(the full size of this photo is available here.)
Mobs of cops were in Washington, DC last week for National Police Week. Their behavior was so bad that the DC police chief formally notified them that their public drunkenness would not be tolerated.
Many of the cops were bicycling around to draw attention to their campaign for a memorial to cops killed on duty. I was cycling around downtown on Saturday, May 12. Not only were they running red lights en masse, but they would surge out into busy streets and hold their hands up as if every driver was obliged to slam on the brakes (despite the green light) – and let royalty proceed. They could have easily caused an accident – and perhaps they did at times when I was not watching. (I did not see the cop biker I photographed above on his bike, and have no idea if he violated any laws).
The Washington Post reported early last week:
“D.C. Police Chief Cathy L. Lanier put out fliers yesterday warning officers in town for National Police Week that they must obey city laws covering disorderly conduct, public drunkenness and other ” unacceptable behavior.”
Lanier ordered the fliers distributed around downtown in hopes of curbing complaints about officers drinking in public, playing loud music and causing other trouble.
The Washington Post printed a couple letters to the editor on lawless cops on Saturday. Greg Davis of Reston, Virginia, complained:
Every year about this time, the District is subjected to bands of revelers who terrorize the local populace. Many of them are arrogant, belligerent and inebriated, and they violate laws at will. And our local police pretty much ignore them.
Why? Because these are police officers from other jurisdictions around the
country who have come here to “honor fallen officers.”
In reality, the offenders among them are criminals without accountability. It’s only a percentage, but it’s enough to bring shame to the badge and uniform because they abuse both.
Police Chief Cathy L. Lanier and police chiefs in neighboring jurisdictions
can cure this problem by arresting these badged criminals and sending them
home in handcuffs to let their own jurisdictions deal with them with pink slips.
***
I wonder if federal antiterrorism grants paid for some of the cops’ trips to rampage in DC.
***
UPDATE: Comment # 72 is from the lady who courageously videotaped many police abuses during the National Police Week festivities. She mentions, “Any input, help, support or even a few kind words at this point, would be appreciated.” Her email address is inthepubliceye@gmail.com I wish there were more folks were her gumption in standing up to government agents abusing their badges and authority.
UPDATE # 2: Coming in as comment #75 – A response from Law Enforcement – a guy whose email slug is “SgtGlock”: “Your comments and beliefs are some of the most extreme and unamerican garbage I have read in years. I only hope that you are in need of an officer someday while you are on your knees groveling for your life to some street scum… Be happy you are in a country that allows spineless people like you and your minions to exist and spread your crap to anyone who will listen to you. Do us all a favor and jump off of a tall bridge.”
This fellow must have left his police-issued kevlar bra at home…
I heard that the Justice Department is financing research to develop bulletproof Wonderbras for male cops.
Well, Jim, if that program falls through, there’s always work as a wet nurse…!
If that was his chosen line of work, he could certainly put a lot of cows out of business.
Cow? I was thinking along the lines of a brood sow!
…He’s a Cop? Jesus Christ, can you imagine this guy chasing somebody on foot? Then trying climb up and get over 6 feet of chain link fence? If by some miracle he did manage, he’d break both ankles when he came down on the other side. That man needs to lay off Little Debbie and get some Jenny Craig goin’!
Wes – great point.
I was raised around cows, so my mind naturally gravitates towards bovine analogies.
If that dude goes on a diet, Dunkin Donuts might go bankrupt.
Thank God we have policemen like this man. Well Jim you have really outdone yourself
I sort of expected the guy to hold up a sign: “Will bike for buffet lunch.”
Getting over 6 feet of chain link? Do you think it would be 6 feet tall after he stepped on it?
Last pun/comment, I promise, Jim! This picture adds a whole new meaning to the ‘Federal/governmental’ teat – to say nothing of ‘pork’ funding.
I welcome the cops’ newfound regard for the rights of bicyclists on the road. I look forward to their support during the next Critical Mass.
Too many twinkies the night before.
This hoo ha in Red Square, D.C. is evidential of what government’s strongarm looks and acts like. It also portrays a culture of narcissism within most of adult America’s heroes.
Yes, government is our worst enemy; in part because one element of government, police, are the worst of the worst. Police are worse than any mugger or thug, rapist, murderer, vicious animal or terrorist. Government, and police, will harm or kill many innocent Americans. And that is one important reason why government is our worst enemy. Their size needs to be cut in half; and only then will we all be more safe and more free.
I’ll bet it was police who wrote the most letters to politicians asking them to ban firearms from law-abiding citizens.
