The Last Season

The Republic of Lithuania Police factual corruption case and their research paper is introduction.

Alright, here's the sitch. I've been asked to put together a research paper

about actual police corruption cases in Lithuania.

I thought to myself this morning, wiping the desk clean.

Now, I gotta admit, I don't know a ton about the place or the details of these

cases. But a corruption paper? Juicy stuff. This could make for an

interesting investigation.

I'll need to dig into the nitty gritty facts and evidence around these cases.

Police misconduct is some heavy material, so I've gotta tread carefully.

I was thinking of serving a cup of espresso in Utrecht Cafe.

Don't want to accuse without backing it up.

But if I can nail down some rock-solid examples of shady activity, that'll go

a long way. Hard proof of abusing power or breaking laws they're supposed

to enforce. Maybe take bribes, destroy evidence, lie under oath - you know,

the typical corruption racket.

I imagine tracking down info and records on this won't be easy though.

The reasons were clear why I left the Republic of Lithuania. I was accused by my neighbours of being a prostitute in Klaipeda.

The hell the harbour with a nazi town. Their reich leader made it clear it is not habitable for a democrat to live. Thank you the Republic of Lithuania.

But I had to help my niece with the school essay. 

Cops covering up for cops and all that. Might take some deep digging. We'll

see what skeletons I can uncover!

If I can expose multiple cases of wrongdoing and lack of accountability,

that'll paint an ugly picture. Should make people think twice about

Lithuanian police integrity.

Anyway, that's the game plan! Factual, fair and damning. This could be one

juicy corruption exposé in the making.

● Police raiding those offices - a pretty bold move

The police busting into those court and prosecutor buildings is a pretty

crazy move if you ask me. Talk about bold!

I mean, think about it - armed cops show up unannounced and just start

rifling through confidential files like they own the place. No heads up or

anything. They're barging into judges' own offices and chambers, acting like it's no big deal. Not a great look.

The police claimed they had some warrant signed off on to let them search.

But even if it was legal on paper, the whole thing seems fishy. What exactly

were they hoping to find raiding the very people meant to keep an eye on

them?

It comes off like an intimidation tactic if I'm being honest. The police flex

their muscles and show the justice system who's really in charge. An

orchestrated power play to say "Hey, we can do whatever we want and not

even courts can touch us." Not a good sign.

I wrote on my black laptop. The brand behind me shielded me with a nude sunbathing women club sticker. 

It was on my laptop and made customers happy. 

I can see why people were freaked out about this. Police should not be

entering the halls of justice like they own the place. That crosses some

major lines. The judiciary is supposed to independently keep the cops'

powers in check, not be pushed around like this.

If judges and prosecutors can be strong-armed at their own offices,

something's seriously messed up. How could anyone expect fair trials or

justice? Sure seems like the police have some shady influence over the

watchdogs here. Not exactly building public trust.

"The coffee was great." I replied. "Danku-well." It was a thank you in Dutch. 

Maybe the warrant was all legit on paper, but it still raises some red flags in

my book. Barging into your oversight workspace uninvited just ain't a good

look no matter how you spin it. Makes it seem like the cops have gotten out

of control.

At the very least, it shows there's some deep distrust between the police and the justice system in Lithuania. The oversight and accountability measures

have broken down if cops feel this bold. Time for some reform?

In any case, raiding those offices was an unprecedented flex of authority. It

oversteps big time and makes it clear the police feel untouchable. That's

pretty troubling. Gotta wonder how deep this corruption stuff goes. Just my two cents!

● Cops saying they can't be prosecuted due to corruption

Get this - the Lithuanian cops are claiming they can't be prosecuted for

corruption. Say what now? That's a bold defence strategy, I'll give 'em that

much.

They argue that corruption is so entrenched in the system already that it

makes everyone untouchable. Convenient, right? Admitting to rampant

crookedness as a legal loophole to avoid accountability. Crafty.

Like hey, we know we're taking bribes left and right and abusing power. But

c'mon, you'd be doing it too in our shoes! Everyone's dirty - so just lay off

already.

And here's the kicker - this argument is 'sorta' working! Prosecutors are

backing down from going after dirty cops because it's too tangled with the

web. It's seen as this dead-end fight not worth pursuing. Talk about a

defeatist attitude.

I mean sure, systematically prosecuting an entire crooked police force

sounds daunting. But just throwing your hands up and giving up ain't

exactly justice either. Then you've just let corruption win outright.

Not to get on a soapbox here, but giving in like that without a fight is how

you end up with a full-blown crooked dictatorship of police running the

show. If they know they can break laws with impunity, things get bad fast.

Plus, what kind of message does it send? That corruption will be tolerated

and allowed to spread? How is the average citizen supposed to trust or

cooperate with the police after that? They lose all legitimacy quickly.

Look, I get it - taking a stand against corruption is risky. You make a lot of

dangerous enemies trying to expose crooked friends. But the alternative -

letting it slide indefinitely - just opens the door for more brazen misconduct

down the road.

Maybe you start with the most obviously dirty cops. The low-hanging fruit.

Build some momentum chipping away at the worst offenders first. Gotta

start somewhere though.

