By Carlos Miller
While Youtube has done a good job on weeding out abusive cops, Facebook is doing its part by weeding out cops who are, well, no different than many of us.
The latest incident occurred in Alabama where a “concerned citizen” was upset that an off-duty deputy attending a Halloween party had allowed a couple of women on his squad car to be photographed in “suggestive poses.”
The photos ended up on Facebook where this concerned citizen came across them and became so outraged that he or she sent the photos to Alabama Governor Bob Riley as well as to several high-ranking officials within the Madison County Sheriff’s Department not to mention a couple of county commissioners.
The deputy, whose name has not been released, was immediately placed on administrative leave. It is not clear if the concerned citizen was Facebook friends with this deputy, but somebody deserves to be defriended.
Earlier this year, two cops in Washington lost their jobs over photos and content they placed on Facebook and on a blog.
Meanwhile, when an officer in Idaho was caught on tape sodomizing a man with a Taser gun, he was simply advised that he needed more training. Talk about discrepancy. That victim, however, is now suing.
Now I’m all for holding police officers accountable for their actions, but I also understand that they are human. Perhaps people in Alabama are a tad bit conservative but I don’t see what all the fuss is about in this case.
Anybody who is friends with me on Facebook knows that I post the occasional “suggestive pose” photo. Actually, I keep those to myself because they always lead to trouble, but every once in a while, one may slip through (thankfully, nobody has complained to the governor yet).
While the WHNT News reporters were able to find other citizens who were just as concerned about these photos, most of the people leaving comments in the article appear to side with the deputy. Perhaps they are from out of state.
Initially, the photos were so dark I could barely make them out. I had to lighten them in Photoshop to be able to make sense of them.
I really don’t understand why their faces are blacked out. If the news station is going to make an issue over this, then they should go all the way.
But I really don’t see anything troubling in the photos. Maybe it’s the photographer in me, but I always tend to defend cops in this position as I did a couple of months ago with the incident in Louisiana.
Or maybe it’s just the fact that I enjoy seeing photos of women in suggestive poses.
Popularity: 6% [?]
Related posts:
Support Photography is Not a Crime by buying your electronics through this ad.
Fernandez, as I mentioned in a 
Where’s the line between letting kids pose with the car or in the car and ’suggestive’ posing? If the cop allowed it and it in no way interfered with his duties then I see absolutely no problems with this. I think this is good PR for the police. Hanging with ‘regular’ people in the community.
Who do these pictures hurt? Is the cop abusing his authority? More than likely no one and no.
Carlos you said it, tase someone in the ass and nothing happens, take some ‘fun’ pictures and get suspended/fired/tased in the ass.
I’m truly sick of the disparity in so-called justice and the holier than thou attitudes that pervade our society.
I don’t think the issue is the photos, per se. The issue is that he’s using county property, and defaming the county sheriff’s office, by involving them in the photos.
If it had simply been an off-duty officer (out of uniform, as he is in these photos), I don’t think there’d be a big stink about it.
You bring up an excellent point concerning the colossal disparity between this situation and the incident with the cop putting a Taser in a guy’s ass and on his testicles.
Example –
If a soldier out here did something like that and the word got out (YouTube, Facebook, whatever) the public would be crying out for his balls on a platter for torture and inhumane treatment of prisoners of war etc. But when a “Police Officer” does something similar, its business as usual with the usual excuses; qualified immunity, administrative leave with pay, “the officer just needs more training”). No investigation, no public inquiry (or outrage), no congressional hearings, no justice. Just an overpaid thug with a badge and a powerful union to cover his sorry ass.
Concerning the above article – Hell it shows he’s just as human and likes to have a little fun like the rest of us. Whoever turned him in needs to get a life and out of everybody elses.
Just a minor lapse in judgment that is easily corrected.
These idiots are not just like you and I, they have the authority to take away your freedom and even your very life. Holier than thou’s aside, given the fact that cops have a history of sodomizing people with broomsticks and now Taser guns, is it really a good idea to have them comfortable photographing folks with their backsides in the air? The fact is that cops seem to have a problem keeping it in their pants and following even basic social norms. If you give them an inch, they’ll take a mile. So why encourage them?
Once he involved the cop car, he’s acting as a cop to some degree. So maybe everybody was just having a good time here, but what about next time little piggy is bored and needs a laugh? It’s disappointing that some here don’t see the potential danger of piggy crossing the wires and combining his appetite and police work. Case in point, this little predator with a badge: Newly obtained documents reveal a former Scottsdale police officer may have illegally strip searched as many as 20 Valley women during his two years on the force.
Chong Kim resigned in June 2008 amid allegations he threatened to arrest and jail a 19-year-old woman unless she stripped and showed him her private areas.
When that complaint was made public, Scottsdale police admitted they had received a similar complaint against Kim in 2007. Internal Affairs investigated that complaint and exonerated Kim based on a lack of evidence.
In a summary of the internal affairs report from 2008, investigators noted that Kim admitted lying to them when first confronted with the accusations.
Kim then told investigators he coerced both of his accusers to show him their breasts and undergarments or face going to jail, the report said.
Kim also said that he searched females inappropriately an estimated 15 to 20 times during his approximately two years as a police officer, the report said.
In one instance, Kim admitted to using his tactics on a 16-year-old girl involved in a family fight, according to the report.
In another situation, Kim described how he pulled over a couple in a car, the report said. Kim told investigators he put the driver’s wife in the back of his patrol car for the sole purpose of getting her to expose herself to him, the report said.
Scottsdale police said they looked into Kim’s confessions but were unable to locate any additional victims.
A police spokesman said the department also investigated possible criminal charges against Kim, but determine he did not violate any state laws.
“Clearly this was an officer who was going way beyond his job description,” said Ulises Ferragut, a defense attorney who has been involved in similar cases.
