When this first came out, I was skeptical of its authenticity, and I still am. That doesn't necessarily devalue the overall point it is trying to make, but an anonymous account with no...
When this first came out, I was skeptical of its authenticity, and I still am. That doesn't necessarily devalue the overall point it is trying to make, but an anonymous account with no verification - one that tells an alluring story under the veil of being true - is hard to trust.
This is my first time reading it, and it doesn't ring true overall, unless California has substantially shittier police, laws, and practices than the more relatively conservative Midwest and...
This is my first time reading it, and it doesn't ring true overall, unless California has substantially shittier police, laws, and practices than the more relatively conservative Midwest and Appalachia. I have a friend who recently switched from dev work to law enforcement because he was tired of manning a desk all day every day. He's one of those weirdos who really likes talking about work outside of work, always has been. The things that really stick out to me after lots of chats with him, and occasionally his coworkers while playing call of duty warzone:
Why the hell is a sergeant out walking a beat, let alone dealing with petty offenses?
The bit about having a contest for the most outlandish made up charge to arrest someone would be provoking a national indecent, because you'd be undermining both your local prosecutor and your local judiciary, who would then have every incentive in the world to go head hunting.
The logic puzzle thing actually sounds fairly accurate. That said, if a case gets too complex, it's getting tossed to a detective, regardless.
re: drug planting, haven't really heard anything either way. I do get the impression that vice, and the officers who like to prioritize drug stats are likely the most malicious and petty.
The whole academy story sounds the least accurate of the whole article. I guess I could believe it if we was a cop in Bumfuck, MS or something, but populated Californian precincts should be pretty competitive, which means that academy is yet another place to start failing people for behavioral issues. Instructors at academy are ready to put people on notice for small things like aggressive driving during training, let alone bad officer on officer behavior.
“I’d rather be judged by 12 than carried by 6.” - Oinkers really do love repeating this quote ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I think the wolves, sheepdogs, and sheep thing is sort of true, but A. Cab is really overselling the misanthropy (or he really doesn't like most of his fellow citizens). I think most cops are aware that they aren't the greatest shooters, and aren't in the greatest shape physically, which really strips away a lot of the power fantasy. In most states the IDPA top 50 has 2 or 3 law enforcement folks on it.
The article is too long to break down fully, but while some things ring true, a lot of it seems to be fabricated or exaggerated, unless CA policing comes from a different planet than how the midwest and Appalachia operates. I would be surprised but not shocked if that were the case I guess, because in the coal-mining county I grew up in, at least 2 shitty cops have ended up murdered with no conviction, in my life time (although the same has happened to my doctor, so it's not like it's just anti-cop vigilantes).
While I also question the authenticity, as someone from California I wanted to weigh in on a few of these. I've directly interacted with sergeants quite a few times and I've never been arrested or...
While I also question the authenticity, as someone from California I wanted to weigh in on a few of these.
Why the hell is a sergeant out walking a beat, let alone dealing with petty offenses?
I've directly interacted with sergeants quite a few times and I've never been arrested or been harassed for anything but a petty offense. California is a large place, so you will have some pretty senior policemen out on patrol regularly.
The bit about having a contest for the most outlandish made up charge to arrest someone would be provoking a national indecent, because you'd be undermining both your local prosecutor and your local judiciary, who would then have every incentive in the world to go head hunting.
Charge to arrest <> charge to prosecute. You might be arrested for something outlandish, but then charged with something else. Also, if you arrest a drunk, it doesn't really matter what you arrest them for, the intent is to release them after an overnight stay in the drunk tank. I could see this happening, but this one did seem fishy.
re: drug planting, haven't really heard anything either way. I do get the impression that vice, and the officers who like to prioritize drug stats are likely the most malicious and petty.
An LA officer accidentally caught himself on tape planting drugs. Proof that this not only happens, but happens in California and makes you question how often it happens because the officer intentionally turned their camera on after they planted the drugs. Unluckily for the officer, the device continuously records, and when you hit the button to turn it on, it includes a small period of time before you hit the button on the recording (absent sound).
a lot of it seems to be fabricated or exaggerated
My money is on exaggerated, given the general tone of the article and how things are presented. But that's generally how good writing goes, so it shouldn't be too surprising.
When this first came out, I was skeptical of its authenticity, and I still am. That doesn't necessarily devalue the overall point it is trying to make, but an anonymous account with no verification - one that tells an alluring story under the veil of being true - is hard to trust.
This is my first time reading it, and it doesn't ring true overall, unless California has substantially shittier police, laws, and practices than the more relatively conservative Midwest and Appalachia. I have a friend who recently switched from dev work to law enforcement because he was tired of manning a desk all day every day. He's one of those weirdos who really likes talking about work outside of work, always has been. The things that really stick out to me after lots of chats with him, and occasionally his coworkers while playing call of duty warzone:
The article is too long to break down fully, but while some things ring true, a lot of it seems to be fabricated or exaggerated, unless CA policing comes from a different planet than how the midwest and Appalachia operates. I would be surprised but not shocked if that were the case I guess, because in the coal-mining county I grew up in, at least 2 shitty cops have ended up murdered with no conviction, in my life time (although the same has happened to my doctor, so it's not like it's just anti-cop vigilantes).
While I also question the authenticity, as someone from California I wanted to weigh in on a few of these.
I've directly interacted with sergeants quite a few times and I've never been arrested or been harassed for anything but a petty offense. California is a large place, so you will have some pretty senior policemen out on patrol regularly.
Charge to arrest <> charge to prosecute. You might be arrested for something outlandish, but then charged with something else. Also, if you arrest a drunk, it doesn't really matter what you arrest them for, the intent is to release them after an overnight stay in the drunk tank. I could see this happening, but this one did seem fishy.
An LA officer accidentally caught himself on tape planting drugs. Proof that this not only happens, but happens in California and makes you question how often it happens because the officer intentionally turned their camera on after they planted the drugs. Unluckily for the officer, the device continuously records, and when you hit the button to turn it on, it includes a small period of time before you hit the button on the recording (absent sound).
My money is on exaggerated, given the general tone of the article and how things are presented. But that's generally how good writing goes, so it shouldn't be too surprising.
Previous discussion on this topic in ~life, for those interested in reading more:
https://tild.es/pl6