Posted on 02/21/2017 8:00:42 PM PST by MtnClimber
Watched: Keeping tabs on the public Are the police spying on us?
Police forces across the United States are stockpiling massive databases with personal information from millions of Americans who crossed paths with officers but were not charged with a crime.
A person can end up in one of these databases by doing nothing more than sitting on a public park bench or chatting with an officer on the street. Once there, these records can linger forever and be used by police agencies to track movements, habits, acquaintances and associations – even a person’s marital and job status, The Post and Courier found in an investigation of police practices around the nation.
What began as a method for linking suspicious behavior to crime has morphed into a practice that threatens to turn local police departments into miniature versions of the National Security Agency. In the process, critics contend, police risk trampling constitutional rights, tarnishing innocent people and further eroding public trust....
But the digital age has greatly expanded the power and reach of this tool, allowing police to store indefinitely reams of data on those who draw their interest — long after any potential link to a crime has evaporated.
“They pose a different threat than the NSA. ... But they can reveal a much more invasive picture of a person’s life,” attorney Stephanie Lacambra of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a California-based digital-rights advocacy group, said in response to the newspaper’s findings. “The public should be concerned.”
Some 35,000 people — roughly equal to a quarter of the city’s population – show up in the Charleston Police Department’s database for field contacts, which includes everyone from suspected killers to toddlers and 99-year-olds. One man alone has more than 1,000 entries to his name.
(Excerpt) Read more at data.postandcourier.com ...
Amazingly, even before computers existed, local cops had a pretty good idea who the troublemakers were in their town and where they were likely to be found.
If the police are stockpiling information it is clear they are not interested in criminals who continue to get away with crimes. Criminals who are convicted cost the government money. Targeting law-abiding citizens with “fake crimes” that involve fines generates money for governments. If violating privacy is required, they are sure to do it.
As I posted, targeting criminals costs the various government groups money. If you target people who have jobs and families you can generate positive cash flow. If these people don’t agree with the government political ideas then they are the best ones to target.
STASI on Steroids....
Leo’s are not your friends. That day and age has been long, long gone. Like before wwii.
Even just going through a DWI checkpoint whether you have had a drink or not gets you on their list.
The surveillance state is here, in spades.
In the exchange with Cinque — who in addition to being a gun advocate is an East Haven firefighter who has known Peterson for years — Cameron Smith and others, Peterson said that he would “give my left nut to bang down your door and come for your gun.”
The comment appears to have been aimed at Smith, who in an earlier comment appeared to have baited Peterson, saying that “POLICE OFFICER Peterson would round up Jews and put them in ghettos, if the government told him to.”
Cinque said he “was shocked” when he saw Peterson’s comments “because I thought I knew” him. “I was shocked at the standpoint that it’s someone that I do know that would have these views ... Somebody that I’ve known for a long time.”
Yep. There are LEOs who would love to take us down; and it would seem they need little provocation.
Not everywhere.
Local LEOs who police the communities they live in can be great. I can’t vouch for every area, but the ones I have crossed paths with were conservative Trump supporter types, who have a lot more in common with us than the left, or the elites and cucks. By and large, be cool with them, and they want to be cool with you. It is a service, and they can get shot doing it for other people.
There is scary stuff out there though, and there should be some law against gathering intel on anyone who isn’t involved in crime, or actively targeting non-criminals for harassment. That is wrong, on a lot of levels, and there are a lot of people out there under the stress of the microscope for apparently no reason.
they like to stop medium priced cars, because they know that crappy cars are driven probably by people that have no money and luxury cars are driven by rich people that have top lawyers....not going to get much money out of either group and its a hassle every time....
but those ford tauruses, those camrys'....driven by law abiding people of normal means who will be obedient and compliant...
We have no ‘local cops’ and the contracts with the county Sheriff and State Police don’t provide coverage from 2330 until 0600. They don’t act on information the locals provide anyway, so some take matters into their own hands - just like their parents and grandparents did. Strange how that drug dealer’s house just burned to the ground; nope, didn’t hear a thing. Sure, we’ll let you know if we have any information.
There are exceptions to the rule. But this is the rule.
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