Ex-assistant says Wayne County clerk fired him over gun permit questions (bribes 4 CCW permits)

[jpak]

http://www.freep.com/article/20110428/NEWS06/104280477/Ex-assistant-says-Wayne-County-clerk-fired-him-over-gun-permit-questions?odyssey=mod%7Cnewswell%7Ctext%7CFRONTPAGE%7Cs

A Brownstown Township man is suing Wayne County Clerk Cathy Garrett in federal court, saying she demoted and eventually fired him last month for blowing the whistle on possible corruption involving the issuance of concealed pistol licenses.

David Springsteen, 39, said Garrett and her top aides got rid of him after he met with the Wayne County Sheriff's Office to discuss his suspicions that clerks in his office were accepting bribes to expedite permit applications and approve licenses for convicted felons and others who were denied licenses.

<snip>

He said he became suspicious about possible corruption in late 2009 when an applicant complained about a delay in obtaining a permit despite having paid a $50 expediting fee. It can take up to five months to receive a CPL -- often called a carrying concealed weapons permit -- in Wayne County.

Springsteen said the office has no such fee and the comment made him suspect clerks might be taking bribes. He said he alerted Garrett and her staff, but nothing was done.

<more>

CCW law abiders bribing 4 permits?

Who knew?

:shrug:

[lawodevolution]

1. Expediting fee, They have those for passports

[jpak]

4. Except they don't have one for CCW permits in Wayne Co. - bribery apologist fail

yup

[ProgressiveProfessor]

14. Which means that the local bureaucrats were charging people to exercise their rights

[jpak]

20. No it means bribery and corruption is rife in the bizarre world of CCW holders

yup

[DonP]

22. 10 million CCW holders and 4 that MIGHT be guilty is "rife" to you?

[jpak]

24. 10 million people that live in fear - all the time - bizarro world

yup

[lawodevolution]

29. You are the one who lives in fear of gun owners

[jpak]

30. No - I just despise GOP/NRA gun extremists

yup

[rl6214]

37. Now you are making shit up again that you have no evidence

to back up.

[jpak]

41. Wah Wah Wah

yup

[rl6214]

53. Exactly, that's all you do

YUP

YUP

YUP

[PavePusher]

47. Stereotyping is bigotry.

Take that shit elsewhere.

[DWC]

52. Here is new information for you

God made all people. Samuel Colt (and other reputable gun manufacturers) made all people equal.
Just ask 10 million people who live unafraid.

Semper Fi,

[jpak]

55. I got other news for you

The Tea Party sucks

Semper Fi

yup

[ProgressiveProfessor]

28. If a goverment employee tell you there is a fee and you pay it, that is somehow corrupt?

[DonP]

21. How is the citizen supposed to know that?

A few months ago I had to renew my Passport and the Post Office employee, after I had filled everything out, asked if I wanted to pay extra for "expedited service". I had never heard of it before and I hadn't seen it on the State Department site, I'm sure it's buried there somewhere.

It's entirely possible the four people were totally involved in the bribes, but it's also totally possible they were not. The official is clearly guilty of a criminal act, as for the citizens, we don't know yet.

[onehandle]

2. Gun commerce is like the adult entertainment industry.

There is more likely to be illegal activity in both than in most industries.

A lot of unseen cash changing hands. A lot of 'desire.'

Also explains why gun shops (and their close cousin, pawn shops) are often in the same neighborhoods as strip clubs.

[chibajoe]

6. The only similarity is that sour faced puritans get their panties in a bunch over both.

I'm sure if there is such widespread corruption in the conceal weapon permitting process, you should have no problems pointing out some other examples? :eyes:

[onehandle]

7. The 'puritans' are showing up at Obama events armed to the teeth.

[chibajoe]

23. How do you know that that guy doesn't work in the porn industry?

Do you have any evidence that he is anything other than a concerned citizen with a gun and a sign?

[rl6214]

38. What proof do you have that this picture was taken at an

Obama event?

[PavePusher]

48. One handgun is "armed to the teeth"?

You need to get out more. Really.

[gejohnston]

9. I take it you have never been to a car lot?

I don't know where you live, but I have never seen a gun shop near a strip club.

[lawodevolution]

31. There will be corruption in anything that is highly or over-regulated

[ProgressiveProfessor]

3. More like bureaucrats demanding tribute to allow people to exercise their rights

[onehandle]

5. Do they sell American Flag colored glasses at gun shows?

And do they come with a free copy of Atlas Shrugged?

[jpak]

8. No - it comes with free copies of the Turner Diaries and that moran payback terrorist manual

They have tables full of that shit at gun shows

for real

yup

[gejohnston]

11. I must be going to all of the right gun shows

because I never see any of the radical crap. I take it you are either in California or Alabama.

[jpak]

12. Florida

yup

[ProgressiveProfessor]

13. You are in Florida? Thought you claimed non flatlander status some time ago

Which is it?

