Americans: Never talk to the police!

[Jayster]

Stop! Cops don't have "power over Americans". They have the authority and the responsibility to enforce and uphold the laws of the Country, State, County, and Municipality, but they do not have "power".
.

Newc ,

I hope you're tired or stoned. The power to take away all freedoms through incarceration is very real. I'm not refering to gitmo or any shit, just American society.

Incarceration generally happens before a (supposed) fair trial. So yes, the police do have 'the power'.

Yes, they should. If you're too cool to wear a seatbelt, consider yourself to be in forfeit of the priveledge of driving. Proceed to your nearest Highway Patrol/DMV and turn in your license for a Photo ID with no driving priveledge attached to it, then get your ass a bus pass.

Again I'm hoping you're tired or stoned. If you're correct, then why do our nations schoolbuses not have seatbelts ?

Merry Christmass all
Jay

[horns666]

Watching civilains argue over cop shit is very amusing. I'm an not versed in the physics of radioactive quasars or political science...so I stay out of those conversations...like a wise man should.

There is ALOT people don't know what goes on behind the scences, where it all takes place. There is an art to it..just like doctors that intend and try to do the right thing but yet it's CYA in case of a problem. A seasoned cop knows those problems all to well and knows how to "articulate" themelves out of them..not even God, the devil or the constititution can't touch that. Unless the cop is green, ignorant or sloppy that is. Is THAT a "crooked" cop..then we're ALL guilty ..including yours truly. But the ends justifies the means in the big pic. trust me.

[SEEGERMANY]

Some of the best advice my dad ever gave me was to say "yes sir, no sir" and to be as cooperative and friendly as possible when dealing with law enforcement. By doing so, I've gotten way more warning tickets than the kind that empty your wallet. After all, I was guilty every single time I was stopped!

Yes, I'm sure there's some real dickheads in the police force, but I bet the majority consist of people just wanting the same respect that you request.

[horns666]

Anothder thing Cops is just the intial criminal process..most get thrown out in court no matter how well it is presented. Just for the fact of jail overcrowding, and the system being completely overwhelmed.

So the chances of having your freedoms revoked for a simple action is very slim to none. I've had some clear cut major felonies that literally walked..not even a paper conviction.

Sure, you'll be hassled from time to time..but the chances of catching a case will most likely be in c/w big time drugs (coke, heroin ect) , murder, or rape..and even that's a crapshoot.

[horns666]

Some of the best advice my dad ever gave me was to say "yes sir, no sir" and to be as cooperative and friendly as possible when dealing with law enforcement. By doing so, I've gotten way more warning tickets than the kind that empty your wallet. After all, I was guilty every single time I was stopped!

Yes, I'm sure there's some real dickheads in the police force, but I bet the majority consist of people just wanting the same respect that you request.

Exactly...I couldn't said that better. As simple as this post was. It holds more weight than anyhthing I've read. Except for mine..because I'm awesome, and a couple others that are actually "in the know".

[tonemonster]

I was raised simple and honest. I have always believed in the being honest, polite, and "yes sir, no sir, thank you sir" concept. I have done nothing wrong, therefore I have nothing to hide. why would I need a attorney to protect me? Maybe I live in the past, but I really cant see where you should shut up and ask for an attorney if a cop asks you some simple questions.

[joelayres]

I have done nothing wrong, therefore I have nothing to hide. why would I need a attorney to protect me?

Ask Ray Krone about that one - http://www.truthinjustice.org/krone.htm

[horns666]

I was raised simple and honest. I have always believed in the being honest, polite, and "yes sir, no sir, thank you sir" concept. I have done nothing wrong, therefore I have nothing to hide. why would I need a attorney to protect me? Maybe I live in the past, but I really cant see where you should shut up and ask for an attorney if a cop asks you some simple questions.

Now the intelligence is coming thru loud and clear. The "old school" still applies. Most cops are from that school. Unfortunately, they're were cops and assholes in prehistoric times. When the local good caveman bopped the other jerkoff caveman on the head with a club for trying to steal cookies from a screaming girlscout..a prehistoric girlscout.

[horns666]

Vince Sansavere's love baby started this thread.

[tonemonster]

I am sure there are jerks in every profession all over the world. but I still have to believe that most are good, and if you are straight up, polite and honest with them, they will respect you for that, and treat you with respect in return...... just my opinion.

[horns666]

I am sure there are jerks in every profession all over the world. but I still have to believe that most are good, and if you are straight up, polite and honest with them, they will respect you for that, and treat you with respect in return...... just my opinion.

