Why It’s Impossible to Indict a Cop

[dcs13]

Dash cams and body cams and mics work great, as long as the officer can't turn them off, mute them or point them in a different direction

One of the biggest issues with body cams is the storage needs. Video files are huge. With required "retention" periods, an agency like Dallas would spend millions on servers. There's a lot of places that just can't afford that kind of money.
You gotta be able to turn them off as needed. I don't want a camera on when I'm trying to take a crap or I'm talking to my family. What about crime victims? someone that just got raped doesn't want there image and story on video or the wife that got her ass beat. There's a whole lot more to just putting a camera on these cops. It needs to be better thought out. I'm ok with it, let's just get it right.

[talisman]

That is one of the things I was going to say. I think the Ferguson cop did nothing wrong. I have not read or seen one thing that makes me think he didn't do anything but defend himself. The problem is that when the cops do fuck up they relentlessly blamestorm, point fingers and flat out lie to protect each other. Part of the blowback from that is not only the attitude that is festering with the public of late but also the guilt by association thrown on any cop that finds himself in a bad situation and does the right thing.

Exactly. We're all just low down FTP'ers despite overwhelming evidence of continued police abuse in the news every single day though. Oh look, a New Jersey cop selling steroids on fucking eBay....


43-year-old Secaucus police officer, Michael Cucciniello, has been charged with selling steroid gel known as Androgel testosterone on eBay.

According to investigators, officer Cucciniello was legally obtaining the prescription drug from a pharmacist, and then illegally selling the drug online. Investigators allege that his online drug sales began early last winter and lasted for nearly year.

Although Androgel testosterone is legal, its distribution is still heavily regulated by the FDA, under threat of steep penalties and fines.

Cucciniello faces up to five years in prison for his charges, but it is common for first offenders to get probation and avoid jail time under similar circumstances. Cucciniello is a first time offender, so while his maximum sentence is steep, he will likely avoid jail time.

“It’s a dark day for the Secaucus Police Department, police officers are sworn to uphold laws, they also have to abide by those very same laws. Wrongdoing will not be tolerated. We owe that to the public who entrusts us, as well as the men and women of this department who come to work every single day and do their job the right way. The Secaucus Police Department continues to remain committed to our community,” Secaucus Police Chief John Cerny said in a statement.

Meanwhile, Cucciniello has been suspended without pay, but is currently living off of his vacation time.

The medication was legally prescribed to Cucciniello by a physician, Rubino said, adding that no one else is being investigated in connection to the case.

http://www.punkrocklibertarians.com/new-jersey-cop-caught-selling-steroids-ebay/

[David]

Dallas indicted 2 this year... I think there is a definite change in the system that is occurring.

It only took them around 40yrs.

[kingjason]

A lot of times, if the infraction is minor enough, they negotiate a resignation vs a full out firing. It is just a way easier process then firing and going through arbitration. I have seen a few guys that have had nine lives, screwing up, and then getting reinstated. I despised civil service (union) for this very reason. On the flip side to that, I can see where it is a necessary tool, when your city or admin goes on a war path, with no justification other then you didn't agree with them. Or you are not civil service and get a new chief and he wants to fire everyone and bring in his own guys. This is the reason civil service was created. We have a new chief and he is a good guy. He runs the department almost like it is civil service. If something occurs there will be a very thorough investigation before any action is taken. However un like civil service, when he gets his evidence, he can fire your ass which is a good thing. With civil service I have seen justifiable firings take years to come to an end.

[Denny]

I'm not going to indicked any cop.

[Trip McNeely]

http://www.khou.com/story/news/crime/2014/11/26/reserve-deputy-arrested-in-connection-to-610-loop-road-rage-shooting/19567109/

HOUSTON -- A reserve deputy constable with Harris County Precinct 6 has been charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

Kenneth Caplan was taken into custody Wednesday morning, authorities tell KHOU 11 News.

Caplan is accused of shooting a 20-year-old woman who was driving on the 610 Loop at Stella Link about two weeks ago.

"I feel like I got a taste of death honestly," the victim, who does not want to be identified, told KHOU 11 News.

In her first ever interview, she told us she is afraid of retaliation.

"All of a sudden I'm driving, and this guy cuts me off. He was about to hit me. I switched to the other lane, I got in front of him and I cut him off. I guess that pissed him off. He went like that and he just fired at me. And then all of sudden I heard a ring in my ear." said the victim."

Also questioned, but not charged, was the woman who investigators think was the passenger in Caplan's car. The victim says that woman seemed to move out of the way so the man would have a clear shot.

"She leaned back," said the victim.

After she took a bullet to the head, the victim stopped in the middle of the freeway and called 911.

"I was like 'oh my God, he just shot me.' I was applying pressure to my head because it wouldn't stop bleeding. I'm going to die in my car on 610," said the victim.

The woman spent three days in the hospital.

"I keep thinking someone is going to come up and shoot me," she said.

The victim has eight staples in her head but God was watching out for her.

"He heard me and knew that I was sincere and he gave me a second chance." said the victim.
Victim's head after treatment

Victim's head after treatment(Photo: KHOU 11)

Police say the investigation is not over yet.

Neighbors of the suspect say there was always something weird about him.

"He always comes off as a strong attitude. He is never nice," said one neighbor.

The Harris County Constable's Office Pct. 6 says it cooperated with the investigation of the incident, and Caplan was not on duty at the time of the incident.

