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Posted on 07/20/2008 2:40:55 PM PDT by ellery
Police in St. Louis seized cars, then freely drove them for months at a time. Perk extended to troubled daughter of police chief.
Cars seized from motorists are being used as the personal rides of police officers and their relatives in St. Louis, Missouri. St. Louis Post-Dispatch investigative reporters uncovered the scandal while tracking down how Aimie Mokwa, 33, daughter of Police Chief Joe Mokwa, ended up driving vehicles registered to St. Louis Metropolitan Towing and its subsidiaries.
Like many cities across the nation, St. Louis has adopted an ordinance giving police officers the ability to grab automobiles from people suspected, not necessarily convicted, of certain crimes. Cars not recovered within thirty days are declared the property of St. Louis Metropolitan Towing, which splits profit from towing fees with the city. Such arrangements can generate millions in revenue for municipalities.
The St. Louis program had an additional benefit. The tow yard became a virtual rental car agency for local police officers who would take out "abandoned" cars for their own free, personal use for months at a time. The "test drive" privilege extended also to Aimie Mokwa.
If the officers and their relatives enjoyed the vehicles, they were offered the opportunity to purchase them at discounts of up to 75 percent. For example, Aimie Mokwa "rented" a one-year-old Dodge Neon that had been impounded in May 2001. In September 2002 when she flipped the Neon after crashing into two parked cars on perfectly dry pavement.
Aimie Mokwa replaced the Neon with a 1999 Ford Escort that she purchased from the tow company for $1100, even though its book value was at least $3750. She rear-ended another car with the Escort in January 2003. Officers investigating the collision determined she had a blood alcohol level of 0.17, but they did not charge her with drunk driving. In December 2006, Aimie Mokwa bought a 2004 Chevy Malibu from the tow yard for $1500, despite the vehicle having a book value of at least $5850. Last October, she bought a 1999 Dodge Dakota for $850, even though the vehicle was worth at least $5025.
On Friday, the St. Louis Board of Police Commissioners released the report of a private law firm hired by the department to investigate the free car program. It concluded no laws were broken.
"The most that can be said would be that [the towing firm] is endeavoring to create a reservoir of future good will with the 4th District and the Department generally," the report said, as quoted by the Post-Dispatch.
2. If citizen cannot prove their innocence within 30 days, ownership of the car then transfers to the St. Loius-affiliated towing yard.
3. Cops and their families are then permitted to use the vehicles they stole on behalf of the State for their personal use, for free.
4. If they like the cars they stole on behalf of the State, they can buy them at a 75% discount.
5. A study commissioned by the police department claims that this program breaks no laws.
Vile, unAmerican, unConstitutional robbery by the St. Louis street gang in blue.
“Private” property ping.
“Officers investigating the collision determined she had a blood alcohol level of 0.17, but they did not charge her with drunk driving.”
Some animals are more equal than others.
Asset forfeiture is one of the WORST abuses of power today, and is one of the poison fruit of the War on Drugs. Except in exceptional cases, it is theft under cover of authority.
-PJ
Here’s a related article with more disgusting details:
St. Louis city government to the people: “We are more equal than you.”
Well, I can see that little program isn’t working.
I wonder if they got to “test drive” the cash they seized too.
yeah right, it’s soooo dangerouse when you have a gun and a stick....
You want danger, try diving home with a blood alcohol level of .2 and above.... Now that’s danger... the city will take your car and corn hole your personal wealth for “the public safety”
Cities love to test drive the public’s money.... because city councils, school superintendents, mayors, and cops are soooo well educated.. :o
Democrat controlled city - go figure.
Cash? What cash? They didn’t find any cash - or drugs, either. Nope, the cops didn’t find anything. wink, wink
Want to bet that among those “certain crimes” is suspicion of drug trafficking?
AKA as bribery.
City-sponsored grand theft auto!
Wow. I am surprised they did not part them out.
The really nice ones get fitted out with all the cop gear visible, the D.A.R.E. logo and propaganda, and get driven around to the middle and high schools to help indoctrinate the chilrun.
The ones that run like a striped-ass apes get outfitted for undercover speed trap duty.
The stuff like I drive just gets auctioned off long before their former owners get their day in court.
It is precisely this cr%& that started the Revolutionary War....
...therefore all police officers are bad.
* Yawn *
Nope, just those who (a) participate in unConstitutional behavior, or (b) cover for/fail to report those who do.
Unfortunately, the good cops who refuse to adhere to the “Blue Wall of Silence” too often get hounded out of the force. And the police unions make it nearly impossible for the bad ones to get fired. Combined, these two factors have created fertile ground for bad cops, and an unfriendly environment for good ones.
This police chief needs to be fired and his dept needs to be revamped. Law or no law, this is not right!
Libertarian ping! To be added or removed freepmail me or post a message here.
Or the drugs.
Someone has seen the "Serpico" movie too many times.
Given that the chief of police of this large metropolitan department is involved up to his elbows, are you trying to say that this behavior is not the norm there, and is an anomaly? If so, on what basis? I’m curious on your reasoning.
If not, you haven’t well-communicated your position.
