| The Justice Department reports that its investigation into law enforcement in Ferguson, Mo., found that the police and courts meted out illegal and unduly harsh treatment, particularly to black people. One of the reports released Wednesday, "Investigation of the Ferguson Police Department," says the mistreatment is due to discrimination, and a primary focus on maximizing city revenue through citations, not to keeping the peace. |
| Ferguson's Municipal Court, which is actually run by the chief of police, is part of the city's revenue-raising machinery, the report found, with court officials routinely levying excessive fines and fees, and violating people's rights. |
| Black people in Ferguson regularly report racial epithets being used against them by police officers, but a search of city e-mail accounts by the Justice Department also showed many racist remarks casually traded by police supervisors and court officials. |
| The Justice Department also found that officers regularly exceed their authority and mistreat people. |
If you think this isn't status quo anywhere besides some backward part of Missouri, don't know what to tell you.
The Ferguson Police Department: The Justice Department Report, Annotated - (
New Window )
Even if we are (we're not) your aggressive behavior just now made us look correct. I hope you at least appreciate the irony, since it appears already the thread isn't going the way you wanted.
Lol, from the man preaching tolerance. And you drop "retarded" in your first reply. Smh
http://www.fergusoncity.com/jobs.aspx - ( New Window )
He said the looting reinforced terrible stereotypes. He never said they were true or that he personally associated with them.
Again, you are absolutely embarrassing yourself.
The problem is the looters behavior. To the point where this is in your eyes outshone.
An angry crowd destroying property > Governmental & Authority conspiring for profit to the demerit of those they were tasked to protect.
Got it.
I know BBI is primarily crusty old tri-state and beltway types but heaven help us if this is the broad conclusion.
Read this Nitro. Read it again... then read it again.
Establishing facts, like corruption and pervasive racism as found in the report, goes along way to explain why a "decorated" cop would think that killing an unarmed citizen is a justifiable outcome in a civil society. When everyone around you thinks like you do, its impossible to recognize that you are part of the problem.
"the mistreatment is due to discrimination, and a primary focus on maximizing city revenue through citations, not to keeping the peace."
^I didn't need a report to know that.
Lack of surprise doesn't really weaken the merit of this report, if anything it strengthens it.
I didn't say I have these stereotypes you pathetic pile of jiz. My point is that police misconduct took a backseat to the looting, because the looting drove the media narrative. There was a chance for real nationwide change for the good (maybe even body camera legislation), except it turned into "hur hur look at these degenerates looting a liquor store".
Can you get that through your walnut sized brain you fucking idiot?
But don't conflate one officers actions by which black witnesses corroborated with the bigger picture which is also where some here went off the rail
I didn't say I have these stereotypes you pathetic pile of jiz. My point is that police misconduct took a backseat to the looting, because the looting drove the media narrative. There was a chance for real nationwide change for the good (maybe even body camera legislation), except it turned into "hur hur look at these degenerates looting a liquor store".
Can you get that through your walnut sized brain you fucking idiot?
Fek is Mike in Long beach
I don't even think body cameras are the solution - how much more HD could Eric Garner get?
law enforcement. Patrol assignments and schedules are geared toward aggressive enforcement
of Ferguson’s municipal code, with insufficient thought given to whether enforcement strategies
promote public safety or unnecessarily undermine community trust and cooperation. Officer
evaluations and promotions depend to an inordinate degree on “productivity,” meaning the
number of citations issued. Partly as a consequence of City and FPD priorities, many officers
appear to see some residents, especially those who live in Ferguson’s predominantly African American
neighborhoods, less as constituents to be protected than as potential offenders and
sources of revenue.
This culture within FPD influences officer activities in all areas of policing, beyond just
ticketing. Officers expect and demand compliance even when they lack legal authority. They
are inclined to interpret the exercise of free-speech rights as unlawful disobedience, innocent
movements as physical threats, indications of mental or physical illness as belligerence. Police
supervisors and leadership do too little to ensure that officers act in accordance with law and
policy, and rarely respond meaningfully to civilian complaints of officer misconduct. The result
is a pattern of stops without reasonable suspicion and arrests without probable cause in violation
of the Fourth Amendment; infringement on free expression, as well as retaliation for protected
Mentioning the looting is interesting.
Irrelevant!
It's entertaining
Police are corrupt or biased or mostly serve as revenue generators? No shit
Bringing up the unfortunate and awful looting that occurred in the aftermath of the legal decision and the mentioning how that "reinforces stereotypes" has what to do with the Justice Department report on the Ferguson police and local government?
They couldn't hang the cop, so let's hang the city....
That said, is it a shock that non-whites/poor monorities have less justice.
Seems to be just a retaliation report.
US clears officer in Ferguson case, criticizes police force - ( New Window )
That said, it should not be a surprise that the actual lack of a criminal act by the police officer was lost in the fog of a report that's filled with misleading stats and specious commentary. Wow, it took a team of Holder's finest to tell us that city with a small tax base and budget problems uses the law as an excuse to collect fines and raise revenue.. Sounds a lot like DC.
Please let me know if any person, company or even local governing body could withstand the scrutiny of a determined team of ideologically driven federal prosecutors tasked and hell-bent on finding "something", please let me know where they are.
One thing I am curious about is if the police department's mission morphed into revenue production, it did not happen without the municipal government (mayor, council, etc.) being cognizant of it. In fact, it would not be surprising that they did not drive it. What are the consequences for city government officials.
With that said, hopefully the report will eventually lead toward body camera legislation which I hope will protect both citizens and law enforcement.
One thing I am curious about is if the police department's mission morphed into revenue production, it did not happen without the municipal government (mayor, council, etc.) being cognizant of it. In fact, it would not be surprising that they did not drive it. What are the consequences for city government officials.
You act like this is a revelation. There are hundreds of towns - probably more - around the country whose two or three mile stretch of interstate or well-traveled state road funds the majority of the municipal budget. States have quite rightly cracked down on this to some extent, centralizing fine revenues, but the problem persists.
based on some of the comments from the officers, the AG is only discovering what some of the FPD officers have known for some time.
Hopefully, this will get things turned around.
Again, for those who missed the obvious point, I state it more simply. Government officials knew or should have known about this - so they should share in the blame as well as the police department.
based on some of the comments from the officers, the AG is only discovering what some of the FPD officers have known for some time.
Hopefully, this will get things turned around.
BC, the point is that if they crawled up your ass with a microscope, you would be breaking rocks in a federal pen for violating or breaking some law, statute, or whatever you didn't even know existed. As far as the emails go, I repeat that if you look at every message that every employee of every government sent to one another in confidence, you could cobble together a few that could be used to prove whatever you want.
It's funny that the AGs office can find a few derogatory words in a few emails by obscure employees in a small city in Missouri but the same government can't locate and produce emails sent by the IRS and the Department of State. Goes to show what they're priorities are.
Again, for those who missed the obvious point, I state it more simply. Government officials knew or should have known about this - so they should share in the blame as well as the police department.
My point, which was made in a snarkier fashion than it should have been, is that it's probably not a closely guarded secret. They know because it's a business model, not an accident.
You think it's just one person?
And, I agree - didn't take long for the thread to veer off course and it will undoubtedly self-destruct or at the least, be unproductive.
Quote:
because someone is steering this toward the delete pile.
You think it's just one person?
One person this morning. But your point is taken.