File a complaint damn it!

Sure, why not file a complaint against Detective Baluja!  Why not go to the MDPD internal affairs department and tell them what a fantastic job he's done?  Why not?  Let's take a look at what happened when Harold Wolfe filed a complaint against cops that park their cruisers in handicap spots at donut shops, here he is being interviewed by an internal affairs detective Lt. Gary Bearfield after filing his complaint...

Bearfield: I have been doing these kind of investigations for thirty years
and I intend to do a very thorough investigation.
Bearfield: Do you have a driver’s license?
Harold: No!
Bearfield: How did you get here today?
Harold: A friend drove me here.
Bearfield: This incident occurred on March 16th?
Harold: Yes
Bearfield: Around 5:30 in the morning?
Harold: Yes
Bearfield: What do you do for work?
Harold: I’m retired.
Bearfield: What did you do when you did work?
Harold: Software.
Bearfield: When do you normally wake up in the morning?
Harold: About 3 in the morning.
Bearfield: What brought you to Dunkin Donuts at 5:30
Harold: I’m there most days.
Bearfield: Do you just sit there with a camera and recorder waiting
for someone to park in handicap?
Harold: No, I work on my computer.
Bearfield: Have you found other cars parked there?
Harold: Yes.
Bearfield: Other police cars?
Harold: Yes, including another state trooper.
Bearfield: Do you have issues with others who are not police?
Harold: Yes, but who would I complain to.
Bearfield: Are you diabetic?
Harold: No, why do you ask?
Bearfield: Well, you know this Dunkin Donuts sugar stuff.
Bearfield: Do you take any drugs?
Harold: No
Bearfield: Do you take any medications at all for heart disease?
Harold: I take no medications at all. Nada. Nyet! None. Zero. No.
Bearfield: Have you even been in prison?
Harold: No.
Bearfield: Have you ever been in county jail?
Harold: No
Bearfield: Have you ever been arrested?
Harold: Yes
Bearfield: How many times?
Harold: I can’t remember?
Bearfield: More than 10 times?
Harold: No!
Bearfield: More than five times?
Harold: Maybe. You can look it up.
Bearfield: We don’t do background checks on people who file complaints.
Bearfield: Have you ever been treated for mental illness?
Harold: No. Has trooper Jonathan Brown been treated for mental illness?
Bearfield: Not that I’m aware of.
Bearfield: Are you familiar with Photoshop?
Harold: Yes.
Bearfield: Did you use it?
Harold: No.
Harold: My complaint pointed to a web page. Did you examine the web page?
Bearfield: No.
Harold: You are the investigating officer and you are going to do a
VERY THOROUGH INVESTIGATION but you did not examine the
web page?
Bearfield: That’s correct.
Harold: How did you see any pictures or hear the audio?
Bearfield: That was sent to us in printed form by headquarters.
Harold: Why did the trooper park in handicap?
Bearfield: We do not know yet, but he has until this week to send us his report.
Harold: If you do not prosecute him for using the color of law to
threaten someone with arrest, I will file federal charges
against him and you.
Bearfield: Is that a threat?
Harold: No, that is a set of steps I will take against you for failing
to apply laws against the state police. I remind you that
you are a public servant.
Bearfield: I am a public employee. I am not a public servant.
Bearfield: Was there any contact with the officer?
Harold: No, we were always five feet away from each other.
Bearfield: Were there any witnesses to this event with the trooper besides you?
Harold: Yes, there were many regulars at Dunkin’s Donut. You can acquire
the video from their cameras.
Harold: I expect you to whitewash this investigation.
Bearfield: Why would you think so?
Harold: That’s where I’m placing my money. I await your final report.
Bearfield: Do you have any further questions?
Harold: Will I get a copy of the final report?
Bearfield: Yes. I expect the investigation to be finished in a week or two.

That's encouraging isn't it?  After reading that interview did you get the feeling that the man who made the complaint was the bad guy?  Perfect example of why you can't trust internal affairs to do anything about bad cops, if you want results with color of law violations, you got to go to these guys...  


Got to go!  Have a great weekend!