LAPD announces 14 arrests in connection with recent smash-and-grab robberies
After a spate of brazen smash-and-grab robberies left Los Angeles-area retailers and shoppers on edge last month, officials announced Thursday that they had arrested 14 suspects in connection with the crimes.
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Mayor Eric Garcetti and Los Angeles Police Chief Michel Moore, joined by other officials and members of the business community at LAPD headquarters, said none of the 14 suspects remains in custody.
One of the suspects is a juvenile, Moore said. The others either posted bail or were released without bail.
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Just fucking unbelievable.
Oh, no! Not the system working as intended to protect innocent people from being punished for a crime on the mere suspicion of the police! What is the world coming to!
I am sure that if it had been you they arrested, you would be very glad not to be languishing in jail for the time until you are able to clear your name in court.
I mean, the fact that you didn't commit a crime doesn't prevent the police from mistakenly suspecting you, or from arresting you on that suspicion. You do understand that, right?
And if they remanded you in custody, that mistake could totally fuck up your life. You do understand that, right?
Presumption of innocence, until convicted by a court of law, is a fundamental element of the legal system in a free country. That's practically the defining freedom; Without it, a police officer can wield absolute power over anybody for any reason or none. Without it, everybody and anybody, including you and your family, no matter how law abiding they might be, could end up behind bars for several weeks, either because the cops make a mistake, or because they decide that they don't like you.
Calling for suspects not to be released, even on bail, is a call for totalitarianism, and a direct attack on freedom.
If you want to live in that kind of society, China or North Korea may be more suited to your tastes than California.