News for hackers. Stuff that matters.

A comment on Lax oversight allows Chicago police to avoid turning on their body cams. Parent comment

Re:Lax oversight allows Chicago police to avoid turning on t... by bigbubba on Monday November 16, 2020 @05:04PM (#25117600)
It's my understanding that the FBI is meant to handle matters of state or local government corruption, which I would think includes police departments that circle their wagons and protecting criminal cops. Probably they need to be doing a better job of it, but I believe they're meant to be (among other things) the organization you describe above.

I'm not really familiar with the details, but it's my understanding the Seattle PD are under some sort of probation system with the DOJ, which I'm guessing the FBI was involved with. So I think this sort of thing does happen, though I guess not enough.

[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Lax oversight allows Chicago police to avoid turning on t... by pdonis on Monday November 16, 2020 @05:09PM (#25117682)
> the FBI is meant to handle matters of state or local government corruption

They have a certain amount of ability to do that if the state or local government is violating Federal law. But they do not have general oversight or police powers, since the Federal government as a whole does not. Nor is it supposed to.

[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Lax oversight allows Chicago police to avoid turning on t... by bigbubba on Monday November 16, 2020 @05:23PM (#25117837)
Wouldn't local cops violating people's constitutional rights put them at odds with federal law?
[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Lax oversight allows Chicago police to avoid turning on t... by pdonis on Monday November 16, 2020 @06:31PM (#25118459)
Yes, but that just means prosecuting individual cases. That is very different from trying to make systemic changes in the way local cops operate; those kinds of changes must be made by local governments, and are the kind of changes local citizens should be demanding, and should be voting local governments out of office for not making.
[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Lax oversight allows Chicago police to avoid turning on t... by tristor on Monday November 16, 2020 @05:40PM (#25118002)
Yes, and as a general rule when cases are brought they are under the auspices of a federal civil rights violation. These are very difficult cases to prosecute though, so I think the FBI overfocuses on lower hanging fruit unless there's a political motivation from the top to drive this.
[ Parent | on HN ]