Undercover Cops Break Facebook Rules to Track Protesters

According to NBC News, October 5, 2018, Facebook is teeming with fake accounts created by undercover law enforcement officers. They're against the rules — but cops keep making them anyway.

In the summer of 2015, as Memphis exploded with protests over the police killing of a 19-year-old man, activists began hearing on Facebook from someone called Bob Smith. The name was generic, and so was his profile picture: a Guy Fawkes mask, the symbol of anti-government dissent.

Smith acted as if he supported the protesters, and, slowly, they let him into their online community. Over the next three years, dozens of them accepted his friend requests, allowing him to observe private discussions over marches, rallies and demonstrations. In public postings and private messages he described himself as a far-left Democrat, a “fellow protester” and a “man of color.”

But Smith was not real. He was the creation of a white detective in the Memphis Police Department’s Office of Homeland Security whose job was to keep tabs on local activists across the spectrum, from Black Lives Matter to Confederate sympathizers.

Police officers around the country, in departments large and small, working for federal, state and local agencies, use undercover Facebook accounts to watch protesters, track gang members, lure child predators and snare thieves, according to court records, police trainers and officers themselves. Some maintain several of these accounts at a time. The tactic violates Facebook’s terms of use, and the company says it disables fake accounts whenever it discovers them. But that is about all it can do: Fake accounts are not against the law, and the information gleaned by the police can be used as evidence in criminal and civil cases.

The only reprisals come from Facebook itself, which says it strictly enforces its ban on users pretending to be someone they’re not. Every day, it says, the company’s “detection technology” blocks millions of attempts to create fake accounts ─ and detects millions more within minutes of creation. But Facebook won’t say how often it has taken action against a law enforcement agency for using fake accounts, only that it has done so “many times.”
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Should law enforcement agencies be able to violate Facebook ToS in order to track protestors? What about non-law enforcement government employees, should they be allowed to infiltrate protest groups? Should a warrant be required - the information gained for infiltrating groups can be used in a criminal trial? 

DOD specifically prohibits this type of activity, with directives stating:

* No information shall be acquired about a person or organization solely because of lawful advocacy of measures in opposition to Government policy.

* There shall be no electronic surveillance of any individual or organization, except as authorized by law.

* There shall be no covert or otherwise deceptive surveillance or penetration of civilian organizations unless specifically authorized by the Secretary of Defense, or his designee.

* No DOD personnel will be assigned to attend public or private meetings, demonstrations, or other similar activities for the purpose of acquiring information, the collection of which is authorized by this Directive without specific prior approval by the Secretary of Defense, or his designee.

We have seen recent examples of protestors becoming violent. Do we want them to be able to organize violent protests on-line, while law enforcement is prohibited from collecting information about these groups?

These undercover investigations on-line catch more than protestors - they also catch sex predators and child pornographers. Surely this is something we want law enforcement to do?

Where do we draw the line with on-line undercover activity?  Should there be a line at all?

 

 

These 8 Areas of King County Have 95% of the Shootings

 

The King County Prosecutor's office has been tracking gun violence across the county for the past two years and learned there were nearly a thousand 'shots fired' incidents in 2017 alone. They focused on eight jurisdictions that have 95 percent of the shootings in the county and tallied how many homicides, injury shootings, and so-called "shots fired" incidents.

The jurisdictions include Seattle, Kent, Federal Way, Renton, Auburn, Tukwila, Des Moines, and the King County Sheriff’s Office.

Almost half of the shooting victims in 2017 were under the age of 25, and 83 percent of the victims are male.

Researchers also found that although Seattle had the most homicides and shootings of any city, the majority of those two crimes happened outside the city limits, predominantly in south King County. Sixty-seven percent of the homicides and 54 percent of the injury shootings in the county were outside the Seattle city limits.

