For kids who's parents call the police on them
I know i’ve already ranted about what a heinous thing parents calling the police on their children is but now i’m going one better and writing a guide on what victims of this should do. I should add that if you are 18 or over, the parts of this that refer to the UN convention for the rights of the child do not apply to you, however, the rest of it applies to literally anyone.
This guide is written in accordance with the laws of the UK (Where i live) but likely also applies in America, Canada, Australia, France, Portugal, Israel or any similar places legally
Step one:
Once your parent(s) have called the police, locate the best piece of recording equipment available to you. It could be a camera phone, a video camera or maybe even just a webcam. If you can’t find a good enough piece of video recording equipment, something that just records audio will suffice. However, beware of time limits on recording, for example; my camera phone only lets you record 15 seconds at a time, this is nowhere long enough to record an interchange between you and the police. The purpose of this is so that you can record the interaction between you and the police, thereby allowing you to report any officers who break laws/rules/protocol and you’ll have rock-solid evidence to back it up.
If you can’t get your hands on any recording equipment still follow the other steps.
Whether or not you have anything to record with, testimony from anyone you share the house with (Siblings, lodgers or maybe guests who just happened to be there) might help. There’s no need to take steps to aquire witnesses, but be aware of any that you do have.
Step two:
When the police arrive, start recording right away if you can. If they ask you to stop, remind them that you have the right to record police proceedings. Should they make attempts to stop you recording them, you will have a record of this that you can use to report them. By stopping you from recording them, they have already broken the law.
Step three:
If the police do not stop you recording or you can’t record them in the first place, make sure they actually intend to arrest you. If they only intend to give you a warning, or are not arresting you for some other reason, the problem has gone away, however, do not jump to this conclusion until they have left.
Step four:
Once you’re sure that the police intend to arrest you ask them on what charge. In the event that they can’t or won’t tell you, remind them that they can’t arrest you without charge. If they arrest you anyway, report them for holding you without charge. Now if they do mention a charge, refute it to the end if you didn’t do it and regardless of the what the charge is, true or false, remind them of your right to be innocent until proven guilty. If there is no evidence for what they’re accusing you of, remind them of this repeatedly.
Step five:
It’s totally possible that they’ll tell you that they’re removing you for your parents sake. If they do this cite UN Convention on Rights for the Child article 3.1 which states: In all actions concerning children, whether undertaken by public or private social welfare institutions, courts of law, administrative authorities or legislative bodies, the best interests of the child shall be a primary consideration.
Step six:
If the police have no proof and no legal grounds to arrest you, they should leave at this point. If they still arrest you, it’s in your best interests to go peacefully yet report them for either arresting you without charge or for violating a UN convention.
Below is a flow-chart about how to deal with this situation.
As you can see, there are three possible outcomes: the police simply leave thereby removing the issue, they arrest you illegally allowing you to report them or the worst case scenario where the police actually have proof of what you did whereby you’re going to jail and unfortunately there’s not much you can do in that situation. If your parents do call the police on you, whatever the outcome, make sure you let them know that it is NOT cool.
If the guide is a little too complicated or doesn’t answer a question you have, just remember these simple tips and rules:
- You have the right to record police proceedings
- You can not be arrested without charge
- You have rights outlined in the UN Convention on Rights of the Child. Full text of that document can be found here
- You can’t just be arrested because someone wants you to be, even if it is your parent(s)
- If the police break any rules/laws report them! If you did in fact record it, it’s 99.9% sure that they’re be found guilty of it
- If the police do decide to arrest you, do not resist arrest as it will only make things worse, although verbal protest is okay
So that’s that. If you have any reason to suspect that your parents may call the police on you for ANYTHING, make sure you remember these rules.
Please, PLEASE pass this on to any and all children who you think are at risk from their parents getting the police involved or even to anyone who might be able to get it to people who need it, perhaps even submit it to charities or child related organisations of any description. Thank you so much, you will be helping so many children :)
Manning out.
"How the War on Terror Has Militarized the Police"
And why you should be worried.
