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Site News - Changing Scope

Based on the feedback I've received about the site, and based on the lack of support locally here in Seattle for nearly two years, I'm planning on ditching the "Injustice In Seattle" site and transferring to a new site. The support I've been getting nationally for the news feed project has really shown me that this is the direction I should be going instead of wasting time trying to fix things here in Seattle.

The new site will be focused on national issues of police misconduct, gathering statistics on police misconduct, and research into the underlying causes of police misconduct as well as possible solutions for the problem on a wider scale.

UPDATE: The new site is now live, thanks for reading!
www.InjusticeEverywhere.com

Thanks!

PS: Nothing personal to the 4 or 5 people in Seattle that actually liked what I was doing for this city. Seriously, thanks for the support, but take a look around the site... anytime I do a local story there's no comments, no interest, no traffic, no discussion on other sites... but the national stories I've done at least get some response and interest. I'm not here to talk to walls, I'm here to make a difference.

Site Donation Policy

 

As you may or may not notice, I've added a Donation button to the right of the page. I really didn't want to and held out on doing this for quite a while... but, to be honest, this effort has taken up a lot more of my time and resources lately. Frankly, to the point that my more pragmatic wife is questioning why her husband has put so much into this whole endeavor.

That, and with the economy as it is, things are extremely tight, as they probably are for most of you out there.

So, there's a donate button now... but it won't change anything, nothing is being restricted, it doesn't buy you any special access... but it would help me keep things going here. So if anyone out there feels the police misconduct news feed and this site are worthwhile and have a bit to spare, it would be appreciated.

Sorry... and thanks in advance.

Cops Everywhere... They Lurves Us 2

 

It appears as though the fine officers with the NYPD have their own message board where they apparently like to rant about this and that... such as sites like Photography is not a Crime as well as yours truly...

(I wonder if they've seen Blue Must Be True? He keeps asking where I get all my hate-mail from.)

Well, last time some cops showed us some love like this it was from a fine group of officers in Chicago whose site is now, sadly, defunct. (I didn't do it, honest). Those law enforcement professionals sure did send me some wonderful correspondence, so I can't wait to see if the NYPD represent themselves with as much professionalism as the good ole boys from the CPD showed me.


Oh, and speaking about how police officers love to hear criticism, for some unknown reason the police watchdog website RateMyCop.com is currently offline. You might recall how, last year, their hosting site shut them down and forced them to get a new host after cops started complaining about it... Maybe it happened again? Nobody's saying anything yet, so stay tuned...

UPDATE: RateMyCop is back online after apparently being the victim of a hacker.

Site Note

Sorry for the light posting lately, I've not been feeling well... hopefully things will be back up to speed shortly.

Thanks for sticking with us!

Some Days I Get Grief From Both Sides

I received a rather angry email from an, apparently, new reader the other day… I won’t reveal the whole message since I didn’t get permission to publish the person’s story… but it ended on this note:

“Either way [assuming that you are NOT the police running a fake website], we're fucked.”

So… I thought it would be a good idea to, again, clarify:

This site here, http://injusticeinseattle.blogspot.com and the www.injusticeinseattle.org domain I purchased are not run by police officers and I am not, nor have I ever been, a police officer.

However, this site: www.injusticeinseattle.com (pictured at top) is run by police officers in some sort of undetermined attempt to confuse people looking for this site and coax them into submitting their personal information for unknown purposes.

Now, whether you believe me or not, well… that’s up to you I suppose.

Either way, I hope none of you have submitted your information to that site. Because I have no clue how it would be used or where it would end up.

Thank you for your time, and be careful out there on the interwebs!

(NOTE: the fake site was previously noted here and here)

About that Twitter

I got a few questions about my decision in the previous post to stop using Twitter as a news feeder for stories about police misconduct and why I changed my mind and started the feed back up.

Well, I decided to stop using it because my original intent for it was to show just how many reports there were of police misconduct each day in the US and give people interested in police misconduct a handy way to get information on those stories... but, not many people were really interested in it so I decided that little experiment was a failure... at least as far as the original intent was concerned.

But, after I looked over the data I collected by recording all those stories in Twitter, I found it would be useful to track this information from a statistical point of view, as pointed out in the previous post.

So I decided a better way to do that would be to record these reports in a database and codify them to make it easier to break down those statistics by type of misconduct and where misconduct might be most prevalent.

However... after a day worth of entering in the information from each story into a spreadsheet I found that I would never have enough time each day to do this because there were just too many reports to track each day and I have two jobs on top of what I do here, it just wasn't feasible.

But, Posting the stories and links to Twitter was very easy and I could always go back to those later and dissect them for the pertinent data I wanted to track when I had the time to do so.