A harbinger of the martial law to soon be imposed in the USA.
“”The most that can be said would be that [the towing firm] is endeavoring to create a reservoir of future good will with the 4th District and the Department generally,” the report said,”
Doesn’t sound any different than the “protection money” that street gangs require!
Police state alert.
I have 7 cars and a motor home. They are all tagged, fueled, and ready to go. I am 60. Last week, I decided to go to Winchester (VA) the old fashioned way, I hitch hiked. I had nothing better to do, and wanted to see if it still worked. I hitched from NC to FL several times in the 60's. I made it to high school daily, with my thumb.
It's an hour +/- drive, and I got an 11 mile ride within
minutes of walking out to the highway. On Rt 50, I waited about 15 minutes and a car (which was almost full) went paat, turned around, and came back to get me. I had a sign with me, saying "Walmart". It was their destination as well. I live in WV, and was heading for VA.
After doing some shopping, I took my wares, placed into a "cool bag", and walked out to the hwy, with my reversible sign. It had my home destination written, too. I was there a couple of minutes, when I was picked up for a 9 mile ride. They left me on the side of Rt 50, 6 miles short of the WV line.
I walked about a 1/4 mile to a good spot for a car to pull off, and waited. I was standing well off the road, but well visible. I know the drill. I was clean, well dressed, and look like a teddy bear.
I was watching across the road, as a Frederick County Deputy ticketed an apparent speeder. As I waited, he left and came up to turn around and stop by me.
As he got out, he demanded that I present my ID. I said, "why". He told me "it's the law", and if I wished to debate it, he could arrest me. I was not being rude (My eldest is now an LT in a PD). I was being obstinate. I asked what law I was allegedly breaking?
He told me it was illegal to Hitch in VA. I asked for statute. He provided none. He got aggressive and wanted to look in my "cool bag". Again, I said, "why". He accused me of being a "smart-ass", and repeated his demand. I let him look, got him chilled by talking about my son, then asked for a ride to the WV line. He put me in the back seat, and drove me to the line. I got a ride all the way home, with the next pickup truck!
That Deputy is a "type". He had on bloomers and boots. His sunglasses never left his face. They are part of the "new world order", or a good dry run! They don't know anything, but what they are fed. They rarely know enough of the law. They are adrenaline junkies, like firemen. "Do as I say, or else", is their mantra.
They enjoy the "hassle", since it activates that adrenal gland in high gear, and look forward to confrontation. They could care less about you. It is all about them.
"Protect and Serve?" Hahahahahahaaaaaaa!
State Laws on Hitchhiking in Virginia (VA) (Laws) Posted on Sun, Apr 4, 2004 by Salman (bio)
Virginia Virginia law states that a person can not hitchhike in a roadway. This does NOT include the shoulder of the road (unless signs are posted that prohibit pedestrians at the entrance of the highway).
Read the exact wording of the law below...
Code 46.2-929 Pedestrians soliciting rides.
Pedestrians shall not stand or stop in any roadway for the purpose of soliciting rides.
§ 46.2-100. Definitions
Roadway. That portion of a highway improved, designed, or ordinarily used for vehicular travel, exclusive of the shoulder. A highway may include two or more roadways if divided by a physical barrier or barriers or an unpaved area.
*****************************
Remember when they introduced the seat belt laws. They said it would never be a "primary offense". Hahahahahahahaaaaaaa...
Too late. The supreme court already O.K.'d these types of legalized theft in the name of the "war on drugs". They were enthusiastically supported by the "conservative" members of the court led by Scalia. Lots of "conservatives" on this site support this as well.
Not so true. I've known Officers who didn't 'play the game' of look the other way on Officer infractions. Suddenly they would not receive backup very quickly, would have citizens advised by other Officers to file complaints against them, etc. They usually would last 1-5 years and decide that it wasn't worth it.
ping
ping
The dark shades on police officers is a gripe I have as well.
And the ones who use intimidation without any statutes! We've been through this. I previously posted on being told we couldn't carry a sign on the shoulder of a US Highway because of a Indiana DOT rule against “posting signs on highway shoulders.” We called the DOT on the spot and were told that the officer didn't know what he was talking about. If we weren't putting a stick in the ground, we weren't in violation at all. CARRYING a sign is NOT posting a sign, according to the DOT, and yet we were still threatened with arrest.
I wonder what the officer would have said if you had told him you were being filmed as part of a TV documentary on bad police activity.
My eldest and I had conversations about the good and the bad in the blue guild. He has been in SWAT and kicked in doors at drug labs. Fortunately, he never got involved in an "oops, sorry ma'am, and sorry about your dog, too"! One of friends almost got shot in one.
I was always against the cop thing, but he is a "junkie". The difference is that adrenaline, even when activated by a storm trooper with a badge, is a legal rush! If you watch COPS for five minutes, you can hear the click of their glands kicking into overdrive! Heroin addicts need to learn from these guys.
I road race, on tracks. I go fast, and slide sideways into hay bales. It's a legal rush! When you speed on the highway, paranoia can give you a good buzz, as well. The adrenaline kicks in with the blue lights in the rear view!
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