The new court documents describe a second incident involving a 19-year-old woman who was in a DUI crash in Livermore on Aug. 7. On Harrington’s phone, Holcombe located two photos of that DUI suspect in a bikini accompanied by a text message from the day of the arrest from Harrington to Hazelwood: “Taken from the phone of my 10-15x while she’s in X-rays. Enjoy buddy!!!”
A “10-15x” is CHP code for a woman in custody. The woman may have been at a hospital to have X-rays taken after the crash.
Hazelwood replies: “No f—— nudes?”
– From the San Jose Mercury News article: CHP officer says stealing nude photos from female arrestees ‘game’ for cops
The worst thing about the government’s reckless response to the financial crisis of 2008, even worse than the trillions in taxpayer bailouts and backstops granted to the financial criminals that created the disaster, is the primary lesson that it sent to American society as a whole. Some people like to call it “moral hazard,” but in more pedestrian terms it really just boils down to: The Bad Guys Got Away with It.
That statement may seem childish and simplistic to many, but it’s very true and very destructive. When people with corrupt intentions and questionable moral standards see themselves as having won the day, they become energized and more encouraged, while decent people who want to do the right thing and believe in meritocracy, become demoralized and disenfranchised. This is how a civil society dies, and unfortunately, this is largely what has happened over the past six years.
While this result can be witnessed throughout all aspects of American life, it becomes most dangerous when it takes firm hold within institutions that wield considerable authority, whether that be banks, the IRS, or police departments. While I have spent countless hours documenting the impact within all of the above (and many more), this article focuses on the latest example of the abuse of authority from a domestic police force.
The San Jose Mercury News reported the following:
The California Highway Patrol officer accused of stealing nude photos from a DUI suspect’s phone told investigators that he and his fellow officers have been trading such images for years, in a practice that stretches from its Los Angeles office to his own Dublin station, according to court documents obtained by this newspaper Friday.
CHP Officer Sean Harrington, 35, of Martinez, also confessed to stealing explicit photos from the cellphone of a second Contra Costa County DUI suspect in August and forwarding those images to at least two CHP colleagues. The five-year CHP veteran called it a “game” among officers, according to an Oct. 14 search warrant affidavit.
Yes, a “game.”
Harrington told investigators he had done the same thing to female arrestees a “half dozen times in the last several years,” according to the court records, which included leering text messages between Harrington and his Dublin CHP colleague, Officer Robert Hazelwood.
“The callousness and depravity with which these officers communicated about my client is dehumanizing, horribly offensive and degrading to all women,” he said. “It’s going to lead to another level of mistrust and skepticism to the motive of law enforcement in general.”
As this newspaper first reported earlier this week, the investigation began with a single incident: Harrington’s conduct during the Aug. 29 arrest of the San Ramon woman. The woman discovered that photos had been stolen from her phone five days after her release, when she noticed on her iPad that the photos had been sent to an unknown number. A record of the messages had been deleted from her iPhone, but the phone had been synced to the iPad.
Think about this for a moment. The officer went out of his way to cover his tracks, and it was only by chance that she discovered the privacy violation. How many other women across the country have been abused in a similar manner and didn’t happen to discover the theft?
The new court documents describe a second incident involving a 19-year-old woman who was in a DUI crash in Livermore on Aug. 7. On Harrington’s phone, Holcombe located two photos of that DUI suspect in a bikini accompanied by a text message from the day of the arrest from Harrington to Hazelwood: “Taken from the phone of my 10-15x while she’s in X-rays. Enjoy buddy!!!”
A “10-15x” is CHP code for a woman in custody. The woman may have been at a hospital to have X-rays taken after the crash.
Hazelwood replies: “No f—— nudes?”
While there will always be bad people abusing authority within any society, the worst part about this incident is the fact that the cops are likely to barely receive any punishment at all despite the fact the “behavior constitutes felony computer theft” according to the Contra Costa district attorney’s affidavit.
