Posted on 10/25/2004 8:40:14 AM PDT by neverdem
Two police officers dropped the handcuffed man on the brick steps before Sheila Harding's front door, she says.
From his knees, 23-year-old Richard William Rogers Jr. pleaded to the woman who helped raise him. "They're locking me up," he remembers saying. "But if you give them a gun, they'll let me go."
It was a startling proposition, Harding says: Trade a gun to avoid a criminal charge.
Interviews and court documents reveal this is a common deal offered by Baltimore police to the suspects they arrest, usually in minor drug cases. It's so typical that one lieutenant recently declared it a regular procedure within the Police Department's Southern District. And some officers developed forms to complete when conducting such exchanges.
"That's kidnapping and holding for ransom," says Harding, a 59-year-old South Baltimore resident. "And because they have a badge and a gun, they're allowed to get away with it."
Guns-for-freedom trades have persisted in Baltimore for years, largely unchecked by police department leaders and entirely unsanctioned by the rest of the criminal justice system. Prosecutors, defense attorneys, judges and residents say it raises serious concerns about the authority being exerted by the Baltimore Police Department.
The deals aren't legal or enforceable, experts say.
Residents such as Harding say the practice promotes unwarranted arrests. Criminal defense attorneys say the deals are frequently broken, prompting distrust of police. Prosecutors say police are usurping the power of prosecutors and judges.
"How is that justice?" asks Cheryl Jacobs, the chief prosecutor of the city state's attorney's narcotic division. "That's not the way our system of justice is set up to work. ... It's laudable to get guns off the street, but this is not the way we go about it."
Unofficially, officers and supervisors say it can be a good way to get a...
(Excerpt) Read more at baltimoresun.com ...
This is one case in which I think the A.C.L.U. needs to be involved in.
for a minor offense ?? I hate to say it, but not a bad idea for BOTH sides.
the drug possession laws are a travesty to begin with.
The weapons from such shake-downs can be used for throwaways (after using them to murder pesky petty criminals or citizens who feud with public officials) or sold to the more organized criminals for cash.
Quite a few years ago, most municipal police chiefs voted Democrat. Now that most police are not married or have been divorced at least once, most municipal police vote Democrat.
Bookmark bump
trade your guns for shackles
No, it is the stupidest thing I have ever heard of.
If they deserve to be arressted, they let them pay a bribe and get off.
The idea that they are reducing crime by removing an easily replaceable tool is idiotic beyond belief.
The Maryland state authorities need to investigate and prosecute this shakedown menace.
What criminal would hear of this "program" and fail to set aside a cheap gun as an insurance policy? It's probably much cheaper than posting bail. Some career criminals might have to buy cheap guns by the dozen.
So if I'm a criminal, all I have to do is keep a stolen gun around, and any time I get busted, the cops will let me off. Yeah that's brilliant!
What do they do with the guns?
"The Maryland state authorities need to investigate and prosecute this shakedown menace."
No kidding, I think Mexican border town cops have better ethics than this. Ridiculous.
I agree. They should be all fired, from the Police Chief down.
Can everyone say "POLICE STATE" !!!!!!!!!!
What a crock of BS this is. Let the judges sort out who's guilty and who's not. The police do not have the right to judge and then execute a "fine" for ANY alleged crime. This practice is the first step to a Totalitarian Govt.
Brilliant indeed. Have a cheap Saturday Night Special the location of which you can disclose, but not in your personal possession, and walk. Brilliant insight indeed!
Pardon me for making another comment, but I couldn't resist.
Give me an illegal and I'll let you walk.
Nonsense!
Cops are paid to enforce the law - period.
It doesn't matter what your "feelings" are. If it's not the law, it's not enforceable.
That assumes you would know if the person offered is an illegal, and since you're not allowed to ask, the illegal would have to come forth to admit such.
Yeah, right!
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