Thank you for the hard work and looking into this. Your post was very well written.

For the person who was discussing that they make a lot of money or that they get a check for their life insurance. Sure that is a good and all but what about the family bills that per monthly have to be paid without the second income? Yes Verizon has their loss now that the poor guy isn't going to be using the phone monthly and they can't collect that fee. I am sorry for that but when someone dies in any respect you won't get your money monthly anymore any way so why should you "collect what you can" instead of being resonable and going we are sorry for your loss and you proved the person died so since they won't be a problem to our business or use any resources we can justify letting the ETF go. If I had a large enough business like Verizon does I would say just that "Send me a copy of the death certificate." Once I got that it would be "I am sorry for your loss. Should you need a new cell phone provider in an area we service please feel free to look us up we will be waiting for you to come back." But I have a lot of respect for the military and people in general and don't look for every possible way to screw them out of a dollar. Low level drone or not this person should have some compassion and if not him the company should have a policy in place to offer that. Guess I won't ever be rich.

For all of our soldiers who have earned the right to be buried there and we can't even get a decent IT system in place to help people or keep such important records.

To our Fallen Hero's.... I am sorry.

I do think it is time that companies and even people stop being so damn greedy and do their jobs. Granted we may not have the insight as to what is happening directly but I am left to wonder who is asleep at the controls on this one. We have private sector people doing jobs that are comparable size to this job and I am sure 5 million dollars would have paid for their time and a mojito and Starbucks coffee whenever they wanted it. I think it is time to disband our Government and reform with people that a hell of a lot more honest then some of the guys we have in there now. Sorry to make this political but the fact remains that someone is not doing their job. Any person's loved ones are important to them but a person who defended our rights and country (regardless if the war is right or wrong to which those that feel it is wrong it is time to bitch at the civilian leaders case and point would be the recent Gen. McCrystal deal.) and we can't honor them with keeping accurate records and spending money WISELY when it comes to their final resting place. Sad...

Until the IRS can tax you for all the good times you had in that $100,000 car.

Just a thought...

I see your side. However, we all have a basic foundation for right and wrong. In driving you know the basics to driving. Don't speed. Don't tailgate. Don't drag race. There are things we know not to do. There are things in our professional careers we know not to do.

The police have to know majority of the laws and there are some that they won't know. Give them a break they are not all running around with photographic memory. There are tons of laws and sometimes the way those laws have been explained to them maybe incorrect or poorly done. While cops do (at least in texas) have to know the Penal Code pretty damn well its not like they will remember every section. They do have to reference and look things up. Do you know every single aspect to your job? Have you ever had to look something up for your job? It happens. We are facing a large shortage of police officers. The job doesn't pay well, the hours suck, and on top of it you may not come home the next night you are out because some punk didn't want to get a speeding ticket.

May I ask then what is it you suggest we do for the police officers to become peace officers? Every police officer I have ever run into for problems has asked my side and worked with me until I stop complying with their requests and become disrespectful. The police do not get the job to tell people what laws will be enforced. Comply to the orders even if they are wrong then comply and take it up later.

I am not sure if you were speaking to me. If so please continue reading. If not you may stop after my first paragraph. Thanks!

First of all and the most important to state is I thank you personally for your service to protect myself and my family along with the rights I get to enjoy because of people like yourself, my brother, and sister in law. You put yourself in harms way every day to give me my freedoms. Thank you. I mean this with no disrespect at all. I am the grandson of a retired army MSGT who served 20+years and the brother to 2 US. Marines who currently are serving and served in Iraq with my little brother returning to go back.

Most police officers (at least in the state of texas) must take classes that would at least get them an associates. Asking them to know ALL the laws is kind of hard for them. That would require them to become attorney's. The police are not going to know each and every law. They know the basics to the laws and any changes typically they are given those and uphold those. When in doubt they will refer to their DA. The police can arrest you but the DA has to be willing to file charges. The DA is an attorney who knows what they are doing and is suppose to know the laws. I know that their is some corrupt officers out there. They are everywhere. Its no different then in the federal government and some even office places. It is a problem we will always have and will have to get rid of. Sorry no quick fix for this.

