Crooked cops’ reign of terror

[NNN0LHI]

http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/523176,CST-NWS-corrupt23.article

'What a betrayal’ says one frightened woman

August 23, 2007
BY FRANK MAIN Crime Reporter [e-mail]

The crooks knew just what to say to the young teller to get her to cooperate.

Two dirty Chicago cops had made sure of that.

The robbers knew about her roommate. They mentioned her parents' home address. They even knew about the motorcycle her dad kept -- in his carport, under a cover.

Terrified for her parents' safety, the teller did what she was told. snip

In at least six of the holdups, the robbers were armed with details about the victims and their families.

After they were caught, the FBI asked the ringleader: Where'd you get it?

From the cops, Sidney "Corky" Upchurch answered.

[HCE SuiGeneris]

1. Costa Rica's coast beckons...

I want out of this nightmare that Amurika has befallen...

[Matariki]

2. Oh, and a country in South America is just the ticket for that!?

No corrupt police or politicians there. No way.

[Name removed]

5. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Matariki]

6. Eat what? What's wrong with you?

[HCE SuiGeneris]

7. You are what's wrong with me.

Step off and go attack someone else.

[Matariki]

8. I wasn't attacking you.

I was commenting on the fact that if you want to leave America because of corrupt cops (the OP - remember?) then South America is probably not your best choice. Or Central America.

Get off the angry train. Or get some sleep or something. Your rudeness is totally uncalled for.

[HCE SuiGeneris]

9. fer chrissakes

it's central america...

it's a beach picture with a setting sun espousing the relatively pristine environment... and your words to me are that South America is corrupt... meh

[midnight]

3. Wow. If this is going on in a big city like chicago, what is going

on in our small towns?

[Richard Steele]

4. Same shit, different scale. Same as it ever was. nm

[CRF450]

10. In much smaller numbers

In fact in my area in a small city and a little town 15 miles away. Most of the cops are pretty respectable. Not very many dickheaded ones around here.

[Truthiness Inspector]

11. Thank you for a voice of reason

I always love cop-bashing threads. Usually started and often populated by those who would never make the sacrifices necessary to be cops themselves.

[CRF450]

12. I dont quite get it myself

When a thread pops up about abusive cops and whatnot I get the feeling that most here are making out ALL cops as power abusers and bullies. Mostly pure bullshit.

[Truthiness Inspector]

13. If you ever figure it out, let me know. n/t

[CRF450]

15. Well, I do and I dont

Its compliacating to figure out really. You got racism, and discrimination that many cops place on people and end up wrongfully arresting or harassing a poor or colored person. Stories like this always shows up here and theirs lots of hatred towards the law enforcment from said story. IMO it does happen alot in mostly high population areas accross the country but its few and far between at the same time wheather that person is poor, wealthy, white or colored. I have lots of respect for the police and what they do, they put their lifes on the line everyday because their are dangerous people out their who wouldn't hesitate to kill someone or anyone for that matter.

[Truthiness Inspector]

16. Two-way street

Nobody wants to be detained or arrested, so when it happens...roll out the blame carpet!

Police work is an almost thankless job. Everyone wants police officers to "get the bad guy" except when they themselves are the "bad guy" then it's time to dig deep into the excuse bag.

Your comments are thoughtful. For the cop-bashers reading/commenting, there's one way to figure out if you could hack it physically and pass thorough background investigations, 4-6 months of the Police Academy depending on your state...just apply! You don't have to take the job, but see if you could get it. :)

[tkmorris]

17. There is corruption with the police

And it is a very real problem. Not only corruption but racism, sexism, a wrongful sense of entitlement, and a widespread amount of "I've got a badge so I'm automatically allowed to do anything I want".

I passed more rigorous physical, mental, and background testing back in the Navy. I would not consider applying to be a policeman however, not in the current environment. They need to refocus on the role they play in society IMO.

[Truthiness Inspector]

18. You wouldn't pass

you have a chip on your shoulder. Thank you for not applying.

Law enforcement has no place for assholes with grudges and prejudices.

Having said that, it would be a hoot to see you pass a polygraph explaining why you are qualified to be a police officer. :spray:

[Dystopian]

19. That's exactly the point. Thank you.

Law enforcement has no place for assholes with grudges and prejudices. And there are far too many of them out there.

peace~

[Truthiness Inspector]

20. Sure. Why don't you give it a whirl?

You would not be able to sustain such a difficult job with a never-shutting-up peanut gallery suggesting what you coulda/shoulda/woulda done from people who weren't there and assume the worst.

