Saturday, September 29, 2007
Dreading the PoPoes
A crime occured in my home again. About a month ago my son brought some punk into our home who had the balls/nerve to steal my daughter's cell phone right off the coffee table in our living room. I called him up and offered him an opportunity to bring the phone back before I called the Po-lease. When I finally did call the Po-lease, they told me that by giving the Thief a chance to return the phone that it was now a Civil matter and would now need to sue him to get my phone back.
My son called home a couple of nights ago to tell my daughter that her friend Juan was bragging how he stole my daughter's special ring and was going to give it to his girlfriend. The look on her face when she came back from checking her jewelry box in her room about broke my heart. Other kids told me the same story about his bragging.
His big brother brought him by to address the matter. When I confronted this kid, he denied it but he didn't look me in the eye, he looked at the ground. I KNOW he took it. His girlfriend even sent my daughter an e-mail saying he told her about the ring and how he was going to give it to her.
Perfect time to call the Police, right? What are they going to do - go to the kid's (Juan) house, and then what? Is he going to confess?
How will I/we/my family gain by getting the Police involved? Putting OUR name on their roster is something I don't need.
My son called home a couple of nights ago to tell my daughter that her friend Juan was bragging how he stole my daughter's special ring and was going to give it to his girlfriend. The look on her face when she came back from checking her jewelry box in her room about broke my heart. Other kids told me the same story about his bragging.
His big brother brought him by to address the matter. When I confronted this kid, he denied it but he didn't look me in the eye, he looked at the ground. I KNOW he took it. His girlfriend even sent my daughter an e-mail saying he told her about the ring and how he was going to give it to her.
Perfect time to call the Police, right? What are they going to do - go to the kid's (Juan) house, and then what? Is he going to confess?
How will I/we/my family gain by getting the Police involved? Putting OUR name on their roster is something I don't need.
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
What Problem?
Trying to figure out my son's Probation. They want him to go to an Assessment whereby they will determine if he needs treatment. If he tells the truth, he'll be recommended for treatment - if he lies, they'll assume he's lying and recommend him for treatment. There's no money made on telling a client they don't need therapy.
My son is a juvenile and the goal is to rehabilitate rather than punish. How can they rehab my son if they tell him it's okay to test positive so long as he's in a treatment program? I would choose to keep my son away from a program like that at all costs. I'm not saying that my son doesn't have a problem... he's 16 years old and going through a number of phases. If a tree falls in the forest and there's no one there to hear it, does it make a sound?
My son is a juvenile and the goal is to rehabilitate rather than punish. How can they rehab my son if they tell him it's okay to test positive so long as he's in a treatment program? I would choose to keep my son away from a program like that at all costs. I'm not saying that my son doesn't have a problem... he's 16 years old and going through a number of phases. If a tree falls in the forest and there's no one there to hear it, does it make a sound?
Monday, July 09, 2007
Utopian Ideals
One thing I want to make clear about C.A.P.S. I am not doing this to be anti-American... on the contrary. This web blog is meant to send up a warning signal. We have the greatest country on this Earth and the greatest society in the history of civilization. I just don't want us to lose track of our utopian ideals. You look at Justice systems in other countries. Without critiquing them individually let's just say there are certain nations who are similar and on par with us here in the U.S. whereas there are literally dozens of republics whereby their systems of Injustice make me cringe.
I watched a Special on TV the other night about a successful American entrepenuer in Nicaraugua who has gotten himself a scary dose of Third World Injustice. Eric Volk got convicted of murdering his ex-girlfriend despite having 10 credible witnesses that put him hours away from the scene. He had additional corroborating evidence of computer instant messages and cell phone triangulation records that made it physically impossible for him to commit the murder.
However, the judge threw out all that evidence and ruled that it was inadmissable. She reasoned that the IMs didn't prove that Eric was the one sending messages from the computer nor that he was the one actually making cell phone calls from those areas near the relay towers along the route.
