tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7597569938038396009.post2408381269282866340..comments2009-12-03T02:18:14.427-05:00PCMnoreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7597569938038396009.post-51106434622925972882009-12-03T02:18:14.427-05:002009-12-03T02:18:14.427-05:00Badges do get lost and stolen all the time. And you&#39;re right, the regulations make the situation worse (not an unusual happening in the P.D.). <br /><br />Seems crazy to me that there&#39;s no proper way, like there is in Baltimore, to buy an extra (real) badge or two, particularly a flat badge for the wallet.PCMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13647097472236933108noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7597569938038396009.post-31517025272237018752009-12-03T02:13:50.518-05:002009-12-03T02:13:50.518-05:00Dr. Moskos,<br /><br />The penalties for losing a real badge are there for a reason. If a cop loses a real one, that one can be used to impersonate that cop. When he reports it, that number is probably changed and designated lost. <br /><br />But if he loses a &quot;dupe&quot;, he won&#39;t report it because it avoids the penalty. Now there is a fake out there. So the regulation that was to keep the officer on his toes has nudged him towards making the situation worse.Lenin3http://www.blogger.com/profile/13893098969277173054noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7597569938038396009.post-20396794143812113122009-12-01T12:35:15.306-05:002009-12-01T12:35:15.306-05:00It doesn&#39;t have to be a cardboard cutout. If an arrestee sayys that she recognized it as a fake, and it was a fake, then there is not much the policeman can say.<br /><br />Remember, these badges are used precisely so that members of the public can tell fake policemen from real ones. They are not jewelry. They are not fancy toys. They are a form of id. If a police officer uses a fake, then an arrestee&#39;s privilege of self defense would spring into action because fake badge suggests fake popo.<br /><br />Maybe this defense has not been used in the past and maybe it has (and we just don&#39;t know about it). However, it will be used in the future, especially now that the word is getting out.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7597569938038396009.post-13784096223253399602009-12-01T12:11:13.567-05:002009-12-01T12:11:13.567-05:00These aren&#39;t cardboard cutouts. Nothing is getting dismissed.PCMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13647097472236933108noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7597569938038396009.post-20757653236184225482009-12-01T08:09:14.014-05:002009-12-01T08:09:14.014-05:00<i>And so what?</i><br /><br />One potential problem is that those resisting arrest can testify that they saw the fake badge and concluded that they were dealing with a fake policeman.<br /><br />Case dismissed.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com