EXCLUSIVE: Veteran Dallas cop breaks ranks (truncated)

There is a very big difference between anti-police and anti-police corruption or anti-police brutality.

Add 2c. My husband was recently reading what a retired LEO had to say. Regardless of the partner, a certain % of police will always do the wrong thing, a certain % will always do the right thing, leaving the majority who will go along with whomever they are paired with.

a reply to: desert

I read something similar (perhaps the same!) recently. I wonder how much it has to do with the new policy of some police departments to hire officers with average and even sub-average IQs, because they are more likely to "comply" and to "follow orders." Police departments in South Carolina and Missouri will ONLY hire recruits with IQs below 90, which is 10 points below average.

That's crazy! Officers don't sit in an office with benefit of constant supervision and direction. They work in the field and have to be able to competently observe and judge and address many situations and circumstances. They need to be able to think on their feet! For everyone's sake, but especially their own.

a reply to: Boadicea

Interesting. I'm not sure I've personally known any LEOs in my age group who DIDN'T have a 4 year degree. Have times changed?? Must be. And everyone my age is now retired. So there would be less LEOs with college degrees. Come to think of it, often times a firefighter has to have a 4 yr degree now. Hiring does change.

a reply to: desert

Yeah, I think the old school cops we knew and loved are being replaced with a new breed.

It would be interesting to see when this trend to hire only lower IQ officers began in correlation with rising claims of police corruption and/or brutality charges. I don't remember the figures now, but I read that in New York City, settlement payments for excessive use of force and wrongful deaths have increased astronomically since about 2000.

a reply to: Boadicea

Greetings- As a fellow member of LEAP, I'll add My .02¢. It seemed that after 9/11 there was a huge push to use surplus military vehicles as tools of the police. Probably to combat either would-be terrorists or for all the Urban males who were locked away during a tangent of the big $$$ waste, "War on Drugs" , 'The Crack War' that is when cops would arrest/incarcerate the Urban male for using coc aine base ("crack" 'rock' smokable coc aine) or selling it and making 3x-5x as much as the subUrban who used the same drug, but in powder form.

It also seems that every traffic stop for an inoperative tail light now includes a "fishing expedition" to find something felonious? EVERY MOTORIST should know that the SCOTUS ruled that a traffic stop cannot last longer than the time it takes to write the ticket.. This rules out the "I'm calling the K9 from across the County" The cops can't detain You for that long..

Here is a movie that addresses many of these things:www.imdb.com...

At least watch the trailer here: www.youtube.com...

namaste

Proud Member of LEAP•Law Enforcement Against Prohibition

P.S. I never got beat up in high school and never had a vendetta or a need to "make things right" ...

a reply to: JimNasium

Greetings- As a fellow member of LEAP, I'll add My .02¢.

Thank you, Jim -- I thought of you when I saw he was with LEAP also! And thanks for the links. I haven't watched the whole film yet, but I have watched it before (after you were good enough to post it). I hope other folks take a look too.

There was a big change in policing after 9/11, and as disturbing as the military equipment is, it's even more disturbing now that I know that many departments are requiring sub-average IQs for their officers... low IQs and military weapons just doesn't sound like the best combination to me.... certainly not the smartest. And the reasoning for the low IQs is even more disturbing;., i.e., because lower IQs are more likely to follow orders without questioning. That certainly isn't for our benefit... and certainly not for the officers' benefit... so whose benefit is it really for?

I've also read that police departments must actually use that equipment in order to keep it. That's another recipe for disaster.

originally posted by: mOjOm

originally posted by: DBCowboy
The point is, we don't do better.

Not in our society, not by our leaders.


Yet we demand that police be held so some elevated standard.

Because they have a elevated position which demands a higher standard.

I expect someone who cooks my food to not spit in it or drop it on the floor and serve it too me too because of their position. I expect my mechanic to know more about fixing my car and to do it better than me too.

Different positions require different standards of conduct.

They aren't forced in to those positions. They agree to them. They can leave if they can't handle it.

Yea and i might add that to me DC seems to be articulating that, disgustingly, we are picking and choosing which corruption to ignore when any corruption is bad. Corruption of both politicians in high places of power, LEO's carrying out unlawful orders, or either of them being allowed to get away with abusing their power and our trust is a dangerous pattern that must be annihilated.

a reply to: Justoneman

Yea and i might add that to me DC seems to be articulating that, disgustingly, we are picking and choosing which corruption to ignore when any corruption is bad. Corruption of both politicians in high places of power, LEO's carrying out unlawful orders, or either of them being allowed to get away with abusing their power and our trust is a dangerous pattern that must be annihilated.

