Ogre-oid: The Creeping Police State and Police Ignorance (or Ignoring) of the Law.

I have been stopped and questioned for being white in a black neighborhood ("Your vehicle isn't registered with us," said the cop).  That's unconstitutional.  My brother was stopped and his vehicle searched for the same reason.  Utterly illegal.  I've been ordered by a cop to stop taking pictures on a public street, an activity completely protected under law.  Cops ignore the law most of the time and apply what they believe to be the law the rest of the time, even if the Supreme Court told them not to do that merely weeks before (in the case of my brother's truck being searched).  They know few people can afford to prosecute them so they don't care.  They also know that despite being clearly in the wrong the police force and their union will send every lawyer they have to protect their worthless asses while some poor working stiff who has been delayed for a half an hour while dogs are run through their car can't afford the charge for calling an attorney, much less hire a team to go after the pigs.

A perfect example of the never ending flouting of the law here in Kentucky by our particular brand of uniformed thugs is the way cops drive.  Since I moved to Kentucky in 2000 I have never seen a cop driving the speed limit unless they are caught in traffic or preparing to stop.  On the interstate they are generally driving between fifteen and twenty miles an hour over the speed limit in all conditions.  "Serve and Obey," huh? 

All is not lost, however.  The internets allows people to organize the evidence and this site (thanks, John) has a startlingly large collection of stories about police and security guard abuse of photographers.  I say know your rights and be sure you know how to turn on the voice recorder on your phone.