Atlanta Narco Squad: Cops Gone Wild
http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/atlanta/stories/2007/04/27/0427metjohnston.html
Pleas won't end probe of Atlanta police
Two Atlanta cops plead guilty in woman's death
By BILL TORPY / btorpy@ajc.com
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 04/27/07
What started with a few bags of marijuana being planted near a suspected street dealer quickly spiraled out of control. Narcotics officers lied to a judge, illegally broke into 92-year-old Kathryn Johnston's house, fired 39 shots at her - and then one handcuffed her as she lay bleeding before he planted drugs in her basement.
The events of Nov. 21, outlined in court documents, were almost an "inevitable" outcome of a troubled police unit, a federal prosecutor said Thursday as two former Atlanta narcotics officers pleaded guilty and promised to cooperate in a wider probe of the department.
Chain of lies led to raid
According to investigators, Atlanta narcotics officers hoped to satisfy goals set by police commanders by repeatedly lying to obtain search warrants, barging into homes and sometimes restraining innocent people, an atmosphere that led to tragedy.
The sweeping accusations were made in the guilty-plea agreements of Gregg Junnier and Jason R. Smith, two on a team of officers that took part in the botched raid at Johnston's home.
The deceit Nov. 21 didn't end with a faked warrant, according the officers' plea agreements - they conspired to cover their actions by asking a confidential informant to lie for them. Instead, the informant went to authorities, giving birth to one of the biggest scandals to hit the Atlanta Police Department in years.
On Thursday, Police Chief Richard Pennington and other department leaders stood stone-faced as federal officials talked at a news conference about misconduct on their watch.
"This has been a very painful five months in the police department," Pennington said. "The mayor and I, we wanted one thing to occur, to get to the bottom of this and let justice be meted [out]."
Falsified search warrants
In rapid succession Thursday, Smith and Junnier heard their indictments for felony murder read in court, pleaded guilty in state court to voluntary manslaughter and other state charges, then pleaded guilty in federal court on charges of conspiracy to violate a person's civil rights ending in death.
"Junnier and other officers falsified affidavits for search warrants to be considered productive officers and to meet APD's performance targets," according to a federal exhibit released Thursday. "They believed that these ends justified their illegal 'Fluffing' or falsifying of search warrants.
"Because they obtained search warrants based on unreliable and false information, [the officers] had on occasion searched residences where there were no drugs and the occupants were not drug dealers."
The officers' callous attitude was evident the day of the killing, said Fulton County prosecutor Peter Johnson. After getting a tip from a suspected low-level drug dealer that a kilo of cocaine was in a home at 933 Neal Street, Junnier said they could get a confidential informant to make a buy there to prove there were drugs there.
"Or not," Smith said, according to prosecutors' account.
The officers chose the latter and lied to a judge that they had sent an informant to the home, according to the plea agreement.
At an evening news conference, Greg Jones, head of Atlanta's FBI office, called the officers' conduct "deplorable" and said the agency will pursue "additional allegations of corruption that other Atlanta police officers may have engaged in similar conduct."
U.S. Attorney David Nahmias called Johnston's death "almost inevitable" because of such widespread activity and vowed a far-reaching investigation into departmental practices. He said he expects to find other cases where officers lied or relied on bad information.
"It's a very ongoing investigation into just how wide the culture of misconduct extends," Nahmias said. "We'll dig until we can find whatever we can."
Nahmias said: "The department must look forward to reform itself." But he added "ongoing public scrutiny" on APD is needed to make that happen.
Pennington didn't hesitate to respond to questions that police higher-ups set arrest goals.
"The Atlanta Police Department does not have a quota system," he said. "Yes, we get on officers for performance. Any corporate system does that."
"We have enough crime in Atlanta; we don't have to get quotas," he said.
During Thursday's state plea, a fidgeting and barely audible Smith leaned forward toward Fulton County Superior Court Judge Michael Johnson and said: "I wanted to say how regretful I am ... and sorry."
Junnier chose not to say anything, but his outspoken attorney, Rand Csehy, told the judge: "It's a case where the fish rotted from the head down," referring to police brass not properly training narcotics officers and turning a blind eye to improper tactics in that unit.
