Would it be ok for me to put up LEO's addresses, photos and drivers license numbers on the internet?

www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/14218941.htm

SOUTH FLORIDA
Police strike back at television reporter
A Broward police union put personal information on the Web about a reporter for a South Florida television station after he produced a piece called `Police Station Intimidation.'
BY JENNIFER LEBOVICH
[email protected]
The personal information of an investigative reporter was posted prominently on a South Florida police union's website after a local television station aired a report about how police in Broward and Miami-Dade counties deal with the public.

The address, date of birth and driver's license number of WFOR CBS-4 reporter Mike Kirsch was posted as a BOLO -- or ''be on the lookout'' -- on the website of the Broward County Police Benevolent Association.

BOLOs typically are issued by police departments when officers are looking for criminals or missing persons.

The BOLO reads: ``Channel 4 News is doing a series on the complaint process at police departments in Dade and Broward. They are setting up officers and instigating confrontations, then filing complaints with the various agencies.''

Kirsch first learned about the BOLO from a colleague who saw the flier in a stack of BOLOs at a local police station. New Times reporter Jeff Stratton wrote about the BOLO last week.

Kirsch's personal information was removed from the website after a letter from the television station's lawyer. Kirsch's photo is now on the site.

Alan Rosenthal, an attorney for CBS-4, a Miami Herald news partner, demanded that the union remove the BOLO, calling it false and a violation of Florida and federal law that prohibits the disclosure of ``personal identifying information contained in motor vehicle records.''

`GOING TO WAR'

The reporter said the posting had concerned him and his family.

''I told my wife about it,'' Kirsch said. 'She's from Bosnia. She said, `It sounds like the cops are going to war with you, and you need to be careful.' ''

Kirsch said the BOLO ''reminded me this is an intimidation effect,'' he said. ``It might have a chilling effect on any news media establishment from doing their jobs and questioning the system and government. It's just disappointing.''

Lucy Dalglish, executive director of The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press in Arlington, Va., said the BOLO ``absolutely is an attempt to intimidate. And it's abusive and downright stupid.''

In its hidden-camera investigation, conducted with a national watchdog group called The Police Complaint Center, one person visited 38 agencies in Broward and Miami-Dade to ask about getting a form to file a complaint against an officer.

Only three of the police departments had such forms: Florida City, Homestead and Miami, according to CBS-4.

The forms are not required by law, though they are recommended by the International Association of Chiefs of Police.

Kirsch noted that at many departments, police were courteous and professional, but in others they weren't.

CHANGES AT BSO

After the piece, at least one agency pledged to reexamine the process for filing complaints. The Broward Sheriff's Office has made a ''Public Compliment/Complaint Form'' available in the lobby of BSO stations.

BSO allows a person to file an anonymous complaint and provides many ways a person's form can be returned, including sending it to BSO internal affairs.

In another part of the investigation to check on racial profiling claims, a white man and a black man were given the same red Mustang to drive in the same areas of Broward. According to WFOR's findings, the white man was never pulled over, and the black man was ''almost immediately pulled over'' by a Broward Sheriff's Office deputy on Oakland Park Boulevard.

WEBSITE WARNING

Shortly after the investigation first aired in February, Broward PBA President Dick Brickman posted the BOLO on the union's website.

The BOLO also includes information about Gregory Slate of Baltimore, who works for The Police Complaint Center, including his cellphone number.

''I put the information out so our members if they come across any of these people, they should be aware these people they're talking to probably have you on camera,'' Brickman said. ``They're trying to set you up to aggravate you so you'll make a mistake.''

Brickman said the report should have looked into whether complaints about officers are investigated, not whether there is a form.

Of the racial profiling test, the BOLO states: ``Here's how it works: A white male in a red Mustang convertible will speed down the road. Later, the same car, this time with a black male driving, will appear in the same area driving slowly. If the car is pulled over by the police, the occupant will become hostile and accuse the officer of profiling, trying to pick a fight. If the officer responds negatively, a complaint is filed with his/her department.''

The BOLO warns that the CBS-4 team ''is back out on the street'' for a follow-up story planned in May.

