Whacker.

Also someone just sent me this video:

language warning

[InsaneApache]

"If you don't pick the ticket up I'm gonna summon you for littering".

[Meneldil]

I posted a devastating study earlier in the thread here. Disgraceful behaviour.

Wow. I personally know a policeman. Each time we meet, he tells me of some policemen stories. I find him to be somewhat of an arrogant snob with the people he faces during his job (oddly, he's pretty well educated and a good speaker), but then, when he starts criticizing his coworkers for being to harsh, I'm like 'wtf? Is this happening in France?'

Some movies made by a former policeman were released lately, and they clearly shown that french policemen are quite often not better than the people they're supposed to stop.

[Prodigal]

What I query is why so minimal charges and why only one of them?

Surely an adult beating up a child would get far worse?

And two adults together, even if one doesn't do the swinging but ably aids and abets the other by holding the child down?

Or is there somewhere in the law that states cops can do whatever they want and their superiors will let them off?

15-year-old girl 'assaulted' in jail cell: policeman charged

A very good example of this is happening right now in the UK, a teacher (49 years), freaked & open a family sized jar of whoop ass on three 14 year old boysin a classroom as far as I know.

Now I'm not condoning what he did, nor do I know the circumstances, (only heard this on the radio in passing), but he's up on attempted murder. This begs the questions why isn't the officer who pushed, hit, & killed an inoccent pedestrian facing simliar prosecution? He in effect comitted murder, the man is dead as a consequence of his actions.

I really don't know anything about the charges against the policeman in the UK, but I very much doubt he'll ever end up in court.

[Xiahou]

Absolutely agree with Whacker.

Also someone just sent me this video:

language warning

See, that cop was the model of restraint. That needs to be incorporated into training videos for other policemen. Most of the other balls of rage we've profiled in this thread would have probably shot that man to death.

Bravo to that officer for being a professional.

[Megas Methuselah]

See, that cop was the model of restraint. That needs to be incorporated into training videos for other policemen. Most of the other balls of rage we've profiled in this thread would have probably shot that man to death.

Bravo to that officer for being a professional.

Lol. There's one cop who has my respect.

Another one was a dude who actually stopped his car to let me cross the street.

[Fragony]

Fargo 2?

[Lemur]

Not even cute little animals are safe from Jeresey's finest. NJ police use pepper spray on a groundhog.

Police in northern New Jersey needed pepper spray to thwart a groundhog on the attack. Boonton resident Alex Scott told police the rodent chased him when he entered his garage and tried to get his truck. Police Sgt. Mike Danyo and Officer Paul Ryan said the groundhog went on the attack when they arrived.

Police said Danyo tripped and fell. His partner sprayed pepper spray into the groundhog's face, giving the officers time to snare it.

[Zim]

Well, obviously they had to spray it, since NJ cops don't get tasers.

OC spray is used on dogs fairly often, so I could see a cop defaulting to it when dealing with other animals. Beats having to shoot them.

[Lemur]

You clearly have an anti-groundhog prejudice. You probably hate gophers too, you despicable speciesist. Will no-one stand up for the rights and responsibilities of the noble groundhog?

[Zim]

It's not the groundhog species I have a problem, it's the groundhog culture. Many of my best friends are groundhogs.

I do have some questions for those officers, though. Did they warn the groundhog? Did they ask it to comply?

[Banquo's Ghost]

You clearly have an anti-groundhog prejudice. You probably hate gophers too, you despicable speciesist. Will no-one stand up for the rights and responsibilities of the noble groundhog?

As I understand it, groundhogs are tough to stop. On their day, they just keep coming back.

[Hosakawa Tito]

The varmint cong are an implacable enemy.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

[KukriKhan]

US Officers Down (permanently) 2009 - so far.

Just for compare and contrast purposes. 73 so far this year. 2008 = 138. 2007 = 192. 2006 = 156.

RIP fellas. You still-alive guys: rip out the bad apples amongst you, and don't mind the criticism of the civvies. That criticism is protected by you too. God bless you, and thanks for trying to keep us safe and free.

[Ironside]

US Officers Down (permanently) 2009 - so far.

Just for compare and contrast purposes. 73 so far this year. 2008 = 138. 2007 = 192. 2006 = 156.

RIP fellas. You still-alive guys: rip out the bad apples amongst you, and don't mind the criticism of the civvies. That criticism is protected by you too. God bless you, and thanks for trying to keep us safe and free.

Talk about different cultures. In Sweden 31 cops have been killed on duty, since 1900. Half of them was killed before 1930.

Even if I count 31 that's been killed in duty with hard counting (assult, gunshot vehicular assult), that gives an average on about 70 killed/year in the recent years.

Adding the obviously needed population factor, it's still about 10 times more dangerous to be a cop in the US.

[Husar]

Well, I noticed a lot of them died in traffic, maybe they stopped a car, stood at the side of the road and got hit by a car or something, the ones where a cop was run over on purpose seem to be marked as Vehicular Assault.