The Maricopa County Attorney’s office confirmed a case against Kim was never sent to their office. Public records obtained Tuesday show Kim was placed on the Brady List — a list of officers with credibility issues.
Scottsdale police confirmed they turned the investigation over to the FBI. The U. S. Department of Justice’s civil rights division confirmed it has an open criminal investigation into this case.
Last week, the Scottsdale city council approved a $315,000 payout to settle a civil lawsuit filed by the 19-year-old victim from June 2008.
http://www.kpho.com/news/21705177/detail.html
Sara,
I am familiar with the Scottsdale story.
I just don’t see a connection between what is happening here to what happened in that case.
These photos show a willingness from the women to pose on the car. Nobody is accusing the cop of using his authority to make them do these things.
They are probably his friends.
All I see is this cop horsing around at a Halloween party.
The Scottsdale cop is a criminal sexual offender.
I know, it only looks unprofessional because he brought city property into the picture. The connection is though, when dealing with cops it’s always a slippery slope. They seem to have a problem knowing where the line is. History has proven that we can’t trust them and should always question their motives. Why bring the pigmobile to the party in the first place? He’s off duty so why not take his own car? He probably brought it because the pigmobile represents his power and authority. A little reminder to all that he’s a cop 24/7, even at some stupid party. He can run red lights in it, and he can lie, handcuff you and throw you in the back for any number of things, including contempt of cop. I think it *might be* telling that he wanted pics of the women submitting provocatively on top of “his” police car. Sure I could be reading too much into this but the predominant theory is that sex crimes are more about power and control then lust. Not surprising since we know far too many cops “get off”, both literally and figuratively**, on their authority over others. So I don’t think we should take any unprofessional behavior from them lightly. One thing’s for sure, he’s not very bright if he couldn’t forsee that this would get him into trouble. And another thing. This doesn’t look like a sober Halloween party. A hundred bucks says mr. “above the law” piggy drove home drunk.
**the cases of officer-involved sexual misconduct tracked in the first 4 days of November includes:
A Calcasieu Parish Louisiana deputy was fired after he was charged with sexual battery and forcible rape of a juvenile, no other details were released pending an ongoing investigation.
An Adams Mass. police officer was arrested for viewing child pornography on a government computer in the department’s evidence room.
An Alabama State trooper has been indicted for allegedly sexually abusing female passenger of a car belonging to the person driving her home was arrested on outstanding warrants. The officer drove her down a dirt road and began to molest her, though he claims it was consensual.
An Ocoee Florida police officer with an apparent penchant for spanking women who was recently sentenced to probation for pulling pants off an unwilling victim and spanking her a dozen times is now seeking to cut that probation short early.
A Jefferson Parish Louisiana deputy was arrested on rape charges for allegedly forcing a woman to perform an unspecified sexual act on him under threat of being jailed after a traffic stop arrest.
A Grand Haven Michigan police officer was sentenced to 60 days in jail and a $645 fine for demanding oral sex from at least 2 women under threat of arrest.
A Saint Charles Missouri deputy was sentenced to probation in a plea deal over charges that he solicited sex from a female DUI suspect in exchange for looking the other way over drug charges.
A Rock County Wisconsin deputy was arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting an 18-year-old girl at Halloween party where a number of teens had been drinking alcohol.
A Tuskegee University Alabama police officer has been indicted for conspircy to commit rape and a count of conspiracy to commit sodomy of a 15-year-old girl who was allegedly raped by a second officer who was arrested a few weeks previous.
A Winters California police officer was arrested at work on charges of lewd acts with a child for allegedly molesting a 14 or 15-year-old child.
Hanover Township New Jersey police are facing a lawsuit filed on behalf of a teenager claiming that police were aware that one of their officers was molesting her since he had bragged about doing it to other officers until his wife found out about it.
A Harlingen Texas police officer has been suspended while under investigation over allegations that he sexually assaulted a teenage girl in a low-income housing project several times.
An FBI agent in West Virginia has plead guilty to pointing surveilance cameras at dressing rooms that were used by young girls at pageant, taping at least one of the girls without a top on.
An Ex-Rawlins Wyoming police officer is now a wanted fugitive for allegedly sexually assaulting juveniles while he was a cop… The police say they don’t consider him a threat to the public at this time.
http://www.injusticeeverywhere.com/?p=1279
Wow, here I am in a debate where I am defending the cop.
Johnny Law, I hope you’re watching.
For all we know, this party took place at the deputy’s house, so maybe the car just happened to be there.
I still don’t see the connection between this incident and all those sex crimes you listed.
All we’re seeing here is photos of people having fun.
The whole point of this blog is to prove that photography is not as dangerous as some people like to believe.
Cops have as much right to take pictures as we do.
Perhaps it was unprofessional for him to allow the squad car to be used as a prop, but I am not about to start calling him a sexual offender because of it.
Nobody and no thing is getting hurt in any way… I mean what, are they afraid the paint on the car would get scratched?
Is this an example of our society beliefs and taboos? Sex is dirty and bad, so posing a pretty woman in a provocative way is a fireable offense. However violence is OK, and tasering, beating and abusing suspects is usually dismissed as necessary force or the suspect “Had it coming”.
Just look at the movies. It is OK to show violence, people being shot, murdered etc., and a movie will likely get a PG rating. But, show some nudity, or sex and it becomes PG-13, R or NC-17.
Just a point to ponder.
Charles
He shouldn’t have involved the car. But I really don’t care about this picture.
Carlos, I’m impressed. Of course you have always been consistent on issues regarding photography.
I agree that the pictures were off-duty and didn’t hurt anyone so what’s the big deal?
It looks like Sarah wants his head on a platter for it though. Talk about a hater, geez.