In contrast, if it was a child prodigy who was trying to do some good for society, like Aaron Swartz, he would be hunted down like a rabid dog and threatened with a century in jail until he committed suicide. As a society, we are incentivizing evil, theft and corruption, while criminalizing honor, civil disobedience and decency.
R.I.P.
For related articles see:
Land of the Free – 1 in 3 Americans Are on File with the FBI in the U.S. Police State
Hyper-Sensitive Illinois Mayor Orders Police Raid Over Parody Twitter Account
Lois Lerner’s Revenge: Anti-Obamacare Filmmaker is Hit with IRS Audit
Pepper Spray Cop Receives $38,000 Settlement from the University of California
In Liberty,
Michael Krieger
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The moral of this story is don’t take naked photos of yourself or let anyone else do so!!! What the officers did is wrong but they could not have fired the gun if these women did not give them the bullets to fire. At the end of the ay we know that our privacy is being impinged upon so it would only make sense to be a little more discerning.
Even having a cell phone is stupid, not to mention taking naked selfies or sending such videos of oneself into the ether.
Remember your cell phone at all times records or rather relays your location, the speed at which you are driving, what is said to others in personal conversations and of course, all your telephonic conversations and texts and personal contact information to the State.
And people thought the government would have to implant a chip on every person! Ha.
I notice that over in Texas (the dismal State—oops—all states have similar problems) a police sergeant was taken by the Feds for having kiddie porn
http://www.myfoxdfw.com/story/19777816/grapevine-officer-arrested-for-child-porn
Judging from his demeanor, can you imagine the terror of motorists he pulled over and harassed for a period of years? Sorry, but this occupation does attract the bottom of the morality barrel.
I think the true “moral” (a clever play on words, actually) here, is the lesson learned from not protecting your consent. From cradle to grave we are consenting ignoramuses. Public school graduates are absolute failures in life, unless they re-educate themselves.
BTW, Great connection to Aaron Swartz at the end.
I think what we need is a justice strike. The citizen of this country should pledge if ever on a jury in a trial of a fellow proletariat, never convict. Let them all go until truth and justice is returned.
These problems started decades ago when the basic moral structures of this nation have been pulled down bit by bit.
when these morals are ignored it is a short time before what was behind closed doors is out and becomes the norm.
Our founders were correct; This nation and CONSTITUTION was made for a holy and CHRISTIAN moral people. It is wholly inadiquite for any other.
for all my years I do not see anyway we are going to change this moral degenerate nation ..
God gave them over to a reprobate mind doing all types of evil, and unless they repent and go to the ways that work, we are to let them be. They will get their rewards./.. If we were to change this it would take another flood to cleanse the evil off this planet, and I do not see this occurring period……
I had no idea you needed to be Christian in order to understand and embrace concepts of morality, decency, civil rights and justice. Considering I am not a Christian I may as well go ahead and give up!
The irony of your comment is that you are part of the problem and don’t even get it. Sad.
P.S. Michael: I believe that I found your website from
Steve Quayle’s site. He just happens to be a conservative
Christian. If it weren’t for that “Christian” I would not have found your website, so there goes. Just some food for thought.
Michael: I have a feeling that you KNOW your post will get a fury response.
So, here it goes. First, if you even think about giving up, you will be labeled a coward or even worse. Possibly someone from the government creating a website to see all the” conservative nuts” that they can target. However, I hope and don’t think this is the case, but you never know. As far as you not being a Christian, no, you don’t have to be a Christian to embrace concepts of morality, decency, civil rights and justice. There is a show on the TCT
network (Total Christian Television) and they have a show called
ANCIENT JEWISH WISDOM The hosts are Rabbi Daniel Lapin and his wife Susan Lapin. They are not messianic jews. They are orthodox jews. I have learned so much from their show. They have a website. Check it out.
