
A new factor in an uneasy moment: Unidentified law enforcement officers - laurex
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2020/06/03/dangerous-new-factor-an-uneasy-moment-unidentified-law-enforcement-officers/
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xkcd-sucks
Also, let's not forget that the deadliest spree killing in Canada was
perpetrated by a guy wearing a picture-perfect RCMP uniform.

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2020_Nova_Scotia_attacks](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2020_Nova_Scotia_attacks)

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alanpage
In the U.S. where I am, officers have a "badge number", literally on their
metallic badge affixed to their uniform. These are hard enough to read during
a non-confrontational exchange, but become useless in a fast moving, chaotic
situation, which we're seeing a lot during this time.

It would make sense to have these badge numbers in larger characters on the
front and/or back of the uniform, whether they are in riot gear or just their
day-to-day uniform.

~~~
fish_phrenology
The Seattle Police Department has both their badge numbers, as well as name
tags. As you said, neither is particularly easy to read in the best of
circumstances. Of course it’s made even more difficult by the officers
covering the badge numbers (and in less frequent cases, their name tags) with
tape. I’ve seen both in person during the last week. The official explanation
for covering badge numbers is weak, and the mayor’s response to protestor
requests that badges are left uncovered was even weaker. Of course this pales
in comparison to the turning-off body cam before attacking policy.

~~~
kayfox
This is further a problem because Seattle has at least one current badge
design the puts the number in the middle of the badge. Many other agencies
avoid this as they either have a traditional badge with large numbers at the
bottom like many NYPD badges, or they understand that mourning bands are a
thing and avoid placing the badge number where the band may cover up.

As a forward looking policy, agencies should generally prohibit obscuring the
agency and officer identification for uniformed officers and design those
things to enhance their readability and prevent common practices like mourning
bands from obscuring them.

As for the body camera policy, Seattle has a history of using video
surveillance during protests to identify protesters for later prosecution, in
particular this happened during the WTO protests and Iraq War protests.

A common call from protesters has been that journalists and photographers
documenting the protest avoid publishing clear photos that would allow the
police and other parties the ability to identify protesters, so there are
conflicting calls on that particular policy.

I think the long term solution to that is a legal disincentive for police
departments to prosecute protesters and a trust in the police and judiciary
that they can take such recordings and use them for accountability rather than
prosecutions.

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protomyth
The United States has so many different kinds of law enforcement officers that
is amazing anyone can keep it straight. Hell, USDA has officers. Many will be
called to deal with things that aren't exactly their normal area when needed.
Loaned to other departments, I think it is called.

Live on a reservation for a while and see at least three different groups of
basic law enforcement, never mind when it gets bad and they get help from
other agencies. Heck, wait until they pull the kill all cellphones and
internet connections in an area so they can do an interagency drug bust. That
screwed with our remote class something fierce. Using black helicopters was
just asinine. Thanks for riling up the conspiracy idiots.

~~~
1propionyl
I see you haven't updated your registry of asinine conspiracy theory lately...

The conspiracy idiots think the black helicopters are on _their side_ and are
waiting for "the storm", where the executive sweeps in and arrests all of the
members of a secret global pedophile ring.

Conveniently they tend to believe that ring includes any and all politicians
that they don't agree with (most of the Republican Party, all of the
Democratic Party), professors, medical experts, more or less the entire
population of San Francisco, etc. Oh! Almost forgot: also Jews.

They're essentially all in on some form of bloody coup and/or purge, but
euphemize/rationalize it as a heroic liberation from unseen oppressors (hmm...
where have I heard this before...).

"Those who can make you believe absurdities, can make you commit atrocities."
\- Voltaire

~~~
growlist
'The greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn't
exist'

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jonny_eh
I can't access the site because I don't have a subscription, but the headline
brings to mind a thought I've had recently that cops should be required to
have a big identifiable number on their front and back, like a football or
hockey player.

~~~
sbarre
Typically police riot helmets have exactly that (a big number) on the back of
them so they can identify each other in the chaos.

It has since come out that these are Bureau of Prisons employees, and the head
of the BOP said this was "not intentional" and that the "point was taken"
about the problem of them being unidentified.

Whether through malice or incompetence, it's still kinda bullshit tho.

~~~
ChristianBundy
> "not intentional"

I'm guessing that this means "this is how we've always done it but we've never
faced accountability before". The BOP was founded in 1930, I wonder how long
they've been pulling this 'no name, no badge' thing under the radar.

~~~
ahi
In fairness, they have no business being deployed outside of a prison anyway.
Their lack of uniforms reflect their lack of training and jurisdiction for the
task assigned. They might as well be Capitol hill cafeteria workers. The only
additional qualification the BoP has is their experience cracking heads.

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itronitron
I think protestors should adopt a uniform of wearing a high-visibility vest
and hard hat because they are supposed to be there and are just doing safety
checks.

~~~
Communitivity
Actually, a maximally confusing thought (and illegal if they did it) would be
for all the protesters to show up in high quality police uniforms. Though
things like piercings, tats, and hair styles would be giveaways that some of
them weren't cops. The police would throw everything could at them if they did
that though.

~~~
downerending
Probably illegal. And certainly a good way to get your ass kicked by
protesters (and the police).

~~~
colejohnson66
It is illegal. In California, it’s covered under Penal Code §538d[0]. In
short, it’s not illegal to wear a police uniform, but doing so with the intent
to deceive anyone (actual officers included) is illegal.

[0]:
[https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySectio...](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=PEN&sectionNum=538d)

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nonick
That is exactly what happened in Romania on August 10, 2018, when a peaceful
protest was met with tear gas and Police violence, while law enforcement
covered the ID numbers on their helmets.
[https://www.digi24.ro/stiri/actualitate/jandarmi-cu-
indicati...](https://www.digi24.ro/stiri/actualitate/jandarmi-cu-indicativul-
de-pe-casca-ascuns-cu-banda-izolatoare-la-protestul-din-10-august-982244) (in
Romanian, but pictures tell the story)

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charles_f
Would that disqualify any form of resistance arrest charge, since you can't
tell they're cops and not random people assaulting you?

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smrq
Sans paywall: [https://outline.com/SCKWwz](https://outline.com/SCKWwz)

~~~
californical
Can citizens buy riot shields? What's stopping a group of people from doing
exactly this just to cause an issue? Are we even 100% sure that they are any
form of law enforcement?

I hope someone walks un-aggressively right past their line and refuses to
acknowledge them as police if they don't identify as such.

~~~
mwfunk
Apparently the police are OK with any protestors doing basically anything if
they've all got AR-15s and burning or lynching effigies of politicians they
disagree with, because apparently that's how adults handle disagreements in
civil societies. That would be another way to render themselves invisible to
the police, based on the last 50 years or so of anecdotal evidence.

I may be missing some critical elements though, like Confederate flags or
swastikas or blatantly threatening behavior or obvious symptoms of fetal
alcohol syndrome. It sure is odd, the sorts of things that put American cops
at ease. Really odd.

