Posted on 11/28/2010 12:55:20 AM PST by The Magical Mischief Tour
The state attorney’s office’s announcement last year that it was arresting six people in the Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office kickback scheme was big news.
It also set off a scramble for mug shots that exposed a potential point of contention the next time a law enforcement officer is arrested.
Florida Statute 119.071 gives a sworn law enforcement officer the right to request in writing that his or her arrest photograph not be released to the public.
Controversy can arise when the media looks for the photograph and a jail supervisor must decide whether to snub the media or ignore the jailed officer’s request.
It’s an issue Okaloosa County Corrections Director Larry Caskey doesn’t relish.
“This statute has really created a conundrum for us,” he said.
Caskey was faced with the dilemma for the first time in July 2009, when the Northwest Florida Daily News was looking for mug shots of former Chief Deputy Michael Coup and former Chief of Staff Sabra Thornton, who were arrested and charged with racketeering and grand theft, respectively.
Thornton and Coup had signed requests not to have their photographs released.
(Excerpt) Read more at nwfdailynews.com ...
So...
LE lobbies for laws that requires photos of drunks published in newspapers, they turn over names and addresses and booking photos to reporters for people arrested each and everyday, who publish them in papers all across the country.
They work with group who create various offender registries and laws that require you to place yourself on them or face further jail time, for life.
But when it comes to the identities of cops arrested for crimes, any crimes they have special laws which exempt them from such things that you and I are not...
Anyone see a problem here?
Hypocrisy?
Nah, no problem. After all, they are “The Ones,” who ARE so much better than we...after all, we’re just their bosses. How can we possibly demand that they be held to OUR standards?
How about don’t commit the crime???
This is disgusting. One set of rules for the Lords, another for the peasants. Let’s keep caste systems in India - it’s am import we don’t need.
Yes. And, I have for decades. Personally, I'm in the camp that says we should handle pre-trial booking photos and even the release of suspect's names, the EXACT same way that the UK does it. Unless it's for the express purpose of fugitive/suspect location and apprehension, someone's name who's accused of a crime nor their photo should be released without their permission, EXACTLY like the police here are petitioning for.
What's the purpose of release the accused's photo and name after they've been released from custody, and before trial? I can't think of any legitimate purpose.
I can agree with that.
But what we have is an Apartheid Criminal Justice System... and that’s exactly the way the police want it.
I think everyone knows there are “bad cops” in every police force. Human nature is what it is.
You say we have an “Apartheid Criminal Justice System”.
I say we have Legal System that has been so perverted by criminals and their lawyers, that Justice can barely be detected in it at all.
You seem to place “blame” on the police for the failure of our “Criminal Justice System”.
I place blame first on criminals, lawyers, politicians, and judges, in that exact order.
The next tier of “blame” I assign, is to the police and law abiding citizens who vote.
You have made it clear that you detest the police force.
How do you rank the criminals, lawyers, politicians,judges, and law abiding citizens?
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