Viewing a single comment thread. View all comments

fardough t1_j9swu8w wrote

Reply to comment by Atticus_Fatticus in Fourth Circuit: Individuals Have a First Amendment Right to Livestream Their Own Traffic Stops by mepper

Cops need to be held accountable to knowing the law. It is completely sickening a defense for police officers is “I didn’t know”.

54

blbd t1_j9sz4d1 wrote

Impossible due to the SCROTUS rulings on qualified immunity which doesn't even exist in the underlying legislation. You can't get busted as a cop for screwing over a citizen unless there's case law in that court circuit specifically declaring what the cops did before is not allowed. But you can't get that ruling made until another ruling is made before saying the same thing already. So you can never get a ruling at all.

30

amibeingadick420 t1_j9tn795 wrote

If anyone wants to know more about how the courts completely invented qualified immunity out of thin air to allow them to violate your constitutional rights without any recourse, the “Drunk Law School” podcast did a great three parter on it.

12

fardough t1_j9vn4hs wrote

Radiolab did an amazing episode on “What is the purpose of the Police?”

The had two really gut wrenching stories that will make you hate the police. The TLDR is the police could have protected them, but did nothing.

Turns out there was a Supreme Court case where the police fought it was NOT their obligation to protect. For it to be an obligation, it has to meet like 10 standards from went to the police to the police engage then failed to act. It made me incredulous. Protect and Serve my ass.

The other bit that was fascinating is in most states, no one chartered the police into existence. The police wrote their own charter, it was not given to them. Kind of crazy, the police just popped up and got funded. No clear ask in writing, almost as if the original purpose was to be the mayor’s goon squad and/or slave catchers.

So we have a government body that writes their own charter, are not here to protect us, are not required to know what they are enforcing, in fact not held to the same standard of law as everyone else, expect us to recognize their authority which the people actually never gave them, they investigate themselves, are rewarded for seizing peoples assets even without a conviction which allows them to militarize themselves, have max IQ requirements because they want them dumb enough to obey, and at a flinch are allowed to shoot people.

Then you have the bad cops.

7

ARobertNotABob t1_j9tj7ks wrote

I started watching The Rookie this week. OK, yes, I know it's a TV show, but cops knowledge of Laws and Procedures is shown as a literal bedrock, foundation, "where's your Rook Book?" being a repeated line.

Equally though, I'm also aware that cops are put on your streets with mere weeks of training; when was the last time you started a job where you just knew all the rules?

The whole thing seems like a bumblebee ... it shouldn't fly, and yet, somehow ...

1

amibeingadick420 t1_j9topf7 wrote

Heien v. North Carolina established that police don’t have to ow the laws, and if they pull you over for something that isn’t illegal because of their ignorance, then that is still a valid stop.

But, just to be clear, for the rest of us citizens, ignorance of the law is not an excuse.

If government enforcers can make up laws, it is clear that laws, including the Bill of Rights which supposedly protects our rights, mean nothing. America is fucked. Likewise, fuck America.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heien_v._North_Carolina

16

WillBottomForBanana t1_j9ucuti wrote

Bonus bizarre point. Any other fed/state/local employee that I know of has to know the laws regarding their job and ignorance is literally not an excuse.

9

ericmm76 t1_j9udl4o wrote

Whats worse is that when you are being mistreated wrongly you need to be PERFECT. Any expression of frustration anger or god forbid correction is dangerous for you.

Especially if you're not white.

6

fardough t1_j9vozgx wrote

I see your point to a degree. No one is perfect and everyone makes mistakes.

The problem is these are enforcers of the law who can kill with impunity. The expectation should be as high as the risk. If you have the power of life and death, then you are expected to never get it wrong. If you can put an innocent person into prison, then it better be accurate. I agree here there is likely a line, mistaking similar statutes versus making up a law

On your first day at a new engineering job, they don’t give you root access to the main application and let you go at it. No, you have to show competence to gain that privilege, and every engineer knows if they delete main, then that is more than likely their job.

2