"Hopefully [the pleas] will reverberate through the police department" and help the narcotics unit clean up its act, Csehy said.
Under the plea deals, Junnier, who came forward to federal authorities Dec. 11, would get 10 years in federal prison and Smith would get 12 years and seven months.
The maximum penalty for the federal charge they accepted is life in prison. Their sentences could be shortened if they provide investigators with "substantial assistance" in their ongoing probe of the department.
In state court, multiple charges of felony murder as well as burglary and other charges were dropped.
Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard said his office has started looking at hundreds of cases in which the officers were involved. He said "as soon as we find out" corruption was involved, those convictions will be undone.
Smith, 35, a former Georgia National Guard officer who served in Iraq, was indicted on 13 felonies, including four counts of felony murder, violation of an oath by a public officer, two counts of giving false statements, two counts of burglary and one count each of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, false imprisonment and perjury.
Smith's attorney, John Garland, said his client "was trained to lie by fellow officers to establish probable cause."
Junnier, 40, with nine years in the narcotics unit, was charged with three counts of felony murder, violation of oath by a public officer, criminal solicitation, two counts of burglary and one count each of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and making a false statement.
from wsbradio.com:
At about 6:40 p.m., JUNNIER, SMITH, TESLER, and other narcotics officers attempted to execute the search warrant. (TESLER was assigned to guard the back door.) As officers rammed open the front door of 933 Neal Street, Kathryn Johnson, an elderly woman who was the owner and only resident of the house, fired a single shot from a .38 caliber revolver through the door, which hit no one. JUNNIER, SMITH, and four other officers returned fire, hitting Ms. Johnston with five or six shots, one of which was fatal. Ballistics and other forensic analysis are unable to establish which of the officers fired the fatal shot or the other shots. Three officers, including JUNNIER, were injured by shots fired by other officers, or resulting shrapnel or debris, but all were released from the hospital by the following morning.
No other occupants or drugs were found at 933 Neal Street. After the shooting, SMITH planted three baggies of marijuana, which the officers had seized somewhere else earlier that day, in the basement of the house. TESLER filed a false APD incident report stating that a purchase of crack had been made at 933 Neal Street earlier that day, and SMITH submitted two bags containing crack that falsely indicated the drugs were bought by an informant at 933 Neal Street. On November 22, 2006, SMITH and another officer disposed of the remainder of the marijuana from which SMITH had taken the planted marijuana, by throwing it down a sewer drain. SMITH, JUNNIER and TESLER also met to fabricate a story that would explain the events leading to the shooting of Kathryn Johnston. SMITH, JUNNIER and TESLER then recounted the fabricated story to APD homicide investigators.
After Atlanta Police Chief Richard Pennington turned the investigation of the Kathryn Johnston case over to the FBI to lead, JUNNIER was interviewed by FBI agents and admitted the facts about the conspiracy rather than giving the false cover story. SMITH continued to cover up the conspiracy in his first interview with federal agents, but subsequently admitted to the conspiracy.
Pleas won't end probe of Atlanta police
Two Atlanta cops plead guilty in woman's death
By BILL TORPY / btorpy@ajc.com
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 04/27/07
What started with a few bags of marijuana being planted near a suspected street dealer quickly spiraled out of control. Narcotics officers lied to a judge, illegally broke into 92-year-old Kathryn Johnston's house, fired 39 shots at her - and then one handcuffed her as she lay bleeding before he planted drugs in her basement.
The events of Nov. 21, outlined in court documents, were almost an "inevitable" outcome of a troubled police unit, a federal prosecutor said Thursday as two former Atlanta narcotics officers pleaded guilty and promised to cooperate in a wider probe of the department.
Chain of lies led to raid
According to investigators, Atlanta narcotics officers hoped to satisfy goals set by police commanders by repeatedly lying to obtain search warrants, barging into homes and sometimes restraining innocent people, an atmosphere that led to tragedy.
The sweeping accusations were made in the guilty-plea agreements of Gregg Junnier and Jason R. Smith, two on a team of officers that took part in the botched raid at Johnston's home.
