The Shooting Gallery: Police Violence MEGATHREAD

[Sophie Scholl]

Same. Or police training. I just *love* how delightfully ignorant, naive, or archaic of an understanding of the various shades of the Alt-Right certain people here have. "Militia groups! They're the alt-right!" Yeah. Ok. Please come into the 21st century. The militia groups are the tiny fringe element of the modern movement in terms of numbers and influence.

[Richard Hakluyt]

More charming behaviour by armed thugs pretending to be a police force :

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/sep/08/linden-cameron-police-shooting-boy-autism-utah

[Sheilbh]

Is this article even half-way accurate?
https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/v7gxa4/pba-card-police-courtesy-cards?utm_source=pocket-newtab-global-en-GB

Because it is mind-boggling to me that this exists

[garbon]

Is this article even half-way accurate?
https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/v7gxa4/pba-card-police-courtesy-cards?utm_source=pocket-newtab-global-en-GB

Because it is mind-boggling to me that this exists

This paragraph seems like it could just as easily apply to the UK:

In practice, Correia and Wall said those who are able to "get off easy" from an encounter with the police typically look and act a lot like Mike, an affable white person who respects police authority and is careful to address them with friendly deference—to act the part of the sheepish, apologetic innocent who understands that the cop is "just doing their job."

[derspiess]

Is this article even half-way accurate?
https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/v7gxa4/pba-card-police-courtesy-cards?utm_source=pocket-newtab-global-en-GB

Because it is mind-boggling to me that this exists

I've known quite a few cops and I never got one of those cards

[Valmy]

I've known quite a few cops and I never got one of those cards

They probably discovered we were anti-public sector unions

[DGuller]

Is this article even half-way accurate?
https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/v7gxa4/pba-card-police-courtesy-cards?utm_source=pocket-newtab-global-en-GB

Because it is mind-boggling to me that this exists

Yes, NYPD is very notorious for this.  I know someone who mentioned that this card got him out of five tickets, as he was describing how he avoided being arrested for shooting off illegal fireworks. 

Hopefully NYPD is the worst of the lot when it comes to this.  Obviously this is corrupt as fuck, but just as obviously, police union doesn't see it that way.  They don't even realize how bad it sounds that this card is requesting that "every courtesy is to be extended to the holder", as if the regular civilians are not deserving of courtesy from police.

[Eddie Teach]

I imagine those stickers people get have a similar effect.

[Syt]

Is this article even half-way accurate?
https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/v7gxa4/pba-card-police-courtesy-cards?utm_source=pocket-newtab-global-en-GB

Because it is mind-boggling to me that this exists

Yes, NYPD is very notorious for this.  I know someone who mentioned that this card got him out of five tickets, as he was describing how he avoided being arrested for shooting off illegal fireworks. 

Hopefully NYPD is the worst of the lot when it comes to this.  Obviously this is corrupt as fuck, but just as obviously, police union doesn't see it that way.  They don't even realize how bad it sounds that this card is requesting that "every courtesy is to be extended to the holder", as if the regular civilians are not deserving of courtesy from police.

I recall a bit about these cards/stickers years ago, probably on John Oliver, John Stewart, or Colbert Report.

[DGuller]

I imagine those stickers people get have a similar effect.

From what I heard, not really.  The PBA card is pretty special, because there is an individual cop behind one, and defying the card means risking a conflict with the officer to gave it.  All the memorabilia that you get from donating to police under one guise or another (another totally not corrupt practice) is far more likely to be ignored.

[The Brain]

Is this article even half-way accurate?
https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/v7gxa4/pba-card-police-courtesy-cards?utm_source=pocket-newtab-global-en-GB

Because it is mind-boggling to me that this exists

Amazing that this is legal.

[derspiess]

Only thing I ever got was a poker chip from a buddy of mine who is a US Marshal. 

[Valmy]

Only thing I ever got was a poker chip from a buddy of mine who is a US Marshal. 

Assisting you with illegal gambling eh?

[grumbler]

Only thing I ever got was a poker chip from a buddy of mine who is a US Marshal.

Was it:  platinum?

[Barrister]

Is this article even half-way accurate?
https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/v7gxa4/pba-card-police-courtesy-cards?utm_source=pocket-newtab-global-en-GB

Because it is mind-boggling to me that this exists

Surprisingly nuanced article for Vice.  They do point out that it's all just a matter of discretion, which police have all the time anyways.  And the last thing you'd ever want is for police to not have any discretion in laying charges.

I'm kind of shocked at the numbers though - NY PBA hands out 20 cards per officer per year.  That's a lot of fucking cards.  I'm happy to at least see that the cards are tied to specific officers and that they do double-check them, but still.

And mostly - I'd be mortified to put any cop friend of mine in such a position.  In my years as a Crown I've been pulled over twice.  Neither time did I ever mention being a Crown.  Once the cop did figure out who I was (I was driving a government-owned vehicle) and he did not give me a ticket, the other didn't figure it out and did.