When I was in Chicago this week for Christmas, Brian Barker, 41, was all over the news. The Edwardsville police officer is accused of being a serial burglar, including break ins while on duty. He seems wanting as a police officer but as a crook he is even worse. They found stolen items in his home and there is a security tape reportedly of him burglarizing one of the locations. The end came fittingly at the Reality Salon and Spa for Barker.
The security camera at the Reality Salon in Edwardsville allegedly shows Barker, in uniform and on duty, stealing $450 from the cash register there. He is also accused of burglarizing a house across the street from his own home.
Barker has been charged with a dozen counts of burglary, one count of residential burglary, and aggravated unlawful possession of stolen firearms. The last charge involves mainly stolen handguns.
If you are interested in hearing from the Chief of Police during most of Bedell’s service, he is not available. Chief James Bedell was indicted and sentenced to 18 months in federal prison in 2013 for embezzling $140,000 from the city.
Barker is facing a nightmare from a criminal defense standpoint. The police claim to have him on videotape and stolen items in his house. More importantly, committing crimes while on duty is one of the greatest aggravators that you can face in sentencing.
Source: STL Today
http://solovieva.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/feetofclay2.jpg
Paul! OMG! Stay away from water.
Aridog, most people are “glass half full types”. I think the minority of people are pessimists. It’s human nature to be optimistic, it’s a mechanism for coping with what life brings you. I do however think that by adulthood most people ate also realists.
Jesus Aridog, I don’t believe your philosophy is about ME. Such antagonism! I think you do however have a mistaken understanding about my philosophy on the goodness of humans.
People simply are not going to agree with every thing you say, relax. I thought you were trying to be more Zen. I think you may need to work on that, ohmmmmm…..
Anarchist,
Perhaps when you upgrade to 3.0 you’ll cease trolling blogs and be better prepared to debate. Thanks.
Aridog,
Well, good I’m glad I just imagined it.
Inga…said another way, my philosophy is least of all about you.
Inga said …
Aridog, I sense you’re trying to make me fit some narrative you have going …
Your imagination outdoes you.
Olly…sorry to argue, but as a former military “Fed” I assure you that “Feds” of the Civil Service schedule ranks can be fired…I fired three myself in my time. That’s less than 1% of the people I worked with in our organization.
That said, Senior Executive Service personnel (SES) are much harder to dispose of (and they are the policy makers & “rule” makers) because as appointees, although they can easily be dismissed, the politics of their appointed rank means they know where the skeletons are hidden…witness Ms Lois Lerner, Steve Miller, et all of IRS infamy.
When it comes to the SES, your point is valid, for the reason I cited. The “grease” of bad government, observed from the inside, is that true merit has been supplanted by popularity, usually hyped from less than whole cloth. Witness our predicament now vis a vis potential candidates fro President in 2016…a Bush and a Clinton. If that is all we can come up with, we are deceiving ourselves. I still anticipate others will rise above them…doesn’t mean they will, but doesn’t either mean they cannot.
My philosophy has been tested in both personal relations, in government functions, and in war. Never-the-less I’ll expect good from those in politics until they prove me wrong…which regrettably happens all too often. I have to take the “glass half full” purview. But that is just me…YMMV 🙂
Olly-
“I’ll wait.”
You won’t have to wait long, my full response will be forthcoming very, very soon. You should check back here every five minutes.
Aridog, I didn’t say all humans were potentially evil. I said all humans have feet of clay. There is no human that walked the earth who hasn’t fallen short of the glory of God. I’m happy that I’ve got people in my life that are genuinely good decent people. And Aridog, I most certainly do expect the best out of people, that includes my family and even strangers. I discount no one out of hand.
Aridog, I sense you’re trying to make me fit some narrative you have going, regarding positivity and negativity. To see people as they are warts and all, yet still love is something we all can aspire to. When I speak of humans having feet of clay, it does in no way discount the good things they’ve done and do. To see humans as they are, capeable of both great good and not so good is simply being an honest observer of humanity. There is no negativity involved. It’s called reality.
Inga – since I am agnositic I do not have feet of clay and I reject the proposition that humans have feet of clay. I have never seen a human with feet of clay much less a single foot of clay. I am concerned about that nursing degree if you think that. Even Marquette would not teach that.
Aridog,
I respect your philosophy as it would relate to personal relationships, but I would submit the expectation of goodness until proven otherwise is the grease of bad government. I can $hitcan relationships that do me wrong in the private sector but as we know, it’s nearly impossible to do the same with public servants.
Inga said …
Elevating any human to a status in which they can do no wrong, is hero worship. Humans are not Deities.
Those are your words, not mine. No where did I suggest anything like that deifying process. What I suggest, and live by, is to expect the best of people, until they prove otherwise. Even then, with contrition, which I equate with not making the same mistakes again, I can forgive them. I’d hope those I’ve wronged can do the same for me…however that belief is personal to me, and not something I can demand.
As I’ve said elsewhere, one of my closest friends from childhood murdered two elderly people with an ax. My first question (not the only one) of myself was & still is what could I perhaps have done to have prevented the desperation that lead to that act. I look for the good, and I refuse to arbitrarily categorize all humans as anything less. Funny how that has worked well for me on two continents, three languages, and among at least a dozen different ethnicities, and “racial”types.
You find what you expect more often than not in my experience, but I can’t speak for you or anyone else. I speak for me. I worship no man, but I don’t categorize all men (and women) as potentially evil. Funny you ask me what I haven’t realize yet, while I have sympathy for you for what you have yet to discover.
Prove it. Provide the evidence that demonstrates SENTENCING guidelines for law enforcement officers are less aggravated for criminally killing a black guy.
I’ll wait.
Go to the New York State Study on blue on blue shootings. The fact is that 9 out of 10 off duty cops who are shot and killed by other cops are BLACK. In 1982 one white off duty cop was shot and killed by a cop. This is such an outlandish proportion that it shows that black men are targets first and foremost, even when they are not committing any crime.
[i]”More importantly, committing crimes while on duty is one of the greatest aggravators that you can face in sentencing. “[/i]
Unless that crime is killing a black guy.
Karma is real (occasionally).
I’ve heard of prison guards going to prison themselves for being on the take from prisoners, but this guy is a far bigger problem. Given that the police chief at the time is also trouble, I would suspect that most likely there are more bad players within. It would be worthwhile for a police mole to be placed within this department to get a feel for the amount of corruption still going on amongst the ranks. It would be difficult for subordinates in this situation to speak freely. I would also be concerned about screening/vetting practices of new hires. Sounds like favors are being played and red flags are being overlooked.
I wonder if he is on drugs.
Aridog, they too are human. Elevating any human to a status in which they can do no wrong, is hero worship. Humans are not Deities. Respect and worship are two different things and they need to remain so. My daughter would be one of the Corpsman to say so. Also Aridog, humans are capable of doing extraordinarily great things at times and terrible things at other times. You haven’t realized this yet? Why? Because they are human, not gods.
randyjet
That’s for tomorrow when everyone gets their story straight.
People who steal serial or kill serial should think about ham and eggs.