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Who Polices the Police?

From the Houston Chronicle:

Deputies shot 22 in vehicles since '99

Harris County sheriff's deputies have shot 22 shoplifters, speeders, innocent people and others since 1999 by firing on vehicles in violation of the deputies' own training, a Houston Chronicle investigation has found.

Deputies killed six and wounded 16 others. Two were fleeing from a violent crime. Six were teenagers. Nineteen were unarmed.

In at least seven cases, the deputies deliberately placed themselves in danger by stepping in front of a suspect's car or truck and then firing in self-defense -- a tactic considered foolish and dangerous by police agencies nationwide. In seven more cases, officers approached a vehicle on foot, but it is unclear whether they intentionally put themselves in the drivers' paths.

And

The Chronicle investigation also found that deputies:

·Frequently fired after deliberately blocking the path of drivers who had committed minor property crimes, such as pilfering from parked cars.

·Shot at at least seven passengers uninvolved in criminal activity, including a 2-year-old. Four of the injured were never charged with any crime.

·Were authorized by supervisors to use lethal force against three other drivers to end a chase. The three pursuits began with a carjacking, a car driving without headlights and DVD theft.

·Told investigators who reviewed shootings that they fired in self-defense. But officers in at least four cases kept shooting after cars passed them, wounding suspects in the back or side.

Click here for the rest.

The Harris County sheriff's deputies are the same cops who were running around inside my residence, weapons drawn, during an illegal search of the entire apartment complex in which I was living a couple of years ago. Good thing I wasn't in a car. Man, these guys are out of control--I greatly look forward to moving away from these dangerous enforcers; I hope the police in Baton Rouge are more professional.

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