updates 2019/12/30 The Enemy Within section added; 10/20/2017 added see also menu Sys/Surv Tech body cameras etc. 12/22/2016; Military-Police Orientation section updated 12/22/2016 THE OTHER General Discussion of Police Abuses IN THIS SECTION   The Enemy Within     The Other:   Just Doing Job, Just Following Orders     Elation - Power Mindset     Shifting Times - Police’s Own Concerns     Regional Culture      When Police Show Up Police State:  Strange Pattern Books     Links    The Other    Police State  See also:  Biometrics     Body Cameras     Directed Energy Weapons     Frequency Weapons     Stingrays     Tasers  See--Firefighter Arson THE ENEMY WITHIN Infiltrations, Undue Influences from religious and other groups; ethno-religionism; cronyism; pay-offs, bribes; threats; gender related animosities; disenchanted Americans, like dishonest veteran networks (ie, among mechanics); corporation related networks - for example, Eastern Indians buying up hotels or Islamic extremists buying up bus and taxi systems, Catholics and religious fundamentalists dominating Hobby Lobby, known black banks but also unknown Islamic extremist connected black domination of certain bank sectors or job types. Each of us should be on high alert about bank, credit union, credit card and other finance related infiltrations because they can be such a security threat to us personally and nationally in a variety of ways.  By extension, be aware of finance related job positions being dominated by certain groups, including those in fraud/dispute departments, collections and investigations.  When certain groups with biases infiltrate these areas, certain others can be targeted and receive unfair treatment.  Watch for signs that only one kind of person or type is being hired in these arenas. THE OTHER The first things we to ask ourselves when thinking about the police could be: How would I feel if I were in their shoes?  What would I do given the situations and circumstances they find themselves in? Are we dealing with the enemy within our own psyche, or an external opponent to the general citizenry?    In other words, are our attitudes and approaches to the police projections of our own guilt self-hatred and confusion  - or is there a clandestine military- police conspiracy? Do we need hate crime laws protecting police across the nation with the growing ire of the public?   Social scientists often inform us of the idea of the other - where the other guy or gal is considered to be something alien or remote from ourselves.  This section is not intended to vilify good officers as something negatively different, but to ask relevant questions and to look over accurate data about individual and system abuses.  Just how far have some of these people gone?  How far are they likely to go?  Do they get a bad image when most of the misconduct comes secretly from above - like the NSA and governmental leaders?  Or are most of them in complicity with negative surveillance systems?  Do they follow orders blindly to the point it is dangerous for the rest of us, following the old cliché just another dumb cop?  Or are police officers usually astute people equipped with a combination of education, hands on experience and something called gut instinct?  How many of these individuals wind up themselves being victims of bad systems and resulting bad images?  How does public mistrust make their jobs harder or even more dangerous? If they are in fact a significant part of the problem of system abuse and surveillance in this country, at what point do they have to take responsibility for their part in cutting away American freedoms and rights?  Is this one major place to look for the chipping away of the block of what it means to be American? I Am Just Doing My Job.  I Am Just Following Orders. How does the support and non-reaction to a bad system make people co-conspirators of tyranny, even if they say or feel they are just doing my job or following orders?  How many times has this happened in other times and places throughout history during the build-up of a tyrannical system?  It seems to be connected to the idea of getting paid in connection with the feeling that those giving orders have more power, including legal clout and that they know what they are doing.  There can also be the feeling that it is necessary to have things like this in the sense that it is for the better or is inevitable as part of the changes going on.  You might see this whole thing as orchestrating personal identity and choice against the pressures of conformity and a sense of temporary safety. The Sense of Satisfaction or Even Elation Over Power and Support From Above or Being a Pack Running Through the System Too cute for my boots Do the police who engage in group manhunts and executions on the public found in the news so often today develop a sense of group power not too unlike gang affiliation?  Are they in fact a gang?  Do they like the sense of group cohesion and power, the growing sense they are supported by money and clout?  