submitter: It's no scarlet letter, but it works

What works? That a woman who was separated from her husband, in the process of divorce, shows herself as a complete, jealous, asshat? Then yes, that works.

[Yes, she is wrong for doing that]

[Golly]

Burrows recommended the five week suspension and says Shover's actions were extremely severe but criminal charges aren't necessary.

If I were to hack into the database that this cop used, and then copy that information for personal use - do you think I'd get a slap on the wrist like this? Or do you think that the cops would hit me with every last computer crime law that they could think of and then lock me up for a very, very long time?

Just curious as to what y'all think....

from TFA: "I felt that they were here to protect us and not to harm us and for a police officer to do this to us, it just kind of violated our trust," said Barcon.

A little naïve, I feel.

"The citizen's trust is very important to us. That's big for us," said Deputy Chief Michael Burrows.

Then, perhaps you should enforce the law when it's broken, even if it is one of your own breaking the law. No, more so if it is one of your own breaking the law.

Burrows recommended the five week suspension and says Shover's actions were extremely severe but criminal charges aren't necessary.

Paid or unpaid? If it is the latter, then it is not a punishment at all. It is a vacation.

"We didn't want her to be fired, we felt like that punishment was just and hopefully it's a warning to others," said Barcon.

Gee... I wonder why you don't have the public trust. If it had been the opposite, somehow, and a member of the public did the same to one of your own, would you not throw the book at them?

Commence Police Haters' Thread!

Weaver95: Just curious as to what y'all think....

Right on.

If anything, the punishment should be worse for people whose job it is to uphold the law.

We live in some bizarro world where the bullshiat rules don't apply to the people that enforce them.

Weaver95: Burrows recommended the five week suspension and says Shover's actions were extremely severe but criminal charges aren't necessary.

If I were to hack into the database that this cop used, and then copy that information for personal use - do you think I'd get a slap on the wrist like this? Or do you think that the cops would hit me with every last computer crime law that they could think of and then lock me up for a very, very long time?

Just curious as to what y'all think....

While I agree with you here, aren't you one of the people who argues in favor of these sorts of databases? So, you know, we could remove the POSSIBILITY of this sort of thing from happening by only allowing the police access to data on convicted criminals?
Correct me if I'm wrong...

parkedr: Weaver95: Just curious as to what y'all think....

Right on.

If anything, the punishment should be worse for people whose job it is to uphold the law.

We live in some bizarro world where the bullshiat rules don't apply to the people that enforce them.

Yeah, this is spot-on.

For the record, I'd hit it.

Defamation, false light invasion of privacy, IIED.

$$$

This is total BS, she should be fired and criminal charges should be filed. I imagine if it was a male officer that did a similar thing he would be fired. I could be off base here, but it is just my gut feeling.

fark the police. Seriously. "Criminal charges aren't necessary"? Yes they, that's abuse of authority, you toolbox.

Im sure if she would have just said sorry..... with some krispy creams everyting would have been fine.

I'm with all of you. Just a suspension? Wow. I would expect nothing less than a termination and maybe some charges and fines.

/smells bacon

Officers always wonder why people hate or don't trust the Fuzz. This is an example.

am I mis-remembering or are DeKalb cops in the news a lot
and not in a good way....

The officer should have been terminated and prosecuted. Five weeks of suspension? A five year stretch in the state slammer would be much more appropriate.

Deputy Police Chief Michael Burrows says "The citizen's trust is very important to us." This just adds lying to the insult of failure to prosecute.

For more stories of asshole police behavior, see: Bad Cop News (new window)

The Chief and the Officer must go to the same church.

It's just 90% of cops that give the other 10% a bad reputation.

But she printed three bible verses also. That makes it OK.

LikeAnIbis: It's just 90% of cops that give the other 10% a bad reputation.

According to the DOJ, there are 836,787 law enforcement officers in the US. Link (new window)

Even if you reverse your tongue-in-cheek comment to 10%, 83,678 is still a whole lot of bad cops...

/just sayin...

parkedr: Weaver95: Just curious as to what y'all think....

Right on.

If anything, the punishment should be worse for people whose job it is to uphold the law.

We live in some bizarro world where the bullshiat rules don't apply to the people that enforce them.

