Brickbat: The Cover-Up Is the Crime
The head of the Troy, New York, police department's drug unit, Sgt. Ron Epstein, has been charged with nine misdemeanor counts related to a false incident report. Epstein allegedly concocted the report to cover up a search of a home his officers conducted without obtaining a warrant.
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Ehh… actually, I think the “textbook 4th Amendment violation” and “assisting and enforcing of a coercive narcotic regulatory/prohibitive legal regime” are the crime.
Looks like it’s just you and me this morning, Telcontar. Some of the regulars here just can’t deal with heavy drinking, I guess. Happy New Year!
Don’t forget about Chozi, who made the effort.
If Chozi don’t comment, Chozi don’t get paid.
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“I’ve know Ron Epstein for 10 years. He is the definition of a good cop,” Hug said.
Which is why there were less than one charge per year!
I know they pile on charges for bad guys, but on a cop? Makes me wonder if the real issue is to save on his pension.
I note that half the charges were for NOT busting the guy for a dusting of coke.
“I’ve know Ron Epstein for 10 years. He is the definition of a good cop,” Hug siad.
As a prosecutor, Hug said he knew Epstein to be hard working and honest.
The rare prosecutor who doesn’t automatically assume the defendant is guilty and will do whatever it takes to put the guy away – but his definition of a “good cop” might be just a little too on the nose there.
Hard working union member? Honest cop? Strikes one and two.
The victim must have had some really important connections. Because every police report is a plethora of lies. Lies by omission, fabrication and exaggeration. It is what they are trained to do, knowing that they will face no consequences. The fact that this guy is tells me that he violated someone who knows the right people.
That or the cop wasn’t very popular on the force, and refused to be drummed out. So they used the system against him.
Regardless, his behavior would have been completely acceptable under normal circumstances.
So there has to be something else afoot.
The whole story sounds fishy. The drug task force got a tip from some other law enforcement agency but didn’t get a warrant off that tip, I’m assuming they were trying to establish some parallel construction because the tip they got was illegitimate. The local prosecutor’s office recused itself, why? The special prosecutor made some accusation that the judge had pre-judged the case, I’m assuming he wasn’t complaining that the judge was a cop-hater who automatically assumed the cop’s guilt. And two of the drug task force cops were apparently arguing that what they were doing was illegal and the other cops took issue with that, why aren’t the other cops facing charges based on the evidence that they knew damn well what they were doing was illegal?
I think her underwear is down around her ankles at this point…
“…The vast majority of Troy Police Department officers are honest individuals…”
So most of ’em are OK? Oh, goody.
Shouldn’t ALL officers be honest?
heh. not a surprise. try investigating the RPI rent-a-cops — it gets worse.