My argument wasn't love it or leave it. It was however to say if you don't like it get it changed. There is a process and procedure. Being in the service you know this better then anyone. You want TP for the head you have to order it and to order it means paperwork and getting it approved ETC. Presenting an argument means we are trying to convince someone of something. I am trying to convince someone that my side is right and you the opposite is right. While sometimes that gets wrong side of things their is a hard time in trying to prove to someone that what you say is wrong (because maybe it is wrong) other then to label what you do as anti-american. IE: You choose not to put your hand over your heart while saying the pledge of allegiance or you taking a flag and burning it upside down and walking up and down the street. What am I suppose to say to that? Its wrong therefore you shouldn't do it and you should believe me because I didn't do that? Sure I could but then they will label you themselves.

I do have the right to be offended though. You and I disagree on that. You do not have the right to attack me because I am wearing a blue shirt what gives you the right to verbally attack me because I think blue is better then red?

I respectfully disagree.

Officers can be sued civilly if in the efforts of their job violates the states laws and policy of the department. If a officer violates such they can be sued and held accountable for their actions. Now if they are doing their jobs in accordance with the laws of the state/city/county/etc then they are protected by the city and thus the city can't be sued as they have implied sovereign immunity. This is why your police are not given tickets because they are speeding to the scene of and accident. But if they run a red light by turning on their light bar and they have no reason they can get in trouble. I know officers that have been fired for doing that.

I have myself been detained for no reason and was eventually let go. I have filed a lawsuit against the city. By law I should have been taken to a magistrate to be judged if there was a right for me to be detained if not I had to be let go. This didn't happen.

If the person hanging on the fence like that was told to go then they have to go. Non-compliance does give the officer the right to use any (normally non-lethal) means to get you off the fence. Sorry. You comply you don't have problems. You don't comply then you are ASKING to get hurt. What you want the police to tell you "Hey you can't be here." and you not leave and them go "Okay have a nice day!"? I mean come on. The officer was told to remove the person. The person didn't want to comply so they had to give him a reason to comply. Otherwise the person/people would just stay there.

Peaceful protest is fine as long as you comply with the laws and the orders of the police. Right or wrong they are they and they are the authority not you. You may feel that you have the right to be there. If that is the case get a judge to agree with you and they will not bother you within an injunction preventing them from acting. Otherwise listen to what you are told. Its simple. Police will NOT assault you for no reason. They have lives and they want to come home and see their family too. Do what you are told and go away. Given that this hasn't happened in a while at least to my knowledge (given that this would generate a whole lot of media attention). The law states you are to comply with an officers orders. If you don't then you are violating and become a criminal. You feel they violated the law take it to their boss and or the checks and balances part of our government the courts. Sounds simple.

The officer made the proof as his testimony at trial. That meets the burden of proof.

Your proof is your word. The case becomes a he said she said deal and the officer wins because he is entrusted with the authority to uphold the laws. Now if you choose to bash the officer with his civilian complaints and his performance thus showing he is a bad officer then his evidence (testimony) may have been seen as incorrect or flawed.

You are innocent until proven guilty. You were cited and told to go to court. You were not told to pay your fine if you were innocent you were given I am sure a way to pay if you were pleading guilty or no contest. You went to a court and you were judge by either a judge or a jury (your peers) and He/She/They felt your evidence did not prove you were innocent. They felt that the cop was correct in giving you the ticket and upon being found guilty (no longer innocent) you were told to pay a 300.00 fine.

The system works. Its just not the way you want it to work because it didn't find you not guilty. You wanted the cop to have you on camera. That isn't going to always happen in certain cases. Give it time though and the city/county/state will start installing cameras on streets like in the UK areas to start watching your every move. Then you will be found guilty of a lot more crimes.