MIchael: You have to realize that you are going to get responses from probably and mostly conservative individuals. They just happen to be Christians and jews, but I am not privy to the demographics. For you to say that a Christian is “part of the problem and don’t even get it. Sad” is kind of surprising to me. I give you a lot of credit for this: You don’t seem to be censoring anyone, so you are the creator of this website. Please don’t scream at me too, but that might not be advisable. But, then again this very catholic Scottish/Irish wee lil lassie die have a lot to say ay? Mag
A couple of things here Maggie.
1) When I mentioned giving up that was total sarcasm, sorry if that was lost on you.
2) I never said that being a problem had anything to do with Christianity, I was saying that the implication that Christianity = morality = Constitutional principals more so than people of different faiths is divisive, childish and arrogant.
3) The people that read this site come from all walks of life, Jews, Christians, Muslims, atheists. This site isn’t about religious tribes, it is about ideas and that’s the way I want to keep it.
My sweeping point is that it is indeed sad for any adult to be so arrogant and self-righteous to think that their religion is on some sort of pedestal when it comes to morality. I don’t care whether it is religion or something else that makes you a good person, the important thing is that you are a moral person.
Congrats on your Christianity. If it makes you a better person that’s fantastic, just understand other people can be just as good and decent as you without believing in your religious dogma.
People of true Christian values have played an extremely important role in matters of morality throughout American history, from abolition to the present day. Alternatively, plenty of people who have claimed to be Christian have done horrible things.
“Ye shall know them by their fruits”
Labels are childish and irrelevant. I don’t care how you or anyone else identifies themselves publicly. I care about your ideas and your deeds.
Good article Michael. It’s paramount that everyone knows their rights. If you don’t, you have none – and they know it.
It’s unlawful for cops to search your phone without a search warrant or at least probable cause, which should already have a paper trail before they get the phone. It’s the same as barging into your home without a warrant or consent.
“Officer, are you relying on presumptive guilt or do you have a warrant or probable cause?”.
What Chris said above is correct but doesn’t explain much.
Although I’m in Australia, I’m aware this country and many others are of common law jurisdiction (search wiki: common law countries), including the U.S.
Common law is a set of ancient (well, many hundreds of years old) principles that more or less began with the Magna Carta of England in 1215, which were eventually included in the English Bill of Rights in 1688.
It’s common law that is the Law of the Land, where statute is Law of the Sea (Maritime/Admiralty law – made by politicians), inapplicable on land, which requires your individual consent to allow it jurisdiction over you.
Unfortunately many don’t know this, which is why they freely hand over their phones and submit whatever the cops want to show their innocence. What the cops are doing is fishing for indictable offences – largely anything.
“Officer, I have the right to remain silent and I’m exercising that right now”.
Most people are in jail because they couldn’t shut up. Something they said, seemingly innocuous to themselves connected them to something far bigger. Some of them are surely innocent and the cops made something of it. Cops have their own careers to embellish and therefore a good motivation to have as many arrests and guilty verdicts as possible on their records.
Shut the hell up. If you need to talk, ask them questions:
“Is this a common law country?”
“No.”
“Is that a lie?”
“No”
“Is that another one?”
“Do you require probable cause or an arrest warrant to pull me over?”
“No.”
“Is that a lie?”..
Catch them lying on cam as often as possible. If you know your rights, you know what questions to ask to entrap them, just like they know how to entrap you if you’re ignorant.
Never consent to anything. Even being asked to get out of your car will imply consent, known as an “adhesion contract”.
“Switch off the car.”
“Are you trying to contract with me? If so, I require full disclosure.”
Every time you agree to do something they ask is yet another contract, in which they’ll assume you CONSENT TO STATUTE LAW!!
Don’t do it. Never admit to anything. You are also not a “person”, which in law can also mean a corporation, which is what they want you to admit to. Don’t even give them your name. Without it they’re stumped. As per common law, you don’t have to facilitate their investigations in any way.
