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Private Police Intelligence Network Shares Data and Targets Cash

Posted by samzenpus on from the mine-now-I-take-it dept.

Advocatus Diaboli writes Operating in collaboration with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other federal entities, Black Asphalt members exchanged tens of thousands of reports about American motorists, many of whom had not been charged with any crimes, according to a company official and hundreds of internal documents obtained by The Post. For years, it received no oversight by government, even though its reports contained law enforcement sensitive information about traffic stops and seizures, along with hunches and personal data about drivers, including Social Security numbers and identifying tattoos. Black Asphalt also has served as a social hub for a new brand of highway interdictors, a group that one Desert Snow official has called 'a brotherhood.' Among other things, the site hosts an annual competition to honor police who seize the most contraband and cash on the highways. As part of the contest, Desert Snow encouraged state and local patrol officers to post seizure data along with photos of themselves with stacks of currency and drugs. Some of the photos appear in a rousing hard-rock video that the Guthrie, Okla.-based Desert Snow uses to promote its training courses.

4 of 142 comments (clear)

  1. Defund by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Think it is about time to curtail our police state and defund the and repeal the laws that make this possible.

  2. Holy cow ... by gstoddart · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Desert Snow contract employees took in more than $1 million over six months from drivers on the state's highways, including Interstate 40 west of Oklahoma City. Under its contract, the firm was allowed to keep 25 percent of the cash.

    When Caddo County District Court Judge David A. Stephens learned that Desert Snow employees were not sworn law enforcement officers in Oklahoma, he denounced the arrangement as "shocking," and he threatened to put David in jail if it continued.

    The state's American Civil Liberties Union chapter called for an investigation of the district attorney and criminal charges against Desert Snow employees for impersonating law enforcement officers.

    Wait, so these guys are doing traffic stops and seizures (where they benefit from it) and they're not actually law enforcement?

    So basically they're a shakedown racket? The more they seize the more profit they make? That's RICO level stuff there.

    This kind of stuff is appalling, and it just means that a lot of stuff is being put into the private sector so they can ignore all of those pesky laws.

    Unbelievable.

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    Lost at C:>. Found at C.
    1. Re:Holy cow ... by Arker · · Score: 5, Informative

      That is correct. This is a legalized armed-robbery ring preying on US travelers. That, folks, is how low this country has fallen.

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      Friends don't let friends enable ecmascript.
    2. Re:Holy cow ... by Charliemopps · · Score: 5, Informative

      Right, I've run into this before. Always refuse a search. When you do that, if they are a police officer or not will become apparently rather quickly. Non-police will stall and try to get you to hang around so they can bully you into it. Ask if you're under arrest or otherwise being detained against your will, if not, leave. Have no further discussion with that person. Keep in mind that even the police departments get to keep seized cash. It may not go directly into their pocket but it goes to buying them new squad cars, weapons, vests and even towards their bonuses and promotions. So they have a very strong incentive to "Find" something on you. In a large metropolitian department it may not seem so direct to the officers. But you get into your average town that only has half a doze cops and finding a couple of hundred K in a trunk becomes a big win for them.