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Mississippi cops spin ‘wheel of fortune’ to decide who to arrest
(I'm feeling awake)
Daniel Tencer
Raw Story
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Police in Picayune, Miss., have turned to a unique method of determining how to arrest individuals on outstanding warrants: They have created a Wheel of Fortune-type spinning wheel, to which they attach the names of persons wanted on arrest warrants.
Whoever the wheel lands on gets arrested, reports the Biloxi-Gulfport Sun-Herald.
According to the paper, the police force made its first “Wheel of Justice” arrest Tuesday, taking into custody Dewayne Allen Bester, Jr., who was wanted for selling crack cocaine near a schoolyard.
From the Sun-Herald:
Officers plan to spin the wheel once per week at different locations in the city. Next week, they may do it at a local radio station, Ervin said. Narcotics officers will determine which drug suspects to put in the running and they likely won’t feature the same eight offenders from week to week. Ervin said Picayune police’s drug arrests aren’t limited to those Tuesdays when they spin the wheel.
The hope is that the “Wheel of Justice” causes citizens to take note of drug activity so they will call in tips to officers.
Though RAW STORY wonders why seeing police officers dispense justice randomly would prompt people to report crimes, we have a more pressing question to ask the police force in Picayune: Why not use the tried, tested and true method employed by police forces everywhere to decide who to arrest — prioritizing?
You know — make a list of all the people wanted in town on outstanding warrants, then decide: Who has the most serious charges against them? Who is the greatest danger to the community? Who has the longest rap sheet?
For the sake of the people of Picayune, Miss., RAW STORY hopes the police’s new random justice does in fact yield results.
In the meantime, we can only hope that the town’s criminals don’t see this as a license to commit crimes with impunity — so long as your number doesn’t come up
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