“What’s your name?”
“Are you enticing me to commit fraud?”
Look up “strawman”.
Note that in all law (legal) dictionaries, driver, passenger, vehicle and traffic are commercial terms. If you’re not paid to be behind the wheel, you’re strictly a “traveller” and therefore don’t require licenses, registration etc.
“Do you know why I pulled you over?”
“Are you asking if I can read your mind?”
“you were speeding back there.”
“I do not consent to anything, including statute law as I am a private man on the land, travelling in my private conveyance. I have the right to remain silent and I’m exercising that right now.”
“Can I see your licence?”
“Am I under arrest or free to go?”
“What’s your name?”
“Am I under arrest or free to go?”
“Do you have a licence?”
“Am I under arrest or free to go?”
“Step out of the car.”
“Your silence on the question of arrest is acquiescence (important legal maxim). It’s therefore clear I’m not and free to go.”
You must ask them 3 times, which is another legal thing. Remember, every stop is different and there’s no magic line to get out of it. You need to learn as much as possible and most importantly, know who you are. You are NOT owned by your de-facto government and you don’t work for them. Never call them “sir”.
Most of the time it works for me, other times I get harassed and get backup called on me. I’ve spent no time in jail and haven’t paid a fine in years. The cops in this little town are getting the message and starting to leave me alone.
These days, I don’t bother going to court because I know they’re trying to rope me into a contract. No contract, no case.
I’ve returned my car number and compliance plates back to the auto registry, let my licence expire and have nothing in my car or on my person that identifies me or assumes I come under the purview of the State or the millions of statutes that are added to every day without our knowledge.
Why don’t all lawyers do this? because they’re tied to the BAR and would have their practicing licenses revoked on the spot. Don’t ever get one if possible. Their duty is first to the court, then statute law, and THEN you.
You are their least consideration.
Under common law they have no right to stop people or demand Identification unless you’re under arrest first. Below I’ll post some precedents. Note: Precedents from common law countries can be interchanged and used in court.:
NOTE: None of the above precedents have been overturned on appeal or in the High Court.
You also have every right to record police in public. They have no right to stop you. It’s always in your best interest to do so, because it can markedly temper their behaviour and leave you with evidence should they lie in their charges against you. That’s why they don’t want you to record. Their unfettered power to rob you blind through lies has been removed by technology.
You don’t even have to tell them they’re being recorded, because they don’t tell you either and, they ARE.
Don’t get me wrong, some cops are OK. I treat them all with a smile and a friendly attitude. Never shout at them or treat them with disdain as you’re then in dishonour and likely to lose the game. Let THEM yell, threaten, cajole and lie instead. Capture it all because it’s one of your best weapons.
If you’re recording by other means and they try to take your phone, switch it off. Without a warrant, they have no right to personal information such as a password, or your phone.
If they demand a signature of any kind and threaten arrest if you don’t sign, then take a step back, raise your hands and loudly say “THREAT!”. They hate that, because their voice and/or video recordings of the stop will show you were threatened and any evidence they rely on from that point will be inadmissible in court.
You can also prefix your signature with “V.C.” in capitals, which is Latin for “Vie Coactus” – coerced or forced. Remember to act threatened and under duress too: “Officer, I feel intimidated and threatened by your tone and actions”.
I suggest to people all youtube vids from Bill Turner – know your rights etc. It’s a lot of viewing, but highly valuable info.
Important U.S. precedents here:
http://www.lawfulpath.com/ref/DLbrief.shtml
Believe me, there’s a LOT you need to know. It’s a deep rabbit hole which is purposely designed this way and, once you start down it, you’ll never see the world the same way again.
Wow! To MIchael, Olaf, TommyMaq, et, al As I have stated, I’m not an
ignorant woman. I am sure that you all are aware the 3’s are monitoring this and other so-called anti -government sites. Are you all also aware that because of this we could possibly allowing ourselves to be targeted?