Cops are usually one of two things.

1. bullied future stalker

2. (rarely) defending us from bullied future stalker

The later is possible, and I’d bet many try to get into policing because of that ideal, but I hear they tend to get bullied out of the profession by the former, or else converted by them.

As the saying goes, one bad apple spoils the bunch.

[pigs are to bacon as power is to greed](youtu.be/8zYYEXzaiKo?

…also, pigs are to power as bacon is to greed?

psst, delete everything after the ? in your link

Thanks, but I am already known.

delete everything after the ?

They took that way too literally.

yeah, should have kept the ) but no more tracker is good

It doesn’t surprise me at all. Who knew the maniacs who frequently abuse their power would abuse their power?

It’s just demonstrating that the “reason for search” field for accountability actually has zero accountability. This should be tied to the identity of the person filling the field and mockery of procedure should be grounds for demotion and/or loss of access, but we know that neither is the actual way things run.

It’s because of dilution of responsibility.

Private companies aren’t restricted by the Constitution, so they’re not on the hook. Police are just using a private service, so the department isn’t on the hook either

So really, it’s no one’s responsibility to make sure this isn’t abused. That’s what we have to fix

The thumbnail reminds me of Patapon.

Maybe cute surveillance could fool more people into being okay with it.

Pata pata patapon! Gotcha gotcha now you’re gone!

Thought this thumbnail was Welcome to Nightvale for a moment

You know things are really bad when the comparison is wtnv, not the onion.

Just wait until we reach Lovecraft levels of unhinged.

When I worked for a healthcare software company one of my roles was technical support on a controlled substance monitoring program on a state-by-state basis.

Cops had a separate login portal, and had to go through quite a process to get their account. Once they did, they could submit a search, but had to justify it with a reason that included the warrant number. And even then, it required secondary approval of the search request by a state-level employee.

Why the fuck is that not the minimum for searching someone’s whereabouts?

(To add, I think such programs are unethical when available to cops. For doctors, it was used to make sure a patient wasn’t doc-shopping for opiates, and even then I’m hesitant. It has a potential to save lives via intervention upon finding someone’s 'shopping, but I don’t think it’s usually used as a safe intervention.)