We've got an interesting afternoon planned

At the special request of our friend Joel Rosenberg, we're going to be "live"blogging the House Public Safety and Senate Judiciary Committees of the Minnesota Legislature as they hear testimony today from the Office of Legislative Auditor concerning their recent report, which documents in great detail the shameful goings-on of the (thankfully now-defunct) Minnesota Gang Strike Force.

(We put "live" in quotations because we're going to be covering the hearing online. Anyone interested in a rare front-row seat to the unveiling of the outrageous shenanigans of an utterly out-of-control law-enforcement agency should tune in, as well.)

Joel will be in the hearing room providing on-the-scene commentary; others, including us here at the Muckraker, will be watching the hearing and posting various revelations and tidbits right here. You're welcome to head on over and check it out beginning at around 2 p.m. Minnesota time.

Our main reason for doing this? To find out if the crimes, abusive behaviors and systematic denials of the due process rights of citizens allegedly committed by Strike Force officers are going to be excused, and the accused perpetrators not brought to justice, simply because they are "special people" who happen to currently possess badges and guns.

Here's a small sampling of some of the vile acts that officers assigned to the Strike Force are accused of committing:

1. Confiscating money, vehicles and property from individuals without evidence of gang involvement, or even of any wrongdoing at all;
2. Conducting warrantless searches of people and their property, including their cell phones, without reasonable suspicion of a crime being committed;
3. Forcing innocent individuals (including children) to be photographed "holding Metro Gang Strike Force identifying information" as if they were convicted and validated gangbangers;
4. Ignoring even the most basic of police procedures with regard to such vital investigative details as documenting and ensuring a chain of custody for evidence, poor or nonexistent record keeping of confidential informants and overall "poor security and safety practices";
   
5. Improperly accessing the national NCIC criminal database for "non-governmental purposes";
6. Selling themselves confiscated property (some that was subsequently found to be improperly seized) for pennies on the dollar, and out-and-out stealing certain items "for their own personal use";
7. Finally (and most damningly, in our view), trying to shred documents and delete computer files once their wrongdoing was uncovered.
   

This list is just from a cursory reading of the report, and is only part of what these rogue cops are accused of doing under color of their authority.

We will be watching the testimony closely, and hopefully will get the opportunity to put names to some of the rotten people who have betrayed the public trust in such a blatant fashion.

Hopefully we've laid in enough of a popcorn supply.