Ed Brayton is a journalist, commentator and speaker. He is the co-founder and president of 
Here's another textbook example of that "new professionalism" that, if I have anything to say about it, will haunt Justice Scalia until the day he dies. Cops in Tennessee arrest a guy wanted on a domestic violence charge. He gets out of the car with his hands raised, is attacked by a police dog and then the cops plant drugs on the guy. And they do it with a hand signal seen on video.
As the attorney in the piece says, if you've got a hand signal worked out for when to plant drugs on a suspect, this is something you do on a daily basis. Of course, we already knew this. Remember the Kathryn Johnston case in Atlanta, where police officers who turned state's evidence admitted that the entire vice squad carried drugs in their squad cars to plant on people. Video below the fold.
via videosift.com
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It's ok Ed. All we need is a 3-strikes-yer-out law for the possession of drugs with intent to plant.
Posted by: llewelly | August 4, 2009 9:19 AM
All during this flap over the cop vs. the prof I was told, over and over and over, that citizens must have a high amount of respect at all times for all officers of the law. The people hammering home this point have consistently failed to recognize that respect is earned, not granted or owed to cops, as it is with all other people.
Posted by: jws | August 4, 2009 9:20 AM
A few years ago, I was cuffed and placed in the back of a patrol car. My crime? Insisting I be told why (I allegedly ran a "yellow" light). There were two cops. I listened to them mouth off, obviously enjoying their little power trip. At length, I finally asked them "Am I under arrest or is this a custodial interrogation?" The look between them was priceless. Within 30 seconds I was released. The moral: know your rights. Cops are humans and like, humans, come with all associated character flaws.
Posted by: Rob | August 4, 2009 11:32 AM
Some people wonder why I don't inherently trust the police.
Posted by: tsc | August 4, 2009 12:08 PM
But, the dude is obviously a delinquent. He's black and cussing up a storm. He must be a miscreant, and isn't it better to have him off the street by planting false evidence, than to let him roam free to do mischief?
In case it's not obvious, that's sarcasm. You are right jws, even some commentators here would prefer the cops deal with those they suspect of being criminals in any way necessary to get them off the street.
Posted by: Steve | August 4, 2009 12:45 PM
Steve stated:
Who are those commentators 'here'?
Posted by: Michael Heath | August 4, 2009 1:45 PM
Who are those commentators 'here'?
Browse the thread about Gates...
Posted by: Owen | August 4, 2009 2:09 PM
And we know the officers involved are not going to be punished for this.
Posted by: Brandon | August 4, 2009 2:12 PM
I don't think it's right the way we question the actions of these cops. There are doing what is necessary. So a few people are framed or abused(killed) every year. But, think of how many criminals walk the streets every day. More people in jail and less on the streets. That's the police way. Are you missing American Idol right now. Just forget about this hooey and let the police handle it. IA will conduct a fair and through investigation while these officers enjoy a well deserved vacation. There is nothing you can do to change it. Deal with it and stop being a bunch of cry babies.
Posted by: bob sheepington | August 4, 2009 3:29 PM
bob sheepington #9:
Sorry, you failed at being a Poe - that's just a bit too over the top. Not by much, though.
On a related note, this is a bit old, but I saw as one of the videos displayed at the end of that one:
http://www.break.com/index/cop-dumps-handicapped-person-on-floor.html
Posted by: Smidgy | August 4, 2009 4:14 PM
First. I don't remember anyone saying "that citizens must have a high amount of respect at all times for all officers of the law". I really don't think you level of respect, or disrespect, is relevant. The point made was that you don't get belligerent with police or critique, or off constitutional advice to police while they are in the middle of a situation. Your wasting your breath, they are disinclined to listen and your just increasing their level of aggravation and the likelihood they will take out their frustrations of you.
Like it or not police are human and they are at least as prone as anyone else to take out their frustrations on any handy target. When they are doing their thing don't be that target. Once they have packed up you have the rest of your life to picket the police station, exchange nastygrams with the chief of police, and vent you spleen by way of the legal system.
