May 4, 2015--Joy Ride
At least in Brooklyn, when I was a kid, when the cops, to teach us "respect for the law," took one of us for a joy ride, they had the guts to throw us in the back seat of their patrol car and beat us up with a rubber hose.
How different now where the cops lack the guts to do this with their own hands but rather, shackle someone, toss him in the back of a paddy wagon, and then take him for a "nickel ride," as it is referred to in Baltimore. And while on this ride they make intentional abrupt stops and starts and violent turns so the prisoner, unsecured, is thrown about in the vehicle and is sure to be slammed unprotected against the steel walls of the vans.
Most times, "to teach them a lesson," the victims wind up "just" battered, on occasion paralyzed and in a wheelchair for life, as in B'more, or as in the recent tragic case of Freddy Gray have their spinal column severed and in the process are killed.
Lesson delivered. Respect for the law.
And in Maryland, in Charm City, the cops have something else going on--the so-called "police officers' bill of rights. Passed by the state legislature there and, as reported in the New York Times, in at least a dozen other states, it gives special legal protection to cops. Maryland's is the first, passed in the early 1970s, and goes further than any other state in offering the police the most layers of protection from accountability or prosecution.
For example, the Maryland bill of rights gives officers 10 days before they are required to talk to investigators. Ten days more than any other Old Line State citizen. Common sense suggests only one reason for this week-and-a-half delay--it provides time for a potentially accused cop to consult with lawyers and colleagues who may have been involved in an abusive or felonious situation to align stories. In they words, to cover up what actually happened.
Other aspects of the Maryland law limits the amount of time officers may be questions and dramatically shortens the time an alleged victim has to press charges--90 days from the time of the incident even though the potential complainant may be in the hospital recovering from injuries.
These laws come to be put on the books as the result of police unions lobbying for them and contributing tens of thousands of dollars to local campaigns to assure the election of police-friendly officials.
In Freddy Gray's case it was only because of the pressure of protestors and the worldwide coverage his murder attracted that caused prosecutors and the police themselves to move things along so quickly.
There is understandable celebrating in Baltimore but savvy residence know how difficult it is to convict police officers of any crime, especially one this heinous. There is so much ambiguity about what happened in incidents of this kind and the police unions have limitless resources to deploy in the defense of their members that the likelihood is that all six who are charged will not be convicted. It almost never happens.
How different now where the cops lack the guts to do this with their own hands but rather, shackle someone, toss him in the back of a paddy wagon, and then take him for a "nickel ride," as it is referred to in Baltimore. And while on this ride they make intentional abrupt stops and starts and violent turns so the prisoner, unsecured, is thrown about in the vehicle and is sure to be slammed unprotected against the steel walls of the vans.
Most times, "to teach them a lesson," the victims wind up "just" battered, on occasion paralyzed and in a wheelchair for life, as in B'more, or as in the recent tragic case of Freddy Gray have their spinal column severed and in the process are killed.
Lesson delivered. Respect for the law.
And in Maryland, in Charm City, the cops have something else going on--the so-called "police officers' bill of rights. Passed by the state legislature there and, as reported in the New York Times, in at least a dozen other states, it gives special legal protection to cops. Maryland's is the first, passed in the early 1970s, and goes further than any other state in offering the police the most layers of protection from accountability or prosecution.
For example, the Maryland bill of rights gives officers 10 days before they are required to talk to investigators. Ten days more than any other Old Line State citizen. Common sense suggests only one reason for this week-and-a-half delay--it provides time for a potentially accused cop to consult with lawyers and colleagues who may have been involved in an abusive or felonious situation to align stories. In they words, to cover up what actually happened.
Other aspects of the Maryland law limits the amount of time officers may be questions and dramatically shortens the time an alleged victim has to press charges--90 days from the time of the incident even though the potential complainant may be in the hospital recovering from injuries.
These laws come to be put on the books as the result of police unions lobbying for them and contributing tens of thousands of dollars to local campaigns to assure the election of police-friendly officials.
In Freddy Gray's case it was only because of the pressure of protestors and the worldwide coverage his murder attracted that caused prosecutors and the police themselves to move things along so quickly.
There is understandable celebrating in Baltimore but savvy residence know how difficult it is to convict police officers of any crime, especially one this heinous. There is so much ambiguity about what happened in incidents of this kind and the police unions have limitless resources to deploy in the defense of their members that the likelihood is that all six who are charged will not be convicted. It almost never happens.
Labels: Baltimore, Freddy Gray, Justice System, Maryland, New York Times, Police
posted by Steven Zwerling at
5:47 AM
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