German Bosque, Police Unions, and What the Hell Opa Locka FL?

About a year and a half ago, Madison erupted in massive protests against Scott Walker's bill aimed at depriving most public employee unions of, among of other things, the right collectively bargain.  And like many people who lived in Madison, I joined in the protests, signed the recall petitions, and voted in the recall election.  While the legislation did not hurt me at the time, it may very well influence my future, since the UW-Madison's Teacher Assistant Union was affected by the bill, and voted to reject state certification rather abide by the new law.

In general, I support unions, but I won't go into the reasons why because that's not the point of this post.  One type of union that I am wary of, and I think should be either severely restricted or done away with completely are police unions, usually known as the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) .

And the Miami Herald has a perfect example of how FOP unions don't help the public, but positively fuck the tax payers like a dime-store fleshlight:

Opa-locka has the dubious distinction of employing the cop who can’t be fired. Though the city keeps on trying.

Sgt. German Bosque of the Opa-locka Police Department has been disciplined, suspended, fined and sent home with pay more than any officer in the state.

He has been accused of cracking the head of a handcuffed suspect, beating juveniles, hiding drugs in his police car, stealing from suspects, defying direct orders and lying and falsifying police reports. He once called in sick to take a vacation to Cancún and has engaged in a rash of unauthorized police chases, including one in which four people were killed.

Arrested and jailed three times, Bosque, 48, has been fired at least six times. Now under suspension pending yet another investigation into misconduct, Bosque stays home and collects his $60,000-a-year paycheck for doing nothing.

(Hat Tip to PoliceMisconduct.net for the original link)

Lying on police reports, police brutality, and stealing from suspects; Sgt. Bosque has pulled off the rare corrupt cop Hat Trick.  Bravo for him, too bad for the rest of us.  

If you read the sidebar in the article, it shows he's been arrested three times, fired five times and suspended many more times than that.  But the litany of his misconduct goes much further, and reads like a super villain's to do list: multiple counts of assault, sexual assault (dropped because the woman admitted she didn't say "no."), stalking women, possession of multiple Florida diver's licenses that were unlawfully confiscated, drug possession, domestic abuse, theft, unauthorized high speed chases (one of which killed four people), and of course, fraud.

But each time he is fired, he gets rehired, usually with the help of his police union.  Because to most police unions, member dues are much more important than the law that these officers are sworn to uphold.  He is currently suspended once again for allowing a reporter to ride along with him without first receiving proper authorization.  Which means he gets to sit at home and once again collect his $60,000 a year salary for a job well done of living every negative police stereotype ever.

It's not just Sgt. Bosque.  The Sarasota Herald-Tribune, which first found Sgt. Bosque by looking for the worst cop in Florida, details a long list of incompetence and corruption in both the Opa-locka's  police department and city hall.  The Florida Department of Law Enforcement, which controls the certification for police officers in the state, has also dropped the ball by its callous indifference to Sgt. Bosque's two decade long crime spree, in which they have still refused to suspend or revoke his credentials.

I readily admit that Sgt. Bosque is a unique case, but only in the breadth of his abuse.  Dirty and abusive cops in Florida with rap sheets shorter than Sgt. Bosque are routinely restated with the help of police unions,  As the Sarasota Herald Tribune says:

When agencies do try to rid themselves of problem officers, they are often thwarted by the state's powerful law enforcement unions, which have lobbied to give officers better protections and more opportunities to overturn negative findings.

At the same time, the group of state officials that is supposed to be the last line of defense against wayward officers declines chance after chance to strip them of their certifications.

Police unions differ from other unions due to the powers given to their members.  No other profession allows its employees to carry weapons, enter homes, detain people, and even use deadly force like a law enforcement officer.  Communities must have the ability to protect themselves from thug police like Sgt. Bosque without having to jump through the hoops set up by police unions, whose only duty it seems is to protect its own, no matter how criminal they may be.  This is a problem that exists in many other places outside of Florida.  The only example I remember reading where a police union actually pushed for disciplining an of an officer is when the Philadelphia FOP's president John McNesby wanted retired Police Captain Ray Lewis arrested for impersonating a police officer for wearing his uniform to Occupy protests, while at his union has gone to bat defending cops who unlawfully raided and stole money from stores owned by immigrants and cops who nearly beat an unarmed teen to death. 

So what does Sgt. Bosque have to say about his record?  During his interview with the Herald Tribune, Bosque admitted:

"You know what? I like the person I see in the mirror," he says. "I'm conceited about one thing in my life: I'm an excellent police officer.

"But I break some rules. Like right now. You're not even supposed to be in the car with me."

And then later said:

He knows he has a reputation as a "thumper." He argues that in a city as turbulent as Opa-Locka, there are times an officer has to be "tough to earn respect."

"I'm a good cop for the good people," Bosque says. "But the bad guys know I might tune you up."

 Anyone with better computer skills than me want to start a Scumbag Bosque meme?

(This photo was taken by Dan Wagner and is owned by the Sarasota Herald-Tribune, while the text is mine.)

Unfortunately, Sgt. Bosque doesn't understand that  he does not get to decide who are the "good guys" and "bad guys," and definitely does not get to meet out his own twisted sense of justice.  That's why we have a criminal justice system with lawyers, judges and juries.  But to stuck-in-adolescent-power-trip-fantasy fucks like Bosque, investigating crimes and detaining suspects to protect and serve the community is not why they are police.  They are police so they can cowardly kick the shit out of teenagers and handcuffed suspects, because outside doing that, they are basically failures as human beings.  And unfortunately, because police unions in many places have the power to protect thug cops, we're stuck with them, almost no matter what they do.  And that is a frightening as hell.  

Reahere: http://www./2012/06/30/2876652/the-south-florida-cop-who-wont.html#storylink=cpy