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  • Feb 24th, 2022 @ 6:22pm

    Re:

    See the USA Today article I linked below.

  • Feb 24th, 2022 @ 6:20pm

    (untitled comment)

    When this was first reported, I assumed that the DA absolutely knew about this practice, and probably even came up with the idea. So I had to know a little more about this scumbag, and it turns out that he's not entirely a scumbag, and probably didn't actually know. Turns out the cops all have hurt feewings because he's prosecuting a couple of violent cops, and they don't like it.
    And then I came across this: https://
    www.google.com/amp/s/amp.usatoday.com/amp/6854467001
    Wow, sounds about as disgusting as it gets, and that's not the DA I'm referring to

  • Feb 23rd, 2022 @ 5:32pm

    Re: Re: I would have thought this was (legally) straight-forward

    But as personal and professional lived bleed together, what about someone who was looking to establish a business, something highly dependent on social engagement? Like an an influencer (yes I am also rolling my eyes, but some people are pulling in decent money, so who am I to judge?) Or a musician, or matchmaker. Or as someone else mentioned, you might accept friends in order to play social games. In the interest of growing your network, you might not vet everyone because you assume they have a genuine shared interest, since that's what the platform is for.
    And I'm not convinced that the cops excuse of being familiar with defendant through a youth violence strike force, whatever that it, is sufficient reason to suspect Frio has does anything that warrants further investigation by any means. I'm all in favor of innovative ways to interrupt the cycle of violence, but this is definitely not it.

  • Feb 22nd, 2022 @ 5:55pm

    Re: Rights vs Bears

    No expects a bear to respect rights, because it's a bear. Cops are people, and should not be excused as if they are bears incapable of understanding how to respect rights.
    A more apt analogy would be a bear dresses up like a valet, offers to park your car. You say ok, don't notice that this burly valet has no name tag. Even though the bear had no reason to think, nor did it smell a ham, but looked through your trunk anyway, found it in a cooler and ate it. Later in court, the judge says too bad for you, you should have asked for a name tag, since your in bear country.
    Also, it's plausible to me that Mr.Fresh might have thought the stock photo the cop used looked familiar, because he had seen it before, and assumed it was someone he knew. It's hard to make assumptions on how likely Frio could have determined that the profile was fake. Like did the cop get some of his friends to also accept requests, did he engage with similar content, have connections to local businesses or interest groups? At what point would this judge think Frio had sufficiently considered this friend request worthy of accepting?
    It's bullshit that this so called undercover investigation is being treated like it is legitimate. What suspicion did he have to make any contact with Frio, or anyone else he's made friends with, versus anyone he hasn't made friends with? How can that be a productive use of time?

  • Feb 22nd, 2022 @ 4:06pm

    (untitled comment)

    Is this going to even make the tiniest margin of increased competition for these consumers to choose from, or even an incentive worthy of a competitor to enter the market?
    Cuz I kinda think it's just going to screw consumers out of a substantial discount or "free" (as in included in rent) broadband/cable that some places offer to attract renters. How does this really change anything with the federal cable franchise law still on the books?

  • Feb 22nd, 2022 @ 2:48pm

    DARVO

    I can't be racist, I'm bilingual!
    Is this the new "I have a Black friend?"

  • Feb 21st, 2022 @ 7:57pm

    Cop killer

    I wonder if detectives and prosecutors would feel at ease using their junk science to determine who to prosecute if the killer was targeting law enforcement and their families specifically? They might not care if they let the real killer walk when the victim is just a stranger, maybe even not a very sympathetic victim. But if the war on cops was actually real, and happening in a very personal fashion, I wonder if they would feel motivated to actually do their jobs right, or just bet on the likelihood that lots of arrests and convictions surely means they had to have gotten the bad guy.

  • Feb 16th, 2022 @ 9:56pm

    Re: Felony Corruption Charges??

    Well the chief, his top stoolie have both quit, followed by most of the henchmen. the municipal court is suspended. The AG is investigating, but I don't think it's the actual officers considering that most tickets are not actually signed by àn identifiable officer, rather most have 1 of a few sets of initials that doesn't actually match any officer names. I bet the chief has enough money to up and disappear if he wants
    The mayor, prosecutor and municipal court seemed to be fully on board with the cops, and some especially egregious actions have come to light about the court. But some how I I assume they will have some kind of protection from liability, even though the Bill of Rights explicitly lays out what the government is not allowed to do