Jim, the news in this story is both hilarious and awful. Even so I don’t think it is helpful to host ridicule of people’s bodies. Despite being a cop, the guy is a human being. Nobody knows his story. Ridicule is never a good thing.
Only later, after putting more thought into this picture (thanks Jim for presenting this image) did I remember the old “Cannon” show starring William Conrad.
There was a man’s man. Frank Cannon
Jim…..why in the name of all that is good, holy, and righteous in the world would any visitor to your blog want a “full size” of that photo? Unless you have a lurker named Ahab who’s wanting some target practice….
You underestimate how many masochists visit my blog.
Annie – I took the dude’s picture. I didn’t make him what he is.
Check out the caption I used on the pic on my Flickr home page – http://www.flickr.com/photos/bovard/
No ridicule there.
Should I have used photo edit software to make him look thinner, or what?
Somebody needs to Photoshop one of those big yellow tags onto his ear.
I think it undermines the integrity of your work when you indulge in this kind of ridicule. It isn’t necessary, productive, or enhance the impact of the real story. It makes you all seem like a gang of juveniles, rather than intelligent and thoughtful people. Sorry but this is my point of view. It may seem harmless but these are the stones that build the walls that separate human beings from understanding one another, and those walls are the foundation of all wars.
Many of the cops at that event were swaggering around as if they owned the city. With badges around their necks and guns on their hips, they acted as if the laws did not apply to them.
There have been several excellent DC-area blogs that detailed their abuses and arrogance over the past week.
The Washington Post article I quoted also noted: “A little before 2 a.m. yesterday, F Street NW looked like a scene out of MTV’s spring break specials, as hundreds of officers milled outside Kelly’s Irish Times and the Dubliner, two bars blocks from the Capitol. Many of the law enforcement officials had police badges around their neck — and open containers of beer in their hands as they partied on the street and sidewalk outside the bars.
But the complaints this year do not rival those generated in other years. In the mid-1990s, for example, some New York City officers held loud, drunken parties at Washington area hotels — mooning guests, groping women and damaging property. Other incidents have ended with prosecutions: A Boston police officer was convicted in 1996 of making threats during a disturbance at a Georgetown restaurant, and a New York officer pleaded guilty to a 2003 sexual assault of a police cadet in a hotel room.”
I don’t know what percentage of cops visiting DC last week openly trampled the law.
But those who rampaged deserve all the ridicule they get – because they sure as heck did not get ticketed or fined for their abuses.
And how do cops treat average citizens?
Come on, you are not ridiculing their actions, you are all ridiculing his body. Maybe he is the one cop in the whole bunch who has a conscience. How would you be able to tell? You are focused on making fun of him. I don’t think such ridicule is worthy of being justified. Sorry but I think it is beneath all of you.
Also, it wasn’t my idea that this dude wear spandex bicycle shorts.
It is a healthy habit for free citizens to mock those who would tyrannize them.
This is true of Bush, of Cheney – and of plenty of cops across the land.
I explicitly stated in my initial comment that I had not seen this guy on his bike or violating any laws.
Human compassion would go a long way toward alleviating some of the problems in our world. No I am not a buddhist. It is common sense to me. If you think it is supposed to begin with the other guy, think again. Every one of us is responsible, down to the core of who we are.
Many of America’s political problems have arisen because citizens have been taught to genuflect to their rulers. Citizens are told they are supposed to think well of people seizing power over them.
This is part of the reason why so many Americans have closed their eyes to so many of the abuses – the torture, the lying, the spying – of the Bush administration.
In the years before the American Revolution, ridicule was a potent tool to rallying people to correctly see the follies of their British rulers.
America needs more political ridicule, not less.
“It is a healthy habit for free citizens to mock those who would tyrannize them.
This is true of Bush, of Cheney – and of plenty of cops across the land.”
I agree it’s a natural inclination to do that but I don’t agree that it’s healthy. Do you seriously think that mocking people is productive, makes them see themselves more clearly? I think it just drives them further in the wrong direction, and therefore contributes to the problem.
People have kowtowed to government officials for many years in this country, and that has only made things worse.
“Trust us” has been the Bush mantra all along.
Trust in government doubled after 9/11.
If people had not put the government on a pedestal, Bush probably would not have been able to con the public into supporting invading Iraq.
Are we supposed to assume that congressmen, Pentagon officials, and federal prosecutors are acting in good faith?
Is that your solution?
“Are we supposed to assume that congressmen, Pentagon officials, and federal prosecutors are acting in good faith? Is that your solution?”
That’s an entirely different subject, and in no way what I’m saying. If you don’t get what I am talking about, let’s just drop it. But I believe that what I’m expressing is worth thinking about, if you are interested in real change.
Unless people get off their knees in how they look at government, any other change will be far too late.
