FL: Anonymous Internet Source Claims to be Crooked Cop, gives details

An anonymous Internet source posting as "Guest" has started a firestorm on a forum for the Palm Beach County Sheriff Office, titled pbsotalk.com.   The original post, titled "Tricks of the trade - let's exchange!" deals with how to plant evidence to cause problems for someone they arrest who has aroused their ire.  Here is the original post:

I was lucky to get a really good FTO when I started almost 15 years ago. He taught me to always keep learning new skills and techniques. It's not always easy to do being in a zone with the same old people so I decided perhaps I would share and maybe you might also.

I have a method for getting people off the street that should not be there. Mouthy drivers, street lawyers, assholes and just anyone else trying to make my job difficult.

Under my floor mat, I keep a small plastic dime baggie with Cocaine in residue. Since it's just residue, if it is ever found during a search of my car like during an inspection, it's easy enough to explain. It must have stuck to my foot while walking through San Castle. Anyways, no one's going to question an empty baggie. The residue is the key because yo7 can fully charge some asshole with possession of cocaine, heroin, or whatever just with the residue. How to get it done? "I asked Mr. DOE for his identification. And he pulled out his wallet, I observed a small plastic baggie fall out of his pocket..." Tou get the idea. easy, right?

Best part is, those baggies can be found lots of places so you can always be ready. Don't forget to wipe the baggie on the persons skin after you arrest them because you want their DNA on the bag if they say you planted it or fight it in court.

This is one of my favorite tools. I don't use it often but when I have to do something to remove someone, this is a good way to do it with minimal effort.

The thread goes on for three pages, with various posters claiming to be "real" Palm Beach Sheriff Deputies, threats being made against the original poster, and lots of attempts at rebuttal.

The dcpost.org, an online publication, has posted a story claiming that they have verified that their source is who he says he is.   They paid for the information.  Their original story is here.   There are a lot of verified problems at the Palm Beach Sheriff Office, that are referenced in their story.

I do not know if they are being conned or not.  It is a great story that is going viral.  I predict it will be picked up by the old media eventually.  There are many possibilities.  It could be someone who is getting some "payback" at a department that he sees as corrupt.   It could be someone who believes that they have been treated unjustly, or someone who just believes they can stir up a hornet's nest and never be accountable.  It could even be true.

It is very hard to remain anonymous in today's society.  There are many traces left from Internet posts.  Officers who I talk to say that the practices mentioned are not common to their experiences, that they just are not necessary.  But, people do lots of things that are not necessary. 

I have knowledge of a case involving a close friend where the "baggy with residue" trick was attempted.  No one has gone to jail for it yet, but it caused a lot of problems for someone who has little in the way of resources. 

There is the old saying, "You may beat the rap, but you won't beat the ride."   The process is often severe punishment in itself.

This could be just an Internet commando, but I doubt it.  The person knows a fair amount of procedure and lingo.  They might be a retired officer.  No one really knows at this point, but I doubt that they will be able to remain anonymous forever.   They have just revealed an ugly underside of society that all too many either want to believe is common, or never happens.  It fits right into the narrative that the current administration pushed in Ferguson.

It would be a good way for the administration to gain credit and distract from world affairs.  I could see Eric Holder devoting considerable investigative resources to this case, except that Palm Beach County is a Democrat stronghold where President Obama got 58% of the vote in 2012.

©2015 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice is included.
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