SACPD - Spreading the Word About Police Corruption and Brutality

I was asked recently if I thought SACPD.com exposing the corruption and misconduct in our government, specifically the law enforcement sector, would have any effect in curtailing this growing problem. The short answer is yes, in time. Our society has become complacent as the issue has become more and more common, but the word must be spread for any changes to take place.

Unless the evidence is completely overwhelming and the act is so outrageous that it is shocking, most accusations of brutality or corruption are ignored. It seems to take a complete and overwhelming miscarriage of justice for anyone to even notice. Police need to shoot someone such as Kathryn Johnson, the 92 year old granny gunned down in her own home, for any public outcry at all.

One fundamental flaw (but certainly not the only one) in our legal system, the system that was designed to protect us, is the corruption of the people making the decision to prosecute cases of corruption and brutality: the District Attorney and Internal Affairs offices.

On the surface it seems to make sense to have state and county attorneys deciding who to charge with crimes. However, the problem is these folks are basically coworkers of law enforcement. They know that if they were to take on anything but the most egregious cases they would soon be out of a job or ostracized and find their careers stalled.  

Another issue is the complete desensitization of criminal acts through shows like “Cops” and “Wildest Police Chases”. Just last week I was watching a police chase on television where the officers knew who the person was that they were pursuing. He was a young man of 18 with a history of traffic violations. This particular time he made the decision not to stop and attempted to elude officers with two teen girls in his car.

The young man took off down the highway in crowded traffic at over 120 MPH. The officers were talking to each other on the radio and several times said he was going to crash. Their conversation basically amounted to “let’s chase him until he cracks up but stay back so we don’t get involved in the accident.”

Was it their fault he ran? Of course it was not. But knowing who this boy was and not calling off the very dangerous chase  was completely their fault. The boy eventually lost control and ran into a concrete bridge support killing one of the young girls in his car and critically injuring the other. The blood of these children is not only on the hands of the young man eluding the officers but every officer involved in that chase.

They could have turned off their lights and sirens, called off the chase and arrested him at him that evening or in school the next day. There was no reason to play that chase out like it was a game and to kill that little girl.

Ask yourself this question: How was chasing someone at high speed for a minor traffic violation knowing that there was a very good chance he could crash and kill someone working in the best interest of the public?

If he was arrested in a safe manner and charged with eluding an officer and given an appropriate sentence for that crime there is a chance that he could have been rehabilitated. Instead we have three devastated families. One with a son that will spend the rest of his life in prison, another with a dead child and a third left in emotional and financial ruin.

This officer should have been fired and charged with murder himself. Instead he was played off on television as being some kind of hero.

There is also a need to somehow get people past the thought process that all police are good and honest without undermining the respect and trust they should normally be given. A good friend of mine told me a story about doing jury duty down in L.A. a few years ago. Another juror on the case made the statement that “they wouldn’t have arrested him unless he did it”.

Automatically they are believed as being right and justified for their actions. Have you noticed how people are “taken down” during arrests? It is nearly as common for officers to ask someone to turn and put their hands behind their back as it is for a couple of officers to body slam someone and take them to the ground.

Is there really a need for officers to become brutal and violent BEFORE there is an attempt to resist or there is some other clear threat? Of course, not but we see it happen all the time. It is now the norm for a person to be slammed to the ground for shoplifting or drug out through the window of their car for soliciting a prostitute when there is no apparent elevated risk to the arresting officers.

Usually a body slam by an officer will be followed by the magic words – “stop resisting”. This is the phrase that is used to justify any injuries to the suspect. I have even seen officers look up and yell it to the camera as if to justify themselves on the spot.

“Look at me. I have a badge, and I say he is resisting so it is ok that I’m trying to break his wrists putting these cuffs on and that all my body weight is being pressed down into his neck through my knee. And my partner, he is a hero too. Look how he is kneeing the suspect in the lower back and twisting his ankle. This is what happens when you ‘resist’”

I have seen officers pounce on suspects that were laid out spread eagle on the ground waiting to be arrested. Take your hand and press it as hard as you can to the back of your neck. If you were suddenly slammed to the ground and had ten times that amount of pressure applied to your neck would you resist? The natural reaction is to try to move away from the pain, which is resisting, which is followed up by more force.

I am hoping the pendulum is about to start swinging the other direction, and sites like mine spreading the word will help make people more aware of the rights that have been taken away. The more people that understand and speak out, the more likely we will one day be safe from the protectors that are endangering our way of life.

 If you haven't already done so now would  be a great time for you to link your blog or website to SACPD.com, and do your part to spread the word.