Police use ‘code words’ to warn fellow officers they are abusing citizens

MassPrivateI

Imagine, asking a police officer to treat citizens with respect only to have them swear at you, taser and arrest you. When you ask why you’ve been arrested, they inform you that you are being charged with disorderly conduct and resisting arrest. (The real reason you were arrested, you challenged their authority.)

But something strange, happened during your arrest.  You overheard an officer use a ‘code word’.

What did the ‘code word’ mean? Are the police using secret ‘code words’ to justify their misconduct and illegal arrest?  

No, the truth is much stranger than that.

Police departments are using peer intervention or ‘Ethical Policing is Courageous‘ (EPIC) training so police officers will ‘maintain fairness’ when dealing with the public. 

According to the New Orleans Police Department (NOPD), “EPIC is the first line of defense in preventing mistakes and officer misconduct.‘ (To learn more about EPIC click herehere and here.)

Police officers are being trained to use “different code words to let a coworker know things are starting to get out of hand, in hopes of preventing incidents…”

It doesn’t get any plainer than that.

EPIC was designed to train police to use ‘code words’ to stop officers from abusing citizens. (In 2011, the DOJ forced the NOPD to change their abusive practices.)

So why are police departments adopting EPIC?

Each year more police officers are arrested than shot

The real reason police departments are adopting EPIC is, “more police officers will go to prison this year than being shot.”

According to the ‘Officer Down Memorial Page’ 145 police officers were killed in 2016.

A recent study revealed that 1,1000 police officers are arrested every year, which translates into a lot of money for their defense and settlements.

image credit: Washington Post

Police officers are nearly ten time more likely to be arrested than shot. So, why do we need Blue Lives Matter laws?

Will EPIC limit police liability?

EPIC is designed to limit police liability

The NOPD quotes numerous court cases on pages 37-39 admitting that EPIC is designed to limit police liability.

“All law enforcement officials have an affirmative duty to intervene to protect the constitutional rights of citizens from infringement by other law enforcement officers in their presence. . . .” – Anderson v. Branen, 17 F.3d 552 (2d Cir.1994). 

“Plaintiff can sustain a claim for a Fourth Amendment violation against an officer who did not participate directly in the use of force if that officer failed to intervene despite having had a reasonable opportunity to do so. . . .” -Torress v. Allentown Police, No. 13-3066 (2014).

Will EPIC protect citizens rights?

EPIC is about protecting the badge 

Pages 49 and 50 reveal that EPIC is about protecting the police department and police officers from lawsuits.

Oddly or perhaps on purpose, there is no mention in the eighty-two pages of protecting the rights of those they serve.

Sure, the authorities will claim using ‘code words’ will prevent abuses from occurring but do you really think that words will change our paramilitary police culture?

Instead of addressing the problems of police secrecy, EPIC reinforces them by encouraging the use of secret code words.

EPIC, never addresses the real problems with American policing, like caring more about a person’s rights.

https://massprivatei.blogspot.com/2017/08/police-use-code-words-to-warn-fellow.html

9 thoughts on “Police use ‘code words’ to warn fellow officers they are abusing citizens

  1. I’m not opposed to the police warning each other that they’re violating citizens’ rights. They SHOULD be watching each other like that, and I don’t see the big problem with them using code words to issue those warnings.

    My chief complaint about such a program is that it doesn’t go NEARLY far enough toward ensuring accountability, and I’m skeptical that the pigs will do anything more than sneer at this.

  2. Well to go along with this proposed idea. What we are experiencing, is some type of get out of jail free card. No matter the crime.
    I read about something relative recently. ,aybe on this FTT site.
    It was about the cops being given a program they could agree to entering from which they were coated with a type of Clinton teflon which removes them from any and all legitimate prosecution for any and all of their criminal acts. As it has been said-you will know them by their fruits. And, evil is as evil does. We are experiencing unrestrained lawlessness approved by, funded by, and backed up by the hypocrites running the asylum.

    1. ‘Police Specialty Courts’ will let officers avoid prosecution:

      According to an article in the Texas Tribune, beginning September 1st., 2017, first responders can avoid prosecution by having ‘first responder specialty courts’ hear their cases. (“public safety employee” means a peace officer, firefighter, detention officer, county jailer, or emergency medical services employee…”)

      “Texas police officers and other first responders who have job-related mental health issues can soon be diverted into pretrial treatment programs if they commit a crime..”

      The first question everyone should be asking is, how many mentally ill police officers are there?

      Texas House Bill 3391 “relates to the creation of a specialty court for certain public safety employees who commit a criminal offense; imposing fees for participation and testing, counseling, and treatment.” (Click here to find out more.)

      According to the Texas Legislature Online, not a single politician thought letting police officers avoid prosecution was a bad idea. Gov. Greg Abbott signed the bill in June, along with a handful of other bills that focused on helping police and first responders.

      Judge warns police specialty courts could be abused…

      “A specialty court could have the unintended consequences that there is special treatment — that there is less justice for law enforcement personnel than [a citizen’s] own family,” County Judge Clay Jenkins said.
      https://massprivatei.blogspot.com/2017/07/police-specialty-courts-allow-officers.html

  3. “Police officers are being trained to use “different code words to let a coworker know things are starting to get out of hand, in hopes of preventing incidents…”

    Bullsh#t!

    This is how it SHOULD read…

    “Police officers are being trained to use “different code words to let a coworker know things are starting to get out of hand, in hopes of ESCALATING incidents…”

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