I’m not implying that this is your perspective at all.
But laughter can be a first step to liberation.
When the other side is concocting one bogus terrorist scam after another – using one demagogic trick after another – and whipping up fear time and again – acting like the battle of ideas is conducted with white gloves like a high tea in London is suicidal.
Ridicule just polarizes people. Doesn’t bring about productive change.
So maybe if I had said something positive federal czars to the New York Times, that would have been better than suggesting that they be required to wear goofy Gilbert-and-Sullivan style hats?
…Kinder, gentler Federal Drug, War and Espionage Czars maybe?
…I mean Christ woman, jest ‘cawse we said he had a side of beef and a Diet Pepsi fer lunch that we done up’n horsewhipt him.
My first year at Georgetown Law, I lived in an apartment building on Fourth and Mass NW, with my apartment overlooking the street that the cops had set up their trade booths. This was, of course, during finals. Having loud, drunk people screaming outside my window all day for a week straight really helped my grades. And of course, if I had called the cops on them, that would be the last time I’d ever have the police respond to any call I made ever. That’s the great part about police week – it allows for police retribution nationwide, not just locally.
What time did the noise subside?
I don’t know – how much further *can* you polarize someone who views the world as consisting of two classes: cops and criminals. Although most will allow that some non-cops are criminals who simply haven’t been caught yet. Is he possibly one of the tiny tiny minority of badgers who doesn’t think that way? Sure. But I’d rather bet on Jim not having beer in his fridge first, since cops that don’t think that way don’t tend to stay with the job very long.
Just checked.
Yes, there are a few beers in the fridge.
But lots of empty space, too.
Time to restock.
Jim, you are so mean to have photographed this brave officer – it is obvious he is on the verge of tears knowing that anti-government radicals would be soon ridiculing him.
You should have given this public servant a big hug and thanked him for protecting us from ourselves. It is obvious that his inner child is yearning for the love his parents never gave him. His mom may have even teased him or treated him like an Abu Ghraib prisoner. Yet, despite all that he has obviously been through, this tortured soul has chosen to serve mankind by fighting evil.
We shouldn’t ridicule this portly policeman, we should see that he gets professional help. Besides, it’s guys like him that make guys like me look almost attractive.
I hope you at least offered him something to eat.
In self defense, if nothing else.
That’s a hoot.
No, didn’t think to offer him anything to eat. But my bike doesn’t have a rack, so I could not have transported enough to fill him up.
I was a bit out of place there – folks seemed to be getting a bit perturbed at my snapping photos.
Or maybe it was that Al Jazeera lapel pin on my t-shirt that made them wary.
You wouldn’t have had to fill him up* – just a side of beef to distract him while you get away would have been enough.
*or been able to, I’m sure.
From the looks of the dude, he might prefer pork.
While the man is fat, there is no crime in that. He looks to be minding his own business like a tourist. Why bust his chops?
He was there as a cop, not a tourist.
This was an event held to sanctify cops – to build a monument to cops who died while on duty. No one there said a word about building a monument to the far greater (perhaps 10 times as many) number of innocent Americans who are killed by cops each year.
Simply because the victims or their supervisors rarely not hold public rallies doesn’t mean that they don’t exist.
Further sanctifying the police will make it easier for them to deny justice to their victims. Many localities (especially where police unions are strongest) have procedures that make it almost impossible for victims of the police to get a fair shake.
The cops seem to be drawn to Washington like Muslims are to Mecca. Do you think that it might have something to do with all the Federal grant money for necessities like “recycled” military assault vehicles?
And that’s another bad thing about National Police Week.
They were in town to lobby Congress to extend massive federal subsidies for the COPS program – a program I whacked for Playboy back in 2000, and it is still a three-alarm boondoggle.
But it probably buys some nice photo ops for congressmen with their home district police departments, so… all part of the eternal reelection campaign.
Another thing that cops routinely lobby for in DC is something called the “Law Enforcement Officers Bill of Rights.”
Here’s a discussion of that from a 2001 piece I did on “Killer Cops” for Playboy –
Police are protected by the “Law Enforcement Officers Bill of Rights”–a Maryland law (similar to laws in many other states) that prohibits the questioning of a police officer for 10 days after any incident in which he or she used deadly force. In Prince George’s County, there is no greater offense than prematurely asking a cop why he gunned down a citizen. The Post noted that “a lawyer or a police union official is always summoned to the scene of a shooting to make sure no one speaks to the officer who pulled the trigger.” A toothless citizen police-oversight panel complained that the 10-day rule “invites abuse and raises serious concerns about collusion and the code of silence among officers.”
