Rate-My-Cop.com

[Ping898]

I am curious to other people's thoughts on this, especially the LEO's on the board...

I am of two minds, on the one hand I have concerns that a site like this might put cops at more risk than they already face, on the other, I wonder what makes cops worthy of more protection not to Be "maligned" or praised online than any other people like teachers....

http://cbs13.com/local/rate.a.cop.2.673410.html

Police agencies from coast to coast are furious with a new website on the internet. RateMyCop.com has the names of thousands of officers, and many believe it is putting them in danger.

Officer Hector Basurto, the vice president of the Latino Police Officers Association, recently learned about the site. "I'd like to see it gone," he said.

"Having a website like this out there puts a lot of law enforcement in danger," he said. "It exposes us out there."

Kevin Martin, the vice president of the San Francisco Police Officers Association, agrees. "Will they be able to access our home addresses, home phone numbers, marital status, whether or not we have children? That's always a big concern for us," he said.

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 officer's names.

Rebecca Costell says, in a statement, that the site helps people rate more than 130,000 officers by rating them on authority, fairness and satisfaction.

She adds, "Our website's purpose is to break the stereotype that people have that cops are all bad by having officers become responsible for their actions."
....

Police associations that represent more than 100,000 police and sheriffs in California are now seeking legislation to see if they can eliminate the site altogether. They say that 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 website. Constitutional attorney and former San Francisco Police Commissioner Peter Keane said eliminating the site is difficult.

"Any kind of publication is protected as long as it's not publishing privileged information," he said.

 

[Ceicei]

The website mentioned in that article does not seem to exist. It appears to be taken down.

- Ceicei

 

[Andy Moynihan]

Interesting, I didn't know I had a stereotype that cops were all bad, glad they pointed it out, Idunno what i would have done............

 

[Ping898]

The website mentioned in that article does not seem to exist. It appears to be taken down.

- Ceicei

CC - I don't think it is down, you just got to do it without the dashes...
http://www.ratemycop.com/
This link worked for me...but the site just maybe getting a lot of traffic so could be it crashed for a while...

 

[newGuy12]

That pesky freedom of speech dies hard. But die it will.

 

[jks9199]

All I get is a link to a page asking the owner of the site to contact someone...

Personally -- I've got mixed feelings. I actually take pride that I've been "featured" in a "we hate the cops" list on Facebook. It means I'm doing my job right -- because the folks bitching about me have all been people I've busted. :grin: And I don't care if there's a list identifying my name and department; I give public presentations where I hand that info out. But I don't want things like this username linked to my department, nor do I want my home address and other similar contact information put out there. That's for the safety of my family, and my piece of mind. I don't need some freak who's pissed off at me vandalizing my car, home, or worse.

 

[Empty Hands]

"They say that officers who are rated face unfair maligning without any opportunity to defend themselves."

Welcome to the internet, bub.

 

[mrhnau]

GoDadday shuts down this site

 

[Ceicei]

CC - I don't think it is down, you just got to do it without the dashes...
http://www.ratemycop.com/
This link worked for me...but the site just maybe getting a lot of traffic so could be it crashed for a while...

No, it really is down...

GoDaddy shuts down this site

That just confirms what I thought. What I would like to know is why... Was it because the police departments/agencies put pressure to pull the website down?

While I believe in the ability for people to present opinions and thoughts, I do understand that there are people out there that will seek to harm [whether physically or through reputation damage] our LEOs and we don't need to make things easier for these individuals to do that. However, people who seek to do harm to LEOs will try whatever they can, with or without the help of the internet.

- Ceicei

 

[Empty Hands]

The interesting comparison to me is the rise of similar services for other professionals, including doctors, dentists and lawyers. The exact same arguments against those sites apply to and are used by the representative groups for those professions. Yet, those arguments were seen as self-interested (which they were) and the rating/information sites stayed up.

Why are cops different? Why do their arguments for self-interest hold sway and those for doctors do not?

What are they really afraid of?

 

[Bob Hubbard]

I've no problem with cops being held publicly accountable. I've known some really good cops, and I've dealt with a few who think that badge makes them above the rules. I'd like to see the good ones praised and the bad ones forced out of the uniform and behind the counter at McD.

As long as the site isn't publishing their personal information, allows for rebuttle and isn't encouraging vigilantes, I don't see what the problem is. I'm open to enlightenment.

 

[terryl965]

Well the site worked for me and my area has alot, so what does this tell me nothing people given feedback from an officer that either gave them a ticket or arrested them for something. Who cares we have good bad and those that are just there.

 

[Ping898]

I am of the opinion that as long as no pictures are posted (so no undercover cops are unexpectedly "outed" ) and as long as no personally identifying information (not professionally id'ing like badge number) is listed, than this site should be allowed to stay. It really sounds like they just took other publically available information from other sources and put it all in one place and then added a way to comment on it...

 

[newGuy12]

I've no problem with cops being held publicly accountable. I've known some really good cops, and I've dealt with a few who think that badge makes them above the rules. I'd like to see the good ones praised and the bad ones forced out of the uniform and behind the counter at McD.

As long as the site isn't publishing their personal information, allows for rebuttle and isn't encouraging vigilantes, I don't see what the problem is. I'm open to enlightenment.

Right. You'd have to have come admins that are seriously "clicked on", no posting personal information or anything like that.