Widow of officer slain by illegal immigrant criticizes new Arizona law

By GottaLaff

Julie Erfle

The new Arizona "Papers Please" law has placed new emphasis on footwear, but doesn't do much to prevent real crime. In fact, the law itself is a real crime:

The widow of a Phoenix police officer [Nick Erfle] who was fatally shot three years ago by an undocumented immigrant said Arizona's new law would have done nothing to save her husband's life had it been in place in 2007.

She's right.

Julie Erfle believes that policymakers need to cut through the "rhetoric" and "fear-mongering" and that the police would not be protected from violence... or from accusations of racial profiling, either.

She's right again.

Seems she's more concerned about the safety of police officers than those who claim to be concerned about the safety of police officers.

"My concern with this bill, though, is what it does to law enforcement [...] This bill puts them under a microscope. I feel it's a no-win situation for an officer. I don't think it keeps officers safe. [...] "My opinion on it is that this isn't the solution, that we need something on the federal level"

Erfle said that her husband would be "infuriated" by Arizona's politics.

Many of us are too.

Julie is very wise. But she is also very ticked that supporters are exploiting her husband to get political donations.

She said [state Sen. Russell Pearce, R-Mesa, who sponsored the bill] wrote to her in 2007 to ease her frustration about how her husband's memory was being used in the media, but she didn't feel the response was adequate.

"My response to (Pearce) was that it was inappropriate, under any circumstances, to use someone's murder to promote yourself financially or politically," she said.

But a little thing like that won't stop 'em.

Jackson Misssissippi Police Officer under investigation for derogatory remarks about First Lady Obama

Really, you'd think that just a collective n&&&&r n&&&&r n&&&&r would be release enough, but noooo..... How do these cretins get assigned to protect the very people they demean on a daily basis? At least the asshat is in big trouble.

Little did First Lady Michelle Obama know during her visit to Jackson that someone was talking behind her back. Reportedly texting unflattering comments.

Our investigation has revealed, it was a Jackson police officer. Now an internal affairs investigation has been launched into the incident.

Our sources have identified the officer as Chris Barnhart. We are told the incident occurred while officer Barnhart was on security detail last week during the First Lady's visit to the Capitol city. We are also told Barnhart made derogatory statements about Mrs. Obama.

When we questioned JPD superiors about the matter we were sent an email response. It states, the Jackson Police Department is currently conducting an internal investigation regarding allegations of conduct unbecoming an officer.

Officials within the Jackson police department confirm it occurred during Michelle Obama's visit to Jackson.

Assistant Police Chief Lee Vance said he could not be specific about the probe, adding they received a complaint.

Vance, also told us the U.S. Secret Service was not involved. He would not confirm the officer's name.

In our efforts to find out more about the officer we found this Facebook page. We also learned from his Facebook profile Barnhart is a fan of the page o.b.a.m.a.a., big ass mistake America.

Gun point

By GottaLaff

I read this letter to the editor in today's L.A. Times. I'd never seen the argument expressed quite this way before, and it made a lot of sense:

Guns, gun rights -- and 4 dead

Re “Crazy about guns,” Editorial, Dec. 1, and “Four police officers slain in Seattle-area ambush,” Nov. 30

After previous mass murders, the anti-gun-control advocates often argued that if the victims had guns, the number killed could be limited because gun-toting honest citizens would blaze away and stop the criminal. Now that four police officers -- all well trained, armed and wearing bulletproof vests -- have been killed, have we heard the last of that argument?

Bang.

VIDEO: Private police force APPF Backs Out Of Hardin Jail Deal

By GottaLaff

APPF's Becky Shay: Firm Will No Longer Pursue Hardin Jail Deal

Good riddance:

Controversial private security contractor American Private Police Fore has officially backed out of a deal with Hardin, Montana, to run a local prison, APPF spokeswoman Beck Shay announced this afternoon. [...]

The announcement comes after revelations that APPF's Michael Hilton, who led the negotiations with Hardin, has a history of criminal fraud. And numerous claims made by Hilton about the company's background and experience have been called into question.

Amazing how they skedaddled out of there after a few pertinent facts were revealed.

Buh-bye now.

