I've lived in the Bay Area most of my life. It's well known the only way to get CCW permits in the Bay Area is to "donate" to the local county sheriff. I'm surprised someone was actually caught. I moved to Washington and got my concealed carry in a few months after filling out paperwork. No "donations" required.
Apple’s head of security indicted in Santa Clara County CCW case
511–520 of 1001 posts
Re: Apple’s head of security indicted in Santa Clara County CCW case
#512Earlier quoted context omitted.
Calling it theft is a very far stretch. I know there are stories of police abusing this & taking cash of people in random traffic stops: That's theft. But a huge portion of asset seizures are forfeits from drug crimes. The DEA along takes about $500 million a year in this way, and state, country & municipal departments take even more.
It is absolutely not a far stretch. Let's take one example. If the TSA finds more than $10k on you while you are traveling, unless you have proper paperwork, it is ASSUMED to be drug money and gets seized. Most people have no idea that they need this paperwork, and finding out how to fill it out is non-trivial. From 2000, to 2016, about $2 billion was seized in this way. In an independent audit, in over half of cases…
Plus:
1. For smaller amounts, the cost to fight civil asset forfeiture often exceeds the value of the assets taken. Why spend $1k to maybe get back you $500 in cash the cops took? Best to just write it off.
2. All claims about the money being taken "from drug dealers" come from the police, which as you've mentioned have a ton of incentive here to lie. Given that police can't reliably tell us how many people they've killed, it's not clear that we should trust their statistics on civil asset forfeiture.
Re: Apple’s head of security indicted in Santa Clara County CCW case
#513Earlier quoted context omitted.
Bay Area Sheriffs withhold a constitutional right in the issuance of permits, which results in something of value being created that they can hold for political or financial favor. Even if you disagree with concealed carry, 2/3 of the counties in CA will issue you a permit no problem that allows you to carry statewide. There is no reasonable argument for not issuing permits here.
I totally agree with you, but I think the clear implication of baryphonic's comment is that the State of CA was being "authoritarian" here by denying the permit, as opposed to the sheriffs dept. Which, I'd point out, doesn't make much sense given that it is in fact the State of California which is bringing the charges against these people in the sheriffs dept for demanding bribes in exchange for a constitutionally pr…
> I totally agree with you, but I think the clear implication of baryphonic's comment is that the State of CA was being "authoritarian" here by denying the permit, as opposed to the sheriffs dept.
I'd argue that the state is slightly authoritarian by allowing local officials such discretion, but that's more a matter of taste. However, if I was arrogant enough to think the Bay Area, LA and San Diego were representative of the entire state in terms of their approach to gun permits and this is actually not the case, then I apologize.
> Which, I'd point out, doesn't make much sense given that it is in fact the State of California which is bringing the charges against these people in the sheriffs dept for demanding bribes in exchange for a constitutionally protected government service.
Interesting framing. But the people who should have been entitled to these services and were coerced into paying bribes are also facing charges. The state's foremost goal appears be defending its own authority zealously, and worrying about things like legal rights after the dust settles.
Re: Apple’s head of security indicted in Santa Clara County CCW case
#514Can't believe all the Apple apologists here. Bribing public officials is a crime, period. It isn't an "unfortunate situation" or anything else that people are calling it. It also doesn't matter who initiated the bribe. The employee, and potentially the company itself, absolutely need to be charged and prosecuted for it.
It looks like the iPads were for the department, not the guy's personal use. It's a little bit dubious given that it's the same agency asking for and receiving the benefit, but money is fungible. Suppose the Sheriff had insisted on iPads for some other department, like the schools. Governments do stuff like this all the time. In fact constituents get mad when they don't . The Planning Commission is considered derelic…
This is a California thing, or at the very least a rich city thing.
Where I live building permits are basically shall issue. They're happy to have the development.