More than half the shooting victims, 55 percent, are African American. Almost 18 percent are Latino, 17 percent are white, and almost 6 percent are Asian.  (KING 5 News, October 11, 2018)
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Guide to Avoiding State Surveillance

 

 

The Motherboard Guide to Avoiding State Surveillance

Wired Guide to Digital Security

Security in a Box

Dark Web Beginners Security Guide

Surveillance Self-Defense: Tips, Tools and How-tos for Safer Online Communications

Journalist's Toolbox: Digital Security: Privacy and Protecting Sources

Information Security for Journalists

Privacy Tools

Avoiding Internet Surveillance

RATS by Claire Wolfe

 

 

Use These Tools...

e-Mail:  Tutanota or Protonmail

Chat:  Signal Private Messenger or Wire

Search:  DuckDuckGo or StartPage

Browser: TOR or TAILS

File Transfer: WeTransfer or PCloud Transfer

 

 

Explosives Seized From Jehovah’s Witnesses in Russia

Authorities in central Russia said they have seized explosives from a group of Jehovah’s Witnesses detained in a year-long crackdown on the religious group that Moscow labels as extremist.

After long encountering difficulties in Russia, Jehovah’s Witnesses were outlawed in the country as an extremist organization in 2017. Rights groups have condemned law enforcement officials over raids and arrests against the group that they say violate their religious freedom.

Five Jehovah’s Witnesses were detained in the Volga region of Kirov on charges of organizing and financing extremist activities, investigators said Tuesday.

“A large amount of extremist literature, electronic data carriers, as well as two grenades and a landmine were seized during searches,” the regional Investigative Committee said in a statement. (Moscow Times, October 11, 2018)
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Once Again David Stodden Cleared in Murders of His Wife and Daughter

According to KOMO 4 News (October 10, 2018):   Minutes after detectives asked if he killed his family, David Stodden walked out of the Snohomish County Courthouse Wednesday.

It was the third time Stodden had been asked to take a polygraph test in connection with the July 2006 murders of his wife, Mary, and daughter, Susanna.

“They sort of said they weren’t going to work on the case until I passed a polygraph, so I did finally decide to take it,” Stodden said.

Courtney O’Keefe, a spokeswoman for the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office, confirmed that cold case detectives asked Stodden to take the test.

“He did pass his polygraph test today and at this point they do not believe he is involved in this case,” O’Keefe said. “At this point, there is no new information, no new suspects.”

Mary Cooper, 56, and Susanna Stodden, 27, were shot to death on July 11, 2006. The mother and daughter, a school librarian and soon-to-be teacher, had been shot while hiking in the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest near Granite Falls.

Stodden has been frustrated with investigators. He said they tell him they’re short-staffed, or they have limited resources. He said that he has offered to drum up tips or hire a private investigator and been rebuffed.

Stodden said the demand that he take another polygraph test, even after he had taken other tests as well as submitted DNA, was “insulting.”

“It seems undignified, I guess. There’s no evidence I was involved at all. I wish they would look for more evidence,” Stodden said.

Stodden said he’s not going to stop pushing on the sheriff’s office, or trying to generate media interest in the case.
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This is a cold case. Around 40% of murders in the United States go unsolved. After detectives have exhausted all of their leads in a case, examined forensic evidence and interviewed potential suspects, there is little else that can be done until new leads are developed.

Concerning polygraphs, the American Psychological Association has stated: Polygraph testing has generated considerable scientific and public controversy. Most psychologists and other scientists agree that there is little basis for the validity of polygraph tests. Courts, including the United States Supreme Court (cf. U.S. v. Scheffer, 1998 in which Dr.'s Saxe's research on polygraph fallibility was cited), have repeatedly rejected the use of polygraph evidence because of its inherent unreliability. Nevertheless, polygraph testing continues to be used in non-judicial settings, often to screen personnel, but sometimes to try to assess the veracity of suspects and witnesses, and to monitor criminal offenders on probation. Polygraph tests are also sometimes used by individuals seeking to convince others of their innocence and, in a narrow range of circumstances, by private agencies and corporations.

The Speaks Law Firm provides comments on polygraph examinations.

Lakewood Cop Arrested for DUI Told Witness Not to Call Police

According to the Tacoma News Tribune (October 11, 2018): A Lakewood police officer arrested for DUI potentially violated a number of department policies on the day he crashed his department-issued car in Gig Harbor last month, a department spokesman said.

