RateMyCop website has police on edge

B

BillCA

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A website claims to allow users to rate their encounters with police officers from various LE agencies.

See: http://www.breitbart.tv/?p=59764 (video news story).

Or: KGO (SF) story here.

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- A new Web site is infuriating police agencies all over the state and the country. It's called Ratemycop.com and it allows users to rate the performance of more than 130,000 police officers whose names are posted there. That may sound good to some, but police believe the site puts them and their families in danger.

"I'd like to see it gone," says Officer Hector Basurto, vice president of the Latino Police Officers Association. He recently learned about Ratemycop.com and is furious.
"Having a Web site like that puts a lot of law enforcement, in my eyes, in danger because it exposes us out there," says Officer Basurto.

Will they be able to access our home addresses, our home phone numbers, our marital status, whether or not we have children? Which is always a big concern," says Kevin Martin, vice president of the San Francisco Police Officers Association.

Creators of the site say no personal information will be on the site. They gathered officers names which are public information from more than 450 police agencies nationwide. Some listings also have badge numbers along with the officers' names.

Rebecca Costell says in a statement that the site helps people rate more than 130,000 officers nationwide by rating them on authority, fairness and satisfaction. She adds, "our Web site's purpose is to break the stereotype that people have that cops are all bad by having police officers become responsible for their actions. We will screen the site for any inappropriate comments."

"Officers who are rated face unfair maligning without any opportunity to defend themselves. The CPCA will work with other law enforcement associations to pursue legislation to stop the Web site," says Chief Jerry Dyer, president of the California Police Chiefs Association.
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What do you think about this concept? Could it be misused by lawyers or others? What concerns do any LEOs have? Is this much ado about nothing? Should Chief Dyer be lectured on free speech issues?
 
That website seems to have no information at all. They don't have a single cop listed for the whole Chicago area. The same goes for New Orleans. In fact there was not a single cop listed in any of the areas I clicked on.

How does a website completely lacking any information put cops in danger?

I think they reacted without looking at the damn thing. This thing is probably just a publicity stunt for whoever owns ratemycop.com.
 
I was very sympathetic to the police officers until they start talking about legislation to shut them down. I do think it would probably just turn into cop bashing and is not the brightest idea in the world but chief there are laws individual officers can turn to if they feel libeled. At a fundamental level the police are citizens just like the rest of us and do not need or deserve tailor made laws just for them. Otherwise it would just be a screaming example of how right George Orwell was about EVERYTHING in Animal Farm. Not American chief.
 
At a fundamental level the police are citizens just like the rest of us and do not need or deserve tailor made laws just for them.
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Too late. National carry is already the law of the land. A police officer from a small town in Oregon on vacation in New York City can carry to protect his family, but I cannot.

I think it is good that people can rate the cops. Maybe it will bring a little accountability to them. The light of day can only be a good thing. The oft touted myth of bad guys going after cops off duty is relegated to the movies. (Before you spam me with personal stories of a guy you knew who was hunted down- remember that anecdotal evidence is not evidence.)
 
Finaly, an answer to the question of who polices the police. As long as personaly information is not given out I think the courts will let this one be. What will the cops' defense to this be, "we don't want people to know how we operate"? Or, "people don't have a right to question us"?

FWIW, the site is currently down due to recent traffic.
 
There are quite a few LEO's listed for Oklahoma. One of them is getting HAMMERED, which I expected...The guy will pull you over if you look at him funny. He once nearly impounded my motorcycle for parking in a no parking zone, I walked out just as the impound vehicle was showing up to take it away and pointed out to the idiot that I was actually parked in a motorcycle zone. He's got serious beef with motorcyclists for some reason. I myself have yet to comment on him, but I've put a few good feedback comments on officers whom I've had good run-ins with
 
That website seems to have no information at all. They don't have a single cop listed for the whole Chicago area. The same goes for New Orleans. In fact there was not a single cop listed in any of the areas I clicked on.

How does a website completely lacking any information put cops in danger?

I think they reacted without looking at the damn thing. This thing is probably just a publicity stunt for whoever owns ratemycop.com.
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Seems so. Unfortunately, the reaction to outlaw without knowing the facts does little to rescue the occupation from reputation gained from its problemmatic members.

