Black Robed Hooliganism: Does for judges what 'Stinky Badges' does for cops -- good coverage of the bad news.
Cops Suck!: Another fine collection of not-so-fine cops.
CopWatch: This is the big, national group that fights police abuse, brutality, and corruption, with lots of local chapters. It started with Berkeley Copwatch, and that's probably still their best local group. "Policing the police."
The Copwatch Database: A permanent, searchable repository of complaints filed against police officers.
PoliceAbuse.org: Well-funded organization runs video stings of police operations.
PoliceCrimes.com: News and information on police brutality and criminality.
PoliceCrimes.com: Real cover-up and corruption by law enforcement. Real family frustration and heartbreak.
Roadblocks: What to expect and how to handle the situation
Truth in Justice, an educational non-profit organized to educate the public regarding the vulnerabilities in the U. S. criminal justice system that make the criminal conviction of wholly innocent persons possible
"Nothing will eliminate [police corruption]. As long as you have police officers, you always have the potential for corruption. As long as you have human beings, there is potential for crime."
Los Angeles Police Chief William Bratton
Why we're doing this
Cops are very nearly worshipped in our society. On endless TV shows, in movies, police procedural novels, in the newspapers and on the nightly news, police are usually presented as virtue personified -- as if it's heroic to button up a blue shirt and pin on a badge.
It's not.
What some cops do while wearing the uniform makes them heroes ... and what other cops do, on-duty and off, reveals them as thugs.
Well, if you're looking for more news of police heroism, you've come to the wrong place. If you want to be told that the policeman is your friend, that cops are the good guys and robbers are the bad guys, you'll find such reassurance on every 'news network,' in every newscast around the clock, and in every cop show from Dragnet to NYPD Blue.
This page serves a different purpose, for anyone brave enough to face facts:
All cops are not heroes.
But because of the myth that "all cops are heroes," there's minimal call for disciplining bad cops, and maximal call for "forgiving," and "understanding" the tough work of being a cop.
And that's despicable. And terrifying.
Police work is tough. It's among the most difficult jobs in the world. And turning a blind eye toward police misconduct -- allowing crooked, corrupt, outright criminal cops to have long careers in law enforcement -- only makes it more difficult and dangerous for the good cops.
Letting cops get away with crime ...
... Or "punishing" police misconduct with long, leisurely paid suspensions ...
... Or probation ...
... Or sweet deals that allow a policeman's own police record to be expunged ...
... Or any of the other special treatments cops typically receive when they're accused of wrong- doing ...
... is assinine and counterproductive.
We'd like to see good cops get a raise, and bad cops held accountable for their crimes.
Any other policy is an invitation to savages and brutes -- to button up a blue shirt, pin on a badge, and break the law with impunity.
--Helen & Harry Highwater, Unknown News
The bad news we're presenting here is, of course, only the tip of the tip of the iceberg.
As with any crime, only a tiny fraction of police misconduct is ever caught, and we can only guess what fraction of what's caught actually makes it into the newspapers, and of the rare police misconduct that is reported in the media, surely we stumble across only a tiny sliver.
Of that sliver, these are just a few selected highlights.
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Our front page is free from nudity and profanity, but interior pages and external links may not be safe for work, and you may be shocked, offended, or in trouble with your boss. A link doesn't imply that we agree with every sentence and every sentiment on every site we link to. We use our noggins, and suggest you use yours.
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Unknown News is more fun and more informative with your participation, so please don't be shy. Consider yourself invited to speak your mind.
but We always welcome dialogue for publication, and we're especially interested in hearing and considering different perspectives. All we ask is that you conduct yourself sanely and civilly. For the most productive dialogue, it helps if you'll cite the specific article or concept we've gotten wrong.
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