Officer Eric Bell, 46, had a blood-alcohol level more than twice the legal limit when arrested Sept. 23, according to a report written by Washington State Patrol Trooper Matthew Rogers.  He blew a 0.23 on a breath analyzer. The legal limit is 0.08.

Bell was alone in his unmarked, city-owned 2012 Ford Escape when it left Wagner Way, crashed through trees and came to rest outside the home of an elderly resident. Minutes earlier, he had driven his underage son in the vehicle, Rogers’ report said.

Bell had dropped the boy off with his ex-wife and was heading home at the time of the crash, according to Rogers’ report. Bell told the trooper a deer jumped in front of him, causing him to swerve off the road near The Lodge at Mallard’s Landing.

A witness to the wreck said she didn’t see a deer in the road but heard the Escape coming down the road at a high rate of speed, its tires screeching, and crashing into trees.

She wasn’t the only witness.

Irmi McKinstry, the resident whose home Bell’s car nearly crashed into said I will call the police, McKinstry recalled. “He said ‘No,’ really loud. But I called anyhow."

Lakewood officers are required to notify local police agencies as well as their own department when they are involved in an accident in their city-owned vehicles. In addition, officers cannot tell or intimidate witnesses to not report incidents to other police officers or agencies, Lawler said.

Neither Bell nor his son should have been in the vehicle to begin with. Bell wasn’t authorized to use the car on his day off, Lakewood police spokesman Chris Lawler told The News Tribune on Thursday.

Gig Harbor police responded first to the wreck, but they requested State Patrol assistance due to the fact a police officer was involved.

This wasn’t the first time Trooper Rogers had encountered Bell.

“I instantly recognized Bell as a driver from a prior collision that I investigated,” Rogers wrote.
That incident occurred June 22 at the southbound Interstate 5 ramp from state Route 16, just south of South 38th Street. Bell was driving a Jeep.

“I recalled the collision because it involved two drivers that had been arguing with each other before the collision and following the collision,” Rogers wrote.

It was also memorable, the trooper said, because Bell had identified himself as a Lakewood police officer.

Lawler said Lakewood police were unaware of the June incident until asked about it by The News Tribune. An accident off duty and involving a private vehicle does not need to be reported to the department, he said, but the department would seek a copy of the collision report to review.

After the wreck in Gig Harbor, Bell told Rogers that he was using his police car to drop off his son because his ex-wife had his Jeep and the only other vehicle he had was an RV, according to the trooper’s report.

The only time an officer can drive his or her child in a police vehicle is to drop the child off somewhere, at school for example, and only if the officer is on the way to work, Lawler said.

“We basically don’t allow you to do it any other time,” Lawler said.
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Why Do Hoaxes Spread So Fast On-line?

How do social media hoaxes, such as bogus Facebook warnings about clone accounts, spread so quickly? Human nature, mostly, experts say.

According to a study conducted at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology social media hoaxes go viral because:

1. Fake stories reach people quicker than the truth - People are more quick to share lies and false information than the truth on social media, according to the 2018 study from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

2. People don’t check before sharing - A 2016 study discovered that 59 percent of all links shared on social networks aren’t clicked before being reposted, reported Forbes.

3. Confirmation bias - “Once we have formed a view, we embrace information that confirms that view while ignoring, or rejecting, information that casts doubt on it,” Shahram Heshmat wrote for Psychology Today. “Confirmation bias suggests that we don’t perceive circumstances objectively.”

4. The more we see something, the more we believe it - It may not make any sense, but it’s human nature - the more times we see something, the more likely we are to believe it’s true, according to The Washington Post.

5. Information overload handcuffs fact-checking - A study published in the Nature Human Behavior journal suggests we’re bombarded by so much information on social media that we just can’t make sense of it all.     (The Olympian, October 7, 2018)
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The above points on how false information spreads is not just limited to Facebook. Any time you share information with a group, by a social media post, e-mail, or some type of bulletin or newsletter you are subject to the same effects. The more "official" your publication of information is, the greater your potential to give credibility to fake news and hoaxes.