What about the military equipment that is being siphoned to the police?  What is it in the group mentality of the police today that allows complicity with the military to create a “military- police state?”  Why don’t police officers participating in the group rituals know better?  What is it in the mindset that keeps them from saying no to this?  Why don’t more police officers ask questions and push back the power tripping system they find themselves in?  Where are the key group conformity issues? Identifying the Mindset of the Growing Military-Police State Critical in Stopping the Process We absolutely need to get a grip on how the police think if we are going to solve these serious problems.  We need to sense their energy, their vibration, and who is feeding the young men and women certain types of information when they go into the police schools for training.  We need to hear both what is said and not said. We need to identify what moral/ethical material is missing from their standards.  We need to hear the subliminal messages.  Are there any hidden mind control programs as many suggest?  We need to learn why young people today who become police officers don’t have the normal stop-gaps for protecting civil rights that older style police officers had.  Start looking at the differences between older police officers who came from the earlier system and the newer officers - start sensing the differences in automatic response. Again, the key question is: What is missing?  Also notice how the older style police are being faded out or won’t stand up or speak out against the newer crowd coming in.  They might remember an older way of doing things and know how it was but this does not mean they are standing up to what is coming in today.  It seems many of the older school police officers did not learn how to identify individuality and standing up to the crowd as a survival tool and positive personal strength on-the-job.  Standing up to the crowd might be like dealing with a gang that will sabotage members who don’t comply with the violence and secrets.  Solutions would include systemic shifts in leadership so that retaliation is not an automatic response to questioning and revealing a bad system.  It should not be dangerous to tell the truth or to not treat the police as a military troup.  We should not have to tell police officers today that they are not to consider themselves an extension of the military.  They should know right off the bat in no uncertain terms that their job descriptions do not include paramilitary operations.  The worlds of the military and the police should be kept separate. Understanding There Are Police Officers Concerned About the Shifting Times We need to help these people stand up to the growing social, political, military and economic culture pervading the system today. Regional Culture Might Be A Key Indicator of Police Behaviors, Approaches and Expectations Where a cop lives might tell you a lot about how he or she acts both on the job and in private life.  An area’s culture can be a strong indicator of what people there think of as a good or bad guy.  Heavy religious biases can swing the balance against people who are different in an area; on the other hand, you can find biases against heavy religious types in more liberal settings, too.  What is considered normal can very well have different anthropological settings; for example, in the United States most people think monogamy is the rule; there are tribal groups around the world who have men married to more than one wife.  American laws or cultural norms in those settings don’t apply.   On the other hand, if people feel threatened or frightened by a political activist in the neighborhood, they might be more inclined to call the police on that person than if they lived in a more liberal area where everyone is politically dissenting on something or another.  In addition, if an area has a certain economic tie to something like fossil fuels (like coal or oil and gas), a person who is raising a banner for renewables might be seen as a threat to the local economy and people’s jobs - so people might call the police on that individual more easily (with less provocation than with other types) both out of fear and vindictiveness.  How objective police remain in situations like this depends on the individuals, the organizational leaders (ie, the boss back at police quarters) and the region’s tendency for fairness or bias.  Sometimes people need to bring in outside help to counter biases found in the police and the public in certain areas.    If the area’s overall education is low, people might be more inclined to make superficial judgments, which could also impact police behavior. On the topic of education, one way in which police persons might be more inclined to stay objective and think for themselves outside of political or emotional sway is through higher education.  