THIS. That cop should be _at least_ facing the same charges that a normal person would.

did someone say scarlett?

Phil Moskowitz

That cop should be _at least_ facing the same charges that a normal person would.


Unfortunately, there might not be criminal charges to press.

Anyone on fark who hacked into a police database they weren't allowed into would face all kinds of charges because they weren't allowed to use it. She was allowed to use this database, but mis-used it to harass the poor woman in the photo.

There might not be a criminal action available to charge her with. Even still, I hope the cop has to face some kind of justice to make it up to the woman she harassed, he ex-husband, and everyone who got that letter.

"..police officer admits using a classified law enforcement computer to look up another woman's personal information"

Reminds me of:

"If you have done nothing wrong, then you have nothing to fear from the government..."

Always love the types that quote this every time some new 'big brother' tool or tracking database comes online. They never take into account that governments agencies are manned by human beings who can be just as jealous, corrupt, abusive, stupid, or flawed any way that a human can be, but now they have the access and power to screw with people on a much more heinous scale using these 'helpful tools'.

Quid custodiet ipsos custodes?

Police (and pretty much any goverment agency) are a necessary evil needed to make a society riddled with miscreants, function. But while they may be necessary, never forget that they may also be evil.

/Arrr!

doglover: Phil Moskowitz

That cop should be _at least_ facing the same charges that a normal person would.


Unfortunately, there might not be criminal charges to press.

FTA

Especially since Shover used the Georgia Crime Information Center to look up Samara's personal information -- her address, birthdate, tag and picture. Every officer signs a form acknowledging that that is a crime.

doglover: There might not be a criminal action available to charge her with. Even still, I hope the cop has to face some kind of justice to make it up to the woman she harassed, he ex-husband, and everyone who got that letter.

Oh, but there is. I work with people who have access to these kinds of databases. Access is tightly restricted and abuses are dealt with harshly. You go joyriding around the databases and you'll be lucky if all that happens is that you lose your job.

And as Phil already pointed out she is aware that what she did was illegal. She should be fired and, if not jailed, heavily fined.

Especially since Shover used the Georgia Crime Information Center to look up Samara's personal information - her address, birthdate, tag and picture. Every officer signs a form acknowledging that that is a crime.

A crime punishable by vacation?

TFA says that all cops had to sign a document acknowledging that what this lady did was a crime - so why were criminal charges "not necessary?" What was the point of the document then, and what message are they sending to other cops?

Every time I read a story about cops breaking the law, their punishment is always far less that any non-cop would receive for the same kind of thing. It's like being a cop means a carte blanche to do whatever they wish.

A couple of months ago I was playing pool with a guy who was drinking heavily. He mentioned that he could get home in 15 minutes (it's usually a 25 minute drive.) I said, "you might want to take it easy; there are always cops on that stretch of freeway, and I'd hate to see you get popped for DUI or speeding."

He then showed me his badge (he's an officer at a local prison) and said, "That doesn't apply to me." As others here have written, people entrusted with power over the lives of their fellow Americans should be held to a higher standard, not a lesser one!

Hey... this is Fark.... let's not dwell on the fact that the po-po gets away with more junk than the rest of the population.

This Caucasian cop pulls some high quality African American quim.

/once you go?

Typical farking pigs, selectively enforcing laws at their whim. Who needs judges and juries, right? Hell, who needs laws, since the sanctioned government gang in black still only arrest those they want to, whether they committed a crime or not.

Ah well, we knew this story was not about any good cops since it wasn't in the obituaries.

TaGirl_Keri: But she printed three bible verses also. That makes it OK.

An angry cop, a gun and a bible makes me very nervous.

On one hand:

TFA: "I felt that they were here to protect us and not to harm us and for a police officer to do this to us, it just kind of violated our trust," said Barcon.

It wasn't a police doing this. It was a crazy farking psycho woman, who just happened to have that profession. She could have done pretty much the same (sans the database) if she weren't a cop. it would be a little more messy, i.e flyers on lamp posts all over town instead on this presicion bombing, but with the same effect.


And on the other hand:

Captain Swoop: Reminds me of:

"If you have done nothing wrong, then you have nothing to fear from the government..."