Do any “civilians”* have the right to wait ten days before answering questions in regard to their use of deadly force in Maryland? Or anywhere else? And just how hard are law enforcement types lobbying for nationwide concealed carry permit recognition, now that many CCW holders threw their weight behind getting same passed for them?
I guess some animals are just more equal than others.
*their choice of words – which feeds back into their ongoing militarization and divergence from the community.
The double standards for police shootings are the most brazen examples of how the Rule of Law is a facade.
Many of the police groups continue lobbying for legislation that would make them even more untouchable as a class.
And we are supposed to give these folks the benefit of the doubt?
Tom mentioned that Bovard should have given the police porker a hug. No way–Jim’s not looking for a hernia.
Look at that photo. Can you BELIEVE it? Does this guy squeeze in and out of the squad, or is his car equipped with a catapult that throws him out through the roof?
I don’t think he could fight his way out of a piss-soaked paper bag.
O my god! A fat police officer! If we all mock how fat he is, we’ll be free from excessive respect for government!
Why not have a photograph of police behaving badly? That way, you’d actually be supporting your main point instead of just doing reflexive insults at someone who may not have been doing anything wrong.
If I had a strong, clear photo of the pack of cops in front of me bicycling through red lights as they held up their hands demanding that cars stop – I would use that photo as well. But I don’t have a camera built into my bike helmet, and my compact digital has a very slow start up time.
I think this photo captures some of the spirit of National Police Week.
There are lots of photos and some videos of police behaving badly in DC during this National Police Week and during the same week in prior years. The local NBC affiliate broadcast a video someone made of cops raising hell late at night.
There are links and discussion of this year’s abuses at http://districtchatter.blogspot.com/2007/05/police-week.html
One commentor there noted: “2 most disturbing things that I saw this week: (i) Illinois State Troopers drinking open cans of beer on the Metro, (ii) a guy who couldn’t walk straight get into a Philadelphia PD car, make an illegal u-turn crossing double yellows, drive partially on the sidewalk and drive down 5th Street.”
One woman who made a video of police abuses this year is feeling the heat; the blog notes, “She is getting slammed for doing the right thing and is concerned for her safety at this point and that of her family.”
p>
Yesterday, all afternoon, my neighbor a large oversized pig (cop) with an oversized moon shaped belly, and with help from his on-duty cohorts harassed me and taunted me. Presumably, from the looks of him, he ate too many twinkies last night. Maybe that’s what got him in the mood to harass me.
Annie, not much of what you say is wrong; what would say if Hitler were that fat ? Would you bother to defend obese people on this blog ?
I suppose, next door, the non-stop barking came from a federaly protected, government owned (Homeland Security) german shepard. The entire community has been taught by local police that this dog is what keeps them safe. The dog’s loud and constant barking reminds them of safety and security; freedom to them means being free to deny freedom from others.
The pigs in Illinois (like the dead ones in MOSCOW, Idaho) are only good at incitement, not in keeping the peace. This entire band of legally armed thugs had nothing better to do than to gang up on unarmed me.
I would never offer the most humane advice for Hitler and his band of nazis anymore than I would for any cop. They’re all the same to me.
Yes, it’s true, there are good libertarians who are both obese and admirable to me.
Police all over the country believe they are heroes – many are prima donnas. Rediculing them is exactly what is needed. They don’t believe in protecting citizens, they believe in protecting the government and it’s agendas. When they do protect citizens it’s for profit and for career advancement – nothing benevolent or altruistic – as they lead many to believe. Whatever police say Americans believe it to be truth; if they say I am a terrorist then they believe it. Lets try to destroy their image and credibility.
Thanks James Bovard for the defense; without people like you it really would be hopeless. America is not a free country.
I wish all cops were this size, it would cut down on the number of fouled up no knock warrants that sometimes ends in the killing of innocent civilians. They wouldn’t be able to get through the door, and in a window? Ha, that would be worth the price of admission. Can you imagine that on the Police video show. Or Cops? Yep, whatcha gonna do when they come for you, big boys, big boys, whatcha gonna do? ROTFLMAO!!!
Thanks for the kind words.
I have known some good cops. And I have seen other cops stand up in opposition to legislation aiming to disarm private citizens.
There have been cops with the courage to break the Blue Wall of Silence and expose the systemic abuses of citizens’ rights and liberties by their police departments.
But there is a process of selection for events such as National Police Week.
My hunch is that this kind of event is not likely to attract the reasonable, restrained type of policeman.