  • Feb 15th, 2022 @ 11:39pm

    Police morale

    Grassley, and whoever else signed letter equivalent of pulling a fire alarm to get out of a test, are really worried about police morale? And they believe the reason for supposed drop in morale and hiring difficulty, is because of a movement that Republicans have outright lied about, claiming it's some sort of punitive measure against cops when it's not, and has has little to no success in getting cities to spend less on cops and instead on social programs. A boogie man they made up is hurting morale? What about the actual communities that are protesting for change, that are sick of violence at the hands of cops and want to change their community for the better? What about their morale?
    I mean, anyone who is paying attention knows that if cops aren't given their ever expanding budget demands, that reflect some of the lowest rates of solved crime against some of the lowest crime rates, that cops will just do less visible work, and take the money from citizens anyway. Then they can spend it on whatever they want.
    Seriously, I would love to see a collection of recordings, quotes, social media posts, especially anything found on their private group pages, anything that could be gathered in "sacred" cop spaces like union meetings, police one website, of all the garbage they spew denigrating the people, laughing at their pain and suffering, elevating and applauding their violence that they are never held accountable for, over the past 5 years and just gather it all for these asshats to take in. Then I want to know if these asshats think there's a morale problem, and who is to blame.

  • Feb 15th, 2022 @ 9:50pm

    Re: Re: 115% increase in "ambush attacks"

    That supposed increase of being ambushed, does that include Jan 6? Kinda a lot of cops beaten up that day, and they weren't, mostly, expecting it, this could reflect a real attack on police! Oh wait, "data" cited by a republican, who bow down to a man that said the insurrectionist hugged and kissed the cops that day... Nevermind.

  • Feb 13th, 2022 @ 5:41pm

    Re: Re:

    Criticizing the government of Israel does not equal antisemitism. And while there are vile stereotypes about greed and money associated with Jewish people, it doesnt mean that greedy or corrupt financial ties can never be pointed out.
    Abomination is the strongest word I can think of to describe the Holocaust, and it's not strong enough. But the tragedy the Jewish, and other minority groups, suffered does not excuse the apartied conditions the Israeli government is forcing on occupied Palestine.

  • Feb 11th, 2022 @ 7:03pm

    Re: I hear my door breach in the middle of the right

    Spoken like someone never taught how to use a gun, let alone for self defense.
    Center mass, always. You aren't taking a sniper precision shot that you can carefully aim and account for variabilities. You aren't in a movie where shit takes place in slow motion.
    And don't count on a couple of good shots ensuring you survive, cuz the cops still got you out manned and out gunned.
    I have nothing against private gun ownership, quite the opposite. But I think too many people have a misplaced sense of confidence in their ability to protect themselves with their gun, and can put themselves in more danger. Be smart, be responsible.

  • Feb 11th, 2022 @ 3:34pm

    Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: "Innocence" is not the issue

    Innocence and legality of the gun only matter for the sake of getting the public engaged to fight back. It plays to issues on both sides of the aisle. Unfortunately, we expect more of victims to deem them worthy of caring about and fighting for than we do the the people we pay to train, equip, and do the damn job law enforcement.

  • Feb 11th, 2022 @ 3:20pm

    Re: Why No-Knock?

    One of the cops was shot (rightfully) in the knee by Taylor's boyfriend. They weren't even supposed to be doing a no knock, or knock and bust, that's usually handled by SWAT guys who were at a different address. That's why I don't understand how their actions were all clear aside from the bullets that went into the neighbors house.

  • Feb 11th, 2022 @ 3:14pm

    Re: "Innocence" is not the issue

    Pointing out that the gun was legally owned, held by the qualified legal owner (news mentions that he had a concealed carry permit, not that it was necessary) is to keep the victim in a sympathetic light.
    The first thing the cops always do when they kill someone is smear the victim, and in fact they initially said that Amir was a suspect in the homicide they were investigating. Then made pathetic excuses for reporting wrong, something about not having all the details, hectic time, you know, bullshit.
    The news picked up and amplified Breonna Taylor's story, and people actually fought for her boyfriend Walker's freedom because she was a model citizen and he legally owned his gun. Where as another black man with an extensive criminal background that included violence and was not permitted to have a gun, fired at police during a no knock, his girlfriend was killed by the hail of bullets from police, and he had to go to trial for her murder. I don't know her name and I can't remember his, but he was eventually acquitted for her murder, just a few months ago. ( He was the 3rd or 4th of his namesake and I think it was in Florida but I could be wrong) And I'm actively paying attention to these cases.
    Not only do we expect ordinary people to conduct themselves much more calmly and rationally when confronted by police than the police themselves, but when they are killed by cops, we devalue their human worth (yet any other cause of death and you are a monster if you point out something bad the deceased had done)

