#BAD COP -VS- GOOD COP

July 9, 2017, Detroit Free Press reporters Jim Schaefer and Gina Kaufman, documented a years long investigation of problem police that were kept on the job, even after their behavior was shown they did not deserve to be trusted. ("Disorderly Conduct, A Detroit Free Press Investigation How problem cops stay on the street. The system protects them, let them get hired elsewhere, endangering citizens and costing cities millions.")

Reporters Jim Schaefer and Gina Kaufman, did a excellent job in exposing the poisonous behavior of bad cops, however, the discussion of those who have been snake bitten by bad police have to be rectified. If there is no cure, then many wrongfully convicted will live with the disease, some unto death. The cure-all is not just to remove bad cops off the job, but a remedy from the disease they caused on people.

Most bad cops started off as good ones, however, somewhere they crossed the line. Some cops have lied to themselves, telling themselves they have to be like a criminal to deal and catch one, thinking like criminals is one thing, but crossing the line to be like one, just makes them a crook.

It is said, that the majority of the 18,500 officers in Michigan do a good job, but they get stained when they turn a blind eye to protect their brothers and sisters in blue who don't do a good job.

Identifying rogue police is easy, their coworkers and the community know who they are. The sad part is, bad police don't have to hide, because they know they will be protected by the system.

We can not be naive, that other police did not know what kind of police officer William "Robocop" Melendez was, who had a long list of misconduct on the job. We as humans don't come out the blue with bad behavior, we usually develop a pattern of behavior. For example, The two officers who killed Malice Green in Detroit (1992), had a long list of complaints and a reputation of victimizing people in the community they patrolled. It was not a secret to anyone as to their bad behavior, that earned them the nickname "Starsky & Hutch"; But when they were charged for murdering Malice Green, their brothers and sisters in blue rallied around them, as to say 'they did nothing wrong.'

Also former Detroit Police officer Eugene Brown, had a long list of misconduct and wrongful death lawsuits, even though, he was passed over for promotions because of his bad behavior, he was allowed to operate as a police officer for years even given a pay raise.

The Detroit Police Crime Lab, has had its share of problems. In 1992, Desmond Ricks was convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison. There were no eyewitnesses at trial who could testify to seeing Mr. Ricks shoot the victim. The prosecution's case relied heavily on evidence from the now defunct Detroit Police Department Crime Lab ballistics unit, which linked the bullets from the crime to a .38 caliber revolver belonging to Mr. Ricks' mother. In recent years, however, new evidence has emerged that severely undermines the credibility of that evidence and instead suggests that the bullets could not have been fired from that gun. The Detroit Police Department Crime Lab, withheld material and exculpatory evidence, evidence was also suppressed intentionally to obtain convictions. Firearm identification testimony presented at Ricks trial was based on an intentionally fabricated match between the bullets removed from the victim's body and the alleged murder weapon, by the hands of officer David Pauch. In 2008, The Detroit Crime Lab was shut down after an audit found that 10% of its firearms cases had "significant errors." David Pauch, was fired as a cop, for his misconduct on the job. Relief was granted to Mr. Ricks and he was released from prison in 2017.

Former Police Officer William "Robocop" Melendez, "In 1997, the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office alleged, among other things, that he falsely accused a citizen he arrested of possessing drugs - an accusation Melendez would face multiple times in his career." and "Several years later, in 2003, the federal government indicted him and several other Detroit cops on charges of planting evidence, filing bogus reports and lying under oath to justify a series of illegal arrests." (source: Disorderly Conduct, A Detroit Free Press Investigation July 9, 2017 by Jim Schaefer and Gina Kaufman).

In 2000, Melendez falsely accused Dale Harper of murder. Melendez used drug users and prostitutes to fabricate evidence by threatening and coerced them to lie and to commit perjury, to wrongfully charge and convict innocent people. Because, the people he framed had a record, they were held not credible and sent to prison; Like Dale Harper who was sentenced to 30 to 60 years for second degree murder for a crime he did not commit. (Note: Dale Harper's conviction was overturned in 2002, however, it was reversed due to credibility issues and the courts believed the testimony of Melendez.)