So, I decided to start the feeds back up via Twitter... not with the expectation that anyone would actually follow them, but for my own statistical tracking.

If others want to read it or use the information I post, that's swell! But, that's not why I'm doing it anymore, it's just to gather stats on police misconduct, that's all.

Hope that answers any questions anyone might have had.

From the E-Mailbag

Well, folks... sorry about not having time to put anything new up. At least any new posts since I have been throwing twitter newsflash pieces out there. Still buried at work but I figured I had time to share a nice piece of mail I received yesterday with everyone.

I like getting mail like this, it reaffirms that there are decent police officers out there who got into that line of work for all the right reasons and never lost sight of why they do this. I believe that there are officers like this out there and I do want to support them and encourage them to keep up the great work.

Ultimately, my job at this site is to put myself out of business, it's to solve the problems I write about... so that I never have to write another story about bad cops who got away with harming people needlessly or departments that encourage that kind of behavior...

and that the kind of officer that I admire would take the time to write puts a smile on my face and makes me think that there's still hope. So, to the officer who took the time to write, thank you for writing and I hope my readers appreciate your letter as much as I did.

I stumbled upon one of your blog posts when I was following another news story. There are a lot of us (Police Officers) who are embarrassed by the actions of the cops you describe.


I, for one, know I will never be the subject of one of your blogs because I believe in the oath I took. I have never been in a job that paid enough to make me greedy, or corrupt, but that’s a fact of life when one prefers to live in a rural area and work small towns.


The Constitution is the closest thing to a bible I have, and it gives citizens the right to express their views and concerns. I am also a retired Soldier so my duty to the Constitution began when I was 17 years old. My son came home in a flag-covered box while serving his oath to it.


Please keep in mind there are a lot of us that will NEVER put those we are sworn to protect in fear of us. That is a fascist trademark and I will never be a part of that! And I really don’t care what other cops think of that. My honor will remain intact so I can join my boy in the hereafter.


My previous job was in a small town, and one of my biggest joys was to have children run to the street when I cruised by so they could shout and wave to me. And the older kids knew if they got caught doing the things kids will do, that I wouldn’t make a federal case of it and send them to juvenile court.


By working with parents and victims I administered “homework” assignments that would make even the hardest, toughest history teacher feel inadequate. And even in my current job, a lot of the students think of me as “the old grumpy cop”, but ask any of them who is the first to help them with a problem.


So please remember those of us that do what we do because we believe in it, not because having a stripe down our legs leads us to believe we are king shit.


Thanks

This message was republished with permission from the author, with all identifying information removed to protect the identity of the sender. To send us a letter, just email us at packratt@injusticeinseattle.org

Follow That Twit!

Updated 03/22/09-15:00
As you may have noticed, I've decided to see if Twitter can enhance the site and so far it seems to be somewhat useful. It allows me to send out brief updates on articles I notice during the day or let people interested in the site know what I might be working on without having to throw out a whole post about it.

and...

It's going to be fairly useful now as I probably won't have time to put out a full article for a few days due to work, I've just been slammed with new projects unfortunately... and the work I do on this site isn't meant to pay the bills. (in fact, I actually pay to do this.)

So, until work settles down a bit I'll have to resort to putting out more tweets about any important stories I see. So follow us there or here through the twit-feed.

Until next time, folks, stay safe out there!

 UPDATE 03/22/09: Sorry folks, still putting in about 18 hours a day at work... no, I don't get overtime, but with the threats of layoffs hovering overhead, I do what I can to keep food on the table... hopefully I'll be able to get things back to normal here soon.

Did have time to write up one story based on a reader's letter, but it's waiting that person's permission to publish. Keep checking the Twitter feeds in the meantime, bunch of stories linked there.

Thanks for reading!

Readers Poll: Site Confidentiality Guidelines

Poll Results

Currently, the confidentiality guidelines I've established for this site are that when I receive a report of police misconduct by an individual I treat it confidentially and will not repeat what I've been told to anyone unless that person gives me express permission to share the information he or she has sent and has stated whom I may or may not share that information with. (whether that be lawyers who may be interested in helping or by posting a story about the complaint on the site).

Lately, though, it's been hard to keep some of these to myself because the allegations I hear from some people are very disturbing and, if true, really do need to be released to the public... but, I still keep them to myself out of principle, I do that in order to protect victims of police misconduct from retaliation and to protect them from further abuse that can be caused by public scruitiny. (the favorite tactic of the police when a misconduct case goes public is to do a character assassination on the person alleging abuse, it's not pleasant to go through that, trust me.)

So, I'm sort of at a crux because, when I reply to emails people send me and explain what I can and can't do to help and what our policies are about publishing stories, I don't get a response. I have reason to believe that it's partially because the site's email address has been put on spam blacklists by some of the more tech-savvy law enforcement department employees in the area as the emails I send from here end up in the spam folder of a few of the accounts I've tested.

