About Police
(It is my non- professional opinion.)

1. About American Police

Once in Los Angeles a black man drove his car over the speed limit. A few policemen stopped him. After that he was pulled out from the car and the policemen beat him. His friend from another car photographed the beating with a video camera. (I think that the black man intentionally resisted the policemen in order to have his friend make a video which showed police brutality against black men.)

All America watched that incident on TV. The black man filed a complaint in the court. The decision of the court was: The police department must pay him compensation of $ 1 million.

In America there is always a brave journalist who can investigate an action in the police department (and also regarding medical services, housing for the elderly, etc.) For this it is necessary to have some convincing evidence. Journalists can generate Public opinion.


2. About the Soviet Militia

That case which took place in America would have been impossible in the Soviet Union. I think in the Soviet Union there were also some brave journalists. However, nobody could print or show such information because there was censorship. The Soviet militia rarely beat people on the street. But they beat them inside a militia building or especially in sobering-up stations. (In Leningrad there were several sobering -up stations for men but only one for women). Those drunkards had much trouble: the militia stole their money and beat them. They had to pay for services in the sobering -up stations. Militia sent letters to their plants, and consequently, they did not get bonuses for their work, etc.

The militia often got into hot water when they took some people who were drunk to the sobering-up stations. They beat them, even though some of those people had gotten drunk at a meeting with the secretary of the party. (There was frequently a lot of drinking at party meetings.) The secretary would call the militia services and complain to militia leaders. Newspapers never wrote about those cases.)

In the Soviet Union there were district militia officers. A district militia officer had some buildings which they checked and controlled. If you were a good citizen it was no problem. If you were a drunkard or did not work anywhere, you would have had a problem. The militia would evict you from the city.

At the time of the largest Jewish emigration (1970s) if Jews submitted applications for emigration they were discharged from their jobs and called to the militia who persecuted them. In that situation new jobs were very hard to find.

Recently (4/08/98) in Russia the Government TV channel "VREMJA" showed an intelligent woman who declared that she was raped in a militia office by militiamen. She applied to the court. The prosecutor said,"It is impossible to prove that".

All Russians can see that case on TV. That is a big achievement for democratic Russia.

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