  • Feb 11th, 2022 @ 2:36pm

    Re:

    I don't think that the issue is a lack of funding, facilities, time for professional development. Hell, cops in my state apparently siphoned off enough money from forfeitures and sales of equipment they acquired from the military and questionable discretionary budget spending to set up their very own private shooting range- and this is a tiny city police department of beach town that is only busy less than half the year.
    Cops get warrior and "murder" training courses, some even attend a mock zombie apocalypse training conference on tax dollars.
    The problem is that too many act with utter impunity, and because they never face any accountability, they see no need to change. In fact, they continue to get rewarded for an ever decreasing rate of crime solving, while enjoying access to evolving tech and science and overall lower crime rates. They piss away money in secret on unproven tech like Spotshotter, or stingrays that they aren't authorized to have, while tax payers shell out even more for their brutality. Occasionally a consent decree or brave city council make new rules and fund programs that teach de-escalation, how to handle mental health crisis, or how to tell if someone has overdosed, but they worn their way out of training or throw a tantrum until there is no enforcement of taking the new training .
    They simply don't want to learn how to do their job with less violence because they have no intentions of being less violent.

  • Feb 11th, 2022 @ 1:26pm

    Re: Re:

    One of the main excuses cops make for these raids is the risk of suspects destroying evidence by flushing it. I would prefer to just decriminalize and legalize drugs, but I don't want things like micro SD cards, thumb drives with evidence of a crime of violence or theft being so easily lost. As I mentioned, cutting the water doesn't eliminate the water in the toilet tank, you can flush and the tank will fill a number of times, all depending on how much water is still sitting in pipes. The water won't even immediately cut off on someone who happened to be showering, the pressure would weaken as the pipes drained. I know this from making repairs around my home. Water can be turned right back on and wouldn't impose anything more than a temporary inconvenience that hundreds of degrees less in magnitude compared to broken doors and windows, flashbang grenades thrown recklessly, blowing away the family dog, armed people running screaming conflicting orders at everyone, including children, physically restraining everyone and dragging them outdoors regardless of how they are dressed for the neighborhood to see, and executing a warrant on an entire household, who is never given a chance to review it.
    Cops should be taking up defensive positions, where they significantly reduce the risk to themselves and are far less likely to need to make one of these split section decisions. So many of these no-knock raids are so much more dangerous to the cops conducting them and the unions should be speaking up against them. And cases like Tamir Rice, Alton Sterling, countless others, cops run right up on somebody they know is armed and give them zero chance to voluntarily cooperate. Of course this is no guarantee that they won't shoot someone, like when the cops shot the the counselor/orderlie/social worker who was trying to convince a patient who wondered off from his care center and was playing with a shiny toy truck while sitting in the middle of the street.

  • Feb 11th, 2022 @ 2:53am

    (untitled comment)

    I don't know how much the NRA is a thing anymore, but I can't help but wonder why police unions, who constantly point out how police put their lives on the line every day, don't seem to have any influence over tactical procedures. They holler about ensuring cops are properly equipped, and nobody has a problem with spending tax dollars to get bullet proof vests, helmets, shields, new cop cars. Yet cops keep hopping out of their cars, busting in doors, rushing armed suspects, instead of using their car (or one of those tank or armored vehicles they got from the military) to provide protection while they deescalate, or direct a suspect to exit the premises and discard weapons. Cut the water supply before announcing your presence, reduce the ability to flush evidence. If you're conducting a raid, the alleged criminal should have more drugs than what 2 flushes left in the tank could dispose of.
    But police unions don't actually care about officer safety...

  • Feb 6th, 2022 @ 2:06pm

    Re: Privacy the Euphemism; The Myth, the Legend

    Huh?

  • Feb 6th, 2022 @ 1:38pm

    Re:

    Nothing has found to be illegal here YET. This story just broke, from AL.com investigation, the AG is just starting to look into.
    I suspect evidence of embezzlement will be found, Jones had a failed private security business and owed a bunch to the IRS. And while the current mayor wasn't the one who hired him- that guy died a couple years ago- this mayor did an interview with AL.com were he nodded along enthusiastically and gave supportive statements of the insane shit Jones was saying about a 600% increase in fines and forfeitures as a failure, that they needed to do more. I wouldn't doubt that mayor is getting some perks on the sly. And possibly the the local court and attorney, maybe the jail. The tow company is definitely making a fortune, 1.7 tows per household in a years time- I think this business should be liquidated and I normally don't agree with going after private companies.

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