There is an interesting lawsuit out of New Orleans where two undercover Louisiana State Police troopers, Sgt. Joseph Patout and Master Trooper Christopher Treadaway, stopped for Sushi and parked illegally across the street. A booting company employee promptly booted the vehicle and when the police came out, they ordered him to remove the boot. The employee refused without their paying the fine so they arrested him, searched him, took the key and removed the boot. The attendant, Brandon Hardeway, was never charged and the company was then fired by the parking company in what many suspect is the company’s currying favor with the police over the incident. What is most striking is that there does not appear to have been any discipline, let alone termination, of the officers responsible.
Hardeway says that he watched the officers enter the Sushi restaurant that had no parking privileges and booted the vehicle like other vehicles. After leaving the restaurant, the troopers demanded that the boot be removed from their Dodge Ram pickup. Hardeway checked with his employee, Premier Parking Enforcement, who said that the company only “extended courtesy” to official vehicles used by New Orleans police as well as “other plainly marked emergency vehicles.” Patout and Treadaway then arrested Hardeway for “interfering” with their performance of their duties. He was detained for several hours and never charged. Notably, various high-ranking officers were consulted before he was released. However, the troopers conducted a search and took Hardeway’s keys off his belt and removed the boot. They also searched his vehicle without a warrant and without probable cause. The scene was captured on Hardeway’s chest camera.
The owners of the parking lot then punished the booting company for what appears little more than standing up to police.
What is astonishing is that there is no evidence that this illegal arrest and illegal search as well as the abuse of authority resulted in any discipline at all for Patout and Treadway, let alone terminations as officers.
Source: Advocate
Throw dog turds on the car when they are not looking.
One of too many examples of police thumbing their noses at the rule of law.
Highlighting this:
“However, the troopers conducted a search and took Hardeway’s keys off his belt and removed the boot. They also searched his vehicle without a warrant and without probable cause.” -JT
“The scene was captured on Hardeway’s chest camera.”
Keep the videos coming.
http://www.policemisconduct.net/national-police-misconduct-newsfeed-daily-recap-04-11-15-to-04-13-15/
McDonald’s has a parking lot. If they are undercover maybe they should choose a Big Mac over parking illegally at a sushi restaurant.
Policing everywhere is suspect nowadays, no one city or area seems to be exempt from incidents of police abusing their authority and the people they serve.
Once the two undercover troopers, who were still on duty while they stopped for sushi, identified themselves as such to the individual, the boot should have been removed. Eating sushi does not terminate the duty to answer a call received by the officers. The boot, and the failure to remove it, was an impediment to law enforcement. A ticket should’ve been issued, since I assume that the unmarked car could not be distinguished as a police vehicle. The moment these individuals were identified as law enforcement, any and all barriers with regard to their ability to exit should have been removed, immediately. The failure to comply with the orders of law enforcement was handled appropriately. Had there been an emergency, where these troopers were needed and lives were in jeopardy, the failure to immediately remove the boot from the car may have resulted in the loss of life.
bam bam – doesn’t playing the ‘I’m a f**king cop so take the boot off’ sort of blow the whole undercover gig?
Salon did a piece last December, about the most abusive police dept. over the last 40 or so years. The Milwaukee Police Dept. has a long record of abuse and killings. It started under the long tenure of infamous Chief Harold Breier, back in the 1960’s. The NYT did an expose of him back in 1984. When you talk about LA, Chicago, NYC, and New Orleans, you must include Milwaukee in the list of renegade depts.
Obsession meets “you’re not the boss of me.”
Too bad police started being videoed and were caught time after time abusing citizens and their own authority. Another case of PO’s thinking they are above the law and getting away with it.
When I was young this was very normal……..very very very normal…..the police had a different set of rules because of their authority and people actually respected them more. Too bad they started making cop movies with them on drugs like everything was NYC or the Pizza Connection or something idk
There’s nothing astonishing about it. Business as usual.
“Statute Enforcement Officers” may be a better job title than “Law Enforcement Officers” for police departments and federal police.
This job title defines their authority beginning and ending within an actual statute or ordinance passed by a legislature. The latter title is rather ambiguous and could be interpreted as though we have the “rule of man” where they can just make up the law instead of our American constitutional “rule of law” system.
Thuggery.
Are cops really that stupid?
There is a ground swell right now against police abuses. This is not the time for cops to push the envelope.
These Louisiana cops recognized that they could get away with their illegal actions and did what they pleased. Their bosses apparently aided and abetted this mindset.
And those of us who believe that cop culture needs to be changed got another data point to support our position.
NOPD hired a bunch of felons and they are still getting them out of their ranks.
This is New Orleans, the fix is in.
There are those who obey the law, and there are those who think it doesn’t apply to them because they wear a badge. The parking ticket guy is probably lucky he didn’t get shot. These kind of police are the worst, Their actions reflect badly on officers who truly protect and serve. They are lucky I am not their captain, they too would be looking for another job.
Reblogged this on BLOGGING BAD w/Gunny G ~ "CLINGERS of AMERICA!".
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Two sets of laws one for us and the other for them!
Ah, The Big Easy, or perhaps The Big Apple, etc.