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WHY POLICE OFFICERS LIE UNDER OATH.
instapundit ^ | February 4, 2013 | Glenn Harlan Reynolds

Posted on 02/04/2013 2:26:43 PM PST by virgil283

“In this era of mass incarceration, the police shouldn’t be trusted any more than any other witness, perhaps less so. That may sound harsh, but numerous law enforcement officials have put the matter more bluntly. . . . Police departments have been rewarded in recent years for the sheer numbers of stops, searches and arrests. In the war on drugs, federal grant programs like the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program have encouraged state and local law enforcement agencies to boost drug arrests in order to compete for millions of dollars in funding. Agencies receive cash rewards for arresting high numbers of people for drug offenses, no matter how minor the offenses or how weak the evidence. Law enforcement has increasingly become a numbers game. And as it has, police officers’ tendency to regard procedural rules as optional and to lie and distort the facts has grown as well. Numerous scandals involving police officers lying or planting drugs — in Tulia, Tex. and Oakland, Calif., for example — have been linked to federally funded drug task forces eager to keep the cash rolling in. . . .

(Excerpt) Read more at pjmedia.com ...


TOPICS: Government; Society
KEYWORDS: biggestgangintown; corruption; cultureofcorruption; donutwatch; drugs; drugwar; drunkdriving; dwi; fraud; govtabuse; highwayrobbery; leo; lyingleos; militarizedpolice; perjury; police; policeofficerslie; policestate; rapeofliberty; revenuetickets; tyranny; tyrany; warondrugs; waronliberty; wod; wodlist; wosd
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"Remarkably, New York City officers have been found to engage in patterns of deceit in cases involving charges as minor as trespass. In September it was reported that the Bronx district attorney’s office was so alarmed by police lying that it decided to stop prosecuting people who were stopped and arrested for trespassing at public housing projects, unless prosecutors first interviewed the arresting officer to ensure the arrest was actually warranted. Jeannette Rucker, the chief of arraignments for the Bronx district attorney, explained in a letter that it had become apparent that the police were arresting people even when there was convincing evidence that they were innocent. To justify the arrests, Ms. Rucker claimed, police officers provided false written statements, and in depositions, the arresting officers gave false testimony. "..[from the link]
1 posted on 02/04/2013 2:26:45 PM PST by virgil283
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To: virgil283

Speaking as a former Prosecutor, while the overwhelming number of Officers are good decent people trying to do their job the best they can, the Public would be floored at how often they lie. It is certainly more than a rare event.


2 posted on 02/04/2013 2:43:59 PM PST by RIghtwardHo
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To: RIghtwardHo

There seems to be similar incentives for prosecutors to proceed and aid and abet the Police in sleazy practices..


3 posted on 02/04/2013 2:46:53 PM PST by Paladin2
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To: RIghtwardHo

Annie Dookhan: "What difference does it make?"

4 posted on 02/04/2013 2:49:00 PM PST by Diogenesis (De Oppresso Liber)
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To: virgil283

I object to drawing broad conclusions from individual examples. Because the police in the Bronx or NYC think that ‘making numbers’ is their job does NOT mean that every PD or even every officer thinks or behaves that way.

I find it interesting that this an ever increasing effort to make our police officers out as the bad guy and never to be trusted no matter what. Across this nation there are many local PDs and Sheriffs offices that do a very tough job and do it well.

I am tired of the singularities thrown about as proof


5 posted on 02/04/2013 3:04:11 PM PST by Nifster
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To: Paladin2

Police, prosecutors and judges - all work for the GOVERNMENT.


6 posted on 02/04/2013 3:09:59 PM PST by Fido969
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To: virgil283

The police are the hands of the government. Those conservatives here who (rightly, in my view) lack trust in the government should reflect on what that means regarding the police.


7 posted on 02/04/2013 3:12:28 PM PST by muir_redwoods (Don't fire until you see the blue of their helmets)
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To: Nifster

“Because the police in the Bronx or NYC think that ‘making numbers’ is their job does NOT mean that every PD or even every officer thinks or behaves that way.”

Well, ok. EVERY officer is certainly not true. How about most officers? My retired cop friend has plenty of stories of cops lying in court. All totally justified, of course. If you trust cops, you are a fool.


