Houston attorney Paul Kennedy found this the other day – it’s a website that uses a Google Maps overlay to tell you which of your neighbors have been convicted of any sort of crime. While it’s called “FelonSpy”, it also catalogs misdemeanors, and they’re hoping that they’ll be able to include people who’ve been accused but either acquitted or had the charges dismissed, too.

We could make a list of all the ways this is wrong-headed and offensive, but that’d take too much time, given that they’re the sort of people who dismiss the suggestion that someone might be listed on their site in error with the following line:

“There are no mistakes in this site, and if you think there is, you’re probably the exact sort of criminal we all need to beware of.”

They’d probably just ignore the list if we made one. I’m betting, though, that just like the folks behind Busted! In Austin, if the site’s founders’ mom was arrested, they’d be a little less quick to include her on the map.

Labels: exploitation, presumption of innocence, tacky

posted by Dan   permalink   0 Comments

Local defense attorney Kiele Linroth Pace has started a courageous project on her blog, the Austin Police Notebook. In it, she identifies APD officers accused of misconduct and explains the details, sourced by outside reports, and explaining the disciplinary action taken. An example:

Police Notebook: Roger Boudreau (APD)

Officer: Roger Boudreau
Agency: APD
Alleged Misconduct: Lied about his actions in a 2007 shootout, causing a man he shot to be charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and spend 13 months in jail before being released on personal bond. The man also lost a leg as a result of the shooting. The charges were ultimately dismissed in 2008 after the state’s own experts examined an audio tape recording of the confrontation and agreed with the defendant’s version of events rather than the officer’s.
Disciplinary Action: None known. Boudreau actually received APD’s Medal of Valor (the department’s highest honor) for displaying exceptional bravery in the incident.
Source: This Statesman article.

It’s definitely bold, and it’s got a lot of potential to be a pretty great resource. I know a lot of people who tend to refuse to believe stories about police misconduct when it’s presented in vague, non-specific terms. Names, sources, and the full details go a long way toward making them a whole lot more convincing.

Labels: APD, police misconduct

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