Fugitives roam free, endanger public: Many are easily found

Detroit News ^ | December 8, 2002 | Norman Sinclair, Ronald J. Hansen, Melvin Claxton

[sarcasm]

Kenneth Everhart was charged with attempted murder after police say he helped beat a man so badly with a baseball bat that the victim was confined to a wheelchair. For the past seven months, Everhart, 44, has been a fugitive.

But he is hardly hiding.

[RippleFire]

BUMP

[Capitalist Eric]

You know....... this article is something I find absolutely repulsive... I am so sick of hearing how the police are doing their job- seeing "Cops" on TV, NYPD Blue, CSI-wherever, etc... These shows all make being a cop such a noble thing- like our tax dollars are actually being used for something worthwhile.... but as this article points out, we obviously aren't getting much "bang" for our tax buck.

I'm not saying that all cops (or even most) are bad... What I AM saying... is that between these examples, and the illegals allowed to walk the streets here.... the law enforcement community at large is NOT doing enough....

[CWRWinger]

I noticed a lot of the male fugatives mentioned in this article, live with their mother.

As a college professor told us years ago, a matriarchal family structure will lead to the breakdown of civilization. This is because women have a harder time making difficult moral decisions than men. Like turning their son into the authorities.

[Catspaw]

No surprise. Very few law enforcement agencies have a fugitive squad or task force. They wait until the person is caught for another reason--with luck, just running a red light rather than murder or rape--and then busted on the outstanding warrant. If a citizen reports a fugitive, unless it's a high-level crime, they don't respond immediately.

[philman_36]

"To say that we are not doing anything about (fugitives) would be remiss," said Deputy Chief Ronald Haddad, of the Detroit Police Department. "The reorganization plan the chief put into effect is designed to put as many people in patrol as possible. Every day we are raiding drug houses with wanted people, we are sweeping the streets, we are doing everything we can do to ensure the safety of the neighborhoods and kids going to school in the morning."

EGADS...it's spreading. The War on (some) Drugs is spreading into the apprehension of some fugitives.
Maybe because they can't seize the property (asset forfeiture) of the other types of "fugitives". Got to keep costs down ya know, and it's all for the children. Are only the drug houses with wanted people dangerous to neighborhoods and kids? Why not murderers, thieves, rapists, etc.?
As transparent as Saran Wrap!

[sarcasm]

If you can take it:

Fugitives roam free, endanger public
Kenneth Everhart was charged with attempted murder after police say he helped beat a man so badly with a baseball bat that the victim was confined to a wheelchair. For the past seven months, Everhart, 44, has been a fugitive. 12/08/02

Thousands evade justice as Wayne County system fails to track wanted suspects and confiscate bond money
Detroit police fail to routinely hunt fugitives, allowing more than 26,000 accused felons to escape justice and continue their lives with little fear of apprehension, a six-month Detroit News investigation has found. 12/08/02

Fugitives found by The Detroit News
The newspaper easily found these individuals wanted on criminal charges whom police failed to locate or didn't pursue. The names and addresses of fugitives The News located were turned over  12/08/02

Fugitives for whom pictures are not available
 12/08/02

Officers unknowingly release fugitives after traffic stops
When Detroit police pulled over Tyrone Richardson in September 2000 for doing 50 mph in a 20 mph zone, they gave him a ticket for speeding and driving without insurance, then let him go. 12/08/02

Records system slow, antiquated
It is one of the most powerful tools in the search for fugitives. 12/08/02

Trail of crime ends in officer's slaying
Detroit police knew James Maurice Langford was dangerous and violent. 12/08/02

Fugitives murder while on the loose
Some fugitives have used their ill-gotten freedom as a license to kill. 12/08/02

Detroit's most-wanted missing from database
They head the list of Detroit's most wanted accused felons, men and women charged with some of the most brutal and cold-blooded murders, rapes and robberies in the city. 12/08/02

[moneyrunner]

This is Detroit.

[philman_36]

They wait until the person is caught for another reason--with luck, just running a red light rather than murder or rape--and then busted on the outstanding warrant.
You didn't read the article, did you?

[coloradan]

Here's a case for privatizing the police, for example, by reinstituting bounty hunters. This newspaper agency found a bunch of fugitives without even being being paid any bounties, because the police couldn't even be bothered to check the residences of fugitives, where many were staying.

[Catspaw]

Yeah, I did read the article. I should've been more clear & had more coffee. I should've said, "It's only when they're caught in the act of rape or murder or nearby the scene...." The police here are more aggressive than Detroit (anyone could be more aggressive than that) when it's rape or murder AND have an ID, but, frankly, for lesser crimes, unless the person is dropped in their laps, they aren't going to go out looking for them.

[philman_36]

Yeah, I did read the article.
I was wondering. It sure wasn't a consistent statement with what the article stated was happening.
And if you note, as I did, the Detroit police are aggresive in finding certain wanted persons. They even say they are. It appears that they are aggresive in finding wanted persons in asset forfeiture cases.

[Catspaw]

But not murder or rape. Priorities, you know.

[TopQuark]

You are rightfully agitated, but your anger is misdirected: it is not the cops usually but the courts and the politicians that tie their hands. This is the same illness as VietNam: the soldiers are thrown in, not allowed to fight, and then... blamed for the failure, spat in the face when they return home.

Note that the article gives a huge laundry list of cases, where one half would we enough to make a point. With all the space available, not a hint of an explanation from the police. Why where they not asked? Make your guess.

[eno_]

They could probably have filled the day's paper with outstanding default warrants.

The OBVIOUS point is:

Cops are lazy, stupid, unionized, money-grubbing, cowardly, and corrupt. You might expect that in Detroit, but what major city could not have the same story in tommorow's paper?

Cops' priorities and not the people's priorities. They look for property siezure first. Y'all are on your own for personal safety.

The Drug War is a giant engine of corruption. We won't have effective policing until it is ended.

[TopQuark]

The Drug War is a giant engine of corruption

Sorry, but this is ridiculous.

[dennisw]

Detroit is run by a corrupt 3rd world government with a 3rd world police force with a 3rd world judicial system. Am I missing something here?

[dennisw]

Execute all hard drug pushers. That's all we need for a good start.

Steppenwolf /Hoyt Axton

You know, I've seen a lot of people walkin' 'round
With tombstones in their eyes
But the pusher don't care
Ah, if you live or if you die

God damn, The Pusher
God damn, I say The Pusher
I said God damn, God damn The Pusher man

[eno_]

Not ridiculous at all. You don't even make an attempt to refute what this article documents: That is there isn't a property siezure involved, the cops are not interested.

That's total systemic corruption.

And you can say it is "ridiculous" that the Drug War is the problem? How so? The example shown here is that an entire big-city police force has been made worse than useless to the people of that city mostly through influences of the Drug War. And that's not even counting individual cases of police corruption, incompetence, malfeasance, endangerment (i.e. though botched raids) etc.

It is the Drug War that has a credibility gap: with documentation like this, it is the police that have to prove they are not bent.

[eno_]

Look at the numbers: hard drugs are not economically significant. The money is all in pot, coke, x, and speed. You could put speed in either category, but needle drugs are a drop in the bucket. As satisfying as it might be to execute heroin dealers, it will not make a measurable difference to anything.