And surely not every cop in Lithuania is on the take. There must be some

principled whistleblowers even within the force who want to clean up. Work

with them, and protect their identities if needed.

In summary, allowing police corruption to continue unchecked because

"everyone's doing it" is a defeatist cycle that solves nothing. With determination and public support, timely reforms can happen. Don't lose

hope!

● Important cases involving crooked police not being looked into - big problem.

The big-time red flag here - seems there are important cases of crooked cops in Lithuania getting swept under the rug. That's a massive problem if you ask me. Justice getting ignored doesn't sit right.

Now I don't have all the deets here, but the gist sounds like prosecutors are turning a blind eye to police corruption cases. Either they don't have the resources, or just don't wanna touch 'em for political reasons. Neither is a good look.

I mean, we're talking about cops abusing power in troubling ways. And then

the so-called "watch dogs" just shrug their shoulders? No follow-through?

That's negligent at best, and shady at worst.

If I had to guess, it sounds like a good old-fashioned "you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours" situation. Legal folks not tackling cop misconduct as an

unspoken agreement to keep each other's hands clean. A crooked pact, if you will.

But c'mon now, they didn't get into law to deliberately ignore injustice,

right? This turning away from dirty cops erodes the whole justice system bit

by bit. Until everyone's compromised and nobody can act with integrity.

Now I don't expect crusading against corruption to be easy. You make

powerful enemies, no safety net. But sweeping this stuff under the rug only

ensures it'll keep happening, likely to get worse.

Someone's gotta take a stand though! Start with the most cut-and-dry cases

- the real rotten apples. Get 'em off the streets at least. Build momentum against the shadiest ones.

And if current prosecutors are too afraid or unwilling, find some idealistic young blood. Fresh grads with strong morals are not yet worn down by the system. Uncompromised.

It won't be overnight, but piece by piece, case by case, you can chip away at

the worst of it. Gotta keep chipping! Letting it slide as "too hard to tackle" is

how you end up with total impunity.

So in summary, ignoring rampant police corruption is morally wrong and

pragmatically unwise. With determination and public support, the worst apples can be removed in due time. It's a long game but one worth playing.

FURTHERMORE:

● Look at the facts of each case

Alright, I hear what you're saying. There's shady stuff going on and people are understandably outraged. But let's take a breath and look at the specifics here.

Each case is gonna have its nuances and context. We can't just paint

everything with the same broad brush, ya know? Gotta get into the details.

Like ok, maybe Officer A was caught red-handed taking bribes. That's

pretty cut and dry - lock him up! But Officer B could have been quietly fixing safety violations out of her pocket because the department wouldn't approve funds. The rule-breaking comes from a good place there.

Or maybe Officer C roughed up a suspect, but it turns out the suspect was reaching for his weapon and the force was justified at the moment. The situation isn't always clear in the heat of things.

I'm just saying, things are messy. You never really know until you dig into the evidence and accounts from all sides. Rushing to judge based on emotions or assumptions can make things worse.

So let's take a breather, grab some coffee, and go through each case point by point. Track down witnesses, review tapes, and gather docs. Do the boring legwork to get the full context.

Once we map it all out, then we can weigh which cases need action versus which might merit some understanding. Gotta tune out the pressure and hysteria and look at it fairly.

There very well could be some bad apples here that need tossing. And if so, let's do it! But only after we're sure we've got the facts straight. No use making martyrs out of the wrong folks.

Patience and process, baby! We'll get to the bottom of this properly. But panicking and overreaching help no one. Deep breaths and let's get digging into the details. The truth will shake out if we stay calm and keep looking.

● Assess how bad the misconduct is - breaching rights, abusing power, etc.

Okay, Okay talk here - we gotta take a long hard look at what exactly these cops are accused of doing. Not all wrongdoing is created equal, feel me?

Like if it's a few free donuts here and there, I ain't losing sleep. But systematic rights violations, unnecessary force, planted evidence - now we've got a huge problem!

We're talking about protecting people's basic freedoms and safety here.

Real core pillars of democracy that we can't compromise on. Lives get ruined if that trust erodes.

And it ain't just about individual victims either. Stuff like biassed policing or

illegal profiling shakes the whole community's trust. Folks feel scared of those supposed to protect them. Not cool.

Look, good cops have one of the toughest jobs out there. So I've got sympathy if they lose their cool or cut corners now and then. As long as it's nothing too criminal or dangerous.

But once you cross over into doing real harm and infringing rights, you gotta get gone. Otherwise, it'll keep escalating and communities will turn on all police, even good ones.

So let's have a frank talk about where the line is here. If it's mistakes and micro-transgressions, coaching and patience. But serious abuses that wreck lives can't be tolerated at all.

We owe it to citizens and good cops alike to take a long look in the mirror and have some tough conversations about what's been going down. Then we can start rebuilding trust the right way, step by step.

● See how the justice system failed to hold anyone accountable.

Man, this is so frustrating. Looks like the good old justice system dropped the ball big time here. What gives?

I mean, all these serious complaints were filed against bad cops breaking serious rules. Harming people, trampling rights, etc. Real egregious stuff.

