Maybe I missed some, but all the examples I saw involved suspects who were actually guilty of the crime of which they were suspected, who would have escaped imprisonment were it not for use of these tactics. While I suppose it wouldn't be hard to construct more sympathetic cases (say, someone suspected of marijuana possession, instead of rape and murder), it's difficult to feel alarmed when the examples of these lies in action appear to be the difference between rapists being convicted and being let free.

If you ever are innocent and have a police officer lie, then you understand that they do it so often that they don't even realize the damage they are doing. Remember when in the O.J. Simpson trial where Mark Furman said the never used the n word? One stupid lie that could be proven.

I had a friend that was falsely accused by an off duty cop of being at fault in an auto accident. One of the witnesses at the scene asked where the cop was stand when the accident occurred and there was a solid wall blocking the cop's view. Oops.

In 1999, a Phoenix, AZ cop was arrested in Scottsdale and got the case dismissed when he showed the Scottsdale police lied in court about a material fact and that discredited the entire case. He basically got off on the fact that he knew cops lie and he could prove it.

IF THE GLOVE FITS YOU MUST ACQUIT

that trial was HiLaRiOuS stupid OJ stupid Cochrane

wait... does not fit*


but seriously, we've had this discussion before, i am going to try to find the threadID from a while ago

All the examples are pre trial, but the behavior carries over into the trial. The lies used to obtain confessions are sometimes used at trial to reinforce the evidence.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waddell,_Arizona_Buddhist_temple_shooting

This is an example where after hours of interrogation 4 innocent men confessed to murders they didn't commit because they weren't in the area. Eventually the real killers were caught, but if that hadn't happened ….

About 20+ years ago a man was arrested and tried for bank robbery because a thumb print found at the bank was matched to one on his driver's license. The case was thrown out at trial when the defense could show in the time between his getting the license and the robbery, he had a work accident that permanently scarred his thumb so he couldn't have left the print found at the scene. But the police when fingerprinting him and questioning him, never noticed the scarring.

And Santa Clause is not real either!

Noooooooooooooooooo!

Based upon personal experience with the police and the court system -- yes, Cops are absolutely LIARS, and cannot be trusted AT ALL.

If you are ever in contact with a cop -- say NOTHING. Cops, for the most part, are a necessary evil, and they employ IMMORAL tactics. The same tactic that a prosecutor would use to degenerate your character is the same tactic cops use to gather information about you. Fuck cops.

Lol, In my country cops are cool. Get on our level america the beautiful.

Don't Talk to Police
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wXkI4t7nuc

@fiedler

Does it seem funny to you that America has so much money, but still is unable to hire reasonable police officers? This is what some Europeans tend to joke about with me when they find out that I am an American.

Well I try to joke about it because it's either laugh or cry right?

But honestly it's just sad. Either America is a good example, or Hitler was right about everything, dammit.

Haha but seriously, the thing is you can never say anything absolute about the USA because it's all about diversity. Some parts good, some parts not so much.

All the americans I've met in NZ are generally very impressive - well-educated, urbane and polite. But of course to get all the way to NZ you have to be rich and open-minded in the first place so.... Every single american I've ever met (and there's been quite a few) is what I think Thucy calls a WASP. Buzz buzz.

The USA on tv looks downright horrifying.

Being (by a long long way) the wealthiest nation on earth the US is of course a magnet for every psychopath on the planet to come and make his/her way. Classic example being all the Nazi '"'intelligentsia''" moving there after the end of the 1000 year reich.

So I think it's very much a victim of its own success. The solution is to make the rest of the world as rich as the US, even if that means the US is a little poorer technically-speaking. Of course this may never happen due to aforementioned psychopaths running the show who are dead set against sharing with the losers (the rest of the world) - so its catch-22.

Who knows, maybe the long-term plan is milk and honey for everyone, but not in our lifetimes :)

But to speak specifically about police officers. From their point-of-view, it must be bloody terrifying! In my country, there is 4 million people and a very low population density, and we are essentially 2 islands. If you murder someone, especially a policeman, you will very likely get caught.