Not only that, but by throwing out the testimony of 10 sworn witnesses, she dismissed them all as liars. Instead she relied upon the one and only eye-witness testimony - that of a career criminal who was making a plea bargain to defray this murder charge from himself. He said he saw Volk's vehicle parked in front of the murder scene at the time of the murder. Not only was this absolutely appalling but it was totally ridiculous.
Eric Volk is serving 30 years in a Latin American hellhole because the politics of the region were stacked against him. His case was a public spectical so now his life is in danger because hits have been taken out on his life in prison and there is nothing the U.S. Consultate can do for him. I'm hoping that our Embassy will be able to negotiate either a release for Eric Volk or at least a fair Trial.
I take comfort in the fact that I don't believe something that outrageous could take place in our country - I'm not suggesting that America has become a Police State like Nazi Germany. I simply want to put a check on the trends that are in place.
Everyone around the world knows the United States is where the best opportunities are for achieving success. With that should also be the knowledge that Justice exists here above anywhere else in the world.
I watched a Special on TV the other night about a successful American entrepenuer in Nicaraugua who has gotten himself a scary dose of Third World Injustice. Eric Volk got convicted of murdering his ex-girlfriend despite having 10 credible witnesses that put him hours away from the scene. He had additional corroborating evidence of computer instant messages and cell phone triangulation records that made it physically impossible for him to commit the murder.
However, the judge threw out all that evidence and ruled that it was inadmissable. She reasoned that the IMs didn't prove that Eric was the one sending messages from the computer nor that he was the one actually making cell phone calls from those areas near the relay towers along the route.
Not only that, but by throwing out the testimony of 10 sworn witnesses, she dismissed them all as liars. Instead she relied upon the one and only eye-witness testimony - that of a career criminal who was making a plea bargain to defray this murder charge from himself. He said he saw Volk's vehicle parked in front of the murder scene at the time of the murder. Not only was this absolutely appalling but it was totally ridiculous.
Eric Volk is serving 30 years in a Latin American hellhole because the politics of the region were stacked against him. His case was a public spectical so now his life is in danger because hits have been taken out on his life in prison and there is nothing the U.S. Consultate can do for him. I'm hoping that our Embassy will be able to negotiate either a release for Eric Volk or at least a fair Trial.
I take comfort in the fact that I don't believe something that outrageous could take place in our country - I'm not suggesting that America has become a Police State like Nazi Germany. I simply want to put a check on the trends that are in place.
Everyone around the world knows the United States is where the best opportunities are for achieving success. With that should also be the knowledge that Justice exists here above anywhere else in the world.
# posted by kidovid @ 11:10 PM 
Thursday, June 28, 2007
Busted by the Blind
My son got in trouble with the Law... again. I'm not going to defend my son's actions. He was not doing right - however... The situation is a perfect example of why I started this blog. Law Enforcement Officers (LEOs) out looking to charge someone/anyone with a crime.
My son was sitting in a friend of his' car, parked in that friend's yard, with that friend standing outside the car and another friend inside the car, all smoking a joint. Apparently there were two other kids there on bikes outside the car as well. An undercover police vehicle with two officers inside drove by and saw a black man standing next to the vehicle in a residential neighborhood with two hispanic boys on bicycles nearby. After observing for "thirty to 45 seconds" and seeing the black man get into the car and start it, the undercover law enforcement officers assumed the black man was attempting to steal the car while the two hispanic boys on bikes were obviously lookouts. This gave them "Probable Cause" to approach whereby they detected the odor of marijuana, which gave them "Probable Cause" to search.
Upon searching the vehicle, the officers found two small bags of weed - one under the seat in the front and one that was tossed to the back of the SUV. The Driver (the black man), a 19 year old, had a bottle of gin beside him and - according to the Police Report - admitted to being "drunk as fuck". They dismissed the two 14 year old hispanics on the bikes. Upon searching the individuals in vehicle, they found a "roach" in my son's pocket. My 15 year old son was Arrested for Possession of Cannabis while the 19 year old drunk was issued a citation to appear in court. Is that ridiculous or what?
