Click pic to interact with the interactive map
For those who think we post too many bad cop stories, I have the greatest respect for the good cops who do a hard, necessary job. But there are just too many violent, sadistic, crooked, and in many of these cases, incompetents among their ranks and the good ones should want to get rid of them. One would think every one of you do, too.
An Epidemic of “Isolated Incidents”
“If a widespread pattern of [knock-and-announce] violations were shown . . . there would be reason for grave concern.”
—Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy, in Hudson v. Michigan, June 15, 2006.An interactive map of botched SWAT and paramilitary police raids, released in conjunction with the Cato policy paper “Overkill: The Rise of Paramilitary Police Raids,” by Radley Balko.
When viewing the map, click on a balloon to read what happened on that raid.
ya i also think that we should respect good cops who do hard.
This might explain the rerunning of the British version of “Life on Mars”, on PBS of late. Trying to put a good face on today’s cops, by showing how far less professional cops of the 70s, were (maybe). I think the real difference between now and back then, might be that the public is willing to ask tougher questions of its police now. Rather than blindly trusting their actions. Which probably got started when the Rodney King beatings, showed up on camera. And the public could finally see, the sort of abuses they once only read about. Seeing, is believing, is getting super pissed.
That old question: “Who polices the police?”
More police. And now with the help of cameras in everything, we the people.
I hate dishonest cops and the system that protects them and my own experience at least on traffic stops is that cops file reports including the expected information whether such info was present or not–a low level thuggery the courts accept without comment – – -BUT- – – the posted map is for the whole country for multiple years and multiple offenses. If the map is not underreporting by a factor of 100 at a minimum, then the cops are doing an excellent job.
I checked California for 1998 for all offenses: total: zero.
Or maybe this is “swat teams only?” and not a guage of the day in and day out revenue raising activities?
Standards are so important.
So there are crooked cops. Where is the report on Crooked Doctors that defraud Medicare, do surgery on the wrong body part,take money from drug company’s,to promote, push the product? Mistakes hospitals make on a daily basis, that takes human lives. Where is the reports on The wrong that has been done to the American farmers by Washington? Where is the report on corruption in corporate America?..finally acknowledge, it seems to be a human trait embellished by the people to point, accuse, and send people to trial, without even set foot in a court room.
Apparently I am the star of this rodeo. Me and Cowboy Cops git her done!
This map tells us nothing that we don’t already know. Namely, the authorities are out of control. If the law won’t reign them in I am sure, eventually, vigilantes will. The Internet is a great venue for organizing “cells” of citizens. It is just a matter of time.
#6,
That is a completely different matter. Bad cops should be punished, Cops should be more professional, the justice system should work properly. It’s not that hard to understand, is it?
Does this become unimportant if other professions don’t police themselves? That’s a strange argument. We should be pushing all professions to be ethical and do their F*CKING JOBS, but that does not mean we shouldn’t push for reform among the police just because the other guys don’t monitor themselves either.
#9 Nobody is saying the BAD cops should be left unpunished! But you suggest the cops should be more professional? And the other professions I mentioned should some how be ignored? what is showing is your ignorance to the subject matter. No place did I mention that BAD cops should not be Punished. It is my opinion they should be weeded out from the beginning, a tough job, because they are not recognized some times until a situation surfaces. You Miss the point entirely. Any professional, should be held to some accountability, and Especially if they hold My/your life in their hands. You seem to suggest that other professions are OK with abuse of the system, but Cops should be on the front page.
The Law clearly deals with cops, but it has become mainstream media to have a trial through the media..there you go Judge, Jury, executioner..
@Perry Mazon
The difference between the police and other professionals is that they have the authority to use LETHAL force. They should be held to a HIGHER standard.
Oh, as for the law handling the police … remember Rodney King? From what I can tell there is no check what so ever on police power unless they are caught with their hand in the cookie jar AND on video. Even that didn’t help in the Rodney King case.
#11 “Held to a Higher standard” what is that? What standard are you talking about. If a anesthesiologist gives me a LETHAL dose of a sedative, and I cant Breathe, on my own now, or perhaps die because of his mistake?, Is that not “LETHAL” It is Negligence, no matter if it is a Cop, or Doctor, you, me..When you talk of Rodney King, that was a horrible beating that should not have happened, but these cops now days know, that with the invent of Cell phones, etc. they could, and should keep to the Higher standard you speak of..
perry,
Apples and oranges. We’re talking about cops here. That’s the point, not your hand-waving about doctors and others. One issue has nothing to do with the other.