In the last 150 years of NZ history, 29 police officers have been murdered.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_New_Zealand_police_officers_killed_in_the_line_of_duty

(also 23 police dogs have died in the line of duty! - my country is sooo cute)

NZ is I think the last time I checked, the least corrupt country in the world.

We are listed 202nd in the homicide rate, the US is listed 91st.

In NZ very few people have guns. It's a little bit difficult and expensive to keep them.

So, a cop in the US is in this VAST country, where all the worlds most motivated psychos live, where any heavily-armed lunatic can come at him at any time. I would guess a cop realises pretty quick that making a difference is a bit of a fools-errand, so he just wants to 'retire' as soon as possible, and so corruption and indifference follows.

Not to say I think the US is terrible. I think its great and about a billion times better than most countries in the world. I just hope we can eventually get to the promised land by way of the US developing a better, more caring culture, and not by way of the US going up in smoke, which could be the more likely scenario.

It sounds like I agree with Thucy in the above, but I don't. Thucys a spazz.

Anyway, space aliens must look at us and shake their heads, we have all the resources and technology we need for all of us to live in paradise, but look what little hells we create.

Hope that answers your question o great Al Swearengen of the Gem Saloon. Have no fear, we'll cut you in for 50% of every score we take on the road to Spearfish.

To paraphrase:

"I find your lack of faith [in the indictment process] disturbing"

--best cop EVER

@fielder

Thank you.

Part of our (America's ) problem stems from our very recent history as a frontier nation. During that time, the values of being tough, independent, xenophobic, and bellicose were justifiable given the geopolitical situation at the time.

Unfortunately, unlike Australia or Canada (or New Zealand?) we have problems letting go of the typically anachronistic social values that put us where we are.

Hopefully we'll learn to grow up soon.

What's worse, is that the lib'rals - the very people who should stand ready to help the traditionalists to update their worldview, instead seem more interested in trolling and bullying the traditionalists.

Yay for cultural wars and infighting!

Traditionalists only understand being tough, independent, xenophobic and bellicose as progeny from our frontier history.

So ya for cultural wars and claiming victimization!

Tru, are you calling Darth Vader the best cop ever?

Vader was on it. He kept his people in check.

If only police commissioners today would be allowed to Force-choke their cops. That would show them. :P

If only Commissioner Gordon would use the Bat-Signal more often.

Medi-care would have been a huge step in the correct direction. People should be marching in the streets for that. Its the single biggest practical thing that can be done to make the world a better place.

I'm telling ya. If we had Vader, Commish Gordon and Batman, crime in the whole US would drop to 0.

Nah, I think that people who wouldn't normally commit crimes would do so in order to meet batman.

^^lol that's probably true. He'd bring em to justice nonetheless.

You're all going to die.

(eventually)

@Randomizer: four more in Virginia.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norfolk_Four

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/the-confessions/

The police system is utter shit. Everything followed by "system" seems to be utter shit, actually, but especially the police system. NWA was right.

When the force that exists solely to protect people lies to them, that's a serious problem. The founders wouldn't tolerate any of this--that's why they made the bill of rights. Criminals are still people; they don't automatically revoke all of their rights upon suspicion of a crime (or, at least, they shouldn't).

If we allow any form of government, but especially the law enforcement wing (which is allowed to put people in jail for a very long time and use force if needed/wanted), to act unrestrained, then you have tyranny. Plain and simple.

My generation fails at a lot of things, but I'm glad we don't believe the "respect for men in uniform" BS. We're inherently cynical when it comes to the police, and that is a good thing. Gullibility always opens the door to tyranny (in this case it's "we'll, they were criminals anyway, so why not lie if it helps put them away?"), but cynicism helps keep gullibility in check.

"Everything followed by "system" seems to be utter shit, "

Especially the 'sewer system' and 'digestive system'

There's a big difference between "respect for men in uniform" and "question authority." Don't be a petulant child when it comes to LEOs or the military. Most of them are very good people who are willing to die for strangers.