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Archive for October 31st, 2011

Burn it to the ground and start over.

Monday, October 31st, 2011

How bad does a police department have to get before that’s the only thing left to do?

Story #1:

…nearly 50 sworn officers in New Orleans have been booted from the force in the past 18 months or have resigned or retired while under investigation or awaiting punishment.

…

Every 10 days on average so far this year, an NOPD officer or higher-ranking cop either is fired or leaves the force while under investigation, according to records from the department’s Public Integrity Bureau.

Story #2:

As 16 police officers were arraigned at State Supreme Court in the Bronx, incensed colleagues organized by their union cursed and taunted prosecutors and investigators, chanting “Down with the D.A.” and “Ray Kelly, hypocrite.”

…

Members of the news media were prevented by court officers from walking down the hallway where more than 100 off-duty police officers had gathered outside the courtroom.

The assembled police officers blocked cameras from filming their colleagues, in one instance grabbing lenses and shoving television camera operators backward.

The unsealed indictments contained more than 1,600 criminal counts, the bulk of them misdemeanors having to do with making tickets disappear as favors for friends, relatives and others with clout. But they also outlined more serious crimes, related both to ticket-fixing and drugs, grand larceny and unrelated corruption. Four of the officers were charged with helping a man get away with assault.

Edited to add: Knew I left something out. Hattips: David Codrea for the NOPD link, TJIC’s retweet of Declan McCullagh for the NYPD link.

Posted in Clippings, Cops, Law | 1 Comment »