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Baltimore State Attorney Drops Dozens of Cases: Body Cam Shows Drug-Planting

baltimore.cbslocal.com

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Re: Baltimore State Attorney Drops Dozens of Cases: Body Cam Shows Drug-Planting

#11

Post by spraak »

devinhelton wrote: post #7
Yhippa wrote: post #2

What's the incentive for cops to plant drugs on people? I assume they get some kind of bonus or have a performance review rating on how many "criminals" they apprehend?

Peter Moskos, a criminologist who spent a year on the Baltimore police force while doing his PhD, has a good post up about what happened -- http://www.copinthehood.com/2017/07/thats-quite-days-work.ht... It seems like the officer forgot to turn on his body camera while originally finding the drugs, and so rather than get reprimanded for forgetting to turn on the camera, he decided to recreate the crime scene and pret…

That seems much more like the story they want you to believe rather than what happened.

Re: Baltimore State Attorney Drops Dozens of Cases: Body Cam Shows Drug-Planting

#12

Post by [deleted] »

tyingq wrote: post #6
Yhippa wrote: post #2

What's the incentive for cops to plant drugs on people? I assume they get some kind of bonus or have a performance review rating on how many "criminals" they apprehend?

I would guess a fair amount is just the whole alpha power dynamics thing. The job attracts a fair amount of people that enjoy the authoritarian role and sticking it to people at will. It's not all of them, but there's certainly a draw for that crowd.

[deleted]

Re: Baltimore State Attorney Drops Dozens of Cases: Body Cam Shows Drug-Planting

#13

Post by charlesdm »

cbanek wrote: post #3
Yhippa wrote: post #2

What's the incentive for cops to plant drugs on people? I assume they get some kind of bonus or have a performance review rating on how many "criminals" they apprehend?

Because once they have "proof" that you're a criminal, then they get greater leeway in what they want to do in terms of searches and detaining you, and even if they turn up nothing, they still have something to charge you with and hang over your head. Although these days, they don't even need to prove you're a criminal to steal your money with civil asset forfeiture, they just need to be able to find your money.

Sounds like a good reason to hold bank accounts outside of the US?

Re: Baltimore State Attorney Drops Dozens of Cases: Body Cam Shows Drug-Planting

#14

Post by linuxkerneldev »

tyingq wrote: post #6
Yhippa wrote: post #2

What's the incentive for cops to plant drugs on people? I assume they get some kind of bonus or have a performance review rating on how many "criminals" they apprehend?

I would guess a fair amount is just the whole alpha power dynamics thing. The job attracts a fair amount of people that enjoy the authoritarian role and sticking it to people at will. It's not all of them, but there's certainly a draw for that crowd.

> I would guess a fair amount is just the whole alpha power dynamics thing.

I think that's part of it. But there's also the effect that the Baltimore system/culture, the police, the politicians, the DA/prosecution, the prisons, all evolved on top of a forced labor system. Yes, slavery. The system is inherently designed to preserve that dynamic between the enslaved population and the non-slave population. It captures kids in their youth, puts them in juvi for-profit prisons, which limits their options for work in their adulthood which then puts them at risk to re-enter the jail system (forced labor) in their adulthood. Michael Wood, a former marine and former Baltimore police officer provides an interesting collection of data. His interview here shows how the system works. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5nPyf-0UMc Listen to him talking about the "Knockers", a special class of police officers.

Re: Baltimore State Attorney Drops Dozens of Cases: Body Cam Shows Drug-Planting

#15

Post by Pinckney »

devinhelton wrote: post #7
Yhippa wrote: post #2

What's the incentive for cops to plant drugs on people? I assume they get some kind of bonus or have a performance review rating on how many "criminals" they apprehend?

Peter Moskos, a criminologist who spent a year on the Baltimore police force while doing his PhD, has a good post up about what happened -- http://www.copinthehood.com/2017/07/thats-quite-days-work.ht... It seems like the officer forgot to turn on his body camera while originally finding the drugs, and so rather than get reprimanded for forgetting to turn on the camera, he decided to recreate the crime scene and pret…

That's probably what I would say too, if my job required me to have a good working relationship with police.