Amplify’d from www.theatlantic.comSee this Amp at http://bit.ly/v1tERJThe most serious consequence of the rapid militarization of American police forces, however, is the subtle evolution in the mentality of the “men in blue” from “peace officer” to soldier. This development is absolutely critical and represents a fundamental change in the nature of law enforcement. The primary mission of a police officer traditionally has been to “keep the peace.” Those whom an officer suspects to have committed a crime are treated as just that - suspects. Police officers are expected, under the rule of law, to protect the civil liberties of all citizens, even the “bad guys.” For domestic law enforcement, a suspect in custody remains innocent until proven guilty. Moreover, police officers operate among a largely friendly population and have traditionally been trained to solve problems using a complex legal system; the deployment of lethal violence is an absolute last resort.
Soldiers, by contrast, are trained to identify people they encounter as belonging to one of two groups — the enemy and the non-enemy — and they often reach this decision while surrounded by a population that considers the soldier an occupying force. Once this identification is made, a soldier’s mission is stark and simple: kill the enemy, “try” not to kill the non-enemy. Indeed, the Soldier’s Creed declares, “I stand ready to deploy, engage, and destroy the enemies of the United States of America in close combat.” This is a far cry from the peace officer’s creed that expects its adherents “to protect and serve.”
The point here is not to suggest that police officers in the field should not take advantage of every tactic or piece of equipment that makes them safer as they carry out their often challenging and strenuous duties. Nor do I mean to suggest that a police officer, once trained in military tactics, will now seek to kill civilians. It is far too easy for Monday-morning quarterbacks to unfairly second-guess the way police officers perform their jobs while they are out on the streets waging what must, at times, feel like a war.
Notwithstanding this concern, however, Americans should remain mindful bringing military-style training to domestic law enforcement has real consequences. When police officers are dressed like soldiers, armed like soldiers, and trained like soldiers, it’s not surprising that they are beginning to act like soldiers. And remember: a soldier’s main objective is to kill the enemy.
An Open Letter to the Citizens of Oakland from the Oakland Police Officers’ Association:
1 November 2011 – Oakland, Ca.
We represent the 645 police officers who work hard every day to protect the citizens of Oakland. We, too, are the 99% fighting for better working conditions, fair treatment and the ability to provide a living for our children and families. We are severely understaffed with many City beats remaining unprotected by police during the day and evening hours.
As your police officers, we are confused.
On Tuesday, October 25th, we were ordered by Mayor Quan to clear out the encampments at Frank Ogawa Plaza and to keep protesters out of the Plaza. We performed the job that the Mayor’s Administration asked us to do, being fully aware that past protests in Oakland have resulted in rioting, violence and destruction of property.
Then, on Wednesday, October 26th, the Mayor allowed protesters back in – to camp out at the very place they were evacuated from the day before.
To add to the confusion, the Administration issued a memo on Friday, October 28th to all City workers in support of the “Stop Work” strike scheduled for Wednesday, giving all employees, except for police officers, permission to take the day off.
That’s hundreds of City workers encouraged to take off work to participate in the protest against “the establishment.” But aren’t the Mayor and her Administration part of the establishment they are paying City employees to protest? Is it the City’s intention to have City employees on both sides of a skirmish line?
It is all very confusing to us.
Meanwhile, a message has been sent to all police officers: Everyone, including those who have the day off, must show up for work on Wednesday. This is also being paid for by Oakland taxpayers. Last week’s events alone cost Oakland taxpayers over $1 million.
The Mayor and her Administration are beefing up police presence for Wednesday’s work strike they are encouraging and even “staffing,” spending hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars for additional police presence – at a time when the Mayor is also asking Oakland residents to vote on an $80 parcel tax to bail out the City’s failing finances.
All of these mixed messages are confusing.
We love Oakland and just want to do our jobs to protect Oakland residents. We respectfully ask the citizens of Oakland to join us in demanding that our City officials, including Mayor Quan, make sound decisions and take responsibility for these decisions. Oakland is struggling – we need real leaders NOW who will step up and lead – not send mixed messages. Thank you for listening.
Freed 19 Police Officers Arrested For Their Alleged Ties To Narco : http://newish.info/24877-freed-19-police-officers-arrested-for-their-alleged-ties-to-narco
