Get out of Jail Free Cards For Friends and Family of Cops?

[BlackTerrel]

I wonder if some kind of popular media source would do a piece on this? Can you imagine the outrage if even a moderate percentage of Americans found out? The ratings would be off the charts for any news channel brave enough to do it.

I'm sure some good investigative reporting would uncover far more than just the evidence sitting around on the internet.

Email bomb maybe? Who would be most likely to cover this? Stossel?

The internet is the media. Find one of these cards, then do videos of getting pulled over and getting off.

If done well I'm sure it could get as many views as the couple million that foxnews gets.

 

[RJB]

Buying these cards? This is starting to sound like paying off Mexican Police to get out of trouble when they shake you down.

 

[Expatriate]

The internet is the media. Find one of these cards, then do videos of getting pulled over and getting off.

If done well I'm sure it could get as many views as the couple million that foxnews gets.

That's a good idea, although I'm a little scared to cross the cops in my town, I've had some not-so-fun encounters with them before.

What I would need to do is somehow befriend a cop and get one of the actual "friends and family" cards, then figure out a way to make the video so that he couldn't identify who the person in it was. Otherwise I'd just be asking for a visit from "Officer Friendly".

That's kind of why I'd rather have a public figure do an exposé on it, as they could actually show their face without fear of reprisal, since anything bad happening to them afterwards would only serve to underline the issue.

Buying these cards? This is starting to sound like paying off Mexican Police to get out of trouble when they shake you down.

The similarity crossed my mind as well.


EDIT: Although to be fair, I'm sure a sizable percentage of cops would disagree with selling the cards, as it's primarily a way for them to "take care of their own", and selling them defeats that purpose and devalues the cards to an extent.

 

[Expatriate]

Wow, I found a video about this from NBC New York.

 

[LibForestPaul]

Two stories.
Two fire marshalls I know were complaining about how city cops "Don't respect the badge" (fire marhsal badgel)

State troopers disregarding certain badges of certain department (dissed departments).

Like a soap opera kids.

 

[liberty2897]

//

 

[VoluntaryAmerican]

Hmm, that seems to be for signing up for their newsletter, they have good contact page though: http://cironline.org/contact-us

I'll send a few emails to their reporters.

You're welcome.

 

[AFPVet]

Sometimes, cops screw other cops though too. I've had some give me professional courtesy; while others told me to F-off. Interestingly, some of the cops who say that professional courtesy is unethical are the very ones who feel entitled to it. I've known one deputy who sped, disregarded safety, and committed other acts—yet thought that going a little over the speed limit a couple of times and using professional courtesy was unethical... talk about hypocrisy.

 

[Expatriate]

Sometimes, cops screw other cops though too. I've had some give me professional courtesy; while others told me to F-off. Interestingly, some of the cops who say that professional courtesy is unethical are the very ones who feel entitled to it. I've known one deputy who sped, disregarded safety, and committed other acts—yet thought that going a little over the speed limit a couple of times and using professional courtesy was unethical... talk about hypocrisy.

Yeah, there was a site I saw that made reference to that, but it did say officers who do that are in the minority.

If your relative or courtesy card gets written, give the issuer the benefit of the doubt before declaring war. Sometimes people don’t produce the card or identify who they are. Other times their conduct was absolutely deserving of the citation, and they're only telling you half of the story. Then, there are those situations that don’t fall into either of these categories. These are the instances where the issuer just doesn’t care. Unfortunately, this crap happens a lot in some southern states. The really disturbing part is that these same officers wouldn't hesitate to call you at your job asking for a favor. That is complete hypocrisy. Fortunately, this group is by far the minority.

Thanks for the input, I was hoping someone with law enforcement experience would post here. Did you ever have any experience with cops' family members/friends showing you cards and expecting special treatment?

 

[Expatriate]

You're welcome.

Thanks :o

 

[Demigod]

I would really like to know a point and place in history when this has not been the case.You either call your friend/relative police officer and he clears everything on spot or you tell him later to find the guy.If the policeman either way gives you a ticket than you find some "connection" in the courts and they put the case in a draw until it expires.

If you have none of that,then if you are a women you have plenty of options if you are a man you either bribe him or go for sympathy ( which only works if it is not "earn" paycheck day )

 

[Expatriate]

You know, this sort of thing could actually end up being a great help to the liberty movement if the general public becomes more aware of it. Not by generating ill will towards police, but by showing which laws have a basis in true justice. Here's a quote from an article that says what I'm thinking quite well:

For as long as traffic laws have been enforced there has been professional courtesy among police officers. Cops don’t give tickets to other cops. Why is that? If these laws have merit and it’s to everyone’s benefit that these laws be obeyed why aren’t the enforcers held accountable?

Cops don’t let other cops rob, kidnap, or murder — what’s up with traffic laws? Could it be that many of these laws are not necessary, constructive, or fair, and the police inherently know this? Is it that many of these laws and their enforcement are more about making a buck for the sponsoring governments than they are about public safety?

Perhaps the ultimate solution to professional courtesy is to trim back the laws to those the cops will enforce against other cops and see how that works out.

from: http://blog.motorists.org/the-privileged-many-professional-courtesy-exposed/

Consider this - anecdotal evidence suggests that either carrying these cards or being a cop can help you to get away with things such as traffic law violations, drug and illegal weapon possession, license infractions etc.. In other words, victimless crimes. Are you familiar with the legal differentiation between malum prohibitum and malum in se?