Thank you! That really sums it up very well.

originally posted by: Boadicea
they are more likely to "comply" and to "follow orders." Police departments in South Carolina and Missouri will ONLY hire recruits with IQs below 90, which is 10 points below average.

A book was written by a woman who sat at the trial of a famous Nazi. The Banality of Evil by Hannah Arendt. We too often believe that evil acts are committed by humans we characterize as monsters. Not so, she found:

Eichmann's inability to think for himself was exemplified by his consistent use of "stock phrases and self-invented clichés". The man demonstrated his unrealistic worldview and crippling lack of communication skills through reliance on "officialese" (Amtssprache) and the euphemistic Sprachregelung that made implementation of Hitler's policies "somehow palatable."

Despite his claims, Eichmann was not, in fact, very intelligent. As Arendt details in the book's second chapter, he was unable to complete either high school or vocational training, and only found his first significant job (traveling salesman for the Vacuum Oil Company) through family connections. Arendt noted that, during both his SS career and Jerusalem trial, Eichmann tried to cover up his lack of skills and education, and even "blushed" when these facts came to light.

wiki source

a reply to: desert

Several on ATS have pointed out the useful idiot syndrome we have if, I can be allowed to give it that title. Useful idiot syndrome allows for the patient to rationalize as acceptable a clearly mean spirited action such as ISIS burning people alive in televised evil, mass firing squads by Tyrants of History or the Nazi gas chambers.

An interesting read

Top 10 Signs the US is the Most Corrupt Country in the World

Americans often don't see our own country as corrupt, because we do not have small-money generally accepted corruption such as passing money to a police officer at the time we are pulled over for a traffic violation. We were not always this corrupt, we just did not believe it could happen here; we didn't pay attention, distracted by other things. As I like to put it, while we've been fighting each other in the front yard of our house, corruption came in through the back yard.

a reply to: Boadicea

Guten Morgen-

Firstly, and something that *1We can actually do something about, how is *2Your Brother's health? Still improving I hope?

Now about the thread- Your reply is now the second time I've read about some departments hiring dolts? That has 'Snip Sandwich' spray painted all over it. I can safely type w/a clear conscience, that the PD I worked for wasn't like that, at all. Applicants had have either a 4 year degree or prior LEO experience which included lateral transfers (w/in Ca.) or 2 year degree w/military experience.
I scored very high on the list for the Marin County Sheriffs Office but didn't get the job because I was "too pragmatic" I also remember when testing for different agencies, they all have different standards, I only mention this because the training is called "Police Officer Standards and Testing" Acronym P.O.S.T..
At Richmond PD, I was accused of being a "middle man" during a drug deal. At the polygraph, I told the guy who smelled of Vodka at 0830hrs. that I once ran a bag of cannabis to a guy who had AIDS and did so only because I was sitting in the front seat.

We got an armored troop carrier. The thing was nothing but trouble(s) (plural) The tires were like concrete and when/if the thing ran it was noisier than all get out. Guys would get injured 'in or about' that thing. It was parked out back of the pd and when at the Station the Motors would park next to the 'thing'. When I rode Motors I'd park up by the Sallyport even if it meant the saddle got hot, I would avoid that thing at all costs..

Citizen: "Why does the city of 20,000 need an armored military vehicle?"
Police Chief: "In case an armed suspect barricades himself in a house or something"
Citizen: "Why not wait for the suspected armed citizen to exit the building, he can't stay in there or anywhere forever?"
Police Chief: "Don't tell me what to do, you're not the boss of me..."
Citizen: "Actually I am, and every citizen like me is... so dummy up"..

Now You know why I typed something We could actually do something about.

namaste

*1 We. You, the "other Me" and Me, the "other You".
*2 Due to HIPPA Regulations feel FREE to send me a PM.

Holy crap! I clicked on this and sure enough I knew the guy! I worked with Novello. What he says is kind of right, kind of wrong.

Fact: Dallas Police and City Manager's Office are corrupt as hell. I learned this the hard way. But not like they protect all cops, just the ones that are sure not to rock the boat. The officers that demonstrate a solid grip on 'right' and 'wrong', and a willingness to stand up to 'wrong' are witch hunted into oblivion. The command staff digs or waits for any little infraction then breaks it off on the officer, using the media to twist things and really seal the deal to discredit said officer.

Sub-point: Then these really good officers (who have been fired) are no longer available to train rookies. All that's left are less than stellar- but good at ass kissing. So you end up with a ripple effect.