Melendez, was denied by the Michigan Commission on Law Enforcement Standards to renew his police license, stating he did not meet the good moral character standard. A Wayne County prosecutor also said, Melendez "had a poor reputation for being credible." Yet, Melendez appealed the denial and was approved. Melendez was forced out of the Detroit Police Department, to only be hired by the Inkster Police Department, where he was charged and convicted of two felonies: misconduct in office and assault with intent to do great bodily harm. In February 2016 Melendez was sentenced to prison for 13 months to 10 years. He was released from prison in January 2017.

Police take an oath to serve and protect, all people, but lie and cheat to protect their own, right, wrong or indifferent.

Lying about facts take place within Police Departments across the country. Reports that describe a scene or event that are totally different from video evidence, that later surface. Like in Chicago, where Former Officer Jason Van Dyke murdered Laquan McDonald shooting him 16 times, he and three other officers lied about the facts of the shooting, all four have been charged for murder and lying.

The thing about the 'Code of Silence', it parallels to the 'Stop Snitching Code' of the streets. The truth of the matter is, police don't tell on police, lawyers don't tell on lawyers, doctors don't tell on doctors, judges don't tell on judges, unless it personally benefits them one way or another. Criminals, are the only ones who tell on one another, to escape the consequences of their actions. However, for those who are part of the system, stick to the 'Code of Silence' until they are backed into a corner or themselves are on the other side of the system, then they become a 'Whistleblower'.

Cell phones, dash cams, and security cameras catch bad behavior, but we (the public) are told we didn't see what we just saw. Without video, many times police gives a narrative that is unchallengeable. The Justice Department has found years of excessive force and violations of people's constitutional rights in predominantly black and poor communities, where police operated in a culture that allows them to get away with violating people's rights, misrepresenting the truth and even murder without any repercussion or consequences.

This system, seemingly does not want to right the wrongs of misconduct within the system and are willing to waste tax dollars to keep wrongfully convicted people incarcerated, so it can say they got it right and that there's nothing wrong with the system.

Even, when evidence is presented of bad behavior by police, prosecutors in most cases automatically fight the facts or file an appeal to cover-up the misconduct, which is equivalent to 'Obstruction of Justice' and 'Conspiracy'.

This systemic problem have become, 'that's the way it is', because no one cares enough about the abuse that is happening to the poor or people of color.

It's not just bad police who are not upholding their oaths, but good police who standby holding the 'Blue Code' ever so dearly. If, good police do not want to wear the black-eye of bad cops, then they need to uphold their oaths and do and say something when cops behave badly, if not they are just as bad as the worst bad cop.

The Detroit Police Chief James Craig, has taken a bold step forward in addressing misconduct within the Detroit Police Department. In a article March 30, 2017, Chief James Craig said, he is passionate about getting to the truth and getting it right, he also said, he want to know if Detroit Officers internationally tampered with evidence (purposeful act).

What happens after a bad cop is discovered? Many have lost their trust in the system, that has harbored bad cops, by shielding and sealing their disciplinary records from the public, even after they are proven to be unfit to be cops.

It is deeper than bad police being bad and being protected at all cost. This betrayal and breach of the public's trust, has destroyed countless of lives. For example: Dale Harper is father of three children who have to grow up without their father, he is a grandfather of two, he is a son who lost his father during his incarceration and his mother is still dealing with the harshness of her son's wrongful conviction, he has three sisters and a host of family members who miss him dearly.

Unfortunately, Dale Harper, is just one of ten's of thousands who are caught in the vicious cycle of citizens suffering from the blood-stained hands of bad cops.

If a rotten apple spoils the bunch, then forbidden fruits creates many jams.

raymondwrites. blogspot. com
Available @ amazon.com "Mass Incarceration: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly" By Raymond L. Carr Jr