First of all, the owner of the vehicle was an adult. My son is a minor. Two bags of marijuana were found in the SUV of an admittedly drunk adult who was sitting behind the wheel with the car running. That is an undisputed, slam-dunk DUI. How do these Officers NOT charge him with that? A bag of weed under the seat, another tossed to the back... he's responsible, especially since my son was 15 and the other boy (hispanic) was 17. Not only was he caught red-handed with Drunk Driving and Contributing to the Deliquency of Minors, but also a fairly good case of Possession. Why the Undercovers arrested my son for possession is a mystery. I told my boy that his 19 year old buddy must be a 'Narc'... so at least now he avoids that dude.
My son is on Probation now, which is somewhat of a joke. As long as he stays out of trouble for a few months he'll be fine. However, it's a penalty put on me as his parent. Court and related costs as well as time commitments during my business day. Not too harsh, but - no charges ever stuck on the 19 year old. For him, it was like it never happened. Again, I'm not excusing what my son did so much as I'm questioning the priorities and motives of these Public Servants. How can they arrest my son and NOT arrest that other punk?
Yeah, I know that I sound like a parent crying over his child's misfortune - but come on, give me a break. What would be the consequences had this 19 year old drove to the store after the police left and ran over someone's kid? What would be the public outcry to a tragedy like that if they learned that the Undercovers had him in custody, dead to rights on DUI and Contributing, but let him go in order to take a roach-holding 15 year old to jail?
With all due respect to everyone - from Parents who struggle to raise their kids up to be good citizens to Police Officers who face the challenge of making similar difficult decisions on a daily basis to Taxpayers who want to see their tax dollars paying for a system that stumbles upon Justice more often than not - can anyone relate to what I'm talking about? Do I make Point here, or am I wasting my breath?
My son was sitting in a friend of his' car, parked in that friend's yard, with that friend standing outside the car and another friend inside the car, all smoking a joint. Apparently there were two other kids there on bikes outside the car as well. An undercover police vehicle with two officers inside drove by and saw a black man standing next to the vehicle in a residential neighborhood with two hispanic boys on bicycles nearby. After observing for "thirty to 45 seconds" and seeing the black man get into the car and start it, the undercover law enforcement officers assumed the black man was attempting to steal the car while the two hispanic boys on bikes were obviously lookouts. This gave them "Probable Cause" to approach whereby they detected the odor of marijuana, which gave them "Probable Cause" to search.
Upon searching the vehicle, the officers found two small bags of weed - one under the seat in the front and one that was tossed to the back of the SUV. The Driver (the black man), a 19 year old, had a bottle of gin beside him and - according to the Police Report - admitted to being "drunk as fuck". They dismissed the two 14 year old hispanics on the bikes. Upon searching the individuals in vehicle, they found a "roach" in my son's pocket. My 15 year old son was Arrested for Possession of Cannabis while the 19 year old drunk was issued a citation to appear in court. Is that ridiculous or what?
First of all, the owner of the vehicle was an adult. My son is a minor. Two bags of marijuana were found in the SUV of an admittedly drunk adult who was sitting behind the wheel with the car running. That is an undisputed, slam-dunk DUI. How do these Officers NOT charge him with that? A bag of weed under the seat, another tossed to the back... he's responsible, especially since my son was 15 and the other boy (hispanic) was 17. Not only was he caught red-handed with Drunk Driving and Contributing to the Deliquency of Minors, but also a fairly good case of Possession. Why the Undercovers arrested my son for possession is a mystery. I told my boy that his 19 year old buddy must be a 'Narc'... so at least now he avoids that dude.
