Lee County Police. Finally, the truth is coming out... (Orlando: day care, felon)

[hiknapster]

I've said it for years, had a couple of cop friends tell me it is going on and it is bad. As I have said before, why is it that the users are getting busted but the cops don't go in and get the dealers? Why is it that when the Fort Myers cops took over Dunbar, then the dealers were arrested?

Well, lo and behold, the New Press is doing investigative journalism. It's a rarity now for any media outlet but coming from the "phone it in" paper it is pretty breathtaking.

Anyway, looks like the local sheriffs, especially Mike Scott have been associating with a felon. A REALLY bad one.

The guy "was convicted in 1995 in New York of laundering more than $100 million for the Colombian Cali Cartel, a violent drug smuggling organization that Time Magazine in 1991 tagged as the No. 1 supplier of cocaine to the U.S. and Europe. According to federal indictments, Spence, along with two lawyers, recruited 20 money couriers to help launder the cartel's money into offshore accounts. Spence cooperated with authorities and served 36 months in prison before moving to Lee County."

Yeah. It wasn't long after that the police department started doing some odd things.

And this felon was involved in the campaign of three sheriffs in three counties and the state attorney. Lots of fundraisers involved.

And they were not casual friends. Between October 2005 to August 2008, they had 371 phone conversations.

The article is much more in-depth and very, very damning. Great job. I will say that I've always known it.

I am an absolute cop lover. I use to work with other police departments, and believe me, these folks were a true disgrace. I really hope that this will eventually stop what is going on there. The people of Lee County deserve better.

Take the time to read the article. It is very eye-opening.

Lee County sheriff's link with felon raises influence fears | news-press.com | The News-Press

[Compression]

Yep, watching this story with great interest....

I've been a Mike Scott supporter, and have thought he was generally doing a pretty decent job.

But the election rally faux pas last fall, followed by the "pigs get fat, hogs get slaughtered" remark, and now this revelation of hangin' wit the hoods, the luster is coming off his shiney badge quickly.

[hiknapster]

Originally Posted by yachtcare

Yep, watching this story with great interest....

I've been a Mike Scott supporter, and have thought he was generally doing a pretty decent job.

But the election rally faux pas last fall, followed by the "pigs get fat, hogs get slaughtered" remark, and now this revelation of hangin' wit the hoods, the luster is coming off his shiney badge quickly.

Don't feel bad. We voted for him, too. When I was told by two different cops that the cops were on the take, I thought they meant SOME cops. I had no idea that it went all the way up, or now it seems, all the way down.

My husband and I have been discussing this. It does make sense, though. How many times can you ignore our big dealers and not do say something? It was always so strange. Yet, the cops would go out of their way to pull over grandma putt-putting down the road. They started to become legendary with their bullying on the roads.

Yet, we called the cops once and you would have thought we did something wrong. They acted like they were put out. I have never, ever seen cops act as badly as these folks did, as a whole.

What I want to know is, how did this member of the largest drug cartel show up in Lee County? Did he know Scott before? Someone else? Did they just bump into each other at the flea market?

And I didn't get the hog reference. I must have missed that. Would you kindly fill me in? We are dying to know?

[Compression]

Originally Posted by hiknapster

And I didn't get the hog reference. I must have missed that. Would you kindly fill me in? We are dying to know?

It's a story that was given little attention, but the quote, attributed to Sherriff Scott, supposedly was in reference to the disparity of wages, and funding between the Cape cops and the deputies. And efforts to unionize the deputies. I guess it caused a bit of disharmony between those two departments. I'll see if I can find a link.

On another note, my SO's 17 yo daughter was pulled over Saturday morning in the north cape by a Sherriff's K-9 unit. Window tint was the excuse. Resulting in a search of the car by the dog. No citations issued, just basic harrassment for no apparent reason. She was quite upset over the ordeal. Terrorism by cop, becoming quite common in SW Florida...........


Edit: a link to the "pigs get fat" story and some reaction on the leo forum.....

http://forums.leoaffairs.com/viewtop...89724&p=579797

[hiknapster]

I got stopped coming out of San Carlos park one morning. Lee County cop wanted to know what I was doing in the neighborhood. Told him I just dropped my baby off at daycare. I'm thinking, "Why? What's wrong with the neighborhood?" Cop wants to know where I am going. To work, obviously. Although I gave no attitude in my head I'm thinking, "This guy is just harassing me."

Wants to know if I have guns, bombs, knives, shotguns or any other weapon in the car. I'm thinking, "What?" Bear in mind, I was about 40-years-old wearing a Publix uniform.

Asks if he can search the car. I say, "sure." It's ridiculous and I really want to get to work but I now feel like I might seem guilty.

Finally, a guy drives by and starts yelling at the cop. Tells him his kid's bike has been stolen and he has been waiting for someone to show up, so the cop decides to go.

Says he saw me roll through a stop sign. He was coming the other way, knows darn well I didn't, and he had turned around to follow me, on top of everything.

There was a female civilian sitting in the front seat and I really think she was his girlfriend and he was trying to impress her.

They are just punks.

Thanks for the link.

