Overlawyered – December 7, 2007:
Find a wallet, go to jail? New York undercover cops have been leaving wallets and purses around in public spots in the city, then arresting anyone who picks them up and doesn’t present them to a nearby uniformed officer. Some arrestees have otherwise clean records and say they intended to use ID inside the bags to notify the rightful owners. Putting money inside the bags didn’t lead to serious enough charges, in the coppers’ view, so they began salting them with live American Express cards so that the finders could be charged with grand larceny, with four years behind bars.
Over 300 People arrested so far…
The NYPD revealed Wednesday its Operation Lucky Bag stings have snared nearly 300 people – many of whom had no rap sheet before they fell for the ruse.
Since the start of the year, there have been 100 arrests as a result of the decoy operations, in which an undercover officer “drops” a wallet, iPod or cell phone in a subway station and cops pounce after it’s picked up.
well so much for trying to help out
I don’t agree with libertarianism for a lot of reasons, but this country needs a reset of some sort.
And just think… Guilianni-911 could be our next pres.
Wow, that will be fun.
They are just trying to fill that shortage of prisoners… no wait… that was prisons.
Finders Keepers.
Just one more reason to hate cops. Like I needed more.
It’s obvious that all real crime in NY has now been solved and the police now have to make some up to keep their budgets…
In a follow-up plan, NYPD plan to sell crack to elementary school children, then arrest their parents.
Maybe it’s time to turn the tables: leave booby-trapped donuts where cops will find them.
WTF!? How is this even possible? Is this the work of just two cops? I have trouble believing that a group of officers could be this stupid. How is that even a crime? How is it possible to call it stealing if you don’t turn the wallet over immediately to a police officer unless it is written on the books that that’s exactly what you must do. It seems pretty easy to prove that the actions of the accused are reasonable. I wouldn’t turn the wallet over to a cop because I wouldn’t trust them (and rightly so, it appears). The proper way is to take it into the police station so there is a record of it.
As far as I know, the sting operation is not legal in Canada.
Perhaps they were doing it to bring up the ratio of crimes solved.
Bloomie strikes again….
Gotta have those arrest stats to justify your existence, I guess….
Stu.
All this is really doing is wasting taxpayer’s time and money. According to an article in the NYTimes most of these are being thrown out of court because “the law gives people 10 days to turn in property they find.” So in order to get out of the charges all they have to do is say they were going to wait until they got home to contact the owner.
Wasting money and making people less and less likely to do anything to help someone else for fear that they get arrested. God bless the USA…
Next, cops will be dressing up as altar boys to entrap Catholic priests. Hey, wait a minute – that might be a good idea.
Knock it off.
#3: This is not Guilianni police anymore. During his “reign” over the city police improved results exactly because he focused it on areas with real crimes (famous real-time crime tracking using than emerging computer technology).
This is a typical Bloomberg action. During Bloomberg “reign” many similar trickery attempts were introduced either to raise fine-related police income or to implement his favorite social engineering schemes. This originates at the same place where trans-fat and smoking bans for the NYC have arrived from.
Lay the blame where it belongs.
Well, the unmarked “No Parking” zone scam works, why not the wallet scam?
Yeah, this flaming sack of Nazi dogshit has Bloomberg’s fingerprints all over it.
Imagine the kind of things we could enjoy were he President!
Firstly why is it so bloody complicated to comment or contact Dvorak Blog. Why don’t you make it as easy as it was before you ‘improved’ this blog site?
Re the NY cops trapping those who pick up the planted wallets.
It ain’t legal.
Grand Larceny is the attempt to permanently deprive. I’ve just looked it up. So. The question is “How do you prove (in law) that there was an intention to permanently deprive?” I’m still within the law if I hand the wallet in the following day – aren’t I?
I think that the 300 or so should go for a class action against this ‘lazy policing’ ‘cos that’s what it is. The police would rather do this than trap drug dealers, muggers, burglars and the rest. Then, just like they do in other countries, claim they’ve arrested more criminals, therefore they are doing a good job.
I think early retirement (pension held up until 65) with no wage compensation for loss of office would produce a shift in direction here.
This would be ideal for the bone-idle lazy bugger who thought this one up. Probably more suited to a job as a parking meter attendant actually.
By any viewpoint, it is a con on the public
I’m just happy that luring someone to commit a crime is illegal where I come from. The US legal system is seriously fucked up.
this just sounds like another quota scam
that is rampant here in the city. we have alot of people being arrested w/no evidence only to have charges thrown out
in court..
about 5 months ago, my g/f was arrested as she left a deli in the bronx on her way home from work. a supposed drug buy went down involving some kids next to the deli. it was said they threw down the evidence. of which she was closest too when she left the deli.
she was charged with possession heroin and crack and spent a night in jail (well, 19hrs). in court 4months later,
it was found the drugs had no drugs in them (none illegal, i guess) so they “lowered” the charges to loitering charge and a $95 dollar fine.
she has another court date as she contesting that charge.
she said about a quarter of the people
she met while in jail claimed they were arrested under similar conditions..
this sort of thing is known to happen alot more at the end of the month, when quotas are almost due..
And this is news? Cops trying to make their quota are a dime a dozen. The only solution is to stay home around the end of the month.
You want a raise? GO OUT THERE AND ARREST SOMEBODY!!!!!
GETOUTAHERE!!!!!!!!!
suckers.
1. a rich person Aint touching ANYTHING they find on the street.
2. Poor persons WOULD LOVE to have money to spend.
So WHY aim for the Basic instincts of MAN KIND.
All they are doing is Mess with the poor.
With additional facts favorable to the cops, this type of case was thrown out by one judge. Seems like all such arrests should be contested with the bottom line reality that “all” of the PD’s statistics would go negative?
Something doesn’t add up.
http://tinyurl.com/3bjs9f
I don’t understand why they don’t put drugs in the wallets and purses, then they’d have better arrests…
[Comment deleted – Violation of Posting Guidelines. – ed.]
That’s right.
Good Samaritans are really criminals in disguise. Always have been.
They’ve never used the proper procedure and this is proof of it.
They find the iPod, listen to it, then turn it in. Theft, and … where’s the RIAA when you need them?
They’ll look through the wallet and … cops never need to, but if they did, that’s different. They have the right.
You see, that badge of theirs is a license to do the right thing. Without the badge, doing the right thing is illegal.
I salute the NYPD in doing what’s necessary to stamp out criminality amongst the unlicensed masses!
I just have to say fuck’n A. New York sucks these dirty tactics suck worse. But think of this New York is the largest American city with sixteen million people. What does this mean it means 16 million people are not standing together and asking for real answers for 9/11 and the rest of this shit. We need to fight back when will we march in the streets and say no more to a tyranny of the minority the problem aint much more than 2.5%.
If I see a NYPD cop getting his ass kicked, or shot and bleeding on the sidewalk, I certainly won’t call 9/11 or help him. Who knows what trouble I could get into?
#26 – I like the disclaimer on that book:
“America Deceived: Homeland Security Warning: Possession of this novel may result in unlimited detention.”