More disturbing are the comments of Patrick Lynch, the Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association President who stated, “We … believe that placing this officer on modified duty is premature and unwarranted. No police officer should ever face punitive action before a complete review of the facts.” That Mr. Lynch believes that an officer with a lengthy civilian complaint record, who exercise such poor judgment, and repeatedly uses unjustifiable force against members of the public should not be given a modified duty in light of this video, yet again demonstrates that police unions are one of the chief impediments to ensuring police officers obey the law are held accountable for their actions when they do not.
Norway’s police only fired two bullets last year… and no one was killed
Police in Norway fired their guns only twice last year – and no one was hurt – new statistics which reveal the country’s low level of gun use have shown.
Norwegian officers drew their weapons just 42 times in 2014, the lowest number of times in the last 12 years. Only two people were killed in police shootings in the same period.
The majority of Norway’s police, like forces in Britain, Ireland and Iceland, patrol unarmed and carry guns only under special circumstances.
In the US, where officers are armed at all times, 547 people have been killed by police during the first six months of 2015 alone, 503 of them by gunshot.
The Wedding Sting
Lacy “Moon” Brown, 47, had earned his nickname by dropping his pants during undercover operations. “If I moon them, they’ll never think I’m a cop,”
.. On one occasion, Moon quietly arrested and locked up stolen property dealer, announced his death in the newspaper, and arrested gang members who showed up at his fake funeral. “Sometimes you gotta do things that are simply funny,” Moon later told a television reporter. “People gotta go to jail, but it don’t always have to be sad.”
.. In 1990, the department planned a particularly elaborate operation: Officers would throw a fake wedding, invite all the suspects, and arrest them.
Film the Police: A new app makes it easier
A new app tries to answer this question by offering, in effect, a different kind of backup. Called Mobile Justice CA, the app uploads all video footage as it’s being captured to servers owned by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). Even if the phone is destroyed, the video will survive.
The app was co-released Friday by the ACLU of Southern California and the Oakland-based Ella Baker Center for Human Rights, and it’s available now for iOS and Android devices.