8 posted on 02/04/2013 3:24:41 PM PST by zagger
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To: virgil283
why??? because they can, with virtual impunity...
9 posted on 02/04/2013 3:26:14 PM PST by Chode (Stand UP and Be Counted, or line up and be numbered - *DTOM* -ww- NO Pity for the LAZY)
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To: Fido969

I know that they don’t view themselves as my servants.


10 posted on 02/04/2013 3:36:38 PM PST by Paladin2
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To: zagger

And again you generalize from an instance to the whole....logically flawed under any conditions.

Your cynicism is a sad commentary on your life


11 posted on 02/04/2013 3:37:28 PM PST by Nifster
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To: zagger

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08fZQWjDVKE


12 posted on 02/04/2013 3:41:25 PM PST by Paladin2
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To: virgil283
To justify the arrests, Ms. Rucker claimed, police officers provided false written statements, and in depositions, the arresting officers gave false testimony.

The real culprit here is the prosecutor. If cop perjury led to prosecution, conviction, and heavy prison time for the perjuring cop, then false testimony from cops would cease.

Police, like most people, respond rationally to the incentives in front of them. If they are rewarded for arrests, and not penalized for lying in order to get those arrests, then many will lie.

13 posted on 02/04/2013 3:43:39 PM PST by PapaBear3625 (You don't notice it's a police state until the police come for you.)
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To: Nifster

America has changed since I was growing up in small town America in the 50’s. And not for the better.


14 posted on 02/04/2013 3:46:34 PM PST by Paladin2
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To: Paladin2

With the exception of eliminating legal segregation.


15 posted on 02/04/2013 3:49:40 PM PST by Paladin2
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To: Nifster
I object to drawing broad conclusions from individual examples. Because the police in the Bronx or NYC think that ‘making numbers’ is their job does NOT mean that every PD or even every officer thinks or behaves that way.

Show me the law where it says a LEO must always tell the truth to a suspect in the same way that a suspect must always tell the truth to a LEO.

I find it interesting that this an ever increasing effort to make our police officers out as the bad guy and never to be trusted no matter what. Across this nation there are many local PDs and Sheriffs offices that do a very tough job and do it well.

When the LEOs start trusting every single citizen they meet, then we can trust every LEO we meet. Just as they assume that every citizen they meet is a potential cop-killer, then citizens must assume that every LEO we meet is a crooked cop.

I am tired of the singularities thrown about as proof

There are two types of cops in the world --those who've been caught in their lies and those who have yet to be caught lying.

16 posted on 02/04/2013 3:57:15 PM PST by Ol' Dan Tucker (People should not be afraid of the government. Government should be afraid of the people)
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To: Paladin2

They do it because there are no consequences for it. That’s why.


17 posted on 02/04/2013 3:57:49 PM PST by Lurker (Violence is rarely the answer. But when it is it is the only answer.)
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To: PapaBear3625
The real culprit here is the prosecutor. If cop perjury led to prosecution, conviction, and heavy prison time for the perjuring cop, then false testimony from cops would cease.

And, judges. I have personally witnessed two cases in which the cop lied on the stand about facts material to the case (perjury) which led to the dismissal of the charges and the only thing the judge did was to give the lying cop(s) a stern talking-to.

18 posted on 02/04/2013 4:01:54 PM PST by Ol' Dan Tucker (People should not be afraid of the government. Government should be afraid of the people)
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To: Ol' Dan Tucker
Never confuse the Legal System with Justice (I'm sure you well know that).

One rarely gets more Justice from the Legal System than one pays for.

19 posted on 02/04/2013 4:06:28 PM PST by Paladin2
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To: virgil283
In the private sector, employees are judged by results: profit increased, costs were cut, etc..

But in the public sector, employees are typically evaluated by the number of tasks completed: welfare cases processed, new food stamp reciepients signed up, or number of tickets issued.

Results [society's problems reduced] don't figure in. Just look busy.

20 posted on 02/04/2013 4:37:23 PM PST by BfloGuy (Money, like chocolate on a hot oven, was melting in the pockets of the people.)
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