Adding to this common problem in larger metropolitan police forces in the US is their rapid militarization.<p>Shaking down kids while cruising around in a black and white is one thing. Being equipped with military gear including armored cars opens up a whole new level of control issues.<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/photos-the-rook-armored-caterpillar-vehicle-swat-teams-police-usa-iacp-2017-10" rel="nofollow">http://www.businessinsider.com/photos-the-rook-armored-cater...</a>
The article doesn't mention how Detective Sean Suiter was shot in the head the day before he was to testify for the grand jury against the task force officers.<p>FWIW, this was not news to the residents of Baltimore. They have been talking about this for over 25 years. Anyone who listened could hear about it. Nobody really gave a shit.<p>A friend of mine grew up in East Baltimore. They would sit outside on their stoop, because the parents didn't want them inside, and there was no place to play outside other than in the street - no playgrounds, no trees, no parks, no back yards. Sometimes cops would roll up on their corner, get out, and question them about what they were doing. "We're sitting." They were told to empty their pockets. If they had any money on them, the police would confiscate it and drive off.<p>Re: "one of the most startling police corruption scandals in a generation" - they aren't mentioning how Baltimore City Detention Center was literally controlled entirely by the Black Guerrilla Mafia for 20 years. 44 employees and inmates were arrested in a sting operation a few years ago.<p>Or how the city's police used aerial and other surveillance methods (thanks, FBI) to tap and track mobile phones without a warrant or court order.<p>Other recent controversies involve the wrongful death of Freddie Gray, planting drugs on a suspect <i>on camera</i>, and a US Justice Department report condemning the BCPD for "violating the constitutional rights of citizens, using excessive force, and discriminating against African Americans".
Baltimore police were stealing drugs from Baltimore dealers and selling the stolen drugs to dealers in Philadelphia.<p>Hard to believe actions like that were taking place in the U.S. Sounds like something straight out of a Narcos episode.
<i>The fallout from the gun task force scandal has been substantial. Baltimore state’s attorney has dropped at least 125 criminal cases related to the task force and continues to investigate others. The public defender’s office estimates that the number of tainted cases is likely closer to 3,000.</i>
Does a citizen have any legal recourse or entitled to compensation if a citizen's house was raided multiple times on false pretenses or a fabricated warrant by these fine upstanding officers (The ones being indicted)? I'm asking for a friend.. :-/
Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?<p>There needs to be an independent police force to police the police. Internal affairs is a joke, and the interests of DAs are too closesly aligned with police to be a reliable check.
Police follow a code that is not unlike that followed by groups that they have legal authority over. When one officer refuses to be an accomplice to a crime committed by another officer, the officer is culturally pressured not to act in a way that would attack the offending officer. One reason for this is you ought not throw stones when you live in a glass house. Officers commit crimes for all sorts of reasons: mistakes, shortcuts, aggression, revenge. Further, if officers blew the whistle on each other for every matter, the culture would turn to disrespect and distrust among those whose lives depend on each other.<p>So, Baltimore ends up with much greater problems as smaller ones snow ball.<p>Body cameras are helping to distance officers from hurting their team but they're not being managed in a way that will ensure integrity. The fox can't guard the hen house. Police control when the cameras are on, they control the recordings, and they control who reviews the recordings.<p>I might as well add that Trump is in the process of creating this culture among the branches of government. Smaller problems won't be reported. Much greater problems will eventually emerge. Everyone will ask how this could ever happen. A political savior will swoop in and reform.
I have a strong suspicion this isn't limited to Baltimore. Not sure what they expected when they show officers they can get away with just about anything with little more than a slap on the wrist.
The first two federal officers involved in a Bitcoin-related investigation (Silk Road) stole the money and tried to cover it up. Which shows just how bad US law enforcement culture is. People like this can, and should be, filtered out.<p>At some point I hope to see a #MeBlue social campaign by good cops to out bad cops.
I'd rather deal with a decent cop in a tank than one on a bike who plants evidence. Hopefully the evidence farmer doesn't get promoted to tank commander.
The Baltimore Police's official position on Transparency. <a href="https://www.baltimorepolice.org/transparency/overview" rel="nofollow">https://www.baltimorepolice.org/transparency/overview</a><p>How does the audit culture work in the US? Are government agencies required to establish compliance with their stated positions (e.g. their position on Transparency) ?
Really Baltimore's not as bad as the Wire, the riots and this story.<p>As with any city it's best you avoid certain crime ridden areas, but other then that it's great! The low cost of living in the surrounding counties and Govt IT jobs where salary ranges from 120 to 250k are fairly plentiful. Also, traffic isnt too bad, there is a tech scene, a startup scene and good amount to do in and outside of the city.
At the risk of oversimplifying, I believe increasing crime rate is a good proxy for police corruption. As an example, East Palo Alto in CA was the crime capital of the country back in the 90s. Then a police force that included parties from surrounding cities was formed to address it and now the city is essentially crime-free.