In regards to the cops saying something falsely their is a process to which if they under oath say something happened and it didn't happen then that is called perjury. So yes a legal action in a criminal court can take place. But how do you prove he didn't see you do it and wasn't able to prove beyond his word it didn't happen? Had you brought that camera in and he swore under oath that you did it and you brought that video in then that would be a different case. Your DA would have all rights to go after their ass. I have seen cops go to jail for lying under oath. Again there is a process for this to take place. Since we laymen don't know that process we pay people (just like people pay us geeks to fix their computers) that know that process.

Burden of proof is on you to prove your side of the case. Remember the police use their word which is seen in the courts as what really happened. Not saying this didn't happen but I wasn't there so I either way I can't say.

You do not understand the job of a police officer. They are not a court it is not their job to interpret the legality of the law. That is for people above their branch. That is why we have the courts. So while I agree you should be allowed to say anything you want please remember that I may not want to hear your foul mouth or agree with such words. Where does my right to not hear what you have to say start and your right to say what you want end. That is for the courts and can only be applied in such a way.

I think you misunderstand that the law is their to prevent you from taking drugs that will affect your mental state which may cause harm to me. If someone is high on weed and hallucinating or otherwise impaired and attempts to drive their car and hurts me then the police aren't protecting me with a law that is on the books. The law was put into place by majority of the people who felt that this was more to protect you from harmful things. If this was the case and you were allowed to keep yourself safe from you then why would we have doctors who write prescriptions to begin with. All controlled substances would be able to be gotten by anyone.

Forgive the mistake please. The attempt was to say that the law was made for the people by people. The police are charged to do a job which is a law made by the people for the people which states they are to enforce the laws. Sorry about that.

Now that I don’t disagree with... but will it get me back the $300 for the no-left-turn ticket and the legal expense of getting it converted to a non-moving violation?

Sadly you know the answer to this is no. That is something that should be done by the state to fix the issue to begin with. However, states would go broke if they had to refund everyone for a law that was enforced and then found to be unconstitutional. But IANAL but I think you may have a case to sue to have your money returned for the moving violation. You will be told that you could have been represented for free. We won't get everything we want but changes can be done. Just a process to follow.

There is plenty of of repercussions when a police officer is not doing right. Their is a process. People don't like to follow a process and procedure. If they don't follow the process or procedure then you can't except cops to get in trouble. If you don't mess with the police they won't mess with you. Keep your calm when dealing with them and don't get on your own "I know my rights" trip. That is when you get the most trouble and you won't beat the ride. Cops have a stressful enough job.

The same thing happens in the office place so lets bash on power trips themselves not just the cops.

I find it funny when people are just pissed at cops. I think it is sad because in all reality the cops have a job to do and that is to catch criminals. Just because you broke the law or want to say "I didn't do it" doesn't make you innocent. If you don't like the law work to change it. If a cop does wrong follow the process to have something done. Most state licensing agencies require all complaints regarding police officers to be maintained for public inquiry at any time. When a police officer goes to get another job the interview includes their previous agencies and civilian complaints. Those complaints are then reviewed with the officer. All agencies that hire police officers can check with the state licensing agency to see what other departments they have worked for.

Unlike your personnel file (unless you work for a City/State/Federal agency) theirs is open to the review of the public at any time.

In Tx you can't get beer in the stores on Sundays.

So the police are not doing their fucking job?

You sir are incorrect. The people whom are being "fucked" with they have a reason to 9 times out of 10. The police are doing their job when they write you a ticket for speeding. You were speeding you got a ticket. You said a foul word their is a law on the books that says you can be punished for it. You were jay walking their is a law on the books that prevents that. You were smoking weed in your house their is a law against it. These laws that were made by the people for the people is being enforced by a group of people who were given the power to enforce the laws made by the people with a law that was made for the people by the people. The person you want to speak with in regards to the fucking issue here is your towns council / State legislators and not the fucking police. You don't like the laws then have them changed.

Who needs proof.... This is slashdot....

Help me Gordon! Help me! GORDON!

This post wins the award for the most funny quote on Slashdot.