Anal Cavity Searches: Another Horrible Drug War Atrocity
I hate how easy it is to find new and insane stories of drug war villainy each and every day. Today's episode comes to us by way of Detroit, where a couple young drug cops have become known as the "Booty Boys" due to their thorough approach when searching drug suspects:
Two Detroit cops dogged by accusations of illegal body cavity searches during various traffic stops in 2006 are finally getting their day in court.
…
A civil trial is under way in which Terence Hopkins of Highland Park says he was groped by the officers known on the streets of southwest Detroit as the "Booty Boys."
…
Two other men who sued the cops on similar allegations, Elvis Ware and Marcus Wrack, are expected to testify on Hopkins’ behalf. Both men received small settlements from the city.The officers have been the focus of eight lawsuits claiming such searches filed by 10 men in U.S. District and Wayne County Circuit courts in Detroit.
Two men, Byron Ogletree and Marjjo Clyburn, with similar allegations against the officers, received payouts from the city two years ago of $349,000 each without filing a lawsuit. [Detroit Free Press]
The officers claim it's all just a conspiracy, but it sure sounds like a lot of different people have the same beef with them. I don't know these cops, but I know the drug war, which makes me a sympathetic audience for claims of excessive anal cavity searches.
This is what happens when you tell police their top priority is to catch people in possession of tiny objects. It's bad enough that our stupid drug laws would ever lead people to hide drugs in their butt. But when police actually begin operating under that assumption, that's just a nightmare for everybody.
Now that the cops' faces are in the paper, I wonder how many more victims will come forward. Moreover, I wonder how many more headlines like this it will take to convince the American public that modern drug enforcement is inherently abusive and disgusting. We've created a monster and there's just no limit whatsoever to the perversion that it unleashes on our streets every hour of the day. As long as these laws exist, as long as police are incentivized to do these unbelievable things, no one will be safe.
digg
redditWOW
Comment posted by mlang52 on Wed, 09/30/2009 - 1:14amThey decided to take the hands on approach, eh? Some, might see that as perverted. I am sure their motives are in question, by now, anyway.
Jury, who heard the
Comment posted by Anonymous on Wed, 09/30/2009 - 7:34pmJury, who heard the evidence, didn't buy it. They rejected the liar's claims today. Maybe you should be more concerned about getting the dealers off the street and ending drug violence. If it happens in your neighborhood, who are you going to call...oh I know...the police.
I will NEVER call the police
Comment posted by Moonrider on Thu, 10/01/2009 - 3:23amRegardless of what might happen in my neighborhood, I will never again call the cops, I have read about (and seen in my own state/county/city) far too many cases of misconduct and abuse by the police. Far too often they break down the wrong doors, arrest the wrong person, shoot the dog(s) for no reasonable reason, beat people who are helpless (either already cuffed and down, or handicapped like the guy in the wheelchair with no legs). Nope, the cops are not our friends, they are not our protectors, they no longer serve us, the vast majority of them are thugs through and through and no longer deserving of any respect from the citizenry, the few who are not violent thugs, are just as bad because they don't try to stop the thugs, not in any way whether by actually trying to stop the misconduct during the act or reporting it after the act.
I'm pro-choice on EVERYTHING!
Total in U.S.?
Comment posted by George on Tue, 09/29/2009 - 12:20pmIs anyone aware of any data available that shows how many anal cavity searches occur each year and what the results are?
- George