If a cop is more educated and well read, he or she might be less inclined to jump the gun, both literally and metaphorically.   In other words, they might be less judgmental or less likely to make quick assumptions.   It is suggested here that the more diversified an education an police officer has, the more likely he or she will think things over carefully and show signs of a desire for objectivity.   Focusing on educational pursuits also might make a person more likely to spend free time thinking about worthwhile ideas rather than things like porn, violence, drugs and alcohol.  It gives people a different slant on life.  Education does not have to be formal; it can be self-taught.  For example, time spent during off hours on reading and studying does not have to be accompanied by college credits.  How you spend your free time tells a lot about who you are and where you are going.  You become what you think about.  If your thoughts in the gutter, you become the gutter.  It’s as simple as that.  Police need a company culture of sincerity and intellectualism.  Education should not just be in forensics, drugs and weaponry.  People should be reading a variety of things from anthropology to English literature, even if in small doses here and there.  It helps the mind become more open and flexible.  Those police officers who are already doing this kind of thing for themselves should encourage others they work with to do the same.  Instead of having the grunt types pulling the better ones down, the better ones need to pull the marginal ones up - or out.  The good ones are made to look bad by the bad ones; it’s not fair.  After awhile, the good ones are pulled down or leave.  Finding other good ones to replace them becomes increasingly difficult. Objectivity is likely harder to pull into first gear than many of us like to tell ourselves.  How many of us are truly objective when a situation requires that we “play fair?”  How many of us assume a person is innocent until proven guilty?  How many of us, given the opportunity, would allow ourselves to be police office, judge and jury all at the same time without letting a person be heard from all sides?  Given these ideas, can we really blame police officers for making errors of judgment in the line of duty?   Can we blame them for being human like the rest of us?  In addition, in looking over the police records, many times police officers seem to be on the mark - by apprehending real fugitives or countering other threats. When A Police Officer Shows Up: What to Do to Protect Yourself First, understand we are likely (some are already saying definitely) dealing with a rogue government using the police as an extension of a military take-overy type of regime. Do we want police officers to wear visually seen cameras when they show up on our doorstep, at our vehicle, or come up to us in other areas?  Yes, for our own protection.   Should we understand that the surveillance equipment we know about can work for or against us?  Yes.  The cameras invade your personal life by filming the contents of your car or house - it is like an impromptu search, but it also can protect you later over a police harassment or abuse charge. First of all, stay calm and speak respectfully.  Try to diminish possible harassment or anger from a police officer by keeping the conversation low key.  If you feel there is a problem with that individual, you can address it later when you are out of his or her zone of influence.  If anyone is standing there with a gun and likely self-defense skills, you don’t want to mess with them - this includes police officers.  Keep the one-on- one  experience as low profile and non-eventful as possible.  You have no way of knowing who or what that person really is standing in front of you; it could be a good cop or it could be a bad one.  It might not even really be a cop!  How many of us are brave enough to demand that someone who indicates by his look and demeanor that he is a police officer show his credentials? If truly a cop, it could be a normally good person with a temper issue.  You don’t want to find out if you are someone who could raise that person’s ire.  Don’t press buttons and don’t push the envelope.  A few key points covered here: Wake up to the police abuse problem both in your area and nationally if you are not already Consult with a variety of attorneys locally, regionally and nationally for practical advise on what to do to protect yourself should you be pulled over or have one of these individuals come to your home Don’t be fooled into revealing more about yourself than is necessary.  It is imperative we wake up to the police abuse problem and address it firmly.  Attorneys with practical real world information on these problems are needed to educate the public on their rights and what to realistically do to protect themselves if a police officer shows up, usually by coming to the door or pulling them over.  