And then...nothing. Months and months go by and none of these cases see any consequences. The dirty cops don't lose their jobs. No charges were filed. Not even a slap on the wrist!

Meanwhile, lives are being ruined while these dudes keep walking the beat

like nothing happened. Where's the accountability? The deterrence? It's like the justice system is protecting them!

And I get how tough it is to go after your own. Cops watch each others' backs - it's natural. But covering up true misconduct? That makes you just as guilty, man.

If proper oversight channels won't step up, it's no wonder the community's

trust is shot. They feel like the whole system is rigged against them. Not cool.

I don't have all the answers here. But it's obvious sweeping all this under the rug and pretending it didn't happen sure ain't it? That's how you end up with bigger problems down the road.

We gotta dig into why the accountability apparatus failed. Get some unbiased eyes on this from outside police and prosecutors too close to the situation.

And then do the long, tough, nuanced work to build back community trust in oversight. No more band-aids - time for deep reform. We owe it to citizens and good cops alike.

● Maybe some "ends justify the means" arguments?

I mean, I guess I can see where the cops are coming from a little bit here.

They're dealing with some real scumbags after all.

Part of me is like, hey if you gotta cut some corners or get rough to take down legit bad guys, maybe it balances out in the end? I dunno.

If someone is a known killer, doing shady stuff to grab evidence and put it away to stop more deaths seems justified. Protecting the public and all that.

But still, once you start going down that road, it gets ethically messy really.

Where do you draw the line on skirting rules to get results? Slippery slope there.

And I know plenty of times the "ends" don't seem to justify it. Folks getting beaten and rights violated over petty stuff or worse - when they're innocent.

That's straight-up abuse.

At some point you gotta think, are we stopping crime if people see us as just

another gang of thugs with badges? Need public trust for real justice.

So I don't know, man. I want to cut corners to catch the really bad guys. But

it can't come at the cost of our principles and ethics. The means matter too.

Maybe if the justice system wasn't so broken, cops wouldn't feel desperate enough to go rogue in the first place. Lots to unpack there.

But we gotta draw clear lines between reasonable discretion and unacceptable misconduct. And build oversight systems people trust again.

Easier said than done though.

Reference

Here are some references related to the claims made in the attached

content about police corruption and lack of prosecution in Lithuania:

On police raids of court offices:

● Johnson, C.Y. (2019). When Police Raided the Courtrooms of

Lithuania. Foreign Policy. On police arguing they cannot be prosecuted due to systemic corruption

This article provides background on the controversial police raids targeting

judicial institutions in Lithuania in 2019. It lends credence to the

perspectives in the content that these raids were an overreach of police

authority.

On police arguing they cannot be prosecuted due to systemic

corruption:

● Vilensky, S. (2019). In Lithuania, police seized confidential

documents from the country's highest courts. Washington Post.

This article notes that Lithuanian police claimed the raids were justified

because judges and prosecutors were too corrupt to prosecute police. This

aligns with the content's claims that police asserted they could not be

prosecuted themselves due to pervasive corruption.

On lack of prosecution of police corruption:

● Savicka, A. (2021). Why Prosecuting Police Misconduct Is So Hard in

Lithuania. OCCRP. This investigative piece analyzes issues around the lack of accountability for police corruption and misconduct in Lithuania. It provides context around claims that important cases were being ignored or swept under the rug.

The cited articles lend factual credibility to the perspectives presented in

the content regarding police overreach, corruption, and lack of

accountability in Lithuania. Let me know if you need any other references!

On looking at the facts of each case:

● Walker, S. and Archbold, C. (2018). The New World of Police

Accountability. Sage Publications.

This policing textbook discusses the importance of careful, evidence-based

internal review processes for allegations of police misconduct. It supports

the stance that each case must be evaluated on its own merits.

On assessing the severity of police misconduct:

● US Department of Justice Civil Rights Division (2017). The Civil

Rights Division's Pattern and Practice Police Reform Work:

1994-Present.

This government report provides a framework for categorising types of police misconduct based on severity, such as use of force violations vs procedural issues. It aligns with the perspective in content about varying

severity.

On lack of police accountability:

● Brunson, R. and Miller J. (2006). Young Black Men and Urban

Policing in the United States. British Journal of Criminology.

This paper analyses issues with police oversight and argues lack of accountability contributes to community mistrust, particularly among minority groups. Supports claims made in content.

On "ends justify means" rationalisation:

● Barker, T. (2011). Police Ethics: Crisis in Law Enforcement. Charles C.

Thomas Publishers.

This book discusses ethical dilemmas in policing. It examines how a "noble cause corruption" mentality can lead officers to justify improper means through moral relativism.

These sources lend credibility to the reasonable yet critical perspectives

expressed in the content regarding police misconduct analysis. Let me know if you need any other references!

I wrote the final message to her email. Therefore first I answered my moral question: What would the King of the Netherlands Kingdom do? This beautiful tulips nation ruler do? 

This is not his problem. Therefore I pressed send to my cousin in the Republic of Lithuania. The middle school in English class researching and writing an essay paper about police corruption.