Do you want to have an easy out? Sign up for a ride-along in your city/county, then PM me and let me know how that goes, and what you learned. :)

[tkmorris]

21. LOL you have no idea what you're talking about

I have no chip sir, I just happen to know what I'm talking about. Besides, I know a good deal about some of the folks right here where I live who HAVE made it through, and trust me, if they can make it just about anyone can. The standards have gone down a bit recently. I wonder why that is anyway?

Oh and the polygraph? I would pass that with FLYING colors my friend, because if I ever did apply it would be out of a profound desire to serve and protect the people of my community. You see, I actually believe in all that stuff, quaint though it might be. That is rather the problem, too many people don't, including a plurality of our police force. And apparently you. If you truly see some of the things police do in betrayal of those they swear to serve and you are not appalled by it, then I think you don't really understand what the police are supposed to be all about.

[Truthiness Inspector]

22. Do it

The worst thing that could happen is that you would be rejected. After talking smack of course.

Again, you don't have to accept the job. Can you GET it?

[Richard Steele]

14. Yup. The bigger the place, the easier for the bad apples to hide in the crowd.

Not just cops who commit crimes, ANYONE.

Sure, some idiots probably TRY to be "muggers" in small towns.
But their career lasts about 5 minutes:
OFFICER: "Sir, did you get a look at the mugger?"
VICTIM: "Yeah, it was Bob."

Case closed, knowhutImean?

[killbotfactory]

29. Chicago is pretty bad

The people I talk to from Chicago never have a kind word to say about the police.

[Mythsaje]

23. Bad cops are few and far between? If only...

The fact that there are good officers out there IN NO WAY excuses the fact that there are WAY too many bad ones. These are not just isolated incidents. A serious study of the problem indicates that in too many jurisdictions the corruption is systemic. Rampant racism, sexism, abuse of authority, sexual harassment, child abuse, spousal abuse, drug dealing, false arrest, harassment...the list goes on and on and on.

Here's a short list.

In Dayton, Ohio, Dayton Police Officer Rick Elworth and former Germantown Police Officer James Gregory appeared in federal court July 29 on charges of conspiring to possess and distribute drugs. The pair are accused of plotting to break into the homes and businesses of known drug dealers, steal their cash and drugs, and resell the drugs in Kentucky. According to the FBI in documents filed in the case, Gregory broke into a home in Dayton July 25 while Elworth, on duty and in uniform in his police cruiser, acted as a lookout. Gregory is out on house arrest, but Elworth was ordered held without bail after allegedly threatening to kill a man, a threat the FBI says it has on tape.

In Detroit, former Detroit Police Officer Donald Hynes was sentenced July 27 to 18 years in prison for helping civilian police employee John Earl Cole Sr. steal more than 220 pounds of cocaine and sell it for at least $480,000. Hynes was convicted in March of conspiracy to distribute cocaine; distribution of cocaine; conspiracy to steal, embezzle and convert police property; embezzling and converting police property; conspiracy to launder money; and making false declarations before a grand jury. Hynes used the police department's computer system to create false entries showing that cocaine no longer needed as evidence had been destroyed, then pointed Cole to the packages. Cole got 15 years after prosecutors lightened his 30-year sentencing guideline sentence because he cooperated in the case. Six others have also been convicted.

In Chicago, a former Cook County jail guard was sentenced to four years in prison July 29 after pleading guilty to smuggling drugs to prison inmates. Michael Long, Jr. was busted after an undercover sheriff's deputy urged him to deliver marijuana to an inmate and met Long to complete the deal. Prosecutors dropped nine additional charges in return for the guilty plea.



Los Angeles 1990 -- seven sheriff's deputies, members of an elite narcotics squad, are found guilty of stealing $1.4 in confiscated cash.

Cleveland 1991 -- 30 police officers are among forty seven individuals indicted for extortion, obstruction of justice, narcotics dealing, and gambling.

Gary, Indiana 1991, the entire vice squad is indicted on charges of extortion, dealing narcotics and robbing drug dealers during phony drug raids, as well as one count of murder.

Detroit 1991 -- the former police chief, William Hart, and his deputy chief, Kenneth Weiner, are found guilty of embezzling $2.6 million from a special fund for undercover investigations.

Camden, New Jersey, 1991 -- Detective Allen R. Schott is arrested and charged with robbing two banks. In 1995 officers in Jersey City, New Jersey are charged with selling themselves 113 impounded cars at discount prices. Newark's chief of police is suspended while under investigation.

New Orleans 1994 -- ten officers, from what is ranked as the most brutal police department in the country, are indicted for dealing drugs and guns. One officer is charged with arranging the murder of a woman who filed brutality charges against him. The next year, officer Antoinette Frank is found guilty of robbing a restaurant and murdering three people in the process, one of whom is her own off-duty partner.

