SSCC #428 – Harris County

There’s a bunch involved in this one and I am too lazy to go try to count them all up.

The firings include four civilian detention officers and take to six the number of employees who have been fired in the investigation that began in August 2011, Garcia said. Earlier this year, another deputy was indicted in the case, then fired.

The allegations involve sexual misconduct between jail staff and other employees as well as between jailers and inmates.

Of note for why I have put it in the count.

So far, former Harris County sheriff’s Deputy Tony Richards is the only jailer to face criminal charges in the sexual misconduct case.

At least the Sheriff is pouncing and acting instead of just dragging his feet. I applaud him for taking the imitative.

“The ugly truth is that the misconduct involved the failure to take action as supervisors, and sexual misconduct between employees—or with inmates,” said Sheriff Adrian Garcia.

As it was supervisors who also failed to act, this one goes in the count.

State Sponsored Criminal #428: Tony Richards and Company

Because when you’re a prison guard, you can do whatever you want right?  Your word is law after all!

SSCC #427 – DEA, BATFEieio

The nation’s top drug and gun enforcement agencies do not track how often they give their informants permission to break the law on the government’s behalf.

U.S. Justice Department rules put strict limits on when and how agents at the FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives can authorize their informants — often drawn from the ranks of the criminals they are investigating — to commit a crime. But both the ATFand DEA acknowledged, in response to open-records requests and in written statements, that they do not track how often such permission is given.

(Emphasis mine.) When you see it written like that, it reads as the definition of a State Sponsored Criminal now doesn’t it?

State Sponsored Criminal #427: The Feds

Because if you want to get a crime, just ask the government for permission first.  If you have to sweeten the deal by squealing on your compatriots.  No honor among thieves you know.

 

SSCC #426–West Palm Beach

Before he or his mother, Cynthia Miller, could figure out why Boynton Beach police officer Michael Arco was so concerned about a man sitting in his own car in front of his own house, Andrews was in a choke hold with his arm twisted behind his back and she was slammed to the ground, according to a lawsuit alleging false arrest filed Sunday against the city in U.S. District Court.

Boy, to get that kind of treatment he must of done something really bad.

“No probable cause existed for the seizure and arrest of (Miller and Andrews) for any offense whatsoever,” attorney W. Craig Lawson wrote in the lawsuit. “No reasonable suspicion, no founded suspicion, and no articulable suspicion of criminal activity existed.”

Now before you completely dismiss it, note no charges were ever filed against the mother.  The charges against the son were merely resisting arrest and disorderly conduct, both of which were dropped.  Both of those charges are often referred to as “contempt of cop”.  But most note worthy is the following:

The same can’t be said of Arco. The 27-year-old resigned from the Boynton Beach Police Department last year after he was charged with official misconduct and perjury after prosecutors said he and another officer falsified a report that purported to explain how they entered a motel room in November 2010 to arrest an armed robbery suspect. The case against the robbery suspect was thrown out. The charges against Arco, who was disciplined several times by supervisors before he resigned, are still pending.

Rarely do bad cops ever just do it once.  No they’re allowed to continue abusing the citizens till their actions are so egregious that it could cost someone an elected position.  The response at that point is to merely let him resign.

State Sponsored Criminal #426: Michael Arco

Because when you see someone sitting in a car in their drive way, throw them on the ground and arrest them.  Just make it up as you go along, your partner will always back you up.

SSCC #425–NYPD

There’s a reason this happened in NYC.

An unarmed Army National Guardsman was pulled over on a Queens highway and shot to death by an NYPD officer from an elite unit today — and the DA now is probing the incident that the victim’s friend is calling a case of police “road rage.”

Noel Polanco, 22, had his hands on the steering wheel of his 2012 Honda Fit moments before Detective Hassan Hamdy shot him once in the torso, a woman sitting in the front passenger seat told police, NYPD spokesman Paul Browne said.

Reading the article it appears the officer had no reason to treat the stop as a felony stop.  He then broke two rules obviously and put a round into the driver.  Yup, still think the cops are out to protect and serve.  They’re out to merely protect their own ass if they’re protecting anyone.