..and It should be everyone's opinion..IMO!!

[joelayres]

Man, some of you folks are hopelessly naive:

http://www.truthinjustice.org/recent.htm

This sampling of recent cases demonstrates both the potential for injustice and the difference that individuals can make in preventing it.

Note: We add links to updates with the original news articles reporting exonerations , so be sure to scroll down to check for "new news".

Ricardo Rachell

It was bad enough when, in the mid-1990's, a shotgun blast tore away half of Ricardo's face. He survived, badly disfigured. But that ordeal was nothing compared with what happened in 2003 -- Ricardo was convicted of sexually assaulting an 8-year-old boy and sentenced to 40 years in prison. While Ricardo was locked up, the assaults continued, but the authorities ignored his pleas of innocence. Other inmates helped him obtain DNA testing that excluded Ricardo and identified the serial predator.

Miguel Roman

Miguel Roman has been in prison in Connecticut since 1988 for the rape and murder of his girlfriend, Carmen Lopez. He was convicted despite trial testimony from an FBI investigator that tests, even back in 1988, excluded Miguel as the killer. Now DNA has not only excluded him, but has identified the real killer and tied him to two other rape/murders. We may be premature to list Miguel among the freed, because he is still in prison, but we hope the Connecticut authorities will do the right thing -- finally. This case is proof, once again, that when an innocent person is wrongly convicted, the real criminal is free to commit more crimes.

Mashele Bullington

In 2006, authorities in Sunnyvale, CA realized that Mashelle Bullington was not the gun-toting burglar they thought when they locked her away for more than three years in prison in 1995. But it was not until November of 2008, during a brief hearing, that her name was finally cleared.

Steven Barnes

Steven Barnes of Utica, NY was convicted of rape and second-degree murder in the strangling death of Kimberly Simon, a high school student, in 1985. At his trial, a crime lab analyst testified that impressions on Barnes' truck matched Ms. Simon's jeans, a conclusion that simply cannot be supported by science. Tests concluded in mid-November, 2008 showed that Barnes' DNA matched none of four samples found on Kimberly Simon's body and clothing. After almost 20 years in prison, Steven Barnes has been released from prison.

William Dillon

After 27 years in prison for a murder he didn't commit, William Hollis of Viera, Florida has been freed on bail after DNA excluded him as the killer. His retrial is scheduled for January, 2009. His lawyer, Melissa Montle of the Florida Innocence Project, says she doesn't see how he can be retried. "All they have is a fraud, an admitted perjurer, a snitch, and a half-blind eyewitness."

The Nebraska Six

Joe White, Thomas Winslow, Ada JoAnn Taylor, Kathy Gonzalez, Deb Sheldon and James Dean were convicted of murdering and raping 68-year-old Helen Wilson in 1985. White and Winslow were convicted by juries; the other defendants were convinced by police investigators to plead guilty. DNA tests obtained in White's and Winslow's bids for exoneration prove that none of the six defendants had anything to do with Mrs. Wilson's murder. She was killed by Bruce Allen Smith, who acted alone.

Arthur Johnson

Arthur Johnson of Sunflower, Mississippi is poised to become the first inmate freed by DNA exoneration in that state's history. Johnson is serving a 55-year sentence for a 1992 rape conviction -- a rape that DNA tests show he did not commit. His freedom, however, is no sure bet. Mississippi has no legal procedures in place to deal with evidence preservation or post-conviction DNA testing. One thing is certain, however: There are a lot more Arthur Johnsons in Mississippi's prisons.

UPDATE: 2/25/08 - Arthur Johnson was released on $25,000 bond and went home with his family for the first time in 15 years. Although he has been excluded by DNA, the Sunflower County DA will re-try Johnson in July, 2008.

UPDATE: 10/15/08: After Arthur Johnson's attorney, Emily Maw of the Cardozo Innocence Project, prevailed upon Mississippi authorities to run the rape kit DNA through the state's DNA bank, a match was found and the real rapist was identified. Sunflower County authorities could no longer maintain the charade that Arthur Johnson was anything but innocent. All charges against him have been dropped. No word on whether these authorities will apologize to the woman who was raped by the real criminal while Arthur was wrongly imprisoned.

Daivery Taylor

A New York state appellate panel has thrown out the convictions of Daivery Taylor, a Long Island personal injury attorney and his firm, Silverman & Taylor, finding that the state presented insufficient evidence that the defendants used "steerers" to sign up accident victims or that they coached clients to fabricate injuries. The 2nd Department not only threw out the conviction but also dismissed the 32-count indictment.

