Brickbat: Professional Courtesy

Spokane Police

Spokane Police Sgt. John Gately has been charged with felony rendering criminal assistance and obstructing a law enforcement officer. Gately, who is also president of the Spokane Police Guild, allegedly tipped off another sergeant in the department that he was under investigation for the rape of another officer.

Comments

[Fist of Etiquette]

I guess not everyone finds herself on the protected side of the thin blue line.

[straffinrun]

At least one cop had her back.

[Adans smith]

I see what you did there,stop it.

[straffinrun]

Are you withdrawing consent?

[Lee G]

Fist never sleeps

[Fist of Etiquette]

Haven't you noticed? I sleep through most of my commenting.

[A Cynic's Guide to Zen]

Don't be so humble. The best part of Copyright class is getting warmed up for a Fist with my morning caffeine fix.

[neoteny]

Statement of investigating officer

[Libertarian]

Seems like a strange charge. Could a "civilian" be charged for telling a friend that the cops were investigating him?

[SFC B]

Weren't the suspects in the Wisconsin Walker Witch Hunts prohibited from saying they were being investigated?

[Jerryskids]

I can tell you GM is releasing some really bad news next week and you need to sell all your GM shares right now, but if a GM executive gives you that tip he's liable to go to jail.

[R C Dean]

Does a civilian have a duty not to?

[Lee G]

Ok Reason, on mobile the ads officially outsize the content.

I'm not interested in ten celebrities I didn't know were Muslim or how that fat chick list all those pounds.

[d3x / dt3]

But what about this one weird trick?

[neoteny]

#3 is insane.

[Lee G]

I'd post something witty but I'm now officially required to stow my phone. Off to Atlanta.

[Cdr Lytton]

Didn't drop $10 on Gogo so you could comment all flight? I bet you're seated in the back of the plane with your orphans too.

[Lee G]

I figured I could survive a 2 hour nap.

[Libertarian]

But how, in good conscience, can I not click on the 3 foods that surgeons are now calling "death foods"? Lives are at stake!

[Radioactive]

my computer will let me earn $2575/month without leaving home, so it all balances out in the end esp. when you find out who all those gay Hollywood stars are...

[d3x / dt3]

Yeah, but you have to supply the donkey and the video camera.

[UnCivilServant]

Tax deductable business expenses.

[Jerryskids]

Former head of the Spokane Police Union. He was the current head back when he was first charged, former head now. The DA prosecutes formers, defends currents - that's how you can tell the difference.

Meanwhile, in my neck of the woods a state trooper who got fired after hiiting a carful of kids and killing two of them wasn't indicted because, as he testified to the grand jury (under state law cops are allowed to attend grand jury hearings and can make a statement without being cross-examined), hey it could have happened to anybody driving down that particular road at 90 mph that night and he'd done everything he could to avoid the crash after he came up over the hill and saw the car turning in front of him. Well, except for the not coming up over the hill at 90 mph part. (Part of the reason he was fired was because he'd been warned repeatedly about hitting stuff with his cruiser.) Yay, justice.

[Mr Lizard]

So he'll just change uniforms and go on to run into other people one county over

[Crusty Juggler]

Even worse:

Scott, a former Marine who was elected to the city council in nearby Buchanan in November, said in an interview with WSB-TV on Thursday that he's now trying to help make the intersection safer. Scott often prays that the crash was "just a dream," he said, expressing sympathy for the victims' families.

"I do feel sorry every day. I'm sorry I was on that road," Scott said. "There's no words to describe how sorry I feel. I hope they find some kind of comfort in the future. And, if I can ever be of service to any of them, I'm here and I'll do whatever they need."

[B. Woodrow Chippenhaus]

Unless the union moves to have him reinstated where he is.

[SFC B]

Since I entered the Army I've been assigned away from my home of record, so I've never been on any sort of jury; all of my summons for my home of record are waived due to being stationed away, and the local jurisdiction has no idea I exist since I don't register to vote or have a local drivers license. When I retire how do I go about getting seated in a grand jury so I can do everything I can to get an officer doing something like this indicted?

There is absolutely no chance a civilian going 68 in a 55 into a blind intersection and killing two people, injuring two others, walks. And if you were able to prove that seconds before they were doing 90+? Vehicular manslaughter, reckless endangerment, and who knows how many other charges can be added. A civilian doing what this cop did would find themselves facing bankruptcy from defending the criminal charges and civil lawsuits.

On my first day as Emperor of the World SFC B I would decree that police officers exceeding the speed limit without their lights and/or siren on, and not on an emergency call, are strictly liable for anything that happens.

[Cdr Lytton]

On my first day as Emperor of the World SFC B I would decree that police officers exceeding the speed limit without their lights and/or siren on, and not on an emergency call, are strictly liable for anything that happens.

You're not going to last long as emperor if you put the boot on your Praetorian Guard.

[SFC B]

The police will not be my Praetorians. The Evil Overlord list gives some real good ideas for developing and cultivating a cadre of loyal body guards and palace defenders.

[DJF]

Most jury's are picked from voting lists.

So just register to vote

[The Grinch]

Haven't heard about this one. What a damn travesty. This guy was going 91 mph and wasn't in pursuit nor responding to a call. How the fuck is that legal? Is seems like manslaughter would be an easy charge and conviction in this case. Why the Hell are people so intent on letting cops walk after incidents like this?

[Robert]

Sheesh, if I'm a cop, on duty, & not responding to a call, I'm driving extra slow just to stretch out my hours. Maybe even if I am responding to a call, hoping a suckercolleague gets there ahead of me & takes care of it.

[Robert]

OTOH, if I'm a fireman I drive breakneck, because firemen are nuts.

[ace_m82]

I'm not saying that the only justice for this that you'd see on Earth would be this guy getting shot...

That being said, nothing else comes to mind.

I'm so happy I'm a Christian and God said "Vengeance is mine, I will repay." It keeps me from getting killed every week or so.

[Agammamon]

Neither of those charges is going to stick. And, in this case, not because he's a cop - they wouldn't stick if *you* did this. This is just a couple of 'you can't fight the ride' charges that the investigating cop threw out because he's pissed that this other cop told the other cop that he was being investigated for raping another cop. IOW, his authority wasn't respected.

[Rich]

Authorities met Ennis at his attorney's office and found his nails were recently clipped too short for evidence to be found.

You mean, it *Isn't* against the law to clip your nails other than at the official jar-pissing ceremony?

[Cdr Lytton]

"Well of course the clothes you requested have been laundered and starched. You didn't expect me to turn over dirty clothes, did you? It's unhygienic. And unprofessional!"

[Cdr Lytton]

No mug shot like the little people? Just a file photo, and judging by the single stripe vs. his current rank, an out of date one at that? Nicely done Spokane PD. One could almost miss that fuck you.

[Ted S.]

That was my thought, too.

[A Cynic's Guide to Zen]

"In the Criminal Justice System, there are those that believe they are the living embodiment of the Criminal Justice System. These are their stories."

Dick Wolf.

[UnCivilServant]

+1 "I am the Law"

[Radioactive]

...and the law won