Ohio police dispatcher e-mails racist image of Air Force One

By GottaLaff

(click on image to enlarge)

Police officers are supposed to protect and serve? Apparently, some don't get to feel as secure as others:

The OhioDaily blog reports on a “rogue” dispatcher from the North Canton Police who recently sent out a racist e-mail from her work account. Dispatcher Anita Malachowski forwarded [the above photoshopped] message. [...]

As OhioDaily writes, “This type of message is offensive coming from anyone, but coming from someone in the position of dispatching police and prioritizing calls, it’s downright horrifying. The North Canton police have a hard enough job as it is without rogue dispatchers trying to incite a race riot or stirring tensions during the hot months of summer.”

Incite a race riot, then dispatch your own officers to the scene. In her mind, that probably makes some kind of sick sense.

2 Ga. officers accused of running criminal check on Obama

By GottaLaff

Good lord, what next:

Authorities are investigating two Atlanta-area police officers accused of using government computers to run a criminal background check on President Barack Obama. [...]

[T]he officers have been put on leave until an investigation is finished. The officers' names were not released.

What were they expecting to find... an expired birth certificate? Get out the cuffs and Berettas, there's a dangerous Kenyan at large!

Texas officers on leave over racist e-mail about Obama

Just thought I'd mention that going thru sensitivity training doesn't guarantee an outcome.

GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas — Four Grand Prairie police officers and a dispatcher are on paid administrative leave after a racist e-mail about President Barack Obama was circulated, and the local NAACP chapter is asking whether a recent round of diversity training was for naught.

The e-mail came from outside the department, but the officers opened and/or forwarded it, said Detective John Brimmer, a Grand Prairie police spokesman.

The department was "forced to go through diversity training two years ago, and this is what we get," Preston Dixon, vice president of the Grand Prairie chapter of the NAACP, said at a news conference Wednesday.

"Since they've gone through diversity training, then they knew better and should be fired," he said.

British Police replace Union Flag with gay banner

By GottaLaff

Excellent, but too bad it was for just one day:

Dozens of police stations lowered the Union Flag and replaced it with a gay rights banner to mark a day of action against homophobia.

One police chief said the rainbow flag demonstrated his force's support for homosexuals who felt they were victims of prejudice. [...]

Merseyside chief constable, Bernard Hogan-Howe, helped raise one above his force's Liverpool headquarters, which was lit up with multi-coloured lights.

And all the force's 41 police stations flew the rainbow flag for the day, marking the anniversary of the day that the World Health Organisation removed homosexuality from its list of mental disorders in 1990.

As most stations have only one flagpole, the Union Flag, which they fly for the rest of the year, had to be lowered.

President Obama, VP Biden honor top cops

WASHINGTON (CNN) – President Obama promised $2 billion in additional funding to help police officers keep their jobs at a ceremony honoring some of the nation's top cops in the Rose Garden on Tuesday.

Obama presented an award from the National Association of Police Organizations to a number of top cops from around the country who he said have "literally walked through fire" to help their communities.

(snip)

The president said $2 billion in additional grants will be made available to help make progress towards his goal of boosting the number of police officers nationwide by 50,000. He called Vice President Joe Biden "the sheriff" and said he would make sure the money is spent as intended.

Mid Day Distraction

Hey, it's one way to keep you safe.

Home Sweet Homeland Security

By GottaLaff

Pallin' around with terrorists:

President-elect Obama departed his Hyde Park house at 2:42 p.m. this afternoon, arriving at his transition office in downtown Chicago at 3:03 p.m. Just before he left his house, a police officer stationed a block away stopped two local residents at a concrete barrier.

"Let 'em go, they live here!" another police officer shouted. Then, he added: "You only stop them if they live right next door, or if they look like suicide bombers or something."

Home sweet home.

North Carolina cops investigated for MySpace slurs toward Obama

By GottaLaff

Two posts in a row on racism by the police make Laffy a very sad blogger:

Police in Durham, NC, are investigating derogatory and potentially racist Web postings from at least two of their officers directed at Barack Obama.

Details of the investigation remain murky, and Durham's chief of police has insisted that a "racial slur" is not the subject of the investigation, but civil rights groups are demanding more information.

The local NAACP says police need to release copies of the Web postings, which appeared on officers' MySpace or Facebook pages.

Durham's NAACP president Fred Foster Jr.:

"We believe that if these comments are against people of color, then it will be hard for those officers to serve and protect without prejudice and that they should not be allowed to wear the uniform representing public trust." [...]

