You have no right to report lawsuits alleging bad cops

2011-11-01 • Article

You are clearly portraying ONE side of the story in this article. And please inform me how you know the plaintiff had his hands above his head. Officer Gilbert is exactly that; a police officer - are you really surprised he would brandish a weapon when an unknown person comes to his home? Which, by the way, you had no right to publish his address. You really need to evaluate your staffs journalistic abilities and ethical standards.

Editors Reply

Here is the article in question. I am more than happy to bring it back to everyone's attention. Of course the article is one sided. It reports both the basis of a publicly filed lawsuit and a report of the lawsuit's service on the primary defendant.

Officer Gilbert is always more than welcome to post an unedited response on FP to tell his side of the story at any time he wishes. Or the Dept. can shell out some more taxpayer money to cover up some more of Officer Gilbert's alleged misdeeds as is standard Dept. practice for all of its fine officers. I believe the address on where they can send the check is noted in the lawsuit.

Obedience is not a duty of a free people.

1 Comments in Response to You have no right to report lawsuits alleging bad cops

Comment by McElchap

Entered on: 12/1/2012 10:10:58 AM

I believe the article posted by FP was done appropriately and well within legal parameters. ( I used to be a journalist.) The officers' behavior towards the process server is telling, and very bellicose for an "officer of the law" being served a summons. As the editor said, free people need not always obey. Nor should we kiss the butts of all who wear shiny badges, always regard them as "heroes". As "public servants", police must be subject to public scrutiny. As officers of the law, they should be held to a higher standard in upholding the law. To give police a free pass is to breed very dangerous cops who are just violent gang members with spiffy uniforms.

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