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Got the Contributing Memberships stuff finally worked out and made up a thread as a sort of "How-To" to help people figure out how to participate. So if you need help figuring it out, here's the thread you need to take a look at -> http://www.corvetteflorida.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3581 Thank you, everyone! Rich Z.
C5 VIDEO: Busted! Cops Add Seized 2003 Z06 to Cruiser Fleet
- Thread starter mrr23
- Start date
85vette
Active member
Seizing property, whether it be cars, houses, weapons, etc. is something that all law enforcement agencies have benefitted from for years Rich. It's purpose is to deprive the bad guy of something gained illegally and to assist the arresting agency with obtaining equipment or monetary funds to get items the agency could use in various ways. Often, especially when seizing high end automobiles, keeping such a vehicle is just a tool to be used to educate the public that crime does not pay. These vehicles are often marked as a "Seized from a drug dealer" reference and used in education programs to show high school and middle school kids that this is what can happen if they pursue a life of crime. The plus side of seizures is that the monetary value is used to help pay for the investigations and the tax payers get a break on equipment that could be otherwise not be obtained. Isn't it nice to know that your Sheriff's Office is using several vehicles that didn't cost you a dime?
That would be all well and good if it wouldn't be abused, but it appears that it HAS been abused, IS being abused, and WILL be abused even more. Don't even try to convince me that cops, once there is a substantial financial incentive to seize private property, won't be highly tempted to trump up charges in order to seize high value property regardless of who owns it.
In my opinion it's just an extremely dangerous power to put into the hands of HUMAN, and all the attendant personality weaknesses that this implies, police officers.
This is a perfect example of the old saying "The road to HELL is paved with good intentions."
IMHO.
In my opinion it's just an extremely dangerous power to put into the hands of HUMAN, and all the attendant personality weaknesses that this implies, police officers.
This is a perfect example of the old saying "The road to HELL is paved with good intentions."
IMHO.
85vette
Active member
To my knowledge there is no profession that is exempt from corruption and while law enforcement officers are obviously at the forefront of the media's attention these days, I dare say there are indeed other occupations that also qualify. What percentage of LEO's do you suppose are "bad" officers? Compared to say, politicians? At least LEO's have checks and balances. I can surmise from previous postings here on this website and from personal conversations with you that you:
Don't like the police.
Don't trust the police.
Think the police have too much authority.
While I don't know what reasons may have led you to this conclusion I can assure you that we are not all "Dirty Harry" just because we have a badge and a gun.
If not the police, who should have the power to execute these duties?
In your opinion, would you prefer not to have police?
Humans are flawed no doubt. All humans. But we do the best that we can with what we have.
Don't like the police.
Don't trust the police.
Think the police have too much authority.
While I don't know what reasons may have led you to this conclusion I can assure you that we are not all "Dirty Harry" just because we have a badge and a gun.
If not the police, who should have the power to execute these duties?
In your opinion, would you prefer not to have police?
Humans are flawed no doubt. All humans. But we do the best that we can with what we have.
Well, I don't particularly dislike police in general, but I do despise *bad* cops. *Bad* cops, in my opinion, are those that abuse the powers that have been granted them by their position, engage in criminal activities themselves put protected by their own positions, feel that they have any special privileges because of their jobs, and generally are a disgrace to the uniform, much less humanity in general. When LEOs cop a superiority attitude because they feel they have been granted unassailable powers over lesser people (meaning those who are NOT cops), then it's time for them to get pink slipped.
And those cops who know of and allow *bad* cops to continue in their abuses unabated are also *bad* cops as well. They create the "birds of a feather by association" syndrome by turning a blind eye towards what others of their "brotherhood" are perpetrating.
As for what to do about it, a checks and balances system needs to strengthened to where private individuals can have a voice that actually counts. One that has some teeth to it. Three strikes you are out. Three bad guys out and the supervisor is out. Three supervisors out, then the next one up the chain is out. Etc., Etc on up the chain of command.
But back to the topic at hand, forfeitures only make things worse by increasing the temptation for abuse by danging monetary value on the abuses able to be perpetrated. This is just the worst of human nature that is put on steroids by having abuse in enforcing the law that gives the enforcers basically a guilty until proven innocent power that puts real money in their pockets that the accused has to PROVE that enforcing agency has no legitimate right to.
To give you a perfect example about what is so wrong with this approach in law enforcement, consider this example:
Any guesses as to why the federal government has been reluctant to eliminate the laws against possession and use of recreational drugs?
And those cops who know of and allow *bad* cops to continue in their abuses unabated are also *bad* cops as well. They create the "birds of a feather by association" syndrome by turning a blind eye towards what others of their "brotherhood" are perpetrating.
As for what to do about it, a checks and balances system needs to strengthened to where private individuals can have a voice that actually counts. One that has some teeth to it. Three strikes you are out. Three bad guys out and the supervisor is out. Three supervisors out, then the next one up the chain is out. Etc., Etc on up the chain of command.
But back to the topic at hand, forfeitures only make things worse by increasing the temptation for abuse by danging monetary value on the abuses able to be perpetrated. This is just the worst of human nature that is put on steroids by having abuse in enforcing the law that gives the enforcers basically a guilty until proven innocent power that puts real money in their pockets that the accused has to PROVE that enforcing agency has no legitimate right to.
To give you a perfect example about what is so wrong with this approach in law enforcement, consider this example:
Source: http://definitions.uslegal.com/f/forfeiture/
Any guesses as to why the federal government has been reluctant to eliminate the laws against possession and use of recreational drugs?