https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/...wed/744741002/
Baltimore Police Not Noticing Crime. Is This Happening In Detroit?
That and sugar-coating crime reports.
On the one hand, officers have an incredibly tough job. I think they often don't get the respect they deserve, and dodgy reporting from the media doesn't help the situation.
On the other hand, there are a constant stream of stories about officers who should never be put behind a badge being defended and shielded from being booted out of their job.
About 20 years ago my cousin was shot while visiting her friend on the west side. There were a string of similar shootings in the same neighborhood. Completely random - guy walks up to a woman getting into her car and shoots her. Somehow it never made the news. The DPD wrote it up as aggravated assault instead of attempted murder. Apparently, just because she was shot in the neck doesn't mean the assailant was trying to kill her. They never caught the guy. Good job keeping those stats down, though, and keeping the serial shooter out of the media.
The difference in Baltimore is that many officers have decided that being proactive just isn't worth the hassle in a town that is openly hostile towards them [[And I don't blame them one bit). That means showing up when someone calls 911, but ignoring the suspicious vehicle slow rolling down the street with a tail light out. Before a traffic stop like that may have led to illegal guns, drugs or the arrest of wanted felons. Now it's just too risky politically. Not only is their life on the line, but now guilty or not they have to worry about their job, their name and personal details being published by the media and the likelihood that their mayor might throw them under the bus again.
I think this is happening in Detroit [[And in most major American cities), but not to the same extent. Luckily our police department and the Mayor's office seem to be on the same page, and appear to have a pretty good relationship. Also, having a police force that is majority black helps to temper any claims of widespread racism against the black residents of the city.
This goes back 25 years to when I lived in Baltimore. I lived in a not very good neighborhood and break-ins were common. One day there was a guy walking down the street testing all the doors to see if they were unlocked and he could go in to steal whatever he could find. I pointed this out to a cop who came by and he gave zero shits. Didn't even talk to the guy or tell him to cut it out.Quote:
Originally Posted by Johnnny5
Gee, I can't fathom why the police aren't super-popular in Baltimore...Quote:
Originally Posted by Johnnny5
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/w...-a8189731.html
https://www.cbsnews.com/video/video-...ting-evidence/
We can only hazard a guess how many black men are serving decades-long prison terms because they were literally framed by the BPD but it's safe to say the number is a lot higher than zero.
A department gets called on the carpet for repeatedly and violating the civil rights of black people and the officers throw a tantrum and decide they don't have to do their jobs.Quote:
Originally Posted by aj3647
This thread was a fucking embarrassment.
^^^ The fallout here is when someone calls the police for a legitimate reason and they don't show up. Glad I don't live in Baltimore.