Official publications should just never copy and post information as found. Always fact check your information, cite your sources, and include analysis and comment as appropriate to clarify information.

Access Now Calls on 22 Major Tech Companies to Account for Their Human Rights Practices

Every day, we entrust more of our personal information to tech companies — whether it’s our internet service provider, mobile phone network, email client, social media platforms, or app maker. We depend on these companies for the services we need to work, learn, and play. And in turn, they carry an important responsibility to make sure their business practices respect our human rights.

Stories like AT&T’s deep collaboration with U.S. intelligence agencies and Facebook’s opaque content moderation processes that have silenced human rights activists around the world make it clear that these companies’ policies have real impacts on people’s everyday lives.  (Access Now, September 17, 2018)
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Minnesota Teacher Resigns Over Kavanaugh Assassination Tweet

Samantha Ness, a Minnesota teacher, has resigned after a message appeared on her Twitter account suggesting someone should assassinate new U.S. Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh.

The Rosemount special education teacher has since deleted her Twitter account, but a tweet that read "so whose gonna take one for the team and kill Kavanaugh" was reported by Twitter users to the FBI and Secret Service.

The FBI in Minneapolis told The Star Tribune that it's aware of the tweet.

Intermediate School District 917 Superintendent Mark Zuzek said in a statement Tuesday that the employee has voluntarily resigned after being placed on paid administrative leave pending an investigation.

Justice Kavanaugh was sworn in Monday after a divisive Senate confirmation hearing. 
(KOMO 4 News, October 10, 2018)
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It is unclear whether the teacher will be charged with a crime or what law enforcement agency is responsible for investigating the tweet. While Twitter users wrote that they reported the tweet to the FBI and Secret Service, the U.S. Marshals Service is responsible for protecting the federal judiciary. The U.S. Supreme Court also has a small federal police force in Washington, D.C.

Threats of murder and violence from left-wing activists are not new.  In May 2017 we read: Republicans Facing Violence, Death Threats From Left-Wing Activists. And on July 31, 2018 a similar article reported: Violent threats from the left aimed at Republicans are growing -- When will Democrats condemn them? It takes little effort to find many more reports of left-wing threats and violence, but these individuals are seldom criminally charged for their threats.

Now, nobody is saying that individuals and groups can't protest government policies and actions. Make public comments. Contact government agencies and personnel directly at their offices. Send letters and e-mail, make phone calls, write articles, stand in a public area with a protest sign. Do these things every day if you wish, you have a First Amendment protected right to do so. But what you can't do is make threats of violence and call for the murder of our government officials. This is never acceptable. It is not a joke, nor is it political expression. Threats like this are a crime.

  

 

123 Missing Kids Recovered in Wayne County in One Day!

 

The U.S. Marshals Service says 123 missing children in Wayne County, Michigan were recovered during a one-day sweep.

The sweep, called MISafeKid, happened on September 26 throughout the county.

The U.S. Marshals Service Detroit Missing Child Recovery Unit coordinated with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development - Office of Inspector General, Detroit Police and the Michigan State Police and investigated missing child case files prior to the sweep.

Out of 301 files of missing children, 123 were physically located and interviewed during the operation.

All of the children located were interviewed about potentially being sexually victimized or used in a sex trafficking ring during their period of time that they were deemed missing. Three cases were identified as being possible sex trafficking cases, a news release said, and one homeless teen was transported back to the command post after it was discovered that he had not had anything to eat in three days. He was then debriefed and turned over to Child Protective Services for aftercare.

The U.S. Marshals Service did not elaborate on where the children were located.

(Fox 10 News, October 9, 2018)
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The US Marshals' press release can be found here.

Portland Antifa Violence Against Senior Citizens (Video)

On October 6, 2018 at the intersection of SW 4th Ave and SW Harvey Milk St in Portland, OR protestors blocked the street and directed traffic away from the intersection.

A YouTube video showing their interactions with motorists was posted on October 8th.

