Red Dog disbanded (Atlanta: crime, home, neighborhood)

[tonygeorgia]

Former Atlanta Police Chief Eldrin Bell could hardly believe that the Red Dog unit, the hard-charging drug strike force he headed in the late 1980s, would be no more.


Red Dog disbanded *| ajc.com

[atlantagreg30127]

First of all, disbanding a GROUP within the APD does nothing - you have to rid yourself of the specific officers that made a habit of breaking (or nearly breaking) laws when doing arrests, searches, etc. The group wasn't the problem, it was some of those who were within the group. If those same problemed officers remain on the force, you're solving nothing.

Second, it does little with our current system of punishment what group you have, really. If someone is going to be back out on the streets again in a year or two after certain types of crimes, it deters nothing. If someone automatically got 25 years with no parole for participating in any crime that involves the use of a weapon (whether it is actually used or not), it would be a good start.

[Jackalope]

Red Dog has been the home of rogue cops for decades. It's good that it's gone, but they should've done more to prosecute the cops who broke the law. Just another reason why Atlanta hasn't had a police department with respect since 1970.

[axemanjoe]

If you want to make an omlet you gotta crack some eggs.

Any time a department implements aggressive tactics there will be an increase in arrests. That will result in the people who are arrested lodging complaints. The democrats see that as an opportunity to grandstand. They'll calll attention to all the issues and problems, but such are often shallow and do not have merit.

So policitians have a choice, use aggressive tactics and get the criminals off the streets while at the same time deal with the associated increase in complaints, or, cave in to the the democrats that will cry everything from racism to profiling to harassment and let the criminals have their way.

Two years from now they'll be singin a different tune.

Take a look at history to see how this has manifested. Bill Bratton outlined how he dealt with crime in his book. But, there is no one anywhere near a Bill Bratton-Frank Rizzo-Herman Short type of police chief anywhere in Georgia.

[brownhornet]

Red Dogs have been crooked since forever. They sold more drugs and laundered more money than they ever took off of the streets anyways. But thats really nothing new to most folks that know how they operate.

[ATL Golfer]

Originally Posted by atlantagreg30127

First of all, disbanding a GROUP within the APD does nothing - you have to rid yourself of the specific officers that made a habit of breaking (or nearly breaking) laws when doing arrests, searches, etc. The group wasn't the problem, it was some of those who were within the group. If those same problemed officers remain on the force, you're solving nothing.

Second, it does little with our current system of punishment what group you have, really. If someone is going to be back out on the streets again in a year or two after certain types of crimes, it deters nothing. If someone automatically got 25 years with no parole for participating in any crime that involves the use of a weapon (whether it is actually used or not), it would be a good start.

Greg - Just curious, how do you have such intimate and insider knowledge on the subject?

[waronxmas]

Originally Posted by brownhornet

Red Dogs have been crooked since forever. They sold more drugs and laundered more money than they ever took off of the streets anyways. But thats really nothing new to most folks that know how they operate.

No doubt. I remember when Red Dog was the terror of every neighborhood on the East side, west side and Southwest.

[axemanjoe]

Originally Posted by atlantagreg30127

First of all, disbanding a GROUP within the APD does nothing - you have to rid yourself of the specific officers that made a habit of breaking (or nearly breaking) laws when doing arrests, searches, etc. The group wasn't the problem, it was some of those who were within the group. If those same problemed officers remain on the force, you're solving nothing.

Second, it does little with our current system of punishment what group you have, really. If someone is going to be back out on the streets again in a year or two after certain types of crimes, it deters nothing. If someone automatically got 25 years with no parole for participating in any crime that involves the use of a weapon (whether it is actually used or not), it would be a good start.

Your second paragraph explains exactly why some of the "shortcuts" have been the way go to get these criminals off the street. Administrators and politicians tell the cops "do what you gotta do to handle the problem" so they do exactly that. Is it right......, no not really and it's not legal either, but that's a price the policticians and administrators are willing to pay sometimes, and they are not paying anything, the cops that they are directing are the ones paying. There is very little accountability the higher you go. I been in this busines over 32 years and the closer to the top I got the more angry I got with these clowns.

Watch the movie "Mulholland Falls" sometime, it depicts how LAPD in the 50's kept Chicago and New York mafia types from operating in the city, don't know how true it is, but I do know that similar tactics have been used, I know first hand.

[atlantagreg30127]

Originally Posted by ATL Golfer

Greg - Just curious, how do you have such intimate and insider knowledge on the subject?

Not exactly sure how saying that getting problemed officers out of the system instead of simply disbanding a group is "insider knowledge". I do however, know people in law enforcement but it has nothing to do with the Red Dog squad or their issues.

[ATL Golfer]

Originally Posted by atlantagreg30127

First of all, disbanding a GROUP within the APD does nothing - you have to rid yourself of the specific officers that made a habit of breaking (or nearly breaking) laws when doing arrests, searches, etc. The group wasn't the problem, it was some of those who were within the group. If those same problemed officers remain on the force, you're solving nothing.

Second, it does little with our current system of punishment what group you have, really. If someone is going to be back out on the streets again in a year or two after certain types of crimes, it deters nothing. If someone automatically got 25 years with no parole for participating in any crime that involves the use of a weapon (whether it is actually used or not), it would be a good start.

How do you know the group wasn't bad as a whole?