But Rosenthal, the CBS-4 attorney, wrote that the union ``is not distributing the BOLO to carry out any legitimate law enforcement function, but rather for the sole purpose of harassing and intimidating Mr. Kirsch, Mr. Slate and CBS 4 in an effort to prevent them from investigating and reporting on a matter of public concern.''

Slate filed an internal affairs complaint with the Hollywood Police Department, alleging one of the officers used the National Crime Information Center to provide Brickman with his driver's license number.

Diop Kamau, executive director of The Police Complaint Center, who also is a retired Los Angeles police sergeant, said it's ``inappropriate for police to be crossing back and forth over the line that is the private behavior of police unions and the public behavior of officers.''

HOLLYWOOD PROBE

Hollywood police Lt. Richard Nardello, of the police Internal Affairs Unit, wrote, ``An investigative search through the Florida Department of Law Enforcement unequivocally concluded no one associated with the Hollywood Police Department had queried your name or driver's license number.''

Nardello found the complaint to be unfounded.

John Rivera, the Miami-Dade Police Benevolent Association president, declined to comment about the Broward union's BOLO.

Of the CBS-4 series, Rivera said: ``It was such a joke that we ignored it.''

They should not have posted his personal info. That was totally wrong.


But he now knows the process to file a complaint.

Well that was stupid.  They just kind of proved his point for him...

Nothing wrong with indivduals putting up the personal information of bad police officers online for all to see right?

Liberal organizations (and liberal reporters)do it to police all the time.  Happened to me after my shoot.  Had the bastards here broadcast a pic of an officer's house, car, and wife.

Give them a taste of their own medicine.

Two wrongs...

in before the police apologists.

shitbags with badges.

Quoted: in before the police apologists. shitbags with badges.

The usually offender beat you to it.

Quoted: in before the police apologists. shitbags with badges.

For once it looks like I beat out the shitbag dopers.

That was stupid, talk about being your own worst enemy.

Quoted: Quoted: in before the police apologists. shitbags with badges. The usually offender beat you to it.

why am I not suprised . cops can do no wrong to JIA.
He's as bad as the priests that looked the other way for the molesters and their handlers .

SOP from law enforcement anymore too though. intimidation BS
the new MOB.

Just another pissing contest between the news and cops.
I hope they both piss on each other... they both deserve it.

Quoted: The Police should be above such a petty tactic.  This is highly unprofessional. Even if the reporter deserved it, it is still a small minded and unprofessional move on the unions part.

But you agree its unprofessional and petty when the media does the same thing, like pointed out in Johninaustin's post?

Quoted: Quoted: The Police should be above such a petty tactic.  This is highly unprofessional. Even if the reporter deserved it, it is still a small minded and unprofessional move on the unions part. But you agree its unprofessional and petty when the media does the same thing, like pointed out in Johninaustin's post?

I have lived in south florida, and I can understand fully how hard it is to file a complaint. The reporter was exposing the truth. That isnt necessarily petty.

Just like the ATF has no oversight, maybe the police need a little bit too.

I dont have a problem with the PBA posting his name and photo on their site if they choose to do so.  When it comes to his personal info, that should be left out.

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: in before the police apologists. shitbags with badges. The usually offender beat you to it. why am I not suprised . cops can do no wrong to JIA. He's as bad as the priests that looked the other way for the molesters and their handlers . SOP from law enforcement anymore too though. intimidation BS the new MOB.

Now, you  know that's not true, as has been repeatedly been pointed out to you in the past.  Maybe you should take a break from the board and fire up the  bong.

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: in before the police apologists. shitbags with badges. The usually offender beat you to it. why am I not suprised . cops can do no wrong to JIA. He's as bad as the priests that looked the other way for the molesters and their handlers . SOP from law enforcement anymore too though. intimidation BS the new MOB. Now, you  know that's not true, as has been repeatedly been pointed out to you in the past.  Maybe you should take a break from the board and fire up the bong.

 
SOP as I said.

.

First one needs to wonder why anybody is surprised that the south Florida PDs are less than professional?

You get the quality of Law Enforcement you are willing to pay for and the City is willing to accept.  Maybe if you are really lucky you get better than you pay for in many of your officers.

Why use the cover of public authority to take punatitve reltalitory measures?

Because its a huge perk of being a cop?