[Huckleberry3911948]

Originally Posted by hiknapster

I got stopped coming out of San Carlos park one morning. Lee County cop wanted to know what I was doing in the neighborhood. Told him I just dropped my baby off at daycare. I'm thinking, "Why? What's wrong with the neighborhood?" Cop wants to know where I am going. To work, obviously. Although I gave no attitude in my head I'm thinking, "This guy is just harassing me."

Wants to know if I have guns, bombs, knives, shotguns or any other weapon in the car. I'm thinking, "What?" Bear in mind, I was about 40-years-old wearing a Publix uniform.

Asks if he can search the car. I say, "sure." It's ridiculous and I really want to get to work but I now feel like I might seem guilty.

Finally, a guy drives by and starts yelling at the cop. Tells him his kid's bike has been stolen and he has been waiting for someone to show up, so the cop decides to go.

Says he saw me roll through a stop sign. He was coming the other way, knows darn well I didn't, and he had turned around to follow me, on top of everything.

There was a female civilian sitting in the front seat and I really think she was his girlfriend and he was trying to impress her.


They are just punks.

Thanks for the link.

i am puzzled your profile says a wasp female.
why would a cop harrass you "out of your neighborhood".
that does not make sense to me. how was it "out of your neighborhood".
why would a cop ask a white female in nurses attire to search her car for weapons.
this is not making any sense at all. lee county florida is 89% white.

[hiknapster]

Originally Posted by Huckleberry3911948

i am puzzled your profile says a wasp female.
why would a cop harrass you "out of your neighborhood".
that does not make sense to me. how was it "out of your neighborhood".
why would a cop ask a white female in nurses attire to search her car for weapons.
this is not making any sense at all. lee county florida is 89% white.

You've lost me.

I never said anything about race. Besides, what would that have to do with anything?

Oh, and Lee County is 82 percent white, non-hispanic, not that that would matter.

Yes, I am a female. So?

I was not in my neighborhood. I was in the neighborhood where the day care was located.

I am not a nurse but worked for a grocery store.

I'm sorry but your post makes no sense to me.

Why would he stop me and ask about weapons? Perhaps because he was showing off? Perhaps because he could? Perhaps because they were being paid-off by the bad guys so they were bored.

[sfitzger14750]

My husband and I had an early flight out of Ft Myers in March this year. Had an "Apple" taxie pick us up at our house in the Cape at 5:00 in the morning. Nice drive with hardly any traffic. Over the Veterans Bridge to Ft. Myers we were followed by a police car. Mind you, hardly anyone out at this time. Was really menacing. The taxie driver said this happens all the time. He must have gotten bored with us and finally left us. If I were driving I might have gotten into an accident just being so nervous being followed like that. Was it a fluke or are they that bored????

[hiknapster]

Originally Posted by sfitzger14750

My husband and I had an early flight out of Ft Myers in March this year. Had an "Apple" taxie pick us up at our house in the Cape at 5:00 in the morning. Nice drive with hardly any traffic. Over the Veterans Bridge to Ft. Myers we were followed by a police car. Mind you, hardly anyone out at this time. Was really menacing. The taxie driver said this happens all the time. He must have gotten bored with us and finally left us. If I were driving I might have gotten into an accident just being so nervous being followed like that. Was it a fluke or are they that bored????

I grew up in a cop family. One of my first chapter books was Joseph Wambaugh. As an adult I had the pleasure of working with many local police forces up in Mass. Most cops were good.

I moved to Orlando and thought those cops were incredibly professional.

Lee County was a nightmare. It got to the point where I dreaded going out because of the rude people and the crazy cops.

When we moved to Tennessee I had to drive and I was a wreck. Mind you, I always enjoyed driving, before.

It took me several months to calm down, after arriving here.

It is a pleasure, once again, to talk to the cops and watch them at work.

There is an incredible amount of drugs flowing into Lee County. Contrary to what the Lee County cops think, they work for the public and their job is to protect and serve. There is a young police force out there that thinks differently, thanks to being trained under this scumbag.

I am so very glad that something may finally be done with this.

[Compression]

Originally Posted by sfitzger14750

If I were driving I might have gotten into an accident just being so nervous being followed like that. Was it a fluke or are they that bored????

Not really a fluke, they do indeed play cat and mouse like this all the time. I've gotten quite used to it. Happens to me once or twice a month.

The funniest incident was a few years ago. About a week after I brought home a new project truck( a 1968 Chevy 1/2 ton) that did look like a ghetto bomber(but was tagged and insured) I had a deputy follow me down CC Pkwy, and stay with me as I headed north up Country Club. He'd get up close, then back off, on and on like this. About a block short of Veterans he was right on my bumper when another vehicle ran the stop sign out of the side street right in front of me. Of course there was alot of tire squealing, and three vehicles stopped in the middle of Country club. I stuck my head out the window and looked back at the cop. His expression was priceless. I shrugged my shoulders and made a gesture with my left hand like, there's your morning ticket, officer, and drove away. Watching the flashing lights in the rear view for the unfortunate soul that decided to run the stop in front of me. I still find a certain feeling of satisfaction of getting two birds with one stone when I remember that.........