…If ya want to discuss vicious Cops operating with impunity? I’d refer you to the LAPD in the 50’s 60’s and 70’s—Where I grew up. Take it from me, who had more than one unpleasant run in with them over what amounted to petty shit all alcohol related. Everyone in Greater LA was afraid of them, including yours truly. Especially the autonomous Metropolitan Division, and their well earned reputation for brutality—and a delight in applying the potentially lethal Carotid Choke Hold.
…I too have lived in Arcadia
Go look at the video at the San Diego Union-Tribune, here —
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/mexico/tijuana/20070420-1125-bn20video.html
You’ll have to watch it very closely, perhaps several times, and you will require some athletic skill/experience/perception in order to understand this:
No one with any sort of athletic awareness would have killed that man like that. I will not explain further: people who know, will know. People who do not know, will very likely never be convinced.
Look at that shooter.
I wouldn’t have that slug on my team on a bet.
Look, Jim: anybody can be as fat as they want to be in their own living room or whatever. It should, however, be *obvious* to anyone with a brain in their head that being a cop calls for certain *necessary physical* attributes and qualifications, which the subject of the photograph above in no way meets.
He is an utterly *ridiculous* specimen in the necessary context of his work, and therefore eminently qualified for ridicule.
No fat slug cops. Period.
Excellent point. Thanks for the link.
Jim,
I started this whole bit yesterday with my juvenile, ‘man-tits’ remarks. I’m sorry. I’m sorry that I didn’t see the positive side of this. Fedayeen sort of stole my thunder, but Anne et al. are right. We don’t need to mock and ridicule these fellows, we need to encourage more cops to be like this.
I suppose it starts like all “group rights” in this country. Find a fat, unemployed friend and encourage them to go down and take the police exam. If they try to deny them, take legal action. We need to lower the physical barriers for entrance and the physical requirements once hired.
In short we need a fatter, more unhealthy police force. If we have to have the rascals, at least we, the public, should have the luxury of the typical 60-year-old granny being able to outrun the local deputy!
If our modern Barney Fifes can’t have just one bullet, let ’em have more donuts.
Since the Glocks that some cops use have 17 round clips…. the cops may be less hesitant about consuming 17 pizzas.
On a more serious note — following up on the Billy Beck comment – a cop who is in such poor physical condition will be more likely to resort to lethal force because he cannot subdue (or even keep up) some two-bit offender.
…Well if all else failed he could always fall on ’em, so I guess that settles it.
Quote:
“Go look at the video at the San Diego Union-Tribune, here – ” [billy beck]
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/mexico/tijuana/20070420-1125-bn20video.html
“You’ll have to watch it very closely, perhaps several times, and you will require some athletic skill/experience/perception in order to understand this:”
The BP intentionally leaked it. The shooting appears justified. If anyone tried to throw a rock at me from a close distance then I should have a legal right to shoot back, PROVIDED I am unprotected (not shielded by a vehicle or wall).
IMO, this would not be justified, for example, in a riot where police are wearing riot gear and are carrying shields to protect themselves from thrown rocks.
This intentionally leaked video is a setup begging either shock or an unqualified opinion. BP (and all other police) are hoping most will say it was justified, THEN, police would be able to shoot rioters throwing rocks.
Government is our worst enemy – government includes police. Never commend police – they are simply government servants and employees – most are blue-collar and have little knowledge of the Bill of Rights. They can destroy innocent lives. Most lawyers recommend their clients never talk to police.
Because of the internet police from all across America are able to unite and become a powerful political force (including the already mentioned legal higher class of citizen.)
I disagree with Anne and agree with Jim. Police are a legally armed mafia. Never snuggle up to them. They run a powerful PR campaign. Fred Hampton was assasinated by police. They and my neighbors have been trying to force me to leave town for a long time.
Thanks again Jim – police are sitting high on a pedestal. Lets knock it down.
…certainly gives more meaning to the word “pig.”
He looks like a nice guy. Why are you being so harsh? Many cops are decent people. Many aren’t. My problem is with the people who elect the people who appoint the people who hire the people who destroy our Constitution. Is that confusing enough?
Hey Mace – that may not be as good an idea as it sounds:
Well, trying to do it as a link didn’t work – here’s the site: http://www.wweek.com/editorial/3252/8148/
Bill – that last sentence is enought o qualify you to be a Bush speechwriter. Except that you would have to work in a reference or two to ‘evil.’
As to the photo – I am not being harsh on the guy. I specified in the initial blog that I did not see him violating any law. And it wasn’t my idea that he wear spandex bike pants.
But he was in DC as part of a group of cops that were up to legislative mischief.
Many, maybe most, of the cops who came to town openly strutted around like Lords of the Realm, confident that they were legally untouchable.
I stumbled upon this site by accident and am glad I did.
I am actually the citizen, who filmed 48 hours of misconduct out my window during police week.