The video is about 3 minutes long, and shows protestors chasing and harassing an elderly man who drove through their protest.

Street protests are all too common these days and blocking traffic has become one of the favorite methods of public protest. If you, as a motorist, round a corner and find yourself in the middle of a protest march, or if protestors suddenly surround your car, you need to take action quickly.

 A 2016 USCCA article attempts to answer the question "What Should You Do If Protestors Surround Your Car?"

Defeating Metal Detectors

Metal detectors, as their name would imply, detect metal. If you need to get weapons past a metal detector and into a secure area (or if you are trying to prevent weapons from getting into your secure area) then you will need to consider weapons that are not made of metal.

Composite materials, and ceramics, will not be detected by a metal detector. Ceramic knives, scissors, scalpels and other sharp objects will slide through – your only obstacle is hiding them well enough not to be seen by the trained officer’s eye. Since ceramics are not metal, but its uses, hard- and sharpness grades are the same or better than steel, weapons made from it is just as effective and also weighs a lot less than steel. If you need to get a blade through security, go with ceramics.

Recently, the use of porcelain to make knives has been a popular thing - these will not set off a metal detector either.

Now, what you’ve got to remember is that just because the blade won’t trigger the metal detector, that doesn’t mean there’s no metal in the handle, in screws and whatnot else comes with the fancy blade.

Wooden clubs, such as a 'tire thumper' will not be detected, nor will wooden martial arts weapons such as nunchaku. Polycarbonate slingshots, such as the Scout Hunting Slingshot, firing glass marbles can cause serious injury (make head shots) at close range, but contain no metal to be detected. A slingshot modified to shoot 'bodkin darts' can even defeat soft body armor at close range.

The average metal detector doesn't detect metal in the shoes. The electromagnetic pulse does not reach down completely to floor level due to calibration and other issues.  A razor blade, for example, in the heel of your shoe may not be detected. Or, you can carry a ceramic razor blade, that isn't detectable by the metal detector, or for a better grip a ceramic razor blade escape knife.

The Undetectable Firearms Act of 1988 (18 U.S.C. § 922(p)) makes it illegal to manufacture, import, sell, ship, deliver, possess, transfer, or receive any firearm that is not as detectable by walk-through metal detection as a security exemplar containing 3.7 oz. (105 g) of steel, or any firearm with major components that do not generate an accurate image before standard airport imaging technology. Because of this law, you won't find any commercially manufactured firearms that are undetectable by a metal detector. That being said, it is not particularly difficult to build a firearm, containing almost no metal, that would fire low pressure rounds like the .22LR (but building such a gun would violate the law).

To learn more about how metal detectors work, read: Users’ Guide for Hand-Held and Walk-Through Metal Detectors NIJ Guide 600-00

Predictive Policing - LE Revolution or Just a New Spin on Old Biases?

On October 3, 2018 the International Association of Crime Analysts posted a link to a CBC article "'Predictive policing': Law enforcement revolution or just new spin on old biases?"

LAPD is trying to predict crime through data analysis, and not everyone is happy about it
In a city with a long history of law-enforcement friction, activists and the Los Angeles Police Department are squaring off again. The latest crime-fighting controversy isn't over issues like police brutality, corruption or gangs — it's all about data. And the ways police are using it. 

Activists at a public meeting with the Los Angeles Police Commission this summer held up signs reading: "Data Driven Evidence Based Policing = Pseudoscience," and "Crime Data is Racist." It's an example of how the community has been put on edge by the LAPD's use of an elaborate data collection center, a shadowy data analysis firm called Palantir, and predictive algorithms to try to get a jump on crime.

Police forces across the U.S. are increasingly adopting the same approach as the LAPD: employing sophisticated algorithms to predict crime in the hope they can prevent it. Chicago, New York City and Philadelphia use similar predictive programs and face similar questions from the communities they are policing, and even legal challenges over where the information is coming from and how police are using it.