The deceit Nov. 21 didn't end with a faked warrant, according the officers' plea agreements - they conspired to cover their actions by asking a confidential informant to lie for them. Instead, the informant went to authorities, giving birth to one of the biggest scandals to hit the Atlanta Police Department in years.
On Thursday, Police Chief Richard Pennington and other department leaders stood stone-faced as federal officials talked at a news conference about misconduct on their watch.
"This has been a very painful five months in the police department," Pennington said. "The mayor and I, we wanted one thing to occur, to get to the bottom of this and let justice be meted [out]."
Falsified search warrants
In rapid succession Thursday, Smith and Junnier heard their indictments for felony murder read in court, pleaded guilty in state court to voluntary manslaughter and other state charges, then pleaded guilty in federal court on charges of conspiracy to violate a person's civil rights ending in death.
"Junnier and other officers falsified affidavits for search warrants to be considered productive officers and to meet APD's performance targets," according to a federal exhibit released Thursday. "They believed that these ends justified their illegal 'Fluffing' or falsifying of search warrants.
"Because they obtained search warrants based on unreliable and false information, [the officers] had on occasion searched residences where there were no drugs and the occupants were not drug dealers."
The officers' callous attitude was evident the day of the killing, said Fulton County prosecutor Peter Johnson. After getting a tip from a suspected low-level drug dealer that a kilo of cocaine was in a home at 933 Neal Street, Junnier said they could get a confidential informant to make a buy there to prove there were drugs there.
"Or not," Smith said, according to prosecutors' account.
The officers chose the latter and lied to a judge that they had sent an informant to the home, according to the plea agreement.
At an evening news conference, Greg Jones, head of Atlanta's FBI office, called the officers' conduct "deplorable" and said the agency will pursue "additional allegations of corruption that other Atlanta police officers may have engaged in similar conduct."
U.S. Attorney David Nahmias called Johnston's death "almost inevitable" because of such widespread activity and vowed a far-reaching investigation into departmental practices. He said he expects to find other cases where officers lied or relied on bad information.
"It's a very ongoing investigation into just how wide the culture of misconduct extends," Nahmias said. "We'll dig until we can find whatever we can."
Nahmias said: "The department must look forward to reform itself." But he added "ongoing public scrutiny" on APD is needed to make that happen.
Pennington didn't hesitate to respond to questions that police higher-ups set arrest goals.
"The Atlanta Police Department does not have a quota system," he said. "Yes, we get on officers for performance. Any corporate system does that."
"We have enough crime in Atlanta; we don't have to get quotas," he said.
During Thursday's state plea, a fidgeting and barely audible Smith leaned forward toward Fulton County Superior Court Judge Michael Johnson and said: "I wanted to say how regretful I am ... and sorry."
Junnier chose not to say anything, but his outspoken attorney, Rand Csehy, told the judge: "It's a case where the fish rotted from the head down," referring to police brass not properly training narcotics officers and turning a blind eye to improper tactics in that unit.
"Hopefully [the pleas] will reverberate through the police department" and help the narcotics unit clean up its act, Csehy said.
Under the plea deals, Junnier, who came forward to federal authorities Dec. 11, would get 10 years in federal prison and Smith would get 12 years and seven months.
The maximum penalty for the federal charge they accepted is life in prison. Their sentences could be shortened if they provide investigators with "substantial assistance" in their ongoing probe of the department.
In state court, multiple charges of felony murder as well as burglary and other charges were dropped.
Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard said his office has started looking at hundreds of cases in which the officers were involved. He said "as soon as we find out" corruption was involved, those convictions will be undone.
Smith, 35, a former Georgia National Guard officer who served in Iraq, was indicted on 13 felonies, including four counts of felony murder, violation of an oath by a public officer, two counts of giving false statements, two counts of burglary and one count each of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, false imprisonment and perjury.
Smith's attorney, John Garland, said his client "was trained to lie by fellow officers to establish probable cause."
