Jan 25, 2014, 06:06 am
Today's cautionary tale of How Not to Use the Internet comes to us courtesy of a man who someday hopes to carry a badge and gun. His target? CopBlock.org. For those not familiar with Cop Block, it's a site that tracks police misconduct. Much of what's collected is anecdotal evidence, submitted by readers, but there's also coverage of other, media-covered incidents as well as book reviews, organized events and educational material.
But what Cop Block does that some other police misconduct-oriented sites don't is make an active effort to film police. More controversially, site members have also been known to take to the roadside to warn drivers of speed traps and seatbelt checkpoints. Not surprisingly, law enforcement members who interact with Cop Block members are usually less than cordial.
A post to the Cop Block Facebook page by a former soldier who's currently pursuing a degree in order to join the Washoe (NV) Sheriff's Dept. managed to exceed anything these members have seen before. In fact, much of what is included in this person's (Darren Redding) post is simply abusive, with a couple of comments tracing the edges of the "threat" category.
Here's Redding's post in its entirety (screenshots captured for posterity here, here, here, here and here).
Redding complains about the attitude of those at Cop Block, specifically mentioning how it supposedly paints all cops as bad cops. Whatever point he was trying to make about the good cop/bad cop ratio is completely destroyed by his next several dozen words. The attitude on display here would put Redding (should he actually make the cut as an officer) clearly on the "bad" side. You can't defend good cops by wishing degradation, pain and death on those you disagree with
Hopefully, Redding's own self-destructive behavior will keep him from acquiring the power he needs to torment "liberals," "pussies" and other people who are severely in need of "getting what's coming to them."
Tempering all of this is the fact that this is a Facebook post, a venue where stupid things are "said" all the time. A quick rundown of the comments on Cop Block's Facebook page shows there are plenty of people with the same mindset as Redding's, only coming at it from the opposite direction. Sure, these commenters aren't aspiring to go into law enforcement, but it doesn't make their comments any less terrible.
At this point, Redding is still in school (presumably pursuing a criminal law degree) according to this comment at the Bad Cop No Donut subreddit. (This bare bones LinkedIn account seems to verify that.) If he's looking for a job in law enforcement, he's greatly sabotaged that chance. Contacting the Sheriff's Dept. seems to be a waste of time since he's a few years away from applying. Should "the internet" decide whether Redding is allowed to chase his dream? Perhaps not, but Redding's own words seem perfectly capable of undermining that. The greater problem is, if this is Redding's mindset, that his attempt to join the law enforcement ranks is still a few years off (his LinkedIn page estimates a 2016 graduation date). By that time, any outrage will have long since died down and his scrubbing efforts will have become nearly invisible. And maybe, just maybe, Redding will join a force that won't tolerate his violent urges towards law enforcement critics. Who knows? Stranger things have happened.
But the underlying message here is clear: if you are perceived as painting all cops as bad cops, you'll very easily draw the attention of the worst cops, even those who are still in the aspirational phase.
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But what Cop Block does that some other police misconduct-oriented sites don't is make an active effort to film police. More controversially, site members have also been known to take to the roadside to warn drivers of speed traps and seatbelt checkpoints. Not surprisingly, law enforcement members who interact with Cop Block members are usually less than cordial.
A post to the Cop Block Facebook page by a former soldier who's currently pursuing a degree in order to join the Washoe (NV) Sheriff's Dept. managed to exceed anything these members have seen before. In fact, much of what is included in this person's (Darren Redding) post is simply abusive, with a couple of comments tracing the edges of the "threat" category.
Here's Redding's post in its entirety (screenshots captured for posterity here, here, here, here and here).
Quote:Your page is pathetic and offensive. The pictures you post and the comments you make seem like you're trying to incriminate and deface ALL police officers, when 99% of them are great at what they do, it's the 1% you should be posting about, not the vast majority you pathetic, ignorant, liberal pussy.What's amazing about Redding's post is the sheer amount of violent imagery deployed. Not content to merely "beat" members' "liberal asses," Redding escalates it into Godwin Territory by wishing a "holocaust with camps and gas chambers" on Cop Block's 90,000+ fans and members.
You're just like all the liberals striving for gun control because the actions of a few, insane individuals are fucking it up for the other 99% of gun owners who are responsible with their weapons.
Or let me put it into perspective for a drug using, liberal, hippy pussy like yourself: 99% of people who smoke pot do it responsibly and safely, but 1% of the people who use participate in violent crime, or crash their cars when theyre high and kill others or themselves, but I don't see you posting about how ALL pot smokers should be punished.
If you were a law abiding citizen you wouldn't have any problem with 5-0, but something tells me you were probably being a jackass towards a police officer and you got what was coming to you, and that inspired you to make a page giving a bad name to all law enforcement.
You might as well bad mouth the military and veterans like myself because of those marine scout snipers that pissed on some dead Taliban a few years back. According to your logic that means ALL active duty and veterans are heinous heathens right?
You're a fucking bitch and I hope some cop beats your ass next time you're "protesting" or filming them or whatever. In fact I'm about to start the training academy for the washoe county sheriffs dept in reno, Nevada and I can't wait to deal with punk ass bitches like you. I would beat your fucking liberal ass just for the sheer joy of it.
Suck my fucking dick you waste of breathable air, you should have been aborted. But I guess your mother was a dumb ass waste of life like you. You're the reason that there's no hope for the human race, I can't believe people like you exist, if I had my way, there would be another holocaust with camps and gas chambers full of fucking cunt scabs like you.
I hope you die
Redding complains about the attitude of those at Cop Block, specifically mentioning how it supposedly paints all cops as bad cops. Whatever point he was trying to make about the good cop/bad cop ratio is completely destroyed by his next several dozen words. The attitude on display here would put Redding (should he actually make the cut as an officer) clearly on the "bad" side. You can't defend good cops by wishing degradation, pain and death on those you disagree with
Hopefully, Redding's own self-destructive behavior will keep him from acquiring the power he needs to torment "liberals," "pussies" and other people who are severely in need of "getting what's coming to them."
Tempering all of this is the fact that this is a Facebook post, a venue where stupid things are "said" all the time. A quick rundown of the comments on Cop Block's Facebook page shows there are plenty of people with the same mindset as Redding's, only coming at it from the opposite direction. Sure, these commenters aren't aspiring to go into law enforcement, but it doesn't make their comments any less terrible.
At this point, Redding is still in school (presumably pursuing a criminal law degree) according to this comment at the Bad Cop No Donut subreddit. (This bare bones LinkedIn account seems to verify that.) If he's looking for a job in law enforcement, he's greatly sabotaged that chance. Contacting the Sheriff's Dept. seems to be a waste of time since he's a few years away from applying. Should "the internet" decide whether Redding is allowed to chase his dream? Perhaps not, but Redding's own words seem perfectly capable of undermining that. The greater problem is, if this is Redding's mindset, that his attempt to join the law enforcement ranks is still a few years off (his LinkedIn page estimates a 2016 graduation date). By that time, any outrage will have long since died down and his scrubbing efforts will have become nearly invisible. And maybe, just maybe, Redding will join a force that won't tolerate his violent urges towards law enforcement critics. Who knows? Stranger things have happened.
But the underlying message here is clear: if you are perceived as painting all cops as bad cops, you'll very easily draw the attention of the worst cops, even those who are still in the aspirational phase.
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