Secret Police? Virginia State Senate has passed bill to withhold all officers' names

[Marikins]

The Virginia State Senate has passed SB 552 (https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?161+ful+SB552ES1) which would exempt police names from being disclosed under the Virginia Freedom of Information Act. The Fraternal Order of Police union lobbied for the bill in response to an investigation by two Virginia reporters in which the reporters requested police names and positions under the Virginia FOIA to trace "bad" police being transferred out to other jobs within the police.

The sponsor of the bill and friend to the Fraternal Order of Police, State Senator Cosgrove explained his support:

“The culture is not one of respect for law enforcement anymore. It’s really, ‘How, how can we get these guys? What can we do?’ . . . Police officers are much more in jeopardy. There’s no nefarious intent behind the bill.”

The Washington Post reports that pushback has been strong and quotes Claire Gastanaga, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia:

“To say every officer’s name ought to be confidential just a step too far in government secrecy. We are dangerously close to a police state in some respects.”

The bill has been sent to the House Committee and hearings are today, Thursday, February 25. Virginians can find out their representatives at Who's My Legislator (http://whosmy.virginiageneralassembly.gov)

The Virginia Pilot series by Patrick Wilson and Gary Harki Virginia bill to keep officers' names secret would be first in the nation, experts say (http://pilotonline.com/news/government/politics/virginia/virginia-bill-to-keep-officers-names-secret-would-be-first/article_f49aa653-a911-50a7-b77d-242ebc1f95fc.html)

WashingtonPost Secret police?Virginia considers bill to withhold all officers' names (https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/true-crime/wp/2016/02/24/secret-police-virginia-considers-bill-to-withhold-all-officers-names/)

[Shannon]

Just when I thought I couldn't dislike law enforcement and my government any more than I already do....


Sigh.

[Marikins]

Just when I thought I couldn't dislike law enforcement and my government any more than I already do....


The unbelievable entitlement to want to block investigation into their chicanery of moving miscreant cops around reminds me of hiding pedophile priests. Looking at the history of the bill on the Virginia Legislative web site, you can see they hustled this through in record time. I think nobody knows about the public hearing in Richmond because it is all scheduled last minute. Still, it remains a test of the citizenry. If it goes down in Virginia, all the FOPs across the nation are going to push for it. Then we will have the Secret Police we deserve.

[MorningSong]

For the love of.... protecting the minions has begun....the mother hens are getting nervous with the hawks squawking...

[Marikins]

I am really sick about this. I cannot even believe it got this far. The only thing I could think of to get a little ahead of it was to write the Governor (Gov. Terry MacAuliffe) in case it does get through the House of Delegates, to veto it in its entirety (in case it gets modified on the way). Comment boards even in southern Virginia seem to be running firmly against it (about 80%) but whether or not those people actually write and/or call their representatives remains to be seen.

This follows so many models of abuse of power in our society where the bully refuses to understand his part in the backlash he receives and just wants more power and protection for himself. For example, the US invading anywhere and then being surprised about terrorism and then calling for more protection that robs citizens of their rights. Pedophile priests that hide and deny and never accept responsibility.

[TrumanCash]

This is the basic problem of pretty much all countries on this planet today--NO ACCOUNTABILITY.

Without any way to hold government officials accountable for their actions (or lack of action) and to the rule of established law and ethical behavior, the government will eventually enslave its citizens or cause a bloody revolution or the government will simply collapse in on itself with its own corruption.

Today the courts are almost totally corrupt "good old boys clubs" and it is virtually impossible to hold civil servants/public officials to the law. I know this from personal experience.

If we look at why things are getting so bad in so many ways, this is the "why".

[Marikins]

UPDATE: I am beyond thrilled to report that SB 552 was killed:

Virginia House panel kills Sen. Cosgrove's police secrecy bill


A state House subcommittee voted unanimously Thursday evening to kill a bill that would have allowed names of all police officers and deputies in the state to be kept secret.

The bill, SB552, by Sen. John Cosgrove, R-Chesapeake, passed the state Senate 25-15, generating national attention because it would have made Virginia the first state to pass such a law, according to open government experts.

Cosgrove and representatives of several police associations said the bill was necessary to protect the safety of police officers.

Open government advocates and the Virginia Press Association argued that the public has a right to know the names of employees they pay and said transparency is important in policing.

:sun:

[A Voice from the Mountains]

UPDATE: I am beyond thrilled to report that SB 552 was killed:

Good. I don't understand what is wrong with the state senate that they would ever vote for such a thing. Isn't the government always saying, why worry about your privacy if you have nothing to hide? Well it goes both ways.

[Marikins]

UPDATE: I am beyond thrilled to report that SB 552 was killed:

Good. I don't understand what is wrong with the state senate that they would ever vote for such a thing. Isn't the government always saying, why worry about your privacy if you have nothing to hide? Well it goes both ways.

bsbray I am not an insider but Senator Cosgrove himself refers to himself as "a friend of the Police" and "a friend of the Fraternal Order of Police" so I guess it is simple lobbying by the FOP using their contact in the Senate. I think this is how things get done in the state and federal legislation. I am amazed that it was killed because there were so few citizens there. I found out about the hearing late last night so couldn't drive down there in time or I would have gone.

I think we have to stay vigilant though, because the police are trying everything to cover their actions. What we need is a big fat database of all their videos and reports that gets relayed real time so they can't "fix" it. Yeah, that's what we can use that big old NSA building in UTAH for! And all the snoop satelittes!

[Shannon]

That was a close one guys. :S

[Marikins]

Must have been your prayers that did it, Sister Saint Theresa!

[A Voice from the Mountains]

bsbray I am not an insider but Senator Cosgrove himself refers to himself as "a friend of the Police" and "a friend of the Fraternal Order of Police" so I guess it is simple lobbying by the FOP using their contact in the Senate. I think this is how things get done in the state and federal legislation. I am amazed that it was killed because there were so few citizens there. I found out about the hearing late last night so couldn't drive down there in time or I would have gone.

I'm sure there was lobbying going on, I'm just surprised by the 25-15 vote in the Senate. At least the House appears to have a little more sense.

[amor]

One down ten million to go.