I can’t speak to the problem with the DART officers, but my own university experience leads me to suspect that the confusion arises from the misapprehension that “actual” police officers would appear “competent” or “effective.”
“Yes, officer, I realize it’s late at night, but I am in fact a biology major leaving the Biology building; therefore, I would please ask you to open that container inside the building rather than right now, as it does indeed contain a three-inch-long live specimen of Lethocerus americanus (better known as the Giant Toe-Biter), rather than crystal meth as you seem to believe.”
(Although, honestly, his girlish scream of horror when that thing flew out at his face made the escape of the specimen entirely worthwhile. His partner just about died laughing. Ahh, good times.)
Well, it’s never too late. We can turn this into a discussion of “Qui custodiet ipsos custodes?” if you would prefer, give the DART’s alleged refusal to issue a comment on this. I’ve been careless about hijacking threads lately, and it’s time I put an end to it, so you decide.
It was just your last line in the OP that may have derailed this thread. Oh, and the thread title, too…
There is no evidence of any kind to suggest that disciplinary procedures are under way, or, indeed, even being considered.
(Should that be; “under way, nor, indeed,”?)
And most organizations issue some form of non-committal blanket statement, that makes it clear things are being looked into, without accusing anybody of anything. DART isn’t even answering the phone, for the most part.
I’ve seen Chicago cops kick the shit out of people numerous times, and toss them in the paddy wagon like a lump of meat. But I never saw a story about it in the papers or on the news, not even once.
That does sound pretty horrifying. Did the people at the papers and other news outlets ever give a reason why they didn’t follow up with a story, after you reported these events to them? Which newspapers did you call? The SDMB is affiliated with the Chicago Reader, correct? Were they one of the news outlets you tried to contact? What were the circumstances surrounding these multiple instances of police brutality? Were any charges ever filed? I myself am no journalist, but your capsule description sounds like it might well form the basis for a gem of a story, and possibly help out a lot of people.
It’s amazing how long situations like this can be an “open secret” without anything being done about it. Here in Vancouver, the cops had way of keeping the downtown strip and posher areas “clean” – they’d pick people up (with no paperwork or accusation,) drive them to a remote area, and beat the shit out of them. Everything apart from the actual beatings was open policy. This was “supposed” to be reserved for shit-disturbers and suspected drug dealers, but ended up being applied pretty much on a whim – especially to people who looked gay or otherwise “alternative.”
I’ve been picked up with a friend off Granville street, walking the short distance (a couple of blocks) from the Skytrain station to the theatres, manhandled, given a bunch of doubletalk about how we were “interfering with a police investigation” (by walking South on the most densely populated street in Vancouver, I guess) loaded into a paddy wagon, and dumped across town in Stanley Park. It’s the sort of thing you could expect if you want to see a movie a happen to look a bit punk or a bit queer. If we’d given them any lip, you can bet your ass it would have gotten a lot nastier.
Everybody knew what was going on – there’s even a name for the practice. The “Moonlight drive.”
It didn’t become newsworthy until a few people died from cop-delivered beatings.
Cops have a very difficult, dangerous, stressful job. This means they are going to develop a certain attitude of contempt and disdain for people who are not like them and their fellow law-enforcement professionals.
Occasionally, they’re going to act out against these people, forgetting that these too are citizens whom they’ve sworn to protect and serve. It’s going to happen. It’s in the nature of the job.
What we as citizens have to demand is that when a cop acts out against a citizen for no good reason, that that cop and the force s/he is a part of be held accountable and disciplined accordingly.
I’ve had one encounter in NYC that, while not nearly so blatant as the one in Dallas, illustrates the principle and how one person can respond. I’ll post about it if people would like to know.
I saw a brutal fight between two people outside the Chicago stadium a couple years ago. I got involved, I ran over the cop standing on the corner and informed him of the ugly brawl going on. He looked down his nose at me, kind of looked me up and down and said, “If they need me there, they will give me a call”, then kind of glared at me as if I was causing trouble. You really have to live there a couple years to get the full effect.
But generally, the way it goes, with most city cops I have encountered in big cities, you have to ask them a couple times to kick your ass before they oblige.
I haven’t been in Texas for years - I lived in Fort Worth for a few years, and didn’t know anything about DART police, so I was fuzzy as to whether they were police or some sort of private security. That the accusers version and the police version differ doesn’t surprise me. Even if both sides are telling the truth, they are only telling it as they see it. Perception is everything. However, it’s possible that one side or the other (or both) are full of shit too. Most cops are decent enough folks, but every department has a few jerks who need to be dismissed. That’s a simple fact. Texas or NY or California, makes no difference. If there were no bad ones at all, nobody would need Internal Affairs.
I’ll still say it again. If there is sufficient evidence and witness testimony to press charges, then it should be done. If they are guilty, they should be fired and face criminal charges. Gawd totalled up 4 people who say that the police were out of line. On the other hand, we have the police report.
Ahh. After attending a party this weekend that was broken up (with nothing illegal going on) by two quite assholish cops, and coming home to find a random cop car parked in my reserved parking space, this story is just the thing to warm my heart. Think I’ll blast some Body Count on the stereo and pour myself a tall mug of Arrogant Bastard ale, in honor of our hardworking boys in blue.
Really? You might want to check out what Human Rights Watch has to say about Georgia.
Bosda Di’Chi of Tricor, while I agree with you that what they did should be investigated and if they are proven guilty they should be held accountable, but pitting Texas as a whole (as if the rest of us had a choice in the matter) is absurd. Leave the rest of us out of it.
Are you writing a letter to your editor? Hmm? Just a little letter to your Texas newspaper editor? Hmm? Just a little one? To let him know you don’t approve? Hmm? Don’t approve of this sort of thing happening in Texas? Hmmm? Or your State Legislator? Hmm? The big, loud man in the cowboy hat who hands out barbecue around election day? Writing a letter of complaint? Hmmm? To him? A liitle letter?
Like the Dallas Observer? Hmm? That one? The one you started your OP by linking? Like them, you mean? Aren’t they Texan? Hmm? Just a little bit? Hmm? Sensed the approval oozing from their story, did you? Eh? Thought it was a puff piece for the cops, did you? Write to your governor all the time, do you? Every time you see a story about bad cops? Hmm? Regular Disgusted of Tunbridge Wells, are we? Hmm?
Mostly, I advocated it because for every one letter of complaint in the paper, 25,000 citizens are POed about the issue, more or less. A rough estimate, but it’s not unlikely the politicians make similar estimates. Tools for change are where you find em, Badger.
No, you quite transparently “advocated” it as part of your continuing quest to try and piss on Texans, and to imply that gooftroopag wasn’t doing enough to exonerate himself from said quest. But thanks for the heartwarming civics glurge. Twenty-five thousand, eh? Gosh.
On the other hand, you really ought to make this advocacy group of yours official, with you at its head. Tools For Change, indeed.