"There's no exact words that were said," said Police Chief Jose L. Lopez Sr. told the paper. "It wasn't a racial slur, but we're still investigating it."

Why? ::heavy sigh::

VIDEO-- Lawsuits: Chicago cops engaged in election night hate crimes

By GottaLaff

This video is from CBS 2 Chicago.

Why?

As the Illinois senator ascended to the highest office in the United States, a family on Chicago's west end allegedly met the business end of racial hatred enshrined by law. The family is suing the Chicago police department.

Niger Arnold claims that as her neighbors celebrated Obama's election in the streets, police fired pepper spray into the crowd. As she and her family scrambled indoors, five white officers burst into her home with guns drawn.

She claims that no reason for the forcible intrusion was given, and instead the officers cursed at her, and made racist remarks.

CBS 2 has more details here.

Another Controversy for Sarah Palin: Police chief fired

By GottaLaff

I could have sworn the McCain campaign had sworn that there were no more surprises about Sarah Louise Palin. Well guess what? Surprise!

Gov. Sarah Palin is already facing ethical questions over her firing of the Alaska public safety commissioner, and now she faces questions over the firing of a longtime local police chief.

After taking over as Mayor of the small town of Wasilla, Palin fired the longtime local police chief. The former police chief, Irl Stambaugh says he was fired because he stepped on the toes of Palin's campaign contributors, including bar owners and the National Rifle Association.

He wasn't shot, so we could consider that a plus. Oh, but I kid the NRA.

Stambaugh's lawyer, William Jermain, says the chief tried to move up the closing hours of local bars from 5 a.m. to two a.m. after a spurt of drunk driving accidents and arrests.

"His crackdown on that practice by the bars was not appreciated by her and that was one reason she terminated Irl," said Jermain.

How very un-vice presidential of her.

In his 1997 lawsuit, Stambaugh also alleged that his stand on restricting concealed weapons upset the NRA.

"Mayor Palin has stated on several occasions that the National Rifle Association encouraged her to fire Chief Stambaugh because of his stance against the concealed weapons legislation," the lawsuit claimed.[...]

A federal judge later ruled the mayor, under city law, had the right to fire the police chief for any reason she wanted.

Palin is now facing similar allegations in the state capitol, that politics played a role in her firing of the Alaska public safety commissioner, Walter Monegan.

Anyone else see a pattern developing?

"It has every possibility of giving the Governor an ethical black eye in an area where she's touted herself as being particularly strong," said Alaskan State Senator Hollis French, a Democrat. [...]

The Governor has denied any wrongdoing or involvement in the matter, but Senator French, who is leading the investigation has his doubts.

"The Governor first issued a blanket denial," said Sen. French, "and now she's had to back down and that's a problem."[...]

"The idea that there had been no contact and no pressure doesn't stand up," said Sen. French. "Her credibility I think was damaged in that blanket denial."

Her credibility was damaged three scandals ago, but what the hell. Let's give this one to Senator French.

So many stories, so little time...

By GottaLaff

Oops: Bloomberg publishes Jobs obit

Apple founder's obit issued accidentally by respected business news wire.

Next:

DENVER ARRESTEES TRICKED INTO PLEADING GUILTY, TOLD THEY FACED 'YEARS': ACLU

The ACLU issued a stinging rebuke to the Denver Police Department Wednesday, alleging that the department may have violated laws and constitutional rights of protesters arrested outside the Democratic National Convention.

In the letter, obtained by RAW STORY, the ACLU revealed that the police refused those arrested access to attorneys. Police did not let detainees use phones unless they posted their own bonds, and even failed to provide shoes, in one case marching a protester into court in bare feet and leg shackles, according the ACLU.

What's more, police are said to have tricked protesters into pleading guilty, by giving them the impression they had to plead guilty in order to post bond. This meant that no one was allowed to make a phone call unless they plead guilty, thus making it impossible for arrestees to even call a lawyer until admitting guilt.

Most ominously, the ACLU letter claims that protesters were told they would be "facing 'years' in jail for a conviction of a single particular charge."

And finally:

HALLIBURTON SUED FOR 'HUMAN TRAFFICKING'
Thirteen Nepali men were recruited and held against their will for thirteen months in a human trafficking scheme engineered and perpetrated by Halliburton and its Jordanian contractor, according to a lawsuit filed yesterday in California federal court.

Now back to O8ama, already in progress!