The police state
Florida police officer: 'Planting evidence and lying in your reports are just part of the game'
In a confidential interview with a man identified as a confirmed 15-year veteran of Florida's Palm Beach County Sheriff's department, The D.C. Post has uncovered shocking details about allegedly common practices of dishonesty among law enforcement. An excerpt:
I work nights on the Road Patrol in a rough, um, mostly black neighborhood. Planting evidence and lying in your reports are just part of the game. [...] One of the consequences of the war on drugs is that police officers are pressured to make large numbers of arrests, and it’s easy for some of the less honest cops to plant evidence on innocent people. [The D.C. Post]
The interview was initiated after a Post reporter came across the deputy describing how he frames "Mouthy drivers, street lawyers, assholes and just anyone else trying to make my job difficult" on an online law enforcement discussion board:
Under my floor mat, I keep a small plastic dime baggie with Cocaine in residue. [...] The residue is the key because you can fully charge some asshole with possession of cocaine, heroin, or whatever just with the residue. How to get it done? “I asked Mr. DOE for his identification. And he pulled out his wallet, I observed a small plastic baggie fall out of his pocket…” You get the idea. easy, right? [The D.C. Post]
Read the whole interview here.