@Perry Mazon
but these cops now days know, that with the invent of Cell phones, etc. they could, and should keep to the Higher standard you speak of..
Yes, but they don’t and that is the point.
#11 Also- I can tell you, that any Police Department will Have A Division called “Internal Affairs” no it is not a check on how people get along with the spouse, It is a Investigative Division that Investigates Complaints on officers. They go over Everything. They can recommend, everything to “No action” to Days off without pay, to Firing of the officer in question. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internal_affairs_%28law_enforcement%29) So Yes they are held to standards. I can tell you No cop wants to be in the IA office.
Yeah Yeah..when in doubt use the apple and orange cliche.. I sure want my surgeon to be Of this High standard you speak of, my Law enforcement officers, and Any member that serves the public, I understand we are talking about COPS here, I don’t need it pointed out again and again..Cops need to be held in check, and all I am saying..is you are pretty narrow minded if you can not see Cops are not the only people that make mistakes. When was the last time you made a mistake? Oh probably never. Any law enforcement agency makes one bad mistake, they all hire from the human race.
#5 “Or maybe this is “swat teams only?” and not a guage of the day in and day out revenue raising activities?”
This is just SWAT teams, not all police misconduct. If it was all police misconduct, you couldn’t see the map for all the push pins.
SWAT teams do a good job when they are doing the mission that they are designed for: resolving hostage situations and other situations where there is already violence going on.
The problem is they are used for things they shouldn’t like serving arrest warrants or search warrants against misdemeanor suspects. They go in shooting pets, sometimes innocent people, and use military weapons when that level of force is not required. Of course there is going to be more violence than necessary if you send in soldiers to arrest someone.
Easy solution: don’t send a SWAT team to arrest someone when it would be easier to have a couple of uniformed cops arrest the suspect when they go outside to get the paper or go to work.
Run for office Benjamin and I would vote for you. We need politicians that will bring these people to heel.
Perry,
When the debate ever becomes one about doctors, your comments will then be relevant. Since we aren’t, your comments are bullshit.
Smartalix-
You still do not understand true debate do you? I was trying to get you to get your head out of your ass long enough for you to see, I was trying to draw a parallel between two professions, but your bullheadedness has you permanently blind.
I’m blind to your feeble attempts to change the discussion. This is a discussion about cops, and nothing you can say will drive the discussion from it. Your actions only underscore the reality that you don’t want to talk about cops.
What do you want to know about them. I was one. I worked hard and I am tired of fools like you lumping the bad with the good. 200,000 people lost their lives due to medical mistakes last year alone. Look it up if you can. I don’t post here much, in fact not at all, but this is one subject I know Much about. Keep talking
Ah, the shoe drops. You might have a point Perry if the doctors killed their patients by cutting their throats with a scalpel. I can forgive an honest mistake but that isn’t what we are talking about here. We are talking about systematic and institutionalized brutality against citizens.
Negligence is Negligence. It is like looking at a black wall and calling it white. That’s the point..It is a epidemic in this county..Anyway..you see the point is If ..I draw a gun and shoot somebody holding a gun, then later found it to be a replica gun. It was a mistake. If a doctor gave what he thought to be a proper dose of a medicine, then later found it to be wrong. wrong is wrong. I do have a point, not might. Everyone makes mistakes, that was my original point. To say only law enforcement is the only profession who make errors is irresponsible..
#18 Improbus said, on May 25th, 2010 at 6:43 am
“Run for office Benjamin and I would vote for you. We need politicians that will bring these people to heel.”
Have you read post #17? It makes sense, so I couldn’t be a politician.
#6-12-15-16-20-22-24
Sounds logical. That does not sound to hard to grasp. (Local ncpd) EOW- 6-13-91
I ♥ Botched Paramilitary Police Raid Maps.
#24,
Sean Bell didn’t have a gun, did he? I don’t think Amadou Diallo had one either. So shut the F*CK up with your straw-man arguments and address the real facts brought up in the CATO paper. But I guess you didn’t bother to read it, huh?
#28 Sean Bell and Amadou Diallo were shot by uniformed cops, not SWAT, so they have nothing to do with this story.
What you should be complaining about is 7 year old Aiyana Jones who SWAT team members shot her while she was asleep. No excuse for that, especially since the police went in shooting.
I believe Sean Bell was trying to run down police while driving a SUV.
My version of Firefox, with a couple of security plug ins, seemed to think the web site was the home of Satan and his demon hoards. I had to kill the the browser, kill my connection to the net, launch Firefox then turn off the link to that site while Firefox was spinning its wheels trying to log on, turn my net connection back on then come back on line.
Thanks a lot.