In my state, CCW holders have their names and addresses published by sheriffs. The safety of those individuals was not paramount to the political class of law enforcement (as opposed to ordinary people who actually work in LE) who sought to disadvantage CCW holders.
 
That website seems to have no information at all. They don't have a single cop listed for the whole Chicago area. The same goes for New Orleans. In fact there was not a single cop listed in any of the areas I clicked on.

How does a website completely lacking any information put cops in danger?

I think they reacted without looking at the damn thing. This thing is probably just a publicity stunt for whoever owns ratemycop.com.
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Well, it is a new site. If they just started it it's understandable that they haven't been able to collect as much information as they will once users begin to submit their own experiences.

It takes a while to build that kind of a database.
 
Things folks need to keep in mind about this sort of thing:
1) We live in a nation where there's freedom of speech. Trying to muzzle that, no matter what the speech concerns, is not something to be done lightly.
2) In the internet age, if you treat people shoddily, it is only a matter of time until word gets out. Speech travels further for less cost than it ever has before. Whether you're a corporation, government official, D-list celeb, or even a regular Joe, not only can you talk about others but they can talk about you.
3) Anything written on the site in question should be taken with as much gravity as anything written on any other message board. That is, the grain of salt that should accompany it should be roughly the size of a WWII battleship. Until there is a continued trend, you can't really take things for gospel.
4) By the way, isn't it often the law enforcement agencies themselves saying "What do you care if you have nothing to hide?"
 
Good marketing technique on the part of the website. Free publicity is good publicity.

As to the merits it will be just another website for the disgruntled, the loons, the kiddies and the agenda driven to express their warped reality. Any good information will soon be lost in a caca-phony of netnoise.

Meanwhile the cops will whine and complain, giving the loons are larger platform, and so on.

There are other, far more interesting Ratemy....... websites on the net, although discretion makes me avoid the details :)

WildnyahnyahAlaska TM
 
As to the merits it will be just another website for the disgruntled, the loons, the kiddies and the agenda driven to express their warped reality. Any good information will soon be lost in a caca-phony of netnoise.
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Sounds like the internet in general.
 
Good. Let if bother them. If you are not doing anything wrong, you dont have to worry. (where have we heard that before)

I think it is great. Free country and all, do the cops who dislike this site think we are living in a police state.
 
Whether or not these cops are nice or mean, etc. is not the issue here, but rather the fact that their names are out there.

Maybe its just me, but I believe that anyone has the ability to find out anything about anyone given the right tools in this day and age and this website just gives more information to people who may not need it.

Sure, some of the people who are checking the website are legit, law abiding citizens putting their 2 cents on the officer that stopped them for no license or broken tag light, but some of these people who are legit criminals, for crimes much worse could use this as a way for them to gain information on the cop(s) that arrested them and put them away.

If I were LEO I would not be pissed, but just a little more cautious that the rest of my information were squared away.
 
Based on the encounters I have had with Gainesville's finest, I would rate them below a 4. I like the idea of rating these guys and gals.
 
Good, some of the police in Western MN are known for pulling people over for DOSP, "Driving with Out of State Plates". It's a similar infraction to "Driving while Black". At least in MN, they have regular budget problems and like using us out of state drivers for a quick boost of cash as even a 10 mph ticket is $127.
 
Well...this is ALL the information the site has now:

"This site is currently unavailable.

If you are the owner of this site, please contact us at 1-480-505-8855 at your earliest convenience"
 
I dont see a problem with it, as long as the only info the site displays is info that was public record available to anyone in the first place (and it sounds like thats the case).I really dont see how a picture, name and badge number puts them at risk.Anyone who wanted to do the cop harm could easily get all that info himself, and likely already has it, as the reaon he probly wants to cause harm is that he had a personal interaction he didnt like , in which case, his face, name, and dept, and badge # were staring him right in the face to start with, so.As for the sites usefullness, if all the comments were true and honest, it would be a great tool in helping to keep bad cops in check, but since the internet is what it is, it will be full of too much lies and crap to be of any real use.JMHO, YMMV
 
I support it. I hope that it can be used to shame cops who are against our personal defense. That position is morally reprehensible and needs to be shamed in any way possible.
 
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