Please, bear in mind the following while reading this:
1. Due diligence to the people
2. Admissibility of evidence in court (and the restrictions on entering evidence)
3. A duty of police to protect the people
I can't say I've always been the most law abiding citizen. In fact if I were to say that it would be a complete lie. I'm sure this goes for most of you as well. We aren't perfect and cannot function under a myriad of laws of which we are unaware. So, under the assumption that we are all incapable of following the letter of the law perfectly, we must prioritize which crimes are worth investigating and prosecuting.
Among these prioritized crimes would be murder, rape, assault, sex violence, intimate partner violence, theft, etc. You know, the crimes where someone's person or property is damage. Seems very basic, right? This, however, has no been my experience as a victim of a crime against my property.
On Wednesday, November 9, 2011, my car was stolen from the parking lot 20 feet away from my door. It was an overnight theft which left me with nothing more than a pile of shattered glass in my parking space. Logically, I call the police in an effort to ascertain the location of my car. About an hour later, the police arrived took my statement and said that they would attempt to locate the vehicle based on the tag number and vehicle identification number. About two hours passes when I get a phone call stating the my car had been found in a city about 30 miles away. Aside from that bit of information little is said. I was obviously very happy that my car had been recovered. Soon after that call, I received another call saying that the police were towing and impounding my car to be processed since it was involved in another crime (a car jacking at gun point). Here's where things get a little strange .... well not strange just wrong.
Because my car was used in another crime and needed to be processed it was taken to a storage facility where it could be combed over and searched for evidence. I was told the location and notified when the processing was complete (Friday, November 11, 2011 - Veteran's Day). Because of the holiday weekend, I was unable to pick up the car until Monday, November 14, 2011. I was promptly asked to be nearly $300 for the towing, impounding, processing, and storage. I had to pay to have my car stolen, have its window shattered, and have the driver side paneling damage including a mirror that was torn from the body. I was enraged to say the least, but I could have handled that little bit of violation for the return of my car.
Upon the return of my car, I drive it back to my house (listening to the hispanic rap CD still playing in my car). The police had somehow missed the extensive collection of Hispanic rap in my car. Ok. So I could listen to Hispanic rap, but my first name is Abraham, and it might be worth some time to ask if the CDs were in fact mine. They had no problem accusing me of smoking marijuana, since they had found an empty bag in the car with residue. But, ok, let's say that the Hispanic rap CDs were an honest mistake. I call the police report the evidence. The police department asks me to drive my car without a tag to Lancaster to drop off the evidence for them. Additionally, I had to mention touching, handling, and bagging the evidence in accordance with procedure. I assure you that I am completely untrained in the handling of official evidence, but I do know a thing or two about fingerprints and validity of evidence in court. AFTER all of this, the police pick up the evidence themselves (1 week later). I did not use my car in this week waiting for the police to ascertain this evidence. Then once I replace the window, fix the mirror, and get new tags, I start to drive my car. Looking for my sunglasses, I open the center console where I find 3 flathead screwdrivers the were clearly used to start my car in the left. Yes, that is correct, the police failed to look in my center console and did not see the tools used to commit the crime. Again, I call the police department (specifically, the auto theft unit) leaving a voicemail for the Sargent in charge of the unit. I have waited nearly two weeks now with a return phone call.
So where's the problem? What's wrong with this? The problem here is that the people we trust to protect us and to catch the people disturbing society's peace are making little to no effort in solving the problems we as citizens face. In a society where we all fear speeding, it is apparent that auto theft is a safer crime to commit. What can we do though? Write a letter the police department that is bound to be loyal to itself? Write a letter to the congressman of the area who is more concerned with his payroll than crime, poverty, education, or the budget? We have come to the age of violation. The Constitution and the rights given in it are slowing slipping through our fingers. Property, happiness, liberty, and free speech are all rights that are rapidly slipping away. The institutions we created to make our lives better and orderly are now controlling us in ways that were unintended. We are becoming slaves to our institutions.
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