Re: Baltimore State Attorney Drops Dozens of Cases: Body Cam Shows Drug-Planting

#16

Post by cat199 »

rgbrenner wrote: post #8
devinhelton wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Peter Moskos, a criminologist who spent a year on the Baltimore police force while doing his PhD, has a good post up about what happened -- http://www.copinthehood.com/2017/07/thats-quite-days-work.ht... It seems like the officer forgot to turn on his body camera while originally finding the drugs, and so rather than get reprimanded for forgetting to turn on the camera, he decided to recreate the crime scene and pret…

he has a theory about what he thinks happened. But these cameras have a 30 second buffer, and are always recording to that buffer. The buffer is stored when the start button is pressed. That is how he got caught. So if your camera is off, and you found a stash of drugs. Just press the start button. It'll record you finding the stash 30 seconds earlier. That's actually why that button exists. So officers have a record…

Agreed it's a theory, though someone mentions some other site with more on the story in the comments..

However, not to excuse falsifying evidence, the 30s buffer example you mention wouldn't cover the case where you found the stash more than 30s earlier and have already disturbed with the otherwise valid crime scene..

I'd imagine in some sort of hot pursuit situation it would be pretty easy to do this and forget the button, especially if you've been working for years without them..

Re: Baltimore State Attorney Drops Dozens of Cases: Body Cam Shows Drug-Planting

#17

Post by cat199 »

linuxkerneldev wrote: post #14
tyingq wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I would guess a fair amount is just the whole alpha power dynamics thing. The job attracts a fair amount of people that enjoy the authoritarian role and sticking it to people at will. It's not all of them, but there's certainly a draw for that crowd.

> I would guess a fair amount is just the whole alpha power dynamics thing. I think that's part of it. But there's also the effect that the Baltimore system/culture, the police, the politicians, the DA/prosecution, the prisons, all evolved on top of a forced labor system. Yes, slavery. The system is inherently designed to preserve that dynamic between the enslaved population and the non-slave population. It captures…

Plus closure of shipyards, factories etc.. The local economy is pretty depressed as compared to 50-100 years back but people have families and history and don't want to or can't move so are struggling to survive or can sqeeze by enough to not move..

Taking the amtrak from DC-NY at least a few years ago there were literally miles and miles of entire blocks of abandoned townhouses.. I imagine a google street view would be a good way to see this..

Also relateed - just finished binge watching HBO's 'The Wire' - though fiction and maybe jazzed up a little, it seems fairly accurate to get a picture of how messed up things are/can be based on what I absorbed 3rd hand from living in nearby DC for a good while..

Re: Baltimore State Attorney Drops Dozens of Cases: Body Cam Shows Drug-Planting

#18

Post by TazeTSchnitzel »

Yhippa wrote: post #2

What's the incentive for cops to plant drugs on people? I assume they get some kind of bonus or have a performance review rating on how many "criminals" they apprehend?

• if you arrest more drug offenders, you can meet your quota/justify your existence/get promoted/etc.

• if you arrest drug offenders, you can seize their assets for the budget

• if someone you dislike conveniently has drugs on them, you can deal with them

• you won't be held accountable

Re: Baltimore State Attorney Drops Dozens of Cases: Body Cam Shows Drug-Planting

#19

Post by jdavis703 »

Yhippa wrote: post #2

What's the incentive for cops to plant drugs on people? I assume they get some kind of bonus or have a performance review rating on how many "criminals" they apprehend?

There are many police departments that receive a large chunk of their budgets from anti-drug grants from their states and federal departments like the Department of Justice [0]. Generally, the cops can keep anything they seize in a drug bust such as fancy cars and trucks, cash, weapons, through "civil asset forfeiture"... This is true even if the defendants are found not guilty. Sometimes the seized drugs even wind back up on the market because the cops resell them [1]. Then there's folks who just enjoy being able to wield their power over others (they were probably the kids found bullying others in school).

0: The New Jim Crow - Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness 1: https://www.vice.com/en_uk/article/bmbab8/the-police-officer...

Re: Baltimore State Attorney Drops Dozens of Cases: Body Cam Shows Drug-Planting

#20

Post by myrandomcomment »

We need to live in a country where the law enforcement agencies are above reproach. There are 3 things we can do for this.

1. Pay for officers should be high without overtime.

2. Stop militarizing everyday law enforcement.

3. Body cams on at all times. Cameras on police cars should be on at all times.

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