Comments on Operation Sloppy Police Work

I thought it was more than $52,000...

Wow, that "sting" is starting to look dumber and dumber the more we learn about what actually took place. What the hell were the cops thinking? Why are they wasting precious time and resources on this crap? Their priorities are seriously fucked up.

How old was the "underage woman" used in the sting? And does she have no pride?

jameyb:

Think about it; a bunch of cops got a free "Ladies Night Out" of boozing at local clubs, while some others no doubt racked up a bit of risk-free overtime, all on the taxpayer's (considerable) dime. Plus, they get to look like they're cracking down on a "serious" problem (at least initially), and they get a gold star or whatever from the Mayor and City Attorney to boot.

I mean seriously, aside from the apparently unanticipated public backlash, the aggressive pushback from the Nightlife Coalition, the sinking of the more onerous ordinance favored by Hizzoner, and what now appears to be a good chance for a complete judicial rejection of the charges - otherwise, it was "a plan so cunning you could stick a tail on it and call it a weasel."

I think it's pretty shitty that they went around flashing pictures of these guys to their employers saying they wanted to talk to them about a sex predator case. Sounds like slander or defamation of charactor, or something like that.

People 2, Belltown condo slime and their fat mayoral protector 0

Monkey,

I don't think they flashed pictures of any of the club employees, but rather they just used some random photos on the (clearly false) pretext of investigating a sex predator case in order to obtain those employees home addresses so they could serve the (suspiciously late mailed) court appearance papers.

You know why they used females, right?

Because clubs have established policies in place to attract women: cheap drinks, no cover, and no doubt a documented body of marketing strategy that says attractive (young?) women are good for business. I mean, everybody knows it's easier for women to drink underage than men, and it isn't just because door men are men.

That might be just sufficient to show intent -- or at least motive.

In my experience, SPD doesn't do any kind of police work other than sloppy.

I'm dumbfounded. I can walk 10 blocks to work (First Hill to Downtown) and witness at least 2 crack deals on a daily basis, yet the police are focusing on these crimes? Let's say that there were 5 officers involved with this "complex sting". What if, in lieu of said sting, SPD had them stand on corners in the Pike/Pine area between First and Fifth. They wouldn't have to do anything. Just stand there in a police uniform. That would prevent a hell of a lot more crime than "Operation Sobering Thought".

We need to bring back my good ol days. When I was 19 I worked in a lovely gay bar on Pike named the 1111. The SPD was paid a certain amount to look the other way. (it's in the Times archives) What has happened to my former homeland? Have you forgotten the palms that need to be greased?

it never ceases to amaze me that the average taxpayer isn't more upset about what incompetent, unimaginative, wasteful, inflexible and power-abusing asses cops (and their management) generally are. ever read "helter skelter"? manson was not the scariest thing in that book--it was the lapd! these guys are paid well, have great benefits, and the lawsuits and pointless "stings" they cause cost us even more--why don't we demand more?