I smoke tons of dope AND i love the cops!!!!!




Did i just say that? Am i  typing this now as i think about it? Crap better talk to the doc his new Geodon meds are not working for me too good. (or is it well?) Hey did you know Fart spelled backwards is traf? Whoa kinda wierd huh?

Quoted: But Rosenthal, the CBS-4 attorney, wrote that the union ``is not distributing the BOLO to carry out any legitimate law enforcement function, but rather for the sole purpose of harassing and intimidating Mr. Kirsch, Mr. Slate and CBS 4 in an effort to prevent them from investigating and reporting on a matter of public concern.''

And the media is not trying to harass the police?  Give me fucking break.  

I can guarantee that anyone arrested here for a purported gun crime will have their name plastered across the front pages and portrayed as a child rapist.  

With all the things in life to worry over, a pissing match between cops and reporters isn't making my attention meter so much as twitch past responding here.

What the police did was childish and unprofessional, but it couldn't have happened to a nicer guy.  I saw those reports, and the reporter was DEFINATELY the provacature, selling his version of a Jerry Springer episode as "public" news we all just had to know.  He's a dick, end of discussion.

But that doesn't excuse childish retaliation from a department we expect professionalism and courtesy from.

Sounds like two peas in a pod to me.  Lie down with pigs, get up with mud.  

And NO, I'm nat calling the police pigs - I hate that use of the word.  I'm just using the old analogy to describe what happens when two idiots get together.    

Quoted: Give them a taste of their own medicine.

+1


When I had my burglar shooting, they plastered pics of my house all over the GD tv news! I didn't ask for that shit, I was IN MY OWN FUCKING BED!!!!!!  

I HATE media scum!   (redundant)    

Broward county. Not surprised at all.

The Broward County Sherrif's office is run by Ken Jenne - the asshole who did the CBS News piece on "assault weapons" back in May of 2003 where he demonstrated that the guns that would be "returing to the street" were full-auto and capable of penetrating cement blocks, while the "legal" firearms were semi-auto only, and couldn't hurt a fly.  Since then he's been investigated for faking crime statistics in order to make it look like he's doing a better job than he is, and he's being investigated for directing contract money to his personal friends.  The local news outlets have taken to calling him "Teflon Ken."

He's apparently as corrupt as they come, and he's corrupted the entire department.

 Does anyone have a link to the video ? I saw it last night and the reporter is not lying. At one point an Officer tells him as he is un-snapping his holster, "Take one more step closer and see what happens".


Here it is !

typical cops.

above the law and above us citizens.

intimidation and threats. fucking shitbags.

naaaaaa, no blue wall there.

the news station was definately trying to stir up shit in the first place, but the po-po was way out of line.

Quoted: the news station was definately trying to stir up shit in the first place, but the po-po was way out of line.

While I hate the news media with a white hot passion in general, I would disagree with your statement.

It was pretty clear that the reporter was spot on this subject. Watch the report if you haven't seen it. I'd like to think if I needed to make a complaint, I wouldn't have to put up with that bullshit.

Quoted: the news station was definately trying to stir up shit in the first place, but the po-po was way out of line.

 I must have missed that part... what part of "do you have a complaint form ?" was stirring up shit ?
  That could have been you or me walking in there. Would it be called stirring up shit then ? What if it was "THAT" police officer you wanted to complain about ? Would you want to tell him to his face he did something wrong. I don't think so.
 Out of all the police stations he went to to do this it was not hard to find the JBT's. I don't think he did anything that me or you would not have done if we had a complaint.

Quoted: the news station was definately trying to stir up shit in the first place, but the po-po was way out of line.

what fucking video were you watching? the reporter wasn't stirring anything, he had a simple request and hit the blue wall.

The whole deal was a set up to begin with.

They knew ahead of time not all departments have police misconduct complaint forms.

My department has a complaint form. Guess what? It's the same form we use for ALL complaints.

Quoted: The whole deal was a set up to begin with. They knew ahead of time not all departments have police misconduct complaint forms. My department has a complaint form. Guess what? It's the same form we use for ALL complaints.

might have been a set up to see if they had forms, but in no way shape or form was the way he was treated right.
if as you say they have forms that are a catch all, then it should have been pretty damn simple to hand him one and send him out the door.
instead he was asked if he had mental problems, on medication, come towards me one more time as the unbuttoned the snap on his holster, where he lived, etc,etc,etc.
are you honestly defending this practice by the cops?

