Two Queens Officers Accused of Deliberately Arresting Four Innocent Men

By TChris, Section Misconduct
Posted on Fri Jan 16, 2009 at 10:04:37 PM EST
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It's so much easier to invent crimes than it is to solve them honestly.

Two undercover narcotics officers have been charged with lying about a sting operation in Queens after one of the men they accused of selling drugs produced video evidence showing the officers had had no contact with him or three other men they arrested.

The officers allegedly bought cocaine from two men but claimed they bought it from six, resulting in the arrests of four innocent men.

It's bad enough that the police conduct sting operations -- often creating crimes that wouldn't have happened but for the sting. How lazy does an officer have to be to arrest four innocent people when it's so easy to find actual drug dealers willing to sell their product? And what ever happened to good old fashioned police work: investigating and sometimes solving actual crimes that actually occurred? [more ...]

Here are the collateral consequences of the officers' lies:

The district attorney said all arrests made by the two officers were being reviewed.

How many of those arrests were bogus? Maybe none, maybe most. All we know is that the public can't trust the work of these two officers.

Fortunately, there will be consequences for the officers.

The officers “are accused of knowingly engaging in criminal activity that could have resulted in lengthy prison terms for four innocent men,” [Queens DA Richard] Brown said.

As many TalkLeft commenters have noted in response to similar stories, if the officers are convicted it would be just for them to serve the sentences that would have been served by the innocent men they falsely accused.

< Going Out On Top . . . | Oakland Wants to Fire Officers Who Lied to Obtained Warrants >

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Two Queens Officers Accused of Deliberately Arresting Four Innocent Men | 8 comments (8 topical)

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"investigative police work" (5.00 / 1) (#2)
by diogenes on Fri Jan 16, 2009 at 11:22:13 PM EST

If you haven't figured it out by now, the anti-snitch culture of threatening witnesses (by drug dealers) makes it very hard to get civilians to testify against drug dealers. Thus, the use of undercover. Heck, it's hard to get people to testify in murder cases in some inner cities due to these fears.
What is the denominator here, anyway. Having one bad undercover cop case a day written up here is like hearing about one fatal car crash every day on the news and deciding never to drive again because it's too dangerous.

Umm.... (none / 0) (#5)
by kdog on Sat Jan 17, 2009 at 09:09:29 AM EST

bad analogy, a fatal car crash isn't necessarily a crime, crooked drug cops commit crimes...heinous crimes against liberty.

Besides, who is most likely to be in a position to snitch and/or testify against a drug dealer? Answer is a drug buyer, and generally we ain't talkin'. Why can't we just conduct our business in peace? It really is none of your business or the departments.


: if you want to legalize drugs, (none / 0) (#8)
by diogenes on Sun Jan 18, 2009 at 02:09:46 PM EST

If you want to legalize drugs, then say so.

i'll be surprised if (none / 0) (#1)
by cpinva on Fri Jan 16, 2009 at 10:45:08 PM EST

they're actually convicted. the defense will be that, if they are convicted, no one will ever want to be a police officer again. this will scare the bejeebers out of the jury, who will promptly vote to acquit, and make scathing public comments about how rude those innocent men were, to question their arrests.

watch and see.

This kind of thing (none / 0) (#3)
by cpa1 on Sat Jan 17, 2009 at 06:37:10 AM EST

is a reason not to criminalize DWI. One DWI and then you get framed in an incident like the one above and you're in a bad jail for years.

I remember this case... (none / 0) (#4)
by kdog on Sat Jan 17, 2009 at 09:05:33 AM EST

the officers were also accused of harassing the bar owner for the tapes, abusing their power yet again.

Luckily the bar owner had stones and believes in freedom and told them to talk a walk, and gave copies to the victims..never easy to do when the crooks have guns and badges and threaten to take away your livelyhood.

Damn Bill Clinton (again) (none / 0) (#6)
by NealB on Sat Jan 17, 2009 at 10:52:43 AM EST

Too many police officers. On the street, now working as investigators, promoted to positions of leadership. Way, way too many police officers hired for the sake of job creation and pandering to public fear about crime.

The idea that law enforcement is a field to use for quick-and-easy job creation is ridiculous. Clinton started this with his (successful) campaign to "put 100,000 new police officers on the street" back in the 90s. Not only has it led to the hiring of so many candidates unqualified for the work; it has doubtless discouraged many, many others who were interested in law enforcement and police work as an honorable profession where they could provide a valuable service to their communities.

When it comes to police: the fewer, the better.

Stings (none / 0) (#7)
by Oshunblu on Sun Jan 18, 2009 at 10:44:29 AM EST

There is no point or TRUTH in sting operations and they should be illegal! I prefer an America that demands TRUTH with JUSTICE. Sting operations are against the law of God -ROMANS 14:13
Let us not therefore judge one another any more; but judge this rather, that no man put a stumbling block or an occasion to fall in his brother's way.