Cops Raid Marijuana Dispensary In Order To Play Darts, Sample Edibles And Offer To Kick Amputee Owner 'In The Nub'

from the LOL,-CIVILIANS dept

If we accept the premise that law enforcement and intelligence agencies encroach on personal freedoms and rights in "the public interest" -- i.e., to ensure the safety of non-criminals -- then we have to ask ourselves how this raid of a medical marijuana dispensary fits into this thought process. [via CJ Ciaramella]

Santa Ana (CA) cops raided a pot dispensary -- not because the items for sale were illegal under local laws -- but simply because it was unlicensed. Sure, having the proper paperwork in place is important, but this dispensary was in line to receive authorization from the city -- a process delayed by the locality's faulty licensing "lottery" system, which was gamed by businesses who "stuffed" the selection box by purchasing multiple bids.

The PD performing the raid treated this lack of proper paperwork like it was the Zeta Cartel operating under its nose. The video captured by the dispensary's cameras shows heavily-armed cops -- some wearing ski masks -- smashing through two doors and yelling at the peaceably-assembled customers to lie on the floor. Then -- somehow -- it gets worse.

The cops tear the place apart, strip cameras from the walls and yank the DVR off the shelf in the back room. They play darts, sample the presumably-cannabis-laced goods, and otherwise fuck around. Why? Because there is absolutely no danger present, despite the use of ski masks, weapons and tactical gear. This is "public safety" being ensured by a raid on a sitting duck that threatened no harm to the surrounding community. The final result of all this noise and damage? Tickets for violating a city ordinance.

But despite their expertise, the cops missed a couple of cameras. And that's going to hurt them. Especially when one female cop is caught on camera disparaging one of the owners -- an amputee confined to a wheelchair -- by stating she wanted to kick her in the "nub." (Enjoy the first few seconds of this video, where a cop attempts to break down a set of metal PULL doors by hammering them in the wrong direction with his ram.)


The police department has responded to the recording that got away with nonsensical claims that the released footage is "non-chronological" and "edited." I can't even imagine what the full footage shows, other than there being a bit more breathing room between unprofessional actions and misconduct on the part of the raiding officers.

This is the charade of drug enforcement: cops raiding a dispensary for code violations, rather than its potential ability to diminish the safety of other Santa Ana residents. And doing it in full battle gear, as though it expected a hail of gunfire in response to its backdoor-smashing entry. The entire incident is pathetic, bordering on nauseating: a pointless, vulgar display of power that wreaked havoc on a local business simply in order to issue two citations.

Filed Under: california, marijuana, paperwork, police, raid, santa ana

Judge Throws Out Red Light Camera Tickets As Program Declared Illegal And Void

from the revenue,-not-safety dept

Yet again, we find out about a story of a city putting in place red light cameras, and using them not to increase public safety (per the official claim of the city) but to drive revenue -- even by shortening the length of yellow lights to under the legal limit, thereby increasing both ticket revenue and accidents. Luckily, this time, in Santa Ana, California, a judge has declared the whole program illegal and declared all of those who received the tickets under the program as "not guilty" (found via Jeff Nolan). There were a few reasons for this. First, the city broke the law in not clearly announcing which traffic lights would have the cameras with 30 days' notice. In fact, the city actually moved the cameras around with no notice in an attempt to maximize revenue. The city claimed that it gave notice... by stating at a city council meeting that they'd be moving the cameras around, but without indicating where. Also, the city had promised that the lights would have a minimum yellow light of 4.4 seconds, but 17 of 18 lights checked had yellow lights that were less than 4.0 seconds, which makes a huge difference. The judge also specifically ruled that the people who got tickets this way were "not guilty" rather than just dismissing their cases, to avoid having their cases somehow reinstated.

Filed Under: illegal, red light cameras, santa ana
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