Police officers frequently trick people into divulging more information than they should in one way or another because they know people are often stressed when they show up.  It is a form of intimidation.    If they ask a bunch of personal questions which make you feel uncomfortable, ask to speak to an attorney first.  In addition, if they ask to come inside your home “just” to talk or ask a few questions, insist that you would prefer to speak outside and keep the door closed.  Insist on your privacy because you don’t know what kind of surveillance equipment they might have on their person, and you also don’t know whether what you say (or what they see in your home or car) will be used against you later. - even if it is just to create a subjective bias.  In addition, remember that a police officer might be coming at you with an already built in bias, so that no matter what you say or do it will be used against you in his or her mind; that bias could cause that police officer to look for things not in your favor while avoiding a more objective look into the overall situation.   In other words, the deck might be stacked against you before he or she even knocks on the door or pulls you over because of any information gathering acquired on you before hand.  Keep in mind that you are not just dealing with one individual, but also that police officer’s coworkers and managers at headquarters.  In addition, be aware that a police officer might belong to an off-duty personal organization, church or other social network which could create a bias.  Beyond that, for all you know, he watches porn both on the job and during his off-time and has a drinking and/or drug problem; in other words, he might not be coming at you with a clean-cut approach to life - there might be cynicism and a dark sense of humor lurking beneath the apparent professional demeanor.  Another way of putting this is that the communication might be viewed as a play on double-speak.   The idea of playing it straight might be out of this individual’s repertoire.  Also look for playing favorites.  Given two people during an investigation, the one who seems more like “us” from the vantage point of the police might receive preferential treatment.  In any investigation involving police abuse or unfairness, check out that individual’s contacts around town, including the general ken - the enclosed circle of actual knowledge or perceived knowledge; from this one can better figure out what is missing from the perspectives and abilities on hand.  A person’s focus is as good as their understanding or willingness to delve deeper.  If there is a tendency to shrug off ideas and information as a cultural habit, then real investigations can be truncated.  If it is not thought to be “cool” to do a through evaluation because of company culture, then a lot of things will be wiped under the rug and other things left untended to.  There can be peer pressure against going the extra mile or to look beyond the most superficial levels.  Also check out discrimination and gossip that gets set up.   Police discrimination against certain individuals can often be traced back to family and other social networks - who knows who and how is a critical point because the police, like everyone else, do not live in a vacuum and frequently their opinions or approaches are influenced by others they know or hang out with.  Look for behaviors which base opinions not on fact but on appearances; in addition, look for discrimination of various kinds: race, gender, sex, family status, age, and sexual orientation are several of the well known ones.  But discrimination can also occur in more subtle ways because of what people tell themselves is “normal” in any one area. The Other section updated 12/22/2016 --- MILITARY - POLICE ORIENTATION (Police State) United States A strange pattern of police scandals and abuses is presenting itself across the United States.  What do we make of it?  What do we do about it? Police State USA http://www.policestateusa.com/about/ Excerpt: What is this site?  Police State USA is a volunteer, grassroots journalism hub dedicated to exposing the systemic formation of an American police state.  A team of contributing authors has been built based on their ability to exhibit professionalism, accuracy, knowledge of the subjects, and passion for the liberty movement. Our Mission: Our mission is to educate and inform the public about issues that endanger our rights and liberties, and to work to fix them through non-violent means.  A complete paradigm shift will be necessary to save this country’s freedom.  A necessary part of this involves a massive information campaign to expose the crimes of the police state and promote freedom-based alternatives.  We are part of that information campaign.  This website seeks to cover all aspects of the police state.  