See I told you something like this was going to happen. They posted Mike Kirsch’s driver’s licence info on the Broward police Benevolent association site where notices of wanted people are. When CBS4 attorney complained they took the info down, and put it back up a few days later this time with his home address, car tag number, censored, on display.
You can see the video and the report on CBS4.com watch the video with the interview of the BPBA who said they put Mike’s info to warn other officers from people like him.
My take on things is, they are basically telling 4 visavi Mike Kirsch, and everyone else too, we’re watching you so be careful what you do. The good thing is there’s no sign of CBS4 backing down.
Now I understand why sometimes stations prefer to be in unmarked vechicles. I would not be surprised if we hear news vans are getting pulled over for speeding.
Thanks to the tipster who sent me the link
I would sue their asses
Considering BOLOs are supposed to be official documents, and this is an independent organization abusing their access to personal records to get the word out about someone who is showing exactly why cops have given themselves a bad rep, I’d say this is a legal mess of large proportion.
the same thing happened to weinsier at local 10 when he did a story on cops parking in front of fire hydrants. the dade county p.b.a. attacked him in their newsletter. what’s with these unions?
Unions are the destruction of this nation, in any form.
Whats scarier, is that no politicians have stepped up to voice any negatives about this behavior towards a private citizen doing his job. But for a quick minute, I wondered to myself, did Mike (a seasoned reporter) think about the ramifications of doing such a story? And was there a better route of exposing the lack of complaint resources in police departments, rather than doing so as an undercover expose? What I am noticing is a lot of violent behavior towards reporters now and we may have to change the tactics used to expose information valuable to the public-for safety reasons. I really do feel the politicians in a quiet way are telling us-don’t mess with the police. Remeber the incident with WSVN’s Rosh Lowe. At any rate, kudos to all the reporters who do not see intimidation.
what was the rosh handwerger (“lowe”) incident? i don’t remember it.
I can’t remember in detail, but it had something to do with a Homestead or Sweetwater policeman involved with aggravated battery on a teenager who was accused of stealing the policeman’s property-the local officials did not like the way Rosh covered the story. Rosh showed the way he was being treated-even how he was locked out of an official press conference.
Mike Kirsch was on BiG 1059 this Thursday morning talking about the BoLo. There were still some a-hole cops who called in and trashed Kirsch but others called in and defended him. Its ironic that the cops have done so much to hush this story but its had such a reverse affect.
Brent, although your questions about Mike’s reporting are well conceived, there was no other way it could have been done. CBS 4 needed proof that police stations had no complaint forms available (if asked for proof). This was a way. It also works in getting in our heads that the police are abusing their power. Did you see the follow-up reports on CBS 4? What kind of crap was that, the head of the PBA issues the BOLO, removes it (when forced to), and replaces an edited version later on? Then when confronted about it by CBS 4 and the group that helped them expose this problem, the same guy was all pissed off at them and would not comment to CBS 4 because he knows he will be sued. That is why his lawyers told him to shut his pie hole. In my opinion the head of the PBA should be canned and arrested for violating federal law, on top of being sued by Mike and CBS 4.