Since when does the single fact that someone is a law enforcement officer place them above scrutiny?
I support and defend law enforcement officers that respect their position and use their authority to the benefit of the general public.
At the same time I will hold contempt and disdain for any officer or department that abuses that power. That goes for any part of our government.
The simple fact they are a law enforcement officer, or elected official, causes them to be held at a higher standard, and demands the scrutiny of the people. That's democracy.
The various DNR/Fish and Game agencies desperately require justification for their jobs and continued budget levels, or else their funds will be cut to provide a few more metal detectors at an airport. I have seen many instances where the facts were distorted in order to make the bust, only to later be dismissed in court while many of the confiscated animals died in the mean time.
An excellent example was a case reported on in Vivarium magazine where a Californian was permitted (i.e. in possession of a permit) to sell rosy boas. As I remember, the magazine printed a picture of the F&G officer physically stretching a young rosy so it would exceed the size limit and justify the charges. The man's collection was seized and a significant portion of them died as a result.
When someone is smuggling wildlife or shooting deer out of season, bust them, that's their job. But to have laws enacted in closet sessions, then procede to orchestrate a major operation complete with media coverage to use these laws against otherwise law abiding citizens is simply going too far. It's little more than a publicity campaign at the expense of the common man.
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and if that same leo/herper reads contempt displayed towards their fellow officer who do you think the leo will side with?a fellow officer or a (potential)law breaker?
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So everyone who is not a sworn officer is viewed as a potential law breaker? What force raises officers themselves above that status, are they incapable of breaking the law, or subverting it for their own ends?
And here I had the illusion we were citizens, not merely an unruly populace for whom violating the law is just a matter of time.
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facts,either good or bad,are helpful.opinions belong on the editorial page
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Joe Friday may have wanted "just the facts" but he didn't run an internet forum. What is a forum other than a global editorial page? Discussions limited to facts without opinion are not discussions, they are merely a series of statements. Statements can't be discussed without involving a measure of opinion.
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why break the law in the first place?
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Why pass a law without informing those affected and then expect them to magically become aware of it and obey?
By the way, the wildlife nazi comment was mine, not Evan's. I used the term because that's exactly what a portion of them are.
Any agency that would spend 3 years, and untelling amounts of money and man hours just to bust a few people who legally purchased some captive bred reptiles has a serious priority issue.