Canadian police forces are very aware of what their U.S. counterparts are doing, but they are wary of jumping in with both feet due to concerns over civil liberties issues.
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Predictive policing is a useful tool in reducing crime in a community. When used properly it helps to make communities safer and at the same time protects the civil liberties and privacy rights of those living in those communities.

What predictive policing does is look at events in a community, and use those events to predict future events. This could be as simple as looking at street patterns and citizen complaints of speeding to determine where traffic units should conduct speed enforcement, to more complex analysis of data to predict where major crimes will occur.

Predictive policing uses data that law enforcement collects as part of its routine functions. For years crime analysts have done this type of work by hand. Predictive policing software simply automates a lot of the data crunching, allowing the analyst to focus on analysis.

Is there a potential for misuse? Sure, almost anything can be misused - the biggest danger being that investigations can be structured to point in specific directions or at specific people by analyzing only select data points while ignoring others. But outside of deliberate investigate misconduct this is not going to happen.

So, is predictive policing a new revolution in law enforcement? No, crime analysts have been doing this for decades. Now it's just done faster with the aid of computers and automated mapping technology. 

 

Colion Noir: Welcome to Seattle

"Welcome to Seattle, Washington. An admittedly beautiful city and state that is unfortunately also known for its not so underlying drug and homeless issue... from where I stand, the politicians and representatives of this beautiful city seem more interested in other issues, instead of addressing the issues that are right under their nose."

Over the next weeks, Colion Noir will cover the truth about Seattle, Washington. A truth the city's and state's politicians overlook as they scapegoat guns. A truth the media ignores. A truth that must be told. Watch NRATV for in-depth profiles from a diverse cross-section of Seattle citizens both affected by and trying to solve the very real problems that plague the city. All of these profiles will lead up to a full report on a Seattle plagued by drugs, homelessness and violence. A Seattle where gun owners are unfairly blamed for real problems. And a Seattle where inspiring individuals are doing what the elected officials won't: find solutions.

If you want to be a criminal, Seattle is a very good place to be.

 

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Woman Fabricated Accusations of Rape and Assault Against WA Police Officer

KIRO 7 News (October 8 2018) reported that prosecutors dropped all charges against a former Bellevue police officer who was jailed for weeks on investigation of domestic violence, witness tampering and violating protection orders, after it was determined that the woman had fabricated the allegations against the officer.

King County prosecutors wrote the woman who accused officer John Kivlin used a sophisticated ruse to get him arrested.

Prosecutors who reviewed the evidence wrote the woman who made the allegations cannot be believed. They say she made up stories of being assaulted and harassed by police officers she was dating.

She's the same woman at the center of allegations that rocked the Bellevue Police Department going all the way to the chief.

Earlier this year, Kivlin, 48, faced a judge after being arrested and jailed for a third time on accusations of domestic violence and witness tampering made by the same woman.

He spent 49 days in jail, and his attorney says some of it was solitary confinement.

On Monday, prosecutors not only dropped all charges against Kivlin, they wrote this about his accuser:

“(She) fabricated evidence and used a sophisticated ruse to deceive Kivlin, law enforcement, prosecutors, and the Court in order to have Kivlin taken into custody and charged with additional crimes."

According to investigators, the same woman also accused a Bellevue police detective of rape leading that detective to resign.

Today, prosecutors say they believe the woman made up stories about being raped, assaulted and harassed, saying: "The result of (her) fabrication was that law enforcement arrested Kivlin for crimes he did not commit, prosecutors filed charges against Kivlin for crimes he did not commit, and the Court held Kivlin in custody for order violations which he did not commit."

Prosecutors also noted Kivlin's accuser violated a no-contact protection order Kivlin had taken out against her.

King County investigators told KIRO 7 they will not recommend charges against the woman for false reporting because they say she is extremely mentally ill.

KIRO 7 learned the woman also may have made allegations against Bellevue police chief Steve Mylett.

Mylett is on paid administrative leave while Bothell police investigate an undisclosed allegation. As of Monday, a Bothell police spokesman said detectives have been unable to corroborate allegations with any independent evidence. Mylett has denied ever meeting the woman.
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This is why we have 'innocent until proven guilty' under the law. Unfortunately, this does not undo the injury caused by the false allegations.