Junnier, 40, with nine years in the narcotics unit, was charged with three counts of felony murder, violation of oath by a public officer, criminal solicitation, two counts of burglary and one count each of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and making a false statement.
from wsbradio.com:
At about 6:40 p.m., JUNNIER, SMITH, TESLER, and other narcotics officers attempted to execute the search warrant. (TESLER was assigned to guard the back door.) As officers rammed open the front door of 933 Neal Street, Kathryn Johnson, an elderly woman who was the owner and only resident of the house, fired a single shot from a .38 caliber revolver through the door, which hit no one. JUNNIER, SMITH, and four other officers returned fire, hitting Ms. Johnston with five or six shots, one of which was fatal. Ballistics and other forensic analysis are unable to establish which of the officers fired the fatal shot or the other shots. Three officers, including JUNNIER, were injured by shots fired by other officers, or resulting shrapnel or debris, but all were released from the hospital by the following morning.
No other occupants or drugs were found at 933 Neal Street. After the shooting, SMITH planted three baggies of marijuana, which the officers had seized somewhere else earlier that day, in the basement of the house. TESLER filed a false APD incident report stating that a purchase of crack had been made at 933 Neal Street earlier that day, and SMITH submitted two bags containing crack that falsely indicated the drugs were bought by an informant at 933 Neal Street. On November 22, 2006, SMITH and another officer disposed of the remainder of the marijuana from which SMITH had taken the planted marijuana, by throwing it down a sewer drain. SMITH, JUNNIER and TESLER also met to fabricate a story that would explain the events leading to the shooting of Kathryn Johnston. SMITH, JUNNIER and TESLER then recounted the fabricated story to APD homicide investigators.
After Atlanta Police Chief Richard Pennington turned the investigation of the Kathryn Johnston case over to the FBI to lead, JUNNIER was interviewed by FBI agents and admitted the facts about the conspiracy rather than giving the false cover story. SMITH continued to cover up the conspiracy in his first interview with federal agents, but subsequently admitted to the conspiracy.
0
-
wow! 0 -
never did think much of narco cops 0 -
The whole da(m)rned city and the administration is just as bad, or worse. It's the a-hole of Georgia. Thank the Lord I don't live there.
[xx(]0 -
Why does our society allow a premeditated murder with extenuating circumstances by law officers go with a slap on the wrist.
Public officials misusing power should have to pay a higher price for breaking the public trust.
These miserable suns-of-beeches MURDERED a old woman and ruined God knows how many innocent lives.
I say they deserve a super fair trial where all avenues of association are discussed and disclosed in a public venue. Then; after being duly found GUILTY removed to death row where they can be executed by lethal injection before the end of the year.
Their conduct is utterly reprehensible and unjustly taint all LEOS.0 -
There have been plenty of times on here where I have chastised others for making judgements on partial information on police conduct, however, if the information reported is true, then I completely agree that the officers involved should be hung out to dry.
The reported conduct is not that of police officers, but a gang of thugs that happen to have a badge.
I don't recall if I gave anyone grief over this incident, but if I did, my apologies are offered.0 -
This is your govments at work-enjoy![:0][:(][xx(] 0 -
Part of the problem is the "no knock" search warrant. Search warrants should be "served", not shown to the survivors after the fact.
The main justification for the "no knock" warrant is to avoid the destruction of evidence and the "element of surprise" for people the police think will resist.
The suspect might be able to flush a joint or two while the police identify themselves, but I don't think anybody will flush a kilo of anything in the amount of time it takes to say "Police, search warrant". As for the element of surprise, take an extra man and have him watch the back door.
If the evidence is lost in a case or two, or a few thousand, I think that is preferable the loss of innocent life, including police officers.
I don't think the "no knock" search warrant is Constitutional. I know the Supreme Court's opinion on that carries more weight than mine, but even if it is Constitutional, it's certainly bad policy.
When somebody comes crashing through my front door any time of the day or night I'll come up shooting. I don't think it will make my widow feel any better knowing it was a mistake and I was in the wrong.0 -
quote:Originally posted by bpost1958
Why does our society allow a premeditated murder with extenuating circumstances by law officers go with a slap on the wrist.
Public officials misusing power should have to pay a higher price for breaking the public trust.
These miserable suns-of-beeches MURDERED a old woman and ruined God knows how many innocent lives.
I say they deserve a super fair trial where all avenues of association are discussed and disclosed in a public venue. Then; after being duly found GUILTY removed to death row where they can be executed by lethal injection before the end of the year.
Their conduct is utterly reprehensible and unjustly taint all LEOS.
