Police Reportedly Use Mugshots As Targets...

...and I am just about at a loss for words to say how this makes me feel but believe me, it is not good at all. To say I am disgusted, by such behavior on the part of they who have sworn to uphold and or protect the Constitution and who supposedly are to uphold the law while serving us and protecting us, would be an understatement.

http://jobs.aol.com/articles/2015/01/16/north-miami-beach-cops-shoot-at-mugshots-of-black-teens/

That a police department's snipers reportedly were using mugshots, of people they had previously arrested, as targets at a range where others could readily see what they were doing was not merely stupid but was blatantly arrogant. To make it even worse, the mugshots allegedly were all of black men which of course, in todays racially charged atmosphere, was not only piss poor judgment but was asking for trouble.

Not only does behavior like that perpetuate racism, the arrogance of the us against them mentality (the 'us' being the police and the 'them' being everyone else) but it also reeks of impropriety. It hints that the department involved, from their chief (who was apparently aware of the practice) down to whatever lowest level officers were using those targets (with whatever supervisors and range officers fell between those ranks) were possibly well on their way to criminality. It makes me wonder, though I doubt it, if summary executions were not far over the horizon. That said, I must ask: What could possibly drive the department to use those mugshots, of their own past prisoner? It is beyond the realm of logic and reason.

Yet, the chief of the department excuses it as them not violating any laws or policies! In fact, the chief was reported to have said that the technique is in wide use and the photographs are vital for facial recognition. One has to wonder - for facial recognition as related to what? Were they planning SWAT missions against the specific people in those mughsots? Otherwise why use them for facial recognition. Anyway, that is obvious BS because in any police departments facial recognition drill there would be (or should be) included other photographs of similar looking individuals who were not criminals or in other words which were 'no shoot' photos among the actual 'shoot targets' of the bad guys. Without the no shoot targets their is no facial recognition worth a darn that is getting done (unless of course you intend to actually only go out and shoot the guys specifically pictured on your targets).

Now, if you think I am wrong about what I just said, go to the linked article and watch the second video in it. It is of Chief Dennis explain why and how the muGshots were supposed to have been used as facial recognition targets. One persons mugshot in the photo array of six mugshots was to have been the target - YET ALL SIX  OF THE MUGSHOTS IN THE PHIOTO ARRAY SHOWN HAD BULLET HOLESIN THEM! It is painfully obvious that if his snipers shot all those holes into the targets, they were not using them for facial recognition unless of course the sniper(s) firing those shots were remarkably terrible at facial recognition and thus should not be qualified as snipers. Once again, I am brought to wonder were they planning summary executions, or were they being absolutely moronically stupid in using those targets. I am not giving them an out by saying maybe it was stupidity - well, maybe I am because either way, I think these buffoons should be severely disciplined and at least the chief should be stepping down as it out of the department (if not all of them).

The chief though was also quoted as saying this:

“Our policies were not violated,” “There is no discipline forthcoming from the individuals who were involved with this.” (source)

Their policies were not violated so no discipline is about to be doled out - is he trying to tell us that behavior that likely would get a civilian investigated and maybe arrested and charged with terroristic threats, or maybe with the civilian being placed into observation at the local looney bin and all his guns seized, is okay for the police to carry out without repercussions! Is he also trying to tell us that officers who use extremely bad judgment in the performance of their duties should not be disciplined at least with mandatory training on how to practice better judgment or is he trying to tell us to mind our own business and that the police department, and only the police department, will determine the practices and policies for officers to follow without the public having a say regardless of how irrational was any given police behavior. I think this man needs to turn in his badge and gun without delay if only because he is a liability to the department that hired him and to the community that pays his salary. In fact, I think that any law enforcement officer who endorses that type of behavior should hand in his or her badge and gun and then go to a shrinks office where his or her head can be pulled out of his or her asshole so it can be thoroughly examined.

Now mind you, I am not opposed to using actual photographs of people as targets, especially for sniper targets. That is when the sniper would be preparing to go out on an operation that would specifically target and individual or group of them. Say for instance the suspect in the not too long ago shooting of the state police officers in PA, or say of a dirtbag like Osama bin Laden, or of some other legally sought after individual who was considered armed and dangerous. To do what it seems they did in the North Miami PD though, I believe, is inexcusable and I think there should be several jobs openings in that department in the near future if what has been reported is true.