The visiting officers did not have any problem drinking in public, howling, screaming, yelling and playing bagpipes until 2, 3 and 4 am below our window. They were taking open conatiners of beer into the Irish Channel. They were urinating on the church steps across the street and left behind half empties for the homeless, when they staggered back to the hotels.
I also have video, which has not been released, of DC MPD sitting in their cars, standing by their cars, while these guys started a bagpipe parade at 12:45 AM on Tuesday morning. For them, I have close ups of the car numbers and the officer’s faces as much as my camera would allow.
I called a total of 9 times, which I documented with times and which officer answered the phone and sent an email to the Mayor, the City Council Members, Chief Lanier and NBC 4.
Chief Lanier showed up at my door 4 hours later and has thus far, at least tried to show some interest in making positive changes.
In fact, I have been asked to meet with Commander Burke, Commander Groomes, representatives from DCRA (permits), ABRA (Alcohol Regulations) and EMA this week to further address the problem.
I had the video posted on youtube.com. My account was hacked after I received threats from a self identified “DC police Officer” warning me about the size of the “Brotherhood and airing dirty laundry.”
I have started trying to get the video back up and should have it put together again by tomorrow.
I ask that if you have specific complaints about National Police Week, you please forward them to me. I have set up an anonymous e-mail to collect those complaints. As of today, I have 57 pages of comments, complaints and threats.
I have not had much support and in fact do fear for my safety. I signed my name to the complaint to the Chief, and am not 100% certain that information will stay confidential.
Any input, help, support or even a few kind words at this point, would be appreciated.
You can look up the videos on youtube.com by searching Inthepubliceye. The e-mail account is a gmail account using the same name.
Thanks for the forum and for getting some additional information out there. I agree 100% with everthing stated so far regarding the way our government is running. I also learned new information about some of the politics hidden behind NPW. Thanks!
You mean that this army of officers of the peace were not in D.C. to do battle and free us from the foreign government that has captured the capitol?
They’re instead there on a mission to plunder the taxpayer? Arg!
Under what circumstances is it morally acceptable to ridicule a person? If a person such as the morbidly obese mess we see pictured here does not have the self-control nor the self-respect to push themselves away from the feeding trough or simply exercise regularly, why should we exhibit anything but contempt and ridicule? What does it say about a police department which would continue to employ this abomination? In any sense of the words, this man in physically incapable of being a police officer.
Wow. I did not realize other people were complaining about this event.
For 3 years now, I have lived across the street from the law enforcement memorial center (or whatever it is called) on E St. Every year, it is the same crap. We put up with several petty annoyances living in this area. But Police Week is by far the worst.
just some things I witnessed:
they park where ever they want and do not get tickets. This causes huge traffic problems in downtown DC.
Openly drinking beer from bottles in the streets outside of bars. And even just next to their cars.
I was at a local pub one night and there was a group of 10-12 cops there being loud and rude to everyone. The waitress told me she comped them half their drinks – they tipped $2 on their $108 bill.
They all walk around in their civilian clothes but have their badge hanging around their necks. This gives them license to do anything. It’s not like they even need to wear their badge to be recognized. They are so easy to pick out – buzzed hair and a huge gut.
Various streets were blocked at different times through the week for all sorts of activities. Cops parading on horses, motorcycles, rollerblades, running…
This week has become Mardi Gras for cops. I am looking forward to the relative peace and quiet of the Rolling Thunder motorcycle rally this weekend.
This came into the other thread from a self-described cop who used the word “glock” in his email address:
A friend sent me this link because he knows I attend each year. I am respectful of the laws and I dont act out in public. Until you have served your city, county, or country then you can only play armchair quarterback to what you see. You should move to the red zone in Bagdad if you like a smaller police presence. Your comments and beliefs are some of the most extreme and unamerican garbage I have read in years. I only hope that you are in need of an officer someday while you are on your knees groveling for your life to some street scum. I am really happy that you are up there and I am here in Texas where the citizens appreciate and respect law enforcement officers. Be happy you are in a country that allows spineless people like you and your minions to exist and spread your crap to anyone who will listen to you. Do us all a favor and jump off of a tall bridge.
If you want to respond to this comment, probably best to do it on the fresh blog I started Wednesday on this topic – http://jimbovard.com/blog/2007/05/23/police-rampage-update-contact-info/
Hopefully other police like Dave will kindly put National Police Week in perspective for the rest of us.
Thanks to everyone, who has taken the time to contact me and show your support and concern. I thought I would give you the latest update.
I received an e-mail from the Mayor’s office, which as my beloved father would say, is “a day late and a dollar short.”