Odds are the officer won’t be fired and if anything will receive “training”.  I have a feeling the training is really, “How to frame the situation better in your favor.”

The reason I say it happened in NYC, is here in free America they would be afraid of people in the car being armed and shooting back after the first shot.

State Sponsored Criminal #425:  Hassan Hamdy

Because if you’re a cop and someone cuts you off, pull him over and shoot him.  If anyone asks what happened say he shot himself!*

*Yes, read the article, the officer told his friends that the driver shot himself…

SSCC #420 – New Orleans

Seriously I didn’t not plan for this in advance, the number and crime are purely coincidental.

Assistant city attorney Jason Cantrell was issued a summons after he dropped a joint while talking to a police officer in Orleans Parish Criminal District Court.

Cantrell, 43, was cited for simple drug possession and released under a city policy for low-level marijuana cases, according to police.  

Now while apparently the law was followed in this case, there is a reason I’m placing this under the criminal count.

Cantrell has practiced civil and criminal law in New Orleans for 17 years, including six as a public defender in Juvenile Court. In an ironic twist, the 43-year-old also worked as a drug court attorney.

(Emphasis mine.)  While it does seem that most of the work may have been on the defense side instead of the prosecution, he still was a city employee.  Charged with enforcing and upholding the law.

Now he has promptly resigned and the punishment matches what the rest of the public should see in that municipality if the article is to be believed.  Still, this fits perfectly with the, “Laws for thee, not for me” tag.

State Sponsored Criminal #420: Jason Cantrell

Because laws only apply to the lowly peons.  Those who work for the king are allowed to have any noun they want.

h/t Dave Hardy.

SSCC #419–Powell

Kirk B. Chapman is facing a count of third-degree sexual assault, which alleges he used his position of authority as a police officer to get a Powell woman to submit to sexual contact last September. According to charging documents filed in the case, the woman alleges Chapman touched her genitals, rubbed his groin on her rear end and kissed her after stopping by her residence early one morning under the auspices of checking to make sure she was all right.

Have no fear though, the law enforcement office involved reacted as they all normally do.

In a Wednesday interview, Powell Police Chief Roy Eckerdt said that after the department was made aware of the allegations last year, Chapman was placed on administrative leave while investigations were pending. Eckerdt said Chapman did not return to duty before resigning in November. Eckerdt would not comment further — including on the findings of an internal investigation — saying it was a personnel matter confidential under state law.

Nothing says, son you did wrong, like giving them a paid vacation and letting them resign to save their career.

State Sponsored Criminal #419: Kirk B. Chapman

Because when you’re a cop and you see a woman you fancy, you can evidently do whatever the hell you want.  Just do your best to make sure you don’t get caught.

Ear Worm Wednesday – 10/3/2012

Trapt-Stand Up

When a bunch of us finally stand up, it’s going to be ugly, nasty, and at a minimum it will look like Atlas shrugging.  I’m tired of supporting people like this (just watch the video below, it’s got a response tied to it I fully agree with).

So if the government will buy me a phone, why am I working to pay for my own phone and service? Seriously where do we draw the line?  I am staring at the fact that my tax burden is about to increase by enough that I’ll be making the same I did last year after Uncle Sam is done with me.

You read that right, I get promoted and a raise and my Uncle Sam comes along and say’s, “You don’t need that, this woman over here needs an ‘Obama Phone’.”  All I have to say is vote out the incumbents; every last one of the corrupt little turds, even if you don’t think they’re a problem.

Pardon me while I go off and do something else before this becomes a full-fledged rant.

SSCC #418 – New Orleans

Former New Orleans police officer, Roger Jones, 38, has resigned after being arrested — again — on hit-and-run charges. The 15-year veteran, who was already on desk duty pending investigation of a 2011 hit-and-run, confessed to hitting a car, leaving the scene of the accident, parking his police cruiser at another location, then reporting it stolen.

Emphasis mine.  Note he was arrested for the same thing.  As usual he was left to resign instead of being fired less that black mark follow him where ever he goes.

State Sponsored Criminal #418: Roger Jones

Because hit and run is perfectly acceptable when you’re a cop.  They’re anointed so it’s cool.