Earl Sampson Stopped 258 Times In Four Years -- All Cops Found Was Pot

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/22/earl-sampson-stopped-258-times_n_4326008.html



Judging from his rap sheet, you'd think Earl Sampson was an unrepentant trespasser.

The Miami Herald reports that the 28-year-old has been arrested 62 times by Miami Gardens police for the offense, almost always at one location — the convenience store where he works. One surveillance tape shows Sampson taking out the garbage, then getting arrested for trespassing when he walks back inside the store.

In all, Sampson has been stopped 258 times in four years, but he's never been convicted of anything more serious than marijuana possession.

Now the convenience store's owner, Alex Saleh, is suing the police department for racial profiling.

The department did not immediately return a call for comment from The Huffington Post.

Police Chief Matthew Boyd released a statement to the Herald that said "the department is committed to serving and protecting the citizens and businesses in the city."

The Miami area's police departments have courted controversy with frequency this year.

In April, an investigation determined that Miami police were responsible for shooting four innocent bystanders during an incident on Memorial Day in 2011.

In May, a Miami-Dade police officer was seen on video apparently choking a 14-year-old over what the officer called "dehumanizing stares."

This summer, an investigation by the Department of Justice determined that Miami police "engaged in a pattern or practice of excessive use of force through officer-involved shootings in violation of the Fourth Amendment of the Constitution."

And just last month, the Miami man dubbed "Florida's Dirtiest Cop" was fired after being investigated 40 times, sixteen of those for battery or other violence.

 

They are just padding their arrest stats. When they ever fall just short of their monthly/weekly arrest quota. They just arrest poor Mr. Sampson and other men like him. Even if the cases get thrown out, the arrest still goes on their stat sheets. Then the police chief and city leaders can flaunt the bogus numbers to the crime weary public.