He simply attached the letter of apology the Chief sent out to residents, the week prior. As you will read, he passed the buck as if the problem is solved.
Below is my response to his email and the original. I have deleted my signature and such, simply because I do not feel safe putting my name out there for the average patrol officer, when I have such a huge complaint in to DC MPD.
Again, thanks for the support, it helps to know there are at least a few people, who feel the same and want changes made.
————————
Mayor Fenty,
While I acknowledge the time it took you to send the attachment, I received this official letter a week ago. It was handed to me in person, by Commander Diane Groomes.
I beg to differ that it actually addresses any of my concerns. It is in fact a letter of apology, with contact information applying to the week in question, should other problems be noted.
First I want to say, Chief Lanier has responded in a way, which has gone above my expectations. She was at my front door within four hours of my e-mail being sent.
I cannot say I am as impressed with the response from your office, from Tommy Wells our Ward 6 representative or other Council members.
As of today, the only Council member to take the time to respond personally to me has been Councilwoman Mary Cheh. And I received a phone call from Councilman Jim Graham’s office to “confirm my address.”
I am actively working with Chief Lanier, Commander Burke, Commander Groomes, representatives from DCRA, ABRA and EMA as well as Charley Docter from ANC 6C09. The ultimate objective is to make the concerns heard, to actively seek change and vigorously engage in forcing those changes.
While the apology is an excellent start, there needs to be substantial change created. Currently the way our DC Officers obviously deal with visiting Officers, when there are issues and complaints from the citizens of DC, is completely unacceptable. Had a DC resident, or even a crowd of residents exhibited the behavior shown on the video, the DC MPD response would have been much different.
As residents we have heard Chief Ramsey in the past tell us he “was going to resolve the problem.” I have copies of emails stating he would send out letters to the participating jurisdictions and how he would change the DC MPD response to the event. As of this previous week, we can say, his words and actions were “thick smoke and mirrors to appease the residents for another year.”
Chief Lanier has assured me, she wants to actually fix the problem, so that future events do not have the same outcome as this year or previous years. We are now putting our faith and trust in Chief Lanier, as she has shown a different public response than Chief Ramsey ever did while holding his office.
I feel Chief Lanier tried to send a strong message by apologizing to the residents and handing out the flyers to remind the visiting Officers of our DC laws. I strongly believe she has been the most genuine in addressing the concerns, and has placed her Commanders at the table to try and actually do something for us, the taxpayers.
As your office is fully aware, and as every Council member is fully aware, this is not the first complaint filed about this issue. It takes place every year. I assume this is just the first year it was actually videotaped.
My expectation is your Office and every Council member will fully and without hesitation support Chief Lanier’s efforts in creating the needed changes. My expectation is that DCRA, ABRA and EMA fully support and actively work with Chief Lanier and her Commanders to resolve this perennial problem.
The public trust has been broken for an extended time, when it comes to our city government. It is up to you, as the Mayor to adjust the tempo for change, and support those within the various departments to make those changes in order to restore the public trust.
My expectation is you will live up to the promises you made to secure the office you hold.
The question at hand is: Will you?
Sincerely,
(Name and Address Withheld on Public Forums due to threats)
—–Original Message—–
Sent: Tuesday, May 22, 2007 10:13 AM
Subject: Email from the EOM
(Name Withheld)
Thank you so much for writing me about your concerns around Police Week. Attached you will find a letter from Chief Lanier which addresses your concerns.
Sincerely,
Adrian Fenty
Mayor
———————-
Judge for yourself, as to how his response dealt with an issue from a citizen.
I will post more as the situation evolves.
InThePublicEye
my my my…..indignant cops, indignant libertarians, indignant representatives from the ASPBFTOS (American society for the protection of big fat tubs of sh…)and , in general, alot of pitched angst over a few police officers getting together and trying to have a little old fashioned unhinged fun, in the manner of the Goths , of merry old Rome. Just the other day, a membership card checker at Costco made me drop trou for a strip search after the parking lot attendant pistol whipped me for having a bumper sticker that read “For such a small town there sure are alot of assholes living here”. Nothing like a little authoritarianism to bring out the best in this debauched species. Can’t we all just get along?….
Love, Rodney Kropotkin
Dirk, I hope this experience didn’t disillusion you about living in Utah.
Sounds to me like “Annie” is trying to throw your observations and thread off course, Mr Bovard. People like “Annie” like internet discussion fora, because that way their inanities get published. In a conversation, people like “Annie” get their views excoriated and exposed as the tripe they represent.
That man’s body is the fault of that man’s appetite and lack of exercise. He doesn’t deserve respect or pity. The man DISrespects his own corpus. He deserves RIDICULE.