My son is on Probation now, which is somewhat of a joke. As long as he stays out of trouble for a few months he'll be fine. However, it's a penalty put on me as his parent. Court and related costs as well as time commitments during my business day. Not too harsh, but - no charges ever stuck on the 19 year old. For him, it was like it never happened. Again, I'm not excusing what my son did so much as I'm questioning the priorities and motives of these Public Servants. How can they arrest my son and NOT arrest that other punk?
Yeah, I know that I sound like a parent crying over his child's misfortune - but come on, give me a break. What would be the consequences had this 19 year old drove to the store after the police left and ran over someone's kid? What would be the public outcry to a tragedy like that if they learned that the Undercovers had him in custody, dead to rights on DUI and Contributing, but let him go in order to take a roach-holding 15 year old to jail?
With all due respect to everyone - from Parents who struggle to raise their kids up to be good citizens to Police Officers who face the challenge of making similar difficult decisions on a daily basis to Taxpayers who want to see their tax dollars paying for a system that stumbles upon Justice more often than not - can anyone relate to what I'm talking about? Do I make Point here, or am I wasting my breath?
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
What is Justice?
Pardon me for this, but there's a Quote from either Soctrates, Plato, or Aristotle that I really love that I'm not able to quote off the top of my head right now. It has to do with the "elusiveness" of Justice. Kinda reminds me of Dog Racing. Dumb ass dogs chasing a rabbit they're never gonna catch. Justice is something Judges and Lawyers seek but never truly find because they can't agree on it's definition. I ask you... is that some 'fine food' for deep thought?
Monday, April 30, 2007
Probable Cause
Very interesting subject - one of the most important concepts to the world of Justice and Law Enforcement. "Probable Cause" is one of the key 'checks'n'balances' that prevents us from having a full fledged Police State. What reason did the Officer have for suspecting that the Defendent was committing a Crime?
Would like to consider and address this topic further, but would like to give it some more thought. I haven't posted in 4 months so today was a chance to get in an April '07 posting.
Would like to consider and address this topic further, but would like to give it some more thought. I haven't posted in 4 months so today was a chance to get in an April '07 posting.
Friday, December 22, 2006
School Policy - Part 2
My battle continues with the Policies of the School System. The people I'm dealing with remind me of the people who get on the Boards of Condo Associations and then come up with all kinds of Rules and Regulations so they can "lord over" others and tell them what they can and can't do.
I wrote personalized letters to each of my daughter's teachers asking them to allow her to make up her schoolwork during the time of her Suspension. Every one of them let her make up her missed assignments EXCEPT the problem Science Teacher. When she sent home an Academic Warning 3 days before the end of the Grading Period whereby she cited "Excessive Absenses" and "Failure to Complete Work", I wrote her back jesting to her that she must be kidding. I said it was a "little late notice" plus the fact that my daughter was absent because SHE got her suspended and SHE refused to let her make up the work.
The teacher sent me back an e-mail making all kinds of apologetic excuses for the late notice and said that she didn't give my daughter the work because she never asked for it. I responded that why should my daughter have to ask when you received a Written Request from the Parent? Funny thing is, that same bitch Principal called me the next day to explain why my daughter didn't get her work, saying how the teacher had asked her several times about it. How do you explain the e-mail?
I wrote personalized letters to each of my daughter's teachers asking them to allow her to make up her schoolwork during the time of her Suspension. Every one of them let her make up her missed assignments EXCEPT the problem Science Teacher. When she sent home an Academic Warning 3 days before the end of the Grading Period whereby she cited "Excessive Absenses" and "Failure to Complete Work", I wrote her back jesting to her that she must be kidding. I said it was a "little late notice" plus the fact that my daughter was absent because SHE got her suspended and SHE refused to let her make up the work.
The teacher sent me back an e-mail making all kinds of apologetic excuses for the late notice and said that she didn't give my daughter the work because she never asked for it. I responded that why should my daughter have to ask when you received a Written Request from the Parent? Funny thing is, that same bitch Principal called me the next day to explain why my daughter didn't get her work, saying how the teacher had asked her several times about it. How do you explain the e-mail?