+10 -
Philly cops went through the same thing about 25 years ago.
... and, unfortunately, the cockroaches took over the city and
God help you if you stray two blocks off Market or Chestnut.
Honest cops are terrific but there seems to be a trade off in
the long run. ... it's pretty much a 'human' nature thing.
... thinking about it ... same thing happened in Chicago and
Los Angeles, more recently.
There's no more 'fear factor' that the cockroaches have to be
concerned about.[:(]0 -
quote:Originally posted by JamesRK
Part of the problem is the "no knock" search warrant. Search warrants should be "served", not shown to the survivors after the fact.
The main justification for the "no knock" warrant is to avoid the destruction of evidence and the "element of surprise" for people the police think will resist.
The suspect might be able to flush a joint or two while the police identify themselves, but I don't think anybody will flush a kilo of anything in the amount of time it takes to say "Police, search warrant". As for the element of surprise, take an extra man and have him watch the back door.
If the evidence is lost in a case or two, or a few thousand, I think that is preferable the loss of innocent life, including police officers.
I don't think the "no knock" search warrant is Constitutional. I know the Supreme Court's opinion on that carries more weight than mine, but even if it is Constitutional, it's certainly bad policy.
When somebody comes crashing through my front door any time of the day or night I'll come up shooting. I don't think it will make my widow feel any better knowing it was a mistake and I was in the wrong.
Totally agree. And remember, the WWII Supreme Court said the internment of Japanese in America was constitutional also. Just because they say so, doesn't make it right.0 -
Not Politically Correct, again.
Interning the Japanese during WWII was the correct thing to do.
Doug0 -
quote:Originally posted by Doug Wilson
Not Politically Correct, again.
Interning the Japanese during WWII was the correct thing to do.
Doug
The 442nd Regimental Combat Team, made up of Japanese-Americans, was the highest decorated unit of WWII based on size. They had 22 Medal of Honor recipients. And while these men fought and died on the battlefields of Europe, their families were interned in Concentration Camps here in America.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/442nd_Regimental_Combat_Team
And do you have any evidence to support your assertion that the Japanese-Americans on the West Coast were a threat to the United States? Because not a SINGLE Japanese-American was ever convicted of espionage during the entire course of the war. Not a SINGLE one. And why weren't German-Americans interned in as great of numbers as the Japanese? We know that there were Germans-Americans who were loyal to Hitler and sent men to Germany to fight for the Reich (the German-American Bund) and the Germans DID send agents to the United States for espionage purposes. But of course, they were white, so no need to strip German-Americans of their property and homes and deny them all Constitutional and Civil Rights during wartime.0 -
quote:Originally posted by awinds
The whole da(m)rned city and the administration is just as bad, or worse. It's the a-hole of Georgia. Thank the Lord I don't live there.
[xx(]
The sad thing is that those pukes represent our entire state. People around the country see the activities of those morons and think that all of Georgia is the same.0 -
quote:Originally posted by allen griggs
What started with a few bags of marijuana being planted near a suspected street dealer quickly spiraled out of control. Narcotics officers lied to a judge, illegally broke into 92-year-old Kathryn Johnston's house, fired 39 shots at her - and then one handcuffed her as she lay bleeding before he planted drugs in her basement.
Damn.....Sounds like an episode of "The Shield"0 -
quote:Originally posted by Rack Ops
quote:Originally posted by allen griggs
What started with a few bags of marijuana being planted near a suspected street dealer quickly spiraled out of control. Narcotics officers lied to a judge, illegally broke into 92-year-old Kathryn Johnston's house, fired 39 shots at her - and then one handcuffed her as she lay bleeding before he planted drugs in her basement.
Damn.....Sounds like an episode of "The Shield"
Gotta wonder if they used The Shield as training material.0 -
[8] 0 -
Accepted.quote:Originally posted by dcinffxva
There have been plenty of times on here where I have chastised others for making judgements on partial information on police conduct, however, if the information reported is true, then I completely agree that the officers involved should be hung out to dry.
The reported conduct is not that of police officers, but a gang of thugs that happen to have a badge.
