Leniency

Saturday 7 April 2012 - Filed under Uncategorized

I’m sure the judge gives leniency to every defendant who cries before the court. The New York Daily News:

He cried — and the judge cut him loose.

A disgraced NYPD detective convicted of planting drugs on an innocent couple was looking at jail time when he walked into court on Thursday.

He walked out with probation after blubbering that he was ashamed of himself and pleading for mercy.

“I can’t look at myself in the mirror anymore,” Jason Arbeeny told Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Gustin Reichbach.

“Sir, I am begging you, please don’t send me to jail.”

In a bench trial, Reichbach found Arbeeny guilty of “flaking” — framing two people by planting crack in their car during a 2007 bust.

Arbeeny, who was on the force for 14 years, tearfully apologized to his victims.

“My oath went down the window, my pride went out the window,” he said.

Reichbach admitted the weepy mea culpa got to him.

“I came into court this morning determined that the nature of this crime requires some jail time,” he said.

“I frankly didn’t expect the defendant, at the 11th hour, to be making these claims.”

He then sentenced him to five years’ probation and 300 hours of community service. He said each hour Arbeeny spends speaking to cops or police recruits about his misdeeds will count as two.

Why hasn’t he been charged with crack possession? Though the officer is surely entitled to have crack when in an official capacity, say after having found them on a violent perpetrator, planting drugs on a defendant doesn’t fall under that rubric, and he should be charged, and sentenced, just like the rest of us would have been. If you don’t believe that there is a double standard when it comes to arresting and charging members of law enforcement, you’re a fucking idiot.

2012-04-07  »  madlibertarianguy