Seeing as personal examples seem to resonate so well, let me share how few police are dismissed or even reprimanded, or even do their jobs at all:
I once had a guy steal my identity (those truly horrid stories you've read about.. one is mine). He rented a car in my name and was arrested in Atlanta for DUI. The arresting officer accepted his story of being me, arrested him as me and he was later bailed out as me. A year later I find I have a warrant for my arrest because of this. Easy mistake, right? The guy who stole my identity was black. I am a blonde haired, blue eyed white guy. What happened to the arresting officer? Not one thing. Even exceptional incompetence results in nothing. To this day I have to deal with issues regarding my license because, until I finally got a different license last year, he was still getting tickets in my name. I still have one in Boston which I can't get removed unless I show in some courthouse in Boston to get it removed. This is the incompetence which is ignored and allowed to slip by. Six figures in fraud.. ignored.
Someone said police aren't allowed to ignore felonies.. and who forces them to do something? Other police? I've had entire departments refuse to even file a report regarding this same thief when he wrote a $100,000 check on my account. I literally have the original check with his handwriting and nobody would touch it. I've walked into the SFPD main office with an entire briefcase full of evidence, including other DUI arrests under different names and never got a single person to copy and log it.
The guy finally did time when he tried to buy a car in my name (again) and the dealership called the police. After a couple of years on a four year sentence, he was back at it and my license was suspended for unpaid speeding tickets. I still, over a decade later, deal with the aftermath. This all could have been avoided if police took 5 minutes to look over the briefcase full of fraud and arrested the guy, or better yet, arrested the guy for claiming to be me, or even noticed he wasn't me, on the first DUI (when the ID theft first began, well before I was aware of it) in Atlanta.
This is the "good, reliable police" I hear blanket praised so often. Do I hate all police? Of course not. Though I certainly haven't had a laundry list of good experiences, and the times I have relied on them it has cost me dearly. My life savings, to be exact.
Beyond belief how dumb and ignorant Police Officers are. Any idiot with an IQ of a brick could have looked at the issued driver´s license from the issuing State and know right away it was bogus. Why I bet if you were a police officer you could just look at a license and tell instantly whether it is valid/bogus and the person who presented it and whose picture is on the license is or is not entitled to have and carry the license.
And before you say they could check. This only happens on NCIS, CSI and other fantasy programs on television. The courts and the people restrict what a law enforcement officer can check and when. Something about violating an individual's right to privacy.
After 9-11 the Federal Government finally stepped in on standardized driver's licenses and drivers licenses information over very loud and vocal objections from States. Read this, the people have spoken that police officer must be kept blind, dumb and ignorant or someones privacy will be violated.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/05/washington/05real.html
Some States just will not share information with other States. They wax so philosophical about violating someone rights to privacy.
Some state and county records clerks have been fired for trying to computerizing information so reliable factual information will be able to assist that dumb as rock Police Officer standing on the side of the road at 3:00 in the morning trying to decide if the individual in front of him is really the person who's name is on the license.
If the Officer says it isn't he can and will get sued if he cannot prove it in a court of law. I am not talking about the court of public opinion where lies, gossip, hearsay, speculation, this should not be, my third cousin twice remove says its illegal is allowed and accepted.
Most states record data by county. One county will not share data with another electronically so when an officer confronts "Don't Walk" from county x in an alley at three in the morning he has no way of knowing his real name is "I Will Run" and he stole "Don't Walks" name three years ago. The world would stop spinning on its axis and it would be an egregious violation of his right to privacy to continue probing until his true identity was discovered.
You can accumulate a van full of papers. But the people have spoken. Each alleged offense will have to be presented in the alleged county and state it allegedly occurred. The people and the ACLU will not tolerate anything else.
So it is not surprising no one is interested in copying accumulated data. Another reason it is so hard on victims of identity theft is that scam artist have borrowed, stolen and begged all the money they can and then say, but someone stole my identity.
Things you not someone else must do when you become the victim of identity theft.
If Your Identity is Stolen...
1. Flag Your Credit Reports
Call one of the nationwide credit reporting companies, and ask for a fraud alert on your credit report. The company you call must contact the other two so they can put fraud alerts on your files. An initial fraud alert is good for 90 days.
Equifax 1 800 525 6285
Experian 1 888 397 3742
TransUnion 1 800 680 7289
2. Order Your Credit Reports
Each company's credit report about you is slightly different, so order a report from each company. When you order, you must answer some questions to prove your identity. Read your reports carefully to see if the information is correct. If you see mistakes or signs of fraud, contact the credit reporting company.
3. Create an Identity Theft Report
An Identity Theft Report can help you get fraudulent information removed from your credit report, stop a company from collecting debts caused by identity theft, and get information about accounts a thief opened in your name. To create an Identity Theft Report:
file a complaint with the FTC at ftc.gov/complaint or 1-877-438-4338; TTY: 1-866-653-4261. Your completed complaint is called an FTC Affidavit.
take your FTC Affidavit to your local police, or to the police where the theft occurred, and file a police report. Get a copy of the police report.
The two documents comprise an Identity Theft Report.
Red Flags of Identity Theft
mistakes on your bank, credit card, or other account statements
mistakes on the explanation of medical benefits from your health plan
your regular bills and account statements don't arrive on time
bills or collection notices for products or services you never received
calls from debt collectors about debts that don't belong to you
a notice from the IRS that someone used your Social Security number
mail, email, or calls about accounts or jobs in your minor child's name
unwarranted collection notices on your credit report
businesses turn down your checks
you are turned down unexpectedly for a loan or job
Have you done any of this?
http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/idtheft/idt04.pdf
Remember police officers are too dumb and ignorant to know this exists.
Police departments or Law Enforcement agencies do not play baseball, x strikes and you are out. All agencies I know have a zero tolerance. Their position is we trained you, equipped you with departmental policies, procedures and guides and your failure to follow is why you are being terminated.
Anyone who feels they have been wrongly detained, arrested or abused by a Police Officer is always free to go before a magistrate be placed under oath, give credible evidence and obtain a warrant.
Loss of such a case in Court will result in an immediate civil case against you seeking damages. And we all know jurors are so much smarter than law enforcement. I think this was recently proven in a Florida case.