“Annie” needs to grow up and take her politically correct “liberalism” over to Daily Kos where it belongs, with the other “liberals” who want to impose their “morality” on the rest of us.
I disagree on “Annie.”
I think she is sincere. Her comments were civil and to the point.
She and I look at this from very different perspectives. She was concerned about the feelings of the individual policeman I photographed (if he ever saw that picture). I was concerned about the overall impact of National Police Week and about the notion that cops have a right to violate the law with impunity.
Her comments spurred me to more fully explain my own views.
Just a somewhat offtrack thought.
Spandex. Do you suppose he’s on some department’s bicycle patrol?
SgtGlock says: I only hope that you are in need of an officer someday while you are on your knees groveling for your life to some street scum
I say, keep your hands off my guns and I’ll never need to grovel, doughnut-boy.
BTW, “Annie” is right. It does no credit to the cause of freedom to mock people for their physical shortcomings. If someone told you, Jim, to “get a haircut, ya hippie freak,” we would rightly point out that your hair had nothing to do with the validity of your argument. We have thousands of valid reasons to denounce the repressive laws and law enforcers in our country, and many good reasons to deplore the behavior in DC at Nat’l Police Week. We get taken more seriously if we stick to the real issues. After all, our issue here is that the police in DC for that celebration were hypocritical, they misused their authority, and they acted like the criminals they’re supposed to be protecting [sic] us from. We lose credibility bigtime if all we do is point fingers and say, “Nyah, nyah, look at the lardass!”
In short, I am not concerned directly with the amount of sweetness and light in the world (as Annie might be), I simply think we won’t be listened to if all we can do is mock. After all, we’re trying to educate people and show them the real appeal of freedom, so they can take back their country, right?
If this thread was simply about the pictured cops girth, then you might have a point.
But this and the following blog entry on the same topic included thoughtful comments and good insights by a wide array of people. There was a “frank exchange of views” with a policeman who attended who made several comments on the following blog. And these two blog entries helped make people aware of the lady who was catching a lot of flak for her courageous videos.
As I said in an earlier comment, if I had had an excellent photo of the cops running the red light while holding up their hands to stop traffic – I would have also used that one.
The photo at the top spurred interest in the topic, and as time went on, fewer comments focused on the cop’s size.
Somebody above writes that officers swaggered around DC with badges on neck lanyards and guns on their hips. Since when can officers from outside the district carry in the district? In many states with strong gun control laws it is not permitted.
“Since when can officers from outside the district carry in the district? In many states with strong gun control laws it is not permitted.”
Since the local officers don’t bother to enforce the law, that’s since when. There’s a feeling that there’s a brotherhood of cops, and you don’t disarm, arrest, or otherwise harass another police officer, regardless of what the law actually says.
“The shooting appears justified. If anyone tried to throw a rock at me from a close distance..”
You have no idea what you’re talking about.
You are the reason why I pointed out in my original post that some people simply will not understand this issue.
The guy who got shot was *not* throwing the rock at the cop.
Wow, you people really don’t have a life. Get one, and stop wining about the cops. They do a job you all don’t have the heart to do.
Ok, you people are disgusting. That man that you are being so harsh on was taking part in the Police Unity Tour. Was he doing anything wrong in this picture? Is he a bit overweight? Yes, however unlike you idiots who are sitting at home on a computer making fun of him, he was out biking for a good cause and getting some exercise. Get a life, people. You are all so “anti-police” because you probably got in trouble for acting like the dumbasses that you are, and now you hate all cops. Go pound sand.
“Since when can officers from outside the district carry in the district? In many states with strong gun control laws it is not permitted.”
A federal law was passed several years ago that allows active and retired police officers to carry a concealed weapon in all 50 states, and the District of Columbia. Does that bother you? If it does, tough…..you may be the retard that is getting his/her ass handed to them and need that out of state police officer to save you…..again, get a life and pound sand. Know the law on the issues that bother you before you open your trap and make an ass of yourself.
Mr. Bovard,
With all due respect, please get a life. I watched a video of you on youtube. I am a liberal, and I am not a Bush fan, but you are a strange person…please go get a haircut, shave your fucking face, and find a way to unconfuse yourself. Oh, and as this will be my last post on your sorry ass site, I would like to extend and invitation to you: National Police Week is from May 11-17, 2008. Please stop by and take part in some of the activities, such as the Unity Tour, or the Candlelight Vigil. You will see nothing but a dignfied, moving event. But, I am sure that you won’t write about that, you will write about the social parties that occur afterwards…..and I invite you to participate in those as well. Perhaps if you remove the pole from your ass, you will be able to lighten up and relax.