Second, I don't remember anyone saying you should trust police. Any more than you trust anyone else. But you don't shine on people with guns, and clubs, and an easy excuse any time they want to use them on you.
Third, nobody said you shouldn't know your rights. But you need to limit your legal discussions to issues the police deal in. Useful phrases include: "Am I under arrest?", "Am I free to go?", "I would like for all questions to be handled by my lawyer." and (always important) "I am reaching for my wallet".
Useful skills include: Staying calm, keeping both hands clearly visible, and moving in a steady, relaxed manner.
Posted by: Art | August 4, 2009 6:02 PM
This reminds me of an incident that happened in my home town in Georgia. After a rap concert, several of the singers were going to their limo when someone shot at them. A group of kids had gathered around the limo and were (for some unstated reason) unhappy with the rap singers. So a bunch of shooting went on, based on evidence only from the crowd to the limo. The police were called and in the ensuing confusion, only the rap singers were arrested. One was chased and brought down by a K9 dog, and was subsequently charged with trying to hurt the dog. They had drugs, of course, so there was a convenient reason to charge them after they were arrested simply because they ran, but no one in the crowd that did all the shooting was ever even arrested. So the moral of the story is don't call the cops if you're being shot at and are a rap singer.
Posted by: Mark P | August 4, 2009 6:21 PM
Posted by: tincture | August 4, 2009 10:25 PM
With great power should come great accountability, often, however, that is not the case.
In our society, both police and judges have unique power over every other citizen. Why isn't there already in place, a citizens commision which can vote to remove miscreant officers and corrupt judges and magsitrates if some prearranged criteria is satisfied?
The strength of our society is partially related to the serious attention we give to the amorphous center of power created by our system of checks and balances.
We should seriously consider such a commision.
Posted by: Dmankihler | August 5, 2009 1:38 AM
Art:
Sound advice for those who want only to be treated with disdain, instead of being manacled, beaten and otherwise abused.
Situations vary, actions and responses may vary accordingly.
When one of my brothers was injured in a motorcycle/auto accident (he was riding on the motorcycle, not driving) he shattered the femur in his right leg, and broke the tibia in his left leg, along with destroying his left knee and suffering sundry other injuries.
The accident happened near my home (I was in the AF in Germanay at the time) and my dad was notified by someone who saw the accident.
He rushed to the scene to find a cop interviewing my brother who was in great pain, bleeding profusely and nearly unconcious. He asked the cop, politely, where the amubulance was. The cop replied that it was on its way and to just "back off" as he was "investigating". My dad then said something to the effect that the cop should be seeing to my brother's comfort, at which point the cop told him to mind his own business or else. My dad said, "If you don't find a blanket or something to cover my son with, I'm going to kick your fucking ass." Blanket. No arrest, no more threats.
Situations vary, actions and responses may vary accordingly.
Posted by: democommie | August 5, 2009 7:55 AM
Things like this make me realize that IA isn't enough. We need a completely separate group of people with different uniforms and different guns and different badges that have as their sole job to investigate the police. (and the FBI and the CIA and the Secret Service, anyone with guns that can arrest people) and they need to be evaluated solely on numbers of arrests and convictions. That way we'd have someone really legitimately investigating these jokers. Not in a friendly keeping you honest kind of way, but the same way the police investigate the citizenry.
Posted by: Ryan | August 5, 2009 9:10 AM
I've been following the National Police Misconduct Research Project's (InjusticeEverywhere.com) bad cop news stories at
http://www.twitter.com/injusticenews
for a couple of weeks now and let me tell you it is disturbing how many criminals there are with a badge and the power of the state behind them.
Posted by: John | August 5, 2009 7:09 PM
Cops can now stop anyone for any reason and frisk them
http://www.delawareonline.com/article/20090811/NEWS01/908110336/0/NEWS/Cops-have-gotten-too-powerful--critics-say
Combine that with planting drugs and you can put anyone you want in jail easily
And idiots think they have freedom in America...
Posted by: SChalice | August 11, 2009 11:14 PM