If You Were A Vigilante

[Jcordell]

Originally Posted by BurtReynoldsMoustache

I don't hate the police, I don't even dislike them. But to sit and wonder why there are people who do hate the police is incredibly naive and ignorant. From my own personal experience I've been handcuffed and searched without probable cause, had my property searched without probable cause or warrant even after exercising my right to refuse search, threatened with arrest for exercising that right, I've been lied to about my rights even after I demonstrated that I knew them, accused of being a drug addict, I've had two completely false traffic citations written against me, and during the trial for one of them the officer committed perjury resulting in a conviction.

Then there are the horrible experiences I'm lucky enough to not have had to go through, the beatings, the midnight military style raids on family homes (some times at the wrong address), unnecessary and often sadistic use of less lethal devices on nonviolent suspects, mass arrests of law abiding citizens at publicly permitted events.

Are all cops like this? No. Are most cops like this? Not even close. But one bad apple ruins the whole bunch in the court of public opinion.

Mistakes happen and sometimes the ramifications can be horrible.

Mass arrests are not illegal. If the law abiding citizens are not being so law abiding such as tresspassing, interfering with the flow of traffic, disturbing the peace ect. Believe it or not people can be idiots even a legal events. And it isn't uncommon for indivduals to attend legal events with the intention of engaging in not so law abiding behavior becasue it will generate news coverage etc. But if we choose to look the other way the heat can be just as bad from property owners ect. Just becasue the activity is legal does not give the participants the right to engage in lawless and disorderly behavior.

I personally know ( former ) cops who engaged in illegal acts and went to prison. Nobody covered for those guys. Don't have an answer for you except that it does happen. Just like there are members of the U.S. military who have engaged in criminal acts. Just like there are private citizens who have engaged in criminal acts.

As far as your personal experiences. Well forgive me for saying this, but you must of had lousy legal representation if everything you have related is actually true.

Many years ago when I was a rookie (and not as clever as I thought I was) I interviewed a suspect who was in a custodial situation. Meaning she wasn't free to go. Guess what? I didn't advise her of her rights under the Miranda Warning. I got a confession by the way.

The case was thrown out when her overworked and underpaid public defender realized that I had failed to advise her of the Miranda Warning. Hell she didn't even think about it. I've seen other public defenders as well as much better paid private attorneys attack possible weak points in a criminal case like vultures. It's actually amazing.

So if you are being truthful it sounds like to me that you have grounds for one doozy of a lawsuit. Have you contacted the American Civil Liberties Union?

However if you are not an American citizen (and live in another country beside the U.S.A.) ,or you are an American citizen, but living in another country, then I will readily aknowledge that it's different and everything I just said is null and void? Is that a possibility?

[BurtReynoldsMoustache]

Originally Posted by Checkman

Well forgive me for saying this, but you must of had lousy legal representation if everything you have related is actually true.

Seeing as I represented myself in that trial, yes.

As far as suing people, not worth it. I was never charged with anything because of any of that, and after going through a torturous litigation process once already because of an auto collision, I decided I didn't have the time or energy to take on "the man" for what amounted to a few personally insulting inconveniences.

Having my car searched actually got me out of a ticket one time, the officers spent 10 minutes searching for the methamphetamine they were oh so sure I had only to get a call to do some real law enforcing before they had a chance to write me up for speeding.

Originally Posted by Checkman

However if you are not an American citizen (and live in another country beside the U.S.A.) ,or you are an American citizen, but living in another country, then I will readily aknowledge that it's different and everything I just said is null and void? Is that a possibility?

Every once in awhile "craziest police video" type shows will have a segment focusing on riot police in some backwards absurdistan such as Thailand or Belarus. Watching those clips reminds me how good we have it here.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Meredith_Kercher

Even the supposedly egalitarian and progressive European Union is lightyears behind us in terms of due process.