Sub-point 2: One of their favorite moves is to twist facts to make a white officer APPEAR racist in the media. Thereby destroying their reputation and getting everyone on board with the lynch mob when the officer is fired. Then they wonder why everyone hates cops and thinks they're all racist. Well duh, you use the media to make them appear racist even if what's reported isn't what actually happened.

Fact: Chief Brown is a piece of crap. Soon after he took position his son killed a guy and a Lancaster Police Officer. The City Manager's Office specifically instructed him NOT to use city resources on his son's funeral. He not only used an impounded Hummer to haul his family around, plus other city vehicles...but then he has the nerve to call out our motor jocks to help with traffic and escort....the funeral of a COP KILLER. Should have been fired on the spot, but absolutely nothing happened to him. I've also heard all kinds of rumors about his less than savory actions while in lower ranks, but there's no way to substantiate that.
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Fact: Morale was low back when I was on (2011) I can't imagine how bad it is now. Hard work/quality work are NEVER rewarded. I think I caught the tail end of citizens still being appreciative of police. At this point the poor officers are getting crapped on from the Command Staff AND citizens. That's got to suck. And we were fairly well staffed back then, I bet they really are short handed now. And even a warm body doesn't mean stuff's getting done. Lots of officers do the absolute minimum because they're afraid of getting in trouble or just plain jaded with the whole thing....which leads me to:

False: 'Quotas' are not the problem. The way it works is, you write down/turn in your activity at the end of the day. Then your activity has to be at 80% or above everyone else in your sector. A LOT of officers do just enough to get by (sorry Novello, but that includes you) and/or turn to chintzy activities. While I whole-heartedly agree that officers should be going for quality over quantity, the activity system isn't what causes this...it's just the lazy individual officers.

Side note: My (legitimate) activity was so high that they put me in my own sector (Paddy Wagon) because the other officers were complaining. Real activity is there, there really is no need to jack up people for stupid little things unless it's just the end of the month and you know you're dangerously close to that 80% and need to bump up your activity real quick. Kind of like how motor jocks go out in the morning, write 15 tickets for anything and everything they can find, then spend the rest of the day effing off- instead of staying out all shift and finding people doing actual reckless things.

One major setback with race relations is that bigger departments are racist. But not how you'd think. Bear with me on this: larger departments (I have personal experience with Dallas and I've got a buddy in Houston and one in Ft Worth that say it's the same there) are walking on eggshells for black employees. Not minority. Black. Hispanics sometimes get special treatment or sometimes get crapped on like white folks. They can be less qualified, but hired anyway. Hardships are ALWAYS awarded to blacks, pretty much NEVER for whites, and it's hit or miss for other minorities. If a black officer does something wrong it's quietly swept under the rug, whereas white officers are trashed in the media and get the harshest punishment. If you're white and try to complain, they completely ignore your complaint and/or find a reason to fire you- no matter how much evidence there may be.
Sorry, but even chimpanzees recognize preferential treatment and get PISSED if they're on the sh*t end of the stick.
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So, even if it's on a subconscious level, white officers on departments like this probably start to harbor resentment. And possibly even act on this resentment when dealing with the public.

Couple this with constantly having to deal with the disproportionate amount of crime committed by black citizens- especially in 'projects' where there's a high density of low income, high crime, pretty much 100% black population....and you could imagine how someone (white) might start harboring ill feelings after a while (against blacks).

I'm not excusing racist cops, by any means, just trying to throw out possibilities on where some of this mess may be coming from.

originally posted by: BlueAjah
So, certainly there is corruption. But THAT should be the target of public outcry, not racism. And the public outcry should find peaceful, legal ways to fight back, such as electing officials who will clean up the problems. The answer is not inciting riots, or inciting people to kill law enforcement officers.
.

Amen! I read a list of BLM demands the other day and one of them was to create an independent entity to review complaints. Oh my God, they need to do that so bad. Not just for citizen complaints, but for officer's complaints as well. There is so much corruption and unfairness in how Internal Affairs deals with officers. I'm sure it would only be a matter of time before the 'independent' entity is compromised too, but maybe they could put some safeguards in to stave that time off for as long as possible.

I mean, when you file a complaint and they don't even INVESTIGATE...who do you turn to then? The Chief? And he ignores you? The City Manager's Office? And they ignore you? Seriously, just straight up ignore you. What then?

Boo corruption.

originally posted by: JimNasium
a reply to: Boadicea

Guten Morgen-

Good morning! And my apologies for the late reply... I wrote a reply to you Sunday morning, but it sure isn't here now, so I don't know what I did with it -- doh!