[joelayres]

Erick Daniels

Erick Daniels of Durham, NC spent nearly a third of his 22 years behind bars for crimes a judge has now said he did not commit. Daniels was 14 when he was charged with being one of two armed robbers who burst into the home of Ruth Brown, a police department employee, on Sept. 21, 2000, and stole her pocketbook containing $6,231 in cash. Ms. Brown picked out his photo from a middle school year book. Her identification was the only evidence against Erick. Recently, another client of Erick's trial attorney confessed to the robbery and said Erick had no role in the crime.

Johnnie Earl Lindsey

While a 28-year-old woman was being raped at White Rock Lake in August 1981, Johnnie Earl Lindsey was at work, pressing pants at a commercial laundry business. But Johnnie's rock-solid alibi, time clock punch cards that backed up his claim, were trumped when the victim picked him out of a photo lineup mailed to her by Dallas police. Now DNA tests -- part of Dallas DA Craig Watkins' massive review of cases -- have made Johnnie the 19th Dallas defendant cleared in the program.

Darryl Burton

Darryl Burton of St. Louis, MO was convicted in 1985 of capital murder and armed criminal action -- although thre was no physical evidence connecting him to the crime -- and sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for 50 years. His conviction was overturned because the state's key witness lied about his own extensive criminal record. The state will not retry Darryl, who has been released and returned to his family.

Aaron Michael Howard

A man who spent nearly 20 years behind bars is walking free after new evidence showed that he was wrongfully convicted of murder in the 1988 shooting of a motorist in Southeast Washington, DC. A judge ordered the release of Aaron Michael Howard this month after the prosecutor withdrew from the case in open court, saying he could no longer represent the government in trying to validate the jury's guilty verdict.

Kareem Bellamy

Charged with murder in Queens, NY in 1994, Kareem rejected a plea deal for 5 years in prison if he would plead guilty to manslaughter. Kareem knew he was innocent, so he went to trial. He was convicted and sentenced to 25 years to life in prison. His conviction was thrown out after Kareem's lawyers produced the taped confession of another man, and other witnesses recanted. Kareem, who wants a new trial, has been freed on bond, which was posted by his pro bono investigator, Joseph O'Brien, a former FBI agent and author of bestselling mob book "Boss of Bosses."

Robert McClendon

During 18 years in prison, Robert McClendon of Columbus, Ohio has steadfastly denied the rape that put him there -- claims from a former drug dealer that few took seriously. Now, he has a favorable DNA test. The Ohio Innocence Project delivered the test results on July 22, 2008. The semen on the 10-year-old victim's underwear could not have come from McClendon. But what happens next is unclear, and Robert is still in prison.

UPDATE: August 11, 2008 - Franklin County Common Pleas Judge Charles Schneider, citing the DNA test, freed Robert McClendon. Prosecutors are expected to drop the charges within the next few weeks. Free at last!

Aquil Wiggins

Aquil K. Wiggins has spent nine years fighting what he says was a wrongful conviction in 1999 for a robbery and attempted carjacking outside a Hampton, VA Food Lion. Now Wiggins, 31, may have an opening that his lawyer said could lead to the case being reopened — and possibly Wiggins' exoneration — before his scheduled release in 2012.

UPDATE: July 20, 2008 - Aquil wasn't officially exonerated, but he has been set free. His original conviction was vacated, and Aquil entered an Alford plea to the original charges, which allows him to maintain his innocence but acknowledges the state could obtain another conviction against him. He was then sentenced to time served and released.

Timothy Cole, Deceased

Timothy Cole died in prison of an asthma attack, at the age of 38. He proclaimed his innocence until his final days. But he left this world a convicted rapist. Cole's loved ones never believed he kidnapped a fellow Texas Tech student from a church parking lot and raped her. They began to get confirmation a year ago, when they received a letter from Jerry Johnson, a man serving life in prison for two rape convictions, who said he was the rapist. DNA tests confirm it. Now Timothy's family wants his name cleared.

Robert Gonzales

Robert Gonzales of Albuquerque, New Mexico, a mentally retarded man who falsely confessed to the slaying of an 11-year-old girl in 2005 has been released from jail after a national database matched DNA in the case to another man in custody for another crime. His attorneys had long argued for his release, saying none of the more than 60 scientific tests of items seized as evidence connected him to the victim.

