Carpundit

Police Unions Making Asses of Themselves

Yesterday there was more obnoxious police protesting of the Governor's rational decision on paid details. Watch the NECN video of the off-duty (I assume) officer deliberating driving the wrong way and pretending it was because of a flagger's mistake.

You're supposed to enforce the law, gentlemen, not break it.

When they feel threatened, unionized law enforcers turn into nothing but thugs from the Local 123. It embarrasses me.

Police Union Extortion

In Everett and Revere, police union protestors (read: cops with guns and menacing looks) shut down state construction projects yesterday, according to the Boston Globe. My feelings about police unions and police details are well documented in the blog archives here, but this is a new extreme.

I believe the police protestors in those towns should be investigated by the state for possible extortion, or threats. Facing a picket line is one thing, but facing an armed picket line that has the power to arrest you, or shoot you, is another. The cops know that. They know they were intimidating the work crews and threatening the state.

I hope the Governor won't be intimidated. He should stop all state funding for the Revere and Everett police departments, and he should send in the State Police -as only he can do- to guard state work crews in those cities.

Those protesting cops are no better than criminals. And I don't say that lightly.

And End to Paid Police Details in Massachusetts? Maybe Not, But It's a Great Start

I've posted about paid police details, and about the police unions many times over the past several years.  Finally, some good news on the topic.  Kudos to Governor Patrick for accomplishing what Mitt Romney couldn't.  Unlike Romney, Patrick promised AND delivered.

An end to idling state police cruisers and pacing local cops on state highway jobs is long overdue.  If only the 350 cities and towns could find the same political will.  We can break the back of the police unions here, if people don't chicken out.  And what's with Arlington Police Chief Ryan and his snit, quoted in the Boston Globe:

"In my 25 years in law enforcement in this state, I have never worked with a more insensitive and arrogant administration that is simply unwilling to listen on this issue[.]"

He must be facing a contract renegotiation with his department's organized crime unit union.  Or at least some of his fellow city chiefs are.

These new anti-detail regulations are a victory for the taxpayer, for common sense, and for law enforcement.  We need police who give their attention to their jobs, not to holes in the ground.

Photographic Proof that the paid police detail system is ridiculous

Here's a Boston police officer working a detail in a Back Bay alley. The alley is completely blocked by the truck and a front-loader. What's the police officer for? Keep the traffic flowing smoothly?

Asinine. It's time we ended the union stranglehold. And did you see all those cops in uniform trying to intimidate the opposition at the hearing Monday?

Maybe Troopers Need Bigger Guns

A police officer was shot last night in Boston; he is expected to make a full recovery, but that's pure good luck.  If the Herald's account is accurate, the suspect was then shot twice by a trooper, but got right up and laughed about what he had done.

Life in prison isn't long enough.

Police Dispatch

There's a nice article about a Boston Police dispatcher by Suzanne Smalley in the Boston Globe.  A good dispatcher makes all the difference in policing -ask any cop anywhere- and it sounds like Brenda Ortiz is one.

Massachusetts State Police Dodge Chargers

Remember that low profile Dodge Charger in Massachusetts State Police livery from the IACP show last year?  Well, I've seen two on the highways within the past two days.  Someone in D Troop has one, and someone on the Turnpike, as well.  So there are probably more around the Commonwealth.

The next time you see a Dodge Charger coming up fast, your first thought shouldn't be, "what a pretty shade of blue."

"Oh, shit," is more like it.

Policing In New England

The Rhode Island State Police are seeking the power to obtain phone and internet records without court order or oversight.  That is a bad plan.  Local and state police around the country (though not here in Massachusetts) have been running up a poor record of respect for civil liberties as they staff out "anti-terror" units, SWATs, and other special response or investigative units.  Such agencies generally don't have the training, the culture, or the internal controls to allow them such broad powers.

The Boston Police are expanding the applicant pool.  That is a good plan.  The more applicants they have, the pickier they can be.  Some of the worst police corruption scandals of the last 20 years around the country can be directly traced to lax hiring standards or poor background investigation.  A diverse police department is a good thing, but the diversity mustn't come at the expense of standards, as it sometimes has in some departments.

BPD Suspension Policy

I'm not commenting on any specific case here, but I want to mention Boston Police Commissioner Davis's new personnel policy: after three suspensions, you're fired.  My first thought was to hope the new policy draws a distinction between serious misbehavior and mere administrative lapses.  My next thought was that three strikes is two too many for serious wrongdoing (such as lying on a police report or falsifying a detail slip).  But then I figured it out.

Massachusetts State Police and DNA

The new state police DNA plan is the first slip down a treacherous slope toward a society where everyone is known to the state and there's no privacy except in the darkest corners.

Or maybe it's just a new crime-fighting technique.  I'm on the fence, really.