I don't recall if I gave anyone grief over this incident, but if I did, my apologies are offered.0 -
the whole "war on drugs" is a warcrime.
While I understand the need to keep hard drugs out, I do not understand the ferver with which law enforcement pursues marijuana. The stuff is far less addictive than cigarettes and is probably marginally more effective at getting you high. I wouldn't know firsthand, my only drugs are booze and adrenaline (that is I like to take risks and do dumb things).
Would it not be cheaper in dollars and innocent lives to just legalize pot and apply the proper taxes, like they do with tobacco?0 -
quote:Originally posted by KSUmarksman
the whole "war on drugs" is a warcrime.
While I understand the need to keep hard drugs out, I do not understand the ferver with which law enforcement pursues marijuana. The stuff is far less addictive than cigarettes and is probably marginally more effective at getting you high. I wouldn't know firsthand, my only drugs are booze and adrenaline (that is I like to take risks and do dumb things).
Would it not be cheaper in dollars and innocent lives to just legalize pot and apply the proper taxes, like they do with tobacco?
No, the war on drugs is the biggest money maker the criminal justice system has. They can legally steal land, boats, cars, aircraft, money, and anything that money can buy.
Think of the hundreds of thousands of cops, jailers, lawyers, bail bondsmen, dog breeders, judges, DEA agents, probation officers, DHR personnel, prison construction companies, crime labs, court reporters, etc., that would lose their jobs if pot was made legal. The alcohol industry would probably collapse also. [xx(]0 -
But if pot were made legal, stock in rolling papers and fertilizer would probably go up.[}:)][:p] 0 -
quote:Originally posted by JamesRK
Part of the problem is the "no knock" search warrant. Search warrants should be "served", not shown to the survivors after the fact.
The main justification for the "no knock" warrant is to avoid the destruction of evidence and the "element of surprise" for people the police think will resist.
The suspect might be able to flush a joint or two while the police identify themselves, but I don't think anybody will flush a kilo of anything in the amount of time it takes to say "Police, search warrant". As for the element of surprise, take an extra man and have him watch the back door.
If the evidence is lost in a case or two, or a few thousand, I think that is preferable the loss of innocent life, including police officers.
I don't think the "no knock" search warrant is Constitutional. I know the Supreme Court's opinion on that carries more weight than mine, but even if it is Constitutional, it's certainly bad policy.
When somebody comes crashing through my front door any time of the day or night I'll come up shooting. I don't think it will make my widow feel any better knowing it was a mistake and I was in the wrong.
I tend to agree with the court that "no knock" warrants are Constitutionally permissable. But I agree with you that just because something is VALID under the constitution doens't mean it's the best possible approach. I think in limited circumstances and for some crimes for some suspects, they're a useful tool, but it's been overapplied and the times when they are used become broader and more commonplace, leading to this.
That being said, there will never be a perfect, error-free system. However, when error does happen, as in this case, people, especially LEOs, need to be held accountable and punished, as does the police department as a whole, thorough costly civil suits.0 -
quote:Originally posted by p3skyking
quote:Originally posted by KSUmarksman
the whole "war on drugs" is a warcrime.
While I understand the need to keep hard drugs out, I do not understand the ferver with which law enforcement pursues marijuana. The stuff is far less addictive than cigarettes and is probably marginally more effective at getting you high. I wouldn't know firsthand, my only drugs are booze and adrenaline (that is I like to take risks and do dumb things).
Would it not be cheaper in dollars and innocent lives to just legalize pot and apply the proper taxes, like they do with tobacco?
No, the war on drugs is the biggest money maker the criminal justice system has. They can legally steal land, boats, cars, aircraft, money, and anything that money can buy.
Think of the hundreds of thousands of cops, jailers, lawyers, bail bondsmen, dog breeders, judges, DEA agents, probation officers, DHR personnel, prison construction companies, crime labs, court reporters, etc., that would lose their jobs if pot was made legal. The alcohol industry would probably collapse also. [xx(]
send teh trigger-happy people who can't hold a real job to Iraq, the they can learn what real combat is like [:p]0 -
No-knock warrants certainly fall within the parameters of the Constitution - if there is a reasonable expectation that key evidence will be lost if the element of surprise is given up, then by all means, issue that no-knock warrant. The Constitution protects us from "unreasonable" search and seizure, not "all."
