News from the liberterrain…
"Texas Cop Investigated for Lewdness and Child Pornography by Texas Rangers" – January 25, 2012
Cops in Dallas and other North Texas cities can be just as abusive with their power as any other city in America, but Dallas doesn't have a CopWatch.
Or does it?
CopWatch is a network of activist organizations set up to monitor and document police misconduct and brutality in cities across the US and Canada.
Various versions of CopWatch exist in cities like Berkeley ("the original Copwatch group"), Los Angeles ("organizing and patrolling the police"), Chicago ("works towards police accountability and community empowerment"), Orlando ("To protect and Observe"), and Vancouver BC ("Exposing Police Brutality in the Greater Vancouver Area").
All operate in a similar fashion; volunteers patrol the streets of their cities, recording police violence committed against citizens and educating their communities by posting videos and articles online.
But it's a risky endeavor. Many police officers don't like being held accountable, and they frequently respond aggressively by confiscating cameras and arresting CopWatch members. It happened to Orlando CopWatch founder John Kurtz, who spent 30 days in jail for "Resisting Arrest without Violence" as reported by partner site Libertarian News Examiner.
Activists launched Dallas Copwatch in 2003, but there are no signs of it today.
Except at DallasJustice.com, Law offices of Michael Lowe.
The headline at the top of this article is the latest story to appear under Lowe's "Cop Watch" label. It cites news reports about "lewd behavior and child pornography" found on the home computer of a veteran police officer in Wylie, a town in Collin and Dallas Counties.
Lowe, who bills himself as "unquestionably the best criminal defense attorney in Dallas" covers more than just misconduct, and more than just the Metroplex.
His Cop Watch archive spans the state. Articles covering Houston, Corpus Christi and Dallas details "Texas cops shooting citizens all over the state" in December; reports on accusations that the Aransas Pass Police Department planted drugs on an innocent man; reveals that a Laredo cop was busted for taking bribes from a cocaine smuggler; and tells how the Rosebud Chief of Police was "sentenced and jailed for evidence tampering."
Lowe also tracks other categories like Crime News, DA Watch, Jail Watch, Judge Watch, and Orwellian Threats to Rights.
This isn't CopWatch like other city's CopWatches, but libertarians should be grateful to Lowe for what we have.
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