Always love the types that quote this every time some new 'big brother' tool or tracking database comes online. They never take into account that governments agencies are manned by human beings who can be just as jealous, corrupt, abusive, stupid, or flawed any way that a human can be, but now they have the access and power to screw with people on a much more heinous scale using these 'helpful tools'.

Oh yes. This.

Jamieboy: An angry cop, a gun and a bible makes me very nervous.

Very nervous? That´s more frightening than the MacDonald Triad. (clickety-pop) I don´t care where you are, a cop with a god-complex should scare the everliving-hell out of you.

/Old MacDonald had a farm, but his kid killed all the animals, set the barn on fire and pissed on it
//Eee-yi eee-yi oh

A female cop that isn't a lesbian?

I call shennanigans.

doglover: Unfortunately, there might not be criminal charges to press.

O.C.G.A. § 45-11-1

TITLE 45. PUBLIC OFFICERS AND EMPLOYEES
CHAPTER 11. MISCELLANEOUS OFFENSES CONCERNING PUBLIC OFFICERS AND EMPLOYEES

§ 45-11-1. Offenses involving public records, documents, and other items


(a) If any public officer or other person shall steal, _{embezzle, alter, corrupt, withdraw, falsify, or avoid}any record, _{process, charter, gift, grant, conveyance, or contract; or shall knowingly and willfully take off, discharge, or conceal any issue, forfeited recognizance, or other forfeiture; or shall forge, deface, or falsify any document or instrument recorded or any registry, acknowledgment, or certificate; or shall alter, deface, or falsify any minutes, document, book, or any proceeding whatever of or belonging to any public office within this state; or if any person shall cause or procure any of these offenses to be committed, or to be in any manner concerned therein,} he shall be guilty of a felony and, upon conviction thereof, shall be punished by imprisonment and labor in the penitentiary for not less than two years nor more than ten years.


(pertinent parts highlighted)

Oh, there's also this:

TITLE 16. CRIMES AND OFFENSES
CHAPTER 11. OFFENSES AGAINST PUBLIC ORDER AND SAFETY
ARTICLE 2. OFFENSES AGAINST PUBLIC ORDER

O.C.G.A. § 16-11-40 (2007)

§ 16-11-40. Criminal defamation


(a) A person commits the offense of criminal defamation when, without a privilege to do so and with intent to defame another, living or dead, he communicates false matter which tends to blacken the memory of one who is dead or which exposes one who is alive to hatred, contempt, or ridicule, and which tends to provoke a breach of the peace.

(b) A person who violates subsection (a) of this Code section is guilty of a misdemeanor.

/IANAL

Weaver95: If I were to hack into the database that this cop used, and then copy that information for personal use - do you think I'd get a slap on the wrist like this?

You would have to tell them that you had received counseling for your anger. Then they would let you off.

Officer Shover?

That's Officer Kickerintheboxand Shover.

KHITBASH!

"I read it and I sat there. I was devastated. I'm looking at my child's picture. I was totally devastated," said Susan Barcon.

Words like "homewrecker," "ashamed," and three Bible verses about adultery were scrawled across the page along with a picture of Susan Barcon's daughter. Barcon was stunned as was her daughter, Samara, when she heard from two neighbors, her former boss and other relatives who got the same letter.

"She just knew so much about us, our personal lives and it was frightening," said Barcon.

Ahh, Christians...

Excen: Very nervous? That´s more frightening than the MacDonald Triad. (clickety-pop) I don´t care where you are, a cop with a god-complex should scare the everliving-hell out of you.

That describes both of my former stepbrothers. All three of that womans kids were completely psycho. It only took my pop 15 years to realize that...

I once called 911 because of a fire in a trailer park that was adjacent to my apartment building and all I could see was a hell of a lot of thick black smoke. Turned out to be some schmoe burning his trash in a barrel but the cops came to my door with guns drawn and proceeded to try to provoke a fight. Tried to find any way they could to provoke a "legitimate use of force". Asking me why I've called 911 so many times (three in the previous year, once for the drunk beating his 8 year old daughter half to death in broad daylight and twice for the fires) They told me if I ever called 911 again they would take me to jail. This after there were two fatal fires in that same trailer park in the previous 6 months.

fark the police, they're too dumb to be anything else. Being a cop is the only career choice available for an ex marine with an 80 IQ who was raised by a wifebeating drunk.