Patrick Waller

DNA testing, two confessions and a polygraph test all show that Patrick Leondos Waller did not commit the robbery, kidnapping and rape for which he was blamed more than 15 years ago, Dallas county prosecutors and defense attorney Gary Udashen agree. Patrick has been exonerated and released from prison, the 18th Dallas County, Texas convict cleared by DNA. But one of the victims refuses to believe Patrick is innocent. That's how deeply witnesses can come to believe their own faulty identifications.

Anthony Hanemaayer

In 1989, prosecutors in Prince Edward Island, Canada wedged Anthony Hanemaayer between a rock and a hard place, convincing him that despite his innocence, he needed to plead guilty to a rape he did not commit in order to avoid spending the rest of his life in prison. He took the deal, spent 2 years in prison, and has endured the stigma of a rapist since then. And when notorious rapist/killer Paul Bernardo confessed to police and prosecutors in 2006 that he, not Anthony, had committed the crime, they didn't bother to tell Anthony. If defense counsel in another case hadn't stumbled on it, Anthony still wouldn't know.

Raymond Jonassen

Raymond, of Glen Burnie, Maryland, spent four months in jail based on information that turned out to be false. In charging documents related to a burglary from earlier in 2008, county police Detective Tate, wrote in an application for arrest warrant that Raymond H. Jonassen's fingerprints matched a set discovered at the crime scene. In fact, there was no match, and the county crime lab never indicated a match. It took another two weeks to dismiss the charge against Raymond. Neither the county police nor the chief prosecutor see a problem in what happened.

Sammy Swift

A 54-year-old upstate New York man serving a murder sentence will get a new trial after DNA testing cast doubt on his 13-year-old conviction. Sammy Swift was sentenced in 1995 to 20 years to life in state prison for the murder of Stephen DeLuca, who died five months after being beaten and left unconscious in his Auburn home during a robbery in April 1994.

Michael Fiola

Imagine this scenario: Your employer gives you a laptop computer that is a ticking time bomb full of child porn, and then you get fired, and then you get prosecuted as some kind of freak. That's what happened to Massachusetts state employee Michael Fiola. Now defense and prosecution computer experts agree that the laptop was running corrupted virus-protection software, and Fiola was hit by spammers and crackers bombarding its memory with images of incest and pre-teen porn not visible to the naked eye.

Since Fiola's employer, the Massachusetts Department of Industrial Accidents (DIA), provided him with the infected laptop in the first place, you'd expect an apology and an offer of reinstatement, right? Wrong! The DIA stands by the wrongs it has committed against Fiola.

Dean Cage

DNA tests have exonerated Dean Cage, a South Side Chicago man who has served nearly 14 years in prison in the sexual assault of a 15-year-old girl who was attacked in the fall of 1994 as she walked to school. Dean, who is now 41, was convicted by a jury and sentenced to 40 years in prison despite his assertions that he was innocent and was home at the time of the attack.

Hattie Douglas

Madison County, Mississippi officials have dropped murder charges against Hattie Douglas in connection with the death of her son Kadarrius. Initial test results showed that Douglas' son had an alcohol level of 0.4 percent when he died May 11, 2006. But an independent pathologist's report said tests came back with conflicting results. The independent pathologist ruled the child died of pneumonia. A doctor prescribed an iron supplement for Kadarrius, which contained a small percentage of alcohol.

Alan Beaman

In 1995, Alan Beaman of Normal, IL was convicted of murdering his former girlfriend, Jennifer Lockmiller, in 1993. The prosecutor, James Souk, didn't tell the jury about evidence that showed Alan was 140 miles away when Jennifer died, or that forensic evidence linked another man, not Alan, to the murder scene. Thirteen years later, the Illinois Supreme Court has reversed Alan's conviction, calling the evidence against him "tenuous." James Souk was rewarded for his misconduct in the usual way -- he's a judge now. The current county prosecutor, Bill Yoder, says he is "saddened for the family of Jennifer Lockmiller." Apparently Mr. Yoder thinks it is okay to let a killer go free, so long as somebody does the time.

[SEEGERMANY]

If I was a cop and I asked a simple question like "it's 3:00 A.M., what are you doing hanging out on this street corner" and the person said "I want a lawyer," that would indicate to me that the sumbitch might be guilty of something.

By the way Bill, does "As simple as this post was" indicate that I'm simple minded?

P.S. With the absolute utmost respect, your wife has the cutest smile standing next to Uli. You're a lucky fella!

[SEEGERMANY]

"Man, some of you folks are hopelessly naive"

I think most of us are far from being naive. We know that there is the occasional injustice within the justice system. But you just listed 25 names where people got screwed. Think of how many arrests were made over those years that were right on target.