"The Harris County Constable's Office – Precinct 6 neither condones nor tolerates the actions taken by Kenneth Caplan that connected him to this incident, and the necessary measures were taken to collect his credentials and remove him from our status," authorities wrote in a press release.

[David]

A lot of times, if the infraction is minor enough, they negotiate a resignation vs a full out firing. It is just a way easier process then firing and going through arbitration. I have seen a few guys that have had nine lives, screwing up, and then getting reinstated. I despised civil service (union) for this very reason. On the flip side to that, I can see where it is a necessary tool, when your city or admin goes on a war path, with no justification other then you didn't agree with them. Or you are not civil service and get a new chief and he wants to fire everyone and bring in his own guys. This is the reason civil service was created. We have a new chief and he is a good guy. He runs the department almost like it is civil service. If something occurs there will be a very thorough investigation before any action is taken. However un like civil service, when he gets his evidence, he can fire your ass which is a good thing. With civil service I have seen justifiable firings take years to come to an end.

I'm in no way referring to firing a cop.

[kingjason]

I'm in no way referring to firing a cop.

I here ya. You know really I should have just threw that out there with out a quote. I will go fix it.

[Gasser64]

What about all the times when excessive force suits get settled out of court? It turns out that massive payouts don’t deter police misconduct for one straightforward reason: neither individual officers nor police departments are responsible for coughing up the cash. The union covers the officer’s lawyer, and research from Joanna Schwartz of UCLA Law School found that governments, not individual officers, paid out 99.98 percent of the damages. Settlements and damages aren’t paid by the police department, whose budget will waltz by untouched, but typically out of the general municipal budget.

I dont claim to know anything about this but i was always under the impression that the mayor would come down on the chief who would come down on the cops (sh1t rolls downhill) because he had to pay big bucks out of the coffers. One thing politicians seem to love more than life is that big ol chunk of taxpayer change they are always trying to increase. Taking a big hit to that always seemed like it would rub the mayor the wrong way, and then he'd get pissed and go tell the police chief that he's either out of a job or will be soon.

[talisman]

A lot of times, if the infraction is minor enough, they negotiate a resignation vs a full out firing. It is just a way easier process then firing and going through arbitration. I have seen a few guys that have had nine lives, screwing up, and then getting reinstated. I despised civil service (union) for this very reason. On the flip side to that, I can see where it is a necessary tool, when your city or admin goes on a war path, with no justification other then you didn't agree with them. Or you are not civil service and get a new chief and he wants to fire everyone and bring in his own guys.

Dude, this is how every single non Union job in the world works. Ask anyone who has worked at a Dealership, they go through upheavals regularly.

[talisman]

I dont claim to know anything about this but......goes on and on about it....

This perfectly sums up everything you've ever posted. You should start using this as a disclaimer regularly.

[kingjason]

What about all the times when excessive force suits get settled out of court? It turns out that massive payouts don’t deter police misconduct for one straightforward reason: neither individual officers nor police departments are responsible for coughing up the cash. The union covers the officer’s lawyer, and research from Joanna Schwartz of UCLA Law School found that governments, not individual officers, paid out 99.98 percent of the damages. Settlements and damages aren’t paid by the police department, whose budget will waltz by untouched, but typically out of the general municipal budget.

I dont claim to know anything about this but i was always under the impression that the mayor would come down on the chief who would come down on the cops (sh1t rolls downhill) because he had to pay big bucks out of the coffers. One thing politicians seem to love more than life is that big ol chunk of taxpayer change they are always trying to increase. Taking a big hit to that always seemed like it would rub the mayor the wrong way, and then he'd get pissed and go tell the police chief that he's either out of a job or will be soon.

Dude, this is how every single non Union job in the world works. Ask anyone who has worked at a Dealership, they go through upheavals regularly.

This perfectly sums up everything you've ever posted. You should start using this as a disclaimer regularly.

Yes the City Manager is actually the guy with all of the power in most cities.

I have heard that about dealerships. But at least a sales guy could walk next door and get a job at the next dealership, or in a little different type of sales work. You get fired in police work and generally your careers over. The state keeps record, DA gets intell on it, and you get a bad F5, regardless of it being a good firing or not. Police jobs are not easy to get, even with a clean record, and zero issues on your part. I could walk into a dealership tomorrow and get a job.

[talisman]

Yes the City Manager is actually the guy with all of the power in most cities.

I have heard that about dealerships. But at least a sales guy could walk next door and get a job at the next dealership, or in a little different type of sales work. You get fired in police work and generally your careers over. The state keeps record, DA gets intell on it, and you get a bad F5, regardless of it being a good firing or not. Police jobs are not easy to get, even with a clean record, and zero issues on your part. I could walk into a dealership tomorrow and get a job.

You could always be a security guard.

[Forever_frost]

“It’s a dark day for the Secaucus Police Department, police officers are sworn to uphold laws, they also have to abide by those very same laws. Wrongdoing will not be tolerated. We owe that to the public who entrusts us, as well as the men and women of this department who come to work every single day and do their job the right way. The Secaucus Police Department continues to remain committed to our community,” Secaucus Police Chief John Cerny said in a statement.

Not so much.

[SSMAN]

While I am sure there are some cops that deserved to be indicted, I don't consider the Ferguson case as a botched up verdict.

To simplify the answer, it is a very crooked and corrupt system. To admit guilt would imply guilt for all in the system. They can't let that happen.