Speaking of police brutality, we don't want to give you the impression that shocking, scary, or shocking and scary police behavior is limited to the NYPD. Far from it! How else are cops offending our sensibilities today? Many ways!

  • The ACLU is suing the Pennsylvania state police for a longstanding pattern of issuing citations to people just because they said some cuss words. Which you are allowed to say, here in the motherfucking USA. Example:

  • In Pennsylvania alone, the city of Scranton in 2008 agreed to pay a woman $19,000 plus legal costs after she was charged for swearing at her overflowing toilet. The city of Pittsburgh paid $50,000 last year to settle a free-speech lawsuit filed by a man cited for an obscene gesture. In that case, the ACLU found city police had written 188 disorderly conduct citations over a 32-month period for swearing, gestures and other disrespectful conduct.

  • Philly police Sgt. Robert Ralston finally admitted yesterday that when he said a "black man with cornrows" shot him last month, what he really meant was "I purposely shot myself in the shoulder."
  • Even more, Philly? "A Philadelphia police officer was arrested Wednesday on charges of assaulting, threatening, and stalking a female friend."
  • This.
  • The City of Portland has fired its police chief, after "the city agreed to pay $1.6 million to settle a wrongful death lawsuit filed by the family of a mentally ill man who died in police custody."
  • Also, Chicago's agreed to pay $16.5 million to settle a class-action suit over police mistreating suspects.
  • Annnnnd, a white Houston cop was acquitted this week for shooting an unarmed black man (the son of a former Major League baseball player, btw). He thought the black man had a gun, huh.

When you have a bad day, the cops make you pay for it. But when cops have a bad day, the cops make you pay for it.
[Pic via]