Ex-cop sentenced to 102 years for staging raids

[Ragnar Danneskjold]

A free state cannot tolerate those we place in positions of authority, who abuse that authority to steal, hurt and intimidate. 102 years is just about right IMO. Let that be a lesson to the the rest of us who are LEOs or aspire to be one.

 

[lacoochee]

His being a LEO has nothing to do with the sentencing, in so far as I can tell a stiffer sentence was not imposed due to his violation of the public trust (though IMHO there should have been an additional penalty for just that reason).

He was convicted of the crimes he committed, not even his attorney or the judge is disputing that!!!! They are just whining because they think he is being punished to severely. I think this guy was lucky, because he was born in this time and place. Had he been born in any other time or many other places his punishment would have been death and not a clean one at that.

Maybe it's because I am Southerner and I am old fashioned when it comes to my sense of how justice should be carried out, but the old ways were better. Not least because it really made folks think before they committed these types of acts. This man (loosely used) invaded his neighbors homes at gun point, terrorized them and their children, and hid behind his badge to do it.

I am sorry but this guy should be hung from the oak tree nearest the court house and left there as an object lesson. Just sayin'.....

 

[divemedic]

The Florida 10-20-Life law gives the penalties for crimes as follows:

If you are convicted of the following crimes:

Murder; Sexual battery; Robbery; Burglary; Arson; Aggravated assault; Aggravated battery; Kidnapping; Escape; Aircraft piracy; Aggravated child abuse; Aggravated abuse of an elderly person or disabled adult; Unlawful throwing, placing, or discharging of a destructive device or bomb; Carjacking; Home-invasion robbery; Aggravated stalking; Trafficking in illegal drugs, or Possession of a firearm by a felon

you get a 10 year minimum sentence if you commit the crime while in possession of a gun, except that a person who is convicted for aggravated assault, possession of a firearm by a felon, or burglary of a conveyance shall be sentenced to a minimum term of imprisonment of 3 years if such person possessed a firearm or destructive device during the commission of the offense.

If that weapon is a semi auto with a high cap magazine that holds 20 or more rounds or a machine gun, the minimum is 15 years.

If you fired the gun, you get a 20 year minimum, regardless of whether the use of a weapon is an element of the felony. (Note that a convicted felon who fires a gun in his possession gets 20 years, even if no other law is broken.)

If you fire your gun while in commission of that felony, and as a result a person is injured, you get a minimum of Life.

I have no problem with that at all. (Source ss 775.087)

 

[Grump]

Highorder, yes I do believe that. Darn few others do, but I do, that any member of law enforcement, from the Attorney General of the United States on down, should be held to a higher standard, and punishment, upon lawful conviction of crimes.

You're too limited. The Chief Executive of most any separation-of-powers-style regime I'm aware of is also its Chief Law Enforcement Officer, responsible for dutifully executing the legislative enactments of that other branch of government. The President/Governator or whomever may not be actively doing the LEO stuff in-person, but he or she is responsible to directly supervise the AG.

So, I believe the US Constitution means "high crimes and high misdemeanors", with high crimes being just about any felony, and impeachable misdemeanors including any such otherwise "minor" crime which tends to impede the administration of either criminal or civil justice.

Hold them to a higher standard, but do not make their lives "worth" more than the lives of us commoners by enacting a higher sentence for causing them harm.

BTW, all this discussion of sentencing enhancements ignores the fact that every such law I've ever seen called for such if the bad actor uses ANY DEADLY WEAPON!!!. So, no, there would not be a lighter sentence (at least for the purpose of mandatory minimums or statutory sentencing enhancements) if the felon used a knife. I'm perfectly okay with that, and advise us to not feel so "persecuted" or whatever, even if these laws were enacted for a discriminatory purpose re: gunz.

 

[zxcvbob]

As a responsible law-abiding gun owner, I have NO problems with enhanced penalties for using a gun in the commission of a crime. Why on earth would anyone oppose this? Do they plan on committing crimes with guns? Anyone who would commit a crime with a gun should be locked up longer, because they've shown that they're willing to kill the innocent. That's just insane, and not at all what we should stand for.

I tried to answer this already; it depends on what's the definition of "commission of a crime" is. Jaywalking? Spitting on the sidewalk? How about "unsafe storage of a firearm" (no trigger lock), or if you are charged with "brandishing" when you repel a burglar from your home some night? Or "discharge of a firearm within the city limits"? You actually want a 10 or 20 year enhanced minimum sentence for these?

Before you dismiss this, what about "Possession of an unlicensed firearm" (not a crime yet in most places, but soon it might be)

Be careful what you wish for; the government is on a path to make *everything* illegal. (Ayn Rand wrote about this.)