Malum prohibitum (plural mala prohibita, literal translation: "wrong [as or because] prohibited") is a Latin phrase used in Law to refer to conduct that constitutes an unlawful act only by virtue of statute,[1] as opposed to conduct evil in and of itself, or malum in se.[2]
~
Malum in se (plural mala in se) is a Latin phrase meaning wrong or evil in itself. The phrase is used to refer to conduct assessed as sinful or inherently wrong by nature, independent of regulations governing the conduct. It is distinguished from malum prohibitum, which is wrong only because it is prohibited.

For example, most human beings believe that murder, rape, and theft are wrong, regardless of whether a law governs such conduct or where the conduct occurs, and is thus recognizably malum in se. In contrast, malum prohibitum crimes are criminal not because they are inherently bad, but because the act is prohibited by the law of the state.

This concept was used to develop the various common law offences.

It is clear that the laws many cops won't enforce against themselves or their families and friends all fall into the category of malum prohibitum; wrong only because it is prohibited.

If the public becomes more aware of this practice and the overwhelming unfairness of certain classes of people not being held to the same standards as the rest of us, the question that will start to be asked is; what can we do to ensure that the law is enforced fairly and equally?

The unavoidable answer to this is that selective enforcement will always exist until the laws are just and there is no law that uncorrupted cops would refuse to enforce against their own colleagues, friends and families. If the laws were just, breaking the law would mean that the person had done something morally unacceptable and truly wrong.

The only other solution to the problem would be some kind of total surveillance state that punishes cops who do not enforce the laws equally, no matter how silly the crime. I don't think any of us want to go there, but it could easily happen at the rate things are going.

I think the sooner the public learns about this problem the better chance we have of preventing some Orwellian nightmare from being the solution, and the better chance we stand of using it to turn public opinion against petty tyranny.

 

[getch36]

When I was young back in the mid Eighties it was a sticker for your car.My friend had one and would always be let go.If you think thats bad I had a few friends get out of year long license suspensions by bribing State Cops at the Registry.His lawyer set the whole thing up.The worst was one of my friends was caught for a 3rd DWI.Someone at his work knew someone at the courthouse and for $5,000 the whole thing went away....................

 

[Expatriate]

//

 

[catfeathers]

He gets out of jail but has to leave the state.
http://floydcountytimes.com/view/full_story/23105732/article-Sheriff-s-son-reaches-plea-deal?

 

[AFPVet]

deleted

 

[Christian Liberty]

I think my parents have one. If I was a cop I'd give these out as often as I could get away with so that as few people as possible are regulated under the tyranny of traffic law.

 

[Henry Rogue]

Get out of jail free cards are being sold on ebay.

Want to get away with speeding? Flashing one of the New York Police Department’s union cards may cause officers to look the other way. For $100 or less, eBay users can now purchase the ‘get out of jail free’ cards for personal use.

Friends and family of NYPD officers are often handed police union cards, which reportedly lets some traffic offenders get away with minor crimes. Flashing an official “Gold Shield Association” cards to a police officer indicates a close association with another member of law enforcement.

Police officers who hand out the Patrolmen's Benevolent Association (PBA) cards are vouching for that person, City Councilman Peter Vallone Jr. tells the New York Post.

“That type of recommendation shouldn’t be available to the highest bidder,”*he says.

The cards are being sold free of shipping on eBay for as low as $10 and as high as $105. With little more than a mouse click, eBay users can buy their own immunity to minor offenses. The resale of the cards is prohibited, prompting several eBay sellers to refer to the cards as ‘collector’s items.’

“They make really nice collectibles. People use them for the wrong reasons. [But] I don’t condemn that,”*says an eBay user and Brooklyn resident who sold one of the cards to the New York Post for $100.

But those who intend to use the cards for the “wrong reasons” might choose to purchase the most expensive ones: the 2013 Lieutenants Benevolent Association (LBA) cards work better than some of the other cards being sold on eBay.

“They do carry a bit more weight than a regular PBA card, as the union represents superior officers and are harder to come by than the standard PBA cards,”*the seller, who goes by “Lester,” tells the Post.

The online availability of the ‘get out of jail free’ cards has alarmed New York legislators, who fear that the cards could all too easily end up in the hands of criminals or terrorists. Some have altogether condemned the existence of such cards, which they believe are unethical.

“Our traffic laws should not be enforced with winks and nods,”*says Councilman Dan Garodnick. “I don’t know which is worse, the existence of a get-out-of-jail-free card or the fact that the cards are being hawked on the Internet.”

Councilman Vallone says he may try to initiate outlawing the cards altogether.

Story continued at link.
http://rt.com/usa/nypd-jail-free-ebay-669/

 

[LibForestPaul]

Pretty sure those don't work without a cop's signature and phone # on the back. That site is for cops to buy them to hand out to their friends.

EDIT: and it also says this:

They used to work w/o. But the mundanes got wind and started selling and buying.
Yes. you need these signed/#/ with business card.
You need the specific card for the specific agency.
DONT give the wrong card. Some inter-agency bad blood.
Family of cops usually have mini badges.

Badge-off duty, out of jurisdiction = speeding/drive drunk/assault/free pass
Mini Badge = speeding free pass, drive drunk/someones getting a call
PBA Cards = speeding, maybe, illegal lane change, etc.
None = your ass tazed.

 

[Anti Federalist]

Copsuckers