The Phoenix police department raided the home of Jeff Pataky, a blogger who writes about, and criticizes the Phoenix police department.  The reason behind the raid, Pataky believes, is that sources inside the police department confirmed that the police don’t like him questioning the behavior of the department.

Pataky, a former software sales and marketing executive who now focuses his energy shoveling content on www.badphoenixcops.com, said he believes his online criticism of the department – along with past criticisms of police investigations – led officers to serve a search warrant at his home last week.

“We have heard internally from our police sources that they purposefully did this to stop me,” Pataky said. “They took my cable modem and wireless router. Anyone worth their salt knows nothing is stored in the cable modem.”

As it appears from the current news reports, the police are violating Pataky’s 1st, 4th, and 5th amendment rights as well as Title 18, U.S.C. Section 241 and Title 18, U.S.C., Section 242.

While Pataky’s case is complex and disturbing, they aren’t just targeting him.  Former homicide detective David Barnes was demoted for questioning the handling of evidence in the crime lab.  It appears that anyone who questions the police is a target for harassment.

The entire county has been accused of being corrupt and incompetent [pdf].

Unfortunately, today’s law enforcement is seen as a place filled with tyrannical individuals only interested in themselves and what they can take for themselves.  Instead of being a help to the citizens of the United States, they are a hindrance, becoming the very threat to our security and liberty that they are supposed to protect.

I believe more people would fight back against this sort of behavior if only normal citizens would not be seen as dissenters, “terrorists,” protesters, and a threat to society.  It also doesn’t help that the police are the ones armed to the teeth and can ruin your life with a swift arrest and a blurb on the news.