Re: Apple’s head of security indicted in Santa Clara County CCW case
#515[deleted]
Re: Apple’s head of security indicted in Santa Clara County CCW case
#516Earlier quoted context omitted.
The sheriff's department wasn't allowed to refuse the permit for this reason, as evidenced by the fact that the officials involved are also being criminally charged for the bribery scheme.
They're being charged because it looks like they accepted a bribe, not because they refused a permit. If they hadn't paid there'd be nothing to charge them with.
For all the people saying - ‘he should have gone to the FBI’ this is a key point.
If he didn’t pay the bribe there would have been nothing to report.
Re: Apple’s head of security indicted in Santa Clara County CCW case
#517Earlier quoted context omitted.
> A high-level exec at one of the world's most powerful companies paying off a local LEO for a permit instead of, IDK, contacting the State or the Feds, is beyond inexplicable. The problem is that, at least in many jurisdictions, gun permits basically only exist as a means for police to solicit bribes. There's literally an entire industry of people whose job is bribing police departments to get gun permits. C.f.: htt…
A CEO I know (billion dollar revenues, multinational corporation ) tells me that: 1.The tricky bit is knowing the right amount of the bribe to pay. Pay a Senator or a member of the House too little and you have made a powerful enemy. Pay too much and they figure that they have a sucker that they can keep milking. And of course, you have also wasted a couple of extra million that could have been directed to another Se…
This claim is not something you need a CEO friend to tell you. Anyone on Reddit's conspiracy theory boards could give you exactly the same message. (BTW it's interesting to note that in my limited experience high level execs are just people, and prone to the same foibles as other people too. They don't automatically have insight into all things.)
Re: Apple’s head of security indicted in Santa Clara County CCW case
#518Earlier quoted context omitted.
California has the most stringent gun laws but also the a lowest gun violence death rate per capita. More people were allowed to pursue the "life" option in the Declaration of Independence. The first item of unalienable rights our forefathers stated all people had. What do you do when two rights directly infringe upon eachother?
California has the 7th lowest gun death rate. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/pressroom/sosmap/firearm_mortality/... California is 23rd in homicide rate. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/pressroom/sosmap/homicide_mortality...
26th in homicide according to wikipedia [0] but what is your point?
The 'typical' murder involves people that know each other and has a motive. Loose firearm regulations enable mass shootings [1][2] which are more indiscriminate.
Everyone has the right to bear arms but what do we do when that infringes on other peoples right to life? I think it's a cogent question.
[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_U.S._states_by_homicid...
[1] https://www.wired.com/story/the-looser-a-states-gun-laws-the...
Re: Apple’s head of security indicted in Santa Clara County CCW case
#519Earlier quoted context omitted.
> Can't believe all the Apple apologists here. Bribing public officials is a crime, period. Apple or no Apple, no one in America should be deprived of their Constitutional rights. I'm more concerned that authoritarian states like California can get away with depriving the people of our explicit rights under American law than I am with people paying bribes just to exercise those rights.
Apple leaders have spoken publicly in favor of such deprivations. It would be interesting to check whether the company itself has made contributions to that cause under the guise of charity.
Fair enough. It is their right. The nature of rights being what they are, the Apple execs can publicly call for eradication of others' rights and the would-be gun owners can get their guns without each other's approval, unless very exacting political-legal hurdles were overcome.
Re: Apple’s head of security indicted in Santa Clara County CCW case
#520Earlier quoted context omitted.
Issuing CCW permits isn't a negotiation of city land or development. It is literally a Driver's License for carrying a firearm in public. Should the DMV counter person get to haggle with every person trying to get a driver's license in the name of the public good?
Not against individuals, but against companies? Absolutely. There was a big push to do more "value capture" from the Big Tech commuter shuttle buses in exchange for permission to run on San Francisco streets. It was largely stymied by state law, which SF activists didn't quite have the momentum to change, but it was a big thing in local politics for a while. https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/san-francisco-accused…
These are individual licenses, not corporate licenses.