Anyway... the point is... Should I change the site's confidentiality policy to default to sharing any information sent unless the sender explicitly states that they don't want the information shared like a regular reporter would do? Or should I keep the policy as it is and only share information when the person who reported it gives permission to make it public?

It's a tough call for me... I want to go under the assumption that people want their stories told when they write me and that the public really needs to hear about some of these more serious cases, but I also want to make certain that I don't do more harm than good by sharing anyone's story with the public.

So, why don't you tell me what you think I should do?

Mind you, I won't necessarily abide by the poll results, but I may take into consideration any convincing arguments for one side or the other.

In the meantime... my lips are sealed.

First Annual State-Of-The-Site Survey

This site has been operational for over a year now and I've been wondering lately whether it's been close to achieving some of what I had hoped it would achieve.

This site is supposed to exist in order to help inform people about police misconduct and detainee abuse in order to:

• Convince people that these problems are real, can happen to anyone, and are serious enough to prompt reforms to the way police and jails operate in the US.
• Advocate on behalf of victims of such abuses who normally don't have a voice in order to convince people that more needs to be done to help prevent misconduct and to help victims of misconduct and abuse achieve normal lives after such life-altering events.

This site also exists as a resource for victims of police misconduct and detainee abuse in order to:

• Help victims of police misconduct and detainee abuse find resources to help them address their immediate needs after becoming a victim of abuse.
• Allow victims to tell their stories from their own perspective in order to help counter the media biases police departments, prosecutors, and government officials utilize against victims of misconduct.

Honestly, I don't know if this site is working as intended... So I've made some polls and I hope that our readers will take the time to let me know if this site is at least beginning to come close to doing what it was meant to do...

So, please take some time to fill out the poll questions below and or send us a comment or email to let me know how I'm doing with my stated goals or if there might be something I can do better.

Thank you.

Site News for 02-09-09

First of all, sorry for the slowdown in posting. With the economic downturn seeming to be in full swing, employers are in the position to demand more from the people they keep... so it goes for me as well and I've been bogged down in project work. Hopefully I'll have time soon to post something worth posting.

This leads me to remind readers that this site is a solo operation... it's just me. I'm not a lawyer, just someone who wants to give victims of police misconduct a voice and convince the general public that police misconduct is a real issue that they should care about. At the same time, I do try to give victims of misconduct and abuse access to the resources that were difficult for me to find as a victim myself.

But, being one person, there might be things I missed out there, so if there are resources you're aware of that I missed, please let me know!

Also, again, I'm not a lawyer. So, when you do write with stories of being abused by the police that plead for help, there are limits to what I can do to help. It frustrates me that I can't do more as well, trust me, each story I read truly disturbs me and some go beyond that even... but I can't give legal advice nor tell you how to file a civil rights suit... I'm not a lawyer.

• I can refer you to civil rights lawyers or criminal defense attorneys if needed.
• I can help you find the best way to present your case to attorneys.
• I can publish your story but will only do that if you specifically ask me to publish it. (and yes, there are stories I keep quiet about that really need to be told because I wasn't asked to print them)
• Or I can just listen and tell you I believe you, which would have meant a lot to me when I went through the same thing...

But there isn't really much else I can do... I wish there was more. If there is something else you think I can do to help victims of misconduct and detainee abuse, let me know as well... but remember I'm just one man and I'm not a lawyer.

Thanks for reading, and thanks ahead of time for any suggestions.

No Posts Today

No posts today... My wife and I are celebrating our 15th year anniversary so I won't be posting anything today.

Yes, I know, some big stories today, like Tony Pirone's lawyer claiming Pirone struck Grant so hard that his head snapped back and knees buckled because Grant allegedly tried to knee Pirone... even though the video shows Pirone march angrily up to Grant and then he immediately put his hands on Grant and shook him before punching him... which seems to make Pirone the aggressor here.

To heck with that... on this day I'll leave you with this story instead, a story of a couple that I thought was both heartwarming and heartbreaking at the same time.

Visitors Of The Week

Since Five Before Midnight seemed to like my Visitor of the Day post last week... well, maybe "like" isn't the right word... but since she thought it was interesting I decided to make a new one for this week.

First... do you think anyone visited looking for info on how to donate to Oscar Grant's daughter's trust fund?

Nope...

But, our first visitor of the week "winner" was just one among a few new visitors who apparently wasn't convinced by all the video evidence that Johannes Mehserle was wrong to shoot Oscar Grant, nor was he convinced that Pirone shouldn't have punched him without justification either...

...because nothing else could explain why he came here looking for info on how to give money to Oscar Grant's killer... unless he thinks police indiscriminately shooting people is a good idea, which wouldn't surprise me given some of the comments I've deleted lately.