Hell hath no fury... Brings to mind the psycho astronaut lady a few months ago.

If I were the victim, I would be interviewing junkyard dog attorneys right now. Lawsuit lotto!

Phil Moskowitz:That cop should be _at least_ facing the same charges that a normal personhuman being would.

ftfy

FTA: She was separated from her husband and had just found out he was dating Samara and wanted to get even, according to officials.

I don't really understand why she's pissed at Samara. I mean, if she is going to be pissed shouldn't it be directed towards her ex? I have so many friends who do this. When their man cheats on them, it is always the random ass girl's fault, and never the man's.

I've mentioned before to these friends that these random girl their boyfriends cheat on them with aren't their friends and have absolutely no reponsibility towards them. The persons they should be angry at are their men, who do.

They always look at me like I've broken some sort of female code and that now that I've said that, I'm dangerous and might hook up with their men.

/I've got to get new female friends

"On a field, sable, the letter A gules"

/Always remember that one...

Lollipop165: FTA: She was separated from her husband and had just found out he was dating Samara and wanted to get even, according to officials.

I don't really understand why she's pissed at Samara. I mean, if she is going to be pissed shouldn't it be directed towards her ex? I have so many friends who do this. When their man cheats on them, it is always the random ass girl's fault, and never the man's.

I've mentioned before to these friends that these random girl their boyfriends cheat on them with aren't their friends and have absolutely no reponsibility towards them. The persons they should be angry at are their men, who do.

They always look at me like I've broken some sort of female code and that now that I've said that, I'm dangerous and might hook up with their men.

/I've got to get new female friends

Amen! I've seen the same type of shait from my friends and I'm like WTF are you stupid. Needless to say I have very few female friends, because even I'm sick of their crap.

I say, Good. farking homewrecker. Serves her right.

YixilTesiphon: fark the police. Seriously. "Criminal charges aren't necessary"? Yes they, that's abuse of authority, you toolbox.

Gosh, are they implying the law doesn't apply to them? That would explain the attitude.

Weaver95: Burrows recommended the five week suspension and says Shover's actions were extremely severe but criminal charges aren't necessary.

If I were to hack into the database that this cop used, and then copy that information for personal use - do you think I'd get a slap on the wrist like this? Or do you think that the cops would hit me with every last computer crime law that they could think of and then lock me up for a very, very long time?

Just curious as to what y'all think....

I came into this thread (*splurt*) to say pretty much the same thing!!!!

mamoru made a comment about this being a police hater's thread. If the police didn't have such obvious double standards of treatment, maybe that wouldn't happen.

Gee, I sure wish I could break the law at work and be given a month vacation as a reward.
Farking blue wall brotherhood strikes again.

Every officer signs a form acknowledging that that is a crime.

"The citizen's trust is very important to us. That's big for us," said Deputy Chief Michael Burrows.

Burrows recommended the five week suspension and says Shover's actions were extremely severe but criminal charges aren't necessary.

"Handling it internally was the best route to take. It would serve no legitimate or useful purpose to pile on. We feel that we got the employee's attention," said Burrows.

"We didn't want her to be fired, we felt like that punishment was just and hopefully it's a warning to others," said Barcon.

(Emphasis mine)

WTF!?!!

KUH-RIME. CRIMINAL. You have broken the law. If anyone else had done this, it wouldn't be a disciplinary matter. It'd be a prison sentence.

Press criminal stalking charges, Mom. DA, make 'em stick. This lady committed a crime that no one else would get off for if they weren't a cop.

frickinyeahyeahyeah: Defamation, false light invasion of privacy, IIED.


Cops should just charge her with a sex crime. Fastest way out of it.

Once she's on a registry mailing out fliers like this becomes legal. Hell, it's encouraged, and in some places required.

This is EXACTLY the reason government should not have access to all your private information. The argument "you only have something to worry about is if you did something illegal". Well this homewrecker did NOTHING illegal, as far as I can tell. Dating a married man is not illegal. Immoral, possibly, but not illegal. And this cop, with access to this girls private information, has performed her own punishment. Can you imagine if she had access to her medical records? Or financial records?

PRIVACY is needed because government is not perfect, and is made up of people who can have improper agendas. Citizens need to know that their lives are not at the whim of some privileged individual who happens to be within the ranks of the bureaucracy.