Firstly, and something that *1We can actually do something about, how is *2Your Brother's health? Still improving I hope?

That's so thoughtful of you to ask... and yes, he's still doing better. We haven't progressed from the hot lemon water in the mornings, but that alone is doing wonders for him. And the saw palmetto. He's turned into quite the workaholic since his wife left, and I understand why, so I'm trying to give him time to make peace with that before pushing more... Soon, though! I'm giving him three months

Now about the thread- Your reply is now the second time I've read about some departments hiring dolts? That has 'Snip Sandwich' spray painted all over it.

Sadly, it is the newest "thing." Rather mind-boggling... unless and until one dons the tinfoil hat:

Missouri Police Department Drastically Reduces IQ Requirements For New Officers
Police Force In South Carolina Drastically Lowers Required Max IQ For New Officers

I can safely type w/a clear conscience, that the PD I worked for wasn't like that, at all. Applicants had have either a 4 year degree or prior LEO experience which included lateral transfers (w/in Ca.) or 2 year degree w/military experience.

“We need officers who aren’t going to second guess the orders given to them. Multiple Harvard studies have shown that individuals with higher levels of intelligence are more prone to corruption and violence towards innocent civilians. It is simply a risk we cannot afford to bring amongst our ranks. The less our officers question the experienced commands of their superiors, the safer we are all going to be as a community.”

Law makers dropped the maximum IQ requirements a whole 30 points from an average score of 90 to 60, an IQ that is only marginally higher than that of a person with down-syndrome.

I scored very high on the list for the Marin County Sheriffs Office but didn't get the job because I was "too pragmatic"...

That is just so sad and disheartening. You are exactly the kind of LEO I wish all of them were.

We got an armored troop carrier. The thing was nothing but trouble(s) (plural)

I've heard similar from other LEOs. A couple who felt such equipment was a total waste of time and money, especially because (as I understand it), that kind of military equipment has to actually be used in order for them to keep it... so, naturally, those so inclined will find reasons to use it... rightly or wrongly.

Now You know why I typed something We could actually do something about.

*2 Due to HIPPA Regulations feel FREE to send me a PM.

Thank you -- again! When his three months are up and I drop the hammer again, I will!

a reply to: desert

First, an apology for the oh-so-late reply... I wrote a reply to you Sunday morning, and I have no idea what I did, but I sure didn't post it. My bad...

Thank you for that information. I had no idea, but it's something I'm going to check into further one of these days. It makes sense that those least capable of thinking for themselves would also be most easily led by others.

So so sad.

a reply to: ladyvalkyrie

Thank you soooooooo much for sharing so much important firsthand information!!! I cannot tell you how much I appreciate it. I'm trying very hard to understand all the whys and wherefores involved here. It's just so much. But I'll be reading your comments again, probably several times, until I can put it all together.

Again, thank you soooooo much

a reply to: Boadicea

Thanks. Of course I've got specific examples of everything I'm talking about but my post was already getting close to novella length. Lol!

I've had people argue that there's no such thing as discrimination against whites. And I honestly don't think these departments are TARGETING whites, I think they're just afraid of complaints from blacks and whites are default to deny promotions, deny hardships, throw the book at when it comes to discipline, etc.

It happened to me. But I'm logical/intelligent/non-racist enough not to resent a whole race because they got preferential treatment over me. But I can see how, if an officer already has the seeds of racism planted, stuff like that is like fertilizer for the already negative feelings. Just a theory.

Feel free to PM me with any questions.

“We need officers who aren’t going to second guess the orders given to them. Multiple Harvard studies have shown that individuals with higher levels of intelligence are more prone to corruption and violence towards innocent civilians. It is simply a risk we cannot afford to bring amongst our ranks. The less our officers question the experienced commands of their superiors, the safer we are all going to be as a community.”

Is it really that higher IQ makes officers prone to corruption and violence toward innocent citizens?

Or that it makes them more likely to stand up to corruption of supervisors? More likely to question status quo?

I've seen officers fired for minor infractions because they had demonstrated the fortitude to file complaints against the Command Staff. I've also seen 'yes men' officers commit far worse infractions and be quietly transferred to another position with the most minor discipline. They want 'yes men'. They don't want anyone that will call them out on their BS.

I worked with VICE and at one point I was given the impression by one of the officers that human trafficking was being ignored. I met with the Lt. and told them what had gone down. Next thing I know I'm banned from working with VICE. But I guess my IQ was too high to ignore some shady crap like that.