NYC's Staggering Arrest Rate for Pot Achieved By Police Deception and Scams

NYC's Staggering Arrest Rate for Pot Achieved By Police Deception and Scams

www.alternet.org

New York City has been the pot-bust capital of the world for a decade, since Rudolph Giuliani's decision to make public toking a top police priority. A new study sponsored by the New York Civil Liberties Union says the city's cannabis crackdown is both racist and fraudulent.

New York police have arrested almost 400,000 people for misdemeanor marijuana possession in the last decade. Last year, there were 39,700 such arrests. The vast majority of those seized have been black and Latino men, most under 25. And according to the NYCLU study, released last week, thousands of them are the victims of police scams, falsely charged with possession of marijuana "burning or open to public view."

"We are confident in estimating that about two-thirds to three-quarters of the people arrested were not smoking marijuana," the study says. "Usually they were doing their utmost to keep their marijuana concealed, generally deep inside their clothing."

(visit the link for the full news article)

Please Note - this is not a thread about personal usage, tales of how a person was "busted etc - this is a conspiracy thread and should not be taken as an invitation to post personal usage stories! Thanks

POlice tactics designed to improve figures, by fraudulent means.

Basically stitching people up in order to improve arrest rates in the fake "war on drugs"

I no longer get surprised by the measures that police go to in order to get better figures, but IMO this is a step too far - it's a step away from entrapment.

What's needed though is clear documented or video evidence that this is happening on a regular basis - but of course they'll never investigate their own for just "following orders"

www.alternet.org
(visit the link for the full news article)



[edit on 9/5/2008 by budski]

look, it's just easier for cops to bust pot smokers. arrest rates go up and look good on paper. fines pour in to the city coffers, and pot smokers are mostly all pretty non-violent. and police delude themselves that they are having a positive effect on preventing crime. a win-win for the powers that be. but the biggest thing about keeping pot illegal...pot mellows people out, and you can't have that in a society driven by "PRODUCTIVITY"!!!!. more coffee and stimulants, please!!!

reply to post by jimmyx


Oh, I know that.

It's HOW they are being busted that's the problem.

Only thing that can be done is to educate the citizenry. If the police have probable cause to search, they'll just conduct the search. But when the pig says, "If you hand it over you'll just get a ticket," or, "Could you please empty your pockets?" he's making a request, not an order.

In the War on Drugs, just say no.

I agree with your point apc - use the law as it stands and make sure you use your rights.

However, I find the "pigs" comment to be puerile and I don't think it adds anything but bitterness to a discussion - but that's just my opinion

Hmm - a capitalist who doesn't believe in law enforcement.
Doesn't make sense...

reply to post by budski


Star & Flag, budski.

Busting people for what they're gonna do anyway, is counter-productive,
and wastes time & resources... Busting them in this deceptive way, is
CRIMINAL!

My OTHER favorite website, NORML has a similar article about NY increase
of MJ arrests.

Those who enjoy this natural, God-given plant should stay clear of states
that don't decriminalize!




Vote for Ron Paul!

Originally posted by budski
Hmm - a capitalist who doesn't believe in law enforcement.

Perhaps like many you are confused as to the true nature of capitalism.
Capitalism is simply an exercise in freedom.

The use of the term "pig" is quite appropriate in context. A peace officer is an honorable man. A coercive law enforcement officer, like those involved in these arrests, is a rich cut of bacon.

reply to post by apc


I still wouldn't refer to any of them as such, although I take your point - simply because we run the risk of tarring them all with the same brush.

This "sting" operation looks to have come from above - so it's a bit like blaming a grunt for a generals actions.

"I was just following orders" didn't fly for the Nazis either.

I'm not too concerned with what mistaken generalizations other people make. It's the cops' fault for failing to correct the deviance from justice that causes their image to be tarnished. I know the difference between a good cop and bad. If the line is too blurry for other people to see, all the more reason for the police to shape up.

reply to post by budski


With an uneducated, under paid and frightened police force pot smoking and pocession arrests are safe... no guns, no fight and no big expensive attorneys to fight the charges.

I remember back in the 70's when I was a teen growing up in So California if the cops busted you with pot,they would either look the other way or at worse have you pour baggy out,but other drugs could plan on going to jail,and thats small amounts of pot

i know no pot smokers who steal, kill, or mug people to get money for pot. ive never been involved in a fight over pot, all the potheads i know are mellow guys who just wanna relax not go out and harm other people. yet more potheads are busted then meth addicts who have been known to rob, kill, attack, mug, people to get money for their meth. they also produce there own in makeshift labs that produce poisonus gases and have a nasty habit of exploding. yet its the dude toking in the privacy of his home who harms no one that spends a few years in jail. its truely retarded.

The war on drugs represents legitimate revenue to police departments strapped for cash. It also represents a golden opportunity for dishonest officers and agents to not only avail themselves of ready cash at almost every bust. They also get deals on confiscated guns, cars, boats, and other goodies taken in drug raids. What is really pathetic is, if your house is confiscated in a raid and later on you are found not guilty, or charges are dropped, you do not get your house back. It has already been processed into the system. It was probably bought by a cop and is now rented out to tenants. This is a dark and unjust part of the war on drugs few people are aware of.

It's the nature of the beast though.

People who deal in this "drug" are easily identified, and people coming out of their houses having "scored" are easily scared or conned into giving up their rights.

It stinks - but until the powers that be stop using target based performance then it will continue.

reply to post by groingrinder


Probation fees keep most county governments in business. Pot smokers are probably the most likely to get those fees in on time. What stoner would ever want to sit in jail without their stash?

Originally posted by budski
It stinks - but until the powers that be stop using target based performance then it will continue.

I disagree. It will continue until more people stand up to them and defend themselves and their rights. They rely on intimidation and the ignorance of their targets to gain compliance. Ignorance is easy to cure. Intimidation can be more difficult because after all, thugs with guns can be pretty scary. However a camera or two in their faces has had pretty good results in practice.

I don't have any experience of US police, and I'm assuming a little bit too much when I mention performance based targets, I think.

In the UK, officers have targets that they must achieve over a given period of time - when they are below target, there is an increase in arrests in certain performance categories.

I really should have checked if it's similar or the same in the US.

Perhaps someone could enlighten me

ahh the famous qoutas, well most police will tell you they dont have qoutas to fill. but i know for fact the police in baltimore do i used to work at the local 7-11 and give cops whatever they wanted for free i just wrote it up as shoplifted, so i hung out with cops all night almost every night for a year. several of those cops told me that they did indeed have qoutas to fill that they were unofficial but if they dident meet there target numbers they wouldent advance further in the food chain but if they were constantly on or above their qoutas they were fast tracked for promotions and pay grade upgrades.

reply to post by budski


There are quotas for certain offenses. The DEA requires a certain number of arrests, mostly for pot given it's wide spread use that seems to cross all social lines. It helps boast the argument that there is no discrimination..an argument that surfaced due to the discrepancies of sentences handed down for crack verses cocain use.

Most D.A's keep the bottom line in focus. Small time offenders are easy and quick, requiring little from or for the offender. The Feds pay a bounty for certain offenses.