Quoted: Quoted: typical cops. above the law and above us citizens. intimidation and threats. fucking shitbags. naaaaaa, no blue wall there.

LMG, you're a cop.

Quoted: Quoted: The whole deal was a set up to begin with. They knew ahead of time not all departments have police misconduct complaint forms. My department has a complaint form. Guess what? It's the same form we use for ALL complaints. might have been a set up to see if they had forms, but in no way shape or form was the way he was treated right. if as you say they have forms that are a catch all, then it should have been pretty damn simple to hand him one and send him out the door. instead he was asked if he had mental problems, on medication, come towards me one more time as the unbuttoned the snap on his holster, where he lived, etc,etc,etc. are you honestly defending this practice by the cops?

I/O Reports are filled out by an officer. Not something you hand to a person and bring it back later.

Quoted: I/O Reports are filled out by an officer. Not something you hand to a person and bring it back later.

Well, that makes no sense
What if the officer that fills out the form is the one you want to complaint about?
Even in my small corporate world customer complaints are not handled by the customer service or the sales department but by the accounting/auditing department.

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: The whole deal was a set up to begin with. They knew ahead of time not all departments have police misconduct complaint forms. My department has a complaint form. Guess what? It's the same form we use for ALL complaints. might have been a set up to see if they had forms, but in no way shape or form was the way he was treated right. if as you say they have forms that are a catch all, then it should have been pretty damn simple to hand him one and send him out the door. instead he was asked if he had mental problems, on medication, come towards me one more time as the unbuttoned the snap on his holster, where he lived, etc,etc,etc. are you honestly defending this practice by the cops? I/O Reports are filled out by an officer. Not something you hand to a person and bring it back later.

I/O?

I'd persoanly hate to have to give my complaint to one of those shitbags in the video, hell one was ready to shoot the reporter for just asking for a form.

Quoted: Quoted: I/O Reports are filled out by an officer. Not something you hand to a person and bring it back later. Well, that makes no sense What if the officer that fills out the form is the one you want to complaint about? Even in my small corporate world customer complaints are not handled by the customer service or the sales department but by the accounting/auditing department.

Then you ask for his/her supervisor.

Actually it makes lot's of sense. It's the same form and process you use for all complaints, whether it be against your neighbor or a cop. They all are assigned a case number and investigated.

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: The whole deal was a set up to begin with. They knew ahead of time not all departments have police misconduct complaint forms. My department has a complaint form. Guess what? It's the same form we use for ALL complaints. might have been a set up to see if they had forms, but in no way shape or form was the way he was treated right. if as you say they have forms that are a catch all, then it should have been pretty damn simple to hand him one and send him out the door. instead he was asked if he had mental problems, on medication, come towards me one more time as the unbuttoned the snap on his holster, where he lived, etc,etc,etc. are you honestly defending this practice by the cops? I/O Reports are filled out by an officer. Not something you hand to a person and bring it back later. I/O? I'd persoanly hate to have to give my complaint to one of those shitbags in the video, hell one was ready to shoot the reporter for just asking for a form.

Incident/Offense Report

I doubt very seriously he was going to shoot anybody over a complaint form.

Quoted: Quoted: I/O Reports are filled out by an officer. Not something you hand to a person and bring it back later. Well, that makes no sense What if the officer that fills out the form is the one you want to complaint about? Even in my small corporate world customer complaints are not handled by the customer service or the sales department but by the accounting/auditing department.

Complaints in your small corporate world are not used as the basis for charging someone with state or federal crimes.

A police "complaint form" is actually a sworn affidavit alledging specific illegal conduct. As for the "nasty old police officer wrote me a ticket" complaints, compose a letter.

Quoted: The whole deal was a set up to begin with. They knew ahead of time not all departments have police misconduct complaint forms. My department has a complaint form. Guess what? It's the same form we use for ALL complaints.

set up huh?

OK, how does it feel to have your own tactics used against you?

