Woohoo! Law and order! That'll teach them to not break and enter, and commit property damage!
Litchfield - Two police officers admitted vandalizing the Litchfield Fire Department last weekend and have been suspended, the Attorney General's office said Friday.
Fire Chief Tom Scofield had said that food and drinks were thrown on the floor and carpet, insulting messages were written on a whiteboard, and a nasty note about Scofield was taped to a cookie jar.
The two officers admitted they did the damage while they were on duty. They have been suspended, Scofield said. They will not be charged with a crime, he added.
Anyone want to argue that the system doesn't protect its own? These two pigs would have been locked away and had the key thrown away if they weren't police officers. What's even worse about this case, though, is that the fire department actually asked the attorney general to conduct a criminal investigation of the officers, and nothing happened. I guess that means that firefighters are just too much like the average person out there to warrant protection for their property and persons against police abuse.
If there were any fairness in the system, this would set an awful precedent by allowing teens to vandalize government property without facing any serious criminal prosecution. Unfortunately, the system still makes pretenses of working, so it has to lift the nominal finger and prosecute private citizens who commit the same crime.
There's something that cases like this make me wonder when I'm feeling extra cynical, and that's if many prosecutors don't actually feel that these police are mentally incapable of understanding what they're doing. It sure would seem to fit the mold of the double standard that allows the police to commit all manner of heinous abuses of the public with barely a slap on the wrist, but that gets John Q. Public in bars for anything half as bad. So, who wants to disarm the police since they seem to be too immature to handle firearms these days? (Should that be in <tongue-in-cheek></tongue-in-cheek> so no one gets confused?)
Hat tip, The Agitator.
Cuffs on the wrist, slaps are reserved for the ass ;)
Hmmm, I wonder what would have happened if a couple of on-duty firemen had vandalized a police station...
Mmm, rough - tough, men in uniform, with weapons...
*tingles!!*
Not Even a Slap on the Wrist?
The Attorney General's decision ended the prospect for criminal prosecution. However, we have no idea how this issue will be resolved. Civil or administrative action is certain to follow. They are already suspended and will probably get a lot more time-off without pay or lose their jobs.
These officers (not pigs), like all sworn-police officers (not pigs), have taken an oath to protect and defend the public. That includes checking to see whether city-owned property is secure.
According to today's publication of the Litchfield newspaper, one officer found an unlocked door. At this point, that officer is duty bound by policy to call for a back up and determine whether a burglary is in progress. Resident citizens have no such responsibility but would face the judge if found inside. Hence, they cannot be compared to police when facing punishment. However, if the police had forced entry into the fire station, they would face the same punishment as a resident citizen.
Once inside and having cleared the facility, both officer's conduct became unacceptable but not criminal, according to the Attorney General. There was no damage to city property. The Fire Chief is pissed because the prank, especially the note, was on him.
I recommend you do a followp-up on this story.
If you look at what I wrote, you'll notice that I left room in there for there being a legitimate reason for them to be there in the first place. My point was that if it had been a bunch of punk kids doing this, they would have been arrested for "destruction of government property." I was nearly arrested for "destruction of government property" in high school because of a similar prank that some of my friends and I pulled on a teacher. No actual damage, but they called it a case of vandalism of government property and were ready to charge us if the teacher wanted it. Fortunately, we weaseled our way out of that one, but I know from experience that local governments will threaten even middle class white kids with jail time for something like this. Whether or not the jury will want to hear it is beside the point. I doubt they would have allowed a bunch of punk kids to get away like that.
And the reason I called them pigs is that this is grossly unprofessional behavior unbecoming of an on-duty police officer.
****Actually, after going back and looking at what they did, what the guys and I did to our teacher was far less damaging, and they threatened us! We didn't even do anything that required more cleanup than erasing a blackboard.
Punk kids found in the same building, under the same circumstances, would have gone to jail.
I do recall your situation and wanted to go to war but someone we both knew advised otherwise.
We agree on the cop's conduct inside. They had a legitimate right to be there and given the reports of their conduct, do not deserve to go to prison.
Since it is all involves the city, it would be adviseable for some city exec to straighten this mess out.
Actually, that "someone" didn't have anything to do with that situation. I had no legal leg to stand on in that case and it resolved itself quite nicely through some bullshitting on our part to the teacher who was offended. Which incident are you thinking of?
Yeah Mike I agree they are pigs.Anyone else would have been almost drawn and quartered ! Sorry I'm TOTALLY ****** PISSED OFF right now I'm facing a similar issue right now in my own life actually a few however I'm on the other end. Many people in this country don't see it but we have entered into a police state. they{the police} can do just about what they want with little or no consequences and DAD don't give me that ****** bullshit about this one and that one who didn't get away with it and faced up to their irresponsible actions, or that shit that their job is so dangerous and tough most of it is lies and propeganda
Let me quote someone if I may DAD. Beware the leaders who bang the drums of war in order to whip the citizenry into a patriotic fervor, for patriotism is indeed a double-edged sword.It both emboldens the blood,just as it narrows the mind.And when the drums of war have reached a fever pitch and the blood boils with hate and the mind has closed, the leader will have no need in seizing the rights of the citizenry. rather, the citizenry, infused with fear and blinded by patriotism will offer up all of their rights unto the leader and gladly so.HOW DO I KNOW? FOR THIS IS WHAT I'VE DONE,AND I'AM CAESAR{Julius Caesar}.Man I don't know who you think! you are but your obviously very ignorant about whats going on right before your eyes.