Have you ever seen the "To Catch a Predator" shows where a TV show works with an anti-child-molester group and police to lure child molesters into a trap where they get caught, filmed, and humiliated in front of uncounted numbers of viewers?
Well, the following is similar, but it is a drug-lealization group that sets up a trap to lure dirty cops and police departments.
This may be too good to be true.
Even if it is, the concept is good and ought to be imitated by others as a check on LEO abuse and corruption.
Video and articles below.
Video of Local News Channel Story
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m3Fu4YVH8nAText and Raw Video Footage of Raid
http://rawstory.com/news/2008/Raw_footage_from_KopBusters_first_sting_1207.htmlKopbusters Website
http://www.kopbusters.com/
http://volokh.com/archives/archive_2008_12_07-2008_12_13.shtml#1228779171[Orin Kerr, December 8, 2008 at 6:32pm]
KopBusters Reality Show: RawStory has an interesting post on what apparently is a new reality show, KopBusters.
As I understand it, the idea behind the show is to give police officers an opportunity to engage in misconduct: If an officer takes the bait, the show films the officer engaging in the misconduct and creates a show about it. [UPDATE: Some of the details about the show and the first episode seem sort of fishy at this stage, so perhaps it is best to approach this story with a healthy skepticism.]
KopBusters describes their first episode as follows:
KopBusters rented a house in Odessa, Texas and began growing two small Christmas trees under a grow light similar to those used for growing marijuana. When faced with a suspected marijuana grow, the police usually use illegal FLIR cameras and/or lie on the search warrant affidavit claiming they have probable cause to raid the house. Instead of conducting a proper investigation which usually leads to no probable cause, the Kops lie on the affidavit claiming a confidential informant saw the plants and/or the police could smell marijuana coming from the suspected house.
The trap was set and less than 24 hours later, the Odessa narcotics unit raided the house only to find KopBuster's attorney waiting under a system of complex gadgetry and spy cameras that streamed online to the KopBuster's secret mobile office nearby.
The attorney was handcuffed and later released when eleven KopBuster detectives arrived with the media in tow to question the illegal raid. The police refused to give KopBusters the search warrant affidavit which is suspected to contain the lies regarding the probable cause.
H/t: FourthAmendment.com
UPDATE: You can watch a local TV news segment about show and this particular sting here.
http://rawstory.com/news/2008/Raw_footage_from_KopBusters_first_sting_1207.html '
KopBusters' investigators bait Odessa police to illegally raid house:
For former drug interdiction officer Barry Cooper, the media storm is just beginning.His upcoming reality show, 'KopBusters,' a 'To Catch A Predator' style crusade against dirty officers, sparked an immediate response after RAW STORY covered a news brief of their first sting.
Cooper has now released footage from the initial episode of 'KopBusters,' in which the Odessa, TX police department raids a suspected marijuana grow house, only to discover they played right into the filmmaker's hands.
As surveillance cameras roll, the police slowly figure out they've been had, seemingly caught red-handed of illegally overreaching in a first-of-its-kind operation.
On his Web site, KopBusters.com, Cooper describes how the sting took place.
"KopBusters rented a house in Odessa, Texas and began growing two small Christmas trees under a grow light similar to those used for growing marijuana. When faced with a suspected marijuana grow, the police usually use illegal FLIR cameras and/or lie on the search warrant affidavit claiming they have probable cause to raid the house. Instead of conducting a proper investigation which usually leads to no probable cause, the Kops lie on the affidavit claiming a confidential informant saw the plants and/or the police could smell marijuana coming from the suspected house.
"The trap was set and less than 24 hours later, the Odessa narcotics unit raided the house only to find KopBuster's attorney waiting under a system of complex gadgetry and spy cameras that streamed online to the KopBuster's secret mobile office nearby.
"The attorney was handcuffed and later released when eleven KopBuster detectives arrived with the media in tow to question the illegal raid. The police refused to give KopBusters the search warrant affidavit which is suspected to contain the lies regarding the probable cause."