 

[Frog48]

A former Los Angeles police officer who participated in home invasion robberies staged to look like police raids was sentenced Monday to 102 years in prison.

William Ferguson, 35, was convicted of participating in more than 40 phony raids...

This guy sounds like a Vic Mackey starter kit. And people try to say that "The Shield" is pure fiction...

 

[coloradokevin]

He got such a heavy sentence, not for his crimes, but because he was in posession of a firearm.

For the actual crimes he only got 20 years.

You guys are cheering on a life sentence that was handed out by an anti-gun culture.

Still, call it what you will, but I have no problem with this guy going away for life (not unlike any crack head who commits 40 home invasion robberies).

This guy was a disgrace to the badge, and the kind of turd that makes it hard for guys like you and me to look respectable in our job!

I have long said LE should be held to a higher standard, NOT a lower one.

No one believes this around here, but we are definitely held to a higher standard... at least where I work.

Personally, for criminal law, I think we should all be held to the same standard. That is, in this case:

1) did the defendant commit 40 robberies?

2) Did the defendant break into 40 homes to do this?

If he is guilty, throw him in the can for life. This guy was not acting in the capacity of a police officer. He was a low-life criminal, and it just took a while to catch him.

The "thin blue line" that some folks have alleged is a lot thinner than many people might think. I'll admit that I have seen a lot of good/honest officers get the shaft over politically motivated decisions, and those are the guys I will stand up for (that is my "thin blue line"). I have no sympathy for a felon among us, and would never dream of covering up or protecting such actions... In fact, that is where the higher standard comes in. One idiot like that can tarnish the reputation of the entire LE community. I'll pursue him like the dog he is, if for no other reason than to shield the rest of us from the outcome of his actions!

As the bosses around my job often say: "You can overlook a mistake of the head... a case where a guy meant to do the right thing, but screwed up a bit in doing so; we all make mistakes. You can't overlook a mistake of the heart in this job... a case where a guy intended to break the rules/laws for malicious reasons... Those guys are criminals, and we have no time for them "

 

[Deanimator]

I'm not arguing that the guy shouldn't have been punished, but murderers don't get that kind of time in prison. The punishment is supposed to fit the crime. That is how our system works.

He's a despicable cur and got a lot LESS than he deserved.

Of course were he in the Chicago PD, he'd have gotten either a thirty day suspension or maybe even a pass from IAD like his clones in SOS got.

 

[pbearperry]

Sounds like justice got metered out in this case.Let's keep the ball rolling eh?

 

[Deanimator]

People speak of holding LEO's to a higher standard. Others insist that LEO's are just like everyone else.

thoughts?

"People" like that degenerate destroy the criminal justice system by destroying not just confidence in the ability of police to do their jobs, but of the fundamental belief that they uphold the public trust.

I'm not sure what he deserves more, 147 years in solitary or 147 years in the general population.

 

[alsaqr]

You guys are cheering on a life sentence that was handed out by an anti-gun culture.

I'll cheer any judge who gives a scumbag like him a 100+ year sentence.

 

[Geronimo45]

People speak of holding LEO's to a higher standard. Others insist that LEO's are just like everyone else.

thoughts?

They have greater... abilities, wouldja call it, than we have. PDs get FA weapons for screaming good deals, and carry 'em around in their car - they also open carry, which is verboten for me. In this state (IIRC), killing a cop allows/requires the death penalty. Killing a civvie doesn't allow the death penalty (though extenuating circumstances can allow for it - multiple crimes taking place or some such).
Cops are held to be superior to me, by law. As long as that standard is kept up, they ought to receive stiffer penalties for violating the law they have sworn to uphold. That goes double for politicians, who make the law in the first place.
When LEOs are no longer a special caste of the legal system, they should be judged the same as us civvies.

 

[Rugerlvr]

Ok, zxcvbob, perhaps I mis-stated it. I should say I have NO problems with enhanced penalties for using a gun in the commission of a violent felony.

 

[F4GIB]

What? No "special" deal? An Eskimo has bought an ice cube.

 

[ilbob]

What? No "special" deal? An Eskimo has bought an ice cube.

The feds don't have the same incentives to bury these kinds of cases that the locals do.

 

[Robert Hairless]

So were the judge, jury, and prosecutor "cop bashing"?

 

[pbearperry]

Hey Geronimo for what its worth,I was a Leo and I never got any great deal on a gun,and in Mass. we have no death penalty for anything.Also,A&B on a cop in Mass. is a misdemeanor usually costing the perp a whopping $50 bucks.However yes we can carry in the open.Golly Gee ain't that great?