It is not all that difficult to make false allegation that result in "an ongoing investigation", leaving the person accused with no meaningful opportunity to be heard.

So, how do we compensate a person for the harm caused by false allegations? Who pays for his legal fees? Lost wages? A destroyed career? Administrative actions and investigations that drag on for months, even when there is evidence that allegations are false, cause just as much harm as the false allegations themselves - and isn't that the intent of the false allegations to begin with?

I Support Law Enforcement

For the past few weeks we have been looking at law enforcement related news here in the blog, and a lot of that news has been negative. But I want to be very clear about something, I support our law enforcement officers 100%.

Are cops perfect? Of course not. And no one should expect them to be. But every single day, under the most difficult conditions, the police protect us from the bad guys. In other words, they do their job and they do it well. Former Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke makes it very clear: cops are not the problem.

The police aren’t the problem. The politicians and activists are. The police didn’t create the failed urban policies that have locked people into generational poverty. The police aren’t responsible for fatherless homes, failing schools and bad lifestyle choices.  And they sure as hell aren’t responsible for the lack of respect shown to police officers. It is this lack of respect for authority, fostered over decades by the progressive left and its fear the police narrative that is the real problem.

Now, I don't think that we should totally ignore the rhetoric from the left. We can't change the mindset of those who oppose the police if we ignore their concerns... even when those concerns are based on misinformation and unjustified assumptions. Dr. David Thomas, a senior research fellow at the National Police Foundation has written a very cogent article on why Law Enforcement Must Regain the Public’s Trust.

So, if we look at a report that appears critical of the police, or of a law enforcement policy, remember that this does not, and should not, reflect on the credibility and professionalism of law enforcement in general. An article in Odyssey stated: We Need To Respect Law Enforcement Again And Here's Why --  "officers are willing to risk their lives for the sake of others and for their community. We need to trust, appreciate and respect police officers again. Every morning, they put on that uniform and hug their families before heading out the door, they know in the back of their heads that there’s a possibility of not coming back home that night. They risk their lives every day and go out of their way to protect strangers. And how do we repay or thank them? By rioting, putting their lives in danger, badmouthing them and disrespecting them and their profession. Instead of bashing them, we need to respect them and “have their backs” again like how it used to be. They need our support as much as we need theirs. They are the people we call whenever an emergency happens and they are always there to help us. They are the people who protect us in horrifying situations. Whether people like to admit it or not, we need our police officers and life without them protecting us is unfathomable."

 

Band Performs Skit About Shooting Police During Halftime of Football Game

According to the Tribunist, October 6, 2018, students during a half-time show at a high school football game between Forest Hill High School their rivals from Brookhaven High School in Mississippi performed a skit showing them shooting police officers.  The move would be controversial at any game, but is even more shocking as two Brookhaven police officers were killed in the line of duty last week. (In addition to Moak and White, Trooper Josh Smith was killed in Alcorn County Sept. 30. If his death is shown to be in the line of duty, it will have been the bloodiest 24 hours for police officers in Mississippi's history.)

Jackson Public Schools officials are apologizing for an "insensitive" halftime performance in Brookhaven by the Forest Hill High School Band depicting guns being held on police.
 
Gov. Phil Bryant condemned the performance, tweeting "This is unacceptable in a civilized society. Someone should be held accountable."

"I will be making a complaint to the Mississippi High School Activities Association as well as to Forest Hill and JPS administration. How could any administrator think that halftime show was appropriate?" wrote Sen. Sally Doty, R-Brookhaven.

"I have had a ton of messages on this completely despicable, disgusting, & disrespectful act from last night. I’ve been told Mississippi Department of Education has been notified & will be launching an investigation into this. Many of us including myself will be following up to make sure that this doesn’t happen again," posted Rep. Tom Miles, D-Forest.
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There is a strong division between law enforcement and the people in the communities where they work. Too many people believe that the police are the enemy, and at the same time police tend to view people in the community as untrustworthy and only worthy of prison for any type of violation of the law.