[jpak]

17. There are things called "cars" and "airplanes" in the 21st Centrury

FYI

[ProgressiveProfessor]

26. So you are at best a snowbird?

Certainly not the posture you have taken previously

[jpak]

44. I am who am

yup

[lawodevolution]

34. Maybe you should move to Nigeria where there is a total ban, very fee civilian gun owners and

No right to carry. It's what you promote here, so I figure you'd like it there

[Remmah2]

25. In NY they've run the radical turds out too.

Go figure.

[Tuesday Afternoon]

19. How many guns did you buy?

[jpak]

32. None - we went for cheap entertainment - carnival freak show - and we were not disappointed

we did leave after smelling alcohol wafting from several participants though

that wuz too much

yup

[rl6214]

42. Cheez you never stop making stuff up do you

I go to half a dozen shows a year for the past 30 years and have never encountered any alcohol at any of them. Maybe you need to get to a better part of the country.

[jpak]

43. There was sheriff's deputy at the door checking for guns - but apparently being hammered was OK

True story

yup

[Tuesday Afternoon]

45. I am sure you were the star. n/t

[DonP]

35. More genius insight from people that have never been to a gun show

Last year we were assured that every gun show sold guns "under the table" including "machine gun conversion kits", no one did background checks, Nazi and Klan materials were everywhere.

Then when someone asked which show they had seen this at, the poster admitted they had never gone to one, but a trustworthy friend told them all about it. That's like the Brady bunch touting that very few people with tables at guns shows are FFLs.

They were right, but they neglected to say that the people that weren't FFLs were selling jerky, glass cleaner, metal polish, reloading books and turkey calls, not firearms.

If you want to know what's really sold at a gun show, pay your $5 cheapskate and go see. While you're there pick up a few of those machine gun kits too.

[Remmah2]

39. Airsoft Convention? nt

nt

[PavePusher]

49. Pictures, or you're making shit up. n/t

[jpak]

50. This was after Oklahoma City and the gun show was on the first anniversary

I figured the last place the militia nutbags would bomb was the gun show.

So it was a refuge as well as a freak show

Two-fer!

yup

:D

[PavePusher]

51. Again with no evidence. Bu-bye now... n/t

[jpak]

54. Yeah - I'm supposed to photograph all my activities for your approval

the Fail it burns

yup

[one-eyed fat man]

18. They did it before.

There was a sheriff in Jefferson County who would issue Deputy Commissions in exchange for "campaign contributions." This was back before the law was changed and the state became "shall issue" for concealed weapons permits. It was a good racket for him, and "Deputies" could carry concealed weapons. There were other things that came out at his Federal corruption trial, but I thought you would appreciate that aspect of his crooked empire.

After hooking up Aerosmith's Steven Tyler and Joe Perry with licenses to carry guns, the head of the NYPD's License Division has been reassigned to a desk job in the Intelligence Division because he may have illegally provided the permits.

Inspector Bernard Petrofsky is reportedly under investigation for giving the bandmembers the licenses in exchange for a concert ticket, backstage pass and limo ride to a post-concert party.

Clerks soliciting bribes for "expediting" government services?

DMV Employee Felony Arrest Drivers License Bribes

DMV Inspectors Fired for Taking Small Bribes From Cabbies

HE'S ACCUSED IN DMV BRIBE TRY[br />
Oakland man gets 18 months in DMV bribery case

Google DMV and bribery and 305,000 results (0.12 seconds)

You live under a bridge?

[oneshooter]

10. If there is proof of bribery then both party's need to be jailed, and the CCW's revoked. n/t

[ProgressiveProfessor]

15. That would depend on what was documented

If the citizen was told it was a valid fee and paid it in good faith, not sure why they should be punished. If it is on the published fee schedule from the government, should the clerk be punished?

[X_Digger]

16. Sounds like the applicants were being conned.

If they knew it was a bribe, and not a legitimate 'expediting fee', why would one of them complain? Doesn't make any sense.

[DonP]

40. They wanted CCW so they were evil to begin with

That seems to be the standard of judgement for some tiny brained folk.

The fact that a public official conned them out of their money is irrelevant. It's funny, if that had been a "Voting surcharge" for people of color, everybody on this board would be up in arms (pun intended) but if it's about firearms in any way, they are ready to throw every other principle out the window to support it.

In another thread we have people that claim to be Progressives, enthusiastically embracing the filthy Bush/Cheney terror watch list as long as it stops gun sales for some.

Hypocrites.

[petronius]

56. Yep. I'm really not clear on how an accusation of government corruption morphed into a smear on CCW

I would think that a progressive would be more concerned about getting to the bottom of what may be significant malfeasance at multiple levels of local government. Isn't that what the story is about? :shrug:

[Remmah2]

27. Why do we need permits to own firearms anyway?

No permits = no bribes.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

33. It is one of the many ways those in power use to control the lower social classes

Gun control has racist and classist roots and is still true to them today.

[rl6214]

36. So you'll believe this story based upon one persons accusations

But you won't believe the Project Gunrunner story based upon the inside knowledge of an ATF agent. Prejudiced much?

[beevul]

57. Game. Set. Match. N/T

[PavePusher]

46. Could it be that possibly the clerks lied so as to steal money?

Naw, I'm sure that could never happen....:sarcasm: