Utica Cops (Planted Evidence?) Drug Bust (Annotated Edition)

Please read this *full* description before commenting. A video that appears to show a Utica, NY police officer planting drug evidence (on 11 Feb 2011) has just surfaced. I've taken the liberty of enhancing the most relevant parts of the video, adding likely annotations, and of course providing an appropriate sound track. Original video is currently at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i7oenshcwPk#!. If you have an alternative explanation for what the video captures, feel free to offer it. Don't bother submitting more comments noting the existence of longer versions of the video, they're already referenced and discussed in the existing comments. Repetitive comments will not be appearing. Any valid new information will be.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• drug
• bust
• law
• enforcement
• police
• cops
• drugs
• arrest
• evidence
• planting
• entrapment
• utica
• new
• york
• ny
• dashcam
• dash
• camera

[jmmurdy]

Cops can be bad LOL I heard about a cop down south that used to rob banks on his lunch break LOL

[VortexTech]

@jmmurdy There are good cops and bad cops, just as with everything else. The problem is that when cops go bad, the implications for innocent parties can be serious, given the asymmetric power dynamics in play.

[jmmurdy]

So what is happening to the cop.

[VortexTech]

@jmmurdy Nothing.

[RedExphos]

just wondering, not saying it fake, i think it's real, but how can you prove this is indeed a legitimate video, and not just 3 clowns dressed up? (my dad thinks it's fake.)

[VortexTech]

@RedExphos Utica police chief seems to think it's real -- they're his officers.

[Kamau47]

@MasterfulInsane, isn't it ironic that when it comes to police, a video ALWAYS is missing something, but is ALWAYS concrete when it comes to persecuting private citizens?

[VortexTech]

@MasterfulInsane Do you have any idea of the kinds of sleight of hand gimmicks some cops have been caught using in exactly these kinds of situations to entrap people they thought "deserved" to be guilty? I can't tell what's really going on in that part of the video, but I sure know what followed when the drugs were taken back to the car was inexcusable.

[MasterfulInsane]

@VortexTech

The video clearly shows the officer reaching in to the suspect's pockets and pulling out baggies. Come on now.

[VortexTech]

@MasterfulInsane I inspected that full WKTV video closely. I saw and heard nothing (including from the chief) to change my opinion. His excuse for mishandling evidence is "it was cold out..."? Give me a break. That could still be a plant, or at least terrible mishandling of evidence. And again, cops commit crimes in front of dashcams -- this wouldn't be the first time. And the FBI not getting involved says more about law enforcement politics than anything else. No apology warranted from me.