These include a spiderweb of bad laws, unaddressed corruption, rampant police brutality, the militarization of law enforcement, systematic civil rights infringements, prohibition of non- violent/victimless behaviors, destruction of property rights, outlawing of arbitrary items, invasions of privacy, surveillance & spying, citizen indoctrination & state propaganda, fascist economic policies, aggressive foreign policy, centralization and federalization of government, the rigged political system, the false Left/Right Paradigm, globalism & world government, and more.”  Topics: no-knock raids; police brutality; war on drugs; war on terror; war on guns; checkpoints; surveillance; child snatching; police vs. pets Mint Press News:  Naked Truth Americans Police State. By John Whitehead The Rutherford Institute 07/10/ 2014 Excerpt:  One such tale, Hans Christian Andersen’s fable of the Emperor’s New Clothes, is a perfect paradigm of life today in the fiefdom that is the American police state, only instead of an imperial president spending money wantonly on lavish vacations, entertainment, and questionable government programs aimed at amassing greater power, Andersen presents us with a vain and thoughtless emperor, concerned only with satisfying his own needs at the expense of his people, even when it means taxing them unmercifully, bankrupting his kingdom, and harshly punishing his people for daring to challenge his edicts. Notice this website, River Gold, also makes an analogy to The Emperor’s New Clothes in another context, that of overly zealous religious beliefs (ie, Jesus fanaticism), but this man’s use of it also applies to the Police State concept here. http://www.mintpressnews.com/naked-truth-american-police-state/193749/ National Association Against Police Brutality http://naapb.org/ Cato Institute’s Police Misconduct Report http://www.policemisconduct.net/ List of Cases of Police Brutality in the United States http://www.ask.com/wiki/List_of_cases_of_police_brutality_in_the_United_States?o=2800&qsrc=999&ad=doubleDown&an=apn&ap =ask.com Police Crimes Section: http://www.policecrimes.com/know-your-rights-talking-to-the-police/ http://www.policecrimes.com/ See also ACLU excerpt on SWAT abuses: https://www.aclu.org/feature/war-comes-home https://action.aclu.org/secure/limit-abusive-use-swat https://www.aclu.org/blog/another-day-another-124-violent-swat-raids See also another country’s related perspective:  Hong Kong    https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/hong-kong-police-clear-protest-site/2014/11/26/0746161a-7545-11e4-a755- e32227229e7b_story.html?utm_term=.59e82af7eea1  Hong Kong/Mong Kok police controls of pro-democracy efforts   http://www.wsj.com/articles/mong-kok-becomes-wild-card-for-hong-kong-protesters- See also alternative view of Ferguson/police  http://news.yahoo.com/why-charles-barkley-supports-ferguson-grand-jury-decision-163736319.html BOOKS Brotherhood of Corruption: A Cop Breaks the Silence on Police Abuse, Brutality, and Racial Profiling (2004) Author: Juan Antonio Juarez Police Ethics: The Corruption of Noble Cause Authors:  Michael A. Caldero, John P. Crank Police Unbound: Corruption, Abuse, and Heroism by the Boys in Blue (2001) Author:  Anthony V. Bouza Police State USA: How Orwell’s nightmare is becoming our reality Author: Cheryl K. Chumley Excerpt: In five years, we will really start to wonder what happened to America. In 10 years, our kids won't know the America of our youth. And in 25 years, we won't recognize America at all. The Constitution will be a relic, tossed on the same trash heap as the Bible. The notion of God-given rights will be replaced by government control, and privacy rights will have crumbled along with..... One place this book can be found is at this link: http://superstore.wnd.com/Welcome/Police-State-USA-How-Orwells-Nightmare-is-Becoming-our-Reality-Autographed-Hardcover Resource - Book: Free Thought Project http://thefreethoughtproject.com/police-cps-investigate-family-letting-kids-play/ LINKS https://www.aclu.org/feature/war-comes-home https://action.aclu.org/secure/limit-abusive-use-swat https://www.aclu.org/blog/another-day-another-124-violent-swat-raids http://www.ask.com/wiki/List_of_cases_of_police_brutality_in_the_United_States?o=2800&qsrc=999&ad=doubleDown&an=apn&ap =ask.com http://thefreethoughtproject.com/police-cps-investigate-family-letting-kids-play/ http://www.mintpressnews.com/naked-truth-american-police-state/193749/ http://naapb.org/ http://www.policestateusa.com/about/ http://www.policemisconduct.net/ http://www.policemisconduct.net/ http://www.policecrimes.com/know-your-rights-talking-to-the-police/ http://www.policecrimes.com/ http://superstore.wnd.com/Welcome/Police-State-USA-How-Orwells-Nightmare-is-Becoming-our-Reality-Autographed-Hardcover https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/hong-kong-police-clear-protest-site/2014/11/26/0746161a-7545-11e4-a755- e32227229e7b_story.html?utm_term=.59e82af7eea1 http://www.wsj.com/articles/mong-kok-becomes-wild-card-for-hong-kong-protesters- http://news.yahoo.com/why-charles-barkley-supports-ferguson-grand-jury-decision-163736319.html