Facebook friend turns into Big Brother
University of Wisconsin-La Crosse student Adam Bauer has nearly 400 friends on Facebook. He got an offer for a new one about a month ago. “She was a good-looking girl. I usually don’t accept friends I don’t know, but I randomly accepted this one for some reason,” the 19-year-old said.
He thinks that led to his invitation to come down to the La Crosse police station, where an officer laid out photos from Facebook of Bauer holding a beer — and then ticketed him for underage drinking.
The police report said Bauer admitted drinking, which he denies. But he did plead no contest in municipal court Wednesday and will pay a $227 fine.
He was among at least eight people who said Wednesday they had been cited for underage drinking based on photos on social networking sites.
“I just can’t believe it. I feel like I’m in a science fiction movie, like they are always watching. When does it end?” Bauer said after court Wednesday.
Bauer’s friend, 20-year-old UW-L sophomore Tyrell Luebker, also was tagged for underage drinking based on Facebook photos. He, too, pleaded no contest Wednesday.
“I feel like it is shady police work and a waste of taxpayer money to have him (an officer) sit on the computer on Facebook when he could actually be doing police work,” said Luebker.
Someone else posted photos on a Facebook site of UW-L sophomores Brianna Niesen and Cassie Stenholt holding beer, but they still ended up in court Wednesday pleading no contest and getting fined.
The practice ultimately could hurt the positive alliance law enforcement wants to build with students so they will report crimes, Niesen said.
“I feel like it is a breach of privacy,” Stenholt said. “You feel like you should be able to trust cops.”
So let's see here ... The cops lied about their identity so they could bust kids over pictures with beer. Then on top of this, they want to build a "positive alliance" with students in order to brainwash them into snitching on their friends and neighbors. Nice.
These kids should never have plead guilty. Cops lying to kids and busting them over mere pictures is the real crime here. Seriously, do we live in the U.S.S.R.?
And Stenholt, no, you should NEVER trust a cop. They are trained to kill and see you as the enemy. I'm surprised (but happy) they didn't shoot you with a taser.
What ever happened to freedom?
H/T - David Kramer