Is that anti-police? No it is not. It is anti bad law enforcement practices and it is anti-employment of arrogant morons working in law enforcement.

All the best,
Glenn B

Pig Is The Word That Comes To Mind

In my 32 years as a law enforcement officer, I am proud to say that I never once took any actions like the cop discussed in the article and seen in the video that accompanies it. The cop apparently has a partner or another cop search a vehicle illegally after allegedly threatening and then slapping the owner or operator (source) to get the keys from him. More than once, during my career, I reported similar such behavior to my superiors. It was just intolerable from my view. As law enforcement officers we were not hired to harass the public nor to violate their rights. We were hired to enforce the law but only to do so in a legal manner. We were, at least on the jobs I held, sworn to uphold and defend the Constitution. There was a great deal of trust with which we were endowed. Too bad that trust is not always upheld.

The officer in question, in my opinion, violates that trust badly and by my guess probably has done so before. The worst thing is that he reportedly stated, after his arrest, that he would never have done it had he known he was being video recorded but he would have done it just the same again in the absence of someone making a video (radio news think it was 10010WINS or 880WCBS)! My guess is that he has done it so many times before that he thinks, in some perverted and twisted Bizarro World sort of mentality, it was the right thing to do and that he has done it before. If my guess is correct, then he probably also has thought that perjuring himself was also the right thing to do because it seems almost certain to me he would not have admitted similar previous behavior in court but would have lied to cover his illegal treatment of the accused and his illegal search of a vehicle (or whatever other illegal actions he took).

The result of any such illegal actions in such hypothetical cases, should he have been believed over the accused in any criminal prosecution, could well have been that someone was convicted based on what may have been the officer's own violations of the law and regulations. That would not be the end result though. The end result will probably be multifaceted. Anyone who has ever been convicted upon his testimony and upon evidence he collected most likely will have a valid cause for appeal of their convictions if not for an outright overturning of their cases. It may be discovered that innocent people wound up in jail and they may be freed but it may also wind up that those actually guilty of crimes will walk because his actions have tainted his evidence and testimony both forward and backward in time. The officer also may wind up in jail, well that is if he is ever charged with higher crimes than official misconduct and harassment. How it is that he was only charged with those instead of with Civil Rights violations, assault (or similar charge for allegedly striking the man), illegal search and seizure (illegal seizure even if nothing taken from the car as he seized the keys)! It is all sickening.

The same will consequences may well befall his partner(s). In this alleged instance, it seems he threw the cars keys, that he seemingly had just illegally obtained, to his partner telling his partner to search the vehicle. I sure did not hear the partner protest in the audio to that video - did you? It is possible that the partner reported the incident but I have heard nothing about that, so it could be that his partner is just as guilty as is he may be should he be proven guilty of an criminal charges.

Yes, I am treading lightly here, I will not outright call him or his partner(s) guilty because I like to let even accused cops have their days in court just like with any offender I ever arrested. My opinion though is another thing. Right now, based on the reports and the video, I think he is guilty of more than one offens and the only word that his actions bring to my mind is the word pig. I don't mean that to stand for pride, integrity or guts, because in my esteem he has none of them.

Sadly, this type of incident seems to be becoming more and more prevalent among police departments and other law enforcement agencies throughout the United States (or maybe it is just that the video recording of them is more prevalent). It has got to stop. This is not like an officer violating some sort of victimless crime. He was not caught on video smoking joint nor having a cocktail on duty. He did not have sex with his girlfriend in his patrol car. He did not speed in his personal vehicle and have that overlooked by a brother officer. What he seemingly did was commit a blatant couple of crimes (quite possibly both felonies) in the performance of his official duties, one of them allegedly violent, that violated the rights of a citizen. The officer was arrested but reportedly before his arrest he resigned. It's not the old days when Officer Bubba Bodinkus could do something like that and then if caught just resign and forget about it because after his resignation it would be swept under the carpet. I believe that officers who commit such offenses need to be prosecuted to highest extent if the law and hopefully that will be done in this case if all of the evidence warrants it.

All the best,
Glenn B