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This article documents a controversy surrounding a recent event related to police misconduct in the arrest of the Red Devils' Motorcycle Gang, an organized crime group. To arrest the gang, the police officers went to great lengths, even as far as to faking a search warrant and having an undercover police "detained".There was a strong public outcry at the polices'misconduct but the Court of Appeals has unanimously voted to continue on with the trial of the Red Devils.
The police had been involved in the investigation of the Nelson's Red Devils' Motorcycle Gang for an extended period of time, and even placed an undercover police in the gang as a member. The undercover police is known to the gang as Michael Wiremu Wilson. When Wilson was in danger of having his true identity exposed to the gang, the police allegedly forged the illegible signature of a court deputy registrar on the search warrant, and arrested him. Wilson appeared on several occasions before the judges, who all believed that they were dealing with a genuine case. Soon after the investigation of the Red Devils ended, the police sought to have Wilson's charges erased. However, a judge in the High Court stated that the degree of police misconduct was so high that the trial for the Red Devils should be stopped but the Court of Appeals overturned that decision.
On one hand, the police officers were able to collect evidence to charge the Red Devils' Motorcycle Gang. Even though they had engaged in police misconduct, they were able to protect the rest of the society from more damage caused by the gang. Thus, doesn't the capture of the gang members compensate for the sacrifice of proper conduct?
However, others disagree. Should police officers,
the very embodiment of order and justice, be allowed to violate the law in such a
way? Even if they were able to capture the gang members, they violated something greater, more important in the process. By belittling police conduct, they are setting a faulty precedent for future generation of policemen.
In my opinion, the police in this article are criminals in their own right by not abiding by polices’ conduct.They are breaching the very vows they had taken when they first began their careers as "protectors of society". As representatives of law, police officers should take great care to model what is "righteous" behavior for the rest of society. By resorting to illegal means to seize criminals, the police officers in this case are throwing away their contracts to law and thus posing as bad examples for the citizens.
In my opinion, the police in this article are criminals in their own right by not abiding by polices’ conduct.They are breaching the very vows they had taken when they first began their careers as "protectors of society". As representatives of law, police officers should take great care to model what is "righteous" behavior for the rest of society. By resorting to illegal means to seize criminals, the police officers in this case are throwing away their contracts to law and thus posing as bad examples for the citizens.
Thanks Estella. This is an interesting article and really questions whether we should allow certain behaviours by police in order to get a hold on organized crime.
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