This is why profiling is wrong

[Johnney]

Originally posted by dmp
[austin powers voice=on]Ouch, baby...very ouch[/voice]

dont worry, i had one for being hideous!

 

[_dmp_]

Originally posted by DKSuddeth
mugshots don't count Darin :

P3 Profile

 

[Johnney]

Maj Dick

 

[Bern80]

Originally posted by DKSuddeth
'who did it really hurt?' or 'you have nothing to fear if you have nothing to hide'.

Two simple questions:
1) Who did/does it hurt?
2)Why are you afraid if you have nothing to hide?

If we had it your way we would have very little crime prevention due the miles of red tape you be haveing us go through so we don't step on anyone's toes. I hate seeing criminals get off on technicalities and if we had it your way they would only go up.

well excuse the fuck out of me 'mr. you don't know the whole story of it.' If you don't see this as profiling then you should experience a direct episode with it, see how you feel about it.

I don't think you know the whole story either, again you have know way of knowing how much of what this investigatin was about was printed in that article. The news, no matter what form, is never what is.

 

[jon_forward]

There has to be some controls in place. but pot is pushing it for a reason to do thhis. suspected meth lab, Hell yes. Little herb operation, I wouldnt bother

 

[Moi]

Look, I know it sucks for that family to have been humiliated. But if I have to weigh their humiliation against the dangers of criminals getting away with crime, I don't see much choice. Humiliation aside, the police appear to have been as thorough and effective and nice as they could. They didn't do a knock and bust with guns drawn, shooting infants. They calmly called the guy and asked to search in a polite fashion.

They had cause.

They may have been wrong that the family was growing pot, but what do you think the drug dogs were sniffing? Perhaps the former occupants had drugs in the house? Perhaps the kids had some in their pockets? Perhaps Perhaps Perhaps. The fact is that the family was proven innocent...that's what investigations are for - to determine the truth.

I see no cause for alarm and I see no cause to say that profiling is bad. How many of the other investigated situations bore fruit? It always made me laugh in my law classes when the topic of profiling came up. It was always in court, when a minority was trying to get out of a drug related offense. Claiming profiling. The sad part is, they almost always found what they were looking for. Doesn't that mean that profiling works?

Does it suck for innocent people to be stopped? Yes. Does it suck worse for crime to run rampant? Most definitely.

As for those that think pot isn't worthy of police time, let me just say, the police don't have the authority to decide which laws to enforce. Whether they disagree with the law or not, whether the law is really due for change aside, the police have an obligation to enforce the laws of the state. Some of you are the same who faulted a certain mayor for flaunting a law- you don't seriously think the police have that right?

 

[eric]

DK, on this issue I am with you all the way !

It is a cop out to turn around and simply say "no harm done". While in this case that might be very well true, the same can not be said of all cases. People reputations and characters have been permanently damaged in many such incidents. While I am conservative and believe the police and courts need to be able to do their job effectively, we must watch that we do not lower the legal standards too much in this country in a kneejerk response to crime and terrorism.

I think it many times comes down to personal experiences. If you have not been the victim of false accusation it is hard to imagine the feeling. I personally had one when I first moved into the town in which I now reside. My town is a tiny historic little hamlet nestled on the north shore of Long Island. We have many politicians and business people who live here, hence we also have an intense police presence. When I was moving here I was on my the last trip when I decided to stop at a Church around the harbor, which I did. I was in the parking lot saying a prayer for the new house, when a Suffolk County police officer pulled in behind me. He asked me what I was doing and I explained the situation. His reply to me was "bullshit, you are buying drugs". Now this stunned me, my first thoughts were "in a church parking lot ?", well it turns out that some teenagers who lived behind the church sold pot and would meet people in the parking lot at night. With no further probable cause, he pulled me out of my car, searched me from head to toe, including sticking his hands inside of my pants. He then proceeded to tear my car apart. Now keep in mind I was moving, so in my car I had delicate items I did not want on the moving truck. He put all the stuff on the ground in the parking lot, some of my antiques were damaged, and certainly my reputation was hurt considering people were passing in cars and looking from homes. To me this is not the best way to introduce yourself to neighbors !

To make a very long story short, there was no probable cause, I did not fit the profile of some addict. I was dressed in a 3 piece suit driving a Cadillac CTS, and other than being in the wrong place at the wrong time, I was doing nothing wrong. I even tried to explain to the officer that I was on his side, that my company gives many donations to PAL, PBA, SDA, and a host of other police organizations, that we work with Suffolk County Police's IT department to help expedite benefit administration. As well as working with the Medical Examiner and Forensic labs departments.

He did not care. He was rude, arrogant, and a little too physical for the situtation, so now he is no longer a police officer. I did get an appology letter from the police department and have been able to clear my image with friends and neighbors, but this illustrates the damage that can be done and the need for legal standards to be upheld by the police and courts.

 

[Moi]

Eric, in your situation the cop acted outside the law. In the other, they were quite thorough and followed the laws and protections society has demanded.

I never understood the whole "blue wall of silence" thing. I can't understand how people who supposedly want to uphold the law accept less from those they work with. A cop who does illegal things is no better than the criminals they go after. They should suffer the consequences.

If a rogue cop is out there, he/she should be prosecuted for the dog they are.

 

[eric]

If a rogue cop is out there, he/she should be prosecuted for the dog they are

Well he got what he deserved !

 

[William Joyce]

Let the people smoke the frickin' reefer. I have a theory on why drugs are such a big deal in America, but people get sick of me on that topic.

Anyway, I liked the comment of conservative columnist, who said it wasn't "racial profiling," it was "criminal profiling."

Nice.

 

[jimnyc]

Originally posted by William Joyce
Anyway, I liked the comment of conservative columnist, who said it wasn't "racial profiling," it was "criminal profiling."

Excellent, I'll have to remember that one!

 

[Jownzee29]

When it comes to profiling I totally agree with the statement "its not racial profiling, its criminal profiling". It is in the police department's, FBI's, etc. best interest for effiency reasons to "criminal profile." People are profiled because they fit description of a criminal's habits, lifestyle, and even utility bills. This is common sense. So when people claim "racial profiling" lets be real, race isn't the only characateristic that is profiled. Of course there has been cases of blatant racial profiling and those cases whould be taken dealt with accordingly. But on the whole, law enforcement officials are only trying to do their jobs as quickly and efficiently as possible. Its too bad if someone is mistaken for a criminal, but it surely it shouldn't be blown out of proportion. As long as law enforcement agencies have probable cause for a search warrant there should be no question of their search.