Drug War Issues
We have a Deep South trio of dirty officers this week. Let's get to it:
In Brandon, Mississippi, a veteran drug enforcement officer with the Rankin County Sheriff's Office was arrested August 20. Deputy Scott Walters, head of drug enforcement and the department's drug dog officer, is charged with falsifying his time sheet. That charge is a felony. More charges could follow.
In Cochran, Georgia, a Cochran police officer was arrested August 20 on drug and other charges. Officer Elijah Mills, 30, faces charges of conspiracy to sell a controlled substance and violating his oath of office. His arrest comes as the Georgia Bureau of Investigation is investigating allegations of misconduct in the department.
In Baton Rouge, Louisiana, a former East Baton Rouge Parish sheriff's deputy was sentenced last Friday to 10 years in prison on drug charges. Former deputy Larry Wright, 28, was convicted of attempted possession with intent to distribute cocaine and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense. He will also do three years of supervised release after serving his time.
Read last issue's corrupt cops stories here.
Permission to Reprint: This content is licensed under a modified Creative Commons Attribution license. Content of a purely educational nature in Drug War Chronicle appear courtesy of DRCNet Foundation, unless otherwise noted.
Comments
It's Way Past Time to Watch the Watchers
I am favor of direct civilian oversight of the police department, and the demilitarization of local police and county law enforcement. At the state and national level I can see the need for more firepower, but it should be vested in the National Guard and not militarized police forces. Armored cars, SWAT teams, and militarized officers are killing and brutalizing innocent people (including mayors of Prince Georges County towns) in a perverted, misguided, and monstrously costly "War on Drugs." This has corrupted the police and judicial system in this and every other country, just like a national association of police chiefs said it would, in 1912, when commenting on the proposed anti-narcotics Harrison Act.
I believe technology now exists that could easily record and transmit to a remote server/recorder the entire shift of every sworn police officer. We will be more reasonable with them than ever are to us, by allowing them to escape the mandatory audio/video surveillance during their off hours -- unless, of course, they are carrying their badges and/or weapons. If the gun goes on, the camera goes on. If an officer is caught on duty, or off duty while armed, without the camera, it should be an instant suspension.
Right now, I am supporting the NAACP's effort to get citizens to upload their videos of police misconduct to a remote server with their cellphones. I am personally working to develop a WiFi portable video camera, perhaps even a 3G version, so that all video is uploaded in real time to a remote location. Police can no longer seize or destroy cellphones or camcorders when they have been caught committing crimes under color of authority.
We're headed toward a police state, and forget the slippery slope. We're moving at a faster pace now than I ever achieved with my old garden-hose-powered Slip-'n'-Slide game. The first order of business, and the first line of defense, is to combat corruption and abuse by the people who are sworn to protect and serve -- protect and serve us, not their crooked colleagues. Since the culture of silence and the blue line hold back reform, police departments and other law agencies cannot be trusted to police themselves. It's way past time to watch the watchers.
In reply to It's Way Past Time to Watch the Watchers by ejay (not verified)
Reply: It's Way Past Time to Watch the Watchers
I love this idea! Cops get away with WAAAAAY too much. I hope you don't mind me spreading your article around in the way of blogs. I will, of course, credit your name.
Copcams
Oh, hell yeah, manditory video monitoring of all police activity. Cops should HAVE to wear video capture gear, at all times while on duty. A nice little SSD,CCD unit for a couple of hundred bucks should do. Because, when they're on duty, they work for us. And if they don't like it, move on.
In reply to Copcams by joebanana (not verified)
And grand jurys have to follow politicians, prosecutors, etc...
And grand jurys have to follow politicians, prosecutors, etc... that way the next time one of them opens there mouth in public they can be arrested for perjury. He He He what a wet dream!
I'm with you,
Thomas Paine IVXX
B.S. Do as Barry Cooper suggests... whenever safely possible refuse to talk directly to them. Insist they call you on the phone and video document everything when you can. A guy did this successfully down south at a border crossing (50 mi. north of the border?) because they wanted him to pull over and have his car inspected... he rightfully refused... but because he disagreed with their authority... the border dudes claimed that was sufficient evidence of strange behavior... and therefore a serach? WTF? Pure Circular Logic by Lunatics?
Who killed judicial review and oversite?
Who killed judicial review and oversite?
That's what I want to know because therein lies the problem and, thus, the answer!
We need to go back to imprisoning perjurors instead of making them judges & prosecutors... or worse... political & cultural warriors!
The '3 stike rule' should also apply to perjurors... 3 lies while under the oath of your office... life in prison... and let kharma deal with them!
My rights are not privileges,
Thomas Paine IVXX
B.S. " In politics, a revolutionary is someone who supports abrupt, rapid, and drastic change, while a reformist is someone who supports more gradual and incremental change." - Wiki
and the legislators as well?
I wonder what the results of urine tests given to members of the legislatures might reveal? Fat chance of that ever happening!
In reply to and the legislators as well? by Francis Kent (not verified)
Test them for all drugs... especially hard drugs like alcohol...
Test them for all drugs... especially hard drugs like alcohol... and since alcohol is deadlier that cannabis they would have to be impeached & imprisoned for 3-5 yr. min.
We need a new law: "The Perjurors, Prohibionists, and Pathetic Politicians Act' ['4PA' for short]. The '4PA' would remove the 'grand jury' requirement for perjury charges against gov't officials and representatives. This way television and other mediums can be used as evidence of perjury in a court of their ruination!
This will help create a new age, I call: "The Age of Legality"!
I also wonder what would happen if they were given I.Q. tests and had to pass a test on the 'rule of law' ie the Constitution and the DoI... bet most would fail... miserably!
Cheers,
Thomas Paine IVXX
B.S. No one ever said they had to be smart... just representative? wtf!
Back at you mate... fortune favours the bold!
Back at you mate... fortune favours the bold!
But, Beware the Ides of March,
Thomas Paine IVXX
B.S. Fortune favours the bold! [Declared Pliny the Elder] commanding his ship to rescue her from the foot of Mt. Vesuvius... a brave deed that lead to his death... by poisonous, sulphuric gases?
When Police Have More Cash & Assets Than They Can Explain
All police involved in narcotics interdiction should have to provide semiannually for inspection, a personal financial disclosure report. If a police officer cannot explain cash, assets and expenditures exceeding their paycheck capability, that would raise a red flag of possible corruption. A non-police civilian committee should review those reports.
More On Assets Explaination
A good I.R.S. audit could uncover dirty cops. They gave me hell in '93 on an anonomous false report of tax fraud. Incidentally, I DID NOT cooporate with their investigation and won anyway, which resusted in a personal letter of apology from them. They really saying, please don't tello your senators.
Drug Test & Polygraph Them All... Every Month!
Unfortuanately this will never happen... it's too expensive... having to replace your entire police force every year... not to mention the cost of incarcerting all the perjurors for 5 yrs.!
Choose Legality,
Thomas Paine IVXX
B.S. Here's a funny (award winning) look at what we should be doing to our antagonists: www.bigbuckbunny.com
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