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Addressing Police Misconduct

By TChris, Section Misconduct
Posted on Thu Oct 13, 2005 at 10:18:54 AM EST
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by TChris

George Curry writes about a panel he moderated in Texas on the topic of police misconduct. One of the panelists, Travis County Sheriff Gregory Hamilton, observed that firing abusive officers is “the only way to get rid of the problem.” Another panelist, Dallas County Sheriff Lupe Valdez, acknowledged the obvious roadblock to that solution:

But that is made difficult, Valdez said, because cops subscribe to a code of silence. "Cops don't rat on other cops," she explained.

Without a video of abusive conduct (like the New Orleans incident discussed here), whether misconduct occurred often comes down to a citizen’s word against an officer’s -- or several officers, if they all stick together. Curry suggests, however, that the “problem is even deeper.”

In 1992, Gannett News Service examined 100 civil lawsuits that had been filed against police officers in 22 states. In each instance, awards of $100,000 or more were made to victims between 1986 and 1991; the total was nearly $92 million. Of the 185 officers involved in the cases, no disciplinary action was taken against 160, eight were disciplined and 17 were promoted. In other words, a cop accused of police brutality was two times more likely to get promoted than disciplined.

A code of silence is bad enough; an institutional refusal to acknowledge or respond to misconduct, even after a city pays a substantial sum to settle a misconduct claim, is willfully negligent.

< Zero Tolerance in D.C. | Phil Spector Seeks Suppression of Incriminating Statements >

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    • Addressing Police Misconduct | 5 comments (5 topical)
    Re: Addressing Police Misconduct (none / 0) (#1)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:04:58 PM EST
    I also remember reading that in cities where the police budget is used to defend charges of brutality, vs the city general budet, brutality charges go way down. It goes on the theory that the police know who their abusive members are and it they hurt the force, they will be dealt with, if they just hurt the city, there is no cost. If anyone can show me the study, I would appreciate this but I think it predates the Internets.

    Re: Addressing Police Misconduct (none / 0) (#2)
    by Sailor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:04:58 PM EST
    marc, exactly, the only way it was reduced in LA was when the payouts on civil charges became too cumbersome. (Notice I said 'reduced'.) DA's can't be too agressive, or they lose the support of the cops when they need other convictions (or the support of the police union when they need to be reelected), so they take it to a grand jury and tank the case. Hence the civil charges.

    Re: Addressing Police Misconduct (none / 0) (#3)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:04:58 PM EST
    The racism involved in both Texas and Louisiana (and Los Angeles, shame) is clearcut. NO ONE who lives there is unclear on how racially charged these incidents are. White people 'lurch into police horses' drunk off their fratboy arses, and they get maybe a shove. This 'negra' in Louisiana is treated like the Millenium Bomber, for apparently asking a question about curfew. Good thing the cops didn't give him 6 shots in the head, or Bush would have to add him to the list of 'terrorists' they have eliminated, along with the 130,000 innocent people of Iraq who no longer need to fight to get Iraqi sovereignty back, not because of a fake constitution written by corporations, but because they're dead.

    Re: Addressing Police Misconduct (none / 0) (#4)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:05:08 PM EST


    Re: Addressing Police Misconduct (none / 0) (#5)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:05:08 PM EST
    This stuff goes on everyday, coast to coast!

    Addressing Police Misconduct | 5 comments (5 topical)