PA Bill Number: SB1198
Title: In plants and plant products, providing for plant and pollinator protection; conferring powers and duties on the Department of Agriculture and ...
Description: In plants and plant products, providing for plant and pollinator protection; conferring powers and duties on the Department of Agriculture and .. ...
Last Action: Referred to AGRICULTURE AND RURAL AFFAIRS
Last Action Date: May 17, 2024
OUR TAKE: Lawyer soliciting gripes against Pennsylvania State Police manhunt crosses the line :: 09/26/2014
It's outrageous, right? Joshua Prince, a lawyer based in Bechtelsville, Pa., is looking into Fourth Amendment complaints against the Pennsylvania State Police, based on their conduct during the manhunt for suspected cop-killer Eric Frein.
Prince says he expects to file actions on behalf of people who said they were told by police to leave their houses without probable cause, "people ... whose lives have been turned upside down by the Pennsylvania State Police and the FBI."
We're all for safeguarding people's rights, and it's undeniable that state police and the FBI wouldn't be casting such an intensive dragnet for a civilian wanted for murdering another civilian.
But this isn't a drug deal gone bad, a road-rage incident or the brutal fallout from a domestic dispute. An expert marksman targeted state police, killing one and gravely injuring another; he could engage police in a shootout or take people hostage in their home. That uncertainty and Frein's apparent survivalist skills and anti-police sentiments have taken this search to the level of extreme emergency, including the evacuation of some people from homes for their safety.
Inconvenience? No doubt. Potentially more, in the case of people who need medications or have to tend to pets. Yet state police say they haven't completely restricted access to homes and helped people who were temporarily displaced.
"If a resident required access to their home for a vital reason such as retrieving medication, we provided an escort to their home to ensure their safety," said Trooper Adam Reed.
These are trying times. Constitutional rights must be respected. But in the balance between the hunt for a cop-killer and temporary intrusion into people's lives, something has to give. Most people recognize this. Kudos to those who managed to put up with a temporary dislocation but don't see the need to make a federal case out if it.
That's our take -- a police emergency of this type calls upon ordinary people to make some sacrifices, and it shouldn't translate into easy pickings for an opportunistic lawyer.
(Editors note: Sounds like the same thinking in 1938 Germany doesn't it? Another point is that NO ONE from that area was interviewed and the people in that area are VERY upset!)