What I find worrying, however, is how "reasonable" is interpreted nowadays. A lot of police departments seem to be justifying shoddy, negligent, or downright criminal behavior in the name of convenience.
Their job is a thankless one, but it is also a selfless one - police officers are there to serve the public trust, not indulge their private fantasies.0 -
Atlanta Police Chief Richard Pennington denied that there is a quota system for Atlanta police.
I was listening to Atlanta talk radio late last night. Sources in the Atlanta PD insist that there is a quota system for Atlanta narcotics officers. They said it is called a system of "nine and two."
This means that a narcotics officer must make nine arrests and serve two search warrants every month or he gets into trouble.
Another thing made clear last night was how this incident began. On the morning of Nov. 21 Officers Junnier and Smith raided a house and got several bags of marijuana, but nobody was there so they made no arrests. They did not take the marijuana to the evidence locker.
Later that day they encountered a low level dealer, a guy who had 4 arrests on his rap sheet. They searched this guy, but he was clean. They showed this guy the marijuana, and told him that he had better snitch someone out for a coke bust, or they would plant the marijuana bags on him and haul him in. With his priors, he was facing serious jail time.
This guy then told Junnier and Smith that he had bought coke at 933 Neal Street. This was a complete fabrication, but the cops went ahead with their raid at that address.0 -
quote:Originally posted by ElMuertoMonkey
No-knock warrants certainly fall within the parameters of the Constitution - if there is a reasonable expectation that key evidence will be lost if the element of surprise is given up, then by all means, issue that no-knock warrant. The Constitution protects us from "unreasonable" search and seizure, not "all."
What I find worrying, however, is how "reasonable" is interpreted nowadays. A lot of police departments seem to be justifying shoddy, negligent, or downright criminal behavior in the name of convenience.
Their job is a thankless one, but it is also a selfless one - police officers are there to serve the public trust, not indulge their private fantasies.
Exactly. While it may be reasonable to have a procedure like no-knocks in place for certain, narrow circumstances, with they way they're overused, something like this was bound to happen. The Supremes were right to uphold the validity of no-knocks, but police departments that issue them like they're any other warrant are wrong to do so.0 -
quote:Originally posted by ElMuertoMonkey
No-knock warrants certainly fall within the parameters of the Constitution - if there is a reasonable expectation that key evidence will be lost if the element of surprise is given up, then by all means, issue that no-knock warrant. The Constitution protects us from "unreasonable" search and seizure, not "all."
What I find worrying, however, is how "reasonable" is interpreted nowadays. A lot of police departments seem to be justifying shoddy, negligent, or downright criminal behavior in the name of convenience.
Their job is a thankless one, but it is also a selfless one - police officers are there to serve the public trust, not indulge their private fantasies.
The key word is "unreasonable". Is it reasonable for a gang of people to come crashing through your door at 3:00 AM? I don't think so. It's not the first time the Supreme Court has disagreed with me. Since there are nine of them and just one of me, I guess we'll go along with their decision, at least for now.0 -
quote:Originally posted by JamesRK
quote:Originally posted by ElMuertoMonkey
No-knock warrants certainly fall within the parameters of the Constitution - if there is a reasonable expectation that key evidence will be lost if the element of surprise is given up, then by all means, issue that no-knock warrant. The Constitution protects us from "unreasonable" search and seizure, not "all."
What I find worrying, however, is how "reasonable" is interpreted nowadays. A lot of police departments seem to be justifying shoddy, negligent, or downright criminal behavior in the name of convenience.
Their job is a thankless one, but it is also a selfless one - police officers are there to serve the public trust, not indulge their private fantasies.
The key word is "unreasonable". Is it reasonable for a gang of people to come crashing through your door at 3:00 AM? I don't think so.
It might be. Like I said, it depends on the circumstances. Would it be reasonable to employ such a method while looking for a stolen piece of electronics equipment? Likely not. But it might be reasonable to do so when confronting a heavily armed gang with a violent history and the potential loss of incriminating evidence. It's an intensely fact-driven analysis, as my profs say.0
Please sign in to leave a comment.
Comments
27 comments