Greenpoint, New York -- 1994, the entire police department (nine officers in all) is disbanded due to corruption, ineptitude, and widespread drug and alcohol abuse by on-duty officers.


San Diego 1995 -- an officer is caught on video and convicted for breaking into and robbing a software firm.

January 24, 2003 - A former police officer has been sentenced to life in prison for running a drug operation while working with the Gangs Crime Unit at the Chicago Police Department. A federal judge sentences former Chicago Police Officer Joseph Miedzianowksi to life in prison. He's considered one of the most corrupt cops in history for his part in running a drug operation while working with the Gang Crimes Unit.


September 16, 2006 - three veteran officers from the Boston Police Department were indicted Friday by a federal grand jury for conspiring to possess with intent to distribute cocaine and heroin. One of the officers was charged with framing an innocent businessman, as well.

In July, the men were arrested in an FBI undercover sting operation after they had traveled to Miami, Florida to receive a $35,000 payment for protecting what they believed to be 100 kilograms of cocaine.

Former Cameron County Sheriff Conrado Cantu was indicted by the US Justice Department on drug, corruption and related charges in June, 2005. The Brownsville Herald reported on June 10, 2005 ( "Former Sheriff Faces Drug Trafficking, Other Charges") that "Former Sheriff Conrado Cantu faces drug trafficking, money laundering, extortion and other charges listed in a federal indictment unsealed Thursday. Cantu and four others, including a former captain and a former jail vendor, are accused of using the Cameron County sheriff's office to protect drug traffickers in exchange for payments. Court records show the former sheriff acted as the leader of a three-man ring that allegedly extorted and accepted bribes totaling nearly $50,000 from suspected drug traffickers, money launderers and undercover sources."

A former Forsyth County, GA deputy running for sheriff in that county "is accused of accepting thousands of dollars in cash last week from undercover FBI informants with the promise of contracts, kickbacks and other special treatment if elected," according to the Macon (GA) Telegraph ( "Forsyth County Candidate Says He Will Still Run For Post," July 16, 2004).

:banghead:

I'm REALLY tired of the police apologists acting like all of this is no big deal. It's a HUGE deal. Having these people betray our trust is worse than having our politicians do it. Why? Because these people are on our streets day and night, armed and dangerous. They're criminals with badges and guns and the damage they can do before being caught is truly horrific.

[Truthiness Inspector]

24. You are a moron

Short list, so you site a handful of hundreds of thousands of officers who bust their asses off all over this nation.

Let me ask you this: Do you feel qualified to put all/most cops in one basket?

[Mythsaje]

25. You did NOT just call me a moron...

The good ones aren't a problem. It's the BAD ONES who are. And that was just a short list. What, you can't read? You obviously don't know the difference between "site" and "cite," so your literacy is, at best, questionable.

You're a real piece of work. You telling me that none of this concerns you? Or are you a cop yourself? If you're one of the good ones, great. That's wonderful. Glad to hear it. But that doesn't change the fact that these bad ones are a fucking plague on our society...they make the jobs of the good ones all that much harder because NONE of the rest of us know whether we're dealing with a good one or a bad one.

Of course, the fact that you straight out attacked me personally, in violation of DU rules, doesn't bode well for your ability to follow OTHER rules. So maybe I should hope you're NOT a cop, eh?

[Truthiness Inspector]

26. Yes, I called you a MORON.

You are free to complain to the mods as you see fit.

Why won't you apply to a PD? Can't hack it? LOL. But so willing to shit on members of your own community who live decent lives, and then put their lives on the line.

Admirable.

[Mythsaje]

27. I find your behavior VERY interesting.

Utter contempt for the rules.

Bully-like behavior.

Assumption of superiority based upon nothing in particular but your own ego.

Don't worry--I've got better things to do than alert the mods for your behavior. Frankly, I don't really care all that much. I've been called worse than a moron by any number of Repugs.

Bullies are cowards at heart. They only attack if they think they've got an advantage. I've dealt with that sort all my life. I've outgrown any remnant of fear I might have felt when I was young. These days they just bore me.

I'm quite finished with you now. Begone.

[Truthiness Inspector]

28. "Bullies are cowards at heart"...I agree

Anyone who slams officers when they aren't there...COWARDS masquerading as know-it-alls.

They were/are there, you weren't. When you say "begone" the feeling is mutual.

Begone.

I'm not surprised you ducked out of this convo. You took cheap shots at the officers involved, and why, you know better even though you couldn't find a clue with both hands and flashlight.

My initial question remains....can you hack it? Obviously not. Heh.