But, that's just the runner up... Guess who was the most frequent visitor to this site this week...

Nope, it wasn't any of the usual visitors...

That's right, apparently the good ol' boys at BART aren't too busy to take some time out to find out what people are saying about their good pal "Punchy" Pirone.

Do you think sharing my visitor info is just too mean-spirited of me? Or do you think showing what all those nice cops do when they visit should be a regular feature?

Drop me a line and let me know what you feel.

New Poll - What Can I Do Better

I put a new poll up, asking readers to let me know what I can do to better help the effort to reduce police misconduct and detainee abuse as well as improving police accountability and transparency.

Lately, I don't think I've been doing a good job of it, not that anyone really can given the difficulty of convincing the public that police misconduct actually happens, let alone that it shouldn't be allowed. So, I suppose now would be a good time to ask for feedback to see how I can improve the site and what it's here for.

So, there's the poll over there, and if you have a reasonable suggestion that isn't listed in the poll, the comments are down there.

Thank you for reading.

Slow Ahead

This week is going to be a bit slow with posts, I apologize for that, but my headaches have been getting bad again and my (paying) jobs require more hours from me this week. Things will hopefully be back to normal soon, but in the meantime I have a question for you, the readers, to ponder for me until I have a chance to post again.

You see, I was struck by a post made on the Behind The Blue Wall blog that simply linked to a support site for people who suffer PTSD and their families the other day. Not that there is anything wrong with that, I fully support those support groups, but what struck me is that there are support groups for all sorts it seems.... groups for people who get PTSD from being in combat, people who suffer domestic abuse, people who are victims of violent crimes...

...but, there is no support group for people who suffer PTSD from being a victim of police misconduct. Interesting, isn't it?

As I said, I support those other groups, their work is important and I hope it helps many who suffer PTSD like I do. But, while they get help, people like me can't because we can't afford it and there are no groups for us. What's worse is while PTSD from combat or other terribly traumatic events are difficult to deal with alone, PTSD from being a victim of police misconduct seems worse...

Why?

Well, a PTSD sufferer from a combat situation doesn't have to walk down a street and see people in the uniform of the people who harmed them. A PTSD sufferer from a domestic abuse situation can eventually leave their abuser and they have help to do that out there.

But we who suffer PTSD from being hurt by the police are always reminded of that abuse, we have nowhere to turn, and nobody to protect us from further abuse from our abusers. We suffer alone, constantly, and must learn to live with fear and trauma for the rest of our lives... and relive it every time we see a police car, a police officer, or hear a siren coming down the street...

If any sufferer of PTSD needed a support group, it's us... but there will never be one.

Want to hazard a guess as to why?

Visitor Of The Day

As do most "bloggers", I use tracking services to monitor the site traffic and these services give me information about how people found the site, what they did while they were here, and other sundry details that help me figure out if the site is communicating its message well.

These services also help me find out which police department any death threats or various harassing messages were sent from... not that I can do anything about it, but at least I know where not to visit.

Every now and then, though, we get an... er... interesting visit that makes me just scratch my head. Like visits from the US Dept. of State or visits that come in with really bizarre search terms.

Anyway, today we were visited by this hapless guest and I thought I would share... because sharing is caring.

..and in case you didn't feel like clicking it to see if full size, this visitor came to us via a Google search which queried:

"I need information on going to another police department after being fired for offduty misconduct/dishonesty"

While I'd like to say I hope this gentle-person finds what they're looking for... I really don't, so I won't.

But don't say I didn't warn you to keep an eye out for any new police officers transferring in to a location near you.

Happy New Year 2009

Researching Top 10 Worst Cities For Police Misconduct

Results from reader poll ending on 01/01/09.

I'm currently working on a story that will list the 10 worst cities for police misconduct. It will be like a top ten list of cities you would never want to live in.

At this moment, since most cities still don't record misconduct statistics in a reliable manner, we'll be judging cities by the number of publicly cited reports of misconduct via the media along with the number of federal investigations, other reports of widespread misconduct, and possibly taking into consideration the severity of misconduct reported and whether cities attempted to address it or cover it up.

If you have a city, county, or other local law enforcement entity that you would like to see considered for addition to the list please let me know what city or cities you think should be considered along with any relevant details as to why they should be considered.

Deadline will be prior to December 29th.

Additionally, I've put up a poll for readers to pick which of the possible finalist cities for the top 10 worst list will ultimately be the worst of them all.

Thank you!

Construction Zone

Yes... I'm in the process of changing the site design, so don't be alarmed if you're a frequent visitor and things look different.

Thanks for visiting, and hopefully the changes are for the better... and, as always, constructive suggestions are welcome!