Cops do it on a daily basis if not hourly in the 2006 climate, should you be above the sting as well?

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: The whole deal was a set up to begin with. They knew ahead of time not all departments have police misconduct complaint forms. My department has a complaint form. Guess what? It's the same form we use for ALL complaints. might have been a set up to see if they had forms, but in no way shape or form was the way he was treated right. if as you say they have forms that are a catch all, then it should have been pretty damn simple to hand him one and send him out the door. instead he was asked if he had mental problems, on medication, come towards me one more time as the unbuttoned the snap on his holster, where he lived, etc,etc,etc. are you honestly defending this practice by the cops? I/O Reports are filled out by an officer. Not something you hand to a person and bring it back later. I/O? I'd persoanly hate to have to give my complaint to one of those shitbags in the video, hell one was ready to shoot the reporter for just asking for a form. Incident/Offense Report I doubt very seriously he was going to shoot anybody over a complaint form.

I gotcha


I doubt very seriously the reporter doubted it for a second after he unsnapped the holster he would be shot. I certainly would have taken it as a threat to my life .
intimidation of a complaintant? sure as hell appeared that way to me.

If I ever have the need to file a complaint against an officer, it will be my attorney doing the paperwork.

Quoted: Quoted: The whole deal was a set up to begin with. They knew ahead of time not all departments have police misconduct complaint forms. My department has a complaint form. Guess what? It's the same form we use for ALL complaints. set up huh? OK, how does it feel to have your own tactics used against you? Cops do it on a daily basis if not hourly in the 2006 climate, should you be above the sting as well?

That's why I found it humorous.

I don't fall for such tactics.

I use to love it when someone said they were going to complain on me. I would hand them my card and tell them to make sure they spelled my name right.

Quoted: Liberal organizations (and liberal reporters)do it to police all the time.  Happened to me after my shoot.  Had the bastards here broadcast a pic of an officer's house, car, and wife. Give them a taste of their own medicine.

Pics have personal info attached?

In todays society, putting someones personal info on a public site is akin to assault IMO.  that info can be used digitally in many ways to fuck your life away financially, personally, etc.  He should sue the fucking asshole out of the dept, PBA, and the web host for the site.  As well as file a criminal complaint at the state level.

Quoted: The whole deal was a set up to begin with. They knew ahead of time not all departments have police misconduct complaint forms. My department has a complaint form. Guess what? It's the same form we use for ALL complaints.

Right, it was a setup to learn about Police Complaint Forms...

What is in question wasn't just the fact that they didn't have the forms....
It was how the cops acted when they didn't know they were being videotaped (which is the same thing that a lof of people have experienced from cops).

The problem with LE in Florida (and around the country) is one of quality.
As has been shown innumerable times, coppery tends to draw lukewarm IQ dolts to begin with. The problem in Florida is that the standards for becoming a cope are are so low, the mouth breathing retards who are drawn to the profession to are notably uneducated to boot... They're like poorly trained monkeys with badges.
A few months in the Community College police academy and they're good to go and granted the authority that's native to police work?
Give me a break...

This is immensely problematic as the vetting process required to be a cop in Florida in no way correlates to the magnitude of the job. Giving someone with a 98 IQ who can’t write a citation without his lips moving the authority to completely fuck someone’s life is not right.

Police Work should be like it is in Europe; a professional career that requires a lot of education and is high paying. While I’m sure most all present-day cops agree with the “high paying” part, most all present day cops that I’ve seen would have been weeded out during the “lots of education” part.

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: I/O Reports are filled out by an officer. Not something you hand to a person and bring it back later. Well, that makes no sense What if the officer that fills out the form is the one you want to complaint about? Even in my small corporate world customer complaints are not handled by the customer service or the sales department but by the accounting/auditing department. Complaints in your small corporate world are not used as the basis for charging someone with state or federal crimes. A police "complaint form" is actually a sworn affidavit alledging specific illegal conduct. As for the "nasty old police officer wrote me a ticket" complaints, compose a letter.

That's why I like the I/O Report. It is a true legal document. The same document that will be used later on when the complaint is found to be false. Comes in real handy for that Filing a False Report charge.

Of which, I have personally participated in the investigation and arrest of 3 persons for filing false police claims.