4 ms·

Odd that they aren’t more specific than saying she was arrested on “serious” drug charges. Depending on who you ask, that could be anything from possession to t

Odd that they aren’t more specific than saying she was arrested on “serious” drug charges. Depending on who you ask, that could be anything from possession to trafficking. Sure, that’s not what the article is about, but leaving it so vague just make the absence of that information stand out. Also, the story here really just seems to be this: police poorly but lawfully install tracking device on car, owner of car removes it, and police demand it back. Then they discuss a previous case where they court said it wasn’t theft to remove the device. I’m not sure there is much of a story here.

TheSpiceIsLife 5y ago
The police shouldn't be enforcing drug laws. They should be advocating for legalisation and regulation. Massive waste of life, time, and money.
- bpodgursky 5y ago
  Cops choosing which laws to enforce leads down a very bad path. I understand where you're coming from, but a society where the police have total control over who is arrested and who goes free — who the laws apply to — is a much darker world that I don't want a part of. (And let me head you off — no, it's not the one we live in right now. You don't actually know what it's like to live in a society without civilian control of the police.)
  - seoaeu 5y ago
    Police do have enormous discretion over who is arrested and who goes free. It could certainly be a whole lot worse, but it could also be much better.
  - Ar-Curunir 5y ago
    Police already do that. They don’t police rich white neighborhoods as deeply, and often don’t enforce laws to the same severity eg drug possession laws.
    - Google234 5y ago
      Police shouldn’t out as much time in areas with less crime.
      - Ar-Curunir 5y ago
        Have you heard of selection bias?
  - the_why_of_y 5y ago
    The US has "a well-established tradition of police discretion", as Justice Scalia put it. https://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/28/politics/justices-rule-police-do-not-have-a-constitutional-duty-to-protect.html https://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/28/politics/justices-rule-po...
  - TheSpiceIsLife 5y ago
    I'm in Australia and I can tell you from direct experience it is precisely the world we live in. The police have almost-absolute discretion.
- wearywanderer 5y ago
  If cops want to be political lobbyists, they should do it on their own time. That's not what they're paid for. (I am aware of the lobbying of police unions, and I don't like it. Police unions are actually a great example of why you shouldn't want cops to be lobbyists, because the shit they inevitably lobby for is in their interests, not the interest of the general public.)
- fedreserved 5y ago
  There was more money seized civilly in the us by the government then all of the thefts in the USA last year. Most of these seizures came from suspected drug dealers. Most of that money went into state and federal coffers. Starting to see a pattern?
rhizome 5y ago
>Odd that they aren’t more specific than saying she was arrested on “serious” drug charges Not the purpose of the sentence. When the police make a mistake, they have to save face by finding a justification, even if it's a vaguely worded accusation without substance.

TheSpiceIsLife 5y ago

The police shouldn't be enforcing drug laws. They should be advocating for legalisation and regulation. Massive waste of life, time, and money.

bpodgursky 5y ago
Cops choosing which laws to enforce leads down a very bad path. I understand where you're coming from, but a society where the police have total control over who is arrested and who goes free — who the laws apply to — is a much darker world that I don't want a part of. (And let me head you off — no, it's not the one we live in right now. You don't actually know what it's like to live in a society without civilian control of the police.)
- seoaeu 5y ago
  Police do have enormous discretion over who is arrested and who goes free. It could certainly be a whole lot worse, but it could also be much better.
- Ar-Curunir 5y ago
  Police already do that. They don’t police rich white neighborhoods as deeply, and often don’t enforce laws to the same severity eg drug possession laws.
  - Google234 5y ago
    Police shouldn’t out as much time in areas with less crime.
    - Ar-Curunir 5y ago
      Have you heard of selection bias?
- the_why_of_y 5y ago
  The US has "a well-established tradition of police discretion", as Justice Scalia put it. https://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/28/politics/justices-rule-police-do-not-have-a-constitutional-duty-to-protect.html https://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/28/politics/justices-rule-po...
- TheSpiceIsLife 5y ago
  I'm in Australia and I can tell you from direct experience it is precisely the world we live in. The police have almost-absolute discretion.
wearywanderer 5y ago
If cops want to be political lobbyists, they should do it on their own time. That's not what they're paid for. (I am aware of the lobbying of police unions, and I don't like it. Police unions are actually a great example of why you shouldn't want cops to be lobbyists, because the shit they inevitably lobby for is in their interests, not the interest of the general public.)
fedreserved 5y ago
There was more money seized civilly in the us by the government then all of the thefts in the USA last year. Most of these seizures came from suspected drug dealers. Most of that money went into state and federal coffers. Starting to see a pattern?

rhizome 5y ago

>Odd that they aren’t more specific than saying she was arrested on “serious” drug charges Not the purpose of the sentence. When the police make a mistake, they have to save face by finding a justification, even if it's a vaguely worded accusation without substance.