 

[Randy in Arizona]

William Ferguson, 35, was convicted of participating in more than 40 phony raids from early 1999 to June 2001 at homes in working-class neighborhoods while he worked at the department's scandal-ridden Rampart Division.

Emphasis added - -
I have NO sympathy for this sorry SOB.
Some for his family, but not a shred for him.


375

 

[JWarren]

The "thin blue line" that some folks have alleged is a lot thinner than many people might think.

MY "Thin Blue Line" comment was due to a post by a THR member on this thread early on that seems to have been removed by Moderators.


-- John

 

[Deanimator]

No one believes this around here, but we are definitely held to a higher standard... at least where I work.

Cops appear to be in the places in Ohio where I've lived.

Of course there are places where that's demonstrably NOT the case, Chicago and New Orleans being two of the most prominent examples. There was a Chicago cop recently arrested by the Niles, IL PD. He punched out a 62 year old man and a 50 year old woman, apparently for no discernible reason other than being drunk out of his mind. The interesting thing is that reports say that not only is this NOT his first run-in with the law, but not even the fifth or sixth. At a PREVIOUS disciplinary hearing HE stated that he was "bipolar" and an "alcoholic". Yet, he was allowed to wander the streets of Chicago (and apparently Niles) with a loaded firearm. When found by the Niles PD, he was passed out in some bushes, lying on top of his pistol.

The public clearly has a choice, police like they are where you are and in Rocky River, Ohio OR police like they are in Chicago and New Orleans.

The difference is an unwillingness to tolerate criminality by police on the one hand and an apparent willingness to embrace it as a "cultural phenomenon" on the other. I know where _I_ would rather live.

 

[brigadier]

What disturbs me is WHY he was given that many years, not whether or not he deserved them.

 

[alsaqr]

Deitch said Ferguson was unfairly punished because prosecutors would not give Ferguson a plea agreement unless he testified against his brother Joseph Ferguson, an ex-Long Beach officer. Otherwise, his client would have pleaded guilty long ago, he said.

Joseph Ferguson, 33, was convicted of charges that included conspiring to violate civil rights and conspiring to possess drugs with the intent to distribute them. He was sentenced earlier this month to more than eight years in prison.

Besides the Ferguson brothers, 15 other people have pleaded guilty or were convicted in the case, including lawmen from other departments. Two others who have been indicted are fugitives.

Looks like they had a lot of stuff going on there.

 

[TAB]

The way I see it he got off easy...

 

[conw]

MASTEROFMALICE wrote:

He got such a heavy sentence, not for his crimes, but because he was in posession of a firearm.

For the actual crimes he only got 20 years.

You guys are cheering on a life sentence that was handed out by an anti-gun culture.

Whoa, whoa, WHOA.

Don't try to play this, just don't.

Constitutional rights (God-given rights too, if you're all that keen) extend only as far as not infringing on the rights of others. Okay, so he didn't discharge the firearms in the commission of the crime (as far as we know), but he did use them in the commission of the crime. He abdicates any right, constitutional or otherwise, as well as any sympathy from anyone who appreciates gun rights.

He is a criminal. These charges have to do with the use of a gun in the commission of the crime, and rightly so. He used his guns to infringe on the rights of others to life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness. He was not exercising a right, and was not punished for exercising a right. Not only does he lose that right, he was not even within his right to have a gun while committing a crime if you want to be technical.

What you're saying is like saying people who threaten their victims before committing violence on them shouldn't be charged for the threats because the threats are covered by free speech.

Get it?

 

[conw]

zxcvbob,

Without diverting the discussion, I already disagree with treating most of those actions as a crime since they lack corpora delecti or "bodies of the crime." IE, no one is hurt and there is no clear intent to hurt or infringe on the rights of others. I'm not opposed to fines for spitting in the sidewalk or what-not, if it is a problem, but let's be very clear--

There are some clear-cut instances where a firearm is used in a menacing way, or discharged, etc, in order to hurt or aid in hurting or infringing on the rights of law-abiding citizens who are doing no harm. In those cases, it is perfectly acceptable in the purview of the Constitution to punish those crimes more heavily. There are ALWAYS degrees of crime and punishment.

As far as a pitchfork, that's called "assault with a deadly weapon," and there are other charges that can be slapped on, as well, for using a deadly weapon. That is a more serious charge than empty-handed assault, and a firearms charge is more serious than a charge for assault with a pitchfork. Amazingly, it is directly correlated with the severity and deadliness of the assault. There is a prejudice against guns used in crimes for the same reason they are preferred by legitimate gun owners: they are deadly and effective. Misuse them and face the consequences.