Communities do not trust the police and police do not trust the citizens in the communities where they work. (A 2015 Gallup Poll found that confidence in the police was lowest that it has been in 22 Years.) Police lack compassion and understanding for the people in the community and the community hates and fears the police, believing them to be the enemy. This is something that must change.

We rely on the police to keep our communities safe, and to treat us fairly regardless of race, ethnicity, national origin, gender, or residence. The police have a difficult job, a job that most of them - almost certainly the vast majority of them - do very well, day after day.

Dr. David J. Thomas, writing for the National Police Foundation has a well-written article Law Enforcement Must Regain the Public’s Trust that I think is worth reading.  

Lakewood Cop Arrested for DUI After Crashing Police Car in Gig Harbor

The Tacoma News Tribune, October 7, 2018, reported that a Lakewood police officer was arrested for driving under the influence after crashing his police vehicle in Gig Harbor.

Officer Eric Bell was arrested Sept. 23 and released the same day after the single-vehicle wreck in the 7800 block of Wagner Way NW, according to John Unfred, an assistant chief with the Lakewood Police Department.

Gig Harbor police responded to the crash at about 9 p.m., Unfred said. They found the vehicle crashed off the roadway. Nearby, they found the driver who appeared intoxicated.

“Upon further investigation, it was found that the driver was an off-duty Lakewood PD officer and that the involved vehicle belonged to the City of Lakewood,” Unfred said in a statement.

The accident investigation was turned over to the Washington State Patrol.

Bell was placed on administrative leave from his job pending the outcome of an internal investigation, Unfred said.

Unfred said Bell had just dropped his children off with his ex-wife and was returning home at the time of the incident. He was off duty, Unfred said.

Bell has been in law enforcement for approximately 20 years, including 14 with the Lakewood Police Department, Unfred said.

The unmarked police vehicle Bell was driving was a total loss, Unfred said.
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While DUI is a serious issue, especially when in an official vehicle, it should be noted that police officers are people who like anyone else make mistake and at times violate the law.

Generally, a DUI conviction in Washington will be considered a misdemeanor.

Pierce Co. Sheriff's Sergeant Arrested on Suspicion of Felony Assault

According to the Tacoma News Tribune, October 5, 2018: A veteran Pierce County sheriff’s deputy was arrested Friday morning on suspicion of first-degree assault, a felony.

Tacoma police spokeswoman Loretta Cool could not provide specific details regarding the circumstances that led to the arrest. Cool said it was being treated as an active, ongoing and “serious” investigation.

She confirmed that the deputy was arrested at about 1:30 a.m.

The deputy was listed as an inmate in the Pierce County Jail late Friday morning. He has not yet been charged.

Cool said the Pierce County Prosecutor’s Office would hand off the case to the Thurston County prosecutor. Such a decision would reflect standard practice to avoid the appearance of a conflict of interest.

The News Tribune generally does not publish the names of criminal suspects until they are charged but is making an exception in this case because of he is in a position of public trust. Sheriff’s spokesman Ed Troyer said the deputy is Robert Glen Carpenter and that he has been with the department for 25 years and achieved the rank of sergeant.

Troyer said Sheriff Paul Pastor had been made aware of the arrest and expressed disappointment.

“We expect him to be treated like a citizen and be held accountable like a citizen,” Troyer said of Carpenter.

He added that the 48-year-old deputy would be placed on administrative leave during the course of the investigation. That leave could be unpaid if he is charged with a felony but paid leave if not, Troyer said.

In 2007, Carpenter was arrested twice on the same day in Chelan County on suspicion of drunken driving, according to a story previously published in The News Tribune.

He received a deferred prosecution after agreeing to treatment for alcohol abuse, according to that story.
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Being arrested and titled with assault does not mean that the prosecutor has charged Sgt. Carpenter with assault. Even if the prosecutor does bring charges, Sgt. Carpenter has not yet been convicted of assault. Maybe he assaulted someone, and maybe he didn't, but he is still innocent until proven guilty!